EXCLUSIVE: India’s automotive giant, Tata Motors, has selected independent Melbourne agency ZOO Advertising to launch its Xenon brand into the competitive local car market.
ZOO was appointed by Fusion Automotive, the exclusive Australian distributor for Tata Motors, to officially launch its assault on the country’s light commercial vehicle market next week.
Kelly Addis, Melbourne chief executive of ZOO, said it was a privilege to launch the brand locally.
“Launching a massive global automobile brand is a bucket-list moment in any advertising career,” Addis said.
Tata Motors is India’s largest automotive company with consolidated revenues of US$34.7bn in 2012-13. Tata Motors’ counts the iconic Jaguar Land Rover brands as one of its subsidiaries.
ZOO has a brief to position the brand locally and create television, digital, press and radio ads as well as develop promotions and trade collateral. The agency will also offer motor show and event support.
The agency has been working towards the official launch with the Fusion Motors team for two years. The ute has reportedly been available in Queensland for some time through the Upton’s Motors dealer.
The nationwide rollout comes after a number of auto brands – including Saab Australia and Opel – recently reversed out of the local market.
General Motors’ pulled its German car brand Opel out of Australia after less than a year in market, with advertising partner M&C Saatchi Melbourne launching the brand’s debut campaign in just September last year.
Addis said the Tata Xenon is “going to be really tough to ignore”.
“We know that when we introduce the Tata Motors product to Australia their vehicles will take market share, over deliver on brand promise and consumers will speak with their wallets,” Addis added.
“Our job is to show Australians that these vehicles will take on the more established brands in Australia and give consumers a real choice in terms of quality and performance.”
Xenon is not the first offshore brand ZOO has launched locally, in 2004 the agency – previously known as the Boiler Room in Melbourne – was appointed to introduce Red Energy to Australians.
There was no pitch for the Tata Xenon account with ZOO having previously worked with Fusion Automotive’s general manager, Darren Bowler.
“We enjoy a true long-term relationship with the Fusion Automotive team and look forward to continuing this partnership well into the future,” Addis added.
Bowler, the former general manager of sales and marketing for Holden Special Vehicles, said: “The appointment of ZOO was based on the fact that Kelly Addis and his team have demonstrated they know how to build brands, drive sales and they have a record of building strong lasting relationships with clients, including myself.”
“We aren’t looking for ads, we’re looking for a partner who will build our business and work with us sharing in our success over the long term.
“When Kelly and his team presented us with the brand platform for the Xenon launch, there was no way we could challenge it. The entire team instantly bought into it and we knew then and there we had something worthy of representing the Tata Xenon in this market.”
For more on the challenges facing automotive brands this year see B&T’s feature: ‘Cars get digital’.
Meanwhile, ZOO recently hired former Telstra group manager, Mark Richardson, as head of digital. Click here for more.
