Activa unpacks its teen years for a 20s road show

Honda turns up the lights for is flagship two-wheeler brand as it completes two decades on the road

In a country where brands regularly worship at the altar of cricket or Bollywood to build mass appeal, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) is invoking both as it celebrates 20 years of Activa. In a campaign helmed by stars Akshay Kumar and Taapsee Pannu that uses cricketing analogies and events to further the message, the auto major is ratcheting up the buzz around the country’s first gearless scooter while walking the razor’s edge over the price-value equation for its sixth generation model to be launched this year.

“What’s 2020 without a 6?” runs the ad for Activa on full pages in national print dailies. This is a teaser campaign, the company said. Released on January 1 it was meant to serve two purposes: set the pace for the brand for the year and tie up a routine new year greeting with the launch of the new Activa 6G. With the sixth generation of the scooter being tied into the cricket-crazy nation’s obsession with sixes on the field, the idea was to frame a relatable pitch for the brand’s new avatar—as a scooter that presumably can hit the ball out of the park.

The brief for the creative agency has so far been all about establishing the “6G connect” with masses pan India. The full page teaser ad was followed by a promotional contest for the brand that offered winners a seat at a friendly cricket match between two teams led by Akshay Kumar and Taapsee Pannu. Among the big cricketing names on the pitch were Harbhajan Singh, Billy Bowden and Virender Sehwag.

HMSI wants the campaign to not just celebrate the beginning of the twenties for Activa but also mark another important event in the automobile calendar—the roll out of Bharat Stage (BS) VI emission norms.

“As we are on the cusp of transition into the BSVI era, the iconic Activa is doing it in a grand way – with its 6th generation Avatar “Activa6g” and game-changing six key features,” says YS Guleria, senior vice-president sales and marketing at HMSI. Everything was around six and that is how the ‘power of six’ came to be the campaign’s punch line. The six new features include smart power technology, silent start, new telescopic suspension, double lid external fuel fill, higher mileage and bigger 12 inch front wheel.

Activa leads the market today with 60 per cent share in its category. Over the years, it has consistently held on to its positioning as a two wheeler for every member in the family. Always pitched as an easy ride for the young, the scooter has in recent years found a lot of women buyers, not on account of a deliberate strategy, but due to the rising number of women scooter riders in the country. Other gearless scooters in the market are Jupiter, Wego and Zest from TVS Motor that holds the second spot after Honda in the category.

With Akshay Kumar and Taapsee Pannu, HMSI hopes to drive up the brand’s star appeal and value as price of the new model goes up. Manufacturers have to hit upon the sweet spot of price-to-value, especially in scooters and motorcycles when the scope of differentiation is so little explains Guleria who believes that it is important to highlight the changes appropriately to ensure the buyer sees enough value in the product.

Deepesh Rathore, director at Emerging Market Automotive Advisory believes that the campaign may bring some clicks and footfalls to the brand but the higher price (at ~63,912, the new Activa is 13-14 per cent more expensive than the older models) puts it at a disadvantage against BS-IV competitors. “The customer (for gearless scooters) is not as environmentally concerned and the slowdown means everyone is more price sensitive till BS-VI (end March),” he adds.

“Activa 6G isn’t just upgrading to comply with the BS-VI norms but there is a generation leap in the true sense with as many as 26 patent applications in India. This campaign celebrates both the “new value” of Activa 6G and the legacy of Activa brand,” says Guleria.

Innovation is a must according to Rathore. “Activa’s shape, mechanicals and features are largely unchanged over the decade,” he says, adding it is time for change.

“This campaign celebrates both the new Value of Activa 6G & legacy of Activa brand “Y S GULERIA Senior vice-president, sales & marketing, HMSI