Chhota Hathi Digital Campaign
Way back in 2005, Tata Motors introduced a new concept in the commercial vehicles market segment. Branding it Ace and calling it India’s first Mini Truck, Tata Motors reached out to a wide audience of prospective owners as a superior alternative to the 3-wheeler ‘tempo’ goods carrier. Essentially an intra-city vehicle, Ace was called the ‘Chhota Haathi’, a reference to its compact size, yet superior strength to carry goods. A successful launch saw Ace sales grow with every passing year – touching 1 million in 2012 and crossing 2 million in 2017.
Challenge
The 2 million milestone gave Tata Motors an opportunity to reinforce Ace as the leader and ensure higher recall. However, Chhota Hathi was an extensively popular name among the target group, but there was no face to it. So the challenge was to bring the concept of Chhota Hathi to life and to make it touch base with audience on regular basis; consequently enhancing its recall value.
Solution
We, at Adsyndicate, thought the best way to do it was by leveraging the Chhota Hathi descriptor of the vehicle. And so was born the idea of creating a lovable Chhota Hathi mascot. Then we choose to make digital ads on contemporary topics. Facebook data leak controversy, Budget 2018, Christmas, Virushka’s wedding were some of the topics among others.
Achievement
Released as a pilot project on Facebook and Instagram by Tata Motors, these digital ads were later on published in Times of India and other media websites. They were praised for their cuteness and tongue-in-cheek communication. That’s why they were also appreciated by non-Ace users apart from its target audience.
