[ad_1]
Lavanya Wadgaonkar, Global Vice President of Communications and Global DEI Champion at Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., is in India for a two-day business trip to strengthen the Japanese automaker’s communications strategy.
With more than 27 years of international experience in strategic communications, public relations, brand management, marketing and sustainability, Ms. Wadgaonkar’s previous roles include Lexmark, Reliance and Eaton.
Despite being present in the Indian market for the past 15 years, Nissan continues to offer a single model in India – Nissan Magnite (with several variants). Its market share is only 1.2%. However, the company has further investment plans, including $600 million in partnership with Renault India and an undisclosed amount on its own. “Both the investments will be made to expand the Chennai factory to expand the Indian market. Several more models will be launched in India soon,” Wadgaonkar told his e4m.
In an exclusive interview, she spoke about the challenges and opportunities in developing communication strategies, especially in the dynamic automotive industry.
About studying in India
Nissan has been present in India for over 15 years. Asked about what the company has learned so far in terms of communications strategy, Wadgaonkar highlighted how his traditional approach had permeated the auto industry when he joined Nissan in 2012.
“There was a set pattern for product launches, promotions, and marketing. As products started to become more unique, they needed to cater to several consumer groups based on age groups, geography, culture, etc. “Our communication strategy required a shift from listing technical specifications to finding a compelling story,” she explained.
Wadgaonkar admits it’s a “well-oiled machine” but emphasizes the changes needed as products become more unique. “The challenge lies in identifying and explaining the distinct personality and features of each product, making storytelling an important aspect of automotive communication.”
According to her, the automotive industry is undergoing major disruption, with cars transforming into lifestyle devices that seamlessly connect with consumers. The focus expands to sustainable transport, mobility beyond transport and the importance of electrification.
“Cars used to have a life cycle of about 10 years because they’re the second most important thing after your home. But now they need to be upgraded every year. That means the way the whole auto industry works has changed.”
“The biggest challenge for communicators is that they’re not just targeting one generation. They’re targeting multiple generations, multiple platforms, multiple channels, and telling stories based on geography, local culture, etc. We need to communicate that,” she further said.
“We need to appeal to all consumers, but the lines between marketing and communications are becoming blurred. In the past, communications strategies were thought to be 50% planned and 50% agile. Now I keep telling my team to be 80% agile and 20% planned. Don’t waste time planning.”
So instead of producing high-quality videos, can you produce high-quality videos that are meaningful, short, and manageable? That doesn’t mean long formats are going away. She further stated that they have their own expiration dates, but they also have their own purposes.
About crisis management
“We are very good at crisis communication. Our DNA is very strong as a Japanese company. has become a top priority,” she said.
Notably, Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s chairman and CEO, was arrested in Japan and expelled from the company in 2018. The charges were among a number of wrongdoings, including underreporting compensation to regulators and allegedly using company assets for personal purposes.
Sharing Nissan’s approach, communication readiness and immediate response, Mr. Wadgaonkar said: “Crisis communication requires sensitivity and awareness that takes into account a diverse customer base across generations, platforms, and channels. But we can never say we know everything about crisis management, as each case is different. First of all, be willing to get the media to answer, even if they don’t have an answer. You can’t just say “I can’t comment” and get away with it. ”
She pointed out that there must be an internal mechanism for the flow of information. “The speed of internal communication helps communicators effectively manage a crisis. Simply answer a media member’s phone call and say, ‘We are aware and we are looking into it.'” she explained.
Focus on Indian market
Wadgaonkar pointed out that India is a very important market not only for Nissan but for everyone. “India, an important market for Nissan, presents unique challenges. It is important to maintain interest and trust in the market, especially during the pre-launch period of a new product. Our main goal is to maintain trust in the market. We need our employees and consumers to understand the pride we take in our products. These two core goals are further supported by five strategies: Corporate Strategy, Empowering Journey, Solutions and Digital Strategy, Social Strategy, Digital Strategy). Overall, our strategy is audience-centric and therefore digital-first. The focus is on accurate communication rather than mass communication. ” she quipped.
It’s no surprise that 40-50% of the company’s media mix in India is digital.
New trends in storytelling
“Disruption is the norm in the auto industry. As industry boundaries have blurred, everything has started to become disorganized. Cars are no longer machines that get you from point A to point B, but more like lifestyle devices. It becomes a thing and is thoroughly connected to you.”
“And the more software-defined vehicles there are, the more they are integrated into things like our phones. Similarly, the automotive industry has changed. We are learning more about sustainable transportation. “We’re talking a lot, and mobility is more than just transportation. We’re also talking about electrification, which is very important to us,” she said.
Talking about the new trend in storytelling, Wadgaonkar said: “We’re seeing a noticeable shift from traditional ads that focus on big actions to emotionally moving content. An example that stuck out to me was an ad featuring a pregnant woman going for a job interview. The ad was aware of her condition and wisely refrained from asking questions, showing she was sensitive to pregnancy-related stigma. Although the ad wasn’t huge, it struck a chord because of the emotional connection. ”
This trend is gaining momentum in India as well, with advertisers prioritizing emotional engagement over direct product sales. The emphasis has shifted from product introductions to eliciting human emotions. Although this approach is popular globally, it is noteworthy that it has been widely adopted in Indian advertising, she added.
However, the full impact of this change is yet to be seen in the Indian advertising industry.
India has no EV target
Nissan released its Ambition 2030 document a few years ago, which talked a lot about the increasing share of EVs in the global market. It highlights each country’s EV goals. What is India’s target?
Wadgaonkar maintained that the company does not target every market. “The reason is that the pace of electrification varies from market to market. It’s easy to say everyone will be 100% electric by this year or next. But it’s up to the consumer to decide that, right? Not governments or automakers.” “Europe wants to be 100% EV-free by 2035. The US needs to meet IATA’s goals.”
“Technology needs to be developed, which is really the key to bringing down costs. Infrastructure is also needed and this is the government’s responsibility. We have products for every segment of EVs. We can introduce it to the right market at the right time,” she stressed.
[ad_2]
Source link
