Bajaj\u2019s response to challenges from mainly motorbike-pushing brands like Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki in late 1980s was an ad campaign, called “Hamara Bajaj”, that set a new benchmark for Indian advertising – not just motor vehicle advertising, but advertising in general.<\/p>\n
Two-wheeler advertisements in India seem to follow a sort of invisible blueprint. They have to be edgy; a little macho; are about impressing other people; highlight speed, mileage, efficiency; and maybe reflect a certain statement of style. What they almost never are, are representations of a nation and its people. Which is only fair. After all, how can a two-wheeler capture the essence of a nation? That too a nation as diverse as India.<\/p>\n
Well, it could. And it did. In 1989. When Bajaj released the famous \u201cHamara Bajaj\u201d ad campaign.<\/p>\n<\/div>
India in 1989 was midway between the ideals of socialism on which it had been founded and a more liberalised way of life. The Union Budget of 1985 had opened up the economy to an extent, allowing the entry of international brands in some sectors. One of the most notable of these was the two-wheeler market, which was slowly moving towards motorbikes, after being dominated by the humble scooter for more than three decades.<\/span><\/p>\n That said, the scooter was still the go-to vehicle for most families in the country, even though getting one was no easy task. There was inevitably a long waiting list, and sometimes people had to wait for years to get a scooter \u2013 getting your two-wheeler was a major cause for celebration. The leading brand in the scooter market at that time was Bajaj. There were other brands too, but Bajaj was notable in being not just the most popular in terms of sheer volumes but perhaps the only \u201ctruly\u201d Indian brand out there \u2013 the others had collaborations with the likes of Vespa and Lambretta (even Honda had taken baby steps into the scooter segment with a tie-up with Kinetic).<\/span><\/p>\n But notwithstanding its popularity, 1989 saw Bajaj facing a stiff challenge to its supremacy. Standing in its way were mainly motorbike-pushing brands like Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki, which were attracting consumers with high profile ad campaigns that highlighted their speed, style, mileage and overall superior technology. After being mainly a scooter market for decades, India seemed to be moving towards the motorbike era. Bajaj itself was making motorbikes (it had a tie-up with Kawasaki), but scooters were the brand\u2019s biggest money earners. And now they were under threat.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>