Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Brand Update : Tata Safari and the Art of Laziness

I always loved Tata Safari. Despite the bad reviews, nagging product issues, this brand was always an aspiration for me ( yet to be fulfilled). The brand which was one of the first SUVs in India had something in it which attracted people like me. And as reports validate, there are die-hard Safari fans who cling to their brand despite frequent visits to the workshop.

Sometimes we look at certain products and say ' What a Potential Wasted'. Alas, looking at Safari, I am forced to think about a wasted potential. 
This brand was launched full five years before the launch of Scorpio and see where these two brands are now . Scorpio redefined the SUV market but Safari is still on the sidelines.
And till now the brand has not learned its lessons.

When was the last time you saw a Tata Safari Advertisement and said WoW. When was the last time the product was upgraded ?
It seems that Tata Motors suddenly lost its marketing acumen. More worrying is that the company has lost interest in investing on this ageing brand. According to news reports, Tata Motors is planning to launch the much  spruced up version of Tata Safari branded as Safari Storme later this year. But going by the fate of Aria, I don't give much hope to the new launch because suddenly Tata Motors seems to lose interest in brand building. 
Tata Safari lost one of the most opportune moments in its lifecycle. Indian consumers were shifting towards diesel models, markets were indicating potential of smaller SUV and new price points were opening up in the SUV market. But Safari was blind to all these. To my surprise, it did not even acknowledged the presence of new competing brands like Duster, Xylo, Evalia or even Scorpio. The brand was in a perfect blindness. 
There was no product improvement or campaigns for the brand in these times except for some dull discount ads by the dealers. 
To my utter disappoinment, Tata Safari is now an example of Myopic Marketing wasting a potential to build an iconic brand. 
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9 comments:

  1. TATA has lost out because of their acquistion of Jaguar & Ranger. They are busy promoting foreign brand which of course is acquired. Basically they should try to compress the foreign SUVs and try to market the same in their Indian Units.

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  2. Sekhar10:45 PM

    Totally agree Sir. Mahindra is ahead of Tata when it comes to SUV branding.It gave a new look to the Bolero (the 'sabre tooth' front grill) and Xylo and also launched the XUV5OO in the meantime. And Quanto is in the pipeline.But Tata seems to be paying more attention to its truck segment which has seen 6 new launches today.

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  3. The Tata Safari Storme is radically different in terms of looks compared to current model. It has new honeycomb grille, a ‘power bulge’, projector headlamps on the bonnet. Storme is more spacious by inside and it get luxurious beige seats to match the leather-wrapped steering wheel and wood-accented dashboard and door trims.

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  4. Nice article, like all members, I also like Safari as it is big, good looking and strong car. It does have a little more maintenance cost but still i would say that it is good and is much better then Scorpio. The Safari was extensively modified in August 2005, which included the addition of a new 3-litre DiCOR engine along with modified interiors and exteriors. This 3-litre engine is the first diesel engine from Tata Motors with common rail technology. Market Research

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    Replies
    1. seriously ..there has been good article being posted in this blog. but down the line still safari is engineers first choice.

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  5. The 2012 Tata Safari Storme is anticipated to feature an entirely new guise, different than the current generation Safari SUV and the Indian auto giant has installed some attention grabbing additions to the car. And i am eagerly waiting for this mighty legend to launch in the market...Tata Motors will carry the legacy to a new milestone with the Launch of Tata Safari Storme.

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  6. The leading vehicle manufacturer Tata Motors stunned the Indian auto market with its sensational Tata Safari in the year 1998. The Tata Safari SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) is the first SUV to be designed, developed and manufactured completely in India. The new Tata Safari was a revolutionary crossover at the time when it was unveiled in the world’s second largest auto market. The soft roader was constructed with the latest manufacturing techniques & designs to guarantee quality. Port Elizabeth Internet Marketing

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  7. Here I want to discuss the comparison about the new tata safari storme and mahindra suv 500, as we know that both of the suv's has a power full engine as well as looking wise but tata is the first SUV designer in India as discussed above comment. The Tata Safari Storme has an all new front look grill, side cladding, new projector headlamps and an all new rear look.

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  8. Nice article, like all members, I also like Safari as it is big, good looking and strong car. It does have a little more maintenance cost but still i would say that it is good and is much better.Thanks for info.
    Desert Safari

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