SUMMER TRAINING PROJECT REPORT

ON

HOW TO INCREASE SALES THROUGH DIGITAL MEDIA

MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

(Dr A P J ABDUL KALAM Technical University,

Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh)

Faculty Guide: Name of Industry Guide:

Dr. Neeru Rani Harshendra Pratap Singh

Assistant Professor Project Mentor (MSIL)

Submitted By:

Piyush Yadav

Roll No: 2000970700029

MBA 2020-22
 Galgotias College of Engineering &

Technology

Knowledge Park – II, Greater Noida

Dr. A P J ABDUL KALAM Technical University, Lucknow

 Executive Summary

Declaration
I hereby declare that this project report “How to Increase Sales Through
Digital Media” is my own work, to the best of my knowledge and belief. It
contains no material previously published or written by another person nor
material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of
any other degree or diploma of any other institute, except where due
acknowledgement has been made in the text.

Date:
Name – Piyush Yadav
Roll No. - 2000970700029
GALGOTIAS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
Greater Noida

CERTIFICATE

Certify that Mr. Piyush Yadav bearing Roll Number 2000970700029 of DR.
A P J ABDUL KALAM TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY is a Bonafede student of
MBA 2nd semester (2020-2022) at Galgotia’s College of Engineering &
Technology, Greater Noida.

He undertook Final Project titled “How to Increase Sales Through Digital

Media” under the supervision and guidance of departmental faculty guide
Dr. Neeru Rani in the partial fulfillment of the requirement of MBA program.

Faculty Guide: - Head of Department: -

Dr. Neeru Rani Dr. N.Lakshmi
 Acknowledgement

The internship opportunity I had with Maruti Suzuki India Limited was a

great chance for learning and professional development. Therefore, I am

also grateful for having a chance to meet so many wonderful people and

professionals who led me though this internship period.

Bearing in mind previous I am using this opportunity to express my deepest

gratitude and special thanks to Harshendra Pratap Singh Sir of MSIL who

in spite of being extraordinarily busy with his duties, took time out to hear,

guide and keep me on the correct path and allowing me to carry out my

project at their esteemed organization and extending during the training.

I express my deepest thanks to my mentor Dr. Neeru Rani for taking part

in useful decision and giving necessary advices and guidance to make

project easier. I choose this moment to acknowledge his contribution

gratefully.

I would like to express my social gratitude and thanks to industry person for

giving me such attention and precious time.

My thanks and appreciation also to my family members and friends in

developing the project and people who willingly helped me out with their

abilities.

I perceive as this opportunity as a big milestone in my carrier development.

I will strive to use gained skill and knowledge in the best possible way, and

I will continue to work on their improvement to attain desired carrier

objectives.
 PREFACE

The successful completion of the project was a unique experience for us

and we achieved a better knowledge about social media marketing in India.

The experience which we got by doing this project was essential to our

future. The information in this project being submitted by us contains

detailed analysis of the research undertaken by us.

The research provides an opportunity to us to devote our skills, knowledge

and competencies during our knowledge gathering sessions of marketing

management.

The research is on the topic “How to Increase Sales Through Digital

Media”
My project was about “how to increase sales through digital media” where I
was hired as a Market Research Trainee. The purpose of this project is to
have an understanding of Automobile Industry, impact of Covid – 19 on it
and how we can increase sales through Digital Media with Maruti Suzuki
India Limited.

My project started on 11th August 2021, under the guidance of my mentors

Mr. Rakesh and Mr. Harshendra Pratap Singh (Project Head) of MSIL.
There was an induction program where I was told about the work that I had
to do.

Initially I was assigned a project of Automobile Industry so that I could

understand Automobile Industry. In it I have to study about Maruti Suzuki
Nexa and Arena. In this project I came to know about various cars which
comes under Nexa and Arena, the reason why MSIL launch Nexa outlet
and its need according to today's competition. Then after this project I was
assigned a new project on which I learned about Fuel variant, Fuel type,
Customers changing preference on fuel type, OEM wise market share, the
burning issue in Automobile Industry which is Electric Vehicle and in last of
this project I have to analyze the growth of Maruti Suzuki India Limited
according to above written topics.

In final project of my Summer Internship Project Report, I have to do a

survey on digital car buying procedure followed by customers, how they
connect to the Dealer, what are the facilities they are providing in Digital
mode, what are the technologies they used to attract customers. What are
the things which Maruti Suzuki is doing to increase its sales through Digital
Media, what other competitors are doing and what should be the strategies
of Maruti Suzuki so that they can increase sales through Digital Media.

Table Of Content

PARTICULAR PAGE NO.

CHAPTER –1 INTRODUCTION

 Industry Overview: Introduction, History, The

modern Industry, and Impact of Covid-19
 Company Overview: Introduction, History,
Manufacturing Facilities, Controversies, Product
and Services, Awards and Recognition

CHAPTER-2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

CHAPTER-3 DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION
· Data analysis tools
· Hypothesis formulation
· Data Interpretation
· Result
6.) CHAPTER-4 CONCLUSION & FINDINGS

7.) BIBLIOGRAPHY

CHAPTER -1
Introduction
 INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

About the Industry

Introduction

The word automotive comes from the Greek autos (self), and Latin motives
(of motion), referring to any form of self-powered vehicle. This term, as
proposed by Elmer Sperry (1860-1930), first came into use with reference
to automobiles in 1898. The automotive industry comprises a wide range
of companies and organizations involved in the design, development,
manufacturing, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the
world's largest industries by revenue. The automotive industry does not
include industries dedicated to the maintenance of automobiles following
delivery to the end-user, such as automobile repair shops and motor fuel
filling stations. The industry’s principal products are passenger automobiles
and light trucks, including pickups, vans, and sport utility vehicles.
Commercial vehicles (i.e., delivery trucks and large transport trucks, often
called semis), though important to the industry, are secondary.

History

The automotive industry began in the 1860s with hundreds of

manufacturers that pioneered the horseless carriage. For many decades,
the United States led the world in total automobile production. From 1970
(140 models) over 1998 (260 models) to 2012 (684 models), the number of
automobile models in the U.S. has grown exponentially.
The outstanding contribution of the automotive industry to technological
advance was the introduction of full-scale mass production, a process
combining precision, standardization, interchangeability, synchronization,
and continuity. Mass production was an American innovation. The United
States, with its large population, high standard of living, and long distances,
was the natural birthplace of the technique, which had been partly explored
in the 19th century. Although Europe had shared in the experimentation,
the American role was emphasized in the popular description of
standardization and interchangeability as “the American system of
manufacture.” The fundamental techniques were known, but they had not
previously been applied to the manufacture of a mechanism as complex as
a motor vehicle.
The kind of interchangeability achieved by the “American system” was
dramatically demonstrated in 1908 at the British Royal Automobile Club in
London: three Cadillac cars were disassembled, the parts were mixed
together, 89 parts were removed at random and replaced from dealer’s
stock, and the cars were reassembled and driven 800 km (500 miles)
without trouble. Henry M. Leland, founder of the Cadillac Motor Car
Company and the man responsible for this feat of showmanship, later
enlisted the aid of a noted electrical engineer, Charles F. Kettering, in
developing the electric starter, a significant innovation in promoting the
acceptability of the gasoline-powered automobile .

Early car manufacturing involved manual assembly by a human worker.

The process evolved from engineers working on a stationary car, to a
conveyor belt system where the car passed through multiple stations of
more specialized engineers. Starting in the 1960s, robotic equipment was
introduced to the process, and today most cars are produced largely with
automated machinery.

The modern industry

The modern automotive industry is huge. In the United States it is the

largest single manufacturing enterprise in terms of total value of products,
value added by manufacture, and number of wage earners employed. One
of every six American businesses is dependent on the manufacture,
distribution, servicing, or use of motor vehicles; sales and receipts of
automotive firms represent more than one-fifth of the country’s wholesale
business and more than one-fourth of its retail trade. For other countries,
these proportions are somewhat smaller, but Japan, South Korea, and the
countries of western Europe have been rapidly approaching the level in the
United States.

The Indian auto sector received a major thrust after the introduction of the
New Industrial Policy in 1991.

This led to delicensing and 100% FDI to build modern plants. A new
automobile policy was initiated in 1993, which strengthened the sector’s
growth by facilitating the entry of global assemblers. Big companies such
as Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Bajaj Auto, Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and
many others contributed to bringing dynamism and competition in the
sector. In 2017-18, India became the sixth largest producer of automobiles
in the world with an average annual production of 29 million vehicles, of
which 4 million were exported. The sector is an essential pillar of the Indian
economy, contributing significantly to GDP.

Government intervention supported the growth of the sector. In addition to

the direct impact through fiscal policy instruments, the industrial policy
facilitated ‘firm-level learning processes’ and helped shape technological
development. During the first phase of the Automotive Mission Plan (2006-
2016), the sector set targets for employment generation, contribution to
GDP, and production of two- and three-wheelers. In 2016, it contributed
7.2% to India’s GDP and generated employment for about 32 million
people. In 2017, its growth got impacted due to constructive changes like
GST, the leapfrogging to BS6 emission norms (effective April 1, 2020,
onwards) from BS4, and so on. But these were not the last of the
roadblocks. The Covid-19 pandemic amplified the impact, which is still
going on.

The impact of Covid-19

The pandemic-induced lockdown resulted in the shutting down of
production at original equipment manufacturers (OEM). It also led to
disruption of the entire value chain of major industries in India, and
therefore negatively affected production of auto spare parts in micro, small
and medium-sized industries. In addition, the reduction in consumer
demand for passenger vehicles contributed to a loss in revenue and a
severe liquidity crisis in the sector.

According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, the sector

registered negative growth in sales of all vehicle categories in FY21 (2.24%
decline in sales of passenger vehicles, 13.19% fall in sales of two-
wheelers, 20.77% fall in sales of commercial vehicles, and 66.06% fall in
sales of three-wheelers).

Also, production cuts due to slump in demand negatively impacted

employment growth. According to the Parliamentary Panel report submitted
to Rajya Sabha chairperson M Venkaiah Naidu, the estimated job loss in
the Indian automobile sector stood at 3.45 lakh. The largest carmaker
Maruti Suzuki cut temporary workforce by 6%, following the drop in car
sales. The auto sector, which contributed more than 7% to India’s GDP, is
now facing a severe contraction, with some automakers facing year-on-
year decline of more than 30% in recent months.

COMPANY OVERVIEW

About the Company

Maruti Suzuki India Limited, formerly known as Maruti Udyog Limited, is

an Indian automobile manufacturer, based in New Delhi. It was founded in
1981 and owned by the Government of India until 2003, when it was sold to
Suzuki Motor Corporation. As of September 2021, Maruti Suzuki has a
market share of 49 percent in the Indian passenger car market.

History
In 1982, a license and joint venture agreement (JVA) was signed between
Maruti Udyog Ltd., and Suzuki of Japan. At first, Maruti Suzuki was mainly
an importer of cars. In India's closed market, Maruti received the right to
import 2 fully built-up Suzuki in the first two years, and even after that the
early goal was to use only 33% indigenous parts. This upset the local
manufacturers. There were also some concerns that the Indian market was
too small to absorb the comparatively large production planned by Maruti
Suzuki, with the government even considering adjusting the petrol tax and
lowering the excise duty to boost sales. Local production commenced in
December 1983 with the introduction of the SS30/SS40 Suzuki Fronte/Alto-
based Maruti 800. In 2021, the Maruti Van with the same three-cylinder
engine as the 800 was released and the installed capacity of the plant in
Gurgaon reached 40,000 units.
In 1985, the Suzuki SJ410-based Gypsy, a 970 cc 4WD off-road vehicle,
was launched. In 1986, the original 800 was replaced by an all-new model
of the 796-cc hatchback Suzuki Alto (SS80) and the 100,000th vehicle was
produced by the company. In 1987, the company started exporting to
western markets, when a lot of 500 cars were sent to Hungary. By 1988,
the capacity of the Gurgaon plant was increased to 100,000 units per
annum.
In 1989, the Maruti 1000 was introduced and the 970 cc, three-box was
India's first contemporary sedan. By 1991, 65 percent of the components,
for all vehicles produced, were indigenized. After liberalization of the Indian
economy in 1991, Suzuki increased its stake in Maruti to 50 percent,
making the company a 50-50 joint venture with the government of India as
the other stake holder.
In 1993, the Zen, a 993-cc engine hatchback was launched and in 1994 the
1,298 cc Esteem sedan was introduced. Maruti produced its 1 millionth
vehicle since the commencement of production in 1994. Maruti's second
plant was opened with annual capacity reaching 200,000 units. Maruti
launched a 24-hour emergency on-road vehicle service. In 1998, the new
Maruti 800 was released, being the first change in design since 1986. Zen
D, a 1,527-cc diesel hatchback, and Maruti's first diesel vehicle, and a
redesigned Omni were introduced. In 1999, the 1.6-litre Maruti Baleno
three-box sedan and Wagon R were also launched.
In 2000, Maruti became the first car company in India to launch a call
center for internal and customer services. The new Alto model was
released. In 2001, Maruti True Value, selling and buying used cars was
launched. In October of the same year the Maruti Versa was launched. In
2002, Esteem Diesel was introduced. Two new subsidiaries were also
started: Maruti Insurance Distributor Services and Maruti Insurance Brokers
Limited. Suzuki Motor Corporation increased its stake in Maruti to 54.2 per
cent.
In 2003, the new Suzuki Grand Vitara XL-7 was introduced while the Zen
and the Wagon R were upgraded and redesigned. The four millionth Maruti
vehicle was built and they entered into a partnership with the State Bank of
India. Maruti Udyog Ltd. was listed on BSE and NSE after a public issue,
which was oversubscribed tenfold. In 2004, the Alto became India's best-
selling car overtaking the Maruti 800 after nearly two decades. The five-
seater Versa 5-seater, a new variant, was created while the Esteem was
re-launched. Maruti Udyog closed the budget year 2003–04 with an annual
sale of 472,122 units, the highest ever since the company began
operations and the fiftieth lakh (5 millionth) car rolled out in April 2005. The
1.3-litre Suzuki Swift five-door hatchback was introduced in 2005.
In 2006 Suzuki and Maruti set up another joint venture, "Maruti Suzuki
Automobiles India", to build two new manufacturing plants, one for vehicles
and one for engines. Cleaner cars were also introduced, with several new
models meeting the new Bharat Stage III emission standards. In February
2012, Maruti Suzuki sold its ten millionth vehicle in India. In July 2014 it had
a market share of more 45%. In May 2015, the company produced its
fifteen millionth vehicle in India, a Swift Dzire.
On 25 April 2019, Maruti Suzuki announced that it would phase out
production of diesel cars by 1 April 2020, when the Bharat Stage VI
emission standards come into effect. The new standards would require a
significant investment from the company to upgrade its existing diesel
engines to comply with the more stringent emission standards.
 Chairman R.C. Bhargava stated, "We have taken this decision so that in
2022 we are able to meet the corporate average fuel efficiency (CAFE)
norms and higher share of CNG vehicles will help us comply with the
norms. I hope the union government's policies will help grow the market for
CNG vehicles." Diesel cars accounted for about 23 percent of Maruti
Suzuki's annual sales.
The company plans to launch its first electric car in the second half of 2021,
the Maruti Suzuki WagonR Electric and a test mule of the same has been
spotted several times recently.

Manufacturing facilities

Maruti Suzuki has two manufacturing facilities in Haryana (Gurgaon and

Manesar), and one manufacturing complex in Gujarat wholly-owned by
parent company Suzuki which supplies its entire production to Maruti
Suzuki. All manufacturing facilities have a combined production capacity of
2,250,000 vehicles annually (1.5 million from Maruti Suzuki's two plants
and 750,000 from Suzuki Motor Gujarat).
The Gurgaon manufacturing facility has three fully integrated manufacturing
plants and is spread over 300 acres (1.2 km 2). The Gurgaon facilities also
manufacture 240,000 K-Series engines annually. The Gurgaon facility
manufactures the Alto 800, WagonR, Ertiga, XL6, S-Cross, Vitara Brezza,
Ignis and Eeco. The Gurgaon facility also assembles the Jimny starting
from January 2021 solely for export markets. It was reported the Indian-
assembled Jimny will be exported to African markets and countries in the
Middle East.
The Manesar manufacturing plant was inaugurated in February 2007 and is
spread over 600 acres (2.4 km 2). Initially it had a production capacity of
100,000 vehicles annually but this was increased to 300,000 vehicles
annually in October 2008. The production capacity was further increased
by 250,000 vehicles taking total production capacity to 800,000 vehicles
annually. The Manesar plant produces the Alto, Swift, Ciaz, Baleno and
Celerio. On 25 June 2012, Haryana State Industries and Infrastructure
Development Corporation demanded Maruti Suzuki to pay an additional Rs
235 crore for enhanced land acquisition for its Haryana plant expansion.
The agency reminded Maruti that failure to pay the amount would lead to
further proceedings and vacating the enhanced land acquisition.
In 2012, the company decided to merge Suzuki Powertrain India Limited
(SPIL) with itself. SPIL was started as a JV by Suzuki Motor Corp. along
with Maruti Suzuki. It has the facilities available for manufacturing diesel
engines and transmissions. The demands for transmissions for all Maruti
Suzuki cars are met by the production from SPIL.
In 2017, the new Suzuki Motor Gujarat facility was opened. This third
facility is not owned by Maruti Suzuki, but instead wholly owned by Suzuki
Motor Corporation. Despite that, the plant supplied vehicles to Maruti
without any additional cost. Located in Hansalpur, Ahmedabad, the plant
has the total annual capacity of 750,000 units.

Controversies

 Industrial relations
Since its founding in 1983, Maruti Udyog Limited has experienced
problems with its labour force. The Indian labour it hired readily accepted
Japanese work culture and the modern manufacturing process. In 1997,
there was a change in ownership, and Maruti became predominantly
government controlled. Shortly thereafter, conflict between the United Front
Government and Suzuki started. In 2000, a major industrial relations issue
began and employees of Maruti went on an indefinite strike, demanding
among other things, major revisions to their wages, incentives, and
pensions.
Employees used slowdown in October 2000, to press a revision to their
incentive-linked pay. In parallel, after elections and a new central
government led by NDA alliance, India pursued a disinvestment policy.
Along with many other government owned companies, the new
administration proposed to sell part of its stake in Maruti Suzuki in a public
offering. The worker's union opposed this sell-off plan on the grounds that
the company will lose a major business advantage of being subsidized by
the Government, and the union has better protection while the company
remains in control of the government.
The standoff between the union and the management continued through
2001. The management refused union demands citing increased
competition and lower margins. The central government privatized Maruti in
2002 and Suzuki became the majority owner of Maruti Udyog Limited.

 Manesar violence
On 18 July 2012, Maruti's Manesar plant was hit by violence. According to
Maruti management, the production workers attacked supervisors and
started a fire that killed company's General Manager of Human Resources
Avineesh Dev and injured 100 other managers, including two Japanese
expatriates. The workers also allegedly injured nine police officers.
However, Maruti Suzuki Workers Union (MSWU) President Sam Meher
alleged that management ordered 300 hired security guards to attack the
workforce during the violence. The incident is the worst-ever for Suzuki
since the company began operations in India in 1983.
Since April 2012, the Manesar union had demanded a three-fold increase
in basic salary, a monthly conveyance allowance of ₹10,000, a laundry
allowance of ₹3,000, a gift with every new car launch, and a house for
every worker who wants one, or cheaper home loans for those who want to
build their own houses. According to the Maruti Suzuki Workers Union a
supervisor had abused and made discriminatory comments to a low-caste
worker, Jiya Lal. These claims were denied by the company and the police.
Maruti said the unrest began, not over wage discussions, but after the
workers' union demanded the reinstatement of Jiya Lal who had been
suspended for allegedly beating a supervisor. The workers claim harsh
working conditions and extensive hiring of low-paid contract workers which
are paid about $126 a month, about half the minimum wage of permanent
employees. On 27 June 2013, an international delegation from the
International Commission for Labor Rights (ICLR) released a report
alleging serious violations of the industrial right of workers by the Maruti
Suzuki management. Company executives denied harsh conditions and
claim they hired entry-level workers on contracts and made them
permanent as they gained experience. Maruti employees currently earn
allowances in addition to their base wage.

The police, in its First Information Report (FIR), claimed on 21 July that
Manesar violence is the result of a planned violence by a section of
workers and union leaders and arrested 91 people. Maruti Suzuki in its
statement on the unrest, announced that all work at the Manesar plant has
been suspended indefinitely. The shutdown of Manesar plant is leading to a
loss of about Rs 75 crore per day. On 21 July 2012, citing safety concerns,
the company announced a lockout under The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947
pending results of an inquiry the company has requested of the Haryana
government into the causes of the disorder. Under the provisions of The
Industrial Disputes Act for wages, the report claimed, employees are
expected to be paid for the duration of the lockout. On 26 July 2012, Maruti
announced employees would not be paid for the period of lock-out in
accordance with Indian labour laws. The company further announced that it
will stop using contract workers by March 2013. The report claimed the
salary difference between contract workers and permanent workers has
been much smaller than initial media reports – the contract worker at Maruti
received about ₹ 11,500 per month, while a permanent worker received
about ₹12,500 a month at start, which increased in three years to ₹21,000-
22,000 per month. In a separate report, a contractor who was providing
contract employees to Maruti claimed the company gave its contract
employees the best wage, allowances, and benefits package in the region.

Shinzo Nakanishi, managing director and chief executive of Maruti Suzuki

India, said this type of violence has never happened in Suzuki Motor Corp's
global operations in Hungary, Indonesia, Spain, Pakistan, Thailand,
Malaysia, China, and the Philippines. Nakanishi apologized to affected
workers on behalf of the company, and in press interview requested the
central and Haryana state governments to help stop further violence by
legislating decisive rules to restore corporate confidence amid emergence
of this new 'militant workforce' in Indian factories. He announced, "we are
going to de-recognize Maruti Suzuki Workers' Union and dismiss all
workers named in connection with the incident. We will not compromise at
all in such instances of barbaric, unprovoked violence." He also announced
Maruti plans to continue manufacturing in Manesar, that Gujarat was an
expansion opportunity and not an alternative to Manesar.
The company dismissed 500 workers accused of causing the violence and
re-opened the plant on 21 August, saying it would produce 150 vehicles on
the first day, less than 10% of its capacity. Analysts said that the shutdown
was costing the company 1 billion rupees ($18 million) a day and costing
the company market share. In July 2013, the workers went on hunger strike
to protest the continuing jailing of their colleagues and launched an online
campaign to support their demands.
A total of 148 workers were charged with the murder of Human Resources
Manager Avineesh Dev. The court dismissed charges against 117 of the
workers. On 17 March 2017, 31 workers were found guilty of variety of
offences. 18 were convicted on charges of rioting, trespassing, causing hurt
and other related offences under Indian Penal Code sections. The
remaining 13 workers were sentenced to life in imprisonment after being
found guilty of the murder of General Manager of Human Resources
Avineesh Dev. Twelve of the thirteen sentenced were office-bearers of the
Maruti Suzuki Workers Union at the time of the alleged offences. The
prosecution had sought the death penalty for the thirteen.
Both prosecution and defense have announced they will appeal against the
sentences. Defence counsel Vrinda Grover stated, "We will file appeals
against all convictions in the HC. The evidence, as it stands, cannot
withstand legal scrutiny. There is no evidence to link these workers to the
murder. The 13 who have been convicted, it is important to remember that
they were the leaders of the union. Therefore, it is clear that this is targeted
framing of these persons. We hope for justice in the superior court".
The Maruti Suzuki Workers Union is continuing to organize industrial action
and protests calling for the workers to be released and criticizing the
judgement and sentences an unjust. An international appeal for the release
of the workers has been made by the International Committee for the
Fourth International (ICFI) and other organizations such as the People's
Alliance for Democracy and Secularism.

 Automotive safety

Maruti Suzuki's has been criticized for cutting costs and compromising
safety in their products by automotive enthusiasts, journalists, and the
Global NCAP, as they are made lighter in terms of kerb weight to achieving
higher fuel economy. Starting 2014, several of their made for India cars
were crash tested at Global NCAP, most of which have given disappointing
results. Cars like Alto, Swift, Celerio, S-Presso (with driver's airbag), and
Eeco which had no safety features like airbags were awarded 0 stars, while
Wagon-R and Swift (2018 model year) which had dual front airbags were
awarded 2 stars out of 5. Only the Vitara Brezza (4 stars), Ignis (3 stars)
and Ertiga (3 stars) have been awarded decent safety ratings. Though
Maruti Suzuki claimed that they were following the safety standards
mandated by the Government of India, it however only implied with the
safety features included in their cars and not the strong body shell or build
quality which suffers the impact of the crash. Maruti Suzuki has also come
under fire for discrimination with customers in India, by making cars safe
meant for exports to European and African markets.
The chairperson, RC Bhargava stated that "If carmakers incorporate such
features in even entry-level cars, obviously the price would go up, which
would lead consumers to opt for two-wheelers, which would be more
unsafe", which attracted criticism. The company, in February 2020, decided
not to send their cars to Global NCAP for testing, as they only believe in the
Safety Standards set by the Government of India. Following the crash test
results of S-Presso, Alejandro Fura's, Secretary General of Global NCAP
said, “It is very disappointing that Maruti Suzuki, the manufacturer with the
largest share of the Indian market, offers such low safety performance for
Indian consumers. Domestic manufacturers like Mahindra and Tata have
demonstrated elevated levels of safety and protection for their customers,
both achieving five-star performance. Surely it’s time for Maruti Suzuki to
demonstrate this commitment to safety for its customers?” Alongside,
David Ward, President of the Towards Zero Foundation said, "We have
seen important progress on car safety in India, with new legislation
introduced by the government and manufacturers like Mahindra and Tata
accepting the Global NCAP five-star challenge and producing models
which go well beyond minimum regulatory requirements. There is no place
for zero rated cars in the Indian market. It remains a great disappointment
that an important manufacturer like Maruti Suzuki does not recognize this."

 Anti-competitive dealer policies

In Aug 2021, Maruti Suzuki was fined ₹200 Crore (US$28.57 million) by the
Competition Commission of India (CCI) for implementing its Discount
Control Policy that restrains dealers from offering customer discounts
beyond those prescribed by the carmaker.

Products and services

Current models

Model Production Image Outlet

Wagon R 1999–present Arena

Maruti Eeco 2010–present Arena

Swift 2005–present Arena

Ertiga 2012–present Arena

Alto 2012–present Arena

Celerio 2014–present Arena

Arena (2014-2016)
Ciaz 2014–present NEXA (2017-
present)
 Baleno 2015–present NEXA

S-Cross 2015–present NEXA

Vitara Brezza 2016–present Arena

Dzire 2017–present Arena

Ignis 2017–present NEXA

XL6 2019–present NEXA

S-Presso 2019–present Arena

Discontinued models

Model Released Discontinued Image

800 1983 2014

Omni 1984 2019

 Gypsy E 1985 2000

Gypsy King 1985 2017

1000 1990 2000

Zen 1993 2006

Esteem 1994 2007

Baleno 1999 2006

Baleno Altura 2000 2006

Alto 2000 2012

Versa 2001 2010

Grand Vitara XL7

2003 2007
(imported)
 Grand Vitara
2007 2014
(imported)

Zen Estilo 2007 2013

SX4 2007 2014

A-star 2008 2014

Swift Dzire 2008 2017

Ritz 2008 2016

Alto K10 2010 2020

Kizashi
2011 2014
(imported)

Baleno RS 2017 2020

Sales and service network

Maruti Suzuki has 3,598 sales outlets across 1,861 cities in India. The
company aims to increase its sales network to 4,000 outlets by 2020. It has
3,792 service stations across 1,861 cities throughout India. Maruti's
dealership network is larger than that of enough known companies
combined. Service is a major revenue generator of the company. Most of
the service stations are managed on franchise basis, where Maruti Suzuki
trains the local staff. Also, The Express Service stations exist, sending
across their repair man to the vehicle if it is away from a normal service
center.

NEXA

In 2015, Maruti Suzuki launched NEXA, a new dealership network for its
premium cars.
Maruti currently sells the Baleno, S-Cross, XL6, Ciaz and Ignis through
NEXA outlets. S-Cross was the first car to be sold through NEXA outlets.
Several new models will be added to both channels as part of the
company's medium-term goal of 2 million annual sales by 2020.

Maruti Finance

To promote its bottom-line growth, Maruti Suzuki launched Maruti Finance

in January 2002. Prior to the start of this service Maruti Suzuki had started
two joint ventures Citicorp Maruti and Maruti Countrywide with Citi Group
and GE Countrywide respectively to assist its client in securing loan. Maruti
Suzuki tied up with ABN Amro Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Limited, Kotak
Mahindra, Standard Chartered Bank, and Sundaram to start this venture
including its strategic partners in car finance. Again, the company entered
into a strategic partnership with SBI in March 2003. Since March 2003,
Maruti has sold over 12,000 vehicles through SBI-Maruti Finance. SBI-
Maruti Finance is currently available in 166 cities across India.
Citicorp Maruti Finance Limited is a joint venture between Citicorp Finance
India and Maruti Udyog Limited its primary business stated by the company
is "hire-purchase financing of Maruti Suzuki vehicles". Citi Finance India
Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Citibank Overseas Investment
Corporation, Delaware, which in turn is a 100% wholly owned subsidiary of
Citibank N.A. Citi Finance India Limited holds 74% of the stake and Maruti
Suzuki holds the remaining 26%. GE Capital, HDFC and Maruti Suzuki
came together in 1995 to form Maruti Countrywide. Maruti claims that its
finance program offers most competitive interest rates to its customers,
which are lower by 0.25% to 0.5% from the market rates.

Maruti Insurance

Launched in 2002 Maruti Suzuki provides vehicle insurance to its

customers with the help of the National Insurance Company, Bajaj Allianz,
New India Assurance and Royal Sundaram. The service was set up the
company with the inception of two subsidiaries Maruti Insurance
Distributors Services Pvt. Ltd and Maruti Insurance Brokers Pvt. Limited.
This service started as a benefit or value addition to customers and was
able to ramp up easily. By December 2005 they were able to sell more than
two million insurance policies since its inception.
Maruti Accessories

Many of the auto component companies except than Maruti Suzuki started
to offer compatible components and accessories. This caused a serious
threat and loss of revenue to Maruti Suzuki. Maruti Suzuki started a new
initiative under the brand name Maruti Genuine Accessories to offer
accessories like alloy wheels, body cover, carpets, door visors, fog lamps,
stereo systems, seat covers and other car care products. These products
are sold through dealer outlets and authorized service stations throughout
India.

Maruti Driving School

As part of its corporate social responsibility Maruti Suzuki launched the

Maruti Driving School in Delhi. Later the services were extended to other
cities of India as well. These schools are modelled on international
standards, where learners go through classroom and practical sessions.
Many international practices like road behaviors and attitudes are also
taught in these schools. Before driving actual vehicles, participants are
trained on simulators.
At the launch ceremony for the school Jagdish Khattar stated "We are very
concerned about mounting deaths on Indian roads. These can be brought
down if government, industry, and the voluntary sector work together in an
integrated manner. But we felt that Maruti should first do something in this
regard and hence this initiative of Maruti Driving Schools."
Awards and recognition

2020
Arena Bangalore: Platinum Dealership Award for the 9th time in a row
from Maruti Suzuki based on the performance parameters for the year of
2019-20
Arena Hyderabad: Platinum Dealership Award for the 4th time from Maruti
Suzuki based on the performance parameters for the year of 2019-20
Nexa Bangalore: Alpha Dealership Award for the 4th time from Maruti
Suzuki based on the performance parameters for the year of 2019-20
Nexa Hyderabad: Alpha Dealership Award for 3rd time from Maruti Suzuki
based on the performance parameters for the year of 2019-20
2019
Arena Bangalore: Platinum Dealership Award for the 8th time in a row
from Maruti Suzuki based on the performance parameters for the year of
2018-19
Arena Hyderabad: Platinum Dealership Award for the 3rd time from Maruti
Suzuki based on the performance parameters for the year of 2018-19
Nexa Bangalore: Alpha Dealership Award for the 3rd time from Maruti
Suzuki based on the performance parameters for the year of 2018-19
Nexa Hyderabad: Alpha Dealership Award for 2nd time from Maruti Suzuki
based on the performance parameters for the year of 2018-19
2018
Business Person of the Year: A. Mohan Raju, Chairman & Managing
Director of Kalyani Motors got precious award from Zee Business/SAP.
Arena Bangalore: Royal Platinum Dealership Award for the 7th time in a
row (Platinum/Royal) from Maruti Suzuki based on the performance
parameters for the year of 2017-18
Arena Hyderabad: Platinum Dealership Award for the 2nd time from Maruti
Suzuki based on the performance parameters for the year of 2017-18
Nexa Hyderabad: Alpha Dealership Award for 1st time from Maruti Suzuki
based on the performance parameters for the year of 2017-18
2017
Arena Bengaluru: Platinum Dealership Award for 6th time in a row from
Maruti Suzuki based on the performance parameters for the year of 2016-
17
Nexa Bengaluru: Alpha Dealership Award for 1st time from Maruti Suzuki
based on the performance parameters for the year of 2016-17
Arena Hyderabad: Royal Platinum Dealership Award for the 1st time from
Maruti Suzuki based on the performance parameters for the year of 2016-
17
2016
Arena Bengaluru: Platinum Dealership Award for the 5th time in a row
from Maruti Suzuki based on the performance parameters for the year of
2015-16
2015
Arena Bengaluru: Platinum Dealership Award for the 4th time in a row
from Maruti Suzuki based on the performance parameters for the year of
2014-15
2014
Kalyani Motors has won "Best Showroom in Bangalore" award from Brands
Academy.
Arena Bengaluru: Platinum Dealership Award for the 3rd time in a row from
Maruti Suzuki based on the performance parameters for the year of 2013-
14.
2013
Dealership Platinum Award for overall performance 2012-13
Workshop Performance Award
Highest growth in wholesale.
2012
Dealership Platinum Award for overall performance 2012-13
Workshop Performance Award
Highest growth in wholesale.
2011
New Initiative - VTS Regional Service Conference, Bengaluru (Bangalore)
Lowest pending body repair vehicle, Regional Service Conference,
Bengaluru
2010
Spare Parts Award, Lowest average inventory in stock months (work
consumption less than 3 crores).
2009
Highest growth in sales.
Sales Award, highest growth in Alto sales (top 20 cities).
Service Award (Innovative service systems implementation).
Award for Best New Showroom (category A).
Award for most consistent advertising throughout the year.
Award for most innovative Ad campaign.
Young Entrepreneur Award.
Award for lowest inventory days.
Award for contribution in making Swift achieve the 1,50,000 milestone.
Highest extended warranty Regional Awards 2008-09.
Award for Spare Parts lowest Inventory days (All India Level).
2008
Best initiative for manpower retention category, JDP City, Regional Service
Conference
Highest extended warranty Regional Awards,2007-08.
Customer care team, South No.2.
 Chapter 2 -

HOW TO INCREASE SALES THROUGH DIGITAL MEDIA

Few years back, if we wanted to purchase a car, we were supposed to go

to the car dealer for enquiry. When we started our enquiry, they punched a
specific car enquiry reference number. This step is called Enquiry. After
that if we like that car for which we enquired before, and we want to buy
that car then the car dealer of that company takes some personal details
for maintaining data. This step is called as Booking.
And at the end, when the car is delivered at our place, this process is
called as retailing.
But now a days, due to corona outbreak everything is going to become
digital. The car purchasing process also comes on digital platform due to
which the need of visiting the car showroom is being vanished.
Many car companies launched their online car buying platforms. For
instance – 1) Hyundai introduced “Click to Buy” - India’s 1st end to
end online car buying platform.
2) Tata motors launches a “Click to Drive” - a contactless sales platform.
I do a study on different company’s online car buying procedure.

HYUNDAI
Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Hyundai Motor Company (HMC). HMIL is India’s first smart mobility
solutions provider and the number one car exporter since inception in India.
It currently has 10 car models across segments SANTRO, GRAND i10
NIOS, all-new i20, AURA, VENUE, Spirited New VERNA, All New CRETA,
ELANTRA, New 2020 TUCSON & KONA Electric. Mr. Seon Seob Kim is
the MD & CEO of Hyundai Motor India Ltd since Dec 1, 2018.
To understand their online buying procedure, I was supposed to be a
customer who is interested to buy a VERNA car.
Hyundai introduced ‘Click to Buy’ - India’s 1 st end to end online car buying
platform. With ‘Click to Buy’ we can have complete car buying process
online by selecting our car, comparing, and choosing the right variants,
getting the best online quotation and easy finance options from leading
banks, all with the regular assistance from a sales consultant to answer our
queries.
To buy verna, I just type verna on google and open first result and read that
page.
After then I exit from google and started scrolling Instagram and within
seconds, I started receiving advertisement of Hyundai car.

From google I am able to now about Hyundai’s online Car buying platform
“Click to Buy.” After that I simply type click to buy and open the 1st result.
I found a six-step procedure to buy verna car.
Step 1 – Select car and color
In this step they asked me about car, color, fuel type, and about
transmission.
Step 2 – Select dealer
I have to fill my state and city information so that I can able to found my
nearest dealer.
Step 3 – Review your selection
In this step I have to review the details of the selected car model, variant,
color, dealership.
Step 4 – Quotation
In this step I saw the full summary of the vehicle I choosed and the
estimated purchase amount along with RTO and insurance cost. A Deal
Code was shared to me to get a discount.
Step 5 – Financing options
In this step I was asked to pay directly through my bank account or
applying for a loan with their banking partners. A sales consultant was
assigned to assist me to complete my online loan documentation.
Step 6 – Finalize order
In the last step I have to finalize my order.
When my order gets ready, they will inform me either to take it from dealer
or asked me to deliver at my home.

TATA
Tata Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate manufacturer of
automobiles, airplanes and other products, headquartered in Mumbai,
Maharashtra, India. Founded in 1868 by Jamshedji Tata, the company
gained international recognition after purchasing several global companies.
It is one of the biggest and oldest industrial groups in India. Each Tata
company operates independently under the guidance and supervision of its
own board of directors and shareholders.
As a customer if I want to buy a Tata Nexon car, the first step would be
simply typing Tata Nexon on google. And open the 1 st result to know about
my dream car.
After scrolling that page, I switched to YouTube to get better understanding
of car. After watching 2 – 3 videos I exit from YouTube. After some time,
when I started scrolling my Instagram and Facebook and I started receiving
ads from Tata Moter.
I came to know about their online car sales platform “Click to Drive” from
google.
‘Click to Drive’, is an end-to-end full online sales experience enabling
customers to buy a Tata Motors car with a click of a button from the comfort
of their homes. This platform has been integrated with all Tata Motors
dealers from more than 750 outlets across the country and will also offer
vehicle home delivery for our customers later.
After then I just type “Click to Drive” on google and open the 1 st result ‘Tata
Motors Click To Drive Online Sales Platform’.
Step 1 – Explore Cars and Services
In this step we have to select from ‘New Forever’ range of cars and SUVs
then we explore the desired model through the video brochures.
Step 2 – Reserve our car
In it we have to select our preferred dealership, pay the booking amount
online and our dealer will call us.
Step 3 – Purchase our car
We have to seamlessly connect with our sales consultant to receive price
quotation, financing options, estimated on our old car all via email, video
chat or WhatsApp.
Step 4 – Plan our delivery
In it we have to pick up our car from the dealer or it will be delivered at our
home. It is that Simple.

Mahendra
Mahindra & Mahindra Limited is an Indian multinational automotive
manufacturing corporation headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It
was established in 1945 as Muhammad & Mahindra and later renamed as
Mahindra and Mahindra. It is one of the largest vehicle manufacturers by
production in India and the largest manufacturer of tractors in the world. It
is a part of the Mahindra Group, an Indian conglomerate. It was ranked
17th on a list of top companies in India by Fortune India 500 in 2018. Its
major competitors in the Indian market include Maruti Suzuki.
'Own-Online', India's most complete, end to end, online vehicle
ownership solution. A smart new way to own a Mahindra vehicle,
Own-Online is a one-stop, 24X7 destination where the customer can
finance, insure, exchange, accessorize and own a Mahindra vehicle in 4
simple steps, from the comfort of their homes
As a customer I search on google as ‘is there any online car selling
platform of Mahendra’. After my research I came to know about their
“Own-Online” vehicle ownership solution. Advertisement of Mahindra Thar
appeared on my insta.
After that I type ‘own online Mahindra car’ and open the 1 st result and found
4 simple steps to buy a car.
Step 1 – Vehicle
In this step I select Mahindra Thar, diesel fuel variant, automatic
transmission and convertible top.
Step 2 – Dealer
In it they asked about our state and city and then locate the nearest dealer
for us.
Step 3 – Details
They asked your mobile number to verify your identity by sending a 4-digit
OTP and then ask about your name and email address.
Step 4 – Summary
In the last step, they create our booking order summary in which we can
see the showroom price, registration price, RTO, and various other taxes.
In the last if your summary is correct, they asked to do an online payment
of 21000 as booking charges.

KIA
Kia Corporation (commonly known as Kia, but stylized as KIΛ) (formerly
known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation) is a
South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in
Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second largest automobile
manufacturer after parent company Hyundai Motor Company, with sales of
over 2.8 million vehicles in 2019.
Kia Corporation was founded in May 1944 and is Korea’s oldest
manufacturer of motor vehicles. From humble origins making bicycles and
motorcycles, Kia has grown – as part of dynamic, global Hyundai-Kia
Automotive Group – to become the world’s fifth largest vehicle
manufacturer.
In India KIA launches “Kia Digi-Connect" to facilitate digital buying. This is
an industry-first video-based live sales consultation solution by Kia, which
is offered through website scheduling and integration with the company's
CRM system.
“Kia Digi-Connect" solution is designed to ensure the safety of our
consumers and dealer partners, especially in these tough times of COVID-
19. It offers a safe platform where customers can access all the information
about Kia products and services from the comfort of their homes, as they
would when visiting the showroom.
For example, if I have to but a Kia car what should be my first step.?
My first step would be exploring about Kia cars on google. Searching and
then selecting the right car which fits in my budget.
If I want to own a Kia Seltos car I just google about the specifications and
price range of that car. On google I found “Kia Digi-Connect", an online car
selling app.
When I type on google about it and opens the first result, I reached at
https://www.kia.com/ . Now I have to follows some steps to buy my car.
Step 1 – Choose
In this step I have to select the model of car, color, transmission, fuel type
etc.
Step 2 – Test Drive
In it we have to select our nearest dealer and we have to pick a time slot
that suits us and their sales specialist will contact to us.
Step 3 – Build and Price
They unlock our instant upfront estimated on – road pricing. They will
ensure us that they give the best possible estimation of our car. We will
also be able to contact with our dealer, test drive and do a simple EMI
calculation.
Step 4 – Booking
In this step we have to go ahead and book our Kia car by paying a nominal
amount to secure the vehicle. We can check our completed booking any
time after you booked a vehicle online under "My Dashboard".
Step 5 – Financing
In this step after booking, we can complete our purchase online either by
paying directly through our bank account or apply for a loan with our
empaneled list of banks with easy & fast process.
Step 6 – Review
In this step we review our purchase. The "My Dashboard" screen an
industry first online car sale portal will help us to get all the necessary
information.
Step 7 – Delivery
Schedule delivery of our kia at our home or our office. They will help us
about all the queries, features and operations of the car.

Chapter 3

Data Analysis and Interpretation

MARUTI SUZUKI
Maruti Suzuki India Limited, formerly known as Maruti Udyog Limited, is an
Indian automobile manufacturer, based in New Delhi. It was founded in
1981 and owned by the Government of India until 2003, when it was sold to
Suzuki Motor Corporation. As of September 2021, Maruti Suzuki has a
market share of 49 percent in the Indian passenger car market.
Its headquarters is located in New Delhi, India, and has three other
manufacturing operations in India in Gurgaon (Haryana), Manesar
(Haryana), Gujarat.

MARUTI SUZUKI – The digital marketing revolution

Now a days Consumers have grown incredibly smart and they would not
invest in a car without undertaking research online at every stage of the
customer journey. A large number of automobile buyers tend to watch
online videos before buying a car. Video, search and brand or dealer
websites remain to be the most substantially influencing factor remodeling
the automotive industry.
With online being an indispensable source of resource for research and
India hosting over 460 million smartphone users, Maruti recognized it was
time to experiment and innovate content designed for the digital world

When Maruti Suzuki launched its Smart Finance scheme for Arena
customers (in addition to Nexa), the company claimed that it has digitized
24 out of 26 car-buying steps. From the time a customer thinks about
buying a car to actually taking the car delivery, there are 26 touchpoints,
such as visiting the carmaker’s website, researching the car on the internet,
asking friends and family, and so on. Earlier, a lot of these touchpoints
were physical, such as physically checking out the same model that maybe
your colleague would have been driving. Now, while the number of
touchpoints remains the same, the mode of getting information has
changed to digital. A customer now goes to online forums where thousands
of existing users offer their advice on that particular model. Similarly, earlier
if a customer used to visit a dealership to check out the car, the same now
can be done using AR/VR tools.
The two touchpoints that cannot be currently digitized are test drive and
delivery of the car.

Car Buying Steps

1. Searches the car on Google
2. Asks peers
3. Asks on social media
4. Checks on WhatsApp groups
5. Visits OEM website
6. Checks the brand’s social media pages
7. Views product photos
8. Gets influenced by online ads
9. Browses print media ads
10. Watches YouTube videos of the car
11. Watches video ads of the car
12. Searches on smartphone
13. Uses loan calculator on third-party website
14. Sees TV ads
15. And/or sees OTT ads
16. Reads professional reviews
17. Locates a dealer on smartphone
18. Visits dealer website
19. Requests a price quote online
20. Uses car-comparison tool
21. Visits automotive expert websites
22. Reads consumer reviews
23. Takes a test drive (physical activity)
24. Uses AR/VR tools
25. May or may not visit dealership
26. Takes car delivery or home delivery of the car (physical activity).

Now these are the things which Maruti Suzuki is doing to increase its sales
through Digital Media.

TARGET AUDIENCE
Maruti targets every person who searched for anything related to cars, car
services, and vehicles. Demography plays a crucial role for Maruti to
determine its target audience. It pays keen attention to the audience’s
seating for which car they should buy or what are the features of a
particular car. Maruti makes sure to provide accurate and most description
information about their cars and services.
Maruti Suzuki says that half of its Nexa customers are under the age of
35 and its first-time buyers make up for 70 percent of its total sales. So, it
makes sure that anyone searching for NEXA on the internet should
immediately get Maruti’s official site on the top instead of any other car
services providers like Car Dekho and cars24. Maruti has a variety of cars
like Alto India’s most fuel-efficient car which can be afforded by lower-
income groups as well, WagonR positioned as a brand that goes well with
people who want to lead an economic and interesting lifestyle, Swift
positioned as the car with style, modern looks, and young attitude and
similarly, Swift Dezire positioned as an entry-level sedan for the
aspirational class. This shows how much Maruti focuses on its audience so
that it can serve a variety of people among different demography.

Search Engine Optimization

Maruti is one of the most successful automobile companies in India has
worked immensely on optimizing its platform to rank on the search engine.
Whenever someone searches for Keywords like “Cars, Best Cars or
anything related to Car and vehicles” the chances of results showing
Maruti’s article are very high. And this is all possible because Maruti has
put a lot of effort into SEO.
Traffic Sources for marutisuzuki.com -

Keywords in URL (marutisuzuki.com) -

The organic keywords for which Maruti ranks are 116092, which is simply
amazing. This shows how much effort Maruti has put forward for its SEO.
The website gets a monthly traffic of 503722, which is again brilliant.
It also gets 37083 backlinks from other websites, which works as a
backbone for Maruti in ranking no.1 on google search.
Backlinks of Maruti -

Maruti gets backlinks from over 37083 unique domains, which is excellent.
All these backlinks work as a backbone for Flipkart in ranking number 1 on
the search engine.

Keywords on the web pages

Keywords that include cars or services provided by Maruti like’ ‘Nexa,

Wagon R, Swift, Celerio’ tell the search engines that these pages have the
content related to these search queries.

SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIES

Maruti Suzuki is very much active on social media platforms like Facebook,
Instagram & Twitter. It has around: 502459 followers on Facebook, 88.4K
on Instagram & around 152.4K on Twitter.
Like the youth, Maruti Suzuki too has a different kind of love for Instagram,
and the multiple accounts just prove that. Apart from the official Instagram
accounts Suzuki has two other Instagram accounts one is Maruti Suzuki
Arena which is more about the showrooms and the journey of Technology,
Design and Connected Experience and the other one Nexa which solely
focuses on their model Nexa. They have a follower base of 318K and 326K
respectively.

SPECIAL DAYS
When it comes to social media and Occasions, the social media team of
Maruti Suzuki leaves no leaf unturned. They do not miss out on occasions
be it universally celebrated occasions like Mother’s Day or Chocolate Day
to days of national importance like Republic Day & Independence Day.
The brand connects the occasion with their product very well and in a very
unique style.

CAMPAIGNS

Sometime back Maruti Suzuki had come up with a new campaign to

promote its premium hatchback Swift. The company opted for social media
to run and promote this campaign by sharing some motivating stories in the
form of videos which involves a famous personality like Mary Kom.

PAID MEDIA ADVERTISING (Google AdWords)

Maruti Suzuki has leveraged this digital marketing strategy to attract google
searchers to their websites. The brand has done extensive research on
relative keywords and has strategically ranked for the same.
Few search terms for which Maruti Suzuki’s website ranks in the top are:
1. Most fuel-efficient car in India.
2. Buy the best car under 5 lakhs.
3. Top selling cars in India

YOUTUBE ADVERTISING
The brand decided to create ads and content for its digital audience
targeting YouTube as the platform. For its Ertiga, the company produced a
series of ads titled ‘Real-Time Social’ to advertise the car in a fairly different
space with real-life experience.
It is a tale of four friends who choose to go on a road trip away from
technology and smartphones, the series of ads highlighted the friends
traveling a long way exploring the offline world to create Real-Time Social
experiences.
The Ertiga Real-Time Social video web series for YouTube, which was
short two-three-minute videos gained over seven million views. The Ertiga
launch also paved the way for the creation of mobile-first creative ads.

COVID STRATEGY

As coronavirus is fast across the world, Suzuki is working on minimizing the

impact of the pandemic on sales.
The company has started focusing more on digital marketing and delivery
of cars from service centers directly to customers without the customer
having to visit the store.
During the Covid-19 outbreak with everyone being locked inside their
house, there were some Corona Warriors fighting out with the virus for the
people of the country. Doctors being one of them and they have put in their
heart and soul, most importantly risked their life in trying and saving as
many patients possible. Maruti Suzuki conveyed the same message in one
of their posts with the following message:
“While we only see one avatar, doctors are also mothers, fathers, spouses,
and siblings. In their pursuit to help humankind in these trying times, they
often put the care of their patients above their families.”

Comparison:
Hyundai: When I started enquiry for Verna car which comes under Hyundai
company, there is a systematic and stepwise process which I like the most.
I started receiving ads of verna and many other cars of Hyundai. I think it
was good.
I think if they target the right people with their automotive campaigns then
sales might increase as compared to their previous record.
Tata: In this, ads were less as compared to Hyundai. As everyone knows
about the build quality of Tata, so my suggestion for Tata is that they
should pay more attention on advertisement.
Kia: When I fill the enquiry form, I started receiving phone calls form my
nearest dealer, asking me for a test drive on their own behalf. According to
me, this is a good point as if we take a test drive, we are able to know the
pros and cons of that car.
Mahindra: I feel that Mahindra is far away from all the companies who sell
their car digitally. I did not find a single advertisement when I search about
Mahindra Thar on my mobile. I feel that Mahindra is less updated in
comparison of online ads. But I feel that it could be because there are so
many bookings already, but I am not very sure about it.
Maruti Suzuki: When I started my enquiry there was everything good but I
think that there should be an official platform for selling and enquiring, for
example like Tata has “click to drive”. I found it a little disturbing as Maruti
is a top most company and most of the vehicles are of Maruti only.
The thing that I like the most in Maruti Suzuki is “Maruti Suzuki Subscribe.”
It is a convenient way to bring home a new car without buying it. It offers
flexible tenure options starting from one year. The fixed monthly fee covers
vehicle cost, road tax, insurance as well as maintenance of the car,
resulting in a hassle-free ownership experience. It is a great option for
those who move from one city to another every year and for those also who
likes to change car every year. I think Maruti Suzuki should also focus on
advertisement of ‘Maruti Suzuki Subscribe’ as only few of us are aware
about this program.
For Increasing sales more than today, they should do paid advertisement,
should be more active on social media i.e. have to upload reels and videos
of their cars on Instagram and Facebook, should upload short videos on
YouTube etc. I think this will be beneficial for increasing sales digitally.

Chapter: 4
Conclusion