The Rise of SUV Market in India and the role of Advertisements in its Promotion: A Case study of Mahindra and Mahindra

Abstract

India is the third largest car markets in the world, recording a sales figure of 4.11-million-unit sales in the passenger vehicle segment in the FY 23. Since India is an emerging market the scope of growth becomes more important. There has been a sizeable shift in the car segment with SUVs accounting for 50% market share in FY24. The consumer behavior has evolved over the period. According to media reports based on surveys, brand conscious, image conscious young buyers in India find SUVs more appealing that other segment of cars. The purity of the category of SUV has changed too. With compact SUVs coming to play, people are more interested in getting an SUV for everyday commuting than off-roading occasionally. Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Hyundai Venue, XUV 400, XUV 300, Bolero Neo are great examples of that. Mahindra has excelled at SUVs and the company’s focus has been mostly on SUVs only. The cars have been marketed well to the Indian consumers using television and digital media advertisements to reach a wider variety of audience. This research paper studies the journey of Mahindra SUVs through a case study. It analyses different aspects of the growth of SUVs in India. The audio-visual advertisements shown in TV and later in digital has been analyzed by accessing them on social media platforms like YouTube. The findings of such a study of advertisements through the period of last 15 years showcases minute details of the company’s communication and messages to the audience.