Yamaha’s goal is to build a young and aspirational brand: Vijay Kaul

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Yamaha Motors Co. Ltd., founded in 1953, has established itself as a global leader in the motorcycle industry, renowned for its innovation, quality, and performance. The company originated as a division of the Yamaha Corporation, which was initially recognized for its musical instruments. Leveraging its expertise in precision engineering, Yamaha Motors produced its first motorcycle, the YA-1, in 1955, which went on to win prestigious races, setting the stage for the brand's reputation in motorsports. Today, Yamaha Motors operates in over 180 countries, maintaining its position as a pioneering force in the motorcycle industry while focusing on sustainability and innovation for the future.

Carrying forward the momentum of the previous versions of “The Call of the Blue”, India Yamaha Motor (IYM) has launched version 4 of its flagship brand campaign, reinforcing its premium positioning in the Indian two-wheeler market. The campaign slogan – “Hear the Call Now” – is a progression of the previous slogan, “Have You Heard the Call?”, and is aimed at reaching out to new motorcycle riders who are coming of age, adding to their aspirations for Yamaha products.

In this exclusive AG Talk interaction with Adgully, Vijay Kaul, General Manager - Marketing Strategy Division at India Yamaha Motor, speaks at length about the fourth edition of the ‘Call of the Blue’ campaign, the media mix used for this campaign, the agency partners with whom they are collaborating for the current iteration, and how they have contributed to shaping its creative direction. He also discusses how to balance the brand’s heritage with modern marketing techniques, Yamaha’s marketing budget allocation for the festive season, and more.

Yamaha’s campaign, ‘Call of the Blue’, launched in 2018 has become a defining element of Yamaha’s brand strategy. How has each iteration of the campaign evolved over the years to align with the changing preferences of Indian consumers?

As you rightly mentioned, this is the fourth season of the campaign that we launched in 2018. Since then, it has been a great journey, expanding and evolving this campaign over the years. To begin with, this campaign tells the story of a kid who is obsessed with Yamaha.

He has a miniature Yamaha bike as his toy and has been playing with it since childhood. Now, in this fourth edition of the Call of the Blue campaign, we have taken creative liberties to show the kid growing over the years. He has now become a teenager, but his love for Yamaha continues.

He still aspires to own a Yamaha bike, and very soon, when he is eligible to ride, he will be on a Yamaha. That will be when he truly hears the call of Yamaha.

In terms of how the campaign has evolved over time, we have seen the lineup of bikes change within this campaign. Earlier, there was a different lineup; now, we have a new one. As our product lineup has improved over the years, we have integrated new products into the campaign.

Regarding communication, we have consistently added different elements. Typically, this commercial is shot abroad to capture that aspirational essence in our messaging. Music plays an integral role in this campaign’s journey. Each year, the music evolves; although we have retained some lyrics over a few seasons, this year, we completely changed the lyrics to align with current trends and the preferences of the younger generation, especially Gen Z. We’ve even incorporated rap into the music.

So, that’s how communication has evolved over the years.

Could you give us an overview of the media mix used for the ‘Call of the Blue’ campaign? How do you balance traditional and digital platforms to maximize reach and engagement?

Considering this is a brand communication, our media makes complete changes for brand communication because it has to reach the right audience. It has to reach the right cohorts that we are targeting.

So, it has to be a fine balance of traditional and modern media mix. We are banking heavily on the modern media mix. Digital is going to be an integral part of this media mix, and in terms of spend ratio, we will be spending heavily on the digital medium.

Our audience is young – 18 to 24 is the core audience. Therefore, it becomes essential for us to choose this medium because communication can be directed and can be one-to-one communication. You can deliver messages quickly to this audience, and on top of that, you can slice and dice the data. The ROI is completely visible when it comes to the digital medium. Plus, we’ll be having a surround effect for this particular campaign. We’ll be implementing huge influencer-driven marketing for this campaign as well.

Which agency partners are you collaborating with for the current iteration of the campaign, and how have they contributed to shaping its creative direction?

At Yamaha, as a brand, we believe in long-term associations. The agency that developed this communication in 2018 has been with us since then, and they have also developed the fourth version of “Call of the Blue”.

Our creative partners are Hakuhodo, who are based out of Bangalore. The Bangalore team has executed this campaign from the beginning.

Consistency is something we believe in; there must be consistency in our communication. You may have noticed that “Call of the Blue” has a special colour code, the blue, which represents our identity in racing – Yamaha Racing Blue. This colour code has been maintained over the years.

In addition to being the communication’s focal point, the campaign rests on three pillars: excitement, style, and sportiness. While the brand campaign has evolved and the elements have changed, we have retained these three particular pillars.

As Yamaha targets a younger, tech-savvy audience while retaining its traditional values, how do you balance the brand’s heritage with modern marketing techniques? Does the ‘Call of the Blue’ campaign reflect this balance?

For any marketer, the challenge is to deliver the message to the right audience. Therefore, it is important for us to deliver the message, whether through traditional mediums or modern ones. We adapt to changing times.

As I mentioned, digital plays an important role, but we must maintain a fine balance, as there are certain strategic media goals related to reach and frequency for specific objectives. We use the traditional mix, which includes electronic media, to build impact.

To enhance our presence, we also utilize out-of-home (OOH) media, such as hoardings. However, when it comes to delivering sharp messages on a one-on-one basis, digital plays a crucial role. This year, digital is heavily positioned in our media mix.

What technological innovations or design enhancements can we expect from Yamaha in the near future, and how will they set Yamaha apart from competitors?

Yamaha is known for its designs. I mean, we all know that our products are head-turners. Whenever there is a Yamaha machine on the road, I’m sure it turns heads. People are in awe of these bikes; they love the design.

As far as design is concerned, our engineers and design team work relentlessly in close association with customers. We consider new trends and customer expectations, keeping all these factors in mind before creating a new product or releasing a new design in the market. As time progresses and years go by, our designs have also evolved.

Our designs have always excelled in aerodynamics, agility, and rider comfort. We will continue to incorporate new trends into our designs.

Since we are in the second half of the year and it’s also the festive season, launching this campaign at the right time is crucial. Could you shed some light on Yamaha’s marketing budget allocation for the festive season? How does this budget reflect efforts to increase brand engagement and drive consumer interest during this time?

As the festival season approaches, our objectives change completely. It’s time to maximize sales, expand our reach to the audience, and present our maximum offerings to customers. We have already launched certain customer-friendly offers and packages that have been rolled out in the market, and we are expecting a good festive season this year. Regarding our marketing actions, we will utilize all possible mediums because the festival period requires us to go on a mass scale.

Television and print will play a significant role in our media mix. Additionally, we will have customized local events and dealer-led events. As far as spending is concerned, there is no holding back; we will go all out this year.

How has this year been for Yamaha in terms of achievements and challenges, and what are your expectations for the upcoming year? What goals or initiatives are you most excited about moving ahead?

As far as marketing is concerned, our goal is to build a young and aspirational brand so that whenever a customer is looking for a two-wheeler, we should be their first preference. We aim to be the first manufacturer in their constellation of options.

One of the main challenges in this competitive world is keeping up with the changing trends and demands of a young audience. This can be quite challenging as their preferences can change frequently. Our core audience is Gen Z, which adds another layer of complexity because their mood swings and demands are ever-evolving.

Despite these challenges, our teams are prepared to meet them head-on. In terms of growth, we have already achieved double-digit growth year-on-year in sales numbers for this year, and we look forward to a positive period ahead.

Other than the ‘Call of the Blue’ campaign, what are some of the other marketing strategies Yamaha has in its pipeline for increased engagement? This could include on-ground event initiatives, digital strategies, or other methods. Could you mention some of those?

As I mentioned earlier, digital will be an integral part of our strategy. However, experiential marketing, which focuses on giving hands-on experiences to our customers, is also a key factor in our marketing efforts.

We already have many customer-friendly engagements, such as track days, where we take our customers to racing tracks in India. We have three to four racing tracks, including those in Chennai, Coimbatore, and Gautam Budh Nagar at the Buddh International Circuit. During these track days, our audience rides their own Yamaha machines. We provide them with the necessary infrastructure and riding gear, allowing them to experience their bikes on the track.

Another important initiative is building a community of Blue Streak riders, which we have been developing for about three to four years now. This community continues to grow, driven by our Blue Square dealer network across India. These dealers organize weekly rides, breakfast rides, and some even arrange overnight rides for our customers.

Such experiential marketing initiatives allow us to connect closely with our customers. We listen to their feedback, creating a two-way dialogue about their needs and what they want in the future. We plan to capitalize on and expand these initiatives.

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