Iconic Ads: Maruti Suzuki – Kitna Deti Hai?

Indians are value seekers. One of the reasons Maruti Suzuki does well is because of the tremendous value and low cost of ownership it provides customers. The cost of ownership includes – fuel efficiency, maintenance and resale. These are among the lowest in the category for Maruti. Maruti had been inextricably linked to a great value proposition and already had a successful campaign with “Petrol khatam hi nahin honda”

In 2008, the brief from Maruti Suzuki to Publicis Capital was to talk about the most important aspect of fuel efficiency as a continuation of the earlier successful campaign.

It is inherent for Indians to be obsessed with mileage. It is more than second nature! One of the most important benchmarks is the mileage a vehicle gives, no matter how expensive it is!

‘Kitna Deti Hai’ is a question that is a part of everyday language, and it finds its way into every vehicle purchase discussion. More often than not, the discussion for every purchase starts with the mileage. This obsession was captured appropriately in the commercials.

The whole campaign was the brainchild of Joy Mohanty, guided by Parashuraman Narayanan. The films were directed by K.M. Ayappa (Cred fame).

Interestingly a senior executive at Maruti Suzuki told the Capital team that a friend of his was purchasing a Mercedes. In the course of purchasing, he asked the salesperson what the mileage was!

Though the idea was thought of in 2008 it was finally executed in 2010.