Lady luck finally seems to be standing next to our very own Mahindra Automotive. M&M recently bought the 49 per cent stake, owned by Renault in the MRPL joint venture, and became the sole proprietor of the JV.

Recently M&M added another feather in its cap when “OK is no longer OK” campaign from Mahindra Navistar won the ‘Best Print Campaign in the Country’ from the Public Relations Council of India (PRCI).

And now, Mahindra is all set to launch the biggest of its kind advertising campaign in Australia. M&M made its quite entry to the Australian shores during the last month of 2008.

The campaign, which will be run across all media including television, online, print and social media, has been developed by the company’s full-service local agency Synchromesh. The campaign will be launched tomorrow, 23rd April 2010. Not only that Mahindra Automotive has come up with a tried-and-tested, though massive, method of promotional campaign.

Mahindra Automotive will be handing over not just ten or twenty, but one hundred units of Mahindra Pik-Up utility vehicle to the winners of its ‘Rate & Win’ competition.

“When discussing ute options with their local dealer we wanted to give consumers a chance to understand and experience the Pik-Up’s features and benefits in a fun and interactive way, said Mahindra Automotive chief executive Claire Tynan.

“If they rate the 10 selected features in the same order as our motoring experts, they could drive away with a brand new car for free.”

“Our dealers love the promotion, and consumers would be mad not to experience the Pik-Up first hand and add it to their shopping list!”

This campaign has some very important attractions. The number of free pik-ups to be given is huge and will definitely generate a lot of public awareness about the product.

This is the biggest ad campaign investment from Mahindra since it started its operations in Australia with a small regional television campaign.

Here is a quick run-through the features of the Mahindra Pik-up. The pik-up, which can load over 1 tonne payload, has 210mm of ground clearance, power steering and power windows. Entertainment on the ride will be taken care of by 2-Din audio stereo system with USB, MP3 and CD player with tuner. Safety features include dual front airbags, ABS and Follow-me-home headlights.

Mahindra Automotive Australia is a venture between Indian auto manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra and Australian distributor TMI Pacific. The JV has a total of 25 dealers in rural and metropolitan locations and is quickly expanding into the South Australian market too.