Even before Tata Motors launched the Tata Nano in March last year, it was the talk of the town. Tata put the commercial publicity for the Nano on the backburner and let the ‘affordable pricing’ of the car do all the talking. Since its launch, the Nano maintained a low profile but not anymore.

Tata Motors’ Sanand plant is producing Nanos faster than one every minute, and the company is almost done with the delivery of prior orders. So, now is the perfect time for the company to engage in a television campaign extravagance that will feature the world’s cheapest car.

The TV campaign will invite consumers to experience the Nano and attempt to alleviate concerns about features such as safety, speed, mileage and space, among other things, says Nisha Singhania, executive vice-president for Rediffusion Dentsu Young and Rubicam Pvt. Ltd, which is handling the creative advertising account for the Tata Nano.

“We did do a lot of research and spoke to consumers. That’s when we realized that the people the car had been made for, had not had a chance to experience it…they were just going by hearsay. So, the objective of the campaign is to urge people to go out there and experience the car and decide for themselves,” she says.

The television commercial will replicate the tagline of the print campaign that was launched earlier this month with the tag line “Now You Can.” A person familiar with the campaign said, “The idea is that it breaks through any barrier”.

In September you will get the first glimpse of the advertisements. Advertising film-maker Kunal Kapoor of Adfilm Valas has shot the ad around the Nashik countryside in Maharashtra. Kapoor specialises in the automobile segment and has shot campaigns for companies like M&M and General Motors, among others. “The campaign will run across major mass media like print, television, radio and online, and will be aimed at urban and semi-urban areas across India. The campaign will be launched in different regional languages to address different markets,” said the person quoted above.

The company also plans to start a road show campaign to reach out to consumers. “The print campaign talks about space, safety and mileage and the television commercial would also take cognizance of this fact,” said Singhania. In the ads too, Tata Nano shows its commitment to affordability. Thankfully, you won’t see a celebrity cricketer or a movie star endorsing the car.

Additionally, the ads will try to change the perceptions of people regarding the car’s safety and other features. “The Nano is not a regular car. It is almost like the pride of India. However, the perception is that there is only that much you can get in Rs1 lakh. The campaign will need to bust that myth and set the record straight,” said Singhania.

Talking about TV commercials and all, we cannot elude the temptation of mentioning the Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 ad campaign. The ad features a young couple who, after having denied an entry to a discotheque, cranks up the music in the car. Now, that’s some major goof up considering that even the top end variant of Alto K10 does not have a music system!

Anyhow, let’s just hope that Nano conveys the message clearly.