Vespa

Last month, Piaggio launched the first ever TVC for the iconic Vespa in India. Vespa entered the Indian markets in the sixties through a JV with Bajaj Auto Ltd. The marriage lasted for close to a decade. Bajaj abandoned the partnership in the favor of the hugely successful Chetak. Piaggio made another attempt to tap the Indian market by getting into a similar agreement with LML but that didnt end well either with LML acquiring the entire Piaggio stake in late 90s and pushing out the company. Now Piaggio has decided to make another attempt on its own, especially since Bajaj closed down its scooter division in 2009 to focus on motorcycles. 

The first thing that strikes you about the ad is the fact that it does not talk about the functional aspects of the scooter. At all! which does come as a welcome change considering the monotonous scooter and bike ads that keep talking about Nitrox suspension, DTS-Si technology, alloy wheels etc etc. However, I am not completely convinced with the idea.  

According to the agency that has created the campaign, the Retro-themed TVC is aimed at positioning the Vespa in the premium segment in the scooter category (if such a thing exists!). Though most of the reviews that I have come across seem to praise the campaign for its out of the box thinking and fresh perspective I feel that hardly anyone would want to buy a Vespa right away, just after seeing the ad. The ad does break the mould but fails to go far enough to induce purchase. In addition, going with the idea that they have, I feel that Piaggio is limiting itself to the metros and major cities.

Nonethless I loved the  "Vespa. Fashion Unchanged. Since 1946" tagline at the end of the TVC which highlights the long association with Indian history. IMHO it is a big plus for the scooter company and it should try and leverage that in its ads.