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‘Maruti Wagon R’ creates highest brand experience
MUMBAI: ‘Maruti Wagon R‘ has been able to create the highest brand experience followed by ‘Maruti Alto‘, reveals the latest study by TNS.
At the same time, Tata Nano‘s brand experience is the lowest among the 18 brands studied. The success of Wagon R is evident from the fact that it has been able to displace ‘Hyundai Santro‘ from the top position and is able to garner a higher brand experience than the larger selling Maruti Alto.
The study findings also show that `word of mouth‘, `test drive‘ and `cars on the road‘ are among the five most influential contacts apart from TV and newspaper ads. The influence of the word of mouth has grown over last three years and that of newspaper ads has actually come down.
Still the car marketers spend a huge amount of money on full page ads in newspapers and very little is spent on buzz marketing. Predictably, the influence of manufacturer websites has grown over the years. The younger age group notices the websites more than the older age group. The influence of test drives has also shown a consistent rise. Once again the younger people seem to experience the test drives more than the older buyers.
Majority of car companies use celebrities in their advertisements. Overall influence of celebrities is low in the category but has been increasing. The older age groups notice celebrities less than the younger age groups. The influence of car test reviews on TV has been going up and they are viewed more by the younger buyers. It is understandable because a moving car shown on TV with accompanying expert comments is more interesting and informative than a press article. However, the advantage of a press article is its easy irretrievability when required. But the younger generation constantly up on the learning curve can probably do the same on the YouTube and such other internet portals.
“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don‘t know which half” said John Wanamaker, a visionary businessman of America.
“Today, almost a hundred years later, his statement still sounds refreshingly true” says TNS Automotive SVP Pradeep Saxena. According to him, all brands build relationships with their stakeholders by creating a brand experience. If this brand experience can be quantified, then John Wanamaker could possibly get his answer.
The key challenge in measuring the brand experience is identifying a common unit to measure the effect of different media. As per Saxena, Integration – a company owned by ex-media and advertising professionals, has developed just such a unit. It is a measure called ‘Brand Experience Point‘ or BEP. It measures the quantity of brand experience created by a brand through individual contacts (media) used by it. This is a common unit, which can be used across all contacts and is amenable to all arithmetic operations.
The Contact Point Optimization (CPO for short) study of TNS uses this concept to compare the Brand Experience generated by various car brands. It is a study conducted across ten media markets amongst recent buyers and current owners of cars in addition to the intending car buyers.
MAM
Lego brings Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Vinicius together
Campaign clocks 314 million views ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 buzz.
MUMBAI: Four legends, one frame and not a single tackle in sight. Lego has pulled off a crossover few thought possible, uniting Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in a single campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 only this time, they’re building dreams brick by brick.
Titled “Everyone wants a piece”, the campaign features the quartet assembling a Lego version of the World Cup trophy, before placing miniature versions of themselves atop it, a playful nod to football’s ultimate prize. Shared widely across social media, the ad carries a pointed disclaimer: it is not AI-generated, a subtle but telling signal in an era where even reality is often questioned.
The numbers tell their own story. The campaign has already crossed 314 million views on Instagram across the players’ accounts, with fans hailing it as a rare, almost nostalgic moment particularly for the reunion of Messi and Ronaldo, whose last shared campaign ahead of the 2022 World Cup became one of the platform’s most-liked posts.
Beyond the film, Lego is extending the play with exclusive, player-themed sets tied to each of the four stars, part of a broader football-led programme designed to ride the global momentum building towards 2026. The idea, as echoed by the players themselves, leans into the parallels between football and play experimentation, creativity, failure, and triumph.
Messi described the sets as a way to bring on-pitch moments into an imaginative, hands-on world, while Ronaldo called the transformation into a Lego figure a rare honour, blending sport with storytelling. Vinícius, meanwhile, struck a more personal note, recalling childhood moments of building with Lego and framing creativity as a universal language that transcends borders.
The timing is no accident. With the 2026 World Cup set to run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and featuring an expanded 48-team format, global anticipation is already building. Argentina, led by Messi, will enter as defending champions, adding another layer of intrigue.
For Lego, the campaign does more than celebrate football, it taps into its mythology. Because when icons become figurines and rivalries turn into play, the beautiful game finds a new kind of pitch. one built, quite literally, by hand.
