Brands
Bajaj Auto launches new brand identity ”The World’s Favourite Indian”
MUMBAI: Bajaj Auto Ltd, India’s leading automobile company, has released its new identity as “The World’s Favourite Indian” to announce its dramatic transition from a domestic scooter maker to a global motorcycle powerhouse in only 17 years.
The new brand identity would be communicated through a powerful marketing campaign on TV, outdoor, print, and digital media. The retail showrooms of Bajaj Auto motorcycles and commercial vehicles will also undergo a transformation with new signage and branding in line with the message of ‘The World’s Favourite Indian’.
Commenting on this, managing director Rajiv Bajaj said, “Our international performance is a validation of our strategy of focus and differentiation. Our unwavering commitment toward building the best motorcycles in the world through design, technology, quality, and customer satisfaction has made us a truly global brand. Bajaj brand is not only the world’s favourite Indian but also perhaps the most illustrious ambassador for Make in India initiative of the Indian government.”
He further added, “In only 17 years since the launch of Pulsar, we have become the third-largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, ahead of several Japanese and European brands that have been around for much longer. In any market around the world, when people think of motorcycles, they should think of Bajaj. That would help us achieve our vision of being a global motorcycle specialist.”
The launch of the Pulsar from its Chakan plant in 2001 marked the beginning of this riveting global ride. Building on its ‘Hamara Bajaj’ roots of providing trusted and reliable mobility solutions, the company has significantly invested in technology and innovation to design motorcycles that are loved not only in India but 70 countries around the world. It has grown to become India’s No.1 motorcycle exporter with 2 out of 3 bikes carrying a Bajaj badge. 40 per cent of the company’s revenue is coming from international markets. It has earned $13 billion of forex in the last 10 years and hit a milestone 2 million units of international sales in 2018.
With 15 million motorcycles sold in over 70 countries, Bajaj Auto has set a benchmark for the ‘Make in India’ vision of the government. With availability and customer preference scaling from Russia and Malaysia to Argentina and Mexico, it is today possibly the largest Indian brand name in terms of customer purchase value.
Brands
Uber launches hotel bookings feature in partnership with Expedia
From hotel bookings to room service at your door, the ride-hailing giant is making its boldest push yet into everyday life
CALIFORNIA: Uber is done being just a taxi app. At its annual GO-GET product event, the world’s leading mobility and delivery platform unveiled a sweeping set of new features designed to plant itself at the centre of how people travel, eat and shop, hotel bookings included.
The headline move is a partnership with Expedia Group that lets Uber users in the United States book hotels directly within the Uber app, with access to a catalogue that will eventually grow to more than 700,000 properties worldwide. Uber One members get 10 per cent back in Uber One credits on all hotel bookings and savings of at least 20 per cent on a rolling list of more than 10,000 hotels globally. Vacation rentals from Vrbo, Expedia Group’s home-rental brand, will be added later this year. The partnership is expected to expand beyond the United States. From June, Uber rides will also be integrated directly into the Expedia app, with push notifications sent to travellers ahead of hotel check-in to book discounted Uber rides for the duration of their stay.
Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive of Uber, framed the expansion in terms of the modern condition. “Uber is becoming an app for everything, helping people go, get, and now travel all in one place,” he said. “We’re all living through a moment of real cognitive overload: too many apps, too many decisions, too much noise. At the end of the day, our job is to help people reclaim their time, spending less of it managing the logistics of life and more of it actually living.”
Ariane Gorin, chief executive of Expedia Group, struck a similarly ambitious note. “Travel should feel effortless, and this partnership gets us one step closer to offering a seamless traveller experience,” she said. “By connecting our two-sided marketplace with Uber, we’re bringing Uber rides directly into the Expedia app and Expedia Group’s lodging inventory into the Uber app through our Rapid API technology. Together, we’re helping travellers spend less time planning and more time enjoying the journey.”
Beyond hotels, the product announcements come thick and fast. Travel Mode, available within both the Uber and Uber Eats apps, offers curated recommendations on local favourites, tourist destinations, OpenTable restaurant reservations and on-demand delivery to hotel rooms. Uber One International means the membership programme now works globally, allowing members to earn credits on rides abroad that can be redeemed once back home. A new Shop for Me feature lets users request items from any store, even those not listed on the app. Eats for the Way allows riders in select cities booking an Uber Black or Uber Black SUV to have a drink or snack waiting for them in the car. Voice Bookings, powered by artificial intelligence, lets users book a ride conversationally, without touching their phone. And a redesigned One Search bar consolidates results for places, food and items across the entire Uber platform in a single query.
Uber has now logged more than 72 billion trips since it launched in 2010. The question it is now answering is what comes after the ride. The answer, apparently, is everything else. Whether users want a hotel in Paris, a coffee in the back of a car or a snake plant from the local garden centre, Uber would very much like to be the one to provide it. The app economy’s land grab has a new front-runner.
NOTE: The image used is AI generated and only for representational purposes.
