Lionel Messi and the Tata badge - Will the midas touch change fortunes?

In November 2015, Indian auto major Tata Motors roped in International football sensation, Lionel Messi as their Global brand ambassador for Tata’s passenger vehicles portfolio.

The reason behind getting Messi on board according to Mayank Pareek, President, Tata Motors passenger vehicle unit was “The idea is to engage with young people and we found that football and Messi had a lot of connect with the youth, we realised it had to be a different approach and our survey took us to Messi. The football icon fit the bill perfectly as he is seen to be cool, inspiring and confident. He is also enormously self-driven and it took him 17 years of hard work to overcome tough odds and become successful. Our survey also showed that soccer is the new cool and cricket is actually perceived as a desi sport among today’s youth”.

#madeofgreat campaign was rolled-out through TV commercials and hoardings. Have a look at the TVC below

Making Tata Motors an international brand seems to be the main vision behind this move and the brand has finally moved closer to its aim of getting international attention substantially since then. With Messi displaying his dribbling skills, wearing a blue Tata Motors jersey, this video became an instant hit on television screens and social media worldwide.

Messi himself drives a Range Rover, whose manufacturer, Jaguar Land Rover is Tata Motors’ subsidiary. A two-year contract has been signed between Messi and Tata, which can be extended further depending on its success.

Tata Tiago launch is expected to take place in mid-February, it was also teased in the video. Along with the Zica, Tata’s new line of products will also make its way to the Indian market, which includes the Tata Nexon(compact SUV) and the Tata Hexa (blown up SUV). Our market has seen a sudden rise in the demand of Compact SUV’s and launching the Nexon will be a good move by the Indian carmaker.

We drove the Zica in Goa recently. Have a look at its First Drive review here

Zica seems to be the game changer for Tata, as everything from the styling, interiors, performance and reliability has been thought about. It is definitely a very important product for them and if priced right, Messi’s midas touch will definitely turn things into gold for the Indian carmaker!

Recommended: Tata Zica Launch Update: To Be Launched Mid-February