Major Auto-Makers spend big bucks on Online Marketing

A new era of online-marketing has begun in the Indian auto Industry in the last few months as car-makers are now restructuring their marketing investment in a bid to increase focus towards new-age digital advertising. Major auto-makers in the country like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai India and Honda Siel Cars India are now turning their attention to tech-savvy buyers who fall in the age group of 25-44 years. All of these companies have increased their online marketing budgets significantly in recent months.  

The scope in online marketing is increasing by leaps and bounds with the growth in the number of Internet users in India. Through chasing customers online, car-makers can easily gather typically required consumer profile. On an average the auto-industry has invested at least 5-7% of its total marketing budgets online as against the marginal spending of about 1 percent in the earlier period, said Mr. Amit Bhartiya, general manager of ad network Komli Media's online audience measurement and analytics platform Vizisense, to a leading business news daily in India.

According to a study done by Adview, Vizinsense's online ad monitoring tool in March, auto companies account for around 10% of total online advertisers in the Indian market, following the telecom companies that spend about 12% in total for the same. Moreover, car buyers can find exact and complete information on features, specifications and pricing of any car available in India or to be imported from abroad, online, as compared to the information available with the OEM dealers.