Communication Delivery

Location specific delivery of the campaign

Once the creatives were ready, it was decided to deliver the campaign in two phases. In the first phase, the small fleet owners were targeted which was followed by the campaign targeted at drivers.

In both the cases, it was decided to have very focused, target specific get-togethers with very focused creatives to achieve maximum cost effectiveness. The entire campaign for both the target audience was meticulously planned and executed.

Owners Campaign

An exhaustive database of fleet-owners, consisting of both current customers of Shriram, as well as competition was used to deliver the campaign at special "Shriram Prosperity Shows" conducted in hired auditoriums in selected towns of Tamilnadu, to which the Owners were invited

As a first step, a special 'pop-up' invitation card for the show was designed to trigger interest and was personally delivered to the target audience. The invitation card with lucky dip nos., provided a good incentive to ensure better participation, starting with five lucky winners chosen from the invitees who arrived in time for the show.

Everyone who attended was provided with gift kits including promotional brochures and refreshments after the lucky dip coupon was detached from their cards.

As an audience involvement gimmick and in order to promote Shriram logo and to further refine the database, invitees were asked to "guess the money in the briefcase" carried by a cut out of the Shriram mascot and win exciting prizes. Everyone who filled the form got a "thank you" gift which was sent to their houses and the first three correct entries got special prizes.

To add a touch of glamour to the show, an anchor who was a well known TV personality was chosen to conduct the whole show.

The show itself had three major communication packages, the first being a specially created motivational video film based on a popular film tune depicting friendship which is the core message of the owners campaign (i.e.) Shriram - your best friend.

Next a special tele film (15 minutes duration) using TV stars and an interesting story line was shown to launch the products and highlight the special features. This was followed by a quiz competition to double check the comprehension of the main messages in the film providing one more opportunity for a lucky few to win prizes.

Following this was a short testimonial film based on real life stories of Shriram customers on how Shriram financed not only buying trucks, but also helped their general welfare by providing loans for marriages, education, purchase of properties, medical emergencies, etc.

The most awaited moment came next. The time to pick the bumper prize winners. As invitees waited with bated breath, luck favoured some with two wheelers, refrigerators, washing machines, cookers, mixer grinders, water filters, etc.

Everyone who came stayed glued to their seats till the end, enjoying the 90 to 100 minutes of the Week-end evening with entertainment, edutainment and much more. Each show attracted thousands of small fleet owners, the primary target audience. The day after the show, hundreds of fleet owners queued up outside Shriram offices for loans with great hopes.

The campaign which was launched in Tamilnadu in April 2001 has been extended to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh with excellent results.

Drivers Campaign

Unlike the Owners, drivers, who are constantly mobile, had to be reached, where they are found in groups. The Drivers campaign, therefore, started with the Shriram team mapping the locations like Dhabas and wholesale or other markets where the drivers are found in groups.

A specially decorated van equipped with AV equipment and other promotional materials took off to each location based on a predetermined journey cycle plan.

In each location, the drivers were identified and given a specially designed invitation card to attend the Road Show - this was important to make them feel special.

At the venue the show started with a video contest - 5 lucky dip winners from the audience had to identify the film star hidden behind the Shriram logo. Every winner had to mouth the theme of the campaign before he was asked to give the answers.

After this a special 15 minutes tele film, which was totally different from the one shown to owners, once again based on a slice of life approach featuring popular film stars was shown. A quiz contest following the show ensured that the core message of the film was clearly understood apart from helping the selected participants to win prizes.

Finally the show ended with distribution of prizes including the bumper prize.

At the show every participant was given a special gift kit including a brochure, giving full details of the two loan schemes and addresses where the company representatives can be contacted.

Each show has been attracting 50 to 100 drivers with very positive response from them, after each show. This campaign which was also launched successfully in Tamilnadu is now being extended to Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

Phenomenal Results

Both the campaigns have helped the company achieve excellent results - almost 20 times growth in loan disbursals, establishing Shriram as the undisputed leader in the Truck Finance business.

The phenomenal success of this campaign has been mainly due to the delivery of a well conceived and hard hitting communication package to a very focused target audience. This coupled with the total commitment of Shriram Executives in ensuring the successful implementation of the campaign supported by the excellent infrastructure the group has built in all the markets for handling the impact of such a massive campaign has helped Shriram group take giant strides in the truck finance business. No wonder that an MNC outfit like Citi decided to give its "trust vote" to Shriram by taking an equity stake in two group companies - Shriram Transport Finance Co. Ltd., based in Mumbai and Shriram Investments Ltd., based in Chennai. This is sure to impact positively the image of the group and help it realise its dream of contributing to the modernisation of the Indian trucking industry. Jai Shriram.