Reinventing Brand Image

A study with reference to Jawa Motorcycles

By Group 9

Anamika Bharucha 19P014

S Auditya 19P041
Shreshtha Mittal 19P050
Siddhanth Dhawan 19P053
Siddharth Bagdi 19P054
Tanishq Singhal 19P056
Reinventing Brand Image

● Brand image is how customers perceive a brand. It can be defined as a unique

bundle of associations within the minds of target customers. It signifies what
the brand presently stands for. It is a set of beliefs held about a specific brand.
Brand image is what differentiates a product from a commodity.
● However, many brands fade in oblivion due to changing needs of customers
and company’s inability to change. But, this does not necessarily mean the
demise of the brand, which is where brand revitalisation comes in play.
● Brand revitalization is a strategical process initiated for improving the existing
product, process or brand to meet the changing demands and requirements of
the consumers in the evolving market.
● Automobiles is one such segment where there have been many revivals across
the years. Be it Harley Davidson taking back its position in the US from
Japanese Honda and Suzuki, or Ferrari rekindling consumer’s interest in their
brand.
● If we look from Indian perspective, Royal Enfield was brought back from the
verge of collapse by rekindling the feelings of nostalgia, making the product
aspirational and turning it around not into yet another product but an
experience.
● These brands stand as a shining beacon of how experience can blow life into a
product that was near its demise.
Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study is to

• look at how major automobile brands have been successful in turning around their
brand image
• identify key enablers to these changes and test the concept on Indian diaspora to
record their reactions and relevance
• identify other factors that consumers find relevant and a compelling reason to
buy/aspire to buy

We aim to highlight how Jawa can capitalize on its brand name and be appealing to the
contemporary generations to provide suggestions that will help Jawa cement its position
once again as a rider favourite
Objectives
To identify the core elements in reviving
brand image and study the end-to-end
process taken up in reviving a brand,
starting with selection and messaging till
supply and garnering market share
Justification for the study

•Jawa Motorcycles, which ceased its operations in 2005 in India, has been
revived by Mahindra and Mahindra group by playing on the nostalgia and
aspiration values, while keeping the core values and perception of the brand
at heart
•Careful study of this revival will help the researchers understand what are
the critical success factors for a brand image revival and how the brand is
revived
Significance of the study

We want to use this study of Jawa Motorcycles to understand the general brand
revival and understand the reasons behind various other brand revival failures or
successes across industries.

This research aims to study critical success factors for brand revival and will thus
help avoid

● Adverse brand selection

● Introduction of irrelevant changes

● Financial loss stemming from improper revival

Outline The project has been divided into three
phases:

of the ● Phase I: Identification of suitable targets

and looking at empirical evidence and
project historical cases in Brand Revival
● Phase II: Forming hypothesis and
conducting deep dive interviews and
surveys
● Phase III: Testing the hypothesis and
providing recommendations based on the
activities undertaken by Jawa and the
results of the above study
Project Phase - II
•We analyzed multiple research papers on Brand Revitalization. A
research paper, titled “BRAND REVITALIZATION: DON’T LET YOUR
BRANDS TURN INTO SLEEPYHEADS”, tried to give an answer to “Can
brand managers, through a revitalization process, reverse a brand’s
aging process and make it attractive to the consumer once again?”.

•The purpose of the paper was to analyze three important brand

revitalization elements, using the example of two Slovenian brands -
Cockta, and Agreta (both launched into the market place between
1950 and 1957, and are still present in the marketplace today)
 Argeta uses two very distinct revitalization elements–
In the case of Cockta, several revitalization elements
were used such as: ● innovative advertising (very interactive concept, a
choice of female candidates, moms, who later
● growth of the product portfolio (addition of become the brand’s ambassadors – “approved by
more flavors of the classic soft drink) moms”)
● innovative advertising (use of creative ● a rejuvenation of the brand’s visual aspects (a
illustrations) complete change in the way of communicating with
● a rejuvenation of the visual aspects of the consumers).
brand (a change in the brand’s slogan) were
used by the brand. The revitalization strategy used by Argeta can be said to be
that of storytelling – through the use of the brand’s
The revitalization strategy used by the brand can be ambassadors and their unique stories about the quality
said to be that of emotional branding and excellence of the product.
Research objective:

The team undertook this research with the objective of finding factors that lead to revitalization of brand
image. In the research, the team has studied the end to end process taken up by different brand managers
in reviving the image of their brand in Automotive Industry. The research began with selection of brands
meaningful to the project to increase relevance for the situation of Jawa. Then the team went ahead and
noted elements that made the revivals successful and has attempted to map the same with Jawa to identify
critical revival factors.

Hypothesis
Through our study of empirical research articles, we have hypothesized that: ● H0: Appealing to fans of the
brand and new customers using the core values/features/promises has given success in revitalizing brand
Research Design

•We are conducting a descriptive research with the aim of reporting current status of Jawa
Motorcycles in India and taking cues from past brand revitalizations in Automobile Industry

Methodology
•Our project primarily relies on secondary research backed with interviews of 14 people of
different generations to get their views on the brands. These interviews were video/phone
calls.
• By studying cases from Automotive industry and benchmarking the practices, we aim at
providing suggestions on brand builders that Jawa should focus on. For this purpose, we are
studying cases of Royal Enfield, Bajaj Chetak and Harley Davidson.
 • Iconic
• the image of the Harley rider oozes the idea of power,
Analysis - authority and freedom
• popular slogan “God rides a Harley”, while controversial,
Harley certainly positions the bike as a product of choice
Davidson • what it is selling; and that’s not necessarily just bikes; it’s
an image, an experience and a lifestyle
• It is essentially selling its brand to people.
• Known to all
 • First large auto player to launch an electric two-wheeler
• Marks the resurrection of Chetak, a brand that was put
away for more than a decade
• Brand name: Chetak will grab the attention of the slightly
older souls in the room
Analysis - • The quintessential middle-class possession immortalized by
Bajaj Chetak the ‘Humara Bajaj’ jingle
• Bajaj plays with nostalgia of the Chetak brand - it evokes
trust
• Electric vehicles are still new to the Indian populace, and
getting them to pay upward of 100K for a scooter will be an
uphill battle, irrespective of the long-run cost benefits.
• The brand strength and trust that Chetak brings to the
table in the scooter world will certainly help people feel a
bit more comfortable taking the plunge.
• People know the brand as something their father told them
about, directly known to people above 40
 • Mechanical changes made to modernize the bike
shouldn’t dilute the Brand identity
• Production processes was revamped to improve quality
and slowly the tide turned.
• The physical product was modernised without the brand
Analysis - losing any of its characteristics that gave it the iconic
Royal Enfield status.
• Royal Enfield also began conducting marquee rides to
promote leisure biking.
• The company advertises selectively in men’s magazines,
adventure sites, organises rides regularly, conducts the
annual Himalayan Odyssey all in line with the Brand
identity.
• The company also offers its signature line of accessories
and riding gears, similar to that of Harley Davidson.
 Problems faced:

• Faulty battery and usage of old cast iron in

engines was causing recurring problems

• RE was competing against other lighter bikes in

India like Yamaha and Yezdi

• RE’s prominent model “Bullet” was a slow speed

bike whereas lighter bikes were able to
accelerate much faster

Revival Strategy used:

• The new RE bikes have to stay true to Royal

Enfield’s traditional looks, i.e. the rugged looks,
headlamps and trunk are to stay pristine

• The cast iron was replaced with Aluminum and

1000 hours were put into sound mapping to
simulate the rhythmic vibrations of traditional
RE engine

• Making biking a tradition. RE organized bikers

Research Findings – rallies annually and gave its riders a sense of

being a part of a like-minded community

• The distinctive sound of Enfield and the legacy

Royal Enfield looks turns heads of people when on road. RE

took benefit of this and boosted it further
through sale of RE line apparels
 Problems faced:

Stiff competition from bikes and

gearless scooters which were more
comfortable and easier to handle

Lack of innovation in the product for a

long time

Revival Strategy used:

• Chetak targets middle aged and

older generation who can recall the
old Cheta

• Chetak is playing on its image as

the favorite two-wheeler of Indian
middle class for over three decades

Research Findings – • In view of the increasing

acceptance of Electric Vehicles,
Bajaj has positioned Chetak as a

Bajaj Chetak fuel efficient and clean vehicle

 Problems faced:

• Stiff competition from Japanese

motorcycle manufacturers like Suzuki and
Yamaha who were able to provide high
quality bikes at low cost
• Glamourization of Light bikes over heavy
bikes and unclear positioning by Harley
Davidson

Revival Strategy used:

• Focus on freedom and uniqueness:

Harley Davidson allows its users to buy
parts and build their own bike
• True American Legacy: Americans have a
respect for war veterans and Harley
Davidson was a motorbike supplier to
America when it was a part of allied
forces in World War II. This legacy was
leverage to put forth Harley Davidson as
an American Icon
• Sense of community: Harley Owners
Group gave owners of Harley Davidson a

Research Findings –
like-minded community to be part of.
Every HOG group organizes frequent bike
rides in its zone for its riders
• Community marketing: A group of biker
riding through the city, sporting full

Harley Davidson
Harley Davidson apparels and enjoying
bike ride acts as a live tool for anyone
who aspires for such lifestyle
 Implications for Jawa

Jawa had to wind up its operations in India due to two reasons

● Following opening up of economy to foreign bike manufacturers like Yamaha and Suzuki, Jawa was unable to compete against
these global majors
● The trend had started to shift to lighter and economical bikes

Jawa still had a large fanbase in India. Upon its relaunch, Jawa was able to gather 10,000 existing Jawa bikes and 54 of its clubs to talk
about and spread word of Jawa’s return.

Factors which played a huge role in revival.

● Long standing image and tradition ● Utilizing the learnings from past
● Making the product relevant to target group again ● Powerful brand story

Jawa tick on all of the above parameters

● Jawa has a 5-decade history with India and unlike Royal Enfield, Jawa didn’t collapse due to quality issues
● Jawa was a symbol of being cool throughout the five decades of its existence in India. For the population that still remembers it,
Jawa is an aspirational bike.
● With the market ripe for cruisers, Jawa’s entry to this segment was welcomed by Jawa fans and new entrants alike. At the peak of
its demand, Jawa had 11 months waiting period
● Overall, we believe that Jawa as incorporated all the necessary factors for its revival and the same is corroborated by market
response for the bikes.
Limitations

• The data collected was of different time periods, the correlation and causation
observed might change over eras
• The collection of data was done through secondary research and therefore the
coverage is limited questioning the applicability of research. Since the target group was
not directly targetable
• The studies are limited in dimensions and geographies. Expanded study can combines
data from more countries apart from USA and india
• More instances of brand revival can be studied for better correlation
• Conduct primary research for papers who are not conducting the same
• Effect of new technologies and habits changing over time
Thank You