When you are already the largest passenger car company in a market as large as India, how do you grow further? What is it that can preserve and expand a world-leading market share of over 45%? How do you retain your core customer base and yet appeal to evolving aspirations? These were some of the questions faced by Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest automobile manufacturer. To retain its leadership, Maruti Suzuki embarked on a strategy to sell 2 million vehicles by 2020. A key component of this strategy is to appeal to newer customer segments in a changing India. For this to happen, Maruti Suzuki decided to create a new retail experience, in addition to its existing network of showrooms.
'new’, ‘exclusive’ and ‘automotive’
New begins here
Nexa is the new retail channel that Maruti Suzuki has introduced to reach out to the premium-seeking, aspirational, global Indian who values personal care, warmth and attention. It has been conceived to transform the customer experience by going beyond the immediate objective of selling a car. Nexa retails only select cars from Maruti Suzuki’s vast portfolio, with each model having a distinct positioning and appeal specific to the customer segment. AICL collaborated with Hakuhodo, the Japanese network, who led initial brand research and positioning, advertising duties and implementation. AICL worked to create the brand identity and assets, codified through a comprehensive guidelines document, to be used across showrooms and customer touchpoints. This was further expressed through a dynamic range of applications, including a brand personality book, operations manuals for staff, elements of packaging and on-ground activation, among others.
Crafting premium
The Nexa universe is black-and-white, stylised and sleek. We drew inspiration from fashion and lifestyle, to create a brand persona built on stark contrasts, a striking combination of serif and sans-serif typography, while allowing limited colours only for
product photography.
The visual language of Nexa is an intricate grid of lines, designed to create multiple patterns. Besides lending a look that is unique, the Nexa Lines provide a dash of panache without being too loud and allowing the customer and product to remain centre stage. The brand-personality document, operations manuals, packaging and other elements have all been designed to create a unified experience while staying true to the promise of Nexa.
The Nexa lines - A culmination of precision, engineering and high fashion
The soul of Nexa - The Nexa Brand Book
Unified by a striking identity
Going places
Within 18 months of launch (in July 2015), Nexa
“The mission of NEXA is to offer innovative value and direction so that we can adequately respond to the new segments of Indian customers and offer them an experience which they value.”
Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki
