Our goal is to spread awareness: EMotorad’s Aditya Oza on the brand’s marketing strategy

The Indian E-bike market size is estimated at USD 27 million in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 60.93 million by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 17.68% during the forecast period (2024-2029), as per a report by Mordor Intelligence. The report also suggests that an estimated 79.16 % of students and wage workers in the urban regions utilise bicycles for daily commuting and benefits such as time-saving and cheap maintenance.

In this market, the electric cycle brand EMotorad aims to spread awareness and to be easily found during the search process. Recently, the brand garnered attention with its viral campaign featuring cricketer MS Dhoni, where Dhoni appears to be singing to the tunes of Bole Jo Koyal. The video goes back to a viral meme from 2019, where a Dhoni look-alike danced to the same song.

Aditya Oza, Chief Marketing Officer of EMotorad says, “Our goal was to create something organic that the world would love and spread quickly, ensuring recognition would come faster.”

This collaboration not only elevated the brand's visibility but also resonated with a wide audience across various age groups and income brackets. Overall, Oza mentions that it has reached close to 200 million views across the internet, including YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. 

So much so, the brand has experienced a growth rate of over 370% in India during FY24, with its customer base now exceeding 100,000 globally. 

The brand has strategically positioned itself to cater to diverse consumer segments, from teenagers to health-conscious individuals and commuters. In conversation with Social Samosa, CMO Aditya Oza sheds light on the brand's approach to reaching out to consumers and the role of content in their marketing strategy. 

With a focus on creating engaging and relatable content, EMotorad aims to build trust and awareness among potential buyers, ultimately influencing their purchasing decisions. Oza shares the objective behind its campaigns, its attempt to reach out to the younger generation through relatable content, raising brand awareness and not wanting to become a one-off success in marketing.

Edited Excerpts:

Let's talk about EMotorad's latest campaign with MS Dhoni. Could you share the idea behind the campaign, the research that went into it and the objective behind the same?

There were a few reasons why we got MS Dhoni on board. We know we are creating a new category in the market. To create a category, you need to identify all the domains your audience belongs to. For us, it is not just one single domain. Teenagers are a big part of our audience, as are health seekers. In today’s world, cycling should be recycled, and it’s a significant part of our audience. We see a lot of interest from Tier III and Tier IV towns and from the B3 income group and below. At seven paise per kilometre, it's a great way to commute, especially since scooters today amount close to Rs. One lakh. We thought there had to be something more affordable, and our product is available at around Rs. 24,000, which is a good price point.

Given the diversity of our audience, we wanted someone who could speak to all of them and hold value across different segments. Most Bollywood celebrities and cricketers don't have the universal appeal we needed. They either don’t resonate with all markets or income classes.

Then the idea of onboarding MS Dhoni came up. Initially, we didn't have the budget to pull this off, so we re-evaluated our approach. MS Dhoni ticked all the boxes for us. Our journey has been similar to his; starting in 2020, no one would have bet on a company making electric cycles out of India. We are fortunate to have visionary investors who believe in us. MS’s journey from Ranchi to living the dreams of billions was a perfect value match for us.

When we connected with him, we realized he is not just a celebrity but someone who genuinely shares our values. Many celebrities have a different persona off-screen, but MS was different. His down-to-earth nature and genuine interest in our vision made him the perfect fit.

Fortunately, he came on board not just as someone to endorse our brand but also as an investor who believes in our vision. Now it’s our time to prove him right and achieve bigger things.

Could you share how this has actually helped you reach the audiences?

Frankly, with MS Dhoni, you see so many brands working with him recently. There are so many brands he works with, and he seems to fit with almost any brand. We knew MS would get the job done for us, but we wanted to do more. The idea was to leverage his ability to drive organic reach. 

For example, Candy Crush saw record-breaking downloads—three and a half million in one day—just because MS was seen playing it, without any brand association. This demonstrates the deep connection he has with the audience.

Our goal was to create something organic that the world would love and spread quickly, ensuring recognition would come faster. However, we also wanted to ensure our message reached the right audience.

The idea was to create something appealing to everyone, even without knowing the context of what was happening.

How far did this ad reach on social media or otherwise?

We saw some impressive numbers from the content we put forward. On Instagram, we reached around 18 million views, on YouTube, we hit a million views. Our YouTube following grew from about 1,000 to 25,000, which is fantastic for us. This tremendous growth shows the impact we’re making.

We noticed significant engagement from shares as well. The content travelled far beyond our initial reach. When we accounted for it, the ad reached over 180 million views. People modified and shared different parts—sometimes just the singing part, other times the core message. The idea was to create content people love, and they indeed made art out of it.

Overall, we believe our content has reached close to 200 million views across the internet, including YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. We even trended on Twitter for a day. All these pieces came together very well, and we’re grateful to everyone who shared and engaged with our content. Thank you for making it possible.

Considering the campaign has been launched during IPL and has managed to get people talking, how does the brand plan to further build upon this?

When we started our journey in 2020, we had a monthly marketing budget of just 20,000 rupees. Today, we couldn't even hire someone for a third of that amount. The reality is that our challenge was finding that one opportunity to make an impact. When we got it, I told the team that we weren't going to play it safe. We needed to take risks, as our jobs were on the line. We aimed to do the best we could and try the most random things. If we failed, at least we wouldn't regret not giving it a shot.

We have experienced people in marketing and guidance from consultants and investors with the biggest brands. Despite their advice to create something concrete with long-term value, we decided to do something quirky and fun, delivering what the internet really wants. It was a bold move, but we believed in it. If it didn't work, we'd accept the consequences, but we didn't want to think that way. We wanted to try.

This approach helped us, and now the message to the team is that we don't want to be known for just one great campaign. Hitting one out of one is great, but we need to keep delivering quality. People will start to have expectations from us, and we need to meet them. 

We have more exciting things coming up, including another collaboration with MS Dhoni in a couple of weeks. Our goal is to continue creating impactful campaigns with smart spending and to keep doing this over time. We’ll be attempting more innovative things, especially during key seasons.

Considering the campaign has raised awareness about the brand, how do you plan to increase your marketing budget?

I think our marketing budgets might not make sense in this context because we are not just an India-based entity. We are the biggest exporter of electric cycles from India. In the easy-to-ride category, there aren’t many exporters from India. Many importers and a few companies are exporting in significant numbers, but we do a lot of exports.

Our budget process starts with identifying our top-line goals across segments, including India B2C, international B2B, and our presence in markets like Australia, Europe, and Japan. Japan operates in a distributor model, while we have a B2C capacity in other regions. First, we determine the overall target and then allocate a percentage to marketing.

In marketing, we prioritise targets and reasons, identifying key markets. India is one of our top priority markets, along with our white-label B2B business in Europe. We then segregate the budget accordingly. 

The numbers vary, and we adjust the budget based on market performance and strategic targets—whether to grow the market or capture market share.

India is a market we plan to grow, while in Europe, we aim to increase our market share. Different objectives require different priorities, so if certain markets need more budget, we reassess and adjust as necessary.

Does the brand plan on associating with different sports tournaments?

I think it all boils down to the kind of spends you want to make and the ROI you’re getting. While IPL has valuable properties, they require heavy spending. 

Today, we want to explore different strategies rather than just sponsoring a few spots. We have participated in a couple of IPL matches, but we want to scale up at the right time. 

For now, we are still experimenting with various approaches and don’t want to allocate all our budget to one area. Hopefully, in the future, we can expand our IPL involvement, but today, we are focused on trying out different things.

What is your target audience, and which geographic regions do you focus on? Could you share the thought process behind the campaigns launched by the brand for the different age groups you are targeting?

When it comes to our target audience, a few segments have worked well for us so far. Anyone in the market for a bicycle would find our product cooler and end up choosing us, even if it requires spending a bit more. 

Teenagers are becoming a fast-growing market for us. The word of mouth travels very well among teenagers. I remember when I was young, having a geared cycle was a big deal. If one person in the group had it, everyone wanted it. That kind of word of mouth doesn’t happen as much with other age groups.

Another target group is those seeking a bicycle for both health and commuting. For instance, someone working in an office all day might use the throttle to ride to work without sweating and then pedal home for exercise. There’s also a group using it for health and lifestyle, who enjoy long rides for fitness.

We also see value for money as a key factor. For Rs. 24,000 and seven paise per kilometer, our product makes a lot of sense for this segment. Additionally, we are focusing on younger age groups. We are finalising a product for children under eight or nine years old so they can start riding our bikes early and later upgrade to larger models.

I noticed your campaigns have made use of internet culture with memes and Gen Z lingos playing key roles. A similar theme follows your social media. How does social media contribute to reaching out to the target audience? Do you utilise the power of influencers in your marketing strategy? How has it helped?

Influencers are a critical part of our strategy for two main reasons: spreading awareness and being discovered. Many people, when considering an electric cycle, enter search mode to figure out which one to buy. 

Our goal is twofold: first, to spread awareness, and second, to be easily found during the search process. We aim to build trust with consumers as they research their options.

When we collaborate with influencers, we ensure that the content is engaging and showcases the joy our product can bring to daily commutes. For example, one of my favourite campaigns was the “Daddy of all E-cycles” campaign with actor Upendra Limaye. He brought an authentic and joyful portrayal to the campaign, both on and off the camera.

In our marketing efforts, we strive to create content that we, as consumers, would enjoy. Our philosophy is to produce memorable and impactful content. We aim to be in people's consideration when they decide to make a purchase, rather than pushing them to buy. 

While performance marketing and down-funnel strategies drive conversions, our awareness campaigns are about making a lasting impression. The goal is to ensure that when consumers are ready to buy, they think of us first. 

Can you talk about the mediums you use to promote your brand and products? 

We've tried and tested various channels, conducting trials at minimal cost to assess effectiveness. For instance, we've experimented with outdoor advertising, newspapers, radio, and even participated in cyclathons like India's first electric cycle event in Bangalore. 

We also leverage influencers, Google ads, and performance ads on e-commerce channels, which are crucial for driving conversions.

While we've explored many channels, we believe there's still a long way to go in fully utilizing print, radio, and outdoor media. These avenues are yet to be fully incorporated into our campaigns, but we may include them with a cautious approach in the future.

Digital is a platform where we can easily adjust and stop if something isn’t working. That's the main reason behind our focus on it. 

Today, we’re seeing results because it’s such a targeted niche market. However, as our product line and market grow, we believe that expanding to other mediums may offer a better return on investment.

What is your current market share and how do you plan on expanding your presence?

Our current market share is significant, as we are the highest-selling electric cycle brand in India, both online and offline. We have around 12 E-bike outlets in cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, and others, which contribute significantly to our sales. While offline sales fluctuate and are challenging to quantify precisely, our online presence is dominant.

During Diwali, we held a market share of close to 58% overall in the online space. However, this isn't necessarily good news for us, as it indicates that other brands are not doing enough to grow the market. Our goal isn't just to gain more market share but to expand the market itself. 

We want to make the pie bigger for everyone to have a stake. We encourage other players in the category to invest in spreading awareness and contributing to the growth of the electric cycle market.

Electric cycles offer a fantastic commuting option for various purposes, such as office and school commutes. They are suitable for different members of the family and don't require licenses or registration. It's time for other players in the category to invest in raising awareness and promoting the benefits of electric cycles.

The brand was launched only in 2020 and has already reached a global audience. What research did EMotorad conduct before going global?

We didn't need to conduct much research before starting our electric cycle brand in India. At that time, many would have dismissed the idea, but we recognised a global product-market fit (PMF). India has a history of adopting products over time. Trends that originated in the West eventually make their way to India. 

We understood that our product had a global PMF, so we weren't just targeting the Indian market; we were aiming for a broader audience.

This approach proved to be a game-changer for us. By focusing on building a product that met European, US, and Japanese standards, we ensured quality. 

Although this increased our production costs, it resulted in fewer issues compared to traditional bicycles. Electric cycles require specialised maintenance, and not every local mechanic can handle them. This was a key learning for us and other legacy players in the industry.

We knew that if we could manufacture high-quality electric cycles, they would find buyers globally and in India. Our success in the early days stemmed from having a superior product, which also attracted industry professionals to join us in our journey.

Aditya, how did your experience handling leadership positions in Dubai, Abudhabi, India, Spain and Canada, help in marketing in different regions?

Regardless of where and how you work, understanding the core consumer is crucial. Fortunately, in Dubai, people from all over the world come to work, so I had the opportunity to closely interact with Europeans and Australians, who were more numerous than other nationalities. 

Ultimately, understanding the consumer and their preferences is key. If you're unfamiliar with a market, you have to rely on research and talking to people to gain insights. 

For example, when we explored the Japanese market, my co-founder Rajib and I travelled there, spoke to numerous people, and relied on translators to navigate conversations. 

Understanding a market like India, where you have an edge due to familiarity with the consumer, is advantageous. However, being unfamiliar with a market can also offer a different perspective that others may overlook. 

Regardless of your experience, starting research from the ground up and talking to consumers is essential. Trusting your instincts and experimenting while learning from peers and accessing resources online are valuable tools in marketing today.

What are some trends you've noticed in the two-wheeler segment, and how does EMotorad shape its marketing based on this trend?

There's a great influx of startups entering the electric two-wheeler segment, and they seem to be dominating the market more than legacy brands. Another trend is that legacy brands are also preparing to enter the market with their own electric two-wheelers. Looking ahead, India's growth extends beyond its borders. It's not just about meeting India's needs; it's about exporting quality electric scooters and cycles to the world. Just as India manufactures a significant percentage of the world's iPhones, we should aim for a similar position in the electric two-wheeler market.

Now is the time for India to demonstrate its capabilities to the world. Startups are moving at a rapid pace, and there's a need for legacy companies to join in. Bajaj, for instance, has made significant strides with its electric vehicles, particularly in Africa and South America. It's time for all of us to come together and showcase our potential on a global scale. Instead of just competing within the Indian market, we should aim to capture a larger share of the global market.

Could you walk me through the brand's short-term and long-term marketing goals for the next two years?

We view each year as a milestone in our marketing journey, with numerous short-term goals to achieve. 

Our long-term marketing objective is to establish electric cycles as a desirable brand, not only in India but also internationally. Short-term goals include establishing a market presence in India across various segments and providing excellent value for money in B2B partnerships. 

We aim to collaborate with significant clients and are currently in discussions for international distribution, particularly in the US.

Additionally, we have technical goals related to sales targets and marketing spend. While these targets are in place, our overarching goal is to build a brand that resonates with people and makes electric cycles a preferred choice for transportation.