Four time world player of the year winner Messi, has entered in a long-term association with Tata Motors as its global brand ambassador to promote and endorse its passenger vehicles.
02 Nov 2015 | 9063 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
In what could be one of the biggest marketing initiatives by an Indian carmaker yet, Tata Motors has signed up football maestro and Barcelona frontman Lionel Messi as its new global brand ambassador.
Four time world player of the year winner Messi, has entered in a two-year association with ...
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In what could be one of the biggest marketing initiatives by an Indian carmaker yet, Tata Motors has signed up football maestro and Barcelona frontman Lionel Messi as its new global brand ambassador.
Four time world player of the year winner Messi, has entered in a two-year association with Tata Motors as its global brand ambassador to promote and endorse its passenger vehicles.
Under this association, Tata Motors is set to roll out its campaign with Messi labeled #madeofgreat.
“This is the first time ever that the passenger vehicle business will be undertaking an overall brand association campaign with a brand ambassador. The campaign is based on consumer insight and rides on a strong consumer motivation of ‘Seeking Excellence’ & ‘Self Belief’ which is epitomized by the confluence of two global brands- Tata Motors and Lionel Messi. The core idea of this campaign - Made of Great emerges from the inspiring thought of ‘What drives us from within is what makes us great,” Tata Motors said.
The company will also soon launch an exclusive, limited edition merchandising range of this association, it added.
Announcing the association, Mayank Pareek, president, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, said, “We are very excited to have Lionel Messi on board. Through this powerful campaign we will communicate the values & ethos of the passenger vehicle business. As we look to expand our footprint across the globe, Messi’s unique ability to appeal globally, transcending geographies, makes him ideal person to represent our brand, internationally. This is the first campaign in the series and many more will unfold as we move on in this long-term association. We hope our customers like this new campaign and we look forward to their continued support.”
Endorsing an Indian brand for the first time Lionel Messi said,“Namaste India. I am very excited about my first association with an Indian brand and am extremely thrilled to be a part of the Tata Motors family. I have always been fascinated by India and have heard such great things about this diverse country. Tata Motors is a true representation of India and a well-established brand, globally. It is important to believe in yourself and keep pushing to achieve success and that is what the first campaign stands for.”
Messi is Barcelona’s all-time leading goal scorer with more than 400 goals, and has helped the club win 21 titles since he joined Barcelona in 2004. These include six La Liga titles and three Champions League crowns. The 28-year old maestro earns more than $20 million a year just from sponsors including Adidas, PepsiCo, Gillette and Electronic Arts.
While Tata Motors has not revealed the deal amount of Messi’s contract, given the stature of the Messi brand itself it surely would not have been cheap by any stretch of imagination.
Although it may be early days to gauge the impact of such a marketing campaign, Tata Motors is bound to grab plenty of eyeballs from Messi fans all over the globe.