 "Bajaj flexes Pulsar's muscles")
For the Pune-based two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto, Pulsar is proving to be quite an exceptional brand story. Not only is it the brand with the most extensions in the Bajaj family, it also carries more models under its name than the country's highest selling motorcycle Splendor. Pulsar accounted for 36 per cent of domestic sales and exports grew at 10 per cent in FY2015 and; last year, after a three year hiatus three new models were launched under the brand, in quick succession.
With more than half a dozen models Pulsar, many would say, is the most hard working motorcycle brand in the country today. While the Pulsar 150 and 180 generate majority of the volumes, recent additions such as the RS200, AS200 and AS150 have expanded the horizon further for brand Pulsar.
The three new models have also dramatically altered the positioning of the bike. Traditionally the Pulsar brand straddles what the company calls the S1 category, which serves the 'youthful' segment. Within that the 150 and 180 are power commuter bikes suited for highway riding. The new generation bikes, like the RS200 are meant for racers and the AS200/150, for inter-city or long city rides. The company is looking to get the different groups within the biking community under the Pulsar fold.
The company's experience with brand extensions and Discover is not encouraging. It was once its second most promising brand and just as it is doing with Pulsar, a string of models were built around Discover. Each was targeted at different customer and price categories. However, bikers did not bite and today, from more than five models under its fold, Discover has just two. What gives Bajaj Auto the confidence that Pulsar whose offering starts at 135cc and goes up till 220cc will not go the Discover way?
Vas said, "Pulsar is one brand in our portfolio which stands stretched because one of the good things about Pulsar is that it has always been in the youthful space. It has never been a mature brand; it's never been a brand that's trying to get into the commuter (space). It is this aspect of the brand that gives us the possibility of stretching it in the youthful space significantly."
Bajaj has been careful with its advertising and communication strategies around Pulsar too. It never advertised the cheaper Pulsar models such as the 135 and 150, as doing so could have diluted the essence of the brand. The company instead focused its campaigns on the more expensive and powerful Pulsars like 180, 200NS, AS200 and the RS200. In fact, in the 15 years of Pulsar's existence with the exception of one print campaign, Bajaj has never advertised the 150. It has always been Pulsar 180. Here Bajaj may have taken a leaf out of the marketing book of German heavyweight Mercedes-Benz which promotes the E Class more than the more affordable A Class.
Apart from a concerted attempt to keep the brand's positioning intact, it could also have been a way to maintain a distance with other two-wheeler brands. The Hero Honda CBZ (since 1997) and TVS Fiero (since 1999) are in the same category and existed before Bajaj brought in the Pulsar 150.
The Pulsar 150 is the largest volumes generator for Bajaj followed by the Pulsar 180. The company does not disclose model-wise sales, however. Pulsar 150 is priced at Rs 73,152 while Pulsar 180 is priced at Rs 76,687, (both prices ex-showroom, Mumbai). "I don't think there is that big a customer profile difference between a customer paying Rs 70,000-75,000 and a customer paying Rs 1.5 lakh for a bike today. I think the brand (Pulsar) can stretch to that level much like I think the Avenger brand can also stretch from its current price point to may be right up to Rs 2 lakh," added Vas.
Bajaj will keep up the pace of launches in the Rs 1-2 lakh segment under the Pulsar brand as it believes there is still a lot of headroom for growth under a single brand. It had showcased a Pulsar with a 400cc engine at the 2014 Auto Expo. However, there is no clarity about its launch. "We are planning to launch one more Pulsar in the S2 space which is the Rs 1-2 lakh price segment. The launch will happen next financial year", added Vas.
With more than half a dozen models Pulsar, many would say, is the most hard working motorcycle brand in the country today. While the Pulsar 150 and 180 generate majority of the volumes, recent additions such as the RS200, AS200 and AS150 have expanded the horizon further for brand Pulsar.
The three new models have also dramatically altered the positioning of the bike. Traditionally the Pulsar brand straddles what the company calls the S1 category, which serves the 'youthful' segment. Within that the 150 and 180 are power commuter bikes suited for highway riding. The new generation bikes, like the RS200 are meant for racers and the AS200/150, for inter-city or long city rides. The company is looking to get the different groups within the biking community under the Pulsar fold.
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"Through our market research we have understood that the brand is never a barrier to purchase, only the product is. The RS200 is a prime example of that. It has become the one model which outsells every other model in its class despite being the only model under the Bajaj portfolio to be priced above Rs 1 lakh," said Eric Vas, president (motorcycle business) Bajaj Auto. The company believes that the profile of a Pulsar customer is such that the purchase decision is tied in to the product and therefore, the brand can include more models at different price points without any dilution in its positioning. So far, Pulsar has managed to do that. But the big question is, will its luck hold?
The company's experience with brand extensions and Discover is not encouraging. It was once its second most promising brand and just as it is doing with Pulsar, a string of models were built around Discover. Each was targeted at different customer and price categories. However, bikers did not bite and today, from more than five models under its fold, Discover has just two. What gives Bajaj Auto the confidence that Pulsar whose offering starts at 135cc and goes up till 220cc will not go the Discover way?
Vas said, "Pulsar is one brand in our portfolio which stands stretched because one of the good things about Pulsar is that it has always been in the youthful space. It has never been a mature brand; it's never been a brand that's trying to get into the commuter (space). It is this aspect of the brand that gives us the possibility of stretching it in the youthful space significantly."
Bajaj has been careful with its advertising and communication strategies around Pulsar too. It never advertised the cheaper Pulsar models such as the 135 and 150, as doing so could have diluted the essence of the brand. The company instead focused its campaigns on the more expensive and powerful Pulsars like 180, 200NS, AS200 and the RS200. In fact, in the 15 years of Pulsar's existence with the exception of one print campaign, Bajaj has never advertised the 150. It has always been Pulsar 180. Here Bajaj may have taken a leaf out of the marketing book of German heavyweight Mercedes-Benz which promotes the E Class more than the more affordable A Class.
Apart from a concerted attempt to keep the brand's positioning intact, it could also have been a way to maintain a distance with other two-wheeler brands. The Hero Honda CBZ (since 1997) and TVS Fiero (since 1999) are in the same category and existed before Bajaj brought in the Pulsar 150.
The Pulsar 150 is the largest volumes generator for Bajaj followed by the Pulsar 180. The company does not disclose model-wise sales, however. Pulsar 150 is priced at Rs 73,152 while Pulsar 180 is priced at Rs 76,687, (both prices ex-showroom, Mumbai). "I don't think there is that big a customer profile difference between a customer paying Rs 70,000-75,000 and a customer paying Rs 1.5 lakh for a bike today. I think the brand (Pulsar) can stretch to that level much like I think the Avenger brand can also stretch from its current price point to may be right up to Rs 2 lakh," added Vas.
Bajaj will keep up the pace of launches in the Rs 1-2 lakh segment under the Pulsar brand as it believes there is still a lot of headroom for growth under a single brand. It had showcased a Pulsar with a 400cc engine at the 2014 Auto Expo. However, there is no clarity about its launch. "We are planning to launch one more Pulsar in the S2 space which is the Rs 1-2 lakh price segment. The launch will happen next financial year", added Vas.