No matter how brilliant an invention might be, if it does not find purpose in people’s lives it is futile. There have been myriad inventions in the history of mankind but the only reason why a few have become popular is only because they have been able to solve the problems of humans. I believe that inventions can be put into three categories from marketing and consumers POV:
1. The ones that stem out of the inventors’ intuition, which will be awarded and hailed by the scientific community.
2. Ones that burgeon out of a perceived need by the inventors, which may or may not find a place in people’s lives but will be appreciated nevertheless.
3. And lastly, inventions that stem out of deep understanding of a human need, which not only solve the problems but often changes peoples’ lives.
Let us look at a few instances from the past to gain greater clarity on this. Tata Nano, the Indian car which became popular globally as the cheapest car in the world, failed to shift gears and flattered to deceive. Why? Tata Nano while announcing itself as the cheapest car on earth dented the pride of millions of Indian aspirations. No one wanted to buy the car irrespective of its lucrative price that didn’t give him any status in the society.
Way back in 1985 when Hero Honda launched its motorcycle CD 100, it caught the imagination of the entire country making the macho Enfields and Yezdis redundant to the people by shifting the ‘macho’ image of bikes to one of ‘family transport’.
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Likewise, Bajaj understood the needs of ‘serious’ bikers and launched Pulsar-the sporty bike for macho men, which found a definite purpose in the life of the biking youth. The second area where Bajaj found a purpose was engineering. Developing fuel efficient bikes with power was a kind of oxymoron that was answered by the engineers at Bajaj with its remarkable DTSi technology. The second generation of Bajaj’s bikes not only had increased power but also increased the fuel economy. The addition of a second spark plug resulted in optimum ignition of the fuel, reducing the unburnt fuel inside the engine cylinder and thereby increasing its power and efficiency. DTSi engines found purpose in people’s lives as people wanted more power in their bikes without compromising on the efficiency.
Now, Bajaj in the form of RE60 has again found a purpose in people’s lives. This time Bajaj undertook the challenge of solving mass transportation in urban and rural India. The current mode of transport i.e. the autos are not safe and still rely on old technology. The company decided to make this mode of transport safer and induce pride into the drivers and their lifestyle. In RE60 they have created vehicles which are talking to auto drivers and giving them the pride to upgrade. Consumers too are going to be happy as they’ll be sitting in a safer vehicle (also 4-wheeler) with seating available for four people. By this revolutionary product, Bajaj, yet again has found a purpose in everyone’s lives.
It is a classic example of how engineering can ingeniously solve transportation issues, give a better life to auto drivers and provide a safer and economical commuting option with a price premium to autos. Well, going by Bajaj’s track record one can be fairly sure of the RE60’s prospective success which will not only change the lives of auto drivers but city travelers too. The future of the country lies in finding those ingenious, simple solutions to complex Indian problems by understanding the consumer’s needs and aspirations.
The author is National Creative Director, Leo Burnett