‘BAKIT Hindi Ka Pa Nakamotor? Mag-Suzuki Ka Na!” That was the headline of Suzuki Philippines Inc. that appeared in all its billboards within a cross-section in the metropolis. Suzuki has come out with a line that may well be the latest such catchphrase. It’s a straightforward information campaign that communicates the advantages of riding motorcycles.
Especially suited to terrible road traffic, extreme weather conditions that go from humid to wet in an instant, resulting in the convenience of commuting, the question is: “What is the most practical way to travel?”
The riding public is now enchanted with the motorcycle, Suzuki officials have found, as have other motorcycle manufacturers. A motorcycle is now a necessity, like electricity, and not so much an escape to fulfill fantasies.
Suzuki Philippines assistant general manager for motorcycle sales and marketing Benedict Martin “Lakay” Arreola feels that when a motorcycle owner is forced to invest in a new model, the potential customer will make a rational decision on what he needs in a motorcycle. Suzuki advertising is geared to tell motorists that what they need in a motorcycle is what Suzuki provides.
The campaign encourages commuters to create a beneficial shift from commuting using public utility vehicles to being the boss of their own, by getting their own motorcycles.
“The campaign highlights the practicality of owning a motorcycle. We are hoping that through this campaign, the commuting public will be able to transcend beyond the commuter-thinking and look into the advantages of owning a motorcycle,” Arreola said.
He pointed out that for the past four years Suzuki has been advocating safety riding, “all those things on the defensive side. Why not tell about the advantages of owning a motorcycle?” he asked. Motorcycle riders enjoy the most mobility, gasoline mileage, traffic flexibility, time efficiency and excitement.
Arreola felt owning a motorcycle could build the confidence of Filipinos. “Safety driving ambassador Senator Bong Revilla Jr. is very vocal about safety driving. Actress Angel Locsin is our ambassador for scooters, to name a few. The need for clear information is imperative,” he said.
According to Arreola, in Vietnam, particularly in Saigon, there are five million motorcycles. Riding one has become part of the Vietnamese lifestyle, only reiterating the dependability of the motorcycle. In the Philippines, a substantial increase in the preference of motorcycles has been noted in the last three years, which can be attributed to soaring oil and transport prices and worsening road traffic conditions.
In 2006, for the first time ever, more than half of the world’s population was living in an urban setting. As cities grow more congested with people, they also grow more congested with cars. But cities can be transformed to provide greater accessibility to workplaces, shopping, entertainment, and so on. Cities should be designed for people, after all, not machines. Doing so benefits the environment, public health and the economy.
Why? First, public transportation isn’t serving us the way we need it to, and so we turn to personal vehicles. Second, because our land use is so spread out—our suburbs sprawl and we build enormous highways instead of building communities closer to one another—we drive, a lot.
The evolution of modern cities is tied to advances in transportation. Initially we build ports and train stations for shipping and commerce and population grew around that. But it was cars and oil that created the next big boom. Today, our cities are choked with motorized personal vehicles.
“These two-wheel machines leave less carbon foot print, which is good for our fellow commuters, and even better for the environment,” Arreola stressed.
Saturation rate for the motorcycle industry is only about 5 percent. This is for every household, which is approximately 19 million. Arreola, however, noted that there was an increase average monthly sales quantity of the company from 1,500 units in 2003 to 7,500 units in 2010. The market share of the company also climbed from 7 percent in 2003 to 11 percent in 2010.
Arreola sees growing demand in motorcycles when Suzuki moves to a new manufacturing plant in Canlubang, Laguna, next year. “We foresee more than 100,000 units sold by next year. Currently, we are selling 8,000 units a month. Sixty percent of the market is in Luzon, 10 percent in Metro Manila, 15 percent in the Visayas and 25 percent in Mindanao. “
He instilled among those in the motorcycle division (sales, marketing and advertising, after-sales support and technical service) the core values of passion, responsibility, team work, results and discipline. He prepared the 2011 strategic plan called “The Four Pillars,” which aims to sell 10,000 units per month and increase market share to 14 percent.
According to him, the response to the Suzuki campaign by women has generally been encouraging, noting that 10 percent of the market is women.
“Bakit Hindi Ka Pa Nakamotor? Mag-Suzuki Ka Na!” not only invites commuters to put motorcycles into the mainstream consciousness after the record fuel prices and transport fare hikes.
Ask yourself, “Do I need a car?” If the answer is yes, ask yourself, “Do I need a car to make this trip?” Don’t own a car? Ask yourself if you could own a motorcycle instead of taking the bus or a taxi.
We need to create a fundamental demand shift in the market. The real challenge is to see how rapidly people can change. It’s an interesting and a dangerous time.
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Bubuwit Squeaks
Click Me, We’re Great
For companies that don’t keep their promises, search engines can be even scarier. Let’s say that you are spending big bucks on a search-engine marketing campaign. You have nice little ads down the side of the page, all saying, “Click me, we’re great.” Of course, the bigger links in the middle of the page are from real consumers. You’d better make them happy, or those posts will empower any paid placement. Let’s look at a certain major company we won’t name that infuriates its customers again and again with missed service appointments, absurdly poor customer service and other insulting treatment. When you look up this company online, what do you see? Expensive ads, official news stories, press releases—and tens of thousands of posts from angry people. This major company is seen as aloof and clueless and ignores the conversation.
