Make Women Part Of Country's Formal Economy To Progress: Rajeev Chaba, MG Motors
The International Advertising Association (IAA), with ABP News as its presenting partner, hosted its annual flagship event, Retrospect and Prospects, in New Delhi on January 21, 2020.
The programme is seen to be more peer-to-peer conversation where a top marketer presents the highs and lows of the year that was in the Marcom industry and does some serious crystal ball gazing into the what the year ahead holds for the industry. This year, Rajeev Chaba, President and MD, MG Motors, graced the stage as the key-note speaker, putting forward his views on 'Future gazing in a radically dynamic business world. Does the past define the future?’.
Following was an invigorating and insightful presentation on how the brand establishes a conducive environment for its employees and ensures complete customer satisfaction. “With our arrival in India, we wanted to do things differently. We could have either chosen the small car route or have a distinctive approach. While our rivals have been one car wonders, we ensured complete caution and care on our product and consumer side. We believed in goodwill by creating positive stories. As for our company culture, we like to define it as SPEED- Startup, Passion, Ease, Execution, Diversity,” stated Chaba.
He also explained how women have not been a part of the formal economy of the country and hence, a greater need to actively advocate diversity in all organisations. “We have 31% women in our company, who are not just white-collar but blue-colar too. We trained girls from not-so-well off areas and today they stand equal to men in every possible parameter. As a testament of our belief, we released our first India ad featuring Mira Erda,” he adds.
Taking a cue from the Chinese automotive market, it is expected that the Indian automobile market will witness significant changes in buying behavior after the lockdown. Chaba concludes his talk by giving out the trends he predicts for the future, both in terms of consumer behavior and business realities. “While shared mobility may have taken a backseat in the medium term, owing to health and hygiene factors, it will gain momentum in the near future. Service-based models such as pay-as-you-go, and lease rentals may also see uptake from Indian consumers. Tech companies are likely to explore automative future. Last but certainly not the least, ‘go electric’ will be the mantra. Autonomous & electric cars will rule the future,” he asserts.
This event was special in more ways than one, primary being the first physical event post-lockdown. “The event is a first in a lot of ways and something that we dearly missed. In retrospect, I personally feel that it hasn’t been that bad. We have learnt some new ways of working, living and finding balance. We have adopted to the new communication required to sail through this new normal. Communication has come out as a force for good, e-initiatives being one of them,” said Megha Tata, IAA President, in her inaugural speech.
Avinash Pandey, CEO, ABP Network also commented, “IAA’s annual event has always served as an ideal platform for the Marcom leaders to discuss what the future holds for the industry. It is a prestigious event that believes in empowering future leaders. These discussions have become all the more pertinent in this era, considering the disruptiveness of the year 2020. Championing change has become essential to survive and thrive. It was wonderful to be a part of an evening filled with insightful and thought-provoking discussions.”
