Reva Electric Car Company was all set to manufacture and launch India’s first compact, affordable electric car. Positioned as an alternative, environmentally friendly and intelligent solution for urban transport in India, the Bangalore-based company wanted to go national with this objective. However, there were powerful lobbies in the petroleum and automobile sectors, who were campaigning against the electric vehicle, within the government and the industry.
To achieve its objective, it was imperative to connect the car company with all the relevant stakeholders in the electric vehicle ecosystem. Working closely with the Reva team, The PRactice identified various stakeholders including the Delhi state government, environmental lobbies and pressure groups, influencers in government, media and among consumers. The PRactice connected with the Delhi Chief Minister, Ms. Sheila Dikshit’s office to align Reva’s positioning with the state government’s Clean and Green solutions campaign. This interaction resulted in a 15% concession for those who purchased the car.
The Reva – Delhi Government partnership became central to a high-visibility electronic media campaign by The PRactice. It was followed up by an extremely successful consumer launch of the REVA in New Delhi. Three hundred consumer calls in Delhi alone were received the day following the launch and coverage was received in 25 print publications, 40 online outlets and 14 broadcast stations.
The REVA-Delhi Government experience is considered a fine example of developing insightful approaches to sustain complex and dynamic stakeholder relationships and is an industry benchmark for the electric vehicle category to track and replicate.
