Q] What inspired Hyundai to choose Pankaj Tripathi as the new face of the brand and how do you plan to leverage this partnership beyond this TVC campaign?
We currently have iconic brand ambassadors in our portfolio. However, given Hyundai’s scale as an organisation—with a big range of products, services and campaigns— it makes strategic sense to onboard a personality like Pankaj Tripathi. In the top tier of India’s population, we’re seeing a significant rise in OTT consumption, CTV adoption, and HD content viewership. Based on a recent study, we are expecting the OTT market to double from 2023 to 2028, and Pankaj is one of the biggest faces on OTT and movies in India today. Also, Pankaj’s persona is very similar to the brand ethos of Hyundai. He is very trustworthy, connects well to the masses across the country and has a very genuine personality. When he breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience, they listen. So, we have signed him on immediately for two years.
Pankaj’s plan over the next two years is almost charted. We are working on this campaign; we’ve already shot with him for another campaign at the end of the year. We’ve got some plans for 2026. So, yes, he is clearly our ambassador for mass connect, for tactical outreach, for strategically enhancing our sales.
Q] Tell us more about the creative conceptualisation of the ad, what platforms and touchpoints will Hyundai be focusing on to ensure maximum engagement and impact?
While this is the first quarter of the financial year, it is obviously a campaign that is expected to drive footfalls into our showrooms for the month of June, but also, car buying cycles, because it’s a high involvement category, are slightly longer. We aim to reach consumers early in their purchase journey, especially as they begin planning for the festive season. Hence, this campaign was envisaged about three months back and we brought Pankaj onboard.
It is going to be a full-funnel approach; we will drive awareness through TV and digital. We will also drive purchase intention via Print, Digital and also CX. So, except outdoors, all the other mediums are going to be leveraged extensively. Radio will be used in more than 45 cities. The campaign includes over 81 print insertions. So, it’s a very detailed national campaign with adequate focus in all the states based on our market size.
Q] What is the marketing mix of the brand? Who takes the lion’s share?
Being a large advertiser, we have a very strong share on TV — on linear TV, but also on CTV. And then a very close second for us is digital, overall. Digital obviously includes media, social, search, everything. But yes, these two platforms are the top two from a media mix point of view.
Q] What are your online vs offline sales like? Are you investing heavily in performance marketing?
We invest a lot in performance marketing. Despite being a high-involvement category, which is cars, a lot of our journey begins online. There are more than 25 touchpoints in the car-buying journey, most of which are online. Our digital presence spans product content, comparison tools, spec sheets, lead forms, and targeted video assets. We work very closely with Big Tech in India. And yes, as we speak, more than one-fourth of our sales are coming through digital sources, and this is growing quarter-on-quarter. So, even in cars, our investment and our focus through the funnel on digital marketing is very strong.
Q] Creta is Hyundai’s best-selling fleet, with Creta electric, who is your target audience? How have you marketed to that customer segment and what have the sales been like so far?
The Creta Electric is a phenomenal product that we launched in January 2025. This is the 10th year of the brand Creta in India. In March 2025, Creta overall did the highest sales; it was the largest selling car in India across categories. The financial year 2024-2025 was the biggest year for Creta as a brand. We are overwhelmed by the strong consumer response. The customers are clearly evolvers; they are clearly customers who love the brand Hyundai, who love the brand Creta, and who are evolving to the EV space. We’ve met some of the customers recently, and they come across as early adopters who are eager to embrace new technologies. They are very proud that Hyundai has brought Hyundai Motor Corporation’s global EV technology into the country, with the kind of range, with the kind of service support, with the kind of reliability that Hyundai brings to India. So, it’s a great start for the Hyundai Creta Electric, and we believe it will really add a lot of volumes to our portfolio.
Q] Auto marketing has evolved over the years and so has the customer of today, what role does CX play in your overall marketing strategy?
We have a very big CX team in the marketing division at Hyundai. The kind of work we do in terms of outreach spans multiple fronts — we connect with our existing prospects, reach out to new databases, and engage through both traditional and modern channels. From the traditional channels like SMS to newer platforms such as WhatsApp, RCS, and email, we leverage each medium strategically. In fact, we’ve consistently achieved some of the best open and click-through rates in the industry. Each channel is aligned with specific KPIs — whether it’s building brand awareness, informing customers about new launches, highlighting our latest service initiatives, promoting Hyundai Promise (our used car business), or driving form fills, test drives, and showroom visits. So, CX or CRM, is a very strong and very vital part of the entire marketing funnel in Hyundai Motor India.
Q] What are the two emerging trends in the automobile industry that excites you the most and how is Hyundai capitalising on these trends?
From a marketer’s perspective, AI is more than just a buzzword — it’s becoming integral to how we operate. At Hyundai, along with our advertising and media agencies, we’re embedding AI across various marketing functions. It’s still early, but its potential for delivering personalisation at scale is clear and here to stay. On the product side, connected safety is rapidly growing. Features like ADAS are now available in seven to eight models in our range — something unimaginable just three to four years ago. It’s become a key part of our safety promise. As AI evolves, it will play a larger role in communication and commerce, while connected safety will increasingly span all price points in our lineup.
PROFILE
With a professional tenure of over two decades, Mr. Virat Khullar has had a dynamic exposure and presence in the Indian automobile industry. A result driven leader, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (specialization in Marketing) from IMT, Ghaziabad, Mr. Khullar has brought in consummate marketing knowledge with a strong focus on growth and innovations. Over the course of his 20+ impressive years in the industry, he has lent his expertise to renowned entities such as Renault India, TATA Motors, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, and currently holds the position of Head of Marketing at Hyundai Motor India Limited.
ABOUT THE BRAND
Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is one of the leading automobile manufacturers in India. In line with HMC’s global brand vision of ‘Progress for Humanity’, HMIL adopts sustainable and green manufacturing operations, offering mobility solutions with industry leading technology. HMIL also forms a critical part of HMC’s global export hub with exports spanning across Africa, the Middle East and other countries including Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
Facts
Media Agency: Havas media India
PR Agency: First Partners
Digital Agency: INNOCEAN INDIA
BTL/Activation Agency: INNOCEAN INDIA
Creative Agency: INNOCEAN INDIA
