By Anil Thakraney

The Tata Nano guys just can’t seem to get it right. I have repeatedly pointed out in my posts that positioning the brand as the ‘poor man’s car’ was a terrible idea because even for the ‘poor man’ a car has to deliver status value. I have always believed it is this positioning which has cost Nano its sales. They finally seem to have corrected that, and are now targeting the urban youth. But they have badly screwed it up in the execution.

‘Celebrate Awesomeness’ is the message in the new commercial. It’s a nonsense ad, and contains the same stuff we have watched umpteenth number of times. Youngsters moving, shaking, jumping around, etc. The car is forced into this clichéd imagery. And at the end of the ad, you are left scratching your head on what just happened. After many exposures I spotted a magician, have no bloody idea what the chap is doing in the TVC.

What a sorry mess! If the muddled Tata Nano suits are reading this, let me simplify life for them: All that Tata Nano has to do is play to its strength, which is its ‘cute and small’ shape. The communication’s entire focus should be on: Small is beautiful, small is smart, small is happening. It must make users of big cars feel like idiots. That’s the kind of power attitude that will make Nano desirable, not just to the youth, to old fogeys like myself.

Shoving the word ‘Kickassness’ in the ad doesn’t make you kickass. You have to kick the ass of other cars to deserve that title.

Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): Big Zero. Complete waste of ad spend.

Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views of the writer are his own. He can be reached via Twitter at @anilthakraney