The $108-billion Tata Group has awarded its global brand-building campaign to the WPP-owned J Walter Thompson (JWT).
Mukund Govind Rajan, member — Group Executive Council, Brand Custodian and Chief Ethics Officer, Tata Sons Limited told The Hindu , “I recognise that the Tata brand is becoming known overseas, but we do need to invest in supporting it. We have never run a brand campaign for brand Tata in international markets. This will be a first for us”.
The campaign will be rolled out next year as part of Chairman Cyrus Mistry’s initiative to give the brand a global identity. “We are currently working on it and you will see it next year,” Dr Rajan said. “The campaign will reflect what the Tata Group stands for.
“For the global campaign, we have crafted three brand messaging corridors: that Tata is global, trustworthy, and a good corporate citizen. We are global, thanks to Mr Ratan Tata’s thrust in the early 2000s. Being trustworthy, and being a good corporate citizen is based on the values that have made us who we are in India. The same values, the same principles will make us what we wish to be in overseas markets,” he added.
Tata Sons operates through over 100 companies and has 73 brands across automotive, financial, food and beverages, hotels and realty, products, retail and services sectors in more than 100 countries.
The ‘Tata’ brand alone is valued at $11 billion. Its profits last year were $6.7 billion and its total assets were estimated at $117.9 billion. The global initiative comes barely 30 days after Tata Motors signed Argentinean footballer Lionel Messi as its global brand ambassador. The ad campaign, Dr Rajan says, will also leverage Mr Tata’s initiatives: the Tata Code of Conduct and the Tata Business Excellence Model. “The former ensures our companies behave ethically, and act in keeping with the highest standards of corporate governance. Under the second, companies have to benchmark with global peers and show continuous improvement.”
I recognise that the Tata brand is becoming known overseas, but we do need to invest in supporting it - Mukund Rajan,Brand Custodian, Tata Sons
Just a month ago, Tata Motors signed Lionel Messi as its ambassador
