Storyboard18 | 'Starting the journey of taking EVs mainstream with presence in IPL', Ather Energy’s Nilay Chandra

Ather Energy is now the principal partner of the Gujarat Titans IPL team. (Image: Ather Energy)

Electric scooter manufacturer Ather Energy forged a multi-year partnership with the newly formed Indian Premier League (IPL) Ahmedabad franchise - Gujarat Titans, as their principal partner. The strategic partnership starting from the 2022 season will see the Ather Energy brand printed on the front of the Gujarat Titans’ official team jerseys.

In an exclusive interaction with Storyboard18, Nilay Chandra, VP - marketing and charging infrastructure, Ather Energy, talks about the association, standing out amidst the IPL clutter and mainstreaming electric vehicles (EVs). Edited excerpts:

Tell us about the IPL association and why you chose Gujarat Titans? What are the pros and cons of being associated with a new team?

With the launch of our high-performance vehicles, we triggered the adoption of EVs in India. We are now starting the journey of taking EVs mainstream with our presence in IPL. The engagement is a multi-year contract and it will help us strengthen engagement with consumers across the country.

There is a tremendous opportunity and potential to explore on both the sides by associating with a new team. Ather Energy and Gujarat Titans are new age and fast emerging brands that are challenging the status quo in their respective fields. The Gujarat Titans’ franchise philosophy has been courage and open-heartedness. The team has been built from the ground up and aims to become an inspiring and inclusive cricket franchise in the world. This is similar to Ather’s plans as we aim to make EVs mainstream in the country.

How do you plan to stand out in the IPL related brand clutter? Any interesting campaigns and ad strategy planned?

Creating interesting campaigns is our strategy, irrespective of the touchpoint and clutter. The consumer today has innumerable distractions across touchpoints, and we believe our ability to engage with them has made us memorable. Our content and on-ground activations will be something we and consumers will talk about in the coming months.

What kind of business objectives does Ather aim to achieve through its association with the IPL?

Our engagement in one of the world’s largest sporting leagues is a clear indication to the consumers that EVs are going mainstream and Ather is at the forefront of the EV revolution in India. The partnership aims at driving awareness and relevance as consumers begin experiencing the benefits of owning EVs.

As Ather begins to scale up its retail operations across the country to meet the growing demand, IPL provides a great platform for the brand to rapidly drive awareness and familiarity for the brand across the country. IPL is followed by people across age and gender and gives us the advantage to educate the larger audience about the benefits associated with EVs and accelerate the adoption of EVs across the country.

Any specific demographic/target group (TG) or key markets that you think IPL will open up for you?

As a brand, we firmly believe that EVs are the future of mobility, especially in India. IPL is followed by diverse audiences from different corners of the country and we want to use the opportunity to engage with consumers from every village, town and city to make them aware about the benefits of EVs.

We plan to be in 100 cities in the next 12 months and there is no better way to let our potential consumers know more about us and that we are coming soon to their city. We believe this engagement will help us change the perception around EVs and enhance the acceptance of not just our products but EVs as a whole.