Pune, one of India’s fastest-growing cities, is also a thriving startup ecosystem. The city is home to nearly 4-6% of the country’s startups. Remarkably, the number continues to grow as more entrepreneurs start ventures across different domains.
Now, the sheer number of startups makes the city shine proudly. However, behind those glossy co-working spaces, innovative names, and flashy boards, there are several challenges startups face. One of them is a highly restricted advertising budget. Most startups are bootstrapped. Therefore, they usually lack the funding they precisely need to advertise their brand lavishly. For most, costly advertising media like the TV and radio seem a tall tale!
So, how do startups advertise themselves? They obviously need a cost-effective medium that helps them advertise optimally, while keeping their ad budgets in control. The answer is auto-rickshaw branding. Of course, auto-rickshaw advertising isn’t specific or exclusive to startups. Even bigger brands rely on it. But the affordable advertising it involves and the impact it creates make it ideal for startups.
Therefore, whether you are a tech startup in Baner, a new café in Koregaon Park, a bookstore in Deccan, or a corporate florist in any part of the city, here’s why you must prefer auto rickshaw advertising to popularize your brand in Pune.
Common Advertising Challenges Startups in Pune Face
From budget restrictions to physical advertising limitations, here are some common challenges startups confront.
Startups usually have a very restricted budget for advertising. It is because they usually reserve a significant portion of their capital for routine operations and expenses. As a result, they do not, rather cannot explore advertising alternatives. Their options often remain confined to organic social media campaigns.
The digital space is promising. But it is highly competitive. Startups encounter thousands of similar brands already floating and campaigning across various platforms. Even when it comes to paid advertising, Google and Meta quickly exhaust startup budgets. Therefore, startups cannot build the reach and traction they require.
- Inability to Track Offline Impact
Running offline marketing campaigns involving flyers, brochures, etc., feels productive. However, it usually doesn’t prove as effective. Startups cannot determine whether their campaign has really succeeded in terms of engagement and leads. Simply speaking, they cannot calculate the ROI of their ad budget.
- Hyper-Localized Targeting Requirements
Unlike established brands, startups must create a hyper-localized reach for maximum impact. But the visibility that conventional, outdoor advertising mediums like billboards create does not go beyond a particular visibility zone. They prove effective at the generic level. Startups need hyper-localized, segmented reach. These media do not create it. The visibility is restricted to a particular geographical radius.
- Creating Brand Awareness Across Physical Spaces
Startups, particularly those involved in consumer-based businesses, cannot rely on the digital medium alone. They also must extend their strategy to the physical space. But physical branding requires a significant investment in terms of printing, workforce, etc. Again, everything boils down to money. Most startups just do not have enough.
8 Reasons Startups in Pune Prefer Auto-Rickshaw Advertising
Thankfully, today, startups have several options to choose from, particularly when it comes to advertising. Auto rickshaws are one of them. They aren’t merely a means of transport but mobile billboards, moving ambassadors for a startup. Many Pune-based startups have already recognized the significance and potential of auto-rickshaw advertising. Accordingly, they are actively advertising on auto rickshaws. Here’s why you should also consider auto-rickshaw advertising.
- Economical Advertising
Auto rickshaw advertising is more affordable and economical than its other conventional counterparts like hoardings or bus advertising. Advertising on hundreds of rickshaws often comes at a fraction of the cost compared to these media.
For example, if you are a boutique café in Shivaji Nagar, you can secure a month of rickshaw wraps within its monthly digital ad budget. Thus, it can create ongoing exposure without the recurring costs that online campaigns demand. If required, you can even stretch your marketing budget while achieving broad localized visibility.
Advertising on several hundred rickshaws may seem like mass advertising. Yes. It is surely. Yet, auto-rickshaw advertising also lets you penetrate the interiors of a particular target area. How? It is because auto rickshaws zip through various localities, lanes of the city, including residential vicinities, IT parks, commercial zones, and industrial areas. Onlookers from these vicinities see the ad and may engage with it.
For instance, if you are a milk delivery app, you can run auto rickshaws with your ad through areas with new residential societies that require these services. Therefore, your ad will be specifically visible to people who may need your services.
- High Frequency and Recall
As a startup looking to advertise, you must know the Rule of 7! The rule states that your target audiences must see your ad at least seven times before they take action. Auto rickshaws make that possible. They follow specific routes and cover them multiple times a day, thus referring to a higher commuting frequency and increased brand recall. In simple words, your ad is seen by people multiple times a day, registering you as an entrant in a particular business.
For example, if you are an edtech business that offers coding classes in Kothrud, you can advertise your business through areas such as Paud Road, Karve Nagar, Erandwane, etc., which are home to numerous schools and colleges.
Hoardings are stationary. On the other hand, buses only move through Pune’s main streets. But autos reach everyone’s doorstep. So, from the lavish entrances of Sopan Baug or the narrow streets of Vishrantwadi, autos cover them all. Therefore, autos can access almost every street and lane of the city, ensuring last-mile visibility that makes you see almost every household in the city.
For instance, if you are a newly launched saree showroom with a massive discount for the first hundred customers, you can body wrap auto rickshaws with a prominent QR code and run them through the access roads of each residential society within a five-kilometer radius to begin with. It will help make your ad visible to the maximum number of target customers within the circle, precisely women from varying age groups.
Unlike stationary hoardings that wait for people to be seen, auto rickshaws reach people so that they can see the ads. Typically, autos in Pune travel a distance of 80-100 kilometers across various parts of the city, including the downtown and suburbs, multiple times throughout the day. Therefore, the ad is not just visible to a larger number of people; it is also seen more frequently.
A newly launched laptop experience center, for example, can advertise its range of laptops and other offerings on auto rickshaws that travel to or through the city’s IT parks. Therefore, thousands of IT professionals working in that zone and even the ones using those roads as a throughfare can see the ad and may engage with it.
Want to create auto-rickshaw ads that truly engage? Connect with us!
- Tailored Routes for Targeted Reach
In today’s age, where personalization matters, segmented reach is a strategy every startup must master. Auto-rickshaw advertising helps you do it by allowing you to tailor routes that create a targeted reach. Remember, there’s no point advertising an end-of-the-season sale on rickshaws that frequent Pune’s industrial areas. Similarly, advertising industrial equipment in core residential areas such as Kothrud, Deccan, Swargate, Anand Nagar, Sinhagad Road, etc., is equally pointless.
Partnering with auto-rickshaw ad agencies in Pune helps you strategize routes based on the presence of your target audiences. Therefore, if you are a lunchbox provider, the agency’s experts identify routes strategically beneficial for you and devise campaigns accordingly. The best ones walk the extra mile to create area-specific campaigns. Examples include ads in Marathi for rickshaws that operate in Pune’s traditional localities. On the other hand, ads in Hindi or English for localities like Baner, Bavdhan, Wakad, Hinjawadi, etc., where the crowd is cosmopolitan.
Auto rickshaw advertising has been around for decades. But it has evolved significantly in recent years. The digital revolution, in particular, has been a notable contributor. Those days when ads covered just the rear end of autos are long gone. Today, you can wrap an auto with a vinyl cover, which is more prominently visible. Besides, you can shape the auto in the form of your product to make it stand out.
Of course, it requires you to spend a little more. However, as a startup, what matters to you in the initial stages is to stand out from the competition and crowd. Auto ads that enhance your business’s visual appeal precisely help you do that.
Hoardings require obtaining permissions from the relevant municipal authorities. But with so many businesses competing for a prime slot, this can take time. Executing an auto rickshaw campaign is pretty straightforward and quick. You can roll out a campaign in fewer days, and then also quickly adjust it month-to-month.
For instance, if you are a corporate gifting startup, you can start your campaign a month before Diwali, test how effective it was, and pivot to new visuals or routes without spending additional costs. An ad agency in Pune that specializes in auto rickshaw advertising can help you do that.
Prepared to Leverage Auto-Rickshaw Advertising in Pune?
Then, partner with Prajapati Advertising! We are an auto-rickshaw advertising in Pune with over a decade of experience, and a proven track record that spans advertising for multiple brands from diverse domains. Our support covers everything from initial conceptualization to execution and ongoing support to drive continuous improvements. Therefore, we serve you as your strategic advertising partners, helping you grow awareness, reach, and become a household name.
Want to know more or connect with our experts for a detailed discussion? Then, call us at +91 99 22 138 138 to discuss your advertising needs, budget, and objectives.
