Mahindra launches new bike, Gusto, amidst the sand dunes of Rajasthan
by Vasundara R | Marketing | October 2, 2014 | News
Mahindra A for Pineapple Mahindra Gusto Annu Anand
Mahindra Two Wheelers recently hosted a thrilling three-day event from September 22- 24 for trade magazines and bloggers in Jodhpur to launch their new vehicle the Mahindra Gusto. A for Pineapple (AFP) Ideas & Execution was bought on board to manage and conceptualize the entire event for Mahindra, as the brand and agency have done many successful events together.
The venue for the event was the majestic 16th century Khimsar Fort, which is about 90km away from Jodhpur, perched on the edge of the Great Thar Desert.
AFP managed the entire event, right from pick-up to drop-off. On day one, cars were arranged to ferry the guests from the airport. On the way to the fort they enjoyed a delectable lunch at ‘On the Rocks', a very famous restaurant in Jodhpur.
Upon their arrival at Khimsar Fort, the guests were given a traditional welcome, with garlands of flowers, tilaks and the melodious boom of the dholaks.
Later in the evening, safari jeeps took the guests to a place where a convoy of camels and camel carriages awaited to take the guests to the venue of the launch, Khimsar Dunes Village. The event was kick- started with an informal meeting and discussion.
The launch was set in motion, by unveiling the brand name ‘Gusto'. The guests were left spellbound, when a colossal 100 x 200 ft branding was laser projected on the sand dunes. Then out of nowhere, suddenly the Mahindra Gusto arose in all its glory from the belly of the desert, stunning the unsuspecting guests. Under a canopy of stars, surrounded by the boom of fireworks and pyrotechnics, there was a thunderous applause and cheering. The senior management then explained about the product and its features.
To give the guests a true Rajasthani experience, AFP arranged the famous band ‘Rajasthan Roots' to entertain the guests. They enthralled everyone with their fusion music, using traditional instruments like Dautara, Morchang and folksy vocals amongst others. Their music is a mix between Rajasthani folk and new-age sounds of electronic, funk and blues.
AFP gave the venue a rustic feel, by putting up a traditional Haat amongst the cascading dunes. Here the guests could buy traditional Rajasthani handicrafts and artefacts like mojris, clothes, jewellery and more. A traditional Kathputli or puppet show was also arranged for the guests.
The evening concluded with a traditional dinner with local delicacies.
On day two, the guests were given the opportunity to test drive the Mahindra Gusto right from 6 am. After this, breakfast was served at the hotel and arrangements were made to drop the guests back to the airport. The same day, the second set of guests, the ‘Bloggers' arrived and were given the same experience.
When asked about the challenges faced in executing an event of such scale, Annu Anand, Chief Catalyst and Managing Director, AFP Ideas and Execution, said: "The main challenge was not the scale, but the location of the event. The harsh desert threw up a lot of challenges and difficulties while setting things up. But with our team for support and experience, it all went smoothly. And I'm sure this will be an event people will remember for a long time."
The launch was a three-day event, executed by A For Pineapple and held in Jodhpur for trade magazines and bloggers.