Marketing Psychology behind my car purchase

Rs 14.5 lacs lighter but learnt valuable lessons about 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲.

Here’s a breakdown of all the subtle and not so subtle marketing principles that played a part in helping me make my recent car purchase decision.

I am a minimalist till the time I am not. It was my first car purchase and I wanted to enjoy every bit of the emotional roller coaster ride.

I also wanted to watch which marketing tactics I was falling for and which ones I was able to deflect.

Although car is just a utility to take one from Point A to Point B, I wanted my wheels to be robust, trendy, good looking and give me a good mileage too. (Read my 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐒, 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒 & 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐑𝐄)

Talk of 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐲 being a potent emotion.

Mahindra XUV 3XO was launched some time in May this year (2024) and had a waiting period of 2-3 months. The scarcity and 𝐅𝐎𝐌𝐎 made the appeal stronger and added to the 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟.

𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭, where initial price of a car creates a reference point, was done to a tee across all brands and M&M was no exception. The base price of the car started Rs 7.79 lac but a decent configuration cost no less than Rs 13-14 lacs.

Safety features like six air bags, still not a very common feature, worked perfectly on the deep seated feeling of 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫. With some of the latest high profile fatalities happening at the non-passenger seats, this feature moved from the wish-list to the must-have list.

Bill Gates famously said “If you can’t make it good, at least make it look good.” There is something about 𝐚𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐥 that attracts and it played a key role in my purchase decision. Indian cars are no more tin boxes that move.

Mahindra’s have been known for their superior SUVs and have a huge legacy of producing winners. The stereotype that North Indians prefer SUVs over Sedans was the 𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐬 working on my subconscious.

Henry Ford’s famous quip “Any color the customer wants, as long as it’s black.” is no longer true. Any new model now comes with very 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 from color to engine type, from gadgetry and gizmos to interior / exterior fittings.

Ironically, I changed my color preference 3 times before I drove home my BLACK car 😊