Adgully Exclusive | It's innovation and multimedia reader touchpoint for Overdrive on its 13th anniversary

Overdrive is celebrating its 13th anniversary and that too with a Collectors Issue of more than 500+ pages. The 13th Anniversary special sees the magazine's biggest comparo test ever. The newly launched Maruti Suzuki Swift takes on 6 of its toughest rivals in the Indian market. And these 7 cars drive across the most beautiful 7 sister states of India. The drive starts from Udaipur in Rajasthan and ends at another Udaipur in Tripura. A drive of over 3500 km stretching over 5 days this has been Overdrive's biggest comparo ever.

In addition to this some great cars & bikes, comparos, reviewed from across the globe, the issue will also include news from the auto world and a run up to the Indian GP in its motosport section. The Overdrive team also has a bumper consumer engagement activity planned in the magazine for its readers. With over 26L worth of prizes to be won including a Toyota Etios Liva, chance to drive a Maserati in a international race track, an exclusive Indian Grand Prix VIP visit with Force India, an All Terrain Vehicle, watches, sun-glasses, helmets and a lot more.

Talking about the anniversary issues and celebration plans, Amit Seth, Head Marketing, Infomedia 18, tells Adgully, "We have some great auto stories which the editorial team has put together covering not only moto world in India but across the world. This issue promises to be a real roller coaster for our readers. Also as part of our extensive offering to our readers as part of the 13th Anniversary celebrations we have launched Overdrive iPad application and a brand new www.overdrive.in . The Overdrive iPad application is the first by any magazine in the Indian automotive journalism industry. We want to offer our readers an experience of thrills and dynamics that we experience while bringing the issue to them."

He further adds, "The Overdrive iPad app also re-establishes that we are more than a step ahead in technology and interactivity. We have also unleashed the all new www.overdrive.in and wish to provide the Overdrive fans a better experience online. A reader can now get online and watch and compare every car & bike being sold in the Indian market today."

Talking exclusively to Adgully, about the success of the magazine, Sandeep Khosla, Chief Executive Officer, Infomedia 18, says, "There are a lot of reasons that have worked for Overdrive. However if I was to mention one it would be the constant endeavor to seek and present quality content to the consumers. As long as we persevere to give our readers the best of auto world from India and also around the world we shall always succeed in winning over their share of mind."

Khosla also points out that Overdrive is able to understand the needs and wants of an Indian consumer much better than any international titles and that it is not forced to comply with guidelines and thinking which are not relevant to the Indian market. However he quickly adds that, the magazines has also stressed on keeping itself a step ahead in terms of content and presentation to that of the various international titles.

"So as a whole the reader has been the center of our focus. We understand what he wants from his favourite auto magazines and have gone out of our way to get that for him.

So focus on buying tips, comparos, news and views from the world of auto have all been carefully worked upon by the Overdrive team," he adds.

Talking about the key differentiator that sets Overdrive apart from other automobile magazines across the country, Khosla says, "There are two main differentiators. We are not the auto magazine for the back seat passengers. We don't give readers a ring side view; we look to give them a in the ring view, on the edge of the seat excitement. And also we look to do this across platforms. So we are not satisfied with Overdrive being No. 1 across print and TV but to build on to it on the web, new media and social media. You don't need to go anywhere else but Overdrive for all your auto journo consumption."

So does being a niche product act as a challenge?

Khosla immediately adds, "'Niche is the new mass'. Increasingly people will consume media with great discretion. They would have more choice as well. Advertisers are actively seeking to engage the consumer and the focus more than numbers is on share of mind. We are looking to work on all those fronts with our partners. Ensure through our product that we reach out to a huge number of people our partners would want to reach. It could be through great ads, innovations or even on ground activations."

Talking about the content strategy going forward, Sirish Chandran, Editor, Overdrive, tells Adgully, "The nature of our field of operation suggests we need to give our readers on the edge excitement through our offering. Innovating on never done before stories, getting the latest to them before anyone else does, the love for anything auto needs to show in the magazine. Consumer engagement contests are again something we believe our readers cherish."

Overdrive is looking to promote its 13th Anniversary offerings: Special Collectors Issue, The Overdrive iPad Application & all new www.overdrive.in across various platforms and media. Seth adds that it will be doing so my running extensive TVCs on: CNBC TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNN IBN, IBN7, Lokmat, Vh1, MTV and NDTV Good times. Also banners, mailers, innovations across a wide range of websites like moneycontrol.com, in.com, ibnlive.com, cricketnext.com, compareindia.com and others. The promotional campaign will be further fortified through OOH media campaigning across Mumbai and Delhi. Seth adds, "We are also looking at specially created POP material for organized retailers in major metros and also retail outlets across India." | By Prabha Hegde [prabha(at)adgully.com]