Bipasha Basu to endorse Kinetic scooters

Oh nooo. rearset's plan to start selling a line of Indian-made scooters (actually copies of Chinese copies of European scooters) has come to nought even before it began. The hunt for an appropriate brand ambassador began, but it seems all the prospective act-stresses are already taken. Preity Zinta was gobbled up by TVS, Priyanka by Hero Honda, Trisha (who?) by TVS (also? Greedy!) and now Bengali sweetie Bipasha (or Bips as the Page 3 crowd insist on calling Ms Basu) has been snapped up by Kinetic (see the press release below). That leaves rearset's scooters with the princely and difficult choice betwen erm, Lara Dutta, Riya Sen, Celina Jaitley and Mallika Sherawat. Yippie-Ki-yay, almost. Ms Dutta, while Bengali like the Basu, is far too urbane, Sen, also Bengali like Basu and Dutta, is too short, Jaitley is too vacant and Sherawat as a brand ambassador will basically overpower my poor copies of Chinese copies of European scooters.... Enough. Here's the release:

Filmstar Bipasha Basu to endorse the upcoming Kinetic-SYM scooter

Mumbai, July 16, 2007: Popular Hindi cinema actor Bipasha Basu has been signed on by two wheeler manufacturer Kinetic Motor as brand ambassador. Though she can be the ambassador for all Kinetic brands, she would primarily be seen endorsing the upcoming Kinetic-SYM scooter, slated for launch next month. The upcoming Kinetic-SYM scooter, from Kinetic's association with Taiwan's $1.1 billion automotive giant SYM, would be targeted at women riders. It would feature a 125cc engine and promises to offer best-in-class performance, technology and user friendly features. Bipasha Basu was identified as a great brand fit based on a comprehensive research among 1200 intending buyers of gearless scooters. The research also showed that college girls aspire to be confident and ambitious. Bipasha Basu is viewed as a woman who has made it on her own merit and signifies the independent modern woman. Especially her role in the movie Corporate was found to be the favourite portrayal of today's professional woman, and clinched her selection as the brand ambassador for the Kinetic-SYM scooter.

Bipasha will feature in the mainstream advertising campaign for the Kinetic-SYM scooter, including television, print and internet. An outdoor campaign of hoardings and contests is also part of the plan, and a special audio-visual that demonstrates the new scooter to be played in all Kinetic dealerships will also feature Bipasha – an innovative launch plan. Ajinkya Firodia, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Kinetic Motor Company, said, “Kinetic has been very selective about working with brand ambassadors and look for perfect synergy between product attributes and ambassador personality.

Our upcoming Kinetic-SYM scooter would appeal to women riders, and would be positioned accordingly. Our market research showed that Bipasha Basu, perceived as a modern and independent high-achiever, is the role model for many young girls who admire her style and success. In fact, the support for her was unanimous, with a 100% perfect brand fit! She was our first choice and I am glad that we were able to work out all details with her. With SYM's technology, Kinetic's brand presence and Bipasha Basu's dazzle, I am confident that the Kinetic-SYM scooter would be a winner!"

Kinetic has three decades of expertise in two wheelers, a nationwide distribution network and state of the art manufacturing plants. Currently, the company is preparing for the first and much anticipated launch from its association with Taiwanese two wheeler major SYM – a fast track Asian brand that is making rapid gains in Asian and European countries, riding on its R&D and quality strengths and aggressive global expansion strategy.

Images from Kinetic Motor