This year, one lucky fan of the Survivor series will win a brand-new Mahindra XUV500 W8 Automatic, thanks to the sponsorship agreement between Mahindra South Africa, DStv and the series' producers.
The agreement sees Mahindra join as vehicle sponsor and advertiser for this highly popular production that was filmed in the Philippines and which started airing last week. During the series, 18 contestants compete for the title of South Africa's Survivor.
Says Rajesh Gupta, the newly appointed CEO of Mahindra South Africa: "Mahindra landed in South Africa in 2004 to challenge the large, established vehicle manufacturers with its range of tough and rugged, reliable and value-for-money pick-ups and SUVs.
"When DStv presented us with the opportunity to associate ourselves with Survivor, whose fundamental purpose is to put contestants to the test in the harshest conditions where they have to outwit, outplay and outlast their fellow competitors, we saw a strong connection between the spirit of the game, the Mahindra brand and our range of vehicles."
Nikki Lewin, Managing Director at Mahindra's media agency Alphabet Soup, agrees: "This sponsorship is an ideal fit for Mahindra. It will help the brand to gain greater penetration into the South African vehicle market and will for the first time be associated with a reality series that delivers to a uniquely South African audience. The partnership will be leveraged across M-Net and other channels, as well as digital and social media platforms. We are excited to be a part of this opportunity."
To best make use of the new opportunity, Mahindra has partnered with the award-winning agency, Joe Public United, to create an integrated marketing campaign that will also introduce the public to Mahindra's campaign slogan, 'Always up for the challenge'.
"Mahindra drivers and their vehicles are always ready to accept a challenge, be it braving the great outdoors, starting their own business or navigating the urban jungle.
From our research, it is clear that Mahindra owners value their cars' tough and rugged persona, performance, unmatched value for money and the quality of Mahindra's support and service - so we believe that this sponsorship campaign will connect Mahindra with even more like-minded South Africans," says Gareth Leck, CEO of Joe Public United.
Joe Public United and Alphabet Soup will be joined by Red September, which will support all the digital campaign elements.
"Starting life as a relatively unknown brand, has forced our team to be responsive and responsible in the way we spend our advertising budget. In this, we are very thankful for the help and support of our core agencies and the feedback we receive from our loyal family of Mahindra owners," says Avinash Bapat, Chief Financial Officer at Mahindra South Africa.
The integrated Survivor-campaign will incorporate a nationwide test-drive programme where Survivor fans can improve their chances of winning an XUV500 by test driving the vehicle at one of Mahindra's more than 60 dealers.
Hans Greyling, the National Head of Sales for Mahindra, says: "We are leveraging this association with Survivor by integrating a unique test-drive opportunity for all viewers. Interested Survivor fans can visit their nearest dealership, test drive the Mahindra of their choice and so earn 10 extra entries into the Survivor competition. The campaign will run for the duration of the series."
The XUV500 is available in four model derivatives with a choice of a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox. Mahinda also offers buyers the choice of two- or all-wheel drive, while even the entry-level model is very well equipped.
Pricing for the XUV model range starts at R282 995 incl. VAT for the W4 model to R397 995 for the automatic W8-version.
