BKT's Mahesh Koppad on building recall in a low-involvement category

For decades, Balkrishna Industries Limited(BKT) has operated within the global mobility ecosystem. It built its reputation in farms, construction sites, and industrial terrains across continents. As a global player in the Off-Highway Tyre (OHT) segment, BKT’s growth story has largely been business-to-business, performance-driven, and engineering-led.

In FY25, the company reported revenues of approximately ₹10,600 crore. Over the next five years, it is targeting ₹23,000 crore in revenue, with India’s consumer segment forming a critical pillar of that ambition. The stated goal: capture 5% of the replacement market by 2030.

Its latest move, however, signals a structural shift. With its entry into India’s on-highway consumer tyre market, spanning two-wheelers and medium & heavy commercial vehicles, BKT is stepping into a category that operates on a very different grammar. 

Unlike the OHT space, where institutional buyers prioritise technical specifications and lifecycle economics, the consumer tyre market is fragmented, emotionally influenced, brand-sensitive, and intensely competitive. Awareness, recall, distribution depth, dealer influence, and cultural relevance play as much of a role as tread patterns and durability metrics.

The timing is significant. India’s replacement tyre market continues to expand, driven by rising vehicle ownership, expanding road infrastructure, and increasing rural mobility. 

Two-wheelers remain the backbone of personal transportation across the country, while commercial vehicle growth tracks the health of trade and logistics. For BKT, this is an entry into a high-frequency, brand-led battleground where incumbents have spent decades cultivating consumer memory structures.

To mark this shift, the company launched its national brand campaign, ‘Elevate Your Drive’, featuring brand ambassador Ranveer Singh, alongside a refreshed brand architecture under the corporate identity ‘Growing Together’. 

The restructuring introduces two defined verticals: BKT Tyres, encompassing its full tyre portfolio across off-highway and on-highway categories, and BKT Carbon, housing its carbon black and industrial materials business. Structurally, this signals a move toward brand clarity. Strategically, it reflects BKT’s ambition to position itself not just as a specialist manufacturer, but as a broader mobility enterprise.

Yet, the transition from industrial stronghold to consumer brand is rarely frictionless. It demands not only distribution muscle but also narrative building.

Over the past few years, BKT has leaned heavily into sports partnerships to seed brand familiarity. Its long-standing associations with the Indian T20 cricket league, including multi-year collaborations with franchises such as Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Gujarat Titans, have given the brand visibility within one of the country’s most-watched sporting ecosystems, the Indian Premier League. What began as a visibility play for an off-highway specialist gradually evolved into a broader awareness driver, with internal studies indicating that many new consumers first encountered the brand through the T20 platform.

As BKT prepares for the Men’s IPL 2026 season, the stakes are different. The association is no longer just about logo placements or stadium branding. It coincides with a full-fledged consumer launch, a refreshed identity system, and the rollout of a sonic signature designed to increase recall across audio-visual touchpoints. In a low-involvement category like tyres, where purchase cycles are infrequent and decisions are often dealer-led, sustained memory building becomes critical.

The challenge, therefore, is twofold: to translate manufacturing credibility into consumer trust, and to move from functional messaging to emotional resonance without losing technical authority.

In this conversation, Mahesh Koppad, CMO of BKT Tyres, speaks about why the company chose this moment to enter the on-highway space, the strategic thinking behind investing in a sonic identity for a traditionally functional category, how the T20 league has shaped its brand trajectory, and what it will take to compete in a market where awareness is earned as much through storytelling as through specification sheets.

Edited Excerpts:

Tyres are traditionally sold on performance metrics. What prompted BKT to invest in a sonic identity, and what business gap were you trying to solve?

Tyres are fundamentally a very functional product. Even when you speak to consumers, they largely view tyres through a functional lens. But when we went deeper and tried to understand what tyres truly represent in a consumer’s life, we realised they are integral to one’s journey.

From that understanding, we laddered up to a larger insight, consumers are ultimately seeking freedom. Freedom to move from good to great.

At a product level, we will continue to deliver unmatched performance, mileage, comfort, durability, retreadability. But as a brand, if you want to build meaningful connections, you must engage consumers emotionally.

That’s where our new brand platform, 'Elevate Your Drive', becomes important. The sonic identity is an extension of this thinking. While campaigns work visually, sound is one of the strongest recall mediums today, whether you look at brands like Netflix or Britannia, their sonic signatures are instantly recognisable.

When we refreshed our logo and clarified our brand purpose, we saw an opportunity to build a cohesive identity system, visual and audio, to make BKT a truly memorable brand.

What metrics will define the success of this sonic identity?

It will be a mix of all of recall, brand lift, and dealer preference. Since we are relatively new in the B2C space, our immediate focus will be brand awareness. We aspire to become one of the top three brands in terms of consumer top-of-mind awareness.

Beyond awareness, we will closely track salience metrics and imagery perceptions. These will help us evaluate how effectively we are reaching and resonating with our core consumers.

This is BKT’s seventh consecutive year associating with IPL teams in the T20 League. Will the sonic identity be integrated across IPL touchpoints? 

The sonic identity is not a tactical or short-term initiative, it’s an integral part of the brand.

Just as we adhere to strict visual identity guidelines, we will follow audio guidelines across all platforms. Wherever there is an opportunity to deploy audio, TV, digital films, branded content, the sonic identity will be consistently used.

In formats where audio isn’t feasible, such as certain stadium branding executions, it may not be deployed. But wherever sound is present, it will be consistent.

How has the role of the T20 League evolved for BKT over the years? What has it brought to the brand?

When we initially partnered with the league, we were primarily positioned as off-highway specialists. The association helped us seed the BKT name in the consumer ecosystem alongside new product launches.

Today, with our official consumer launch and 360-degree multimedia campaign, the upcoming season becomes even more significant. Our on-ground presence, combined with broadcast visibility, will create a multiplier effect in brand visibility.

In fact, our foundation study showed that many new consumers cited the T20 League as their source of brand awareness. So the platform has already helped build residual memory structures for us.

This year also marks the rollout of our new logo and tagline across merchandising.

Additionally, while there are limitations in jersey placements, we will ensure strong visibility through our tyre branding assets across key touchpoints.

Where does the T20 League fit within your media mix? Can you share the split between TV, digital, and other mediums?

Our multimedia campaign spans TV, digital, print, and outdoor. Since we cater to both urban and rural consumers, TV will be a lead medium during launch to drive mass awareness across demographics.

Broadly speaking, during launch:

• TV will account for approximately 40-50% of the spend.

• The remaining 50-60% will be distributed across digital, print, outdoor, and other platforms.

As we move into the sustenance phase, digital investments will increase, especially for retargeting, cohort-based communication, and full-funnel engagement across different business verticals.

Print and outdoor will be used as impact mediums in key cities.

For the T20 League specifically, this year is special because in addition to in-stadium presence, we will also have spot buying on broadcast.

Tyres are considered a low-involvement category. How do you make communication relevant?

In low-involvement categories, emotional connection becomes critical. If consumers see you as a brand that cares for them, is relevant to them, and is trustworthy, loyalty strengthens.

With ‘Elevate Your Drive’, we are not leading with product features alone. We are communicating a higher-order purpose, helping consumers move ahead in life, from good to great.

When that narrative connects with a true insight, consumers begin to see you as an authentic brand, not one merely selling features.