Promotion on wheels

Achin Kansal along with his partner, Mahendra Chourey came up with a unique business idea of promotions on the move. In a candid conversation with Franchise India, Kansal shares his entrepreneurial journey.

Harmit Singh (HS): Tell us about AdRunIndia?

Achin Kansal (AK):  AdRunIndia is all about advertising on wheels. We approach companies that want to advertise their products or brand on our medium i.e. vehicles.  We make use of Vinyl, a highly attractive, durable and effective material to wrap vehicles with advertisements. Our customers make the choice of the location and the time at which they prefer to advertise their products.  We arrange the right kind of vehicles for them so the advertisement has a greater recall value.  Apart from e-mail and SMS as means of advertising, advertising on vehicles is the cheapest. 

(HS): What is your business model?

(AK):  We target transport companies that run cabs and taxies like Meru and others and promote brands through them. We charge a nominal price from our clients, which depends on the assignment and the challenges, thereof. Our price is competitive and negotiable.

(HS):  How costly is this type of marketing in comparison to other means of promotions?

(AK):  Advertising in any magazine costs a large amount. We offer promotions for a price which is 30-40 per cent less than that involved in the print media

(HS):  Why did you choose to get into a business of advertising on vehicles?

(AK):  Advertising is a necessity for all organisations and they allocate a major portion of their budget to it.  Considering the importance that advertising holds, in the current times, for organisations, we thought of exploiting the opportunity. We chose advertising on wheels because it has high brand retention in the minds of the customers.

(HS): What was your area of expertise prior to venturing the advertising on wheels business?

(AK): Besides the advertising business, I own a showroom of building / furnishing materials and I am also a dealer of paints and sanitary wares.

(HS): How did you arrange the initial funding for your business?

(AK):  It’s a self funded venture; personal finances were utilised.

(HS):  How do you differentiate your company from the rival’s in the same industry?

(AK): There are a very few competitors of ours in the Indian market as this method of advertising is more popular in the foreign countries vis-à-vis India.

(HS): What challenges did you face initially?

(AK):  I faced some common problems like materialising the idea, running the website and so on.  Many a times, we were also short of capital too.

(HS): What are your future plans?

(AK):  I plan to strive harder to rope in some quality orders for the company

(HS): What advice would you like to give to aspiring entrepreneurs?

(AK):  Experience is a wonderful thing. One cannot lend it. It can only be gained through repeated hard work and innovation. I would like to advise entrepreneurs on gaining experience in a field before venturing it.