Mumbai: In the category defined by fierce price competition and operational complexity, DHL Express India carves a unique position by simplifying the global trade experience of the enterprise. Sandeep Juneja, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, DHL Express India, with Mint About how the company develops its marketing strategy, working with SMEs (SMEs) and decision makers, tailor communications across segments, and why sponsorships and Formula One like the Mumbai Indians are still important for B2B brands. Editing excerpt:
DHL operates in the commercialized price-sensitive category. How do you deal with brand positioning?
We have 400 aircraft in 220 countries, thousands of hubs and international express truck logistics operations of this scale. It’s years of investment, learning and maturity. Of course, price competitiveness is very important. But it is equally important to enable our customers to provide the best experience for buyers. They realized that working with DHL strengthened their brand. We are positioned to make the complex logistics world simple and reliable, which reflects our brand commitment: excellence. Simply deliver.
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How does your marketing strategy develop?
We are aligned with commitments in each medium. Whether it’s advertising during the IPL with the Mumbai Indians, digital publicity to e-commerce sellers, or our larger partnerships with organizations like DGFT (General Administration of Foreign Affairs) and GJEPC (GEM and Jewelry Export Promotion Committee), messaging is all about the complexity of simplification. The world is complex, the rules of documentation are different, customs interpretations are different, and our job is to keep customers out of sight. Simple is harder than complex, but that’s what we strive for.
Through our Gotrade initiative, we work with government agencies like DGFT to contribute to helping simplify the export process of Indian SMEs (SMEs) and MSMES (Micro, Micro, SMEs). We have signed MOUS (Memorandum of Understanding) with DGFT and GJEPC to simplify cross-border trade. It’s about helping more businesses grow globally – a small but important contribution to India’s $5 trillion economic vision.
Are you moving towards a more vertical marketing strategy?
Yes. While gemstones and jewelry are a priority, we are also in the sunrise fields such as life sciences, healthcare, e-commerce and new energy. These departments have complex, fast-growing supply chains that require professional logistics. Globally, for example, DHL has been recently used only in life science logistics.
How does your marketing distinguish between large exporters and emerging SMEs or D2C brands?
Different requirements. Large exporters need in-depth conversations, integrate them into their IT systems and help browse complex government policies such as PLI or MRO plans. MSME, on the other hand, requires simple digital-first tools. Our MYGTS platform helps them calculate the cost of landing in 50 countries. They can export, import and manage documents through the dashboard. We also ensure 24×7 call center support is not available for Pain IVR (Interactive Voice Response System).
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DHL is a B2B brand. Why invest in sponsorships like IPL and Formula One?
Sponsorships like Formula One or IPL are not only visibility tools, but also tell a deeper story. For example, in F1, we move 1,400 tons of material in each country every two weeks. This demonstrates our complex logistics capabilities. With IPL, cricket resonates a lot in India, which makes us participate in the conversation in the living room. Additionally, through activation, we create experiences that cannot be purchased – MSME started with Rohit Sharma or Kieron Pollard to guide clients with children.
How does DHL maintain its lead as digitally prioritized logistics players develop?
By default, our goal is to digitalize, not just digitally first. Having a beautiful portal is not enough. You need deep process knowledge. For example, our imported simple dashboard narrows down 50 contact points across shipments into a single workflow. True digital transformation is breaking complex processes into simple customer experiences, and that’s where we distinguish them.
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Sustainability is a global focus. How does DHL approach it?
We are very serious about this. Our CEO promised in 2050 to present Net-Zero, far ahead of the curve. We operate 100% solar hubs in India, like Bangalore, with 1,00,000 trees each year and own one of the largest fleets of electric vehicles (electric vehicles) in the world. But 90% of our emissions come from aircraft. That’s why we’re investing heavily in sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). In 2023, DHL consumes nearly 15% of global SAF supplies and integrates more than 3% of aviation fuel into our aviation fuel instead of regulatory tasks.
Finally, what will drive DHL’s brand growth in India?
For us, it’s simple: people add quality equals growth. We have made a huge investment in people – that’s why DHL has been among the top three attractions in the world for four consecutive years. A people-centered approach provides organic growth in service quality.
