Since 2006, Motorola in India held the No. 2 position in the mobile handset industry. This was the year that witnessed a turnaround in the fortunes of the brand. From being a laggard in the industry, it rose to become a serious threat to Nokia, the leader in the mobile handset industry in India. This article discusses several factors that contributed to the meteoric rise of the brand in India.

In December 2007, Motorola announced the launch of its latest handset, MOTOYUVA W180 that was targeted at the Indian youth. After pursuing sub-branding strategies based on feature and function of the handsets, Motorola was found formulate its latest sub-branding strategy based on a particular target segment and that was youth. Speaking at the launch of the handset, Llyod Mathias, Director Marketing, mobile devices, Motorola, India and South West Asia observed, "The MOTOYUVA W180 seeks to address the needs of the aspiring Indian consumer for whom affordability and features are essential, without compromising on design and premium experience. W180's brilliant screen and robust features bring rich colors of Indian culture into your phone."

However, it was 2006 that saw a turnaround in Motorola's fortunes in India. From being ranked fifth in terms of market share till 2005, Motorola climbed on to claim the No. 2 spot which it has zealously maintained since then. Experts opine that it was Motorola's strategy of going for catchy names for its sub-brands that enabled brand Motorola to occupy a distinct position in the consumer's perceptual territory. Motorola's sub-branding strategy proved to be "A unique differentiator in a market dominated by numbers and cutting-edge codenames." According to Llyod Mathias, there were several other factors that contributed to Motorola's late but significant growth in India apart from meticulous sub-branding strategy and they were stronger distribution, wider product range and effective communication techniques adopted in advertisements. In other words, these formed the various critical elements of brand building for Motorola.

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