INTRODUCTION

ABOUT BHARTI AIRTEL LIMITED

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Bharti Airtel Limited, a flagship company of Bharti Enterprises is Asia’s leading
integrated telecom services provider with operations in India and Sri Lanka, with
an aggregate of 100 million customers. Bharti Airtel Limited has been voted as
India's most innovative company, in a survey conducted by The Wall Street
Journal.

Bharti Airtel is structured into three strategic business units –

• Mobile services,
• Telemedia services and
• Enterprise services.
The mobile business offers services in India and Sri Lanka. The Telemedia
business provides broadband and telephone services in 95 cities, DTH services
and has recently forayed into the IPTV services. The Enterprise business provides
end-to-end telecom solutions to corporate customers and national and
international long distance services to carriers. All these services are provided
under the Airtel brand. Airtel’s high-speed optic fibre network currently spans
over 101,337 Rkms covering all the major cities in the country. The company has
two international landing stations in Chennai that connects two submarine cable
systems - i2i to Singapore and SEA-ME-WE-4 to Europe.
Telecom giant Bharti Airtel is the flagship company of Bharti Enterprises. The
Bharti Group, has a diverse business portfolio and has created global brands in
the telecommunication sector. Bharti has recently forayed into retail business as
Bharti Retail Pvt. Ltd. under a MoU with Wal-Mart for the cash & carry
business. It has successfully launched an international venture with EL
Rothschild Group to export fresh agri products exclusively to markets in Europe
and USA and has launched Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company Ltd under a
joint venture with AXA, world leader in financial protection and wealth
management.

BRAND AIRTEL

Airtel was born free, a force unleashed into the market with a relentless and

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unwavering determination to succeed. A spirit charged with energy, creativity and a
team driven “to seize the day” with an ambition to become the most globally admired
telecom service. Airtel, in just ten years of operations, rose to the pinnacle to
achievement and continues to lead.
As India's leading telecommunications company Airtel brand has played the role as a
major catalyst in India's reforms, contributing to its economic resurgence.
Today we touch peoples lives with our Mobile services, Telemedia services, to
connecting India's leading 1000+ corporate. We also connect Indians living in USA,
UK and Canada with our call home service.

VISION & PROMISE

By 2010 Airtel will be the most admired brand in India:

Loved by more customers
Targeted by top talent
Benchmarked by more businesses

We at Airtel always think in fresh and innovative ways about the needs of our
customers and how we want them to feel. We deliver what we promise and go

out of our way to delight the customer with a little bit more

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Bharti Airtel crosses 100 million customers mark (15th May 2009)

• Becomes the 3rd largest single country mobile services operator in the world
and 6th largest single country integrated telco in the world.
• Announces a series of Network augmentation and Customer service initiatives
• To roll out over 100,000 BTS sites across the country.
• To establish a State of the Art Customer Service Management Centre.
• 100,000 Airtel Service Centers to be set up in rural India by March 2010.

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 VODAFONE

Vodafone Group Plc is the world's leading mobile telecommunications company, with
a significant presence in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the United
States through the Company's subsidiary undertakings, joint ventures, associated
undertakings and investments.

Vodafone Essar is the Indian subsidiary of Vodafone Group and commenced

operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison Telecom acquired the cellular
license for Mumbai. The company now has operations across the country with over
74.08 million customers. Over the years, Vodafone Essar, under the Hutch brand, has
been named the ‘Most Respected Telecom Company’, the ‘Best Mobile Service in the
country’ and the ‘Most Creative and Most Effective Advertiser of the Year’.
Vodafone Group is the world’s leading international mobile communications
corporation. It currently has equity interests in 27 countries across 5 continents and 40
partner networks with over 303 million proportionate customers worldwide. The
Essar Group is Vodafone’s principal partner in India.

The Essar Group is a diversified business corporation with a balanced portfolio of

assets in the manufacturing and services sectors of Steel, Energy, Power,
Communications, Shipping Ports & Logistics, and Projects. Essar employs more than
50,000 people across offices in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

INTRODUCTION TO VODAFONE IN INDIA

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 Launch Announcement
Exclusive tie-up with Star group for two days, hitting the pr
Outdoor spend
Barrage of retail signage
On ground activation, events, road show, exhibition

Vodafone, the world's largest leading international mobile communications company,

has fully arrived in India. The Vodafone was launched in India on 21st September,
2007.

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The popular and endearing brand, Hutch, was transitioned to Vodafone across India,
which marked a significant chapter in the evolution of Vodafone as a dynamic and
ever-growing brand. The brand was unveiled nationally through a high profile
campaign covering all important media.

Vodafone, the world's leading mobile telecommunication company was formally

renamed Vodafone Essar in July 2007.

The world - enriching customers' lives, helping individuals, businesses and

communities are more connected by delivering their total communication needs.

Vodafone's logo is a true representation of that belief - the start of a new conversation,
a trigger, a catalyst, a mark of true pioneering.

AIRTEL STRATEGY REVIEW

MANTRA: Focus on Core Competencies and outsource the rest!

Airtel has partnered with leading players in telecommunication sector across the
globe. It has managed to work with the best of domain specialists globally and emerge
as a world class entity. Partnerships include operational contracts with marquee
vendors and strategic investors ranging from private equity investors to global
telecom giants.

Following are the major partnerships of AIRTEL:

• Warburg Pincus – a celebrated PE investor held a stake for a substantial period
of time and was instrumental in providing Airtel support in its early stages.
• Vodafone was a strategic investor in Airtel. The investment made by
Vodafone in BHARTI is one of the largest investments made in Indian
telecom sector.
• Temasek – the Singapore based investor holds a considerable stake in it.

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 • Ericsson was given the mandate to provide, manage and maintain the
equipment as well as provide quality assurance in Airtel‘s then 13 mobile
circles.
• IBM was given the mandate to handle the back office requirements of Airtel’s
presence in India.
• The company has a strategic alliance with Singtel. The investment made by
SingTel is one of the largest investments made in the world outside Singapore.
• In the case of broadband and telephone services and enterprise services,
equipment suppliers include Siemens, Nortal and corning.
• The call centre operations for the mobile services have been outsourced to
IBM Daksh, Mphasis and Hinduja TMT.

PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY

After the liberalization of the Indian Telecom Sector in 1994, the Indian cellular
market witnessed a surge in cellular services. By 2005, there were a total of 12
players in the market with the five major players being Bharti Tele-Ventures Limited
(Bharti), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Hutchinson-Essar limited (Hutch),
Idea Cellular limited (Idea) and Reliance India Mobile (RIM).

As competition in the telecom arena intensified, BHARTI AIRTEL took new

initiatives to woo customers. Prominent among these were - celebrity endorsements,
loyalty rewards, discount coupons, business solutions and talk time schemes. AIRTEL
has used most number of celebrities for advertisements. The list includes-Sachin,
Shahrukh, Rehmaan, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Zaheer Khan Etc.The most
important consumer segments in the cellular industry were the youth segment and the
business class segment. The youth segment was the largest and fastest growing
segment and was therefore targeted most heavily by cellular service provider.

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Bharti Tele-Ventures adopted celebrity endorsement as its chief promotional strategy.
By 2004 it emerged the unprecedented leader commanding the largest market share in
the cellular service market.

VODAFONE STRATEGY REVIEW

Why Vodafone is a competitive with Airtel?

1) VAS (value added service)

- Number of schemes they have. Especially the add on plans. This is separate from
the main plan. It is a major source of revenue for the company. They have plans like
“Chota Recharge”, etc which gives them an edge over other.

2) Viral Marketing/Buzz Marketing

- Vodafone has given birth to the Zoozoo: a special character created specifically to
convey a value added service (VAS) offering in each of the newly released
commercials. Vodafone has come with creative advertising campaign for its various
plans. This strategy has captured the imagination of millions.

3) Core Competency

– Vodafone as a brand has always focussed on its core competent area. They have the
highest market share after Bharti, BSNL, Reliance

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4) Technological Advantage

– Vodafone has installed SAP technology. SAP is delivering mobile capabilities such
as mobile asset management, mobile sales for handhelds, mobile service for
handhelds, mobile time, mobile travel, mobile BI, mobile warehouse management,
and mobile direct store delivery. These capabilities of SAP Mobile Business establish
new ways to interact with enterprise systems and empower new user communities to
participate in collaborative business processes, resulting in increased customer
satisfaction, profitability, and competitive advantage.

5) Market development

– Vodafone has sought FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotional Board) for two
licenses and it aims to become a full-fledged communication services provider in the
country. It can now provide Internet services and many more services. M2M solutions
are now set to expand further helping Vodafone to gain a competitive edge.

6) Cost Advantage

- Obtaining these licenses has reduced capital spending by over 60%, operating costs
by 40% and staff numbers from 3,200 to 1,700. Overall, the company has refocused
and become clear about its direction, strategy, values and brand. They have the ability
to execute; empowered by strong local and global channel partners and systems
integrators. The company's revenues in India stood at 2.68 billion pound, while from
the entire Asia-Pacific region revenues were at 5.81 billion pound for the fiscal 2009.

7) Continuous Improvement

– Vodafone as a brand keeps on improving and coming up with new plans. It adjusts
according to market need. Brings up innovative plans which give them a competitive
advantage.

How it will sustain competitive advantage?

By keeping focus on Vodafone Vision

• To be the world's mobile communications leader – enriching customers' lives,

helping individuals, businesses and communities to be more connected in a
mobile world.

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 • To help customers use mobile communications to make their lives richer,
more fulfilled, more connected. They will choose Vodafone because it is the
best experience they can find.
• Through their leadership, scale, scope and partnerships, Vodafone will bring
online mobile services to the world.
• Vodafone will lead in making the mobile the primary means of personal
communications for every individual around the world.

Focusing on Vodafone Customers

• Vodafone customers have chosen to trust the group. • In return, Vodafone

must strive to anticipate and understand their needs and delight them with the
services provided.
• Vodafone must value customers above everything else and aspire to make
their lives richer, more fulfilled and more connected.
• Vodafone must always listen and respond to each of its customers.
• Vodafone will strive to delight customers, anticipating their needs and
delivering greater quality and more value, faster than anyone else.

Focusing on Vodafone Employees

• Outstanding people working together make Vodafone exceptionally

successful.
• Vodafone seeks to attract, develop, reward and retain outstanding employees.

Vodafone has grown with presence in many countries than any other mobile operator,
and that gives it the competitive edge described as GLOBAL SCALE and SCOPE.
They have set of factors and capabilities that allow them consistently outperform. So
if Vodafone keeps its focus on what it already has and keeps on building onto that
with continuous improvement it will be able to sustain its competitive advantage.

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Therefore, in the coming future they can gain more market share and provide better
services with increased level of satisfaction.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

OBJECTIVE OF STUDY

The objectives of the research project are

• To compare advertising strategies between Airtel and Vodafone.

• To trace out the latest shift in advertising trend and the industry trend.
• A deeper/ stronger understanding of the brands in the category.
• Use this understanding as a starting point when analyzing the competitive
scenario in the months to come.

SCOPE OF STUDY

• Studying the most remembered pieces of work for 2 brands over the years
2007-2009.
• Deriving some communication codes for each brand
• Arriving at a definite view on each of the 2 brands as it stands today and
where they are headed.

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MOTIVATION OF RESEARCH

• Being a project for my partial fulfilment of my PGDM diploma, I was

motivated to finish this project to the best of my ability.
• My interest in the field of advertising was a motivation factor towards this
research.

TYPE OF RESEARCH

My research is an exploratory and analytical research because it tries to identify the

communication of different Television commercials Communication of two India’s
most famous brands, i.e., AIRTEL and VODAFONE. Also, I have used facts or
information already available, and analyze it to make a critical evaluation of the
material.

SOURCES OF DATA

Only secondary data has been collected. Secondary data is been collected from the
internet in the form of case studies and company data.

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 ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

COMMUNICATION ANALYSIS OF VODAFONE AND AIRTEL

2007

Vodafone entered India officially on 21 September, 2007, and its first campaign was
‘Hutch is now Vodafone’ was launched with a combination of different TVC’s.

Storyboard

Brand: Vodafone
Agency: O&M

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The film opens on a pug Running through forests and After a little inspection the pug
coming out of a pink kennel. green fields it reaches a red gets into it from one side and
kennel. comes out...

...of the other. Super: Change Super: Hutch is now The ad ends as we see the pug
is good. Vodafone. settled comfortably in its new
home.

Details of the campaign (Hutch is now Vodafone) of Vodafone in India:

Media Specialist:

Ogilviy Landscapes

Campaign:

The campaign was initiated to grandly announce to the country that Hutch will now
be recognized as Vodafone.

Objective:

Vodafone wanted to not only announce its entry in India but also communicate to its
consumers that Hutch will now be known as Vodafone, through various outdoor
mediums across the nation. The main objectives of the campaign were to:

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 • To communicate the change of name, from Hutch to Vodafone
• To create a brand identity for Vodafone that will surpass the grandeur of all
existing telecom companies

Target Audience:

The target audience included Hutch users and all other mobile users.

Implementation:

Considering the massive customer base of Vodafone (previously known as Hutch),

that was spread over various geographic locations, the company wanted to use a basic
and simple message with an impactful logo that people could easily register in their
minds.

• The company used a bold logo with a simple message on various outdoor
formats such as uni-poles, bus shelters, pole kiosks and other alternative
formats to capture audience attention on the streets as well as busy
marketplaces such as malls and Cineplex’s.

• The company maintained synonymity with all the formats it used for the
campaign, be it outdoor, indoor, television and print. Each format supported
each other and played an important role in communicating the message to its
respective target audience.

OUTDOOR

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 Results:

• The campaign not only brought about the desired awareness but also helped
generate a clear brand identity for Vodafone.
• The simplicity of the campaign backed with innovative outdoor mediums such
as floating screens in malls played an important role in the success of the
campaign.
Make the most of now

After the successful rebranding of Hutch, Vodafone in late 2007, continued its
International brand campaign ‘Make the most of now’ with the launch of Mayfly,
mayfly was an old campaign of Vodafone which was re-launched by Vodafone in

Created an ‘international’ image for the brand – communications were well received and

India, although it was launched in 2006, Vodafone re-launched in India in 2007 right
after its ‘Hutch is now Vodafone’ campaign.
In the communication, Vodafone appealed to the ‘live for today’ lifestyle with a
effects-laden TV ad, Mayfly.

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 A mayfly hatches in a rainforest, flies into the sky for a look before zooming
Airtel focused on elements such as world without borders, family values, traditions etc, which again appea

down again for a day of fun. He zips down a leafy waterslide, goes for a ride on a
leafy boat, plays tennis with another mayfly using a spider web for net, juggles
pollen. Before long there’s romance, with flowers and a night out in the cave.
The ad finishes with two mayflies sharing a reed, embracing at dawn.
“The common mayfly has a life expectancy of just one day. But is he miserable
about it? Not one bit. He fills his day with the things he loves. He soars. He
swoops. He savours every moment. Maybe there’s a lesson in this for us longer
living creatures. Just think. If we embrace life like a mayfly, what a life that
would be! Vodafone! Make the most of now.”
Results:

• Used “make the most of now” as a catalyst to promote it’s services juxtaposed
with a personal chord attached to it.
• The single minded proposition was the fact there is so much to choose from,
so make the most of it all…

AIRTEL

Airtel has decided to ‘express’ itself in a different way

In an ad that broke in Dec 2007, Airtel has shifted away from its usual ‘Express
Yourself’ brand premise, which has been a part of it for a couple of years. Instead, the

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brand has dug a bit deeper and questioned the whole process and the need for
communication itself, and the resultant thought, ‘Barriers Break When People Talk,
has become Airtel’s new mantra.

With this sought of communication the brand will take a completely new direction.

The idea was to task of portraying the thought that the very definition of
communication implies the dissolution of barriers. This idea is more universal and
more human; with this the brand is getting about the regular people.

The war-torn territory idea was decided as the best basis to bring forth this thought, as
barriers of two kinds are broken – communication barriers and, subsequently, the
borders of the two warring countries.

The campaign uses children as symbols of minds free of prejudice, with their
innocence depicted in stark contrast to the desolate landscape around them. Airtel’s
point of view has clearly become this: The world would be a better place if only we
all talked to each other.

Storyboard

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Brand: Airtel
Agency: Rediffusion | DYR

While having food a He goes out to find another Hesitant to communicate

Moroccan boy realizes that boy on the opposite side of with somebody from the
a football has landed on his the fence asking him to disputed territory, he looks
balcony. pass the ball. back to see if his parents
are watching.

He thinks for a while and Having received the ball, Not minding the
then kicks the ball towards the boy on the opposite side restrictions anymore, our
the boy. calls him to join the game. boy crosses the boundary
and joins his new friend.

Unmindful of the Voiceover: “Deewarein gir ...Jahan do baatein ho jaati

differences they start jaati hain, faasle mit jaate hain.” The ad ends with the
playing together. hain... signature tune of Airtel.

Details of the campaign (Barriers Break when people Talk) of Airtel in

India:

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Media Specialist:

Rediffusion YR

Campaign:

The campaign was initiated on the thought of “silence is an epidemic”, one which
creeps into relationships, gets between neighbors, breaks marriages, and stifles the
spirit within. It builds into differences and misunderstandings, which in turn lead to
boundaries and barriers. “And talking/communicating is the only way to break those
barriers… silence needs an enemy,”

Objective:

Airtel took this up when there were 10 players crowding the telecom space with
similar service offerings. Communication about low tariffs and “omnipresent”
networks dominated the scene. Airtel took it upon itself to take an umbrella stance –
that of finding a larger role to play in consumers’ lives.

Target Audience:

The target audience included Airtel users, all other mobile users and every person as it
is a common message for everyone.

Implementation:

There were innovations in print (the Airtel message placed below the picture of two
cricketers of competing countries talking, for instance) and OOH (trains, which link
people to each another, were painted with Airtel branding). A billboard even had
barbed wire springing out of it everywhere (signifying barriers), except for one spot
which had the image of two children talking to each other.

Furthermore, the brand got Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan to play Christmas
carols on the Sarod, with the launch of the Breaking Barriers music album. An online
interactive game, too, was unleashed, which had two people finding their way towards
each other in a maze. Press coverage followed, doing its bit for the brand.

Results:

There was a 4.7 per cent increment in the share of net additions for Airtel, while the
customer market share increased from 23.5 per cent in November 2007 to 23.9 per
cent in February 2008. Its trust and leadership scores soared as well.
COMMUNICATION ANALYSIS OF VODAFONE AND AIRTEL
2008
VODAFONE

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Details of the campaign (Vodafone Alerts) of Vodafone in India:

Media Specialist:

Ogilvy and Mather

Campaign Name: Vodafone Alerts (early 2008)

The market scenario:

• Robust market growth

• Falling Average revenues per user
• Non-voice revenue streams – the need of the hour
• Alerts service - a viable non-voice revenue stream

Challenge:

Build relevance for Vodafone Alerts across a wide cross section of users, thereby
establishing it as a sustainable non-voice revenue stream for the brand

Objectives:

• Evoke behavior change amongst current users of the service

• Evince interest across a large cross section of the population
• Double number of categories – from 4 to a targeted 8

The big idea:

• Clairvoyance on your phone

Implementation:

• Television
• Outdoor

Storyboard

Brand: Vodafone
Agency: O&M

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A man picks up a packet of He thinks something and takes Something strikes him as he is
onions in a grocery store. another packet from the shelf. about to leave.

With a sense of desperation, he An old lady tries to grab the An executive looks on in
puts the entire stock of onions remaining packet but the man surprise at our man while
in his trolley. takes that, too. processing his order.

Cut to the shot of an SMS alert Super: News alerts @ Rs ...Dial *123# (toll-free) to
reading, “Onion prices to rise." 30/month... know more. Make the most of
now.

OUTDOOR

SMS sent to subscribers - to induce trial:

Wondering what's happening around the world? Or at the cricket grounds? Curious
about your future? Or about the secrets to staying beautiful?

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Just subscribe to Vodafone Alerts and stay updated with these & more alerts all month
long.

To get started, dial *123# from your Vodafone mobile phone and choose your alert
from the alerts menu.

Result:

• 25% increase in number of respondents.

• This number stabilized at 20% higher than the pre campaign level, thereby
showing that the growth was not just a flash-in-pan phenomenon
• Increase in categories from 4 to 14
• Greater excitement among existing users and new entrants
• Innovative and distinctive brand
• Fervently covered in the media and on blogs, with the music from the films
finding a fan following of its own

AIRTEL

In April, 2008 a new ad was released which was related to the Network strength, in
this ad Network Strength is demonstrated through relationship strength... the fact that
when a daughter needs a father, no matter how far the father is, the network will help
them stay connected... even if it was for a small thing like playing join the dots.

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Details of the campaign (Join the Dots) of Airtel in India:

Media Specialist:
Rediffusion YR

Campaign: Join the Dots (early 2008)

Objective:

To connect with the consumer’s mind. Airtel has held to the nerve of Indian consumer
and the clearly understands the fact that Indians need their dosage of emotions every
day, but in different forms. That’s why Airtel came up with their tagline "Kuch
badhan atoot hote hain" and this tagline has touched and engraved a place in
consumers mind.

Target

Airtel is about ’communication’ that surpasses all barriers like distance - which is
physical, boundaries or emotional difference. But nothing beats the importance of a
parent being there for his child at all times. To see him or her grow fulfill every single
wish… this ad plays on the fathers guilt for not being there and how Airtel plays the
advertisement in bringing him to the drawing room where the child is.

Storyboard
Brand: Airtel
Agency: Rediffusion | DYR

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VODAFONE
Campaign: Happy to help (Mid 2008)

• Vodafone launches service campaign

• Improvise on the “We value our customers” image of the brand

The film opens with a little Her father, a railway She calls him up and says,
girl waiting for her father. engineer, is seen busy “Papa, drawing karni hai.”
working on a site.

He asks her to come on the “Wow! Itne saare dots,” He then asks her to make a
balcony and look towards says the girl looking at the line from one “dot” to
the sky. stars. another.

Following the instructions As the signature tune of ...concludes: “Kuch

on the phone, the girl draws Airtel plays, the voiceover... bandhan atoot hote hain,
a picture of a whale. jaise Airtel ka network.”

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 • Happy to help - Child like world
― Playful, innocent, wide eyed,
― Picture perfect, landscaped reality
― Everything is spelled out , literally a product demo
― Demystifying technology

Storyboards

Brand: Vodafone
Agency: O&M

We see little girls dancing in a One of them is sitting on the She is sitting without her shoes
ballet class. bench while the others dance. and longingly looks at the
other girls who are dancing.

Next shot, a pug is running He enters the ballet class and The ad ends with the message:
towards a building with a pair drops the shoes near the little Happy to help at your
of shoes in his mouth. girl. doorstep. Vodafone Mobile
Stores

Happy to Help Campaign break in 2008, where a cute little girl is constantly getting
help from a cute little pug in various situations while a beautiful jingle is played in the
background. The ad ends saying that “Vodafone is all to happy to help you” when
you need them.

Even though I am not particularly against cutesy looking beautiful ads, I strongly feel
that when a brand goes out of its way to promise something, they better live up to it or

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customers start loosing faith in the brand. “We have a good brand ambassador (the
pug) and highly creative advertising team hence we will make cute looking ads” is not
always a good reason for starting another campaign. The campaign strength should
correlate to what the brand is trying to offer.

I think marketing is nothing but effectively communicating (spreading) your

ideas to others and advertising is just one of the ways of doing it. Often brand
managers get carried away and assume advertising is “showcasing creativity” and this
creates problems as the message and reality spread apart.

AIRTEL
Campaign: STD, Roaming (mid 2008)

Airtel’s slashed its STD and roaming rates.

This is the theme of Airtel’s new TVC, which got aired on April 29, 2008 and features
actors Madhavan and Vidya Balan. This part of Airtel’s Endeavour to simplify tariff
for its user by moving towards a nationally uniform structure.

Details of the campaign of Airtel in India:

Media Specialist:

Rediffusion YR

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Objective:

Airtel want to take another step towards enhancing affordability. End of distance for
the Airtel’s existing and prospective customers. With 70 per cent STD customers in
India use less than five minutes per month on STD calls and 80 per cent mobile
customers not using their phones while roaming.

Target:

Existing 80 million customers and other prospective customers.

Result:

• 80 million Indians are now closer than ever before.

• This initiative benefits rural customers and underlines the commitment to the
nation’s growth.

• This drive helped in growth and usage of the STD and roaming facility.

Along with local call rates, now there would be nationally uniform call rates for STD,
roaming incoming and local outgoing on roaming.

Storyboard
Brand: Airtel
Agency: Rediffusion | DYR

A man calls up his wife late at The wife says, “Aath baar The man says that he has
night to say something. phone kar chuke ho, ab kya called to say “Good night”.
kehna hai?”

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“Achcha baba, good night. Ab She counts from one to three ...both sides, both of them
phone rakho,” says the wife and stops. After a brief silence speak out together and start
playfully. on... laughing.

VO: “Kabhi pyaar ke beech ...Isliye ab Airtel pe STD sirf

dooriyaan na aaye... Rs. 1.50 rupaiye.”

VODAFONE
Campaign: Friends Circle (Late 2008)
Vodafone’s new, ‘Friends Circle’ ad (a two-ad campaign released in December
2008), the last campaign of the year, in this Vodafone has tried to bestow its
customers with a offer to get closer to their friends without draining their money
much. The scheme officially called as ‘Vodafone Friends Circle’ envisages a new
expansion with which the existing customers can enfold 5 of their friends into the
circle and chat with / call them @20paise / minute, in addition to the monthly rental of
Rs15/number. The scheme is open for both the prepaid and the postpaid subscribers
but excluding SMS scheme, which continues to be a paid one on prescribed rates.
Details of the campaign of Vodafone in India:
Media Specialist:

Ogilvy and Mather

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Theme:

A motley bunch of people look into the camera and say different numbers in
succession. The backdrop is an Irani restaurant and the eclectic mix of people finally
start to make sense when, in the middle of stating these numbers, the super on the
screen informs that one can now add any number of friends to his circle of friends
with Vodafone, and make calls at a cheaper rate.

Objective:
Group Plans are becoming popular among service providers. The idea was to control
everything and yet create a natural and raw feel to it.”
Target:
Target is to offer helps to existing customers to economize on their monthly mobile
phone bills.
Result:
• So much is encompassed in one
• A service which is tailor made to suit your specific tastes
• People cherish friends just like Vodafone cherishes it’s customers
• A service that is all about us and our near and dear ones
Storyboard
Brand: Vodafone
Agency: O&M

We see people sitting in a cafe Some say lots, some can't Some can't decide and discuss
counting numbers as if trying count, some say it could be a amongst themselves to reach a
to estimate a definite amount. thousand or two. definite figure.

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Few start counting on finger VO: Dost chahein jitne bhi ho, The ad ends with the Logo.
tips while few can't. ab Vodafone Friends Circle
mein jodein jitne chahein utne
dost aur baat kijiye 20 paisa
prati minute.

AIRTEL
Campaign: Red Thread (Late 2008)
It all began in the early 2008 with the emotional commercial starring actors Abhay
Deol and Raima Sen, Airtel, India's largest telecom player, began to chalk out its
priorities for the rural market. Since that was Airtel’s first commercial based on the
idea of affordability, the brand tied up with Nokia to offer its services.

Now, with its second commercial for the rural audience, Airtel has touched upon
another plot – a brand with a trusted and reliable network. And this time, it's actors
Darshan Zariwala and Shreyas Talpade who take on the acting reins. The commercial
went on air on November 10, 2008.
Details of the campaign (Red Thread) of Airtel in India:

Media Specialist:

Rediffusion YR

Campaign:

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The film is about the reversal of anxiety and it's about reinforcing the fact that I won't
forget who I am. The red thread is a metaphor for network.

Objective:

For Airtel, rural is one of the most critical domains. With the first piece of
communication based on affordability, it is now time for the second wave of
revolution – talking about the fact of being the most reliable network. Being a trusted
network brand is a key category driver when you talk about rural

Target Audience:

Rural India (towns with populations of less than 20,000) is the target for a substantial
proportion of new customer acquisition. By March 2009, it's slated to cover the
majority of the Indian population. Targeted at males in the age group of 22-35 years
of SEC R1, R2, C and D.

Implementation:

The communication will extend across outdoor, through hoardings, posters and
danglers.

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Storyboard
Brand: Airtel
Agency: Rediffusion | DYR

COMMUNICATION ANALYSIS OF VODAFONE AND AIRTEL

We see a boy(Shreyas As he is going through his He remembers the time

Talpade) packing his bags. old stuff he finds a thread. when he was small and
had gone to a fair with his
dad.

When he saw so many His dad had then tied this Later, the boy leaves for
people he had asked his thread to their wrists so his journey.
dad, "Baba iss bheed mein that they stick together in
mai kho gaya to?" the bustling crowd

The father receives a call His son, on the other line

The ad ends with the
on his cell phone which tells him, "Baba
Super and Logo: Atoot
has the thread tied on it. ghabraana mat, iss bheed
Bandhan. Atoot Network.
mein mai khounga nahi."

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 2009

VODAFONE

Simple Services Simply Promoted

Vodafone has given birth to the Zoozoo: a special character created specifically to convey a value
The idea is to tell the VAS stories in a world akin to, yet different, from humans
The creatures are shown leading a simple life, speak a language of their own, move in a certain w

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Vodafone has given birth to the Zoozoo: a special character created specifically to
convey a Value added services (VAS) offering in each of the newly released
commercials. Vodafone has come with creative advertising campaign for its various
plans. This strategy has captured the imagination of millions.

The strategy is a buzz that lives up to the brand image of great creative’s and clever
marketing. In fact 10 days of IPL it has reached a cumulative of 89 million people.
This is a wonderful strategy by Vodafone; this has helped the company to raise not
profits through sales but has also tremendously increased its brand value.

ZooZooz have become so popular that Vodafone has succeeded in its effort of viral or
buzz marketing. Their ad campaign has gained so much popularity all over the world.
The viewership for the ad is highest among all the ads.

What's interesting is that there are some 29 such commercials planned under this
campaign, the aim is to release approximately one ad a day, to sustain interest till the
end of the IPL

Details of the campaign (ZooZoo) of Airtel in India:

Media Specialist:

Ogilvy and Mather

Campaign:

Zoozoo

Objective:

For Vodafone, VAS is one of the most critical domains. Zoozoo was launced with a
total series of 29 commercials with all promoting different Value added services by
Vodafone.

Target Audience:

The target audience included Vodafone users, and new prospective subscribers.

Implementation:

The communication will extend across Televisions, through Commercials, outdoor,

through hoardings, posters and danglers and online, through various Social media
websites and various online campaigns.

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Results:
For the month of March specifically, Vodafone beat Airtel in terms of monthly
subscriber additions for the first time. In April, when the Zoozoos campaign broke,
the two GSM rivals were neck and neck again.
However, in May, when the Zoozoo hype was at its peak, Vodafone slipped adding
2.53 million to Airtel's 2.81 million subscribers. A reason could be that the bulk of
new connections are being added from Tier-2 and Tier-3 towns, who perhaps find the
bouncy, white creatures peddling some smart VAS offering a little alien to their taste.
For the month of March specifically, Vodafone beat Airtel in terms of monthly
subscriber additions for the first time. In April, when the Zoozoos campaign broke,
the two GSM rivals were neck and neck again.

AIRTEL

My Airtel My Offer (Early 2009)

Details of the campaign (My Airtel My Offer) of Airtel in India:

Media Specialist:
Rediffusion YR

Campaign
The "My Airtel, My offer" along with the "Start Stop" service would go a long way
towards customer retention.
My Airtel My Offer, Due to rising uncertainties with regard to finances, expenditures
by consumers have taken a dip. Even something of utility to people these days – the
mobile phone – is being used with care and caution, as people cut down on
unnecessary expenditure on calls/SMSes/VAS, which may have left telecom operators
in a tizzy.

Objective
Objective is to provide more value to existing customers through "My Airtel My
Offer" and also making their life easier through the "Start Stop" service.

The "My Airtel My Offer" service enables customers to know about various Airtel
offers suited to individual requirements and specific needs, without receiving any
calls or SMSs on their mobile phones. The offers that are made to existing customers
are based on the customers' past usage, current recharge behavior, and VAS
preferences..

Target Audience

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The target audience included exclusively existing Airtel users, and other prospective
customers.

Implementation
The communication will extend across outdoor, through hoardings, posters and
danglers.

Storyboard
Brand: Airtel
Agency: Rediffusion - Y&R

The TVC opens on actors R. Balan, who is in the same Balan looses her cool as she
Madhawan and Vidya Balan room gets a romantic SMS sent gets another message from
personified as a couple. by Madhawan. hubby. She scolds him for
Madhawan sends an SMS. wasting money during
slowdown.

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As Balan continues to yell, The couple share a laugh that VO: " Ab apke upyog anusaar
Madhawan gives her a call restores the harmony to their khas aap kay liye offers."
which she answers by mistake. love life.
He says, "Pyaar mein cut
backs nahi hone chahiye."

VODAFONE
Campaign: Happy to Help (mid 2009)

In 2009, after Zoozoo, Vodafone had unveiled its ‘Happy to Help’ series again
Vodafone released four new commercials under its 'Happy to Help' campaign, which,
like the earlier 'Happy to Help' in 2008, one features the trademark pug and the girl.
This time around, the ads have been released to promote offerings such as Vodafone
Mobile stores, Self Help, Vodafone Stores and Mini-Stores and Vodafone Self
Service Kiosks.

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 The first film, called Garden, shows the pug helping the girl dig pit to plant some

The second one, titled Baking, has the girl trying to read a recipe from a book and the pug helps her by tryin

The third ad called SOAP shows the girl taking a shower in a cubicle when suddenly, her soap slides out of her hand a

The fourth ad is called Dorm and is about how the pug signals to the girl when the dorm inspecto

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AIRTEL
Campaign: Special 5 (Mid 2009)

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Storyboard
Brand: Airtel
Agency: Rediffusion - Y&R

Details of the campaign (Special 5) of Airtel in India:

The TVC opens with Anna As she puts the boat in water
walking out of her house to put and starts to enjoy along the
a paper boat in a stretch of flowing boat, it starts to rain
flowing water outside. and the little girl tries hard to
save her boat from the pouring
rain.
While she finds it tough to
save her boat, her special 5
friends come to her rescue and
they stretch their hands as a
shed for the boat.

The presence of her friends Anna and her special 5 friends VO: "Now keep your special
brings Anna's smile back. celebrate their togetherness. friends always close.
Introducing Special 5".

The TVC ends with the VO:

"Dial 12141."

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Media Specialist:

Rediffusion YR

Theme:

The thought is to enable existing customers strengthen their bond with their family
and loved ones and in turn with Airtel. Such nominal rates give them the freedom to
talk for as long as they want, even on long distance, "In a market bombarded with
complicated plans and discount schemes, it is a simple and straightforward offer
where we have cut off any kind of segmentation.

Campaign:

Reasserting its emotional connect with consumers — something that is at the core of
its brand philosophy —, Bharti Airtel last week rolled out a new plan called Special 5
for all its 100 million mobile phone customers. The plan allows the customer to
choose any five (Airtel) numbers of his choice to make local calls at low rates of 20
paisa per minute and long-distance calls at 50 paisa per minute. It is based on the
company's internal research and consumer-call analysis which showed that most users
make 60 to 70 per cent of their calls to four or five "special" people — family
members or close friends.

Target:

Target is universal as the tendency to connect to families and close ones is a universal
one.

Implementation:

Four Commercials have been put on air (and also in cyberspace). More will likely to
follow in the days to come. Also on the cards are print and outdoor ads as well as
ground-level activation in places like malls. Some activities were also planned during
the Friendship Week in August.

Result:

It remains to be seen how long does it take for rivals to offer something similar. The
mobile telephony market is overcrowded and service operators are trying hard to
create differentiation. Features like Special 5 are a time-tested recipe for success.
However, it doesn't take long for others to come out with something similar. Still, the
advantage lies with Bharti Airtel at the moment.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AIRTEL

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• Along with using various celebrities for endorsements, AIRTEL should try to
introduce advertisements with some sort of humor.
• The majority of perspective customers are teenagers, so AIRTEL ads should
be more focused around them.
• The people now days have started using more and more internet, so along with
TV advertisements, AIRTEL should give more attention to online
advertisements.
• People give very less attention to the print ads, so these ads should be mainly
informative ads i.e. the ads giving information about new schemes and
recharge coupons etc.

SUGGESTION FOR AIRTEL

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By virtue of its connectivity AIRTEL is successful in grabbing the highest market
share in India, but there are still some recommendations from my study point of view
is that AIRTEL needs to make its network service more stronger than other service
providers to dominate the market in future too. AIRTEL should start more aggressive
advertising on VAS. Also price line of VAS should be revised accordingly to the
market, by making it cheaper so that it can be introduced in rural areas also.

Also the new mantra which Airtel opted in 2008, i.e., the emotional touch which airtel
followed till My Airtel My Offer, Vidya-Madhavan ad talking about cutbacks on air.
Now, we have had enough of the depression already. So the new mantra is not new
now, now it’s outdated, although the Special 5 Campaign is also wastage of time as to
communicate one simple VAS, it has introduced 4 Television Commercials.

It’s better to think over something like Zoozoo, or better than that, to Implement its
VAS in Urban as well as Rural area’s.

SUGGESTION FOR VODAFONE

Here’s a bone to chew on: Vodafone’s pug, although still a major ingredient in the
brand’s holistic communication, has been given a backseat in the last couple of

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campaigns. Vodafone has, in the meantime, arrived at a signature style of creativity
and execution for various ads about service offerings – commercials that are almost
identifiable as signature ads for the telecom major.
Vodafone’s commercials of late are almost a page out of a consumer’s life – one finds
creative’s revolving around protagonists who are seen introspecting, often voicing
their thoughts into nothingness, with an almost candid camera feel to the execution
and a tetris for explanation.
A common thread
Clearly, the current Vodafone recipe has a distinct flavor. It could be the vague and
obtuse presentation of the commercials, the exact level of intrigue in the scripts, or
even the candid way that the films have been shot and canned. Though the films have
been directed by different ad filmmakers, the common thread weaves through them to
make them distinct as Vodafone ads.
With each television commercial, Vodafone attempt’s to make it real and relatable,
the idea, is always to show funny stuff with exaggeration or an over-comical tone.
Also one can spot a Vodafone ad even before it’s over. “Mind-blowing simplicity and
observation of thought, “is what makes the Vodafone ads recognizable.” The
minimalism in the ads is another characteristic that is unique in Vodafone
commercials.
Ingenuity or Overdose?
The intrigue factor is the signature of Vodafone. However, the brand runs a risk of
“becoming a little boxy” because, important as it is to create a strong brand recall with
a signature, it is also important to break the signature. An overdose of the same
treatment may backfire.

CONCLUSION

Two leading telecommunication companies of India - Airtel and Vodafone, and how
they both are selling the same product in such different and innovative ways. Rivalry
between brands is a common scenario and this is very much evident in the advertising
industry. But unlike Pepsi-Coco cola, Axe- Zatak, Parachut- Vakita etc, Airtel and
Vodapone never resorted to ridiculing each other.
In spite of this both brands have always come up with excellent ads. The first thing
that comes to your mind right now must be the universally famous ZooZoos, but I

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don't want to get ahead of myself. Lets start with the cute, loyal pup Vodafone used as
their brand ambassador which followed the child model every where he went.

• Airtel on the other hand focused on elements such as world without borders,
family values, traditions etc, which again appealed to the diverse mass of our
country.
• Airtel went one step ahead and included celebrities to endorse the brand. What
the pup did for Vodafone was what Sharukh Khan managed for Airtel! (And
of course, it helps when you are backed with a good network! No offense to
Sharukh fans. . .)
• Airtel then came up with a new series of ads with Vidhya Balan and
Madhavan, highlighting the couple's love. This became an instant hit so Airtel
went ahead and made similar ads with Kareena and Saif, obviously relying on
their off screen love saga to do the trick.

• Vodafone didn't wait too long to retaliate with the cute, innovative and slightly
irritating 'ZooZoos'! : a special character created specifically to convey a
Value added services (VAS) offering in each of the newly released
commercials. Vodafone has come with creative advertising campaign for its
various plans. This strategy has captured the imagination of millions.

The strategy is a buzz that lives up to the brand image of great creative’s and clever
marketing. In fact 10 days of IPL it has reached a cumulative of 89 million people.
This is a wonderful strategy by Vodafone; this has helped the company to raise not
profits through sales but has also tremendously increased its brand value.

ZooZooz have become so popular that Vodafone has succeeded in its effort of viral or
buzz marketing. Their ad campaign has gained so much popularity all over the world.
The viewership for the ad is highest among all the ads.

The ads are a success and without the help of any money grubbing celebrity for brand
ambassador! That must have been a hard hit for Airtel. What's even worse is that
ZooZoos seem to have come to stay, for a looooooooog time!!

After the Success of Zoozoo, Vodafone launches its happy to Help campaign, old

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wine in new bottle is served again, Customer Service is the main theme of the
campaign,

Now Airtel has launched Special 5, a special tariff campaign for existing Airtel
customers

References

Internet

www.afaqs.com
www.airtel.in
www.vodafone.in
www.vodafone.com
www.exchange4media.com
www.indiantelevision.com

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