Vodafone Brand Analysis

1 Brand analysis and evaluation of Vodafone India Pvt. Ltd.

Introduction

Indian Telecom Industry-Overview

Indian telecom market is currently the most attractive telecom market with a lot of interest being
shown by foreign players.Indian mobile industry is the fastest growing across the world adding
15-20 million new subscribers every month. The Indian telecommunication sector in India is the
third largest sector across the globe and the second largest among the emerging economies of
Asia. India's teledensity has improved from under
4% in March 2001 to around 71% by the end of
March 2011. Cellular telephony has emerged as
the fastest growing segment in the Indian telecom
industry. The mobile subscriber base (GSM and
CDMA combined) has grown from under 2 m at
the end of FY00 to touch 812 m at the end of
March 2011 (average annual growth of nearly
73% during this eleven year period).Fig1: India’s Wireless Subscriber base

The country was divided into 23 circles when the Circles Number in millions
mobile phones were introduced in the country.
Metros 4 114
Separate licenses were given out for each of the
circles in 1994. The circles were classified as A circles 5 288

Metros, A, B or C depending upon the revenue B circles 8 335.5
potential for the circle with Metros & A circles
C circles 6 115
expected to have the highest potential.

Hitaishi Gupta, FORE School of Management, Delhi


Mobile Subscribers in the world (%):
The total mobile subscribers in the world is 5.6 billion , out of which India occupies a market
share of 15 % , after Europe and China.

Others, 16 Europe, 19

Africa, 10 US/Canada,
6

Other Asia India, 15
pacific, 18
China, 16

Mobile Penetration in the world (%):

140

120 130

100
103
80

60 69 65
58
40

20

0
Europe US/Canada India China Africa



The Indian Telecom market is the most competitive with over 11 operators in each circle.
Nowhere in the world does any country have so many carriers. The dominant players are Airtel,
Reliance, Vodafone, BSNL (state owned), Idea and Tata. Reliance and Tata offer CDMA
technology while all the other
players are in the GSM space. GSM
Others, 3.9
has a 88% share of subscribers and 0%
Reliance, 1
now even Reliance and Tata have 6.81%
Bharti, 19.7
launched nation-wide GSM services. 0%
Apart from the current players, there Uninor, 3.6 Vodafone,
7% 16.56%
are several new players like Aircel, Aircel, 6.84
Unitech-Telenor, Shyam-Siestema, %

Etisalat that have got the license and Idea, 11.55
Tata, 9.97% BSNL, 10.9 %
spectrum to launch mobile services 1%
in several telecom circles. Shyam-Siestema is the only player to launch CDMA services while all
the new operators are in the lucrative GSM space. The adjoining figure gives the market shares
of the operators in India. It is a fragmented market with the biggest operator (Airtel) garnering
only 20% share.

India is a predominantly prepaid market (93% of all subscribers are on prepaid) with low ARPU
and high minutes of usage(MoU).The GSM
ARPU(Average revenue per user) is Rs 100
(~ USD 2.2) per month with a usage of 349
minutes per month in the quarter ending
Mar, 2011. Similarly, CDMA ARPU stood
at Rs 66 (~USD 1.5) with a usage of 263
minutes per month. There is a wide
disparity in the rural and urban teledensity
with rural teledensity at 34% vs. urban teledensity of around 157%.



Key Points:

Supply Intense competition has resulted in prompt service to the subscribers.

Demand Given the low tariff environment and relatively low rural and semi urban
penetration levels, demand will continue to remain higher in the foreseeable
future across all the segments.

Barriers to entry High capital investments, well-established players who have a nationwide
network, license fee, continuously evolving technology and lowest tariffs in
the world.

Bargaining power Improved competitive scenario and commoditization of telecom services
of suppliers has led to reduced bargaining power for services providers.

Bargaining power A wide variety of choices available to customers both in fixed as well as
of customers mobile telephony has resulted in increased bargaining power for the
customers.

Competition Competition has intensified with the entry of new cellular players in circles.
Reduced tariffs have hurt all operators.

Since the competition is so high hence it‟s very important for the companies to create a customer
pull towards the brand.

Vodafone Overview:
The de regulation in the Indian telecommunication markets since the beginning of the 1997 has
brought about significant changes in the communication industry. The mobile telephone market
has changed dramatically over the past five years in the country. Mobiles have become so
popular that many people use their handset as their only phone and rarely use a land line. The
number of service providers has also increased many fold and the intense competition in the
sector means that the consumer is benefitting from a multitude of operations. One of the major
players in the segment is Vodafone.



Vodafone‟s business in India has grown from 28 million customers at the time of acquisition in
May 2007 to become its largest market with over 134 million customers at 31 March 2011.
Vodafone has an international customer base in both developed and emerging markets with over
370 million mobile customers in more than 30 countries. During the FY 11 they added over 40
million customers, mostly in India.

Vodafone Customers by market (%):

Others, 17

Spain, 5 India, 36

UK, 5
Italy, 6

Egypt, 9

Vodacom, 12
Germany, 10

Vodafone Revenue by Market (%):

Germany, 17
Others, 29

Italy, 12

Vodacom, 12
Spain, 11

India, 8 UK, 11



India contributes 8% to the total Vodafone‟s revenue possibly because of the low price war in
Indian telecom industry.

Mobile Service revenue market share(%):
60

50 53

40
37
30 34
32

20 25
19
10

0
Germany Italy Spain UK India South Africa

Vodafone Essar, usually referred to simply as Vodafone, covers 23 telecom circles in India. It
was formerly known as Hutchison Essar. It is based in
Mumbai. Vodafone Essar is the Indian subsidiary of the
Vodafone Group. 67% stake in the joint venture is held
by Vodafone while the Essar group holds the remaining
33%. It is the second largest mobile phone operator in
terms of revenue behind BhartiAirtel, and third largest in
terms of customers. The company now has operations
across the country with 151.52 million customers as of
October 2011.
On February 11, 2007, Vodafone agreed to acquire the controlling interest in Hutch Essar. They
bought 67% stake in the company from Li KaShing Holdings for US$11.1 billion, pipping
Reliance Communications, Hinduja Group, and Essar Group, which is the owner of the
remaining 33%. The whole company was valued at USD 18.8 billion. The transaction closed on
May 8, 2007. Despite the official name being Vodafone Essar, its products are simply branded as



Vodafone. It offers both prepaid and postpaid GSM cellular phone coverage throughout India
with good presence in the metros.
Vodafone Essar provides 2.75G services based on 900 MHz and 1800 MHz digital GSM
technology, offering voice and data services in 23 of the country's 23 license areas. It is among
the top three GSM mobile operators of India. Vodafone India, initiated the trial run of 3G
services in India in Feb 2011. With the event of World cup 2011, there was a TV commercial
aired during Advertisement commercial break. Vodafone plans to spend up to $500 million
within two years on its 3G networks.

The Transition

In 2007 Hutch was the second largest GSM brand in the Indian telecom market. A leading player
in the high-growth Indian market, Hutch enjoyed considerable brand equity. It was also a well-
loved brand in terms of its unique imagery and award-winning communication. In making the
transition to Vodafone, it was important to carry forward this equity and exceed expectations.
Vodafone had to ensure that it was successful in
carrying along 35 million customers, 400,000 trade
partners and 10,000 employees through the transition
and, even more importantly, to exceed expectations.

The brand transition was one of the largest, fastest and
the most successful in the whole world. During the
transition 4,00,000 multi brand outlets, over 350
Vodafone stores, over 1,000 mini stores, over 35 mobile stores and over 3,000 touch-points were
rebranded in two months, with 60% completed within 48 hours of the launch.

Marketing Strategies

Vodafone‟s new advertising campaign in India carried on with the same popular pug that had
become a brand ambassador for Hutch. „Where ever you go, our network follows,‟ was the
previous slogan with the pug following the child wherever he went. Now, with Hutchison Essar
becoming part of the Vodafone Group, the new campaign had started with Vodafone



Essarearmarking Rs. 2.5 billion on the transition from Hutch to Vodafone. The main message of
the brand transition exercise: The new Vodafone is the same old Hutch. In the advertisement, the
pug sees a new home when it returns after an outing and feels the change is better. The new catch
phrase will which was introduced was „Make the most of now.‟

A number of advertisements followed suit. O&M, the advertising agency of Vodafone launched
a rather direct, thematic ad showing the trademark pug in a garden, moving out of a pink colored
kennel which symbolized Hutch making his way into a red one that is the Vodafone color. A
more energetic, chirpier version of the „You and I‟ tune associated with Hutch was played
towards the end, and it concluded with „Change is good. Hutch is now Vodafone‟. O&M also
rolled out four commercials featuring Hutch‟s animated boy and girl, introducing the new
brand‟s logo to consumers. The four creatives which were of five seconds each included the duo
peeping over a wall to see the logo, parasailing with the logo flying high behind them, releasing
a rocket bomb wherein the explosion reveals the logo and lastly, drawing curtains aside to show
the logo.

Four other ads with the pug did the rounds of telly screens. These five and ten second spots cast
the dog in situations where it literally, saw red, using the colour as a visual mnemonic to
remember the brand by. The pug was shown in a red basket, popping up from a red cart, drying
itself on a red mat and hiding in a red blanket. Each of these made use of the „Hutch is now
Vodafone‟ tagline. The print ads, in all major languages in several leading dailies, were kept very
simple: a still shot of the pug inside a red kennel. The same creative was used in outdoor
hoardings as well, in all the 16 circles in which Vodafone
now operates.
Vodafone made use of TV advertising to bring in their
brand, in a big way. They had tied up with Star India to run a
complete roadblock of its fresh campaign on the entire
network by unveiling the 24-hour nationwide rebranding
campaign. It was the world‟s first 24 hour TV roadblock to
be done by any brand. Vodafone used all of the commercial
airtime across all 13 channels in five languages (Hindi,



Tamil, Bengali, Marathi and English) from 9 pm on 20 September to 9 pm on September 21.
This exercise included TV commercials, transition bumpers and contest spots to promote the
Vodafone Essar brand. Considering that the Star Network was the leading network in India, it
was the most apt platform for the Vodafone launch. This strategy helped not only in achieving
build rapid brand awareness but also to break the clutter during such an important launch in the
most happening category of telecom. Commercial spots had also been purchased on Sony
entertainment television. While the campaign was heavy on television, it also included all other
media vehicles. The print campaign kicked off on 21 September.

While the brand campaign had been addressing the transformation, the company, on the other
hand was swiftly preparing for a price war in the Indian telecom space. Vodafone started
providing mobile handsets to new subscribers at ultra-cheap prices, ranging from Rs. 800 to Rs.
1200.
Vodafone Essar launched low priced cell phones in India under the Vodafone brand, and also co-
branded handsets sourced from major global vendors. By bringing in millions of low-cost
handsets from across the globe into India, Vodafone Essar distributed bundled handsets through
its existing 400,000 distribution outlets. By flooding the market with its low-cost handsets,
Vodafone also became a mass mobile phone brand like Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, and Sony
Ericsson in addition to continuing as telecom services provider.

The result of all this activity was that the launch was the most talked about event in Indian
media, with over 450 articles. An entire episode of CNBC covered the transition as a case study.
Day-after brand recall for Vodafone was 80%, proclaimed by the industry and media as one of
the best brand-launches the country has ever seen. Thirty-five million customers transitioned
seamlessly into brand Vodafone and within six months of launch, it became the brand of choice
for over 44 million subscribers. It was the fastest, most comprehensive and most effective launch
witnessed within the Vodafone network.



Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning

Segmentation

The segmentation that Vodafone adopts can be classified as a multi segmentation approach.
There are different levels to this segmentation starting with a demographic segmentation.

Demographic: Vodafone uses the occupation aspect in the demographic category of
segmentation. They divide their users as consumer and business. On their website these
two segments are catered to by two completely different web pages. The business users
are offered company solutions, machine to machine solutions and all other end to end
business connectivity solutions. The consumers on the other hand are again segmented as
follows
Geographic: The company provides different plans, tariffs and offers to different
customers depending on the state that they come from.
 Behavioral (User Status): The users are further segmented depending upon whether
they are post paid users or pre paid users. Separate plans are then provided to each
user depending upon their category.

Targeting

Vodafone is adopting a multi segment targeting. They are targeting the high end user, low end
user, the business professional as well as the common man. While they are providing “chota
recharge” for their pre paid users, at the same time they are also providing international roaming
facility, calling card etc for their high end users or post paid users. A multi segment targeting
approach makes sense also as India is a rapidly growing telecom market and with the tele density
increasing, one can be sure that people of all strata‟s would start owning a mobile phone very
soon. Thus to target the huge population a multi segment targeting approach makes more sense.

Positioning

The current positioning of Vodafone is “Power to you”. With the competition in the telecom
space heating up, most of the telecom providers are providing almost the same tariffs. As the



companies understand that they cannot gain advantage through the price wars, each is trying to
differentiate itself by providing something extra. Vodafone is treading the same path by
providing the user with different offerings like special alerts, magic box, call filter etc. With
these Vodafone wants to empower its customer with the power to control all the aspects of the
service that he possibly can.

Perceptual Map

PERCEPTUAL
Hig Vodafone
MAP h on
serv Airtel Tata
BSNL Reliance
ice
MTNL

Low on Aircel High on
Idea
esteem esteem
LoopUnitech Videocon
MTS

Low
on
serv
Marketing Mix ice

Product: Vodafone services and handsets
The services provided by Vodafone range from a simple text message to high end video
conferencing. The handsets provided by Vodafone are low cost and sometimes are developed in
collaboration with different handset manufacturers. Any kind of service delivered by Vodafone
would come under its product feature.

Price: The services that the company offers are differentially priced. While calls can be availed
at as less as one paisa per second, other high end features can be availed at monthly or yearly
rentals.

Place: Vodafone India is present throughout all the circles in India. They have dedicated
Vodafone stores at a number of locations where customers can go to interact and avail some



services as well as in case they need to buy some handset, recharge card etc. The website
provides a platform for reaching a mass audience from one place. It also helps in communicating
to the users any new offering in a fast and efficient manner. The website provides a place for all
users to stay connected at one place and also to share their thoughts, views and experiences. One
can also shop online.

Promotion: Vodafone relies on well made advertisements and special offers to its customers in
order to promote the brand. The promotion comprises of online advertising, print ads, mailers,
online promotion, social media promotion et all. A 360 degree promotion mechanism is used by
the company in order to ensure and improve its customer base.

Physical Evidence: The Vodafone stores, their merchandise like sim cards, handsets etc, their
website, personnel etc all contribute to the physical evidence of the company.

People: All the employees and personnel associated with the Vodafone company represent the
people aspect of the marketing mix.

Processes: The process for such a company depends on the kind of product or service that the
customer wants to avail. As the complexity of the customer increases, for eg: from a normal
customer to a business user to an enterprise, the complexity of the process would also increase.

Marketing Strategy

Vodafone India has an integrated marketing strategy to ensure
that they reach the maximum customer base and provide a
number of touch points for the user. The sales and distribution of
Vodafone products is done through their dedicated outlets as well
as other outlets, small shops and stores. Vodafone has set up
similar format Vodafone stores all over India to give their
consumers a seamless and coherent experience wherever they
maybe. At the same time a number of mini stores ensure that the customers have more number of
places to resolve their minor problems and enquiries. These also provide an avenue for the



customers to settle their bill dues immediately. Vodafone India also pushes its sim cards through
general retailers and pays them a small margin on the sale of each sim card. Post paid consumers
are given offers and upgrade schemes to ensure that the company maintains a relationship with
them. Thus the sales and distribution aspects of Vodafone in India are taken care by
 Dedicated outlets
 Mini outlets
 Retail shops
 Mobile shops

The marketing communications of Vodafone are typically very up market and generally the
positioning is such that amongst the masses Vodafone is perceived as an aspirational brand. With
a focus on the “Power to you” positioning all the current advertisements of Vodafone are
focusing on picturization of the benefit that the consumer will get once he becomes a Vodafone
customer. The marketing communications always depict Vodafone as a young and up market
brand. The TV advertisements of Vodafone are always targeted at ensuring that the customer can
understand the benefit that they want to offer. Vodafone typically does not emphasize strongly
on print ads and radio ads. Although at the times of important tie ups and events one can see
single page ads in the newspapers, magazines etc as well as small audio clips on the radio
network.
Vodafone uses the events platform as a promotion tool. Events like IPL which are sure to grab
eye balls are sponsored by Vodafone and large scale TV advertising is done to ensure that the
customer may avail IPL related services on his handset. Currently Vodafone has combined with
the highest TRP grossing Big Boss and is providing a
chance to the customers to visit the Big Boss house.

Advertising

Vodafone lays special emphasis on creative
advertising. They came up with the highly successful
zoo zoo campaign which became a hit with all the
consumers. All their ads clearly portray the benefit for
the user and are done in such a way such as to induce



good brand recall. Television advertising is a major tool used by Vodafone to push its brand as
well as the promotions that they are coming up with. From time to time they use other media like
print and radio also to push their product or offering to the masses.

Events
Vodafone ties up with a number of events which are designed to create daily or special brand
related interactions. They generally combine with high
popularity TV shows and events which provides them good
eye balls and ensures that a particular number of people
always view what they have to offer. Vodafone emphasizes
more on above the line activity. Their strong financial
background ensures that they can pump in their money in
such events and ensure a strong brand recall.

Interactive Marketing

Vodafone is making extensive use of the online segment to involve more and more consumers
with the brand. They have a presence on all the social networking sites and are providing special
offers on those pages as well. A
number of users can connect
with the brand and talk , discuss
about the various aspects of the
brand online itself. They
periodically keep revising the
promotional offer advertisement
that they put up on such pages.
They are providing their entire
range of products, service and
promotion related information
on these sites.



SWOT Analysis

Strengths Weaknesses

Strong brand name An international brand name may mean
Wide distribution network that Indians may view it as a foreign brand
Financially stable Low margins to distributors and retailers
Strong brand connect with the customer Servicing of client needs.
Strong customer base

Opportunities Threats

Untapped rural market A number of competitors entering the
Introduction of newer technologies telecom space
Value added services market Mobile number portability
Business markets Fear of consolidation in the industry

Vodafone Communication Strategies:
Brand Elements

Brand elements are those trademarked devices that serve to identify and differentiate the brand.
These are also sometimes known as brand identities. Items like brand name, logo, mnemonics,
characters, spokespersons, slogans and jingles are some items that can be characterized as brand
elements. All or most of them are trademarked and registered by the parent company of the
brand and these are what appear in front of the consumer in the brand‟s communication and help
increase recall of the brand as these are things that the consumers remember a brand by.

According to theory, there are some specific criteria which need to be kept in mind while
deciding on the brand elements. These are points which when satisfied help in serving the full
purpose of having brand elements. Some of these criteria are:



1. Memorable – These elements should be easily recognized and can be easily recalled.

2. Meaningful – If not all then most of the brand elements should have a meaning and
should associated in some or the other way with the culture and values of the brand.

3. Likeable – In simple terms brand elements should be fun, interesting or may be
aesthetically pleasing so that the consumers like it and attach positive connotations with
these elements.

4. Transferable – Brand elements need to be the same for different markets and
geographies, for different product or service categories. So transferability across these
boundaries is critical.

5. Adaptable – They must be flexible and the company should be able to update them as
and when required.

6. Protectable – They should be legally protected from counterfeiting and copyrights
violation.
Now keeping these criteria in mind, let us have a look at the brand elements associated with
Vodafone and according to the consumers, how well do these elements stand up to the criteria
defined above.

Brand Name – Vodafone

Vodafone is one of the biggest telcom operators in the world along with other big names like
China Mobile and AT&T. It carries with itself a reputation of being one of the finest telecom
service providers across the world and the name carries an element of desire with it. In India, the
brand was earlier known as Vodafone Essar, due to the parent company‟s holding pattern.
However, Essar has been a business name since long in the country and is associated with other
businesses as well. So the “Essar” part was done away with and the brand name is now



“Vodafone”. It being a foreign brand attracts consumers and the consumers already on the
subscriber list feel proud to be associated with a big international brand. It is easy in terms of
memorability and meaning and having a long history attached to it along with the geographies
Vodafone is now operating in, it has proved its adaptability and transferability.

Brand Logo

Vodafone calls it the “Speechmark Logo”. It is a quotation mark in a circle. The quotation marks
before and end of a conversation is depicted in the logo and Red color has been its corporate
color for long.

The name is written below the design. It is the same logo as is used globally although in some
areas like Portugal Vodafone has used a different logo. This is vital as it shows to the consumer
that the company will offer the same level of quality in service as is being provided globally.
Overall the logo has been there for a long period of time. So from the consumer‟s point of view,
it is memorable and the red color is liked by one and all. It is protected from any violation like
copying or faking. It is a likeable logo which helps in increasing the recall of the brand as soon
as the logo appears in from of the consumer.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

The website link or URL for the global website is http://www.vodafone.com and the link to the
Indian website is http://www.vodafone.in. These are registered domain names so protection is
taken care of. As there are provisions of checking and making bill payments online, going
through various tariff rates and value added services details on the website, the online interface is
a very vital component among the brand elements. The URL simply has the name of the brand
and „in‟ for India as the extension. It is easy to remember and use, hence making it an effective
brand element.


Characters

Characters represent a special type of brand symbol, one that takes on human or real-life
characteristics. Since Vodafone entered into the Indian market, there have been two primary
characters associated with the brand. The first is the famous pug which was used in the earlier
advertisements and portrayed the consistency of service in the tagline “Wherever you go, our
network follows”. The second and
extremely popular character which
Vodafone created was the Zoozoo. Real
people wore grey suits to portray comical
characters in a major communication
campaign aimed at increasing awareness
about the value added services provided by Vodafone. The campaign includes every channel
from television and print advertising to billboards and hoardings at the point of sale. Zoozoos as
a character have been loved by one and all and have helped tremendously in increasing the brand
awareness among consumers.
However sometimes characters take on such a presence in the mind of the consumer that the
characters dominate the brand name itself. Zoozoos have become such a phenomena today that
people generally would watch the advertisement and switch the channel before any message is
communicated. So in the long run, continuing this campaign indefinitely could hurt Vodafone‟s
brand equity in India.

Slogans
Slogans can contribute to brand equity in multiple ways. They can play off the brand name to
build brand awareness and image and can also contain product related information and other
meanings. Vodafone‟s current slogans in the 2010 advertising campaign is “Isn’t it nice when
someone makes you feel special” and “Power to you”. The ads focus on the close friendship of
two school girls and the care each one shows for the other. The company wishes to communicate
to the consumer the various value added services it offers, which it terms as “Vodafone
Delights”, to indicate their services intend to delight the consumer in every possible way and the
slogan powerfully conveys that Vodafone is a brand that cares about its consumers and believe in
doing the small little things to delight them and make them feel special always.



Their previous slogans like “Happy to
Help”, “Power to you” and “Wherever
you go our network follows” have been
equally successful in associating different meanings with the brand; meanings like consistency of
service, the consumers‟ power to choose what service to avail and what to pay for and the brand
being ever present in case of any need for the consumer.

Jingles

Most consumers remember the “You and I in this beautiful world” jingle, which ran as
background in the communication campaign consisting of the pug following the kid, helping him
and doing chores for him. The current campaign has the jingle “The little things you do”, a
sweet and melodious song which portrays the intended message quite well. Vodafone‟s jingles‟
strongest point is their likeability and consumers tend to remember them very conveniently.
Jingles, have hence always been a critical brand element for Vodafone.

Communication Campaigns

Vodafone keeps coming out with new communication campaigns at regular time intervals. It ran
the “Pug” campaign for some time initially. Then it launched the “Zoozoo” campaign and now it
has recently launched the “Vodafone delights” campaign. Another small campaign that had
been running until recently was the “Rs. 4 me sab kuch” which had a speaking parrot trying to
convince people that four rupees are of no value today but Vodafone offers a lot of things in just
that amount. These changes in communication campaign strategies and focus on different things
every time shows that Vodafone stresses on being innovative in its advertising, trying to come up
with something new and refreshing, which will be liked and remembered by the consumer for a
long time. They have never used media or sports celebrities for their communication, unlike
competitors like Airtel, Idea and Reliance who use sports celebrities and bollywood stars like
AbhishekBachchan and HrithikRoshan for their endorsements and advertising.

Their campaigns generally have had a 360 degree approach, reaching the audience through
multiple channels. Some of the channels which Vodafone always covers are:



1. Television advertisingis done on
most popular channels and in
major sports events that generally
have a long run and are repeated
all over the year.

2. Newspapers/Magazine
advertisements in all major
dailies, but mostly in English newspapers, business newspapers and general and
economics magazines.

3. Hoardings/Billboards on the highways and on the bus stops all over major cities across
the country are helping increase awareness and hence, recall of the brand.

4. Small prints at point of sale, varying from major retail outlets to smallpanwari shops.

5. Event sponsorships for major sporting events like Indian Premier League and the UEFA
Champions League in football, an event widely followed in India now. Infact according
to a research, Vodafone along with Pepsi were found to be the most visible brands after
IPL 3 ended earlier this year.
6. Radio – On radio they have only run the “Parrot” campaign as this does not require any
major display to go with the voice.

Overall their communication campaigns have been innovative and appealing enough to not only
attract the consumer‟s attention but also make and maintain the brand‟s position is the mind
ladders. The Zoozoo campaign according to people was a little over run and at one point of time
was contributing to creating a perceptual block in the consumers‟ mind. So the new Parrot and
Delights campaigns have freshened things up. There have been other small campaigns as well,
one prominent one which had Formula 1 racer Lewis Hamilton featured in it. However the recall
for that ad is very low and it can be categorized as an unsuccessful campaign.



Literature Review:

Debnath (2008), in his study, he explained that the prime focus of the service providers isto
create a loyal customer base by benchmarking their performances and retainingexisting
customers in order to benefit from their loyalty. With the commencement of theeconomic
liberalization in 1991, and with a view to expand and improve telecominfrastructure through the
participation of the private sector, the Government of India permitted foreign companies holding
51 percent equity stake in joint ventures tomanufacture telecom equipment in India. The Indian
Government has announced a new policy, which allows private firms to provide basic telephone
services. There had been amonopoly of the state-owned department of telecommunications.
However, severalcompanies are expected to benefit from the policy change.

Kalavani (2006) in their study analyzed that majority of the respondents have givenfavorable
opinion towards the services but some problems exist that deserve theattention of the service
providers. They need to bridge the gap between the services promised and services offered. The
overall customers¶ attitude towards cell phoneservices is that they are satisfied with the existing
services but still they want moreservices to be provided.Kumar (2008), in their study titled
³Customer Satisfaction and Discontentment vis-à-vis BSNL Landline Service: A Study´ analyzed
that at present, services marketing plays amajor role in the national economy. In the service
sector, telecom industry is the mostactive and attractive. Though the telecom industry is growing
rapidly, India's telecomdensity is less than the world's average telecom density as most of India's
market is yet to be covered. This attracts private operators to enter into the Indian telecom
industry,which makes the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) more alert to run its
businessand survive in the market.

Seth et al (2008), in their study titled Managing the Customer Perceived Service Qualityfor
Cellular Mobile Telephone: anEmpirical Investigation´ analyzed that there is relativeimportance
of service quality attributes and showed that responsiveness is the mostimportance dimension
followed by reliability, customer perceived network quality,assurance, convenience, empathy
and tangibles. This would enable the service providersto focus their resources in the areas of



importance. The research resulted in thedevelopment of a reliable and valid instrument for
assessing customer perceived servicequality for cellular mobile services.

Fernandez (2007) in their study titled Understanding Dynamics in anEvolving Industry:Case of
Mobile VAS in India´ analyzed that Mobile Value Added Services (VAS) is arising star in the
fast growing wireless business. In the paper, attempt is made atunderstanding the strategic
dynamics of the evolving environment within which theIndian players are operating, the
challenges and structure of the same. Our literature andindustry review indicates that - while the
value chain of industry is complicated yet onecan observe the bipolar nature of bargaining
powers between mobile network operatorsand content aggregators.

Kalpana and Chinnadurai (2006) in their study titled Promotional Strategies of Cellular Services:
A Customer Perspective´ analyzed that the increasing competition andchanging taste and
preferences of the customers all over the world are forcing companiesto change their targeting
strategies. The study revealed the customer attitude and their satisfaction towards the cellular
services in Coimbatore city. It was found thatadvertisement play a dominant role in influencing
the customers but most of thecustomers are of opinion that promotional strategies of cellular
companies are more saleoriented rather than customer oriented.



RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Objective
To conduct a Brand Analysis of Vodafone on the basis of the secondary research through a
questionnaire, and primary research,projective techniques and in depth interviews to tap the top
of the mind brand and brand image of Vodafone.

This Brand Analysis would tap in the following aspects of the Brand:

1. Brand Awareness
2. Brand Image
3. Emotional Values
4. Perceived Quality
5. Brand Loyalty

Brand Analysis
Brand has been viewed as a powerful entity and its success depends on its positioning in
the market among consumers (Punj& Moon, 2002). Due to competition among retailers and
diversification of consumers in global markets, the assessment of brand evaluation becomes
challenging. To resolve this issue, international marketers and retailers always look for measures
to strengthen their brands across national boundaries by evaluating the effectiveness of
implementing marketing mix and positioning the brands. Consumers use brand names and
product attributes as cues for information that help in the decision making process (Feldman &
Lynch, 1988). A favorable brand name that possesses good quality results in a positive
perception or belief in consumers‟ mind and finally results in purchase intentions. More
specifically, consumers often recognize a status brand only with a brand name and image without
any knowledge of other features of the brand (O‟Cass& Frost, 2002). Evidence also shows that
brands provide consumers with non-utilitarian or hedonic experiences that generate emotional
value (e.g., enjoyment or pleasure) (Holbrook, 1986) in addition to utilitarian experiences (e.g.,
perceived quality)(Zeithaml, 1988). Apparently, the success of a brand can be determined by
assessing how a brand is evaluated or perceived and to what extent consumers are committed
toward it.



To assess consumer evaluation of a brand, we adopt two components of Dillion, Madden,
Kirmani, and Mukherjee (2001): general brand impressions and brand-specific associations. In
addition, Lee, Knight, and Kim (2008) incorporated brand commitment to the brand analysis due
to its behavioral component (e.g., purchase intention and brand loyalty). Thus, our brand analysis
model has three components: brand specific association, general brand impression, and brand
commitment, as depicted below.

Figure 2: Conceptual framework of brand analysis

General Brand Impression

General brand impression plays an importantrole in consumers‟ decision-making
process.Specifically, Keller (1993) provided a conceptualframework for creating general
brandimpressions with two dimensions: brand awarenessand brand image. Brand awareness is
definedas the brand knowledge involving recognitionof the brand name at the rudimentarylevel
(Hoyer&Brown, 1990).Nagashima (1970,1977) argued that consumers form opinionsabout a
brand mainly through the familiarity orawareness of that brand. In this context, Rossiterand


Percy (1987) related brand awareness to(a) the consumers‟ ability to trace a brand indifferent
conditions and (b) the likelihood thata brand will easily come to consumers‟ mind.Similarly,
increase in brand awareness raisesthe likelihood that the brand will be consideredmore frequently
while purchase is made(Baker et al., 1986). Brand image is the perceptionof the product by the
consumer. Brandimage links features or characteristics of a particularbrand to consumers‟
memory and builds ageneral brand impression. Consumers‟ ability torecognize a brand increases
with frequent advertising(Keller, 1993) and celebrity endorsements(Rossiter& Percy, 1987). It is
evident that brandawareness and brand image influence the formationand strength of general
brand impressions.

Brand-Specific Association

General Brand-specific association has been linkedto the feature, attribute, or
characteristic thatmakes consumers more associated with a brandand makes it distinct from other
brands (Dillionet al., 2001). As proposed by Lee et al. (2008),perceived quality and emotional
value are thetwo major dimensions of brand-specific associationas they form critical factors in
productperception.Emotional value is defined as the value thatrelates individuals to their feelings
or affectivestates (Sheth, Newman, & Gross, 1991) orthe benefit derived from the sense of
pleasurethrough either the purchase or consumption of abrand (Sweeney &Soutar, 2001). As
Holbrook(1986) contended, consumers experience certainemotions (i.e., enjoyment or pleasure)
offered bydifferent products and brands. Studies on developingcountries have illustrated that
consumptionof products from western countries actsas a symbol of status and prestige, and
henceenhances consumers‟ emotional feelings (Bhat& Reddy, 1998; Kinra, 2006). Perceived
qualityhas been defined as a consumer‟s appraisalor subjective evaluation of the overall
excellenceor superiority of the products (Zeithaml,1988). In sum, consumers may purchase a
particular brand when theyperceive that the brand offers high quality andemotional satisfaction
to them.
Brand Commitment

Brand commitment has been defined as an enduringdesire to maintain a valued
relationshipwith a brand (Moorman et al., 1992) and canbe classified into brand loyalty and
purchase intentions.Brand loyalty has been identified asan important strategy for retailers to



obtain acompetitive advantage in the market (Sirdeshmukh, Singh, &Sabol, 2002). Consumers
becomeloyal to a particular brand in such a way that they intend to purchase the brand repeatedly
and do not change to other brands so often. Moreover, brand loyalty has been perceived as long-
term attachment to a brand (Dick &Basu, 1994). Although consumers in developing countries
are not much familiar with foreign brands, they tend to become more loyal toward foreign brands
compared to local brands becauseof perception of better quality (Lin&Sternquist, 1994).
Similarly, Gaedeke (1973) emphasized that developing countries such as India, China, and
Taiwan prefer brands from western or developedcountries and are more loyal toward them.
Another component of brand commitment, purchase intention, indicates the tendency of
consumers to purchase specific brands in a routine manner compared to other brands (Yoo et al.,
2000).

Scope of the study
The study is limited to Delhi/NCR Region.

Methodology
1. Universe of the study: This involves all the people using the product or the service.

2. Population of the study: This involves all those people using the product/service residing in a
particular area. So here the population will be all those people who are availing the service in
Delhi/NCR region.

3. Sampling technique: The sampling technique applied is snowball sampling technique. The
order of the questions was randomized to test questions under each construct.

Sampling Unit
Every single individual undertaken in the research study is called the sampling unit. The
probable sample size for the research would be 120.

Hypothesis Development
This report aims to analyze telecom brands in the Indian market in terms of general brand
impression, brand specific association, and brand commitment. Hypotheses are developed to
determine whether



(a) Indian consumers‟ responses to brand analysis components differ between Vodafone
(UK brand) and other Indian telecom brands.
(b) Indian consumers‟ attitudes and preferences toward brand analysis components differs
between Vodafone( U.K. brand) and the local brands.

1. Association between gender and favorite telecom brand

This hypothesis is concerned with the effects of gender on a favorable attitude towards different
telecom brands.
H0: There is no association between mobile service provider and favorite telecom operator

H1: There is association between mobile service provider and favorite telecom operator

2. Association between monthly mobile bills and telecom service provider.
This hypothesis is concerned with the effects of income levels on a favorable attitude towards
different telecom brands.
H0: There is no association between monthly mobile bill and telecom service provider

H1: There is association between monthly mobile bill and telecom service provider

3. General Brand Impression

This hypothesis is concerned with the effects of brand type and attitude on general brand
impressions (i.e., brand awareness and brand image). According to Aaker and Day (1974), brand
awareness and brand image directly influence the decision-making process in selecting brands.
H0: Brand type has no effect on: brand awareness; and brand image.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: brand awareness; and brand image.

4. Brand-Specific Association

This hypothesis relates to the effects of brand type and attitude towards telecom brands on
brand-specific impressions (i.e., perceived quality and emotional value). Consumers view and
develop perceptions toward different brands based on several attributes (Erdem et al., 2004).
Indian consumers perceive foreign brands as superior in quality compared to local brands



(Batraet al., 2000; Maxwell, 2001). Apart from perceived quality offered by a brand, consumers‟
buying decision is also affected by emotional aspects related to its purchase. Bhat and Reddy
(1998) illustrated that possession of foreign brands in developing countries represents status and
wealth in the society and provides emotional benefits to consumers. Likewise, Indian consumers
have a favorable rating for foreign brands due to prestige and status associated with them (Kinra,
2006). Thus,
H0: Brand type has no effect on: emotional value; and perceived quality of the brand.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: emotional value; and perceived quality of the brand.

5. Brand Commitment

This hypothesis relates to the effects of brand type and attitude towards telecom brands on
brand commitment (i.e., brand loyalty and purchase intentions of the brand). It has been argued
that loyalty toward a brand depends on its perceived quality, brand name, and country of origin
(Malai&Speece, 2005). Bos (1994) illustrated that consumers in developing countries display
higher levels of brand loyalty toward foreign brands as they offer high quality, which decreases
their purchase intentions toward local brands. Thus,

H0: Brand type has no effect on: brand loyalty and purchase intention of the brand.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: brand loyalty and purchase intention of the brand.



RESEARCH DESIGN
Descriptive research design was used to understand the to measure attitude towards different
telecom brands and the components of brand analysis.

Figure 5: Types of research design

Figure 6: Major types of descriptive studies



Questionnaire Finalization
The questionnaire was designed to measure attitude towards different telecom brands and
the components of brand analysis consisting of general brand impressions (i.e., brand image and
brand awareness), brand-specified associations (i.e., emotional value and perceived quality), and
brand commitment (i.e., brand loyalty and purchase intention). Each item was measured on a 5-
point Likert-type scale anchored by “strongly disagree” (1) and “strongly agree” (5). The scales
were drawn from scales that have previously been validated in the literature.
Construct Component Item in Questionnaire
General Brand Impression Brand Awareness I can recognize the brand among
competing brands
I can quickly recall the logo of the brand
I can quickly recall the brand ambassador
of the brand
I can quickly recall its tv advertisement
Brand Image Has a good reputation
Is a prestigious brand
Brand Specific Association Perceived Quality Has a good Network
Has good Call rates
Has good availability
Has good services
Emotional values Is the brand I love
Makes me want to use it
I want to stay associated with the brand
Gives me pleasure
I will Choose this brand over
Competitors
Brand Commitment Brand Loyalty I am loyal to this brand
I will Choose this brand over
Competitors



Findings:
Gender Number
Female 48
Male 72

Female
40%
Male
60%

Age(in years) Total Number
<20 20
20-30 57
30-40 33
>40 10

>40 <20
8% 17%
30-40
28%

20-30
47%



Yearly Family Number
Income
>300000 25
300000-600000 8
600001-1000000 53
>1000000 34

>300000
>1000000 21%
28% 300000-
600000
7%
600001-
1000000
44%

Monthly Spending Number
on mobile phone
bill
50-100 1
101-200 56
201-400 27
>400 36

50-100
1%

>400
30%

101-200
47%

201-400
22%



Favourite Number
Telecom
Provider
Airtel 34
Vodafone 70
Reliance 6
Idea 10

Reliance
5%
Idea
8% Airtel
28%

Vodafone
59%

Who Influences Number
your purchase
decision
Advertisements 49
Family 5
Friends 63
Colleagues 2
Dealers 1

Colleagues Dealers
2% 1%

Advertisem
ents
Friends 41%
52%

Family
4%



Which of the following Number
brands understands Indian
consumers better?
Airtel 34
Idea 10
Reliance 16
Tata Docomo 6
Vodafone 54

Airtel
28%
Vodafone
45%
Idea
9%
Reliance
Tata 13%
Docomo
5%

Factors important while using mobile.

SMS packs
19%
Incoming and
outgoing calls
50%
Internet
31%



Factors important while choosing a mobile service provider.

Brand Image Customer
5% Care services
Availability
3%
2%
Value added
services
22%

Network
Call rates 36%
25%

Offers
7%



Analysis:
Cross Tab Test:
Association between mobile service provider and favorite telecom operator:
H0: There is no association between mobile service provider and favorite telecom operator

H1: There is association between mobile service provider and favorite telecom operator

Choose your Mobile Service Provider from the following? * Which is your favourite Telecom Brand? Crosstabulation

Which is your favourite Telecom Brand? Total

Airtel Idea Vodafone

Choose your Mobile Aircel Count 1 0 1 2

Service Provider % within Choose your Mobile Service 50.0% .0% 50.0% 100.0%
from the following? Provider from the following?

Airtel Count 15 1 19 35

% within Choose your Mobile Service 42.9% 2.9% 54.3% 100.0%

Provider from the following?

Idea Count 1 1 10 12


Reliance Count 6 0 6 12

% within Choose your Mobile Service 50.0% .0% 50.0% 100.0%

Vodafone Count 11 0 48 59

% within Choose your Mobile Service 18.6% .0% 81.4% 100.0%

Total Count 34 2 84 120


Chi-Square Tests

Asymp. Sig. (2-
Value df sided)
a
Pearson Chi-Square 16.715 8 .033

Likelihood Ratio 16.557 8 .035

N of Valid Cases 120



In this hypothesis, it is observed that the level of significance is less than 0.05. Hence, we
reject the null hypothesis and confirm that there is Association between mobile service provider
and favorite telecom operator and is statistically significant.

Results:
1. 70% of the total sample chose Vodafone as its favorite telecom brand.
2. 54.3 % of the sample who had airtel as their mobile service provider, chose Vodafone as
their favourite telecom brand.
3. 83.3% of the sample who had Idea as their mobile service provider, chose Vodafone as
4. 50% of the sample who had Reliance as their mobile service provider, chose Vodafone as



Association between gender and favorite telecom operator
H0: There is no association between gender and favorite telecom service provider

H1: There is association between gender andfavorite telecom service provider

Gender * Which is your favorite Telecom Brand? Crosstabulation
Which is your favourite Telecom Brand? Total
Airtel Idea Vodafone
Gender Female Count 12 0 36 48
% within Gender 25.0% .0% 75.0% 100.0%
Male Count 22 2 48 72
% within Gender 30.6% 2.8% 66.7% 100.0%
Total Count 34 2 84 120
% within Gender 28.3% 1.7% 70.0% 100.0%

Chi-Square Tests
Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
a
a. 2 cells (33.3%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum
expected count is .80.



In this hypothesis, it is observed that the level of significance is greater than 0.05. Hence, we
accept the null hypothesis and confirm that there is no Association between gender and favorite
telecom operator and is not statistically significant.

Results:
1. 75% of the females in the sample have Vodafone as their favorite telecom operator.
2. 66.7% of the males in the sample have Vodafone as their favorite telecom operator.

Association between Monthly spending on mobile bills and telecom operator

H0: There is no association between monthly mobile bill and telecom service provider

H1: There is association between monthly mobile bill and telecom service provider

Monthly Spending on mobile phone bill * Choose your Mobile Service Provider from the following? Crosstabulation

Choose your Mobile Service Provider from the Total
following?

Aircel Airtel Idea Reliance Vodafon
e

Monthly Spending >400 Count 0 19 0 0 17 36
on mobile phone % within Monthly Spending .0% 52.8% .0% .0% 47.2% 100.0%
bill on mobile phone bill

101-200 Count 0 2 9 12 4 27

% within Monthly Spending .0% 7.4% 33.3% 44.4% 14.8% 100.0%

on mobile phone bill

201-400 Count 2 13 3 0 38 56

% within Monthly Spending 3.6% 23.2% 5.4% .0% 67.9% 100.0%

50-100 Count 0 1 0 0 0 1

% within Monthly Spending .0% 100.0% .0% .0% .0% 100.0%

Total Count 2 35 12 12 59 120

% within Monthly Spending 1.7% 29.2% 10.0% 10.0% 49.2% 100.0%




Chi-Square Tests
Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
a
a. 12 cells (60.0%) have expected count less than 5. The
minimum expected count is .02.

In this hypothesis, it is observed that the level of significance is less than 0.05. Hence, we reject
the null hypothesis and confirm that there is Association between monthly mobile bills and
telecom operator and is not statistically significant.

Results:
1. 52.8% of those who have their monthly mobile bill >Rs 400 have an Airtel connection.
2. 44.4% of those who have their monthly mobile bill Rs 101-200 have a Reliance
connection.
3. 67.9% of those who have their monthly mobile bill Rs 201-400 have a Vodafone
connection.



ANOVA test:
General Brand Impression
H0: Brand type has no effect on: brand awareness; and brand image.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: brand awareness; and brand image.

Brand has a good reputation:
H0: Brand type has no effect on: having a good reputation.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: having a good reputation.

ANOVA
Has a good reputation
Sum of df Mean Square F Sig.
Squares
Between Groups 617.177 4 154.294 145.349 .000
Within Groups 631.617 595 1.062
Total 1248.793 599

the null hypothesis and confirm that Brand type has an effect on: having a good reputation.

Has a good reputation
Brand N Subset for alpha = 0.05
1 2 3 4
a,,b
Waller-Duncan 4 120 1.77
5 120 2.47
3 120 3.12
2 120 4.16
1 120 4.48
Means for groups in homogeneous subsets are displayed.
a. Uses Harmonic Mean Sample Size = 120.000.
b. Type 1/Type 2 Error Seriousness Ratio = 100.

Brand 1 2 3 4 5
Vodafone Airtel Idea Reliance Tata Docomo



Brand being perceived as a prestigious brand:
H0: Brand type has no effect on: having it being perceived as a prestigious brand.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: having it being perceived as a prestigious brand.

ANOVA
Squares
Between Groups 447.740 4 111.935 130.942 .000
Within Groups 508.633 595 .855
Total 956.373 599

the null hypothesis and confirm that Brand type has no effect on: having it being perceived as a
prestigious brand.

1 2 3 4
a,,b
5 120 3.08
3 120 3.78
1 120 4.49
2 120 4.53

Brand 1 2 3 4 5



Hence we saw that Brand type has an impact on the brand Image for different brands. Airtel and
Vodafone has a lot better brand image than other telecom brands. Reliance is considered to have
the most poor among all the telecom brands.

Recall of the logo of the brand.
H0: Brand type has no effect on: the Recall of logo of the brand.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: the Recall of logo of the brand.

ANOVA
Squares
Between Groups 746.407 4 186.602 165.848 .000
Within Groups 669.458 595 1.125
Total 1415.865 599

the null hypothesis and confirm that Brand type has an effect on: the Recall of logo of the brand.

1 2 3 4
a,,b
5 120 3.13
3 120 3.87
1 120 4.51
2 120 4.53

Brand 1 2 3 4 5



Recall of the Brand ambassador of the Brand:
H0: Brand type has no effect on: the Recall of brand ambassador of the brand.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: the Recall of brand ambassador of the brand.

ANOVA

I can quickly recall the brand ambassador of the brand

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

Between Groups 467.177 4 116.794 110.233 .000

Within Groups 630.417 595 1.060

Total 1097.593 599

the null hypothesis and confirm that Brand type has an effect on: the Recall of brand ambassador
of the brand.

1 2 3 4
a,,b
5 120 3.07
3 120 3.80
1 120 4.46
2 120 4.51

Brand 1 2 3 4 5



Recall of the TV advertisements of the brand:
H0: Brand type has no effect on: the recall of tv ads of the brand.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: the recall of tv ads of the brand.

ANOVA
Squares
Between Groups 803.343 4 200.836 154.900 .000
Within Groups 771.450 595 1.297
Total 1574.793 599

the null hypothesis and confirm that Brand type has an effect on: the Recall of tv ads of the
brand.

1 2 3
a,,b
5 120 3.02
1 120 4.48
3 120 4.51
2 120 4.55

Brand 1 2 3 4 5

Hence we found that, Brand Awareness of Vodafone and Airtelis maximum amongst all the
telecom brands. Recall of Idea‟s logo, brand ambassador and tv ads is more but not at par with
Vodafone and Airtel. Reliance has the least brand awareness.



Brand-Specific Association
H0: Brand type has no effect on: emotional value; and perceived quality of the brand.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: emotional value; and perceived quality of the brand.

Brand being perceived to have a good network:
H0: Brand type has no effect on: having it being perceived to have a good network.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: having it being perceived to have a good network.

ANOVA
Has a good Network
Squares
Between Groups 655.543 4 163.886 158.305 .000
Within Groups 615.975 595 1.035
Total 1271.518 599

the null hypothesis and confirm that Brand type has an effect on: having it being perceived to
have a good network.

Has a good Network
1 2 3 4
a,,b
5 120 2.36
3 120 3.74
2 120 3.80
1 120 4.53

Brand 1 2 3 4 5



Brand with good call rates:
H0: Brand type has no effect on: brand having good call rates.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: brand having good call rates.

ANOVA
Has good Call rates
Squares
Between Groups 566.007 4 141.502 151.545 .000
Total 1121.573 599

the null hypothesis and confirm that Brand type has an effect on: brand having good call rates.

Has good Call rates
1 2 3
a,,b
1 120 2.39
3 120 3.83
5 120 4.51
4 120 4.54

Brand 1 2 3 4 5

Reliance and Tata Docomo have good call rates than Vodafone.



Brand with good availability
H0: Brand type has no effect on: brand having good availability.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: brand having good availability.

ANOVA
Squares
Between Groups 179.207 4 44.802 47.648 .000
Total 738.665 599

the null hypothesis and confirm that Brand type has an effect on: brand having good availability.

1 2 3
a,,b
4 120 3.75
3 120 3.80
1 120 4.48
2 120 4.52

Brand 1 2 3 4 5



Brand with good services
H0: Brand type has no effect on: brand having good services.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: brand having good services.

ANOVA
Has good services
Squares
Between Groups 200.633 4 50.158 70.855 .000
Total 621.833 599

the null hypothesis and confirm that Brand type has an effect on: brand having good services.

Has good services

Subset for alpha = 0.05

Brand N 1 2 3
a,,b

5 120 3.08

3 120 3.13

2 120 3.84

1 120 4.51




Brand 1 2 3 4 5



Perceived Quality of Vodafone is not considered very good in terms of call rates, availability and
services of Vodafone is good.

Brand loved the most
H0: Brand type has no effect on: brand being loved more.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: brand being loved more.

ANOVA
Is the brand I love
Squares
Between Groups 420.877 4 105.219 128.437 .000
Total 908.318 599

the null hypothesis and confirm that Brand type has an effect on: brand being loved more.

Is the brand I love
1 2 3
a,,b
5 120 2.33
3 120 2.34
2 120 3.13
1 120 4.47

Brand 1 2 3 4 5



Brand that pulls customers towards it.
H0: Brand type has no effect on: brand that pulls customers towards it.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: brand that pulls customers towards it.

ANOVA
Squares
Between Groups 407.673 4 101.918 115.994 .000
Total 930.473 599

the null hypothesis and confirm that Brand type has an effect on: brand that pulls customers
towards it.

1 2 3
a,,b
3 120 2.38
5 120 2.39
2 120 3.12
1 120 4.46

Brand 1 2 3 4 5



Brand that customers want to stay associated with:
H0: Brand type has no effect on: brand that customers want to stay associated with.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: brand that customers want to stay associated with.

ANOVA



Between Groups 396.093 4 99.023 98.626 .000

Within Groups 597.400 595 1.004

Total 993.493 599

the null hypothesis and confirm that Brand type has an effect on: brand that customers want to
stay associated with.

1 2 3 4
a,,b
5 120 3.08
2 120 3.79
3 120 4.36
1 120 4.43

Brand 1 2 3 4 5



Brand Commitment
H0: Brand type has no effect on: brand loyalty and purchase intention of the brand.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: brand loyalty and purchase intention of the brand.

Brand that customers choose over competitors:
H0: Brand type has no effect on: brand that customers choose over competitors.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: brand that customers over competitors.

ANOVA

I will Choose this brand over Competitors


Between Groups 492.417 4 123.104 150.430 .000


Total 979.333 599

the null hypothesis and confirm that Brand type has an effect on: brand that customers over
competitors.

1 2 3
a,,b
5 120 3.00
3 120 3.07
1 120 4.43
2 120 4.51

Brand 1 2 3 4 5



Brand that customers are loyal to:
H0: Brand type has no effect on: brand that customers are loyal to.
H1: Brand type has an effect on: brand that customers are loyal to.

ANOVA

I am loyal to this brand


Between Groups 517.957 4 129.489 146.027 .000


Total 1045.573 599

the null hypothesis and confirm that Brand type has an effect on: brand that customers are loyal to.

I am loyal to this brand
1 2 3
a,,b
5 120 2.30
3 120 2.31
2 120 3.88
1 120 4.41

Brand 1 2 3 4 5

People are more loyal to Vodafone than Airtel and choose both Vodafone and Airtel over
competitors.



This study examines whether brand type has effects on Indian consumers‟responses to the
three components of brand analysis:(1) general brand impressions, (2) brandspecificassociations,
and (3) brand commitment.



Conclusion:
As per the brand analysis model we analyzed the brands on three components.

Construct Component Item in Vodafone Airtel Idea Reliance Tata
questionnaire Docomo
General Brand Brand Image Has a good 4.48 4.16 3.12 1.77 2.47
Impression reputation
Is a prestigious 4.49 4.53 3.78 2.27 3.08
brand
Brand I can quickly recall 4.51 4.53 3.87 1.53 3.13
Awareness the logo of the
brand
I can quickly recall 4.5 4.48 3.8 2.18 3.07
the brand
ambassador of the
brand
I can quickly recall 4.55 4.47 4.51 1.63 3.02
the tv ads of the
brand

Brand Specific Perceived Has a good 4.53 3.80 3.74 1.68 2.36
Association Quality network

Has good call rates 2.39 2.37 3.83 4.54 4.51

Has good 4.48 4.52 3.8 3.75 3.03
availability

Has good services 4.51 3.84 3.13 3.03 3.08

Emotional Is the brand I love 4.47 3.13 2.34 2.29 2.33
Values

Makes me want to 4.46 3.12 2.38 2.28 2.39
use it

I want to stay 4.43 3.79 4.36 2.28 3.08
associated with the
brand
Brand Brand I am loyal to the 4.41 3.88 2.31 2.23 2.3
Commitment Loyalty brand

I will choose the 4.43 4.51 3.07 2.16 3
brand over
competitors



Hence we can see that despite Vodafone being a UK brand, it has scores good on a brand
analysis framework. It is considered to be at par with the number one telecom brand in India-
Airtel, despite having a less market share.
And despite it being a foreign brand, 45% of people feel that Vodafone understands Indian
Customers the most.

Airtel
28%
Vodafone
45%
Idea
9%
Reliance
Tata 13%
Docomo
5%

Other Key Findings:
1. 70% of the total sample chose Vodafone as its favorite telecom brand.
2. 54.3 % of the sample who had Airtel as their mobile service provider, chose
Vodafone as their favorite telecom brand.
3. 83.3% of the sample who had Idea as their mobile service provider, chose Vodafone
as their favorite telecom brand.
4. 50% of the sample who had Reliance as their mobile service provider, chose
Vodafone as their favorite telecom brand.
It can be seen from here that Vodafone has good Brand equity and people like Vodafone
as a brand but still they have different mobile service provider.

1. 75% of the females in the sample have Vodafone as their favorite telecom operator.
2. 66.7% of the males in the sample have Vodafone as their favorite telecom operator.
Be it males or females, both love Vodafone as a brand and choose it over their own
mobile service provider.



1. 52.8% of those who have their monthly mobile bill >Rs 400 have an Airtel
connection.
2. 44.4% of those who have their monthly mobile bill Rs 101-200 have a Reliance
connection.
3. 67.9% of those who have their monthly mobile bill Rs 201-400 have a Vodafone
connection.
It was seen that cost conscious consumers who don‟t spend much on mobile phones or
want to spend low, have Reliance as their mobile connection.



Recommendations:
1. Vodafone should work on its call rates as it scores very low in comparison to its
competitors on having good call rates

Brand Customer
Image Availability Care
5% 2% services
Value SMS
3%
added packs
services 19% Incomin
22% g and
outgoing
Network
Call rates 36%
calls
Internet
25% 50%
31%

Offers
7%
Factors important while choosing a mobile service provider. Factors important while using mobile.

If we look at the factors that are important for the mobile users while choosing a mobile service
provider and while using mobile services.

Call rates form the second most important factor while choosing a mobile service provider and
Incoming and outgoing calls form the most important factor while using mobile services.

2. Vodafone should focus more on getting people use value added services.
As per times of India, Vodafone expects to triple data revenue in India, Jan 9, 2012, Average
revenue per global system for mobile communications, or GSM, user in India declined to 100
rupees ($1.90) at the end of March 2011 from 131 rupees in 2010 earlier, according to the
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
We saw this from our study as well that the average monthly spending on mobile bill was around
Rs. 101-200



50-100
1%

>400
30%

101-200
47%

201-400
22%

Hence the only way to increase revenue in the industry is either by increasing the number of
mobile subscribers or by making people switch to value added services and internet to increase
the per subscriber revenue.
Increasing per subscriber revenue by making them shift to VAS:

BhartiAirtel has introduced plans with small amounts of free data to reduce 3G "bill shock. The
plan, which provides 1.25 gigabytes of free data for a month, costs 675 rupees. Still, only a
quarter of the company's 7 million 3G customers are active users.
Hence there is still friction in the market in terms of adopting 3G services.
But from our survey we saw that people having their bill >Rs 400 were using internet as one of
the main mobile services. Hence Vodafone can come up with a strategy to target this Rs>400
subscriber base with Value added services, 3G or internet.

Increasing the number of subscribers:

India‟s telecom industry is emerging as one of the biggest advertising spenders every year.
The industry witnessed an annual growth of 27% over May 2009 in advertising expenditure
(Website, IndianTelevision).

Looking at the advertising spent of Airtel and Vodafone in 2009, we can see that the industry is
highly competitive and brand building plays a major role in selection of a service provider.



Airtel Vodafone

20
17

3.1 2.85

Advertising Spent 2009 (Rs billion) Increase in users (million)

From this we can see that advertising spent has a direct correlation with increase in the number
of subscribers. Hence Vodafone should continue to advertise and penetrate deeper into the Indian
market.
Vodafone should also go for Market Development for the Rural part of India. Teledensity in
India is still 70%. There is 30% of the untapped market left to be tapped.
It can also go for product development for the high end consumers who want value added
services.

3. Vodafone, which has an average of 5 to 6 megahertz of spectrum in most zones in
India, compared with the 22
megahertz it holds on average in
other countries should use its
global expertise and increase the
spectrum in India as well.
Currently Vodafone has restricted
itself from 22 megahertz of
spectrum in india because of the
unfriendly government policies.
Hence Vodafone customers complaint that, GPRS services aren‟t good on
roaming.



4. The Cellular Operators Association of India recently carried out a survey which
revealed that Airtel and Vodafone gained most of the market share from the
Indian Telecom sector. In this report, Idea was spotted at third place with market
share of 15.88%.

Change in subscriber after MNP (lakhs)
Change in subscriber(lakhs)
8.24
7.11 6.5

Idea Rcom Vodafone Bharti Airtel

-12

Idea gained the maximum subscribers after MNP because it made all the effort to advertise for
MNP. Vodafone should also advertise on the benefits that mobile users would gain by changing
their connection to Vodafone.
6. ThoughVodafone‟s innovative and uniquely creative advertising campaigns have
distinctively caught the eye of the consumer and have helped the brand recall
increase manifolds, they have also caused another problem. The consumers tend to
remember more about the zoozoos and the pug while the basic service attributes that
can be attached to a telecom operator are not really crossing the mind of the
consumer when talking about the brand. In short, Vodafone‟s extremely popular
mascots have dominated their basic offerings. This is one area where we would
recommend them to create campaigns where the focus is more on the service
attributes that they want to be known for rather than the mascots which are currently
making them popular.



What connects you with Vodafone the
most
Express
yourself Red/White
Power to
Colors
you Happy to Help 2%
7% 12%
0%

Pug/Dog
21%

Zoo Zoo
58%

7. Vodafone‟s tagline of “Happy to Help” is not going down well as consumers who are
not satisfied with Vodafone cite the main reason as poor customer service. Clearly
Vodafone is not being able to stand up to its own promise.
8. If we look at the TRAI survey on telecom brands, then although the percentage of
customers satisfied with the brand are the highest but the audit (percentage of calls
answered by operator is only 96% lesser than Airtel and Idea.
Our qualitative indepthinterviews with Vodafone users shows that, customers aren‟t even
satisfied with Vodafone‟s IVR. They find it difficult to connect to the Customer care.

DeepaliAgarwal, a Vodafone user for the past 2 years says that she is satisfied with
Vodafone but is very annoyingly dissatisfied with its customer
care services.
She says,” I called up the Vodafone customer service and choose
English as the language of communication but some hindi
speaking lady picked up who spoke to me very rudely. She didn’t
even direct me to the right person and didn’t know what to do
with my complaint”.
Hence Vodafone should work on its Customer care services.The



should incorporate empathy as a service quality by training their call center employees
properly.

9. On evaluating Vodafone and other brands‟ call rates, I found that Vodafone has good sms
and internet plans. Infact to encourage people to use 3G their plan for the first time users
start at Rs 98 for 2GB data, which is very good but their full talktime plan starts at Rs 410
where as for Airtel it starts at Rs350 with unlimited Validity.
Hence Vodafone should come up with small full talktime to tap the 2/3rd rural population
of India who are value conscious.

10. Since Five Indian states would stand among the 20 most populous nations in the world
and Uttar Pradesh has a population which is more than the fifth largest country in the
world, hence Vodafone should focus its marketing efforts to acquire users in these 5
states.



Also the B and C circle have very low
penetration which gives Vodafone a
market development opportunity.
Vodafone should come up with some
special plans for these two circle in
order to increase its reach.



LIMITATIONS
• Marketing Research (MR) is not an exact science though it uses the techniques of science.
Thus, the results and conclusions drawn upon are not very accurate.
• The research was carried out on consumers, who are humans. Humans have a tendency to
behave artificially when they know that they are being observed. Thus, the consumers and
respondents upon whom the research is carried behave artificially when they are aware that
their attitudes, beliefs, views, etc are being observed.
• We faced time constraint during our research, as we had less number of days for the
completion of the research.
• Money constraints: We haven‟t had the proficiency to carry wide surveys for collecting
primary data, and hence were not also able to hire specialized market experts and research
agencies to collect primary data. Thus, we had to go for obtaining secondary data that is
cheaper to obtain.
• Sample size: Due to time constraint, we had to go for snowball sampling.
• The research was conducted in open marketplace where numerous variables act on research
settings.



BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Lee, M.Y., Knight D., Kim Y.K. (2008). Brand analysis of a U.S. global brand in comparison
with domestic brands. Journal of Product & Brand Management.
2. Bhardwaj, V., Kumar, A. and Kim, Y.K. (2010). Brand Analyses of U.S. Global and
Local Brands in India: The Case of Levi's. Journal of Global Marketing.
3. Kotler, P., Keller, K., Lane, Koshy, A., Jha, M. (2009), Marketing Management (13e),
Prentice Hall, Delhi.
4. Vodafone expects to triple data revenue in India, The Times of India, Jan 9, 2012. Accessed
on 19 January 2012.
5. Rajpurohit, R.C.S. and Dr. Vasita, M.L (2011), Consumer Preferences and Satisfaction
towards various mobile phone services providers.
6. Sathish M (Feb. 2011), A Study on Consumer Switching Behaviour in Cellular Service
Provider: A Study with reference to Chennai.
7. Service Provider wise Wireless Market Share (CMS) October 2011,
http://www.indiatelecomonline.com/service-provider-wise-wireless-market-share-october-
2011/, accessed on 10 January 2012.
8. Vodafone Annual report2011,
http://www.vodafone.com/content/annualreport/annual_report11/index.html, accessed on 9
January 2012.
9. Snapshot: India Telecom Market, http://www.telecomcircle.com/2009/06/india-telecom/,
accessed on 9 January 2012.
10. Research Indian Telecom Industry, http://www.equitymaster.com/research-it/sector-
info/telecom/, accessed on 9 January 2012.



Annexure
Questionnaire:



Construct Component Item in Questionnaire
General Brand Impression Brand Awareness I can recognize the brand among competing brands

Brand Image Has a good reputation

Brand Specific Association Perceived Quality Has a good Network
Has good Call rates
Has good services

Emotional values Is the brand I love
Gives me pleasure
Brand Commitment Brand Loyalty I am loyal to this brand

To analyze each component of the brand analysis framework, subsequent questions have been
developed as shown in column 3 of the above table.


Vodafone Brand Analysis

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