Bharti Airtel Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and

Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi !ndia the company ran"s amongst the top # mobile ser$ice pro$iders globally in terms of subscribers. !n !ndia the company%s product offerings include 2& '& and #& wireless ser$ices mobile commerce fi(ed line ser$ices high speed D)L broadband !*+, D+H enterprise ser$ices including national international long distance ser$ices to carriers. !n the rest of the geographies it offers 2& '& wireless ser$ices and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had nearly 2./ million customers across its operations at the end of Dec 200'. Highlights
Bharti Airtel becomes the fourth largest mobile operator in the world 1ducation is now a$ailable anytime anywhere with Airtel m1ducation

Our brand Airtel was born free a force unleashed into the mar"et with a relentless and unwa$ering determination to succeed. A spirit charged with energy creati$ity and a team dri$en 2to sei3e the day4 with an ambition to become the most admired telecom ser$ice pro$ider globally. Airtel in 5ust ten years of operations rose to the pinnacle of achie$ement and continues to lead. As !ndia%s leading telecommunications company airtel brand has played the role of a ma5or catalyst in !ndia%s reforms contributing to its economic resurgence. +oday we touch people%s li$es with our 6obile ser$ices +elemedia ser$ices to connecting !ndia%s leading 00007 corporate. 8e also connect !ndians li$ing in 9)A 9: and ;anada with our call home ser$ice

6ost +rusted Brands 200'< How Airtel and ,odafone re$amped their strategies to figure in +op 20
Admit it< there%s been at least one time this year =or maybe e$en this month or wee"> when you were furious with your mobile ser$ice pro$ider. &i$en the multiple interactions a consumer has and the sharp increase in the number of ser$ices offered ? from internet to super fast internet ? subscribers find e$en minor glitches unacceptable *erhaps reali3ing they are sitting duc"s and an all too easy target of general ire the two leading brands in the mar"et ha$e wor"ed hard to enhance trust o$er the last few years. +he proof of the pudding is in the current +op 20 where Airtel leapt 00 spots to . from last year%s 0.th place. ,odafone mo$es from '0 to 0@ ma"ing its debut in the +op 20. 9nli"e A6;& products where trust is built and bro"en basis a single transaction here trust wea"ens or strengthens depending on networ" connecti$ity pricing and the brand%s transparency when it comes to fees. As )rini &opalan director B consumer business at Bharti Airtel puts it CDou can%t build trust by ad$ertising. !t has to be done by putting the right processes in place.C +o start with Airtel re$iews and monitors its networ" on a wee"ly basis. 8ith many consumers complaining about not ha$ing signed up for ,A) and still getting their balance deducted Airtel has dri$en the practice of double consent which has resulted in the number of complaints dropping by E0 per cent. +he practice has also led to some decrease in the re$enue figures but as &opalan e(plains C8e%d rather if that drop ensures a reduction in the churn as well. 8e want to "eep our customers.C +heir singleBminded focus on impro$ing Airtel%s networ" ser$ices and charging o$er the last 02 months has indeed led to a significant drop in the churn rate he says. After years of youth oriented ads Airtel came up with both a proposition and a campaign that addressed its large user base trying to get lower income consumers a hitherto untapped segment to sample its internet offering at an Fs 0 price point. !n the meantime its youthful appeal has also yielded results among the younger demographic. Airtel . / @ 22 G @ @ Rank by category Vodafone 0@ 00 #2 0E 2@ 0G '/

Overall Gender(M) Gender(F) !"loyed #ot !"loyed Age($%&'%) Age('(&)%)

1$en ,odafone has been ma"ing efforts to pro$e that it really is %Happy to Help.% !t claims to ha$e added o$er 00 000 cell sites to the 2& networ" and o$er G000 to '&. C8e ha$e substantially impro$ed our $oice call e(perience by reducing call drop rates by o$er 2E per cent in the last two years C adds ,i$e" 6athur chief commercial officer at ,odafone !ndia. Le$eraging on its social media popularity ,odafone has used its online presence to address consumer grie$ances. C8e reply within 20 minutes and resol$e the issue in about fi$e hours C 6athur mentions. +elecom is a topBofBmind category points out )hripad Nad"arni founder director of 6ar"et &ate consulting. 8ith the growth in ,A) and data in particular people ha$e become more comfortable using phones for a larger range of acti$ities. +hat%s been a big gameBchanger for these players gi$en that there%s otherwise no huge shift in their product or ser$ice that would differentiate one from the other to a great e(tent. Airtel recently launched the %6y *lan% offering which allows a consumer the option to customi3e his pac"age rather than being gi$en a straightB5ac"eted option of fi$e plans. ,odafone on the other hand has been conspicuous by its absence on such offers Nad"arni feels. !t gi$es them a certain degree of elbow room to grow ? and perhaps e$en reach the +op 00 ne(t year.

Airtel ranked #o $ service brand

Airtel has been ran"ed as 2No. 0 ser$ice brand4 in the Brand 1quityHs 6ost +rusted Brands Annual sur$ey. +his is the second time in a row that Airtel has been ran"ed as the number one ser$ice brand the company in a statement said. !t said Airtel is the only telecom brand amongst the top 20 %6ost +rusted Brands% which demonstrates customers% trust in our ser$ices. 2Airtel digital +, continues to retain its No. 2 position as the D+H ser$ice pro$ider in !ndia. Airtel digital +, was the fifth entrant in the D+H space and it is e(hilarating to see it e$ol$e as the most trusted brand amongst our customers o$er the years.4 *ertinently the Brand 1quity%s 6ost +rusted Brands sur$ey in its 02th year now is the largest of its "ind in !ndia conducted by +he Nielsen ;ompany spread across the socio economic classifications age income and geography. !t determines the attitudes and trust of the consumers towards $arious brands and it is ele$ating to see that Airtel holds the top position in the telecom space amongst all other ser$ice brands. +his year%s sur$ey was based on eight attributes which included three new attributes of trustB %+his is a $ery reputed brand% %! would always recommend this brand to my family and friends% and %+his brand understands my needs%.

Bharti Airtel i!"le!ents *usto!er +"erience Manage!ent "latfor! (* M)

Bharti Airtel today announced that it has implemented a ;ustomer 1(perience 6anagement =;16> platform into its networ" to optimi3e and enrich user e(perience of its customers. +he operator has chosen No"ia )iemens Networ"s to pro$ide and deploy its ;16 platform and ser$ices across !ndia. +he ;16 platform will maintain and store realBtime e(perience metrics for e$ery subscriber in the networ" enabling Bharti Airtel to proacti$ely cater to customer needs.

2+he implementation of ;16 is an added impetus to our constant endea$or of offering best in class ser$ice e(perience to our customers across &)6 1D&1 and '& networ"s 4 said Iagbir )ingh director networ" group at Bharti Airtel. 2!t will enable us to identify the root cause of a problem and rectify the same before the subscriber e(periences any impairment in ser$ice deli$ery. +his will clearly help us maintain an edge in the mobile broadband arena.4 2Jur ;16 solution will enable Bharti Airtel to enhance its ser$ice e(perience. Aor instance it can proacti$ely correct de$ice settings without any inter$ention from the customer care 4 added )andeep &irotra head of !ndia region at No"ia )iemens Networ"s. 2!n addition it can assist the mar"eting teams by pro$iding new insights about subscribersH usage and preferences and hence enhance Bharti AirtelHs capabilities to create customer delight.4

*usto!er retention ,trategiesDetermine the strength of the companyHs customer retention strategies by as"ing e(isting customers whether they will recommend the company or not. 1$en though customer relationships are one of the companyHs most $aluable assets they are often one of the most under$alued assets too. !n the constant battle to gain new customers it is easy to o$er loo" the $alue e(isting customer relationship. All corporate profits are ultimately eared from conducting successful relationship with customers. As the source of all your profits customer relationships should be $alued and protected. 1$ery customer relationship is an asset and has a economic $alue or Lifetime 6ar"et ,alue = L6, >. A customerHs Lifetime 6ar"et ,alue is determined by ta"ing your a$erage customer transaction amount and multiplying it by the number of transactions he or she will conduct with your organi3ation o$er time.

Reasons *usto!ers .eave/

6o$e or Die #K Jther ;ompany Ariendship EK ;ompetition @K *roduct Dissatisfaction 0EK No ;ustomer ;ontact )trategy G/K

!f your customers begin to feel ignored or neglected wonHt they ultimately ta"e their business elsewhereL ;ustomer Fetention B "eeping customers B can be impro$ed by e(plaining to your employees B especially those on the front line who deal directly with your customers B 5ust how much each customer is worth to your business.

;ustomer Attrition B losing customers B can be dramatically reduced when all of your employees wor" together to "eep your e(isting customers satisfied. De$eloping a ;ustomer Fetention )trategy is one way to "eep e(isting customers content and your new customers coming bac" for more. 6aintain high customer satisfaction le$els and protect your customer relationships B because satisfied customers are truly one of your companyHs most $aluable assets.

*usto!er Retention For!ula/ ,0 0R0V0 1 ,erve 2 ngage 2 Relate 2 Verify

, RV your customers. )o many companies seem to be forgetting this basic point. 1$entually these organi3ations pay a stiff penalty. +he customer must "now that they are going to wal" through your doors and consistently recei$e the C8J8C e(perience. A consistently positi$e customer e(perience will not only ha$e customers returning but will ha$e them referring their friends and family. Ne(t letHs brea" down and e(plore each part of the customer retention formula. #GAG your customers. ;onnect with them whene$er possible. 6a"e the effort to reach out to your customers at e$ery opportunity. :now the names of your customers. :now their li"esMdisli"es and "now a little about what is happening in their li$es. !tHs not difficultN it 5ust ta"es a moment of actually spea"ing listening and paying attention to what they say. +his part of the customer retention formula is clear about the importance of building a connection with your customers. +his connection will be what "eeps customer loyal to you and your company. R .A3 to your customers. Let them "now that you understand their needs. )howing indifference to your customers will only ha$e them quic"ly turning to your competitors for reassurance. 1nsure your customers "now how much you appreciate their business. *eople want to be wanted. !f they feel ta"en for granted and unappreciated they will be an easy target for your competition. V R4F5 that what you are doing is wor"ing. +here cannot be too much follow up. )end out customer ser$ice sur$eys. Drop in for courtesy calls B do whate$er is necessary to "eep the communication flowing. !nspect what you e(pect when it comes to customer ser$ice. +he principles of our customer retention formula are actually $ery simple. Bottom line without customer ser$ice there are no customers to ser$e.

 !n order to "eep your current customers and constantly gather new ones you ha$e to "eep your customer ser$ice standards at the highest le$el possible. !tHs a fact that many customers will go where they feel the most 2cared for4. Despite what you might thin" price is NJ+ the most important thing in the minds of many consumers. +a"e care of your customers and them in return will ta"e care of you. Ne$er allow your organi3ation to lose sight of the customer retention formula. )uccess in customer retention is $ery basic B it will always be the little things that ma"e all the difference.

Vodafone 4ndia
Vodafone 4ndia .i!ited formerly Vodafone ssar .i!ited is the second largest mobile networ" operator in !ndia after Airtel by subscriber base. !t is based in 6umbai 6aharashtra. !t has appro(imately 0G0 million customers as of December 200'. !n Iuly 2000 ,odafone &roup agreed terms for the buyBout of its partner 1ssar from its !ndian mobile phone business. +he 9: firm paid OE.#G billion to its !ndian counterpart to ta"e 1ssar out of its ''K sta"e in the !ndian subsidiary. !t will lea$e ,odafone owning /#K of the !ndian business while the other 2GK will be owned by !ndian in$estors in compliance with !ndian law. Jn 00 Aebruary 200/ ,odafone agreed to acquire the controlling interest of G/K held by Li :a )hing Holdings in HutchB1ssar for 9)O00.0 billion pipping Feliance ;ommunications Hindu5a &roup and 1ssar &roup which is the owner of the remaining ''K. +he whole company was $alued at 9)D 0... billion. +he transaction closed on . 6ay 200/. !t offers both prepaidand postpaid &)6 cellular phone co$erage throughout !ndia with good presence in the metros. ,odafone !ndia pro$ides 2./E& ser$ices based on @00 6H3 and 0.00 6H3 digital &)6 technology. ,odafone !ndia launched '& ser$ices in the country in the IanuaryP6arch quarter of 2000 and plans to spend up to OE00 million within two years on its '& networ"s.

Ma+ 3ouch6 Orange and Hutch ($77'&'889)

Hutchison 6a( +elecom Ltd. =H6+L> a 5oint $enture between Hutchison 8hampoa and the 6a( &roup was established on 20 Aebruary 0@@2. +he license to operate in 6umbai =then Bombay> circle was awarded to Hutchison 6a( by the Department of +elecommunications =Do+> in No$ember 0@@#. +he cellular ser$ice branded C6a( +ouchC was launched the same year. )witching and other related equipment were pro$ided by 1ricsson and the networ" was designed engineered and set up by 6otorola. Hutchison 6a( entered into the Delhi telecom circle in December 0@@@ the :ol"ata circle in Iuly 2000 and the &u5arat circle in )eptember 2000. Licenses for these circles had initially been awarded by the Do+ in 0@@# 0@@/

and 0@@E respecti$ely. Between 0@@2 and 200G Hutchison acquired interests in all 2' mobile telecom circles of !ndia. Hutchison 6a( rebranded 6a( +ouch as Jrange from 0# Aebruary 2000 thus introducing the Jrange brand to !ndia. !ndia was the eighth country where Jrange was launched. )hortly issues arose concerning the ownership of the Jrange brand in !ndia when Arance +elecom =now Jrange ).A.> acquired the worldwide rights for the Jrange brand in 6ay 2000 from ,odafone and planned to enforce its ownership of the brand in !ndia to cash in on the brand%s popularity. Arance +elecom e(pressed interest in purchasing a significant sta"e in Hutchison%s !ndia operations but Hutchison !ndia officials turned it down saying that they were in no mood to sell and that they would e$entually effect a merger of their operations in all circles by ta"ing their !ndian partners along. !n December 0@@@ the two companies had entered into a licensing agreement on trademar" use and to pro$ide telecom ser$ices under the Jrange brand in the territories of 6umbai Na$i 6umbai and :alyan. Hutchison retained the rights o$er the Jrange brand in !ndia through this agreement but had to pay royalty to Arance +elecom. Arance +elecom had earlier entered into a 5oint $enture with B*L 6obile =now Loop 6obile>6 a competitor of Hutchinson 6a( in the 6umbai circleN but sold its entire 2GK sta"e in the 5oint $enture in December 200#. +hus it completely e(ited from operations in !ndia. H6+L was renamed Hutchison 1ssar Limited =H1L> in August 200E. +he name change was to reflect the consolidation of its fi$e entities in !ndia =Hutchison 1ssar 6obile )er$ices Hutchison +elecom 1ast Hutchison 1ssar )outh Aircel Digilin" !ndia and Aascel> earlier that year. At the time Hutchison 1ssar had o$er ... million subscribers in 0' telecom circles of !ndia B 6umbai Delhi :ol"ata ;hennai &u5arat Andhra *radesh :arnata"a 9* 1ast 9* 8est Fa5asthan Haryana *un5ab and 8est Bengal. +he consolidation led to the introduction of a single brand name Hutch across the all circles in the country in which Hutchison 1ssar operated ending the use of earlier brand names li"e ;elforce in &u5arat and ;ommand in :ol"ata. Howe$er the Jrange brand continued to be used in 6umbai until Ianuary 200G when it was replaced by the Hutch brand. !n Delhi 9ttar *radesh =1ast> Fa5asthan and Haryana 1ssar &roup was the ma5or partner. But later Hutch too" the ma5ority sta"e. By the time of Hutchison +elecom%s !nitial *ublic Jffering in 200# Hutchison 8hampoa had acquired interests in si( mobile telecommunications operators pro$iding ser$ice in 0' of !ndia%s 2' license areas and following the completion of the acquisition of B*L 6obile that number increased to 0G. !n 200G it announced the acquisition of a company =1ssar )pacetel ? A subsidiary of 1ssar &roup> that held license applications for the se$en remaining license areas. !nitially the company grew its business in the largest wireless mar"ets in !ndia ? in cities li"e 6umbai Delhi and :ol"ata. !n these densely populated urban

areas it was able to establish a robust networ" wellB"nown brand and large distribution networ" P all $ital to longBterm success in !ndia. +hen it also targeted business users and highBend postB paid customers which helped Hutchison 1ssar to consistently generate a higher A$erage Fe$enue *er 9ser =AF*9> than its competitors. By adopting this focused growth plan it was able to establish leading positions in !ndia%s largest mar"ets pro$iding the resources to e(pand its footprint nationwide. !n Aebruary 200/ Hutchison +elecom announced that it had entered into a binding agreement with a subsidiary of ,odafone &roup *lc to sell its G/K direct and indirect equity and loan interests in Hutchison 1ssar Limited for a total cash consideration =before costs e(penses and interests> of appro(imately O00.0 billion. Hutch was often praised for its award winning ad$ertisements which all follow a clean minimalist loo". A recurrent theme is that its message CHiC stands out $isibly though it uses only white letters on red bac"ground. Another successful ad campaign in 200' featured a pug named ;hee"a following a boy around in unli"ely places with the tagline C8here$er you go our networ" follows.C +he simple yet powerful ad$ertisement campaigns won it many admirers. Ads featuring the pug were continued by ,odafone e$en after rebranding. +he brand subsequently introduced Qoo Qoos which gained e$en higher popularity than was created by the *ug. ,odafone%s creati$e agency is J-6 while Harit Nagpal was the 6ar"eting Director during the $arious phases of its brand e$olution.

Vodafone ac:uires ssar;s ,take

!n 200/ ,odafone granted options to 1ssar that would enable the conglomerate to sell its entire sta"e for OEbn or to dispose of part of the '' per cent shareholding at an independently appraised fair mar"et $alue. !n Ianuary 2000 ,odafone ob5ected to 1ssarHs plans to place part of its ''K sta"e in !ndia )ecurities a small public company. ,odafone feared the mo$e would gi$e an inflated mar"et $alue to ,odafone 1ssar. !t had approached the mar"et regulator )1B! and also filed a petition in the 6adras High ;ourt. +he final shareholding pattern post this deal was not pro$ided by the company as it was not clear whether ,odafone%s sta"e would e(ceed the /# per cent AD! limit. !ndian laws don%t allow foreign companies to own more than /#K in a local mobileBphone operator. ,odafone has assured it will comply with local rules. ,odafone will ha$e to sell that 0K to some !ndian entity or theyHll ha$e to consider an initial public offering. ,odafone also said that final settlement is anticipated to be completed by No$ember 2000. +he completion of the deal would be sub5ect to meeting certain conditions which include Feser$e Ban" of !ndia%s permission as well as $aluation of the deal.

Jn 6arch '0 2000 ,odafone &roup *lc announced that it would buy an additional ''K sta"e in its !ndian 5oint $enture for OE billion after partner 1ssar &roup e(ercised an option to sell the holding in the mobileBphone operator. +he deal raised ,odafoneHs sta"e to /EK. 1ssar left the company after it implemented a put option o$er 22K of the $enture. ,odafone e(ercised its call option to buy an 00K sta"e.

Vodafone&Hutchison 3a+ *ase

,odafone was embroiled in a O2.E billion ta( dispute with the !ndian !ncome +a( Department o$er its purchase of Hutchison 1ssar +elecom ser$ices in April 200/. !t was being alleged by the !ndian +a( authorities that the transaction in$ol$ed purchase of assets of an !ndian ;ompany and therefore the transaction or part thereof was liable to be ta(ed in !ndia. ,odafone &roup *lc. entered !ndia in 200/ through a subsidiary based in the Netherlands which acquired Hutchison +elecommunications !nternational LtdHs =H+!L> sta"e in Hutchison 1ssar Ltd =H1L>?the 5oint $enture that held and operated telecom licenses in !ndia. +his ;ayman !slands transaction along with se$eral related agreements ga$e ,odafone control o$er G/K of H1L and e(tinguished Hong :ongBbased HutchisonHs rights of control in !ndia a deal which cost the worldHs largest telco O00.2 billion at the time. +he cru( of the dispute had been whether or not the !ndian !ncome +a( Department has 5urisdiction o$er the transaction. ,odafone had maintained from the outset that it is not liable to pay ta( in !ndiaN and e$en if ta( were somehow payable then it should be Hutchison to bear the ta( liability. !n Ianuary 2002 the !ndian )upreme ;ourt passed the 5udgement in fa$our of ,odafone saying that the !ndian !ncome ta( department had Cno 5urisdictionC to le$y ta( on o$erseas transaction between companies incorporated outside !ndia. Howe$er !ndian go$ernment thin"s otherwise. !t belie$es that if an !ndian company Hutchison !ndia Ltd. conducts a financial transaction go$ernment should get its ta( out of it. +herefore in 2002 !ndia changed its !ncome +a( Act retrospecti$ely and made sure that any company in similar circumstances is not able to a$oid ta( by operating out of ta(Bha$ens li"e ;ayman !slands or Lichtenstein. !n 6ay 2002 !ndian authorities confirmed that they were going to charge ,odafone about 20000 crore =9) O'.' billion> in ta( and fines. +he second phase of the dispute is about to start. +he Bombay high court on +hursday directed the !ncomeB+a( Appellate +ribunal =!+A+> to hear a Fs.. E00 crore transferBpricing ta( dispute relating to the !ndian arm of ,odafone &roup *lc from 20 Aebruary on a daily basis till a final order is passed.

,ervice Branding of Vodafone

 <G
Jn 0@ 6ay 2000 the '& spectrum auction in !ndia ended. ,odafone paid 00G0/..G million =the second highest amount in the auctions> for spectrum in @ circles. +he circles it will pro$ide '& in are Delhi &u5arat Haryana :ol"ata 6aharashtra - &oa 6umbai +amil Nadu 9ttar *radesh =1ast> and 8est Bengal. Jn 0G 6arch 2000 ,odafone launched '& ser$ices in 9ttar *radesh =1ast> in the city of Luc"now. ,odafone had already launched limited '& ser$ices in ;hennai and Delhi earlier but the 9ttar *radesh =1ast> launch counts as its first fully commercial launch. +his ma"es ,odafone the fifth pri$ate operator =se$enth o$erall> to launch its '& ser$ices in the country following +ata Docomo Feliance ;ommunications Airtel and Aircel. Jn 2' Iune 2000 ,odafone launched '& ser$ice in :erala by 5oining with !dea in an !ntra ;ircle Foaming agreement. !nitially ,odafone '& ser$ices will be a$ailable in the following cities in :erala P 1rna"ulam Alu$a ;alicut :oyilandy Alappu3ha ;herthala 6alappuram and 6an5eri. Jn 2. Iune 2002 ,odafone launched a new international roaming pac"age under which the users shall ha$e not to pay multiple rentals in the countries they are $isiting.

Angel ,tores
,odafone Angel )tore is a first of its "ind retail concept store that is completely managed and run by women employees including security pantry staff customer ser$ice resources and management le$el personnel. As of ' )eptember 200' there are 0G ,odafone Angel )tores across 0# states of !ndia. )tores are currently operating in Agra Ahmedabad Bhubaneshwar ;hennai Delhi &oa Haryana Hyderabad Iaipur :erala :ol"ata Luc"now 6umbai 6ysore *une )hillong ,adodara and Fa5"ot. According to 6arten *ieters 6anaging Director and ;1J ,odafone !ndia C+he Angel )tores are a part of ,odafoneHs commitment to pro$ide our women employees with one of the most secure and producti$e wor" en$ironment. Additionally our women customers feel more welcomed while $isiting the store.C ,odafone%s own research and customer feedbac" re$ealed that the Angel )tores help impro$e the quality of customer ser$ice as women generally show greater patience and empathy than men and are able to act and help in speedy resolution. ,odafone also found that higher producti$ity and performance parameters recorded in Angel )tores across locations.

,ubscriber Base
Aollowing is the ,odafone !ndia subscriber base statistics as on Ianuary 200'.

+otal number of ,odafone !ndia )ubscribers< $)$6%$76=)8 total (%96$%=68$< 4ndian !obile "hone subscribers0

i.e. '$0%)> of

the

Vodafone ?oo@oos
!*L )eason 2 saw the birth of the Qoo3oo for ,odafone< eggshell li"e characters created to tell a new $alueBadded ser$ice story each time. !n 200. ,odafone had un$eiled the RHappy to HelpH series during the first season of the !ndian *remier League =!*L>. 8ith the launch of the second season ,odafone had gi$en birth to the Qoo3oo< a special character created specifically to con$ey a $alue added ser$ice =,A)> offering in each of the newly released commercials. +here were some 2E such commercials planned under this campaign. +he aim was to release appro(imately one ad a day to sustain interest till the end of the !*L. 6edia spends and $isibility for brands pea" during the !*L so ,odafone ob$iously wanted a piece of the pie. Aurther the brand was in need of an idea that would wor" doubly hard as it was planning to spend some four monthsH worth of mar"eting monies in one month. ,odafone briefed its agency Jgil$y !ndia to create uncommon characters P a common thread to lin" the ads in the campaign together. Jgil$y e(perimented with se$eral characters and finally too" its lo$e for the term ReggheadH one step too far creating characters that don the colour white with blac" dots for eyes and a mouth ha$e heads resembling eggs and disproportionately thin bodies. +he Qoo3oo idea was concei$ed by Fa5i$ Fao. He was also the mind behind the story lines and the name. +he ads were shot by *ra"ash ,arma and produced by Nir$ana Ailms within a record time of 00 days. +he preBproduction wor" happened within a month and cost around ' crore rupees. +he idea was to tell the ,A) stories in a world a"in to yet different from humans. +he creatures were then gi$en a characterisation< they are to lead simple li$es spea" a language of their own =something that sounds li"e gibberish> mo$e in a certain way and e$en emote li"e human beings with big frowns or big grins to do the tric". +he e(ecution was almost li"e emoticons. )uper Qoo3oo which was introduced as a symbol of ,odafoneHs '& launch in !ndia. !t was brought to life using a :inect de$ice and ma"ing it dance to Feggae. After a brief brea" the Qoo3oos were bac" on !ndian tele$ision with a new set of ads during the !*L 200'. Jnly this time they were accompanied by a new set of characters called the Qumi Qumis. ,odafoneHs Qoo3oo ads were a hit among the !ndian audience. +his can be gauged from the huge fan following on social networ"ing sites such as Aaceboo" and +witter. +here are more than 200 pages on Qoo3oos ha$ing o$er 2E0000 fans growing daily. +he ads were also $iewed

by millions of people on Dou+ube. !tHs history what the Qoo3oos ha$e done for the brand. 6ost importantly it made the brand a little more playful a little less serious a little less emotional and a little more fun.

BlackBerry Boys
!n )eptember 2000 ,odafone !ndia in an endea$or to ta"e the benefits of Blac"berry ser$ices mainstream and reach out to its young and upwardly mobile audience had successfully launched a campaign featuring the %Blac"berry Boys%. ;onceptuali3ed by Jgil$y !ndia the tele$ision commercial showed fi$e men in suits singing about how being business people they are distinct and superior from the rest and ma"e smart use of their Blac"Berry phones. +heir song ta"es a twist when casually dressed youngsters 5oin in and sing about the cool stuff that they do with their Blac"Berry phones. +he 5ingle was widely appreciated and the ad$ertisement did a good 5ob in bringing down the notion that Blac"Berry phones are meant only for the e(ecuti$e world. +he Blac"Berry boys returned in 2002 with their second commercial which tal"ed about how they are no longer the %Blac"Berry Boys% because the youth uses BB6 ser$ice for $arious purposes right from sharing pictures to music and many more which ta"es them beyond the world of chatting. +he ad$ertisement was shot in a manner that ga$e the impression of a %boyB band% music $ideo and was bac"ed by the song %+hey are the Blac"Berry Boys%.

#etAork ads Aith the Bug

CDou - !C was an ad$ertising campaign of ,odafone !ndia which aimed at establishing the superior networ" pro$ided by the company. +he ads featured a child actor Iayaram along with a pug named ;hee"a. +he dog follows the boy in unli"ely locations prompting the tagline C8here$er you go our networ" follows.C +he duo first appeared on +, billboards newspapers and bus shelters in 200' and became instant celebrities all o$er !ndia. +he campaign was created by 6ahesh ,. and Fa5ee$ Fao )enior ;reati$e Directors at Jgil$y - 6ather 6umbai. +he tele$ision ad was the first to be shot a G0Bsecond sequence in lush green &oa. +he role of the boy was played by Iayaram an eightByearBold who had already starred in four other ads.;hee"a was suggested for the role by an assistant at Nir$ana Ailms the ma"ers of the ad$ertisement. +he campaign became a hit and was soon followed by a print $ersion for newspapers. +he campaign was well recei$ed all o$er !ndia.

Vodafone Celights
,odafone launched ,odafone Delights in Jctober 2000 that offered customers benefits on tra$el lifestyle dining and entertainment with other commercial establishments. +hese benefits

could be a$ailed by the customers by sending a )6) or dialing a 9))D code. +he ,odafone Delights commercials depicted a budding friendship between two schoolgirls who would go out of their way to treat the other. +he 5ingle RLittle things you do for meH appreciated by e$ery $iewer and struc" a chord a chord especially with the youngsters. ,odafone was bac" with their ,odafone Delights campaign in 2002 to promote new special offers including happy hours gifts for consumers on their birthdays and on e$ery $isit to the . 000 ,odafone )tores across the country. ,odafone also introduced discounted tariffs on calls and messaging between 2 pm and # pm e$ery day. +he new ad$ertisements showed a growing friendship between a young boy and an old man. +he old man rewards the boy with gifts emerging from magic tric"s each time the boy $isits the old man%s house. Jgil$y - 6ather which has been producing ad campaigns for the company for the past 00 years was gi$en the mandate to de$elop a campaign that had the emotional resonance of the earlier campaign. +his si(Bwee" long campaign was bac"ed by fullBscale media e(posure on tele$ision radio and print outdoor on ground digital and online.

Made for you offers

+he ,odafone %6ade for you% campaign was launched in No$ember 2002. !t was a set of three commercials that were practically identical e(cept for the situations that had been portrayed. +he first tele$ision spot was set in a tailor%s shop the second at the barbershop and the third in a fitness centre. +ogether they created a montage of shots of people tal"ing to the camera and pro$iding detailed specifications about their needs in e$ery situation. +he ad$ertisement highlighted R020H an !,F =!nteracti$e ,oice Fesponse> based product offering that empowered customers to choose their best offers across products such as local )+D )6) ,A) data and thereby placed the power in the hands of the customers to decide what offer suited their unique requirements. +he campaign was created to attract the )1; B and ; segment of customers that are price conscious and ha$e a better affinity to !,FBbased ser$ices.

Vodafone 4nternet *a!"aign 4B. (

After a brief brea" the Qoo3oos were bac" on !ndian tele$ision with a new set of ads during the !*L 200'. Jnly this time they were accompanied by a new set of characters. +hese characters resembled the Qoo3oos in almost all aspects e(cept their si3e and their distincti$e helmets. +ermed as the 6ini Qoo3oos by many these characters did not ha$e any official name. ;reated by Jgil$y !ndia the mini Qoo3oos were actually metaphors for mobile internet. +o put forward ,odafoneHs internet propositions in a creati$e manner the agency created an army of mini Qoo3oos. Nine %missions% in the Qoo3oo world were accomplished during the course of this

campaign. +hese missions were used as metaphors for actual offerings in the internet genre for e(ample music email 5ob search cric"et scores photoBrelated uses and finding a partner. +he ad$ertisements were made using animation =the little Qoo3oos in the films> as well as actual physical sets and people in Qoo3oo costumes =the big Qoo3oos in the films>. ,odafone capped off the campaign in style with a music $ideo which is also "nown as the Qumi film. +he Qumi film showed the mini Qoo3oos celebrating their accomplished missions. +he $ideo depicts the mini Qoo3oos dancing to a peppy dance number %8e are Qumi Qumi% and performing dance steps li"e Abba%s 8al" Li"e an 1gyptian and 6ichael Iac"son%s signature moon wal". +he film also con$eyed the product benefits of ,odafone internet =ability to share photos play songs and see $ideos> through subtitles. Apart from +, =including the !*L playoffs> the tune was being promoted e(tensi$ely on radio and digital platforms as well.

AAards and recognition

+he Brand +rust Feport 2000 published by +rust Fesearch Ad$isory has ran"ed ,odafone as the 0Gth most trusted brand in !ndia.

3i!eline
0@@2< Hutchison 8hampoa and 6AS group establish Hutchison 6a( 2000< Acquisition of Delhi operations and entry into ;alcutta =now :ol"ata> and &u5arat mar"ets through 1ssar acquisition 2000< 8on auction for licenses to operate &)6 ser$ices in :arnata"a Andhra *radesh and ;hennai 200'< Acquired Air;el Digilin" =AD!L ? 1))AF )ubsidiary> which operated in Fa5asthan 9ttar *radesh 1ast and Haryana telecom circles and rebranded it %Hutch%. 200#< Launched in three additional telecom circles of !ndia namely *un5ab 9ttar *radesh =8est> and 8est Bengal. 200E< Acquired B*L 6obile operations in ' circles. +his left B*L with operations only in 6umbai where it still operates under the brand %Loop 6obile%. 200/< ,odafone acquires a G/K sta"e in Hutchison 1ssar for O00./ billion. +he company is renamed ,odafone 1ssar. %Hutch% is rebranded to %,odafone%.

200.< ,odafone acquires the licenses in remaining / circles and starts its pending operations in 6adhya *radesh circle as well as in Jrissa Assam North 1ast and Bihar. 2000< ,odafone &roup buys out its partner 1ssar from its !ndian mobile phone business. !t paid OE.#G billion to ta"e 1ssar out of its ''K sta"e in the !ndian subsidiary. !t left ,odafone owning /#K of the !ndian business.

4dea *ellular
!dea ;ellular is an Aditya Birla &roup ;ompany !ndia%s first truly multinational corporation. !dea is a panB!ndia integrated &)6 operator offering 2& and '& ser$ices and has its own NLD and !LD operations and !)* license. 8ith re$enue in e(cess of O# billionN re$enue mar"et share of nearly 0EKN and subscriber base of o$er 020 million in AD 200' !dea is !ndiaHs 'rd largest mobile operator. !dea ran"s among the +op 00 country operators in the world with a traffic of o$er 0.E billion minutes a day. !deaHs robust panB!ndia co$erage is built on a networ" of o$er 000 000 2& and '& cell sites spread across o$er EE 000 towns in !ndia. 9sing the latest in technology !dea pro$ides worldBclass ser$ice deli$ery through the most e(tensi$e networ" of customer touch points comprising of nearly # E00 e(clusi$e !dea outlets and o$er / 000 call centre seats. !deaHs customer ser$ice deli$ery platform is !)J @000<200. certified ma"ing it the only operator in the country to ha$e this standard certification for all 22 ser$ice areas and the corporate office. !dea has consistently stayed ahead of the industry in ,LF reporting. !deaHs thought leadership on 6obile Number *ortability =6N*> has enabled it to stay as the top gainer with highest net gain. 1$ery #th mobile user who e(ercises choice through 6N* prefers !dea. !dea offers a range of highBspeed mobile broadband de$ices including Android based '& smartphones dongles etc. !deaHs wide portfolio of '& smartphones offer the latest in '& applications and highBend data ser$ices such as !dea +, games social networ"ing etc. at most affordable prices. !dea has been a pioneer in introducing customi3ed product offerings for segmented customers. !t is the first mobile operator to introduce inno$ati$e $alue added ser$ices in the !ndian telephony mar"et and has remained ahead of the industry in data product offerings. !dea has recei$ed se$eral national and international recognitions for its pathBbrea"ing inno$ations in mobile telephony products and ser$ices. !dea won the prestigious RND+, Business Leadership AwardH in the +elecom category for its solid consistent performance in 2002. !t was the 8inner of 1+ +elecom Awards 2002 in the categories B R;ustomer 1(perience 1nhancementH R1(cellence in 6ar"etingH and R!nno$ati$e *roductsH. !dea also won the RBest Ad ;ampaign of the DearH award for the popular Honey Bunny campaign at the +ele.Net +elecom Awards 2002.

!dea won the RBest Brand ;ampaignH at the esteemed 8orld ;ommunication Awards in 2002 R00. !t won the &)6 Association Award for RBest Billing and ;ustomer ;are )olutionH for two consecuti$e years and was awarded R6obile Jperator of the Dear Award P !ndiaH for 200/ and 200. at the Annual Asian 6obile News Awards. !dea is listed on the National )toc" 1(change =N)1> and the Bombay )toc" 1(change =B)1> in !ndia. !dea has been ran"ed T0 in the +elecom sector in 2!ndiaHs Best ;ompanies to 8or" for )tudy P 200' and the 2Best *lace to 8or"4 at the Asia ;ommunication Awards 200'.

,ervice Branding of 4dea *ellular 4deaDs ,ustainability 4nitiatives

+elecom ser$ices are recogni3ed worldBo$er as an important tool for the socioBeconomic de$elopment of a nation. !t is one of the prime support ser$ices essential for rapid growth and moderni3ation of $arious sectors of the economy. !n !ndia too the telecommunication sector has re$olutioni3ed the way we communicate and share information thereby helping o$er .00 million !ndians stay connected o$er the last two decades. +he telecom industry globally is cogni3ant of the fact that it needs to lighten its carbon footprint. And in the !ndian telecom sector !dea is leading the search for green energy options. !dea ;ellular part of the Aditya Birla &roup which is !ndiaHs first truly global conglomerate is one of the oldest players in the !ndian telecom industry and has played a "ey role in the de$elopment of mobile telephony particularly in rural !ndia. As part of a socially responsible corporate group !dea has and continues to adopt policies and business strategies to effecti$ely integrate emerging en$ironmental social and economic considerations. 8hether itHs through conser$ing energy recycling or finding inno$ati$e solutions to en$ironmental and social challenges !dea is committed to being a respectful responsible and positi$e influence on the en$ironment and the society in which we operate. 1fficient power management infrastructure sharing use of ecoBfriendly renewable energy sources le$eraging the latest in technology to reach out to a large audience in most energy efficient manner such as $ideo and teleconferencing smart logistics etc. are some of the best practices in our networ" infrastructure and dayBtoBday business operations to ensure a clean and green en$ironment.

#etAork 4nfrastructure initiatives

!n our effort to gi$e bac" to the en$ironment and reduce the collecti$e carbon foot print of the

telecom sector in !ndia !dea pioneered the concept of R)hared +elecom !nfrastructureH ser$ices along with a few other industry leaders in the wireless space. +his initiati$e is committed towards continuous inno$ation endea$orsN optimi3ation of future tower rolloutsN and enhanced operational efficiencies leading to a substantial reduction of carbon foot print. +he !ndian telecom industryHs first collaborati$e crossBindustry consortium to encourage the de$elopment of en$ironmentally sustainable mobile networ"s was also led by !dea and supported by the &)6A. +he pilot aimed at de$eloping biofuels as a source of power for wireless networ"s in rural !ndia which are located beyond the reach of the national electricity grid was conducted in parts of Andhra *radesh and 6aharashtra. +he learningHs of the research were later handed to the infrastructure company which owns the towers to e(plore broad basing of the program. !n a bid to reduce energy consumption by our B+) !dea chose JD B+) =outdoor B+)> as our preferred B+) type in 200/. ;urrently o$er #0K our total B+) portfolio comprises of JD B+) which has resulted in reducing our con$entional energy consumption by about 2EK as compared to the !D B+) =indoor B+)>. 1fforts are also on to reBdeploy !D B+) to JD B+) sites in some locations which will further reduce energy consumption at these sites by 2EK. !dea has e(plored a )olar Hybrid )olution for running our B+) in parts of rural Bihar. 8e plan to install )olar Hybrid sets at 200 sites by end of AD 02. +his will reduce the fuel consumption of power generator from running for 0EB0G hours to less than E hours a day in these locations. !dea is also part of the Auel ;ell pro5ect initiated by our &roup. +he pro5ect aims at e(ploring the usage of Hydrogen as an alternate energy source to power mobile base stations. ;urrently a trial pro5ect if successful this program has the potential of reducing the usage of a regular power generator to Qero. Additionally we are wor"ing on a range of other pro5ects all of which are aimed at e(perimenting alternate energy sources to fuel base stations and reduce operating e(penditure for the company.

*o!!unication initiatives
8ith a subscriber base of nearly 00 crore we ha$e an opportunity to influence a large mass of people by promoting green initiati$es through our $arious communication programs and customer ser$ice initiati$es. !t was !dea which germinated the thought of R9se 6obile )a$e *aperH in the minds of millions of mobile users in !ndia with its aggressi$e yet thought pro$o"ing campaign. !dea designed the campaign to highlight numerous ways of sa$ing paper and thereby sa$ing the green co$er necessary for the health of the planet by using a range of mobile based $alue added ser$ices in

dayBtoBday

acti$ities

to

replace

paper.

!dea was amongst the first mobile operators in !ndia to promote $B+op up recharges for prepaid users in a ma5or way. )oon this led to the $irtual phasing out of paperBbased recharge $ouchers which has ultimately resulted in sa$ing tonnes of paper which would ha$e otherwise been used in ma"ing recharges a$ailable to millions of mobile users across the country. Another recent and ongoing initiati$e is eBBill which is being consistently promoted by !dea to ensure that more and more users opt for this ser$ice and contribute towards sa$ing paper. Brea"ing all con$entions !dea has now concei$ed another inno$ati$e program which is aimed at reducing plastic consumption on a large scale. !n a ma5or o$erhaul of its logistics management !dea has now introduced the R*!;JH card which is a halfBsi3e plastic card that bears the )!6 card in a new connection "it. Aor decades new mobile users ha$e been handed out welcome "its by operators which carry a large si3e plastic piece with the )!6 card inserted in the bo(. !dea has now become one of the first operators globally to introduce the new *!;J card which is e(pected to sa$e o$er @0K of plastic used in manufacturing regular cards. ;onsidering that !dea adds about 2 million new connections e$ery month this initiati$e would result in substantial reduction of plastic usage. As a company listed on B)1 and N)1 !dea has a base of o$er 'G0 000 shareholders who we communicate with on a regular basis. All company communication to our shareholders and in$estors such as Notices Annual Feports etc. are sent through eBmail rather than printed copies through post thus dramatically reducing our printing and mailing costs while ma"ing a positi$e impact on the en$ironment.

!"loyee based initiatives

!deaHs HF operations ha$e all been enabled online for its o$er / 000 employees to ensure that there is minimal paper documentation. +his has again helped us sa$e tonnes of paper that would ha$e been used in dayBtoBday HF related transactions and communication. 8e use smart !;+ solutions such as teleconferencing $ideoconferencing web chats etc. for internal communication amongst employees to minimi3e tra$el. 8e belie$e that !dea employees are the flag bearers of the organi3ation. +hey enable the organi3ation to reali3e its mission and goals and meet commitments. !dea employees ha$e played a "ey role in "eeping our pledge to do our bit for the en$ironment. RBus :aroH is an initiati$e centered around a large group of !dea employees who commute to office daily in their

own cars. +hrough the program these employees use a pooled bus ser$ice for office commuting in pea" hours e$eryday. Jne such bus potentially lessens '0 cars from e$eryday traffic 5ams sa$ing o$er 0200 tons of ;arbon emissions per annum. Dri$en by its socially conscious parent &roup !dea stays committed to the cause of gi$ing bac" to the en$ironment. 8e will continue to dri$e our efforts towards en$ironment sustainability by reducing carbon foot print and energy consumption.

Source: - http://www.coai.com/Statistics/GSM-Subscriber-Figure-Report

Group Company wise % market share (Subscribers as o! "anuary #$%&

Source: - http://www.coai.com/Statistics/GSM-Subscriber-Figure-Report