Marketing Management

2010

By: Fatima Begum Nasir Subhan Samra Mansoor Sunober R. Maneckji Umair Younus Date of Submission: December 30, 2010

Ad Review Report

Ad Review: Telenor Persona Postpaid

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost we thank the Almighty Allah for giving us the tenacity to complete this report in time.

For the completion of this group based report we would like to extend our heartiest appreciations and thanks to our worthy teacher Mr. Najeeb Agrawalla for giving us an opportunity to put our knowledge into practice and to guide us through while studying the course MARKETING MANAGEMENT.

Ad Review: Telenor Persona Postpaid

Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .............................................................................................................................. 2 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................ 4 1.1. 1.2. 1.3. 2. TEXT ......................................................................................................................................... 4 DEMONSTRATION .................................................................................................................... 4 MESSAGE EXECUTION............................................................................................................... 5

OFFERING ........................................................................................................................................ 6 2.1. 2.2. 2.3. THE PRODUCT .......................................................................................................................... 6 STAGE IN PRODUCT LIFE-CYLE .................................................................................................. 7 THE MARKET SHARE ................................................................................................................. 7

3. 4. 5.

COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES OF THE ADVERTISEMENT ................................................................ 8 TARGET AUDIENCE ........................................................................................................................... 8 MESSAGE DESIGN ............................................................................................................................ 9 5.1. 5.2. 5.3. 5.3.1. 5.3.2. 5.3.3. 5.4. APPEAL..................................................................................................................................... 9 STRUCTURE .............................................................................................................................. 9 FORMAT ................................................................................................................................... 9 Cataphrase ......................................................................................................................... 10 Sub Caption: ....................................................................................................................... 10 Tag Line .............................................................................................................................. 10 SOURCE .................................................................................................................................. 10

6.

MEDIUM ........................................................................................................................................ 10 6.1. PLACEMENT, TIME & COSTS ................................................................................................... 10

7.

CRITIQUES...................................................................................................................................... 11 7.1. 7.2. 7.3. POSITIVES ............................................................................................................................... 11 NEGATIVES ............................................................................................................................. 12 RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................. 13

Ad Review: Telenor Persona Postpaid

1. INTRODUCTION

This report is presented on the Pakistani TV Urdu, and the ad chosen is of Telenor Persona. The ad was made at the launch of Telenor Persona in Feb 2007. Telenor has been operating in Pakistan since 2005, while other companies like Ufone and Mobilink started in year 2000. It and now covers a customer base of 23.65 million. Initially, Telenor targeted towards the middle and lower income groups with products like Djuice, Talkshawk and therefore quickly covered a large customer base and then gradually moved towards the other markets. Telenor decided to enter the post paid market by launching its new product Telenor Persona Postpaid at the time when Mobilink was successfully covering the post-paid market and the corporate segment with BlackBerry services in Pakistan. Telenor Persona at launch targeted the corporate sector which wants to remain in touch with their customers, suppliers and their employees through the internet. It has targeted this segment by providing the lowest call rates and value-added services such as Edge, MMS, downloads and WAP Portal in addition to the basic services like International roaming, Conference calling etc. in postpaid packages within their Telenor postpaid customer base as well as to other networks. Pakistan has a growing business segment. Telenor Pakistan understands that its corporate customers have different needs, preferences, and lifestyles, all of which require a unique approach and offering. Telenor Persona Postpaid has been specifically designed to meet those very requirements. The new offer promises to be the smartest package for the postpaid customer who demands more out of mobile communication
-

Telenor Pakistans Chief Marketing Officer Sigvart Voss Eriksen

1.1. TEXT
In this ad Telenor introduces the Caption Only the Best Will Keep Connections Strong

1.2.DEMONSTRATION
Pakistan has a growing business segment. Telenor Pakistan understands that its corporate customers have different needs, preferences, and lifestyles, all of which require a unique approach and offering,Telenor Persona Postpaid has been specifically designed to meet those

Ad Review: Telenor Persona Postpaid

very requirements. The new offer promises to be the smartest package for the postpaid customer who demands more out of mobile communication, he said. The message they are conducting to the customers base that Telenor Persona Postpaid is an essential for a corporation to achieve companys objectives. Telenor Persona helps the companys department heads to coordinate with each other regarding resolving companys core matters and issues on the go without bothering for the call charges. Their whole and sole objective is to achieve company objectives and they are using Telenor Persona to achieve it. Whether they are in different cities or in different towns, Telenor Persona provides them with worldwide coverage and fast connectivity on the go. If they have any departmental issues, they can discuss with their corresponding departmental heads and even connect to the CEO instantly to get advice on the matters on hand.

1.3. MESSAGE EXECUTION

They have advertised by portraying a corporate organization where every departmental heads have their own company objectives and targets to achieve. They have although not taken a real corporate organization portraying such operations but they have taken such actors like Jamal Shah and other elder women who portray like working women on senior management positions. They have targeted the core departmental heads like GM operations, GM Marketing, GM Finance, GM Human resource and other critical management positions where they have to take critical position then and there without wasting much time, so therefore if they need consultation with their relevant persons or directly with the CEO, then they can directly connect with them and they can discuss for long time so that thorough discussion can also be done on their own respective places without meeting in person and affecting work efficiency. They are portraying that whether the GM Finance is at the stock exchange making crucial decisions of buying and selling shares and wants to contact with the CEO for discussing the ups and downs of stock market, or whether the GM Operations is facing problem in the production or logistics he can also directly contact the CEO or supply chain manager, or whether the GM Marketing wants to finalize the installation of marketing billboards on specified locations of the city or finalizing the advertisement with the agency to be launched, he can directly contact the GM finance for advertising budget and CEO for approval. Hence they have highlighted the fact that in an organization, where all the senior management position personnel and the employees work as a family, they remain connected anytime and anywhere. The CEO is giving the message to achieve higher standards and go for excellence in the operation of their respective departments.

Ad Review: Telenor Persona Postpaid

2. OFFERING
2.1. THE PRODUCT

The product, Telenor Persona was born on Monday, February 12, 2007 following a landslide win in the pre-paid market when Telenor Pakistan moved on to take over the postpaid segment with its new offer, Telenor Persona Postpaid. The Telenor group is an international provider of high quality telecommunications, data and media communication services. Telenor ranks as one of the biggest GSM service providers in the world with over 105 million subscribers. Telenor Pakistan launched its GSM network in 2005 and
quickly became the fastest growing mobile operator in the country, with its headquarters located in Islamabad. Telenor Pakistan is 100% owned by Telenor ASA and adds on to its operations in

Asia together with Thailand, Malaysia and Bangladesh. In 2006, Wolff Olins, a brand business, rebranded parent company Telenor. As Telenor claims, Persona is currently the most competitively priced postpaid package in the market. It has the best call rates in the industry and an array of exciting value-added services supported by dedicated customer care and a high quality network. Corporate customers, especially, can benefit from the widest EDGE/GPRS network in the country and extensive international roaming facilities, enabling them to always stay connected to their business concerns.

Persona has timely & competitively introduced different packages, which are as follows:

Ad Review: Telenor Persona Postpaid

Persona Individual Persona Karobar Persona Special 5ive

2.2.STAGE IN PRODUCT LIFE-CYLE

With their new launch depicting team-spirit and excellence in whatever they do as a part of their promotion, Telenor Persona is in its maturity stage of its product life cycle. It is a beautifully made advertisement carefully targeting the business class and industrialists who demand perfection and excellence at each step of their lives.

2.3. THE MARKET SHARE

With Persona Postpaid, along with its TalkShawk, djuice, and Azadi packages, Telenor Pakistan has the most diverse and complete product portfolio in the market. Having intense rivalry between Telenor and other leading companies like Zong, Mobilink, Ufone and Warid, which poses a downward pressure on prices and significant investments in advertising in an attempt to build and maintain brand loyalty. In a maturing market of telecommunications, the only way to gain market share is to offer attractive packages keeping prices low comparitively. Thus, Telenor, Mobilink, Warid and other competitors like Zong, Ufone etc. fight heatedly over prices, subscribers, spokespeople, tariffs and most importantly, the quality the consumers expect specially in case of Telenor which claims Telenor, expect MORE. Since its launch of services in March 2005, Telenor Pakistan has exceeded all expectations: It has created the second largest mobile network and the largest and most advanced data network in the local market, turned into the second highest revenue-generating mobile player with the highest Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) in the market, and become the second largest mobile player in the market with 18 million active subscriptions in little more than 3 years of operations. During the first half of 2008, Telenor Pakistan added 3.24 million subscriptions against the industry average of 1.63 million, taking 33% of the market share of net additions over the period the highest in the mobile sector in Pakistan. Market share of Telenor after Mobilink, stands strong. Here are just a few vitals of the market: As at 31 March 2010, Telenor Pakistan had a market share of approximately 24%. In addition to Telenor Pakistan, there are five other mobile operators in Pakistan: Mobilink, Ufone, Warid, Zong (formerly Paktel) and Instaphone. Based on PTA numbers as at 31 March 2010, Mobilink

Ad Review: Telenor Persona Postpaid

was the largest mobile operator in Pakistan with a market share of approximately 33%, Ufone had a market share of approximately 20%, Warid had a market share of approximately 17%, and Zong had a market share of approximately 7%. Telenor has an Adaptability Culture, with flexibility being the need of the organization and strategic focus being external. The organization has a clear vision, with the goal of increasing growth, profitability, and market share. With new offerings, packages, products and ideas, they are trying to increase their market share. The creativity and effectiveness of each company's marketing strategy will ultimately determine the winner with respect to sales, profits, and customer loyalty.

3. COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES OF THE ADVERTISEMENT

The main communication objective is to develop the new product awareness among the target customers. The purpose is to encourage the business group i.e. the existing and potential corporate customers to make an initial purchase of the new product by picturing them as people who are much focused, are expert in their own fields and make the best choices in their life. The advertisement gives the message that Its Telenor on the postpay run since previously Telenor offered only Prepaid and simple postpaid.

4. TARGET AUDIENCE
Corporate customers In this ad, Telenor has segmented its target market psychographically for Persona. It focuses on a particular group with a very different lifestyle and socioeconomic status, people who hold esteemed positions in the corporate environment, face bigger challenges in the business world, make the best choices and are successful in their own areas. People with such portfolio fall under the age group of 35 onwards, include both males and females, are dynamic individuals working in a corporate environment. The ad successfully portrays its target customers in this frame.

Ad Review: Telenor Persona Postpaid

5. MESSAGE DESIGN

5.1. APPEAL
After analyzing the advertising campaign it comes to the knowledge that the Telenors subbrand Persona is using both a rational and emotional oriented approach. The ad emphasizes the core benefit of ease and convenience of connection from using the postpaid product. It aims to create a liking towards a sense of Business Tycoon having large corporate dealings, and outperform staff. Also creates interest with random and thrilled music. Persona relied more on the power of creating a brand name that conveyed "premium." It featured a group of fictional jet setting executives, all of whom used Persona and represented the demographic the brand was trying to reach. Bilal Salahuddin, a business development manager at ICI Pakistan and a potential target consumer for Persona, says, If you talk about postpaid brands, Telenors Persona is the first one that comes to mind. Bilal adds, The brand is all about exclusivity and image, and that is what appeals to me.

5.2. STRUCTURE
The message starts with a vague situation in which everyone is busy in building correspondence however it is a conclusive message, which is strongly convincing on the Persona Postpaid usage. The message is one sided as it simply position the product to be best. Also the message is inductive, that it first emphasized on best performance and then relates it to the Telenor Persona Postpaid. The strong argument was exposed in the last.

5.3. FORMAT
The message was communicated on TV through a video having personnel, music, words, phrases, expressions, and tag lines.

10

Ad Review: Telenor Persona Postpaid

5.3.1. Cataphrase
Only the Best Will Keep Connection Strong

5.3.2. Sub Caption:

Its time you moved to the best

5.3.3. Tag Line

The smart call

5.4. SOURCE
The source of the message comes from expertise, trustworthiness and building likability. Persona creates likability, by featuring a group of fictional corporate setting environment. That has a

faster tempo in the whole ad that reflects the fast moving business world. And the executives, all of whom use Persona. Also trustworthiness was created by showing a CEO, who is old and seem very determined. And personnel shown are experts in their respective fields.

6. MEDIUM

6.1. PLACEMENT, TIME & COSTS

The advertisement was placed in the digital media. Telenor hired Ad com to produce the ad and distribute it. This ad was on air in November 2007 with an estimated cost outlay of Rs. 25 million as the movie was made on a 35mm camera. Amongst, other things, Telenors choice of the digital medium as a reach strategy to Corporations and SME are a good step forward. Given, of course, that they continue to provide engagement through the medium, it will prove to be invaluable as the said segments can directly engage with the brand.

11

Ad Review: Telenor Persona Postpaid

7. CRITIQUES

7.1. POSITIVES
Very clear audio message The audio clip in the advertisement gives a very clear cut message. It is in synchronization with the visuals so that the audiences know what message the ad is trying to convey. It talks about leaders and masters of the industry in a way that no other words could have described it better. Especially the punch line which uses the word connection says it all. It has double meaning; i.e. it can mean a cellular phone connection or relationships with other people. Attractive video; beautiful people, props, colors, sets, etc The advertisement is made beautifully. What makes it beautiful is the eye- catchiness of the visuals. The actors in the ad are top models which includes ZQ. That is how the Telenor has established likability of the viewers of the ad. The background of movie marks clearly of what each character does. They have also made it even clearer by showing in writing of what each GMs role is in the organization. The colors of props used in the ad are black and beige which are executive colors and the text used in the ad is of turquoise color which is also the color of Telenors logo. Image of a group that is aspired by others Another positive element in the advertisement of Telenor Persona ad is the group of people the advertisers have chosen. They are successful people. This is very clear by their dressing, their body posture, and lastly, with what they are doing in the film. These are the people that majority aspires to be. To be the best and sucessful! They have cashed in on the element of aspiration. The ad concentrates on both successful men and women There are very few companies in Pakistan that make advertisements that are not gender bias. Telenor Persona has appealed to both the sexes in Pakistan. They are trying to show that the best are not limited to a gender or occupation; they can be of either sex, and of any trade or profession they choose. This equality among people coming from different backgrounds adds in the strength of the message. Their appeal has not been used by their competitors The competition in the Cellular service providing industry is very intense. Telenor and its competitors are constantly showing aggressiveness in their advertisements. The competition has augmented to such extent that companies are coming up with new advertisement every month.

12

Ad Review: Telenor Persona Postpaid

Telenor Persona has distinguished itself with the help of this advertisement. While their competitors are using more humorous and emotional appeal by using family concepts and competitor spoofing, Telenor Persona uses the appeal of rationality, of being hard worker and the success that follows. In essence, they are conveying a No Games, Just Work message and it looks and sound just the right message for their target audiences who have indulged themselves in such a life style. None of Telenors competitor has used such an appeal in their advertisement.

7.2. NEGATIVES

Product Features and Benefits are not very apparent From the ad one cannot make out as to what services and benefits the product will be providing. It emphasizes on the image of a Persona user but ignores the very important aspect as to why anyone would buy it. Narrowed down on the potential customers Telenor Persona narrowed down on the potential customers by showing the particular group of people. Considering the ordinary tariffs of Persona package, it can be deduced that any post paid customer can use the product. However, the advertisement reflects that only the top men and women can use the product. This is reflected by the fact that the visual campaign stresses on the designation of the actors in the advertisement. This message may be suitable for someone who is buying a post paid package for the first time, but not necessarily for those who are unhappy with their current post paid package and want to switch to another company. Their strategy of showing an aspired group may back fire as most business tycoons are not like them. The potential customers cannot feel connected with the ad Pakistani economy has two sides to it, the structured and the unstructured. The structured side comprises of multinationals, large local companies, corporations, etc. They form the smaller part of the economy. The unstructured form makes up of both large and small scale local companies which are patriarch based. They might not have GMs or CEOs but still the upper management makes enough money to afford a post paid connection. The ad does not make itself affiliated to this major group. In this side of the economy, the upper management wears Shalwar Kameez, uses Nokia E and N series rather than a Black berry and if need be, they may also compromise on the best. It is apparent that the advertisement has low cohesion with this class of businessmen and manages.

13

Ad Review: Telenor Persona Postpaid

The ad is in dual language A good advertisement is one which is consistent with both visuals and language. Even though the audio message is clear but it starts in Urdu and ends in English. This way, it gets confusing. If we listen to the message clearly, it is ascertained that the Urdu part could have been translated into English without losing the touch of consistency or vice versa. This reflects poor planning or lack of taking time before being decisive.

7.3. RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the negatives and the positives of the advertisement, it is this groups recommendation that all and sundry, the advertisement was catchy and made a good point. They stressed very well on their clientle; which is the corporate world. In the future, however, the company can make their customer base even broader by taking into consideration the more local businessmen. They have connection needs as well which has to be catered. If its not Telenor, it would probably be one of its competitors. Therefore, it will prove to be in Telenors advantage to use a businessman who wears Shalwar Kameez to work and instead of showing a flashy board room, consider showing a more practical side of businesses by putting in advertisement an ordinary office set up or an Entrepreneurs office. The idea is to understand that winners or successful people are not always a part of such a business set up. They maybe down to earth and not necessarily indulge themselves in such work amenities.