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CONSUMER PERCEPTION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES OF VODAFONE

A REPORT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE POST GRADUATION DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS ADMINITRATION

(PGDBA-MARKETING)

SUBMITTED BY: IMRAN AFTAB REGISTRATION NO.:- 2 !"#$$!

SYMBIOSIS CENTRE FOR DISTANCE LEARNING SYMBIOSIS BHAVAN% # $" B% GOKHALE CROSS ROAD% MODEL COLONY% PUNE-&## #$ 2 !-2 ##

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This is to certify that Imran Aftab is permitted to use relevant data/information of this organisation for his project in fulfilment of the PGDBA- A!"#TI$G program%

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This is to declare that I have carried out this project 'or- myself in part fulfilment of the PGDBA- ar-eting program of (.D/% The 'or- is original0 has not been copied from any'here else and has not been submitted to any other 1niversity/Institute for an a'ard of any degree/diploma%

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.ertified that the 'or- incorporated in this project report CONSUMER PERCEPTION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES OF VODAFONE submitted by Imran Aftab is his original 'or- and completed under my supervision% sources has been duly ac-no'ledged in the Project !eport% aterial obtained from other

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

(ales promotion consists of a variety of companies% (ponsored promotional activities that supplement both advertising and personal set up% These activities are impersonal and can be directed at industrial buyers0 intermediaries or consumers% (ales promotion consists of a diverse collection of incentive tools0 mostly short term0 designed to stimulate 4uic-er or greater purchase of particular products or services by consumers of the trade% (ales promotion tools vary in their specific objectives% Incentive type promotions are used to attract ne' buyers0 to re'ard loyal customers and to increase the repurchase rates of the occasional users% (ales promotion often attracts the branch s'itchers0 because users of other brands and categories do not al'ays notice or act on a promotion% In using the sales promotion a company must establish its objectives0 select the tools develop the program0 a pretest the program0 implement and control it and evaluate the results% 5odafone #ssar in India is a subsidiary of 5odafone Group Plc and commenced operations in 6773 'hen its predecessor 8utchison Telecom ac4uired the cellular license for base0 'ith over 23%6 million customers=% umbai% 5odafone #ssar no' has operations in 69 circles covering :9; of India<s mobile customer

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INTRODUCTION The Indian telecom mar-et has been displaying sustained high gro'th rates% !iding on eEpectations of overall high economic gro'th and conse4uent rising income levels0 it offers an unprecedented opportunity for foreign investment% A combination of factors is driving gro'th in the telecom mar-et0 promising rich returns on investments% F India is the fourth largest telecom mar-et in Asia after .hina0 Gapan and (outh "orea% F The Indian telecom net'or- is the eighth largest in the 'orld and the second largest among emerging economies% F The Indian telecom mar-et si*e of over 1( H : billion is eEpected to increase three fold by ,I6,% The eEpansion of the telecom industry in India has been fuelled by a massive gro'th in mobile phone users0 'hich has reached a level of 6I million users in December ,II,0 an increase of nearly 6II per cent in ,II,% F This eEponential gro'th of mobile telephony can be attributed to the introduction of digital cellular technology and decrease in tariffs due to competitive pressures% @or the first time in India0 the gro'th of cellular subscriber base has eEceeded the fiEed line subscriber base% 8o'ever0 cellular penetration is still 6 per cent as compared to 'orld average of around 69 per cent%

1.1.2 INDIAN TELECOM SECTOR Indian Telecom sector0 li-e any other industrial sector in the country0 has gone through many phases of gro'th and diversification% (tarting from telegraphic and telephonic systems in the 67th century0 the field of telephonic communication has no' eEpanded to ma-e use of advanced technologies li-e G( 0 .D A0 and &// to the great 2G Technology in mobile phones% Day by day0 both the Public Players and the Private Players are putting in their resources and efforts to improve the telecommunication technology so as to give the maEimum to their customers%

FJThe Indian telecom sector can be broadly classified into @iEed /ine Telephony and mobile telephony% The major players of the telecom sector are eEperiencing a fierce competition in both the segments% FJThe major players li-e B($/0 T$/0 5($/ in the fiEed line and Airtel0 5odafone

K8utchL0 Idea0 Tata0 !eliance in the mobile segment are coming up 'ith ne' tariffs and discount schemes to gain the competitive advantage% FJThe Public Players and the Private Players share the fiEed line and the mobile segments% .urrently the Public Players have more than 9I; of the mar-et share% 1.1. DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERS +-FJAccording to the 5ision ,I,I document of the Planning .ommission of India0 the country 'ill 'itness continued urbani*ation% The urban population is eEpected to rise from ,: per cent to 3I per cent of total population by ,I,I% FJ@uture gro'th is li-ely to be concentrated in and around 9I to AI large cities having a population of one million or more% T!"# $%&'"() &' *&+*)+,%-,). /%0-+ $&$/(-,"&+ 1"(( '-*"(",-,) */#,&2"3). ,)()*&2 &'')%"+4# '%&2 &$)%-,&%#%

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A!"#T5SI6E7 PLAYERS AND TRENDS85

Both fiEed line and mobile segments serve the basic needs of local calls0 long distance calls and the international calls0 'ith the provision of broadband services in the fiEed line segment and GP!( in the mobile arena% Traditional telephones have been replaced by the codeless and the 'ireless instruments% F obile phone providers have also come up 'ith GP!(- enabled multimedia messaging0 Internet surfing0 and mobilecommerce

FJThe much-a'aited 2G mobile technology has entered in the Indian telecom mar-et%
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FJThe G( 0 .D A0 &// service providers are all upgrading them to provide 2G mobile services% FJ!adio services have also been incorporated in the mobile handsets0 along 'ith other applications li-e high storage memory0 multimedia applications0 multimedia games0 P2 Players0 video generators0 .ameraMs0 etc% The value added services provided by the mobile service operators contribute more than 6I; of the total revenue% FJThe ,II7 budget has brought further relief to the customers 'ith the reduction in the tariffs0 both local and long distance0 and 'ith slashing do'n the roaming rentals% This is li-ely to lead to even more people going for cellular services and more and more use of the value added services%

FJ8o'ever0 landline telephony is li-ely to remain popular0 too0 in the foreseeable future% T$/0 the largest landline service provider0 has recently ta-en some bold initiatives to retain its mar-et share and0 if possible0 eEpand it% 1.1.9 OPPORTUNITIES85 India offers an unprecedented opportunity for telecom service operators0 infrastructure vendors0 manufacturers and associated services companies% A host of factors are contributing to enlarged opportunities for gro'th and investment in telecom+ FJan eEpanding Indian economy 'ith increased focus on the services sector FJpopulation miE moving favourably to'ards a younger age profile FJurbani*ation 'ith increasing incomes Investors can loo- to capture the gains of the Indian telecom boom and diversify their operations outside developed economies that are mar-ed by saturated telecom mar-ets and lo'er GDP gro'th rates%

1.1.: COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE85 FJDemand is driven by technological innovation and by gro'th in business activity% The profitability of individual companies depends on efficient operations and good mar-eting% FJ/arge companies have big economies of scale in providing a highly automated service to large numbers of customers0 and have the financial resources re4uired to build and maintain a large net'or-% FJ(maller companies can compete effectively only in small mar-ets or by providing specialty services 1.1.; RESEARCH INDUSTRY GRO<TH RATING85 The @irst !esearch Industry Gro'th !ating reflects the eEpected industry gro'th relative to other industries+-

!ef+-planningcommission%gov%in/reports/genrep/%%%/6Nbg,I,I%doc

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!ef+-planningcommission%gov%in/reports/genrep/%%%/,Nbg,I,I%doc 1.1.= P%&./*,># S,-4) "+ PLC85

As 'e can see above the mobile industry graph sho's that telecom industry is still at gro'ing phase in the product life cycle% The first operational land lines 'ere laid by the British Government in .alcutta in the year 6::6 that 'as first time Telecom sector introduce and 67:> department of Telecommunication 'as established% In the year 677A telecom regulatory authorities of India 'as created then in 6777 mobile services 'ere launched in India and national ne' telecom policy is adopted and in the year ,III D)T becomes a corporation B($/% After that telecom industry has been gro'ing li-e cats and dogs% The mobile industry can be reforms into three phases%

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P!-#) I (1??=52@@ ) Actual gro'th started from this phase% T!AI 'as set up in 677A and the first tariff order 'as issued in 677:% The reforms becomes effective from 677:% P!-#) II (2@@ 52@@9) This phase mar-ed a sustained increase in tele-density each year 'hich can me been in the Graph in chapter 60 the gro'th in tele-density in ,II2-,II3 'as approEimately ,;0 a percentage 'hich 'as greater than the total gro'th of 6%7,; in the >I year%

P!-#) III (2@@952@@;) #very year industry should gro' at pace of grater than 3%>; in the tele-density to achieve the target of ,>I million subscriber by December ,IIA0 According to a release by T!AI by Gune ,II9 the total subscriber base has reached 6>2%2A million and tele-density has reached to a level of 62%7>;% 1.1.? S)-#&+-(",A "+ #-()# -+. #-()# *A*("*",A 85 In the Telecom sector seasonality in sales Kmobile subscriberL doesn<t play much role because 'e have found out since 677: to ,IIA mostly each and every 4uarter gro'ing and the gro'th in succeeding 4uarter is more than its preceding one% 1.2.1 PEST A+-(A#"#85 P&(","*-( C As mar-ets are deregulated0 both operators and manufacturers are free to act independently of government intervention% In .ountries li-e India and .hina 'here Partial regulations eEist0 government intervention does ta-e place% E*&+&2"* C &ith incomes rising0 people have more disposable income0 'hich enables consumers to be more selective 'ith their choice of mobile phone0 loo-ing to other factors rather than fulfilling the most basic of user needs KteEt messaging and phone callsL and price being such a -ey factor% S&*"-( C The rise of the so-called information society has made telecommunications increasingly more important to consumers0 both in terms of 'or- and leisure% 1sers are
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more a'are of mobile phone handset choice and advancements due to increased information availability% T)*!+&(&4"*-( C There have been many global advancements in technology such as 1 T(0&I AB0 &AP0 G( 0 GP!(0 2G03G etc% I2$&%,-+, %)4/(-,"&+# -+. ,!)"% "2$-*, &+ ,!) I+."-+ ,)()*&2 "+./#,%A 1nified Access (ervice /icense !egime K1A(/L 1nified licensing mar-ed the end of the license regime in the Indian telecom industry% It helped in aligning convergent technologies and services% The establishment of the 1nified Access /icensing !egime K,II2L eliminated the need for different licenses for different services% Players are no' allo'ed to offer both mobile and fiEed-line services under a single license after paying an additional entry fee% This does not ta-e into account national and international long-distance services and Internet access services% The telecom net'orin India is the fifth largest net'or- in the 'orld meeting up 'ith global standards% Presently0 the Indian telecom industry is currently slated to an estimated contribution of nearly 6; to India<s GDP% The Indian Telecommunications net'or- 'ith 66I%I6 million connections is the fifth largest in the 'orld and the second largest among the emerging economies of Asia% Today0 it is the fastest gro'ing mar-et in the 'orld and represents uni4ue opportunities for 1%(% companies in the stagnant global scenario% The total subscriber base0 'hich has gro'n by 3I; in ,II>0 is eEpected to reach ,>I million in ,IIA% According to Broadband Policy ,II30 Government of India aims at 7 million broadband connections and 6: million internet connections by ,IIA% The 'ireless subscriber base has jumped from 22%97 million in ,II3 to 9,%>A million in @?,II3- ,II>% In the last 2 years0 t'o out of every three ne' telephone subscribers 'ere 'ireless subscribers% .onse4uently0 'ireless no' accounts for >3%9; of the total telephone subscriber base0 as compared to only 3I; in ,II2% &ireless subscriber gro'th is eEpected to bypass ,%> million ne' subscribers per month by ,IIA% The 'ireless technologies currently in use are Global (ystem for obile .ommunications KG( L and .ode Division ultiple Access K.D AL% There are primarily 7 G( and > .D A operators providing mobile services in 67
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telecom circles and 3 metro cities0 covering ,III to'ns across the country%

1.1) Y)-% 6:>6

EB&(/,"&+ &' ,!) I+./#,%A 5 I2$&%,-+, M"()#,&+)#8 D)#*%"$,"&+ @irst operational land lines 'ere laid by the govt% near .alcuttaKseat of British Po'erL

6::6 6::2 67,2 672,

Telephone (ervice introduced in India erger 'ith the postal system @ormation of Indian !adio Telegraph .ompany KI!TL erger of #T. and I!T into the Indian !adio and .ommunication .ompanyKI!..L

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$ationali*ation of all foreign telecommunication companies to form the Posts0 Telephone and TelegraphKPTTL0 a monopoly run by the government<s inistry of .ommunication

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Department of Telecommunications KD)TL established0 an eEclusive provider of domestic and long-distance service that 'ould be its o'n regulator Kseparate from the postal systemL

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.onversion of D)T into t'o 'holly government-o'ned companies+ the 5idesh (anchar $igam /imited K5($/L for international telecommunications and ahanagar Telephone $igam /imited K T$/L

for service in metropolitan areas% 677A 6777 Telecom !egulatory Authority of India created .ellular (ervices are launched in India% $e' $ational Telecom Policy is adopted% ,III DoT becomes a corporation0 B($/

(Source: The Indian Telecom Industry by consulting club, IIM Calcutta)

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M-C&% P(-A)%#8

There are three types of players in telecom services+ (tate o'ned companies KB($/ and T$/L
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Private Indian o'ned companies K!eliance Infocomm0 Tata TeleservicesL @oreign invested companies K5odafone-#ssar0 Bharti Tele-5entures0 #scotel0 Idea .ellular0 BP/ obile0 (pice .ommunicationsL

IndiaMs mobile telecom sector is one of the fastest gro'ing sectors% 1nli-e in the 677Is 'hen the mobile phone 'as an elitist product0 mobile operators no' tap a mass mar-et 'ith mass mar-eting techni4ues% O1nified licensingO rules allo' basic and mobile operators into each other<s territory0 and have ushered in perhaps the final phase of industry consolidation% It seems that only companies 'ith deep poc-ets can effectively compete as primary operators mobile mar-ets% #conomies of scale0 scope0 and end-to-end presence in longdistance as 'ell as local telecom0 are desirable% There are0 besides0 ne' challenges% )perators have to find ne' gro'th drivers for the 'ire line business% There are problems of getting broadband to ta-e off0 of technology choice0 of 'hen to introduce ne' technologies0 and of developing a viable business model in an era of convergence% 1. ) G%&1,! &' 2&0"() ,)*!+&(&4A8

India has the fastest gro'ing mobile mar-ets in the 'orld% The mobile services 'ere commercially launched in August 677> in India% In the initial >-9 years the average monthly subscribers additions 'ere around I%I> to I%6 million only and the total mobile subscribers base in December ,II, stood at 6I%> millions% 8o'ever0 after the number of proactive initiatives ta-en by regulator and licensor0 the monthly subscriber additions increased to around , million per month in the year ,II2-I3 and ,II3-I>% Although mobile telephones follo'ed the $e' Telecom Policy 67730 gro'th 'as tardy in the early years because of the high price of hand sets as 'ell as the high tariff structure of mobile telephones% The $e' Telecom Policy in 67770 the industry heralded several pro consumer initiatives% obile subscriber additions started pic-ing up% The number of mobile phones added throughout the country in ,II2 'as 69 million0 follo'ed by ,, millions in ,II30 2, million in ,II> and 9> million in ,II9% The only countries 'ith more

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mobile phones than India 'ith 6>9%26 million mobile phones are .hina C 3I: million and 1(A C 6AI million% India has opted for the use of both the G( Kglobal system for mobile communicationsL

and .D A Kcode-division multiple accessL technologies in the mobile sector% The mobile tariffs in India have also become lo'est in the 'orld% A ne' mobile connection can be activated 'ith a monthly commitment of 1(H > only% In ,II> alone 2, million handsets 'ere sold in India% The data reveals the real potential for gro'th of the Indian mobile mar-et% 1.D) C)((/(-% S)%B"*) P%&B".)%#8

As on Apr ,IIA India has 69A million mobile phone subscribers% )ut of this 6,> million are G( (pice and users and 36 million .D A users% B($/0 Bharti Airtel0 8utch0 Idea0 Aircel0 T$/ are the main G( providers in India% !eliance .ommunications and

Tata Indicom are the main .D A providers in India% B!-%," A"%,)( Airtel is providing cellular services in Delhi0 Pradesh0 umbai0 "ol-ata0 .hennai0 Andhra Pradesh0 adhya

Gujarat0 8aryana0 8imachal Pradesh0 Gammu and "ashmir0 "arnata-a0 "erala0 Airtel is the $o%6 cellular service provider in India using G( mar-et share in India 'ith a total subscriber base of 2: million% R)("-+*) C&22/+"*-,"&+# !eliance has both .D A and G( 6A; mar-et share% It has G( $orth #ast0 other states and cities%

aharashtra0 Goa0 )rissa0 Punjab0 !ajasthan0 Tamil $adu0 1P and &est Bengal% technology% Airtel has ,2;

net'or-s and total subscriber base of ,7 million or

net'or- in Assam0 Bihar0 8imachal Pradesh0 "ol-ata0

adhya Pradesh0 )rissa and &est Bengal% !eliance has .D A net'or-s in

B!-%-, S-+*!-% N"4-2 L"2",). (BSNL)

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B($/ is a state o'ned telecom company 'hich has G(

presence in almost every cities

and to'ns% B($/ has ,A million subscribers 'ith a mar-et share of 69;% V&.-'&+) 5odafone is another emerging G( subscriber base of ,A million% T-,- I+."*&2 Tata Indicom is a main .D A provider in India 'ith 69 million subscribers all over India% Tata Indicom has presence in almost every state and cities in India% provider in India 'ith coverage in "erala0 umbai0

Delhi0 "ol-ata0 .hennai0 Gujarat0 Andhra Pradesh0 "arnata-a and Punjab 'ith a total

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COMPANY PROFILE

I+,%&./*,"&+8 V&.-'&+) is a mobile net'or- operator head4uartered in Ber-shire0 #ngland0 1"% It is the largest mobile telecommunications net'or- company in the 'orld by turnover and has a mar-et value of about PA> billion KAugust ,II:L% 5odafone currently has operations in ,> countries and partner net'or-s in a further 3, countries% The name 5odafone comes from V&"*) .-,- '&+)0 chosen by the company to Oreflect the provision of voice and data services over mobile phones%O As of ,II9 5odafone had an estimated ,9I million customers in ,> mar-ets across > continents% )n this measure0 it is the second largest mobile telecom group in the 'orld behind .hina obile%

In the 1nited (tates0 5odafone o'ns 3>; of 5eri*on &ireless% 2.2) M"##"&+8 5odafone is primarily a user of technology rather than a developer of it0 and this fact is reflected in the emphasis of our 'or- program on enabling ne' applications of mobile communications0 using ne' technology for ne' services0 research for improving

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operational efficiency and 4uality of our net'or-s0 and providing technology vision and leadership that can contribute directly to business decisions% 2. ) V"#"&+8 )ur 5ision is to be the 'orld<s mobile communication leader C enriching customers< lives0 helping individuals0 businesses and .ommunities be more connected in a mobile 'orld% 2.D) H"#,&%A8 In 67:, !acal #lectronics plcMs subsidiary !acal (trategic !adio /td% 'on one of t'o 1" cellular telephone net'or- licenses% The net'or-0 -no'n as !acal 5odafone 'as :I; o'ned by !acal0 'ith illicom and the 8ambros Technology Trust o'ning 6>; and >; respectively% 5odafone 'as launched on 6 Ganuary 67:>% !acal (trategic !adio 'as renamed !acal Telecommunications Group /imited in 67:>% )n ,7 December 67:9 !acal #lectronics bought out the minority shareholders of 5odafone for GBP66I million% In (eptember 67:: the company 'as again renamed !acal Telecom and on ,9 )ctober 67:: !acal #lectronics floated ,I; of the company% The flotation valued !acal Telecom at GBP6%A billion )n 69 (eptember 6776 !acal Telecom 'as demerged from !acal #lectronics as 5odafone Group% In Guly 6779 5odafone ac4uired the t'o thirds of Tal-land it did not already o'n for P2I%9 million% )n 67 $ovember 67790 in a defensive move0 5odafone purchased Peoples Phone for PAA million0 a 6:6 store chain 'hose customers 'ere over'helmingly using 5odafoneMs net'or-% In a similar move the company ac4uired the :I; of Astec .ommunications that it did not o'n0 a service provider 'ith ,6 stores% In 677A 5odafone introduced its Speech mark logo0 as it is a 4uotation mar- in a circleQ the )Ms in the 5odafone logotype are opening and closing 4uotation mar-s0 suggesting conversation% )n ,7 Gune 6777 5odafone completed its purchase of AirTouch .ommunications0 Inc% and changed its name to 5odafone Airtouch plc% Trading of the ne' company commenced on 2I Gune 6777% To approve the merger0 5odafone sold its 6A%,; sta-e in #-Plus The ac4uisition gave 5odafone a 2>; share of mobile net'or-%
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obilfun-%

annesmann0 o'ner of the largest German

V'()*'+,-. '/010+)2 2'1' 3.,( 3+402 45, 0+4/'(3640'+ '* 45, .7,,65 8)/9 2'1' 0+ #::;. )n ,6 (eptember 6777 5odafone agreed to merge its 1%(% 'ireless assets 'ith those of Bell Atlantic .orp to form 5eri*on &ireless% The merger 'as completed on 3 April ,III% In $ovember 6777 5odafone made an unsolicited bid for rejected% 5odafoneMs interest in )range0 the 1" mobile operator% .hris Gent 'ould later say annesmann0 'hich 'as annesmannMs move into the

annesmann had been increased by the latterMs purchase of

1" bro-e a OgentlemanMs agreementO not to compete in each otherMs home territory% The hostile ta-eover provo-ed strong protest in Germany and a Otitanic struggleO 'hich sa' annesmann resists 5odafoneMs efforts% 8o'ever0 on 2 @ebruary ,III the annesmann board agreed to an increased offer of P66,bn0 then the largest corporate merger ever% The #1 approved the merger in April ,III% The conglomerate 'as subse4uently bro-en up and all manufacturing related operations sold off% )n ,: Guly ,III the .ompany reverted to its former name0 5odafone Group Plc% In April ,II6 the first 2G voice call 'as made on 5odafone 1nited "ingdomMs 2G net'or-% In ,II6 the .ompany too- over #ircell0 then part of eircom in Ireland0 and rebranded it as 5odafone Ireland% It then 'ent on to ac4uire GapanMs third-largest mobile operator G-Phone0 'hich had introduced camera phones first in Gapan% )n 6A December ,II6 5odafone introduced the concept of OPartner $et'or-sO by signing TD. obil of Denmar-% The ne' concept involved the introduction of 5odafone international services to the local mar-et0 'ithout the need of investment by 5odafone% The concept 'ould be used to eEtend the 5odafone brand and services into mar-ets 'here it does not have sta-es in local operators% 5odafone services 'ould be mar-eted under the dual-brand scheme0 'here the 5odafone brand is added at the end of the local brand% Ki%e%0 TD. obil-5odafone etc%L

In @ebruary ,II, @inland 'as added into the mobile community0 as !adiolinja is signed as a Partner $et'or-% !adiolinja later changed its named to #lisa% /ater that year the .ompany rebranded GapanMs G-s-y mobile internet service as 5odafone liveR and on 2
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December ,II, the 5odafone brand 'as introduced in the #stonian mar-et 'ith signing of a Partner $et'or- Agreement 'ith !adiolinja K#estiL% !adiolinja K#estiL later changed its name to #lisa% )n A Ganuary ,II2 the .ompany signed a group-'ide Partner agreement 'ith mobil-om Austria% As a result0 Austria0 .roatia0 and (lovenia 'ere added to the community% In April ,II2 )g 5odafone 'as introduced in the Icelandic mar-et and in ay ,II2 5odafone Italy K)mnitel Pronto-ItaliaL 'as rebranded 5odafone Italy% )n ,6 Guly ,II2 /ithuania 'as added to the community0 'ith the signing of a Partner $et'or- agreement 'ith BitS% In @ebruary ,II3 5odafone signed a Partner $et'or- Agreement 'ith /uEembourgMs /uEG( and a Partner $et'or- Agreement 'ith .yta of .yprus% .yta agreed to rename its mobile phone operations to .ytamobile-5odafone% In April ,II3 the .ompany purchased (inglepoint airtime provider from Gohn .aud'ell K.aud'ell GroupL and approE 6%>million customers onto its base for P3I>million0 adding sites in (to-e on Trent K#nglandL to eEisting sites in $e'bury K8DL0 Birmingham0 &arrington and Banbury% In $ovember ,II3 5odafone introduced 2G services into #urope% In Gune ,II> the .ompany increased its participation in !omaniaMs .onneE to 77; and also bought the .*ech mobile operator )s-ar% )n 6 Guly ,II> )s-ar of the .*ech !epublic 'as rebranded as )s-ar-5odafone% /ater that year on 6A )ctober ,II> 5odafone Portugal launched a revised logo0 using ne' teEt designed by Dalton aag0 and a 2D version of the card pattern in the (peech mar- logo0 but still retaining a red bac-ground and 'hite 'riting Kor vice versaL% Also0 various operating companies started to drop the use of the (I use the (I card pattern%L A custom typeface by Dalton company logo% KThe rebranding of )s-ar-5odafone and .onneE-5odafone also does not aag Kbased on their font family Inter@aceL formed part of the ne' identity% )n ,: )ctober ,II> .onneE in !omania 'as rebranded as .onneE-5odafone and on 26 )ctober ,II> the .ompany reached an agreement to sell 5odafone ('eden to Telenor for approEimately T6 billion% After the sale0 5odafone ('eden became a Partner $et'or-% In December ,II> 5odafone 'on an auction to buy Tur-eyMs second-largest mobile phone company0 Telsim0 for H3%> billion% In December ,II> 5odafone (pain became the second member of the group to adopt the revised logo+ it 'as phased in over the follo'ing siE months in other countries%
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In ,II9 the .ompany rebranded its (to-e-on-Trent site as (to-e Premier .entre0 a centre of eEpertise for the company dealing 'ith .ustomer .are for its higher value customers0 technical support0 sales and credit control% All cancellations and upgrades started to be dealt 'ith by this call centre% )n > Ganuary ,II9 5odafone announced the completion of the sale of 5odafone ('eden to Telenor% )n @ebruary ,II9 the .ompany closed its Birmingham .all .entre% In 6 @ebruary ,II9 )s-ar 5odafone became 5odafone .*ech !epublic0 adopting the revised logo and on ,, @ebruary ,II9 the .ompany announced that it 'as eEtending its footprint to Bulgaria 'ith the signing of Partner $et'or- Agreement 'ith )n 6, obiltel0 'hich is part of mobil-om Austria group%

arch ,II9 former chief0 (ir .hristopher Gent0 'ho 'as appointed the honorary

post .hairman for /ife in ,II20 4uits follo'ing rumours of boardroom rifts% In April ,II9 the .ompany announced that it has signed an eEtension to its Partner $et'or- Agreement 'ith BIT# Group0 enabling its /atvian subsidiary OBIT# /atvijaO to become the latest member of 5odafoneMs global partner community% Also in April ,II9 5odafone ('eden changed its name to Telenor (verige AB and .onneE-5odafone became 5odafone !omania0 also adopting the ne' logo% )n 2I ay ,II9 5odafone announced the biggest annesmann subsidiary% )n ,3 Guly orro'0 4uit uneEpectedly and on ,> loss in British corporate history KP63%7 billionL and plans to cut 3II jobsQ it reported oneoff costs of P,2%> billion due to the revaluation of its ,II9 the respected head of 5odafone #urope0 Bill

August ,II9 the .ompany announced the sale of its ,>; sta-e in BelgiumMs ProEimus for T, billion% After the deal0 ProEimus 'as still part of the community as a Partner $et'or-% )n > )ctober ,II9 5odafone announced the first single brand partnership 'ith )g 5odafone 'hich 'ould operate under the name 5odafone Iceland and on 67 December ,II9 the .ompany announced the sale of its ,>; sta-e in ('it*erlandMs ('isscom for .8@3%,> billion KP6%: billionL% After the deal0 ('isscom 'ould still be part of the community as a Partner $et'or-% @inally in December ,II9 the .ompany completed the ac4uisition of Aspective0 an enterprise applications systems integrator in the 1"0 signaling 5odafoneMs intent to gro' a significant presence and revenues in the I.T mar-etplace% #arly in Ganuary ,IIA Telsim in Tur-ey adopted 5odafone dual branding as Telsim 5odafone and on 6 April ,IIA Telsim 5odafone Tur-ey dropped its original brand and became 5odafone Tur-ey% )n 6 ay ,IIA 5odafone added Gersey and Guernsey to the
,,

community0 as Airtel 'as signed as Partner $et'or- in both cro'n dependencies% In Gune ,IIA the 5odafone liveR obile Internet portal in the 1" 'as relaunched% @ront page 'as no' charged for and previously ObundledO data allo'ance 'as removed from eEisting contract terms% All users 'ere given access to the OfullO 'eb rather than a &alled Garden and 5odafone became the first mobile net'or- to focus an entire media campaign on its ne'ly launched mobile Internet portal in the 1"% )n 6 August ,IIA 5odafone Portugal launched 5odafone essenger% )n 6A April ,II: 5odafone eEtended its footprint to (erbia as 5IP mobile 'as added to the community as a Partner $et'or- and on ,I ay ,II: the .ompany added 5IP acedonia% In )perator as a Partner $et'or- thereby eEtending the global footprint to ay ,II: "all of the @aroe Islands rebranded as 5odafone @aroe Islands% )n 2I )ctober ,II:0 the company announced a strategic0 non-e4uity partnership 'ith T( group of !ussia% The agreement adds !ussia0 Armenia0 Tur-menistan0 1-raine0 and 1*be-istan to the group footprint% essenger0 a service 'ith &indo's /ive essenger and ?ahooR

,2

VODAFONE ESSAR

2.9.1) I+,%&./*,"&+8 5odafone #ssar0 previously 8utchison #ssar is a cellular operator in India that covers ,6 telecom circles in India% Despite the official name being 5odafone #ssar0 its products are simply branded 5odafone% It offers both prepaid and postpaid G( coverage throughout India and is especially strong in the major metros% 5odafone #ssar provides ,G services based on 7II 8* and 6:II 8* digital G( cellular phone

technology0 offering voice and data services in ,, of the countryMs ,2 licence areas%
,3

2.9.2) O1+)%#!"$8 5odafone #ssar is o'ned by 5odafone >,;0 #ssar Group 22;0 and other Indian nationals0 6>;% )n @ebruary 660 ,IIA0 5odafone agreed to ac4uire the controlling interest of 9A; held by /i "a (hing 8oldings in 8utch-#ssar for 1(H66%6 billion0 pipping !eliance .ommunications0 8induja Group0 and #ssar Group0 'hich is the o'ner of the remaining 22;% The 'hole company 'as valued at 1(D 6:%: billion% The transaction closed on :0 ,IIA% 2.:) P%)B"&/# 0%-+.#8 In December ,II90 8utch #ssar re-launched the O8utchO brand nation'ide0 consolidating its services under a single identity% The .ompany entered into agreement 'ith $TT Do.o o to launch i-mode mobile Internet service in India during ,IIA% The company used to be named 8utchison #ssar0 reflecting the name of its previous o'ner0 8utchison% 8o'ever0 the brand 'as mar-eted as 8utch% After getting the necessary government approvals 'ith regards to the ac4uisition of a majority by the 5odafone Group0 the company 'as rebranded as 5odafone #ssar% The mar-eting brand 'as officially changed to 5odafone on ,I (eptember ,IIA% )n (eptember ,I0 ,IIA 8utch becomes 5odafone in one of the biggest brand transition eEercises in recent times% 5odafone #ssar is spending some'here in the region of !s ,>I crores on this high-profile transition being unveiled today% Along 'ith the transition0 cheap cell phones have been launched in the Indian mar-et under the 5odafone brand% There are plans to launch cobranded handsets sourced from global vendors as 'ell% A popular daily 4uoted a 5odafone #ssar director as saying that Othe objective is to leverage 5odafone GroupMs global scale in bringing millions of lo'-cost handsets from across-the-'orld into India%O ay

,>

&hile there is no revealing the prices of the lo'-cost 5odafone handsets0 the industry is abu** that prices might start at !s 9990 undercutting !eliance .ommunicationsM muchhyped M!ang BarseM 'ith cheap handsets beginning at !s AAA% ean'hile0 5odafone #ssar sources said there 'ould be no discounts or subsidi*ed handset offers -- rather handset-bundled schemes for customers% Incidentally0 .hinaMs UT#0 'hich is loo-ing to set-up a manufacturing unit in the country0 is eEpected to provide several 5odafone handsets in India% #arlier this year0 5odafone penned a global lo'-cost handset procurement deal 'ith UT# H")%-%*!A8 The P! dept in the P! 8ead umbai has been started only a month bac- and it only has 6 employee i%e

Central Unit for India

F-*,&%# *&+#".)%). 1!"() '&%2/(-,"+4 Central PR Unit#,%-,)4")#8 for


India

CEO

)ne of the factors in formulating the P! strategies is that 'henever a mention of the telecom industry is made0 positive articles of 5odafone has toHead be made% Their main aim is Outside Agency PR to promote the brand 5odafone and its services% They also -eep in mind that the right
Genesis Mumbai

CEO

medium of communication is used to reach the target public0 there target being each and
,9

every person right from a mil-man to high-profile people% They also -eep in mind that they maintain good relations 'ith the media so that media can help them out 'hen they are in need of them% B/.4),8 There is a pre-determined budget% This budget is devised by the central unit of India and is then passed do'n to various circles0 umbai being one of them% P! head needs to formulate all the strategies along 'ith the outside agency i%e Genesis 'hich sits in the corporate office only% The major eEpense of the P! department is the fees that they pay to the outside agency% PR #,%-,)4")# /#). 0A V&.-'&+) -# - 1!&()8 A.B)%,"#)2)+,#8 5odafone believes in advertising through media li-e television and press as people retain those things that they vie' visually% 8eavy mounts of money is spent on visual advertisements% C&%$&%-,) A.B)%,"#"+48 5odafone also underta-es corporate advertising% department informs the spo-esperson The P!

r% $avin .hopra 'hich details he can reveal and r% $avin about ho'

'hich he shouldn<t reveal% 8e has to be very polite 'hile handling the media% They give everything in 'riting to the media% The P! department also informs certain important issues li-e the future plans of the company% H&-%."+4#8 5odafone uses hoardings also in order to promote their company and the ne' services or tariffs plans that they are coming up 'ith% This strategy helps in ma-ing their target audience a'are of their upcoming plans% P%)## R)()-#)#8 5odafone in 1(A has a separate press office that issues all the Press !elease% They press officer ma-es the entire press release and then it<s confirmed by the spo-esperson of 5odafone 1(A and is then released% There they believe Press !eleases help in order to maintain very good relations 'ith the media and it also helps them to be in the eye of the audience% It had also held and India Analyst and Investor Day in /ondon to tal- about its operations in India% It has issued a press release on it on 6Ith December0 ,IIA% to dodge certain 4uestions 'ith tric- and humours so as to maintain the confidentiality of

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P%)## C&+')%)+*)8 5odafone uses press conferences as a very po'erful tool in handling the media and see-ing consumer attention% They hold press conferences at the launch of ne' services or products of any -ind% They also hold press conferences 'hen they are getting into a business deal for some company% They also hold press conferences for announcing half-yearly results or financial reports of the company% M)."- I+,)%B")1#8 5odafone underta-es media intervie's 'ith proper planning% It is sometimes initiated by media 'hile most of the time it is by 5odafone% It is handled very carefully specially during crisis or 'hen a ne' service is launched and is this used as a very good platform for promotion0 building image and even control crisis% S&*"-( A*,"B",")#8 5odafone underta-es social activities on a huge scale% The 5odafone Group @oundation is committed to providing assistance in the area of disaster response% Its main aim is to develop partnerships 'hich enhance long term disaster response and preparedness activity0 'or-ing 'ith organi*ations such as the 1nited $ations @oundation0 )Efam and apAction% It also see-s 'herever possible to ma-e a direct contribution in response to critical humanitarian crises% The (afaricom @oundation and The 5odafone Group @oundation0 together donate "(hs 6>0III0III to'ards humanitarian relief in "enya% OE'-28 5G@ is a founding sponsor of the )Efam 29> programme0 an initiative aimed at funding a global rapid response team of aid 'or-ers and maintaining the 1"<s biggest 'arehouse 'ith a stoc-pile of emergency supplies%

UN F&/+.-,"&+#8 The 1$ @oundation-5odafone Group @oundation alliance strives to be the leading public-private partnership using strategic technology programmes to strengthen the 1$<s humanitarian efforts 'orld'ide%

,:

M-$A*,"&+8 5G@ is supporting delivering assistance%

apAction<s humanitarian aid effort in delivering

situation maps updated hour-by-hour in the field0 that enable aid agencies to do their job of

Global @ocus+ &orld of Difference+ &orld of Difference K&oDL is an innovative charitable volunteering initiative currently being delivered across the international net'or- of 5odafone @oundations% &oD is based around the concept that individuals and community organisations should identify 'hat they feel passionate about and then be provided 'ith the resources to ma-e changes happen% &oD creates the opportunity for individuals to 'or- for one year for a charitable partner organisation0 'ith salary and related support provided% The 'inners are chosen on merit through a public competition% To date0 >, individual 'inners have participated or are currently participating% Based on a model 'hich 'as initially developed by the 5odafone $e' Uealand @oundation in ,II,0 &oD programmes have also been successfully launched by the 5odafone Australia @oundation0 the 5odafone $etherlands @oundation and the 5odafone Ireland @oundation% There are some slight variations in programme implementation from country to country0 but the basic format of the &oD model C support for an individual to 'or- for one year in
,7

a cutting-edge charitable organisation to achieve pre-agreed outcomes C is the same in each foundation% S$&+#&%#!"$#8 5odafone sponsors many events% (ome of them are+ 5odafone c/aren c/aren ercedes+ 5odafone had a contract 'ith the ercedes% 5odafone

ercedes has eEtended /e'is 8amilton<s contract 'ith the team for a further

five years% The ne' agreement0 'hich starts for ,II:0 'ill run up to and including the ,I6, season% UEFA C!-2$"&+# L)-4/)8 5odafone is in its second season as )fficial Partner and )fficial obile net'or- of the 1#@A .hampions /eague0 the 'orldMs largest annual football competition% 5odafone is delighted to be at the forefront of #urope<s premier club competition% After the successes of last seasonMs 1#@A .hampions /eague sponsorship and the agreements announced in April to sponsor the 1#@A .up @inal and 1#@A (uper .up0 5odafone is loo-ing for'ard to strengthening its position as a brand passionate about the beautiful game% It has also come up 'ith 5odafone (tadium of @ans 'herein fans can ma-e teams and play for themselves%

E+4(-+. C%"*F), T)-28 5odafone can<t get enough of the #ngland .ric-et Team C 66 years on and their support is still going strong as the principal partner of the Team% And it<s not just about a logo on a shirt% This partnership gives employees and luc-y customers unbelievable access to get up close and personal 'ith the Team% As you can imagine0 the life of a cric-eter means the team are on the road 6I out of 6, months of the year so a Blac-Berry is a must have% The Team use their handsets to email

2I

friends V family0 surf the net0 listen to music and send teEts 'hich -eep them up to speed no matter 'here they are in the 'orld%

I+,)%+-( PR8 5odafone operates a range of all-employee share plans to encourage 'idespread employee share o'nership throughout the company% 5odafone 'on a Global #4uity )rgani*ation a'ard for best share plan communications in ,II9 for the second year running% They also operate a number of pension plans 'hich vary according to the conditions and practices in the countries concerned% These are provided through defined benefit and defined contribution arrangements% Defined benefit schemes provide benefits based on the employees< length of pensionable service and their final pensionable salary or other criteria% Defined contribution schemes offer employees individual funds that are converted into benefits at the time of retirement% They also involve them in the decisions of the company% They conduct training programs also for the benefit of the employees and for better eEperience% They also promote leadership on a large scale% This is done in order to maintain very good relations 'ith the employees of the organi*ation% PR #,%-,)4")# &' V&.-'&+) I+."-8 P%)## R)()-#)#8 5odafone India doesn<t have a separate press office to issue all the Press !eleases% The P! 8ead himself ma-es the entire press release and then it<s confirmed by the spo-esperson of 5odafone India i%e $avin .hopra and is then released% There they believe Press !eleases help in order to maintain very good relations 'ith the media and it also helps them to be in the eye of the audience% P%)## C&+')%)+*)#8 5odafone uses press conferences as a very po'erful tool in handling the media and see-ing consumer attention% They hold press conferences at the launch of ne' services or products of any -ind% They also use press conferences as a tool in order to control crisis%
26

M)."- I+,)%B")1#8 5odafone underta-es media intervie's 'ith proper planning% It is sometimes initiated by media 'hile most of the time it is by 5odafone% It is handled very carefully specially during crisis or 'hen a ne' service is launched and is this used as a very good platform for promotion0 building image and even control crisis% H&-%."+4# -+. A.B)%,"#)2)+,#8 5odafone uses advertisements as a po'erful tool% The hoardings are placed in every corner of a city% It helps in see-ing immediate attention of the consumers% 5odafone also uses advertisements% It has it corporate ne's in the .AT 6 papers li-e #conomic Times0 Times of India0 8industan Times and many others% It also ahs its ne's in .AT , papers including all the regional language papers% It also advertises on television and radio% They also have running ads on (tar India about the ne's updates or ne' services or ne' tariff plans% 5odafone has entered into a !ebranding .ampaign 'ith (tar India in order to promote the #ssar Brand% N)1#(),,)%8 5odafone India issues house journals for its employees named Baatchit% They believe this helps in maintaining good relations 'ith them% It is issued by the 8! 8ead% A4)+*A8 The last P! strategy that they use is that they have hired an agency that goes to the 5odafone store 'ith genuine problems% Then they report to the top management of the company stating ho' the eEecutives at the store responded to their 4ueries and ho' did they behave 'ith them% This helps the company in ma-ing the decisions regarding those eEecutives at the stores% This strategy has helped them a lot in ma-ing 5odafone stores a better place so that their customers get even better service% S/**)##'/( S,%-,)4")#8 5odafone has had many successful strategies% )ne of them is the success of 5odafone in India% 5odafone for the Indian masses 'as a completely ne' brand name% Therefore0 5odafone had to see that the positive image of 5odafone is built up in the minds of the people% In order to promote the brand 5odafone in India0 a .entral P! team 'as set up in India% They handled all the promotion activities% They held many press conferences and issued
2,

press releases% They also arranged for media intervie's% They released many positive articles about the 5odafone company in all the .AT 6 papers% 5odafone as been successful in retaining the position of 8utchison #ssar and infact ma-e this telecom company much more successful% Today 5odafone has 22 la-h customers% Its adding , lac customers every month%

C%"#"#8 It had faced a huge crisis during bomb blasts and floods% There 'as no net'or- at all% The cell sides 'ere damaged in 'ater% They had the otorola machine% It couldn<t ta-e the heavy load of calls% That is 'hy it became slo'% There 'ere no generators so the 'hole system stopped functioning because the supply of electricity 'as cut off% This 'as a very delicate situation% The company and the P! dept dint lose their cool% They 'ere calm and 'ere cautious and 4uic- in ta-ing steps% At that time they immediately flashed ne's on all the ne's channels that people shouldn<t ta-e more time to tal- as it 'as bloc-ing the call lines% The P! dept also informed all its employees not to use their mobile phones so that that much load is reduced% They also held an immediate press conference in order to eEplain 'hat 'as going on and 'hy 'as there no net'or-% As a result of this crisis0 they immediately too- steps to evaluate 'hat 'ent 'rong% They immediately planted generators every'here% They started using fibre optic cables% They immediately changed their company% PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY V&.-'&+) ,& T&/*! T&2&%%&1 1",! - +)1 0%-+. B"#"&+ The 8utch obile promoted 5odafone cellular service 'ill go in for repositioning of its otorola machine and replaced 'ith one of a more superior anagement .ell in the 4uality% After this incident they also started 'ith a Disaster

brand image% The ne' brand ethos is portrayed in t'o distinct fashions - the tag line OTouch Tomorro'O0 'hich underscores the leading theme for the ne' brand vision0
22

follo'ed by OThe Good /ifeO0 'hich underscores a more caring0 more customer centric organi*ation% Aimed at re-engineering its image as just simply a cellular service provider to an all out information communications services provider0 Touch Tomorro' is meant to embrace the ne' generation of mobile communication services and the changing scope of customer needs and aspirations that come along 'ith it The ne' communication is about a ne' dimension in the cellular category that goes beyond the Internet0 ( (0 roaming0 I5!(0 etc but 'hich engulfs the 'hole gamut of 'ireless digital broadband services that 'ill constitute tomorro's cellular services% The ne' campaign is in t'o phases - the first of 'hich 'ill communicate overall brand philosophy and the second products and services% According to )perating )fficer0 8utch strategyO% The ne' identity 'ill have the logo in !ed0 Blac- and &hite colours along 'ith lo'er case typography to convey 'armth% V&.-'&+) 'ill incorporate the latest branding in all of its communication and 'ill soon be going in for an enhanced promotional drive to establish the brandMs presence% L"') ,"2) P(-+ P!#-PAID card users need not 'orry anymore about recharging their coupons every month% .ompany has launched a plan that allo's users to ta-e a pre-paid connection 'ith lifetime validity for a one time payment of !s% 777% (ubscribers availing themselves of this scheme 'ill also get full tal- time for the recharge coupon they purchase and also have the option to buy Tai'anese manufactured Bird mobile handsets for as lo' as !s% 60277% The move is aimed at stopping the churn in the pre-paid subscriber base% )nce a subscriber ta-es this plan0 he 'ill al'ays be an 5odafone subscriber 'hether the mobile is being used or not% MARKET SITUATION A, ,!) ,"2) &' (-/+*! The first mover in the mar-et 'as 5odafone 'hich launched its services in Delhi in Aug 677> KInformal launchL% #ssar .ellphone follo'ed by launching its services informally in
23

r% Gagdish "ini0 .hief

obile /imited0 "arnata-a O&e are adopting a ne' brand-

platform - Touch Tomorro' - not only to reflect our corporate ethos but also business

)ct 7>% At this point of time0 the mar-et 'as at a nascent stage0 a'areness level 'as lo' and both operators independently tried to spread a'areness and educate the people )nce the net'or-s 'ere commercially launched0 it became a number game 'ith a multitude of schemes being offered to 'oo customers Initially the cellphone 'as perceived as a status symbol and utility too- a bac- seat The target segment in Delhi 'ere corporate and the high income group% The average capacity installed 'as for 6%> la-h subscribers% This coupled 'ith the steep license fee paid to D)T put pressure on the operators to brea-even by rapidly eEpanding their mar-ets% In the first t'o years0 this led to a number of schemes being offered and prices crashing% COMPETITIVE SITUATION 5odafone launched its services before #ssar and s-immed the mar-et pic-ing up the bulof the high usage premium clients% This is a very competitive industry 'ith the t'o companies differentiating either on value-added services or price% 5odafone is perceived as the high 4uality provider and has a premium image% #ssar0 on the other hand0 is perceived as the lo'er end service provider% 5odafone positions itself as the mar-et leader on the basis of the number of subscribers% #ssar is trying to counter this by emphasising on the reach of its net'or- and the 4uality of its service% 8o'ever0 #ssar is some'hat not been very successful largely due to the inconsistency in advertising To promote themselves0 both the players have been dependent on tactical advertising 8o'ever0 they have restrained from using comparative advertising 8oardings have been a very popular medium for carrying the advertisements 5odafone has also been advertising on television using the 8utch Telecom name%

SALES DEPARTMENT AND STRATEGY A. M-C&% A**&/+,# (D"%)*, C!-++)() 8andles corporate Knamed and famedL accounts @orecasting of sales apping the accounts
2>

Providing after sales support to the subscribers% aintaining call reports for records% Providing @eedbac- to the mar-eting department regarding the re4uirement of the mar-et%

B. IDC ("+."%)*, C!-++)() C. 1. 8andling distribution aintaining records and level chec- of the channel partner /iaisoning bet'een the channel partner and the company% Target achievement Training the eEecutives of the channel D"#,%"0/,"&+ S/$$&%, L&4"#,"*# onitor handset and (I ordinate 'ith stores 2. R)+,-( Provide cellular services K(I cardsL on rent% (ettle areas of concerns such as incentive claims of channel partners card re4uirements of channel partners and co-

Provide cellular phones on rent 1seful for people visiting Delhi for a short interval% T)()#-()#

.all customers and generate sales lead% @ollo' up 'ith the customers0 if they need any assistance
29

Pass on the sales lead to the channel department%

A/.", .onsultant to the 5odafone sho'rooms% onitor the operations at the 5odafone distribution outlets )rgani*e training% R),-"( /ocate shops to open retail counters% onitor the retail counters%

9.

MARKET SEGMENTATION (egmentation is beneficial because of better predictability of the target consumer group0 minimi*ation of ris- eEposure0 better ability to fine-tune a product / service to the re4uirement of target buyer and the resultant ease in designing a proper designing mar-eting miE strategy In this case segmentation is on the bade of income% In evaluating different mar-et segments the company loo-s at t'o factors The overall attractiveness of the segments and the companyMs objectives V resources The present mar-et for .ellular phones0 pagers and conventional phones is as follo's Premium 1pper .ellular Phones Pager .onventional Phones B B B B /o'er B B B iddle 1pper B B B /o'er B B #conomy 1pper B /o'er -

ar-et (egment Targeted

2A

TARGET MARKET SEGMENT 5odafone has targeted the premium and upper middle class% The rationale behind it is that only those segments should be targeted 'ho value time and have the paying capacity% It Is also planning to target the business tourists during their stay in the capital About 9I; of the clientele are top eEecutives of corporate houses% About 6>; are foreign organisations and the rest are professionals and small businessmen% brand0 because getting them to s'itch brand loyalty later 'ould be hard (o far 5odafone mar-eters have been concentrating totally on the business eEecutive class but no' that the basic viable volumes has beerL built up and prices have declined to a certain eEtent they are planning to venture further a field% POSITIONING The product is sought to be positioned as a business efficiency tool% a lifestyle revolution and a status symbol The emphasis is to remove misconception that the cellphone is an eEpensive means of communication and drive home the point that the cellphone is actually a day-to-day utility PRODUCT POLICY AND PLANNING The product or service "# the heart of the mar-eting miE% &ithout a product or a service customersM needs cannot be satisfied% The basic product promise by 5odafone is mobility% 5odafoneMs main mar-eting strategy is to be a first mover all the time% It has recognised the significance of ma-ing the first move-- because in the field of .ommunication V Information Technology changes occur at a tremendous pace% #ffective product segmentation has to be carried on continuously because basic services can be and 'ill be copied and in time become eEpected component of the product% 5odafone see-s to carry out this segmentation through provision of ne' information services and ma-ing ne' facilities available% The product policy and planning depends on the stage of the product life cycle% At present the cellular phone mar-et has reached the
2:

During the

introduction stage there 'as intense pressure to get consumers across to hoo- up 'ith their

maturity stage% (ince0 the premium segment is nearing saturation the company targeting the upper middle and middle-middle class% In order to do so 5odafone is trying to optimise the price performance pac-age by offering suitable Oproduct bundlingO% This involves the selection of the suitable hard'are KhandsetL and its soft'are Kits services%L 'ith reasonable price in order to deliver maEimum price performance to its customers% In addition0 it offers free Airtime services and other concessions to ma-e the prices and thus the product more attractive% It has also opened a ,3 hours customer service% )nly price doesnMt serve as an effective differentiator0 value added services become the effective differentiator%

T!) GV-(/) A..). S)%B"*)#G $%&B".). '%&2 V&.-'&+) are+6L% 5oice ail service

This system is similar to the ans'ering machine - if the user is not able to ans'er a call for some reason the caller can leave messages in the voice mail boE 'hich can be later retrieved by the user iiL (hort essage (ervice

The short message service is li-e a t'o-'ay pager% It gives an option of sending and receiving teEt messages directly from one mobile phone to another 'ithout the intervention of an operator% iiiL obile @aE 6 Data (ervice

This service helps the subscriber to send and receive @aEes0 access #-mail0 do'nload computer files from other systems and remotely log on to another computer and surf the Internet% ivL .ash .ard

27

The cash card is a pre-paid and pre-activated card 'hich allo's the buyers to buy air time in advance% All it re4uires is the payment of an initial amount% This is a useful service for people 'ho travel to Delhi often and those 'ho 'ant to control the eEpenses on their calls% vL .aller ID Displays calling personMs number% viL )utgoing call restriction To prevent or limit outgoing calls0 for eEample0 in pea- hours% Also possible to eEclude one or several countries0 or any geographical region0 to permit only local calls0 or to limit the outgoing calls to a listed number% viiiL .all for'ard Incoming calls can be for'arded to another fiEed or mobile phone% Besides these some other services provided by 5odafone are - .all conferencing0 .all Broadcast et cetera% It is in the operators -Interest that they not only get many subscribers but also get them to use the mobile facility fre4uently% In the early stages getting increases to subscribe may be easier than getting them to tal- since they 'ill find it costlier to use the mobile phone as compared to a conventional phone Wif is believed that initially cellphones 'ould be used buyX viiiL !oaming @acility !oaming facility is available 'hile the subscriber is travelling% The billing is done in the home net'or- KDelhiL% !oaming facility is available manually= as 'ell as seminet'or- is card of the local operator Into your handset and start automatically% )nce a subscriber is In any other city or country0 'here a G( available0 simply insert the (I tal-ing% = == anual !oaming means a separate (I card is provided for each city

(emi automatic roaming means one card has the facility for different cities%

3I

VODAFONEHS MARKETING ORIENTATION. (ince this is a high-involvement eEpensive product0 the service provider has to fully ta-e care of the customers% aL They ta-e personal responsibility to OgetO the ans'er for any problem faced by the

customer bL cL dL eL They anticipate customersM problems and ta-e pro-active steps to prevent them They give ans'ers to the 4uestions V re4uests0 4uic-ly V efficiently% They have a positive tone V manner 'hile interacting 'ith customers% They end the interaction on a positive or a humorous note-ma-ing the last 2I

seconds count% 5odafone realises that attracting people MIs easy but converting them into loyal customers is hard0 hence emphasis is on maintaining a M(miling and a @riendly AtmosphereM to please and retain the customer% PRICE AND PRICING POLICY 5)DA@)$# has realised that the Indian mar-et is price sensitive% Therefore it care of the has come up 'ith various innovative tariff schemes to ta-e needs of different category of customers- Generally0 the cellular services are more eEpensive than the land line based telephone services% This is due to the reason that the operating companies are re4uired to pay a fee to the government for using airtime% MARKETING S,%-,)4AA.&$,). 0A V&.-'&+) 8utch has spent a considerable amount on advertising its mobile phone service0 5odafone% Besides print advertising0 the company had put up large no of hoardings and -ios-s in and around Delhi% The objective behind designing a promotion campaign for the Y5odafone< services is to promote the brand a'areness and to build brand preferences% It is trying to set up a thematic campaign to build a stronger brand e4uity for 5odafone% (ince the cellular phone category itself is too restricted0 also the fact that a .ellular phone
36

is a high involvement product0 price doesnMt 4ualify as an effective differentiator% The image of the service provider counts a great deal% Given the .ell phone category0 it is the net'or- efficiency and the 4uality of service that becomes important% &hat no' the buyer is loo-ing at is to get the optimum price-performance pac-age% This also serves as an effective differentiator Brand a'areness is spread through theM campaigns and brand preference through brand stature% 5odafoneMs campaign in the capital began 'ith a series of MteaserM hoardings across the city0M bearing just the companyMs name and 'ithout eEplaining 'hat 5odafone 'as% In the neEt phase the campaign associated 5odafone 'ith .ellular only thereafter 'as the 8utch .ellular connection brought up% 5ans 'ith 5odafone logos roamed the city0 handing out brochures about the company and its services to all consumers% About >I0III direct callers 'ere sent out% &hen the name 'as 'ell entrenched in the Delhiites<s mind0 the 5odafone campaign began to focus on the utility of .ellphone% In the first four months alone AirteiMs advertisement spend eEceeded !s% 3 crores% As of today the a'areness level Is 9I; unaided% This implies that if potential or

-no'ledgeable consumers are as-ed to name a .ellular phone service provider that is on the top of his/her mind 9I; of them 'ould name 5odafone% As for aided it -is 6II; Kby giving clues and hints etc%L% Brand strength of a product or the health of a brand is measured by the percentage score of the brand on the above aided and the unaided tests% The figures sho' that 5odafone is a healthy and a thriving brand% #very company has a goal0 'hich might comprise a sales target and a game plan 'ith due regard to Its competitor% 5odafone Ms campaign strategy is designed -eeping in mind its mar-eting strategy% The tone0 tenor and the stance of the visual ads are designed to convey the image of a mar-et leader in terms of its mar-et share% It tries to portray the image of being a Ofirst mover every timeO and that of a Omar-et leaderO% The status of the product in terms of its life cycle has just reached the maturity stage in India% It is still on the rising part of the product life cycle curve in the maturity stage%

3,

The diagram on the left hand side sho's the percentage of the users classified into heavy0 medium and lo' categories% The right hand side sho's the revenue share earned from the three types of users% 5odafone0 -eeping in mind the importance of the customer retention0 values its heavy users the most and constantly indulges in service innovation% But0 since heavy users comprise only 6> - ,I; of the population the other segment cannot be neglected% The population 'hich has just realised the importance of cellular phones has to be roped in% It is for this reason that the service provider offers a plethora of incentives and discounts% .oncerts li-e the O@reedom concertO are being organised by 5odafone in order to promote sales% The media channel is chosen 'ith economy in mind% The target segment is not very concrete but0 there is an attempt to focus on those 'ho can afford% The print advertisements and hoarding are placed in those strategic areas 'hich most li-ely to catch the attention of those 'ho need a cellular phone% The product promise K'hich might cost different 6 higherL is an important variable in determining the target audience% Besides this0 other promotional strategies that 5odafone has adopted are % KiL People 'ho have boo-ed 5odafone services have been treated to eEclusive

premiers of bloc-buster movies% 5odafone has tied up 'ith /ufthansa to offer customer bonus miles on the German airlines fre4uent flierMs programs% KiiL There have been educational campaigns0 image campaigns0 pre launch

advertisements0 launch advertisements0 congratulatory advertisements0 promotional advertise-ments0 attac-ing advertisements and tactical advertisements S<OT A+-(A#"# is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths0 <ea-nesses0 Opportunities0 and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture% It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and eEternal factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieving that objective% The techni4ue is credited to Albert 8umphrey0 'ho led a research project at (tanford 1niversity in the 679Is and 67AIs using data from @ortune >II companies%

32

S,%)+4,!# /eadership Position Global Brand (trength I+,)%+-( 8igh Geographical reach O$$&%,/+",")# #Epanding mar-eting boundaries Gro'th through 2G EE,)%+-( (trategic Alliances

<)-F+)##)# .entrali*ed .ontrol C /o' @leEibility 8igh .onsumer churn rates T!%)-,# Increased .ompetition ar-et saturation in #urope #mergencies of /o' cost Brands

33

S<OT ANALYSIS OF VODAFONE D.1) S,%)+4,!#8 The main strength of 5odafone 'ithin the telecommunications mar-et lies in its brand image and recognition% 5odafone0 having established a global presence and having invested highly in mar-eting a differentiated image by promoting a 5odafone life style0 currently enjoys a differentiating advantage that0 if eEploited properly0 can offer a lead in competition% The presence of 5odafone in numerous countries 'ithin #urope as 'ell as in all part of the 'orld enhances this image% It allo's customers to travel and enjoy easily the services of their home country operator% In the fe' countries that 5odafone is not physically present Ke%g% $or'ayL it has 'ell established strategic alliances 'hich allo' for a better service of mobile clients% D.2) <)-F+)##)#8 The eEpansion of 5odafone has been completed at the eEpense of direct control of its operations% The company gre' through a process of ac4uisitions of national telecommunications companies Ke%g% the ac4uisition of the third biggest .*ech mobile phone operator0 .es-y mobileL rather than organic gro'th% This increased its subscribers< base 4uic-ly0 offering direct mar-et -no'ledge and immediate additions of customer bases at the eEpense of direct effective control of the subsidiaries% At the same time though0 it implicitly imposed a centrali*ed operational structure for the group0 nominating the 1" head4uarters as the leading business unit running a much centralised mar-eting and handset procurement at group level% This has resulted in the neglect of local mar-ets and local differences0 allo'ing mar-et share to be gained by smaller local competitors% Due to the highly saturated &estern #uropean mar-et this has resulted in an increase in the price elasticity of demand0 'ith consumers becoming continuously price oriented% This has resulted in high customer churn rates reaching the level of 2,%:; in the 1" compared to ),<s ,3;% D. ) O$$&%,/+",")#8 The telecommunications mar-et0 even though highly saturated in some regions offers great potential due to the ageing population and the sophistication of the consumers% It offers great opportunities through a careful mar-et segmentation and eEploitation of particular
3>

profitable segments% Different strategies should be pursued C simple phones and simplified pricing plans to the ageing population and more updated0 sophisticated solutions for younger generations% The eEpanding Boundaries of the mar-et could provide further opportunities by allo'ing 5odafone to enter more aggressively into fiEedline service and to better enjoy the benefits of its high investment in 2G technology% oreover the company has underta-en its first steps in establishing strategic alliances to develop customi*ed solutions for endusers+ 5odafone recently announced t'o ne' partnerships0 one 'ith supermar-et group A(DA to launch an A(DA branded mobile service in the 1"0 and another 'ith electrical retailer D(G International to provide mobile solutions to small businesses% This could further be enhanced to avoid being a late entrant in this ne' method of distribution 'hich offers access to a 'ide potential customer base% D.D) T!%)-,#8 The #uropean part of 5odafone<s mar-et is characteri*ed by eEisting high levels of competition% ajor brands such as ), and T obile are eEploiting the price sensitivity of customers and in this 'ay they are building a stronger image and presence in the mar-et% Indirect competition is also increasing further0 through the presence of (-ype and other related Knot only voiceL Internetbased services% This combined 'ith the upcoming #uropean legislative measures is eEpected to limit further the tariffs for the net'orproviders imposing further need for price cuts 'hich could harm the bottom line profitability of the company%

39

LITRATURE REVIE< .ustomer satisfaction0 a business term0 is a measure of ho' products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer eEpectation% It is seen as a -ey performance indicator 'ithin business and is part of the four perspectives of a Balanced (corecard% In a competitive mar-etplace 'here businesses compete for customers0 customer satisfaction is seen as a -ey differentiator and increasingly has become a -ey element of business strategy% There is a substantial body of empirical literature that establishes the benefits of customer satisfaction for firms% .2) M)-#/%"+4 */#,&2)% #-,"#'-*,"&+ )rgani*ations are increasingly interested in retaining eEisting customers 'hile targeting non-customersQ measuring customer satisfaction provides an indication of ho' successful the organi*ation is at providing products and/or services to the mar-etplace% .ustomer satisfaction is an ambiguous and abstract concept and the actual manifestation of the state of satisfaction 'ill vary from person to person and product/service to product/service% The state of satisfaction depends on a number of both psychological and physical variables 'hich correlate 'ith satisfaction behaviors such as return and recommend rate% The level of satisfaction can also vary depending on other options the customer may have and other products against 'hich the customer can compare the organi*ationMs products% Because satisfaction is basically a psychological state0 care should be ta-en in the effort of 4uantitative measurement0 although a large 4uantity of research in this area has recently been developed% &or- done by Berry0 Brodeur bet'een 677I and 677: defined ten MDuality 5aluesM 'hich influence satisfaction behavior0 further eEpanded by Berry in ,II, and -no'n as the ten domains of satisfaction% These ten domains of satisfaction include+ Duality0 5alue0 Timeliness0 #fficiency0 #ase of Access0 #nvironment0 Inter-departmental Team'or-0 @ront line (ervice Behaviors0 .ommitment to the .ustomer and Innovation% These factors are emphasi*ed for continuous improvement and organi*ational change measurement and are most often utili*ed to develop the architecture for satisfaction
3A

measurement as an integrated model% &or- done by Parasuraman0 Ueithaml and Berry bet'een 67:> and 67:: provides the basis for the measurement of customer satisfaction 'ith a service by using the gap bet'een the customerMs eEpectation of performance and their perceived eEperience of performance% This provides the measurer 'ith a satisfaction OgapO 'hich is objective and 4uantitative in nature% &or- done by .ronin and Taylor propose the Oconfirmation/disconfirmationO theory of combining the OgapO described by Parasuraman0 Ueithaml and Berry as t'o different measures Kperception and eEpectation of performanceL into a single measurement of performance according to eEpectation% According to Garbrand0 customer satisfaction e4uals perception of performance divided by eEpectation of performance% The usual measures of customer satisfaction involve a survey 'ith a set of statements using a /i-ert Techni4ue or scale% The customer is as-ed to evaluate each statement and in term of their perception and eEpectation of performance of the organi*ation being measured%

. ) V&.-'&+) !-. !"4!)#, */#,&2)% #-,"#'-*,"&+ "+.)E "+ 2@@; /isbon0 ,> August ,II: - 5odafone obtained the highest customer satisfaction indeE in the telecommunications sector in ,IIA0 according to annual results published by Anacom% 5odafone achieved a satisfaction indeE of A3%3 Kon a scale of I to 6IIL0 the highest score of all the companies in the Portuguese telecommunications mar-et and considerably above the sector average of 9A%9% In the report published by Anacom0 5odafone is ran-ed in first place in all the indicators included in the survey+ (atisfaction 'ith the operator0 Image that customers have of the operator0 .ustomer #Epectations0 Perceived Duality of the operatorMs net'or- and services0 Perceived 5alue for oney0 .omplaints received and their handling0 and /oyalty of customers to their operator% In the Perceived Duality indicator0 5odafone obtained a score of :%2 points for overall 4uality0 'ay ahead of the scores of the other t'o operators Kboth obtained A%A pointsL% 5odafone comes top in all the indicators for perceived 4uality of net'or- and services+ technical 4uality of the net'or- K:%, pointsLQ customer service and advice capability KA%9 pointsLQ 4uality K:%, pointsL0 diversity K:%I pointsL and reliability KA%7 pointsL of products
3:

and services offeredQ clarity and transparency of information supplied KA%: pointsLQ net'orcoverage KA%7 pointsL and clarity and transparency of price plans KA%7 pointsL% (imilarly0 in the indicators measuring the Image of mobile operators0 5odafone comes top in the five categories analy*ed Kon a scale of 6 to 6IL+ MIt is a reliable company in terms of 'hat it says and 'hat it doesM K:%6 pointsLQ MIt is stable and 'ell established in the mar-etM K:%: pointsLQ MIt contributes positively to societyM KA%> pointsLQ MIt cares about its customersM KA%9 pointsLQ and MIt is innovative and for'ard loo-ingM K:%> pointsL% The methodology used in the #.(I Portugal ,IIA survey K#.(I C #uropean .ustomer (atisfaction IndeEL is similar to that used by the #uropean .ommission to survey customer satisfaction in ,> ember (tates0 enabling comparisons to be made bet'een the results obtained in each country% The #.(I Portugal ,IIA .ommunications survey 'as carried out by the 8igher Institute of (tatistics and Information from Anacom% anagement at /isbonMs $e' 1niversity in partnership 'ith the Portuguese Duality Institute and the Portuguese Duality Association0 'ith sponsorship

37

RESEARCH METHODOLGOY O0C)*,"B) &' S,/.A8 @ollo'ing are the main objective to study about the customer satisfaction on 5odafone% To study telecommunication industry% To study the company profile of 5odafone% To study customer satisfaction of 5odafone% To study various ar-eting activities provided by 5odafone%

To study the various services provided by 5odafone% To -no' the eEpectation of 5odafone .ustomers%

SCOPE OF THE STUDY There are many benefits related to ta-e this study% (ome of the benefits of ta-ing this study are as follo's+ By analy*ing this information0 the company 'ould be able to better design schemes V services V target right prospects< needs V 'ants%

ore people 'ill get a'are about 5odafone that 'ill increase profit level of 5odafone%

This study helps to identify the behavior of consumer 'hen there are no offers V schemes from 5odafone%

P%&0()2 I.)+,"'"*-,"&+8 The first and the most important step of mar-eting research is properly defining the problem% In order to identify the research problem t'o categories of problem should be carefully noticed%
>I

8ere the researcher<s problems are+ A number of customers are not satisfied 'ith services0 ne' schemes and offers% A number of customers are not satisfied 'ith the net'or- coverage% A number of customers are not satisfied 'ith the current call rates of 5odafone% A number of customers are not satisfied 'ith the @ree ( ( schemes% A number of customers are not satisfied 'ith the service of customer care of 5odafone% RESEARCH DESIGN8 !esearch design indicates the methods and procedure of conducting research study% !esearch design can be done in follo'ing three types+- 6 #Eploratory !esearch+#Eploratory research focuses on the discovery of ne' ideas and is generally based on secondary data% 2 D)#*%"$,"B) R)#)-%*!85 Descriptive research is underta-en 'hen the researcher 'ant to -no' the characteristics of certain groups% C-/#-( &% EE$)%"2)+,-( R)#)-%*!)#85 An eEperimental research is underta-en to identify causes and effect relationship bet'een t'o variables%

>6

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION D& A&/ !-B) - 2&0"() $!&+)I P/%$&#)8 S/44)#,"&+# N&. &' %)#$&+.)+,# Y)# 72 N& A

The main purpose of this 4uestion is to -no' ho' many respondents use mobile phone%

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8 72; of the respondents are have a mobile phone 'hile A; of the respondents do not have a mobile phone%

>,

J2) A%) A&/ -1-%) -0&/, ,)()*&22/+"*-,"&+# #)%B"*)#I P/%$&#)8 The main purpose behind this 4uestion is to -no' about the a'areness of S/44)#,"&+# N&. &' %)#$&+.)+,# Y)# 7> N& > respondents regarding different telecommunications services and also to -no' about 'hich

telecommunicationKoperator<sL service they use%

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8

>2

7>; of the respondents are a'are about telecommunications services 'hile >; are not a'are%

<!"*! &$)%-,&%K# #)%B"*) .& A&/ /#)I O$)%-,&%K# #)%B"*) +-2) 5odafone Airtel Idea !eliance B($/ Tata Indicom N&. &' %)#$&+.)+,# :A ,7 6A ,6 > 2

>3

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8 ajor respondents using mobile are enjoying 5odafone services% 69; of the respondents use Airtel0 9; respondents use Idea 'hile 6,;0 3; and ,; respondents use !eliance0 B($/ and Tata Indicom respectively%

J ) A%) A&/ -1-%) -0&/, V&.-'&+)I P/%$&#)8

The purpose behind this 4uestion is to -no' about the a'areness of 5odafone among all the respondents%

>>

S/44)#,"&+# N&. &' %)#$&+.)+,#

Y)# :A

N& I

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8 8ere 6II; of respondents are a'are about 5odafone (ervices%

>9

JD) F%&2 1!"*! #&/%*) A&/ *-2) ,& F+&1 -0&/, V&.-'&+)I P/%$&#)8 The purpose behind this 4uestion is to -no' from 'hich source the respondents came to -no' about 5odafone%

S&/%*)# Advertisements 8oardings $e'spapers outh Publicity

N&. &' %)#$&+.)+,# 92 >, 2> ,9

>A

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8 29; of the respondents are a'are about 5odafone through Advertisements0 ,7; are a'are because of 8oardings 'hile ,I; and 6>; of the respondents are a'are because of $e'spapers and outh Publicity respectively%

J9) S"+*) !&1 (&+4 A&/ -%) /#"+4 V&.-'&+) S)%B"*)#I P/%$&#)8 The purpose behind this 4uestion is to -no' about the usage time of 5odafone customers i%e% since ho' long they are using 5odafone services% T"2) $)%"&. /ess than 6 month ,-9 months 9-6, months ore than 6 year N&. &' %)#$&+.)+,# 6, 67 ,, 23

>:

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8 ajor !espondents using 5odafone are old customers% 27; of the respondents use 5odafone services from past more than 6 year 'hile the lo'est is 63; respondents using 5odafone services less than 6 month%

J:) <!"*! &' ,!) '&((&1"+4 #)%B"*)# .& A&/ /#) &' V&.-'&+)I P/%$&#)8 The purpose behind this 4uestion is to -no' 'hich services do the 5odafone customer use0 Pre-Paid or Post-Paid%

>7

S)%B"*)# Pre-Paid Post-paid

N&. &' %)#$&+.)+,# A2 63

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8 :3; of the respondents use pre-paid services 'hile only 69; of the respondents use post-paid services%

J;) <!"*! #)%B"*)# -%) 2&%) !)($'/( ,& A&/ 1!"() /#"+4 V&.-'&+) S)%B"*)#I P/%$&#)8
9I

The purpose behind this 4uestion is to -no' 'hich services are more helpful to the respondent 'hile using 5odafone%

S)%B"*)# .all !ates ( ( !ates $et'or5alue Added (ervices

N&. &' %)#$&+.)+,# ,A 3: 29 67

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8 8ere major !espondents are youngsters so they mainly use ( ( services of 5odafone% 2A; of the respondents use 5odafone for ( ( services 'hile only 63; of the respondents use 5odafone for 5alue Added (ervices%
96

J=) D& A&/ *-(( -, */#,&2)% *-%)I S/44)#,"&+# N&. &' %)#$&+.)+,# P/%$&#)8 Y)# A9 N& 66

The purpose of this 4uestion is to -no' ho' many times and ho' often the respondents call at customer care of 5odafone%

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8 :A; of the respondent calls at customer care 'hile 62; respondents do not call at customer care%

9,

I' A)#7 !&1 &',)+ A&/ *-(( -, */#,&2)% *-%)I T"2) P)%"&. Daily )nce a 'ee)nce a month )ccasionally N&. &' %)#$&+.)+,# > 6, ,3 2>

I+,)%$%),-,"&+
92

ajor respondents here call customer care occasionally% 26; respondents respondents call customer care once a month 'hile 69; and A; of respondents call once a 'ee- and daily respectively%

J?) F&% 1!-, %)-#&+ A&/ *-(( -, */#,&2)% *-%)I P/%$&#)8 The main purpose of this 4uestion is to -no' the reason of the respondents regarding calling at customer care% R)-#&+# 5alue Added (ervices Information regarding ne' schemes .omplaining )ther 4ueries N&. &' %)#$&+.)+,# ,6 ,2 3, 29

93

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8 23; of respondents call at customer care for complaining purpose 'hile 2I;0 67; and 6A; of respondents call customer care for other 4ueries0 information regarding ne' schemes and value added services respectively%

J1@) R-,) ,!) '&((&1"+4 &+ ,!) 0-#"# &' A&/% #-,"#'-*,"&+. S)%B"*)# $et'or( ( !ates EE*)(()+, 26 9 V)%A G&&. ,7 67 63 F-"%(A G&&. 6A 2> ,A AB)%-4) A ,3 22 P&&% 2 2 6I

$e' schemes and 2 offers .ustomer .are !echarge )utlets .all !ates 5alue (ervices 9 6, , Added 7

2, ,: ,I ,3

,7 26 32 ,7

6> 63 67 67

> , 2 9

9>

99

N),1&%F8 P/%$&#)8 The purpose of this analysis is to -no' the perspective of the customers of 5odafone regarding net'or- service% S)%B"*) $et'orEE*)(()+, 26 V)%A G&&. ,7 F-"%(A G&&. 6A AB)%-4) A P&&% 2

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8 8ere major respondents are satisfy 'ith the net'or- coverage% 29; of the respondents are rate the 5odafone<s net'or- eEcellent0 22; rate it very good0 ,I; rate it farely good 'hile :; and 2; rate it average and poor%

9A

SMS R-,)#8 P/%$&#)8 The purpose of this analysis is to -no' the perspective of the customers of vodafone regarding !ates of ( (% S)%B"*) ( ( !ates EE*)(()+, 9 V)%A G&&. 67 F-"%(A G&&. 2> AB)%-4) ,3 P&&% 2

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8 8ere major respondents are not much satisfied 'ith the ( ( rates of 5odafone as major respondents are youngsters% A; of respondents rate it eEcellent0 ,,; rate it very good0 3I; rate it fairly good0 ,:; rate it average0 2; rate it poor%

9:

N)1 S*!)2)# -+. O'')%#8 P/%$&#)8 The main purpose of this analysis is to the respondent<s perspective related to the ne' schemes and offers provided by 5odafone% S)%B"*) $e' EE*)(()+, schemes 2 V)%A G&&. 63 F-"%(A G&&. ,A AB)%-4) 22 P&&% 6I

and offers

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8 8ere major respondents are not much satisfied 'ith ne' schemes and offers of 5odafone% 2:; respondents rate ne' schemes and offers as average0 26; respondents rate it as fairly good0 69; rate it as very good 'hile 6,; and 2; rate it as poor and eEcellent respectively%

97

C/#,&2)% C-%)8 P/%$&#)8 The main purpose of this analysis is to -no' about the satisfaction of customer care service provided by 5odafone to their customers%

S)%B"*) .ustomer .are

EE*)(()+, 9

V)%A G&&. 2,

F-"%(A G&&. ,7

AB)%-4) 6>

P&&% >

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8 .ustomer care service of 5odafone is better compared to some of the other services% 2A; respondents rate it as very good0 22; rate it as fairly good0 6A; rate it as average0 and 9; and A; rate it as poor and eEcellent respectively%

AI

R)*!-%4) O/,(),#8 P/%$&#)8 The purpose behind this analysis is to -no' about the satisfaction of the 5odafone customers regarding recharge outlets%

S)%B"*) !echarge )utlets

EE*)(()+, 6,

V)%A G&&. ,:

F-"%(A G&&. 26

AB)%-4) 63

P&&% ,

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8 !echarge outlets of 5odafone are majorly rated on fairly good and very good basis% 29; of the respondents rate it as fairly good0 2,; rate it as very good0 69; rate it as average0 63; rate it eEcellent and ,; respondents rate it as poor%

A6

C-(( R-,)#8 P/%$&#)8 The purpose behind this analysis is to -no' about the perception of vodafone customers regarding different call rates% S)%B"*) .all !ates EE*)(()+, , V)%A G&&. ,I F-"%(A G&&. 32 AB)%-4) 67 P&&% 2

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8 ajor percentage of respondents are not happy 'ith the call rates of 5odafone% 37; of respondents rate call rates of vodafone as fairly good0 ,2; rate it as very good0 ,,; rate it as average 'hile 3; and ,; respondent rate it as poor and eEcellent respectively%

A,

V-(/) A..). S)%B"*)#8 P/%$&#)8 The purpose behind this analysis is to -no' about the perception of vodafone customers regarding 5alue Added (ervices% S)%B"*) 5alue (ervices EE*)(()+, Added 7 V)%A G&&. ,3 F-"%(A G&&. ,7 AB)%-4) 67 P&&% 9

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8 5alue added services of 5odafone are 4uite feasible as compared to some of the other services% 22; respondents rate it as fairly good0 ,:; rate it as very good0 ,,; rate it as average 'hile 6I; and A; rate it as eEcellent and poor respectively%

A2

J12) <!A A&/ -%) +&, /#"+4 V&.-'&+) S)%B"*)#I P/%$&#)8 The purpose of this 4uestion is to -no' 'hy other respondents do not use 5odafone services% R)-#&+# /ac- of a'areness 8igh Prices Poor (ervices Poor $et'orN&. &' %)#$&+.)+,# , 9 2 ,

I+,)%$%),-,"&+8
A3

9 don<t use 5odafone services because of high prices% 2 respondents don<t use 5odafone services because of poor services 'hile , respondents each don<t use vodafone services because of lac- of a'areness and poor net'or-%

CONCLUSION @oll'ing are the conclusion that the researcher found after the survey% @rom the above analysis the researcher concludes that major respondents are dissatisfied 'ith some of the major services li-e call rates0 ( ( rates and ne' schemes V offers% ajor respondents from all respondents use services of 5odafone% ajor customers of 5odafone are old customers so many of the respondents are satisfied 'ith the services of 5odafone and thus they 'ould li-e to recommend 5odafone to others% ajor respondents using 5odafone use pre-paid services compared to post-paid services% ajor respondents are youngsters so they need more ( ( facilities and lo' call rates0 but 5odafone dissatisfies these age group K6:-,>L as their call rates and ( ( rates are much high%

A>

RECOMMENDATION @ollo'ing are some of the suggestions given by the researcher so that 5odafone can serve people and its customers in an improved 'ay+ 5odafone should decrease call rates for local users% 5odafone should provide more offers to Post-Paid customers so that the number of Post-Paid customers increase% 5odafone should bring introduce some ne' ( ( schemes for the youngsters% 5odafone should introduce more schemes and offers% 5odafone should provide more schemes and offers to its old customers% 5odafone should decrease call rates of (TD and I(D%

A9

BIBLIOGRAPHY Boo-s+ ar-eting anagement C Philip "otler0 "evin /ane "eller%

&ebsites+ http+//'''%vodafone%com/start/mediaNrelations/ne's/localNpressNreleases/port ugal/portugalNpressNrelease/vodafoneNhadNhighest%html http+//en%'i-ipedia%org/'i-i/.ustomerNsatisfaction http+//en%'i-ipedia%org/'i-i/8utchNKIndianNcellularNcompanyL http+//en%'i-ipedia%org/'i-i/5odafone http+//bora%nhh%no/bitstream/,22I/6767/6/(aplitsa;,I,II:%pdf '''%anacom%pt/render%jspZcontentId[9I99>:

AA

APP#$DIB D6L Do you have a mobile phoneZ o ?es o $o D,L Are you a'are about telecommunications serviceZ o ?es o $o If yes0 then 'hich operator<s (ervice do you useZ o 5odafone o Airtel o Idea o !eliance o B($/ o Tata Indicom K If not 5odafone then go to D6, L D2L Are you a'are about 5odafoneZ o ?es o $o KIf $o0 then go to D66 L (M/(,"5*!&"*))

D3L @rom 'hich source you came to -no' about 5odafoneZ o Advertisement o 8oardings o $e'spapers o outh Publicity (M/(,"5*!&"*))

D>L (ince ho' long you are using 5odafone servicesZ o /ess than 6 month o ,-9 months o 9-6, months
A:

ore than 6 year

D9L &hich of the follo'ing services do you use of 5odafoneZ o Pre-paid o Post-paid DAL &hich services are more helpful to you 'hile using 5odafone servicesZ o .all rates o ( ( service o $et'oro 5alue Added (ervices D:L Dou you call at customer careZ o ?es o $o If yes0 ho' often you call at customer careZ o Daily o )nce a 'eeo )nce a month o )ccasionally D7L @or 'hat reason you call at customer careZ o 5alue added services o Information regarding ne' schemes o )ther 4ueries o .omplaining (M/(,"5*!&"*)) (M/(,"5*!&"*))

D6IL !ate the follo'ing services on the basis of your satisfaction% S)%B"*)# EE*)(()+, V)%A G&&. F-"%(A 4&&. AB)%-4) P&&%

A7

$et'or( ( rates $e' schemes and offers .ustomer .are !echarge outlets .all !ates 5alue Added (ervices

D66L &hat ma-es you una'are about 5odafoneZ o /ess Advertisements o /ess Publicity o )thers KIf others then mention NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNL

:I

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