Internship Report On Banglalink - Comparing The Brand Image of Banglalink Against The Other Mobile Phone Companies

Banglalink - You First
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
Much of the world has, at best, limited access to basic telephone service. Bangladesh is no
exception to this rule. A brief survey of the telecommunications sector in Bangladesh (PBC)
shows that in Bangladesh, which ranks among the most densely populated countries on the
globe, one telephone serves 275 people, equating to one of the lowest teledensity measures
worldwide. Of the total telephone count in Bangladesh, approximately 20 percent serve the
rural areas. The need for telecommunications sector investment and growth is obvious. This
is especially so if Bangladesh intends to participate and coexist economically and socially in
a larger information-intensive world.
There were only 3,000 users when mobile phone was an expensive personal gadget of the
society's affluent segment. Competition was introduced in 1996. Since then mobile phone
gradually became a general-purpose communication tool and today it boasts of 6.25 million
users representing a 132 percent compound annual growth rate. It is predicted that there will
be around 10 million mobile subscribers in the country by 2006.
Middle to higher income citizens has been dominating the mobile customers. Lately the lower
income group started joining the club. It was fuelled after Banglalink rocked the market by
bundling subscription and handset at Tk1, 500 only. Later people became more excited after
the launching of Teletalk.
Comparing the Brand Image of Banglalink against the other Mobile Phone Companies
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AKTEL stunned the market introducing one-second pulse. GP made history with launching
EDGE, the very first step towards third generation mobile phone. City Cell's free handset
offer coincided with Sing Tel's acquiring this CDMA operator last week. Graph of our mobile
phone market's growth was to take the shape of a "Hockey-stick" by this year.
Banglalink was the last addition to the GSM family of OTH. In September 2004, OTH
acquired a mobile services company, Shebatel in Bangladesh with a nationwide GSM license
valid until 2011. Since then, OTH has installed new management, upgraded the network and
re-branded the company as Banglalink. Banglalink has rapidly deployed new network
infrastructure, set up a distribution network and points of sale, and designed complete
commercial plans to offer high quality voice and data telecommunications services at
competitive prices to the people of Bangladesh. It is also worth mentioning that an
unprecedented success of sales results followed the Commercial launch of Banglalink on the
10th of Feb 05.
The mobile phone market is a part of the consumer service industry. Banglalink, like any
other successful company dealing with consumer commodity, has to keep a continual tap with
the prevailing and potential subscribers. Due to this reason, Banglalink has to undertake
intensive branding activities to facilitate the attainment of short-term organizational goals and
long-term objectives.
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1.2 Problem Statement

At present Banglalink is facing intense competition from its major competitors like GP, Aktel
& City Cell. They are competing with each other by cutting tariffs, offering more services,
extending validity etc. So, the only way to make an impact on the subscribers mind is to
create a strong brand & to effectively communicate the brand image to its target audience. In
that way a company can set itself apart from its competitors. Under these circumstances, the
problem statement would beBanglalink wants to know the impact of its branding & communication on
subscriber perception, and based on the findings from the survey, intends to find out
the position of Banglalinks brand image comparing to the brand image of its
competitors.
1.3 Research Design

In order to find out the brand image of Banglalink comparing to other mobile phone
companies, exploratory research design has been implemented. Now there is rationale
behind taking this exploratory research design over descriptive research design. Exploratory
research is more flexible and versatile in nature. It can be conducted by a single researcher
with a minimum no. of sample size. This kind of research gives more insights for developing
an approach to the problem. It establishes priorities for further research. This research has
given us a dictation of Banglalinks brand image.
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2.0 BANGLADESH TELECOM INDUSTRIES

2.1 Introduction
The definition of telecommunication is changing day by day. Before, telecommunications
meant telephone systems. But today many other things have crept into modern
telecommunication. Now, we have to deal with a wide spectrum of communications
equipment and technology. In the broadest sense, telecommunication means any system that
handles voice, data, video or any handling of information in motion, whenever it is found, in
whatever form. Telecommunication is the main backbone of any country. No country can
sustain development without a strong telecom infrastructure. One of the first priorities of any
government is to be able to communicate smoothly around the country.
Despite the slow development of telecom services in the past, improved commitment,
guaranteed funding and entering of new and powerful organizations both in and outside of the
country gives the hope that the ongoing telecommunications projects will be successful and
the overall telephone infrastructure of Bangladesh will grow stronger.
The mobile phone customers in Bangladesh have been happier than before at present because
they have more choices regarding service providers at present. The market was dominated by
only three networksGP, Citycell and Aktel till end 2004 when another major player entered
the mobile industry. The market leader certainly sees the threat of new entrants not much of
threat because of the steep learning curve, established customer base, efficient distribution
model and strong brand presence etc. But the question arises whether this is enough to stop
the redistribution of the market share for mobile phone operators
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2.2 History
Bangladesh Telecom Limited (BTL) has obtained the license as the first company of the
country to operate cellular, paging, and other wireless communication networks in 1989 and
it turned into Hutchison Bangladesh Telecom Limited and launched Bangladesh's first
cellular operation in August, 1993. And in February 1996, HBTL was renamed Pacific
Bangladesh Limited (PBTL) and launched 'Citycell Digital' to market its cellular products.
Ending Citycell's monopoly business, TM International (Bangladesh) Limited, a joint venture

company of Telekom Malaysia Berhad and A.K. Khan & Co. Limited was established in the
year 1996 and the company launched its operation in 1997 under the brand name 'Aktel'.
The big player GrameenPhone (GP) obtained its cellular license in November 28, 1996 and
launched its operation in March 26, 1997 and never looked back.
And after that another Malaysia-Bangladesh joint venture Sheba Telecom (Pvt) Limited
launched its operation in 1998. But failing to come of the competitive edge, Sheba Telecom
formally sold its cent percent shares to Egyptian telecom giant Orascom and Orascom
formally launched its operation under new brand name Banglalink in February 10, 2005 and
shook the market with its inaugural package.
Though the much-talked about state owned company Teletalk Bangladesh Limited (TBL), the
mobile unit of BTTB was formed on December 26, 2004 and Prime Minister Begum Khaleda
Zia inaugurated Teletalk Mobile Service on December 29, 2004, but it formally launched its
mobile telecom service on commercial basis on March 31, 2005.
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2.3 Present condition of the telecom industry

In 1979 The Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) was formally constructed
and is still the biggest telephone operator of Bangladesh. But responding to the need for
better communication that BTTB has to provide new and more efficient companies are
entering the telecom market. BTTB is no more the sole provider of telecommunication
services but it still does have a monopoly on fixed lines. Presently, BTTB has over 7 Lakh
fixed connections but mainly based in the major cities and towns. Bangladesh has a low
teledensity of 0.79 phones per 100 people- lowest in this region (BTTB to reduce, 2004). This
is due to the fact that telephone services are still limited in the villages. Bangladeshs Rural
Telecom Authority (BRTA) only had a capacity of 24,000 connections until 2002. Figure 2
below shows the percentage of waiting customers in four of the important divisions of the
country as of June 2001.
Figure 1 Allocation of Telephone connection in different cities

Division
Percentage
Dhaka
62
Rajshahi
10
Chittagong
15
Khulna
13
Table 1 Allocation of Telephone connection in different cities

With the introduction of wireless system in the early 70s, there was a massive change and
sudden burst of telephone facilities in BD. In a true sense, with the implementation of
wireless communication, general people are getting greater access to telephone facilities
although it is yet not very significant level.
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2.4 Introduction of mobile telecommunications system

In 1998, four different private operators were allowed to operate in different types of
telecommunication services. Of these 2 of the operators worked in rural areas, one was
providing radio trunking and passive services and one was providing mobile phone services.
The mobile service provider was City Cell sponsored by Pacific Bangladesh Telecom limited.
City Cell provided telecom services both in rural and urban areas. Although mainly based in
cities and towns, city cell had interconnectivity with Butts land lines. City Cell was the first
mobile service provider of Bangladesh. Initially it had a monopoly on the mobile service but
only until 1996.
SHAPE
\*
MERGEFORMAT
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Figure 3.2: Interactive Cellular Coverage Map 1999
In 1996 two new operators entered the market- GP and Sheba. Shebas service was limited to
Dhaka but GP spread its network rapidly. Today out of the 64 districts, GP serves 50 districts
in Bangladesh and its network is divided into 6 zones- Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Sylhet,
Barishal, and Rajshahi. GP has two kinds of services- GP national and GP regular. GP
national provides connection with BTTB and all other mobiles throughout the country
wherever GP has its network. GP regular only connects to GP mobiles throughout the country
according to its coverage. The map below shows the network coverage of GP in Bangladesh.
According to the map, GPs network coverage is well spread out and increasing at a rapid
pace- considering the fact that GP started in 1996 (General information. n.d.).
Grameens cell phones have reached a massive number of villages. GP, funded by the
Grameen Bank (10%) and Nortel (90%), has used the optical fiber network owned by
Bangladesh Railway. The fiber optic cables were originally laid by the Bangladesh Rural
Transport Authority (BRTA) but never used. Therefore Grameen Phones network has been
easily connected to any mobile users who are adjacent to Bangladesh railway tracks. The
GPs village program was started in 1997 and is providing service to people in the remote
rural areas of BD. According to statistics of October 2003, there are more than 39,000 village
phones in operation. These village phones are operating in 58 districts and in approximately
28,000 villages- providing telecom facilities to more than 50 million people in remote areas.
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Besides GP, CityCell and Sheba there was a fourth cell phone operator called Aktel. Aktel
joined Bangladeshs fast cell phone operation in 1999. Although mainly based in Dhaka, like
Banglalink, Aktel has been able to attract customers and maintain control of quality.
2.5 Network System Frequency (MHz)

Network
System
Frequency (MHz)
Pacific Bangladesh Telecom
CDMA
800
Banglalink
GSM
900
Aktel Telecom
GSM
900
Grameen Telecom
GSM
1800 & 900
Table 2 Present services and technology
Table 2 above shows all of the cell phone providers in Bangladesh. According to the table,
currently Bangladesh has 2 systems running in the country- Code division multiple access
(CDMA) and Global standard mobile (GSM).
As in Bangladesh, Pakistan has expanded its telecom operations through encouragement of

private companies- private cell phone operators. Thus, Bangladesh and Pakistan are similar in
telecom operation. Bangladesh has four mobile operators- City Cell, Aktel, Sheba and
Grameen. Of this Grameen is the major service provider which covers all 50 districts in
Bangladesh (General Information. n.d.). On the other hand, Pakistan also has 4 mobile
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operators- Instaphone, Paktel, PTML, and Mobilink. Mobilink is the major service provider
in Pakistan and controls 48 percent of mobile phone market. Pakcom or Instaphone was
integrated in 1991. Today it offers country wide coverage in all provinces. Paktel is a joint
venture company and the first one to introduce the idea of mobile in Pakistan. Mobilink
which is the largest share holder is also a join venture. Mobilink has 1 million users in major
cities and towns.
Bangladesh has a population of 130 million. Dhaka alone holds 12 million people and BTTB
has less than 0.8 million subscribers. The rate of demand has been increasing since the
inception of telephones but pending demand has been increasing for decades (BTTB history,
n.d.). However, this is not the case in cell phone sector. The Cell phone is a relatively new
concept in BD, yet cell phone operators have managed to increase their capacity- presently
there are approximately 2 million cell phone subscribers (Land phones, 2004). Pending
demand does not exist in the cell phone sector due to rapid growth. As mentioned earlier,
Grameen alone covers 50 districts of BD and has a well spread out network. BTTB has been
handicapped by inefficiency and corruption. BTTB does not work within agreed time frames.
Therefore, delay in procurement and decision making causes delays in procuring and
installing of equipment (exchanges in this case) which are the main equipment for increasing
capacity.
Revenue collection has been one of the most noticeable successes of cell phone operators in
contrast to BTTB. There is not scope for later payment or dues in the cell phone sector. If one
does not pay his bill, he will be disconnected automatically. Thus, no one gets special benefits
and as a result every subscriber is of equal importance regardless of his rank within the
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nation. On the contrary, cell phone operators have been practicing strategies to exploit
subscribers. Compared to other countries, Bangladeshs cell phone operators charge high
prices. Because they are not monitored by the government, and the fact that the demand for
cell phone connections is high and operators have given birth to new concepts such as GP to
GP and No outgoing. The first term GP to GP means that the subscriber can call only to
a cell phone but not to a land line and No Outgoing means that the user can receive
international calls but cannot make international calls.
3.0 BANGLALINKTM AN OVERVIEW
3.1 Orascom Telecom Holding Ltd.

Orascom Telecom Holding S.A.E (OTH), one of the most dynamic telecommunications
company in the world, was established in 1998. Originally an Egyptian company,
headquartered in Giza, Egypt, now operates in more than 10 countries and has grown to
become the largest and most diversified GSM (Global Systems for Mobile Communications)
network operator in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. With nine licenses covering the region,
Orascom Telecom has positioned itself as a leading telecommunications conglomerate in
emerging markets of this region. In fact, most of its companies are leading the industry in the
country they operate, notably Mobilink in Pakistan. It is also the largest capitalized company
on the Cairo & Alexandria Stock Exchange.
Orascom is a conglomerate of three different companies:

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Orascom Construction Industries,

Orascom Technologies, and
Orascom for Hotels and Tourism.
However, Orascom Telecom is a holding company that owns and runs several mobile GSM
networks across Egypt, the Middle East, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent. A Part of
Orascom Telecom is publicly traded on the London and Cairo Stock Exchanges and the
remainder of shares in the company is owned by the Sawiris family in Egypt.
Within five years from the date of its inception, OT established strong presence in the GSM
Association (the world's leading wireless industry representative body), represented by
Chairman and CEO Mr. Naguib Sawiris, who was selected to join the GSM Associations
CEO Board since 2003. OT will have a strong impact on the multi-billion dollar global
wireless network business, and will help guide the strategic planning for the future of the
industry in the world.
The Sawiris family, of Egypt, owns the majority stake in the company (56.9%). Orascom
Telecom Holding is a leading player in the Cairo and Alexandria Stock Exchange where it is
traded under the symbol (ORTE.CA). On the London Stock Exchange, its GDR is traded
under the symbol (ORTEq.L). OTH's IPO raised US$320 million during the year 2000, and
was the largest offering on the Egyptian Stock Market at the time
The above operational facts indicate the following market share per subs:
Country
Algeria
Brand name
Djezzy
Market Share
73.0%
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Pakistan
Mobilink
63.8%
Egypt
MobiNil
53.5%
Tunisia
Tunisiana
29.4%
Iraq
Iraqna
100.0%
Bangladesh
Banglalink
1.0%
Congo Brazzaville
Libertis
36.8%
Zimbabwe
Tel Zim
31.0%
Democratic Republic of Congo
Oasis Telecom 5.1%
Table 3 Orascom's market share per subs
3.2 Banglalink - The Tiger

Banglalink is the latest addition to the GSM family of OTH. Naguib Sawiris, Chairman
and CEO of OTH, announced the acquisition of Sheba Telecom (Pvt.) Limited with a cost of
US$60m in September of 2004.
The company aims to make a difference in the lives of the people. Its vision is to understand
people's needs best and will create and deliver appropriate communication services to
improve people's life and make it easier. Their mission is, therefore, to reduce the total cost
of ownership of buying and using a mobile phone. Moreover, to achieve this vision, the
company has established some values that it tries to instill in its employees. They want their
employees, and the company as a result, to be straight forward, reliable, innovative and,
above all, passionate.
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As Sheba Telecom, the worst performing network operator in the industry, the company had
only 30,000 subscribers. To dispel this image, OTH had re-branded Sheba as Banglalink in
an attempt to give it a completely new image.
With that kind of a reputation at its disposition, the Banglalink management has placed one
of the highest priorities on improving its network. In this respect, they have installed state-ofthe-art equipment from Siemens and Huawei and brought in over 1,000 people, including
experts, from 15 countries around the world to set up the required infrastructure. The system
took a record of four months (less than half the normal time) to build. In 2005 alone,
Orascom plans to invest $120 million, earmarking close to another $300 million for future
investments.
While Banglalink started out quite small, it has increased its coverage from 9 to 23 districts
in just over three months. The company plans to provide mobile communication coverage to
all the 61 districts of the country and its major highways by the end of the year. Moreover, in
less than only four months, it now has more than 400,000 subscribers from a mere 30,000 in
February before the launch.
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3.3 Functional Departments of Banglalink

There are approximately eight functional departments in the organization. The functions of
these departments are described in the following sections:
1.
Sales
2.
Marketing
3.
Human Resources
4.
Customer Care
5.
IT & Billing
6.
Administration
7.
Finance
8.
Technical
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Management Team
Chief Executive Officer
Lars P. Reichelt
Chief Commercial Officer
Mehboob Chowdhury
Chief Information Officer
Ramzi Chmaitilly
Chief Financial Officer
Ezzeldin M. Heikal
Chief Technical Officer
Moustafa Aly Ghidan
Director Marketing
Omer Rashid
Director Sales
Hassan Samy
Chief of Human Resources
Mohamed Ahmed Allam
Table 4 Top Management of Banglalink
3.4 The Brand: BanglalinkTM and its prospects
In September 2004, OTH purchased 100% of Sheba Telecom in Bangladesh for US$ 60
million, and re-branded the company as Banglalink. Bangladesh is an extremely attractive
market due to its large and highly concentrated population of 140 million, low mobile
penetration of 2.5% and high growth of mobile subscribers. Banglalink launched its prepaid
services in February 2005 in nine major cities and expects to invest over US$ 200 million in
expanding its network coverage and capacity. Banglalink started its aggressive plans by
quickly expanding its GSM network to provide high quality communications services at
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affordable prices. In just under five months, Banglalink launched its prepaid services in nine
cities.
Bangladesh is an immensely promising telecoms market, with a population of 140 million.

With mobile penetration of 2.5% and with a fixed line penetration of approximately 0.6%.
Bangladesh is a densely populated country with more than 950 people per square kilometre,
making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Currently, there are four
operators, of which three are GSM and one CDMA. The state owned landline operator,
Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB), is also expected to enter into the
cellular market. It is estimated that about 10% of the urban population has access to telecom
services.
Mission
"Banglalink understands people's needs best and will create and deliver appropriate
communication services to improve people's life and make it easier"
Vision
Banglalink aims to understand peoples' needs best and develop appropriate communication
services to improve peoples' life and make it simple. All our work is aimed towards meeting
our vision. All members of the Banglalink family are highly passionate individuals, fully
committed to achieving the vision that we have set ourselves. Our customers' needs matter
most to us- making their life simple and improving it is all we want.
To ensure their vision is achieved, we have set ourselves a few values, we want to be:
Straight Forward
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Reliable
Innovative
Passionate
Objective:
All the Banglalink family members have one thing in common-A passion to serve.
They want to go that extra mile, so that people can have the best possible service investing in
the future of Bangladesh
3.5 Areas covered by Banglalink:
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Following map shows the current and expected coverage* of Banglalink.
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Figure 2 Banglalink Coverage Map

3.6 SWOT Analysis of Banglalink
3.6.1 Strengths
Huge capital investment: As mentioned earlier, Orascom Telecom has great plans for
Banglalink. Wherever OTH has gone, it has become the industry leader there or is on its
way there. A possible explanation is that the organization kicks of its companies with a huge
capital outlay to help get rid of or solve all the hitches.
In 2005 alone, Orascom will invest $180 million, earmarking close to another $300 million
for future investments.
Expertise: As mentioned earlier, OTH had over 1000 people, including 15 experts, working
on the infrastructure to get the company started in a record four months. These experts, with
several years of experience in the telecom industry, now help in the day-to-day operation of
the business.
Tight control over sales process: Many people in the industry do not know the sales process,
since its is dealt by their distributors and dealers. However, with the Direct Sales Booth, the
people involved know the sales process intimately and are responsible for achieving the sales
target and project implementation, thus giving the company a strong control over the process.
3.6.2
Weaknesses
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Network: The greatest weakness of Banglalink and also the most widely criticized service
is its network. While the reception is quite clear when the user is out of doors, once inside,
the reception breaks up.
The worst part is the company has entered a market where the industry leader has been
reigning supreme for years now and people are bound to compare the leaders services with
Banglalinks performance, even if it is fairly new to the market. People tend to forget that it
had taken the leader more than three years since its start to provide its subscribers with a
decent connection; hence it is with Grameens present performance that Banglalink is
compared and sure enough the latter does not fare well.
Unorganized structure: OTH bought off Sheba (Pvt.) Limited last September and
immediately started changing the structure of the loosing concern. They are constantly
recruiting people, adding/deleting levels to the organogram. Thus, the environment is
constantly chaotic, with many people not knowing who to contact or whom to report to and
who is responsible for what. This takes away time and energy away from the selling
activities.
Inadequate human resources: While many people drop off their CVs at the office on a
regular basis, finding sufficient numbers of people, with the correct qualifications, has
become hard to find. Hence, a handful of people are doing the work of many leading to back
log of work.
Bureaucracy: The new management is trying to create a system where each individual is
responsible and accountable for his duties. While it is a good idea, it has also created a
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bottleneck at the administrative & financial level, where work gets stuck and stays stuck until
all papers are properly signed and taken care of.
3.6.3 Opportunities
Re-invent itself: As mentioned earlier, the company created a strong buzz when it entered the
market. Previously an unknown entity, many people now know of the existence of Orascom
Telecom. They have done their studies and know that OTH stands for success. Thus, the
people are ready to see Banglalink as a total different entity from its predecessor and are
willing to give it another chance to re-invent its image in the market; not an issue to be taken
lightly by the company.
3.6.4 Threats
Price wars: While in the true sense it had been Banglalink who started this price war with
its M2M package, it has created a series of price cuts that many cannot afford. After eight
years of high call charges, Grameen has finally decreased its rates.
BTTB has also entered this battle with Teletalk Bangladesh Limited. With free T&T
incoming and outgoing, this is sure to become popular once it gains access to other operators
networks.
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4.0 BRAND - DEFINITION AND EXPLANATION

4.1 Introduction
Branding is an effective marketing strategy tool that has been used with frequent success in
the past. Today, branding is experiencing a new popularity resulting from new, innovative
applications. Although there have been instances where branding has been less than
successful, marketers are beginning to find the appropriate applications in a given setting.
Issues and problems concerning branding strategy today include the selection of a brand
name. This fundamental issue will impact on the success of a branding strategy. Once a name
is selected, marketers have to choose the advertising strategy to support and communicate the
name. Finally, keeping the brand in a strong position is a critical concern.
Organizations are using branding as a strategy tool in today's business environment with
increasing regularity. Although brands and branding are not new ideas, firms are applying
them to more diverse settings where the role of branding is becoming increasingly important
(Wentz and Suchard, 1993). The traditional role for brands is also experiencing rejuvenated
interest. Market analysts generally agree that this trend will continue and be part of a formula
for successful firms in the future (Norris, 1992).
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4.2 Brand definition

One definition for a brand has been offered in the Journal of Marketing Management by
Professor Peter Doyle of Warwick University:
"A name, symbol, design, or some combination which identifies the product of a
particular organization as having a substantial, differentiated advantage"
-
O'Malley, 1991, p. 107.
Some important definition of brand is given here.

A brand suggests the best choice. Organizations develop brands as a way to attract
and keep customers by promoting value, image, prestige, or lifestyle.
-
Ginden, 1993
A brand as something the customer knows and will react to, and this image will
influence the perceived worth of the product and will increase the brand's value to the
customer, leading to brand loyalty
-
The Economist, 1988
The purpose of branding is essentially to build the product's image.

-
Cleary, 1981
Brands can also reduce the risk a consumer face when buying something that they
know little about
-
Montgomery and Wernerfelt, 1992
So we can say that,

Branding is a technique to build a sustainable, differential advantage by playing on
the nature of human beings. Only humans can attach meaning and feeling to
inanimate objects and a random collection of symbols, which suggests the appeal of
branding, is not entirely rational.
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4.3 Background of Branding

As previously mentioned, the use of branding by big business is not a new idea. Business
historians agree that branding itself is over 100 years old, with the majority of countries
having trademark acts to establish the legality of a protected asset by 1890 (The Economist,
1988).
It was from 1800 through 1925 that was known as the richest period of name-giving
(Hambleton, 1987).
From these beginnings, branding has evolved as a major component of marketing strategy. Its
uses and applications continue to grow and diversify. Although the focus of branding has
shifted over the last two decades, its importance to the business community and the consumer
has not diminished.
In his book, Great American Brands, Cleary (1981) writes that without trademark brands,
there would be no trustworthy marketplace and no sure, simple way to know what to reach
for and what to avoid.
Main focus of the 1980s

The main focus of the 1980s regarding brands was takeovers. This trend made successful
brands very valuable on the open market. Large organizations felt and often still believe that
the brand is more important than the product itself (Magrath, 1993). Many thought the only
way to have a successful brand was to buy one. Karel (1991) says that there are many
advantages to investing in a brand and company name simultaneously. Many feel the
development of new megabrands would be impossible in the future and money would be
better spent on acquisitions than on research and development. The fact that 90-95% of all
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new products failed strengthened the argument that takeovers made more sense than trying to
develop new successful brands (Dagnoli, 1990; The Economist, 1988).
It was during this period that many brands began to suffer. With the changing management
associated with takeovers and acquisitions, brands failed to maintain a clear image in the
consumer's mind. Consumers were becoming confused about what a brand represented. Some
feel that brands themselves are doomed because of years of inconsistent advertising and
agency management, generic marketing, look-alike advertisements, indistinctive products,
and the proliferation of promotions (Liesse, 1990; Wentz, 1993).
The strategy of the 1980s has influenced, but not dominated, the strategy for the 1990s. Firms
are beginning to realize the shortcoming of the previous decade and are changing their focus
on branding. The importance of the product itself is beginning to be emphasized. In her
article, "What's in a name", Zbytniewski (1992) writes: "95% of consumers buy with their
eyes. It's what's underneath the label that matters. The label is secondary (p. 11).
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4.4 Issues/problems regarding Branding

Brand naming
Perhaps the most fundamental problem regarding the issue of branding is what name to use.
Berry (1988) goes as far as to say that a well-chosen name can give a company a marketing
edge over comparable competitors. They concede that a name may not make or break a
company but it may be a key factor in its success or failure. Ginden (1993) points out that the
point of a name is to have consumers link it to quality.
Early in the period of branding, products were given distinctive names to differentiate them
(The Economist, 1988). These were usually the last names of the inventor, founder or
investor. However, today the trend is toward more descriptive titles (Hambleton, 1987).
Six-step method
Shipley and Howard (1993) suggest a six-step method for naming products that branders can
use for other products as well. It starts with setting the brand objective followed by specifying
branding criteria, generating name ideas, selecting name ideas, and finally, selecting a name.
Berry et al. (1988) have set criteria for formulating brand names. They suggest a name should
have four characteristics, including distinctiveness, relevance, exorability, and flexibility. All
products should avoid generic sounding names and should convey the essence of the product
through indirect connotations. Names should be simple, brief, and easy to pronounce and
read. They should not rely on cuteness or gimmicks and should be broad enough to change
over time. The use of geographic references and purely descriptive terms are not
recommended. Effective graphics and logos are recommended, however, to support the name.
Page - 28 -
Brand advertising
After spending resources on naming a product, it is imperative to support it through
advertising and communication (Berry et al., 1988). For a product to succeed, the brand
owner must dedicate more resources to promoting it through advertising. O'Malley (1991)
writes that advertising is a key to sustaining appeal of brands. It is also a key to developing
that appeal in the first place. Gregory (1993) says that the first job of advertising is to build
brand awareness and corporate brand approval. Through advertising, marketers expose the
potential consumer to the brand and give them the opportunity to accept it.
Advertising should be thought of as an investment in the brand it is promoting. Just as a
company would invest in technology and innovation, it must also invest in advertising and
promotion if it is to succeed (Wentz, 1993).
Advertising, marketing and promotion

In Liesse's (1990) article, John S. Bowen, chairman of D'Arcy Mesius Benton & Bowles
says, "Brands that offer consumers a consistent ad message and regularly updated product
will lead their industries" (p. 52). He goes on to say that companies which believe in
outstanding advertising are those which will build leadership brands. The commitment to the
brand's success is encompassed in its advertising. In the increasingly competitive
marketplace, advertising, marketing, and promotion may be the only things that differentiate
extremely similar products (Coonan, 1993).
Brand research and development

Once a brand has successfully entered the marketplace and has achieved status as a leading
brand, marketers must be concerned with keeping it there. O'Malley (1991) points out that,
Page - 29 -
strong brands cannot rest on their success and brand owners must constantly review the
appeal of their brands to ensure that they remain contemporary and relevant. Although it has
been suggested that killing a brand leader is difficult (O'Malley, 1991; The Economist, 1988),
companies which neglect their brands increase the risk.
Formal tracking method

Market research should be used to monitor consumers, competition, and changes in the
environment that may affect a company's brand (O'Malley, 1991). This gives the company the
advantage of knowing how its brand compares with the competitions and how it fits into the
big picture. It is important for a company to know if consumers have the same perception of
its product as itself.
Creating a brand image

Creating a brand image involves getting customers to know that the brand exists. Once a
brand has been separated from the crowd, it is easier to develop its image. The branding
process itself may be the starting point for product differentiation (Allen, 1992). Many brands
are similar. Brand leaders are often close to being identical. The image a top brand develops
may be the only way for the consumers to tell the difference (Carey, 1991). The difference
will exist primarily in the mind of the consumer. The consumer will perceive one brand as
more desirable than its competitor's and purchase it based on those perceptions. In his article,
"The new you", Carey (1991) lists several criteria to decide if a brand has an identity, based
on how well it has been differentiated. He suggests that if the brand has a recognizable
identity, then it should be aimed at opportunity markets to yield maximum success.
Page - 30 -
4.5 Conclusion
Branding can be an effective and powerful tool for all types of business organizations. If
brand owners use their product correctly, the payoffs can be substantial. However, if brands
are mismanaged, the results can be damaging. There are many ways to ensure success with
branding. Choosing the right name, using the right advertising, applying the best strategy, and
using the most relevant application techniques are some ingredients needed to make a
branding effort successful. As stated earlier, this is not an easy function. Brand owners and
marketers must deal with the changing environment and other factors that affect their ability
to be effective.
Page - 31 -
5.0 RESEARCH FINDINGS

5.1 Overview
Overview of Findings of Question No. 1:
Question: You are the subscriber of which mobile company/ companies?
Type
Frequency
In %
Subscribers of 4 Companies
3
3.75 %
17
21.25 %
24
30.00 %
Subscribers of 1 Company
36
45.00 %
Total
80
100.00%
Table 5 Overview of Findings of Question No. 1
Frequency
40
36
30
24
17
20
10
Subscribers of
4 Companies
Subscribers of
3 Companies
Subscribers of
2 Companies
Subscribers of
1 Company
0
Subscribers
Figure 3 Overview of Findings of Question No. 1

In order to find out the brand image of Banglalink, the questionnaire was started out with a
very important question. The first question was --- You are the subscriber of which mobile
company/ companies? (If you have the subscription of all the four companies please tick all
of them.). Among the thirty questions the respondents were asked, only in this first question
they had the option to make a tick mark in more than one question. After the completion of
questionnaires it was observed that out of 80 respondents 3 respondents are using all of four
mobile connections, 17 respondents are using three mobile connections, 24 respondents have
two mobile connections and 36 respondents have only one mobile connection.
Page - 32 -
Discussion: If this first question was asked just five years ago this it may sound very
difficult. But in the year 2005, where all the prepaid SIM cards are highly affordable to
purchase (even where the post paid connections are not that much expensive); this question
was very much relevant. With this question it has become clear that the respondents have
good amount of idea regarding which mobile company is offering which kind of services.
With the help of this answer the researcher came to know that the following questions which
will be filled up by the researcher is going to be more valid. In answering this first question
many respondents said that though they carry more than one mobile companys SIM, end of
the day they will be carrying only one SIM depending upon the service and tariff of the
mobile company. There is a rationale behind this. A strong reason behind this is to simplify
life, to get important phone calls on time. Because if the respective sample gives more than
one mobile no. to different persons he or she can miss important phone calls and also
important SMS, which will definitely disrupt others also.
Color Recall Testing
Company
Out of 80
GP
70
Aktel
30
City Cell
35
Banglalink 50
In Percentage
87.50 %
37.50 %
43.75 %
62.50 %

No. of Respondents
80
70
60
40
50
30
35
GP
Aktel
City Cell
Bangla Link
20
0
Mobile Com panies

Page - 33 -
In the second question the researcher tried to find out the color recall capability of the mobile
phone advertisements. In all the four mobile phone advertisements and in their logos and
graphics there are unique colors. Among the 80 respondents it was found that 70 respondents
could recall (out of 80) the color of GP, 30 respondents could recall the color of Aktel, 35 can
recall City Cells color and finally 50 can recall the color of Banglalink.
Discussion: Color recall testing was a very important question in finding out the brand
image. It was observed that in order to build up a strong brand image it is very much essential
to build up all the advertisements, logos and graphics upon one or more unique color. It helps
customers to easily remind that which company is giving which advertisements. At that time
it becomes easier for them to understand which company is giving the advertisement just by
seeing the color only. GPs advertisements are basically built up by the major combination of
red and green. This red and green represent the national flag of Bangladesh. Any color
combination which represents the nationalism concept generally brings a good attraction
among the population of a country. For this reason it was observed that 87.50 % respondents
were capable to catch the exact color of GO. But in case of Aktel and City Cell the color
recall test do not provide a strong color retention rate. In case of Aktel and City Cell it is
37.50 % and 43.75 % respectively. But in case of Banglalink it reaches a satisfactory point
which is 62.50 %. From the very beginning Banglalink always plays with the color of orange.
In its newsprint advertisements, television advertisements and also in other billboard
advertisements; this orange color is very much dominating. This could be a good reason why
the color retention of Banglalink is so much high. Later after the completion of each question
we will be able to find out more valid reason whey this color retention rate is satisfactory in
case of Banglalink.
Page - 34 -

Slogan Recall Testing
Company
Out of 80
GP
72
Aktel
55
City Cell
20
Banglalink 15
In Percentage
90.00 %
68.75 %
25.00 %
18.75 %

72
Responses out of 80
80
55
60
GP
Aktel
40
20
20
City Cell
15
Bangla Link
0
Name of the Com pany
In
case
of
searching
which
company has created strong brand image in the mobile phone industry slogan recall testing is
very much important. In this question respondents were asked to find out the slogan of each
company. All the four mobile companies slogan was attached with the question. Finally it
was observed that among the 80 respondents 72 respondents were able to determine the
slogan of GP, 55 respondents were correct in determining the slogan of Aktel, 20 respondents
correctly choose the slogan of City Cell and only 15 respondents out of 80 were able to
determine the slogan of Banglalink.
Discussion: Slogan recall testing help us to determine which companys media strategy in
terms of spreading strong message to the market is powerful and which one is weak. 90 %
respondents were able to determine the slogan of GP. As we have seen that in making the
color combination; GP has selected the color combination of the national flag of Bangladesh;
Page - 35 -
GP has applied the same tactics in positioning its slogan in the broad telecommunication
market of Bangladesh. GPs slogan --- Amar Desh, Amar Ohonkar; if translated in English
in English; it becomes, --- My country, my proud; is strongly represents that GPs slogan
really build up under the nationalism concept of Bangladesh. The mass people of Bangladesh
really love this kind of nationalistic concept. 68.75 % respondents were able to determine the
slogan of Aktel. Aktels slogan --- Clearly Ahead is very much simple and easy to
pronounce. This slogan clearly indicates that the companys service is advance in nature and
they are the only one who brings all the new changes first; the other only follow them. We all
know that the mobile company is a turbulence sector; every time new updated services are
coming continuously. The slogan Clearly Ahead is really tough to maintain. In case of
City Cell, 25 % respondents were able to recall the slogan. City Cells slogan is --- Because
we care. There could be many reasons why this slogan recall rate is only 25 %, where GP
and Aktel achieved a recall rate which is more than 50 %. One important reason could be that
the slogan is tough to understand for the sample size, it could be tough to remember. In case
of recalling the slogan of Banglalink, only 15 % were able to recall it. Comparing to other
three mobile companies, this 15 % rate is definitely dissatisfactory for Banglalink.
Banglalinks slogan is --- You, First. Many respondents verbally said that they are really
confused regarding which is the exact slogan of Banglalink. Some said that they tough that
the slogan may be --- Im a Tiger. Some said that they have never heard that Banglalinks
slogan is --- You, First. Again some respondents gave comment that the slogan does not
have a clear meaning. They are confused with this slogan.
Page - 36 -

Technology
Company
GP
Aktel
City Cell
Banglalink
Recall Testing
Out of 80 In Percentage
69
86.25 %
64
80.00 %
61
76.25 %
55
68.75 %

80
60
69
64
61
55
GP
Aktel
40
City Cell
Bangla Link
20
0
Mobile Com panies

In the fourth question the samples were asked whether they can recall which company is
providing which technology or not. After the survey it was observed that out of 80 samples
69 samples were able to recall what technology is provided by GP. 64 samples were able to
recall what technology is provided by Aktel, 61samples were correct in answering City Cells
technology and 55 samples were correct in answering which technology is provided by
Banglalink.
Discussion: With this question the researcher tried to find out how many respondents were
able to answering which technology is provided by which company. Whenever a company is
coming up with new technology they made which promotion to educate the market. GP is
going to bring the EDGE technology, Aktel has recently launched GPRS technology, City
Cell is serving CDMA technology and Banglalink is serving GSM technology. In this
question, it was observed that more or less all the companies are able to educate the market
regarding which technology is offering by whom.
Page - 37 -

5. As a brand name which name seems
expensive to you?
Company
Frequency In Percentage
GP
38
47.50
Aktel
22
27.50
City Cell
9
11.25
Banglalink 11
13.75
Total
80
100.00 %
In the brand name related questions the

researcher asked the respondents two very
important questions (Q. no. 5 and 6). The first
question was as a brand name which name
seemed expensive to the respondents. This
question was placed in the beginning of the
questionnaire so that the respondents feel

interest to move forward to fill up the questionnaire. Among the 80 respondents 38
respondents said that they consider GP as an expensive brand name; 22 said Aktel, 9 said City
Cell and 11 said Banglalink. From this question it is clear that most of the samples (47.50 %)
consider GP as an expensive brand name.

6. Which company gives the best distinctive
Package names of their products?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
29
36.25
Aktel
18
22.50
City Cell
7
8.75
Banglalink
26
32.50
Total
80
100.00 %
In this question out of 80 samples 29 said

they think GP gives the most distinctive
package names to their product; 18 said
Aktel, 7 said City Cell and 26 said
Banglalink.
Page - 38 -
7. Which mobile companys logo is Highly

eye-catching?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
29
36.25
Aktel
23
28.75
City Cell
11
13.75
Banglalink
17
21.25
Total
80
100.00 %
Question no. 7 and 8 were related with logo

and graphics. In the question no. 7 the
respondents were asked which mobile
companys logo is highly eye-catching.
Among the 80 samples 29 said GP, 23 said
Aktel, 11 said City Cell and 17 said
Banglalink.

8. Which mobile companys logo has The best
color combination?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
26
32.50
Aktel
19
23.75
City Cell
14
17.50
Banglalink
21
26.25
Total
80
100.00 %
In this question 26 respondents out of

80 said GP has the best color
combination, 19 said Aktel, 14 said
City Cell and 21 said Banglalink.
Overview of Findings of Question No. 9
Page - 39 -
9. In the daily newspaper, which mobile

companys print advertisement coverage is more
attractive?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
34
42.50
Aktel
19
23.75
City Cell
12
15.00
Banglalink
15
18.75
Total
80
100.00 %
Question no. 9, 10, 11, and 12 were

all related with print and television
advertisement. In the question no. 9
the respondents were asked in the
daily
newspaper,
Companys
print
which
mobile
advertisement
coverage is more attractive. Among the 80
respondents 34 said for GP, 19 said for Aktel, 12 said for City Cell and 15 said for
Banglalink.

10. In the daily newspapers, which mobile
companys advertisement comes more
frequently?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
33
41.25
Aktel
25
31.25
City Cell
8
10.00
Banglalink
14
17.50
Total
80
100.00 %
In this question the among the 80

respondents 33 said for GPs print
advertisement comes more frequently in
the daily newspapers, 25 said for Aktel, 8
said for City Cell and 14 said for
Banglalink.

11. Which mobile companys television
advertisement is the most unique?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
33
41.25
Aktel
9
11.25
City Cell
26
32.50
Banglalink
12
15.00
Total
80
100.00 %
In this question among the 80 respondents

33 said GPs TV advertisement is the most
unique, 9 said for Aktel, 26 said for City
Cell and 12 said for Banglalink.
Page - 40 -

In
this
question,
among
the
80
respondents 35 said in the television

advertisement, GPs tone or music is the
best, 19 said for Aktel, 15 said for City
12. In the television advertisement, which

companys tone or music is the best?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
35
43.75
Aktel
19
23.75
City Cell
15
18.75
Banglalink
11
13.75
Total
80
100.00 %

13. Which company has the highest no. of bill
board advertisements?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
35
43.75
Aktel
21
26.25
City Cell
13
16.25
Banglalink
11
13.75
Total
80
100.00 %
Question no. 13 to 17 were all related with

outdoor advertisements. In this question,
among the 80 respondents 35 said for GP,
21 said for Aktel, 13 said for City Cell and
11 said for Banglalink.

Among the 80 respondents 29 said GPs
billboard advertisement has the most
distinctive message, 23 said for Aktel, 13
Banglalink.
14. Which billboard advertisement has the

most distinctive message?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
29
36.25
Aktel
23
28.75
City Cell
13
16.25
Banglalink
15
18.75
Total
80
100.00 %
Page - 41 -

15. Which billboard advertisement seems
more colorful?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
34
42.50
Aktel
17
21.25
City Cell
11
13.75
Banglalink
18
22.50
Total
80
100.00 %

34 said GPs billboard advertisement
seems more colorful, 17 said for Aktel, 11
Banglalink.

Among the 80 respondents 31 said GPs
transport
advertisements
get
the
most
attraction, 24 said for Aktel, 12 said for City

16.
Which
companys
transport
advertisements get the most attraction?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
31
38.75
Aktel
24
30.00
City Cell
12
15.00
Banglalink
13
16.25
Table
20
Overview
of
Findings
of
Question
No.
16
Total
80
100.00 %

17. Which company does the best public
relations with its customers (providing free
T-shirt to universities students, attractive
Road shows etc.)?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
27
33.75
Aktel
17
21.25
City Cell
7
8.75
Banglalink
29
36.25
Total
80
100.00 %

27 said GP does the best public relation
with its customers, 17 said for Aktel, 7
Banglalink.
Page - 42 -
18. At the time of this survey, which company is

offering the best prepaid package?
Company
Frequency In Percentage
GP
21
26.25
Aktel
17
21.25
City Cell
11
13.75
Banglalink
31
38.75
Total
80
100.00 %
All product and service related questions

were asked from question no. 18 to 20. In the
question no. 18 the respondents were asked
at the time of this survey, which company is
offering the best prepaid package. Among the
80 respondents 21 said for GP, 17 said for Aktel,
11 said for City Cell and 31 said for Banglalink.

27 said at the time of this survey, GP is
offering the best post paid package, 19 said
for Aktel, 13 said for City Cell and 21 said
for Banglalink.
19. At the time of this survey, which company

is offering the best post paid package?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
27
33.75
Aktel
19
23.75
City Cell
13
16.25
Banglalink
21
26.25
Total
80
100.00 %

20. Which company offers
added services?
Company
Frequency
GP
29
Aktel
21
City Cell
13
Banglalink
17
Total
80
the best value
Among the 80 respondents 29 said GP

offers the best value added services, 21
In Percentage
36.25
26.25
16.25
21.25
100.00 %
said for Aktel, 13 said for City Cell and 17

said for Banglalink.

Page - 43 -

Customer service related questions were
21. Which companys customer services are

highly devoted to their customers?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
26
32.50
Aktel
22
27.50
City Cell
14
17.50
Banglalink
18
22.50
Total
80
100.00 %
asked in the question no. 21 to 23. In the

question no. 21 the respondents were asked
which companys customer services are
highly devoted to their customers. Among
the 80 respondents 26 said for GP, 22 said for
Aktel, 14 said for City Cell and 18 said for Banglalink.

26 said GP really cares for customer
retention, 19 said for Aktel, 11 said for City
22. Which company really cares for customer

retention?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
26
32.50
Aktel
19
23.75
City Cell
11
13.75
Banglalink
24
30.00
Total
80
100.00 %

23. Which companys customer service has
the fastest management information system?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
27
33.75
Aktel
18
22.50
City Cell
15
18.75
Banglalink
20
25.00
Total
80
100.00 %
Among the 80 respondents 27 said GP has

the
fastest
management
information
system, 20 said for Aktel, 15 said for City

Page - 44 -

In the last two questions network issues
have prioritized. In this question among the
80 respondents 45 said for GP, 21 said for
Aktel, 9 said for City Cell and 5 said for
24. Which mobile company has the best

network coverage?
Company
Frequency
In Percentage
GP
45
56.25
Aktel
21
26.25
City Cell
9
11.25
Banglalink
5
6.25
Total
80
100.00 %
Banglalink.

25. Which companys
connectivity is the best?
Company
Frequency
GP
36
Aktel
15
City Cell
14
Banglalink
15
Total
80
inter
network
In Percentage
45.00
18.75
17.50
18.75
100.00 %

36 GPs inter network connectivity is the
best, 15 said for Aktel, 14 said for City
Page - 45 -
5.2 Data Analysis:
In order to analyze the data, frequency distribution (with the help of mean value) has been
applied. From questionnaire 5 to 25, all the questionnaires were divided into 7 phases. The
questionnaires were divided in seven phases in order to explore the brand image of
Banglalink comparing to other mobile phone companies. The seven phases were as follows
brand name related questions, logo and graphics related questions, print and TV
advertisement related questions, billboard and transport advertisement related questions,
product and package related questions, customer service related questions and network issue
related questions.
The mean value (average) of the seven phases were calculated in the following table. For
example in order to find out GPs the brand name related mean value the calculations were as
follows ---
Q.No.5 Q.No.6 38 29
33.5 . As because question no. 5 and 6 were solely

2
2
related with brand name, finding out the mean value in this way is strongly supported
(Marketing Research, 3rd edition, Naresh K. Malhotra, 2003). All the other seven phases mean
values were calculated in this way.
Company 1.
2.
Brand Logo
Name and
Graphics
GP
Aktel
City Cell
BL
33.5
20
8
18.5
27.5
21
12.5
19
3.
Print and
TV
Advertise
ment
33.75
18
15.25
13
4.
5.
6.
7.
Outdoor
Product Customer Network
Advertisement
And
Service
Issue
(Billboard,
Service
Transport, Public
Relation)
31.2
25.67
26.33
40.5
20.4
19.00
19.67
18
11.2
12.33
13.33
11.5
17.2
23.00
20.67
10
Table 10 Calculation of Mean for all seven phases
Page - 46 -
Figure 7: Comparison Mean for all seven phases among four private mobile companies
1. Brand Name
Company Mean value
GP
33.5
Aktel
20
City Cell
8
Banglalink
18.5
In the brand name related questions 33.5 samples out of 80

samples said that they consider GP as an expensive brand name,
it means the majority of the population consider GP as a strong
brand name over the other three mobile phone companies. This
kind boldness of GP has become possible due to the continuous support and service from the
end of GP. In case of giving different new packages name, GP has also achieved the highest
mean score (29 out of 80). The brand name related mean value of 33.5 also indicates that
GPs different package names are very much unique, easy to pronounce, easy to remember
and overall the package names have already taken strong position towards the major
population. Even GPs packages are very much easy to understand regarding what type of
product it is offering for example GP Regular, GP National, Anytime 300, Anytime 500, Easy
Gold and Easy Prepaid. Random advertisement through out the whole media has created a
strong brand name in the mobile telecommunication industry in Bangladesh.
Page - 47 -
Comparing to GP, Banglalink has also achieved a good mean value (18.5 out of 80) where
Aktel and City Cells mean values are 20 and 8 respectively. Though the mean value of 18.5
is far behind than GPs mean value of 33.5,
it is definitely satisfactory comparing to
Banglalinks other two competitors Aktel and City Cell. This mean value showed that within
a very short span of time (6 to 7 months) through the different unique package names such as
ipack, upper class and others Banglalink is trying to achieve a good brand name in the
mobile phone industry of Bangladesh.
2. Logo and Graphics

Company Mean value
GP
27.5
Aktel
21
City Cell
12.5
Banglalink
19
GP has achieved a highest mean value (27.5 out of 80) in the

logo and graphics related questions. This highest mean value
indicates that GPs logo is the best attractive logo among the
other mobile phone companies and this logo has the best color
combination. In the logo and graphics related questions Banglalink has achieved the second
position. The explanation in achieving the third position is this that though Banglalink says
that the logo represents the skin color of Royal Bengal Tiger, it is still confusing to many
customers. Many customers become confuse when they heard that this logo represent the skin
color of a tiger. And the color orange, though it is a very high eye catching color, it is
somehow less suited with the tiger skin color. Banglalink needs to more clarify the
explanation of its logo through the different types of promotion specially the print media
advertising. After all the mean value of 19 is satisfactory in this sense that it has defeated the
City Cells logo and graphics mean value (12.5) which means people perceive Banglalinks
logo and graphics more attractively than City Cell. In indicates that in terms of getting
attraction through logos and color combination Banglalink has defeated City Cell.
Page - 48 -
3. Print and TV Advertisement

Company
Mean value
GP
33.75
Aktel
18
City Cell
15.25
Banglalink
13
Print and television advertisements have a good support

in order to build up a brand image of a product or service.
In fact with the help of these medias a company educate
its market. Customers become more aware and conscious
regarding what the product is and also how much valuable the company is. Among the four
companies GP has achieved a mean value of 33.75 out of 80 in the print and television
advertisement part. This mean value is far beyond the mean value of Aktel (18), City Cell
(15.25) and City Cell (13). GPs mean value of 33.75 has the following explanation --- GPs
print media coverage is highly attractive comparing to its competitors. In most of the daily
newspapers its print advertisement coverage rate is the highest. Customers perceive the GPs
advertisement more than any other companys advertisements. The rate of circulation of GPs
advertisement is in the peak position. This highest rate of circulation has given GP a strong
product positioning towards the customers mindset. Now people perceive that daily
newspapers will really face trouble if the continuous sponsorship of GP will not be provided.
The highest mean value of GP also indicates that GPs advertisements are the most unique,
they have the most distinctive flavor comparing to its competitors. GPs recent television
advertisements are truly based by providing more values to the local people of Bangladesh.
Banglalink has gained the lowest mean value (13 out of 80) in the print and television
advertisement. This lowest mean value carries the following justification --- Banglalinks
print advertisement has started with the message Im a Tiger. On a certain point this
message Im a Tiger has changed and instead of that message a new message has appeared
which is --- You, First. This random changing of body copy has greatly loosed Banglalinks
uniqueness and ultimately the print advertisement got less attraction. Banglalinks print
Page - 49 -
advertisements coverage area is still in small size comparing to its competitors for which
customers attraction is losing. In many cases some of the advertisements need more
explanation for the customers to understand what the advertisements would like to speak up.
In the customer care of Banglalink, customers complain rate regarding the poor network is
increasing. Customers are complaining that they do not find good network inside Dhaka city.
In such a situation where the network coverage is still poor in Dhaka city, the International
Roaming advertisement where the advertisement showed different customers talking over
phone around the world and saying London, Banglalink; Calcutta, Banglalink is very
much dissatisfactory to its customers. This types of advertisements really demotivate
customers, customers consider this type of advertisements as an over promise which is not
achievable by the company. Even the latest advertisement of Banglalink of the new package
Upper Class is failed to explain its customers what the package really is.
4. Outdoor Advertisement
(Billboard, Transport, Public
Relation)
Company
Mean value
GP
31.2
Aktel
20.4
City Cell
11.2
Banglalink
17.2
After
summarizing
the
billboard
and
transport
advertisement related questions, the results showed that GP

has gained the highest mean value (31.2 out of 80). The
explanation in achieving this highest mean value are as
follows --- GP is the only mobile phone company which has
the highest no. of billboards all over the main roads of Dhaka city and also out the city. GPs
new package djuice has created a great attraction through colorful billboards in all over the
Dhaka city. The advertisement messages in the billboards of djuice are very much different,
unique and eye-catching such as jotil prem, kothin bhab, heavy chalu and others. In
case of transport advertisements, it is still believe that it is GP who has made this type of
advertisement greatly popular in Bangladesh. Later many other companies followed the path
Page - 50 -
of GP and also started with transport advertisement. Generally transport advertisement

creates a great affect towards customers mind set. By observing the name GP in different
private companys buses and yellow cabs; the name GP had greatly absorbed upon the
population of Dhaka city. The other two mobile phone companys (Aktel and City Cell)
transport advertisements are also attractive but the no. of vehicles carrying the advertisements
are not that much huge comparing to GP.
In the billboard and transport advertisement related questions Banglalink has got the third
position (17.2 out of 80). In case of getting this third position the important factors are as
follows--- Though Banglalink has started with only a few amount of transport and billboard
advertisement; it does a huge public relation activities. Among the different public relation
activities some of them are as follows visiting different universities to tell the students what
type of offer are provided by GP, offering the students free T-shirt with Banglalinks logo. In
the Banglalink Bashundhara Mobile Fair 2005 the company did a huge public relation. In
that five days mobile fair, whoever comes in the fair has got a free T-shirt with the Banglalink
logo. Different magic shows were arranged, and in one magic show the magician showed
how to convert a prepaid sim card to postpaid sim. Due to these sorts of outdoor promotional
activities Banglalink has achieved third position and defeated City Cell and has moved close
to Aktel (mean value 20.4).
5. Product And Service

Company Mean value
GP
25.67
Aktel
19.00
City Cell
12.33
Banglalink
23.00
By summarizing all the product and service related questions it

has been observed that GP has achieved the highest mean value
(25.67 out of 80). Comparing to GP, Banglalink has also
achieved a very good mean value which is 23.00 out of 80. The
other companies, Aktel and City Cell remain in a lower position in the product and service
Page - 51 -
related questions. At the time of this survey, among the 80 respondents 31 respondents said
that Banglalink is the only company who offers the best pre paid package. In the question of
which company offers the best post paid service, Banglalink also got good response.
Achieving a mean value of 23.00 in the product and service related questions represent the
following explanation --- Banglalink came up in the telecommunication market with such an
offer (specially prepaid) which people never expected. This is the package with which
Banglalink made a huge splash in the Bangladesh mobile industry on February 12th of the
year 2005. The product had then been bundled with a handset and six scratch cards net worth
Tk. 1,800. The entire package had been priced at only Tk. 3,400, meaning that the handset
would cost a consumer only Tk. 1,500 (a M2M SIM is priced at Tk. 100, the lowest in the
industry). The launch offer had allowed Banglalink to expand its subscriber base very
quickly. Within one week of its launch the subscriber base had grown to 100,000 from a mere
30,000 and to over 300,000 in just one and half month. Later when in the month of June
Bangladeshs Finance minister imposed Tk. 1200 tax on per sim card purchased, the sell of
prepaid sim greatly decreased. With the legal fight, all the four mobile phone companies
reduced that tax to Tk. 900. A sim card which was sold just at Tk. 200 then became Tk. 1100
(Tk. 200 + Tk. 900). At that moment, it is Banglalink who was come up with the ipack
offer; which is basically the comfort of buying Banglalink Pre-Paid connection by paying
connection fees and Government tax over a short period of time in installments. The policy is
to pay a down payment and pay the rest over 5 to 8 months depending on the type of
connection.
Table 31: Banglalinks ipack package

Package
Down
Monthly
Number of Total
Page - 52 -
payment installment installments payment

M2M
Tk.350
Tk.150
5
Tk.1,100
M2M Plus Tk.350
Tk.150
7
Tk.1,400
Standard
Tk.899
Tk.150
8
Tk.2,099
6. Customer Service
Company Mean value
GP
26.33
Aktel
19.67
City Cell
13.33
Banglalink
20.67
Customer service is a wide range of service in the mobile phone

sector. All the four companies are trying to improve this sector
so that they can give a good trust to their customers and get a
positive word of mouth from them. By summarizing customer
service related questions, it has been found that GP has achieved the highest mean value
(26.33 out of 80). Surprisingly Banglalink has achieved the second position (20.67) by
overcoming Aktel (19.67) and City Cell (13.33) successfully. The reasons behind such an
achievement are as follows --- Though Banglalink right now have only 3 customer care
centre in Bangladesh; with this few customer care centre they continuously think for
customer retention. Even in the question whether Banglalink really cares for customer
retention it was seen that 24 samples out of 80 have supported this. For example,
Banglalinks free SMS was a strong proof behind this logic. Banglalink offered its customers
a free SMS (1000 SMS) offer for 6 months. The condition behind getting this offer was this
that the customer must have to continuously recharges their account for six months.
7. Network Issue
Company Mean value
GP
40.5
Aktel
18
City Cell
11.5
Banglalink
10
Network
issues
are
very
much
vital
issues
in
the
telecommunication sector. Without the development in this

sector a mobile phone company can not move further. After
summarizing the network issue related questions, it has been
observed that GP has achieved the highest mean value (40.5 out of 80). This highest mean
Page - 53 -
value has the following explanation --- GP is currently providing its service to 61 districts of
Bangladesh (370 Upazilas). This is the highest coverage rate among the other mobile phone
companies. GP has successfully launched the GSM technology overall Bangladesh and now
they are going to serve their new technology which the named EDGE. The most important
feature regarding GP is this that their inter network connectivity is the best (36 out of 80);
which is really a unique feature. Comparing to GP, Aktels mean value is 18; and City Cell
and Banglalink remains far beyond GP; mean value of 11.5 and 10 respectively. In the inter
network connectivity issue Banglalinks mean value remains very lower position (15 out of
80). This lower mean value of Banglalink indicates that the company really needs to give
more importance to this network issue before going further.
5.3 Final Findings
Page - 54 -
In the following table all the seven phases final mean value was calculated.
Company Final Mean Value

GP
31.16
Aktel
19.56
City Cell
11.90
Banglalink
17.39
Table 32 Final Mean Value11
Figure 8 Comparison of Final Mean Value

among the four mobile companies
In order to minimize the complexity of the previous calculations, all the four companies final
mean values have been calculated. This final mean values indicate which companys brand
image is in which position.
The calculations of each companys final mean values are as follows --Mean value of GP,
33.5 27.5 33.75 31.20 25.67 26.00 40.50

31.16
7
Mean value of Aktel,
20.00 21.00 18.00 20.40 19.00 20.50 18.00

19.56
7
Mean value of City Cell,
8.00 12.50 15.25 11.20 12.33 12.50 11.50

11.90
7
Mean value of Banglalink,
18.50 19.00 13.00 17.20 23.00 21.00 10.00

17.39
7
The study which was carried out with the sample size of 80, indicates that right now GP is
staying in a strong brand position in the mobile phone sector in Bangladesh (mean value
31.16 out of 80). Subscribers perceive GP as an expensive brand name, they consider its logo
Page - 55 -
as a highly eye-catching logo; they like GPs print, television, billboard, transport and other
outdoor advertisements. Overall GP has achieved a strong product positioning towards the
customers mind set. Aktels brand image remains in the second position (mean value 19.56
out of 80); Banglalink in the third position (17.39 out of 80) and City Cell in fourth position
(11.90 out of 80).
Getting a third position in the brand image question by defeating City Cell is definitely an
achievement for the new mobile company Banglalink. Now Banglalink needs to think how to
move further and strengthen its positioning towards customers mind by taking the challenge
of Aktel which is the next biggest competitor of Banglalink. Not only that Banglalink needs
to make proper strategic planning for both short term and for long term to make its brand
image stronger in the market place for future growth.
Page - 56 -
6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
The mobile industry in Bangladesh is still facing an oligopoly competition. In order to be

competitive in this industry in future, the only important option is to build up a strong brand
image. In this research it was observed that Banglalink is now staying in the third position in
terms of brand image among the four mobile phone companies. At the end of this research,
the researcher has come up with the following recommendation.
Products naming should not be based on social class: Banglalinks has launched its
new product in August which they named Upper Class. Banglalink has already started
to promote this package in different media coverage. This product is basically a
customized post paid package with different added values. Whatever the product is, this
kind of name Upper Class poses a question towards customers mind. A product name
which is based on the differentiation of the social class is not a good idea in such a
country like Bangladesh where most of the population is still living in a lower standard.
With the name Upper Class Banglalink is going to divide its customers base in two
parts --- Upper Class and Lower Class. This kind of naming may prove inappropriate in
future because none of the multinationals or public and private limited companies of
Bangladesh have come up with such an unique product name yet.
Page - 57 -
Television advertisements should be understandable and better if based by focusing

on local culture: Banglalinks has recently launched its new package named Upper
Class. Many of the respondents have claimed that these types of advertisements are
really confusing for them to understand. Many television viewers became confused
whether the advertisement is about Banglalink or not. This type of advertisement proved
very much less efficient because Bangladeshi people do not see the flavor of local culture
in the advertisements. Even in the Upper Class advertisement, it is confusing what the
advertisement would like to tell the audience. Banglalink should not try to come up with
these sorts of advertisements where it wont grab by the local people of Bangladesh.
Build up strong network first, then go for International Roaming: Currently

Banglalinks network coverage is still in the preliminary stage. Even inside Dhaka City
there are huge problems to get the network connections from one zone of Dhaka to the
other zone. There are also other complains that it seems tough to get connections from
Banglalink to Aktel or City Cell. Where the network situation is still in the baby stage,
Banglalink launched a new service named International Roaming. Banglalink did huge
promotion of this new service. In the television advertisement of International
Roaming it showed that people are using this new service by staying even at Hong Kong
or London and continuously saying Hong Kong, Banglalink, London, Banglalink.
Where the network situation is still under complain, an advertisement like this is rarely
acceptable to the audience. This kind of service could be launched later. Banglalink needs
to bring more attention to these sorts of issues.
Page - 58 -
Stick into one color in order to branding: Banglalink has started all of its promotional
campaign with the orange color. In the newspaper, magazine, television, billboards
everywhere the color orange was extensively used. The color orange became the core
color of Banglalink. In such a situation Banglalink launched its new package Upper
Class with the use of purple color in all the advertisements. Many customers have
claimed that the color purple is a duplication of GPs Flexi Loads advertisement.
Banglalink needs to be more cautious in this color issue without which the core literature
of branding will not be fulfilled.
8.0 CONCLUDING REMARKS
Page - 59 -
The mobile industry is growing at a phenomenal pace these days. While it took the industry
leader more than six years to reach its first million subscribers, its last million it had acquired
in a bit more than 2 month period. With an annual growth rate of 132% in the industry itself,
it can be said to be the fastest growing industry in the country.
Banglalink made its mark with the launch of its first package where mobile was made more
affordable at Tk. 1500 only. It now has a spontaneous brand awareness of more than 90%. It
has kept its promise of making mobiles affordable not only through reducing its own prices,
but it has managed to shake the rest of the industry into taking action. The whole industry is
now at the height of its competition, with customers quietly reaping the benefits offered them.
In a country where the mobile telephony penetration is below 2%, the best strategic move for
any operator would be to concentrate on expanding the subscriber base . For this, packages
such as Banglalinks launch offer and its most recent tariff plans are ideal, since like most
emerging markets, Bangladesh is also a pre-paid driven market.
However, in a population where majority of the people live below the poverty line it is
doubtful as to how far the companies can succeed in increasing percentage penetration.
Hence, value added services like new and innovative SMS and IVR based products can help
to raise the level of market share from its current position.
Page - 60 -
At the rate the Banglalink is going, in terms of developing unique ideas to make mobile
owning affordable and easy (e.g. the ER for mobiles) and in terms of value added services
and special offers, it is likely that it would soon topple the number 1 company in the country.
However, it would be a tough fight to defeat the number 2.
Page - 61 -

Internship Report On Banglalink - Comparing The Brand Image of Banglalink Against The Other Mobile Phone Companies

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Banglalink - You First

Banglalink - You First

Banglalink - You First

1.2 Problem Statement

1.3 Research Design

Banglalink - You First

2.0 BANGLADESH TELECOM INDUSTRIES

Banglalink - You First

Ending Citycell's monopoly business, TM International (Bangladesh) Limited, a joint venture

Banglalink - You First

2.3 Present condition of the telecom industry

Figure 1 Allocation of Telephone connection in different cities

Table 1 Allocation of Telephone connection in different cities

Banglalink - You First

2.4 Introduction of mobile telecommunications system

Banglalink - You First

Figure 3.2: Interactive Cellular Coverage Map 1999

Banglalink - You First

2.5 Network System Frequency (MHz)

As in Bangladesh, Pakistan has expanded its telecom operations through encouragement of

Banglalink - You First

Banglalink - You First

3.0 BANGLALINKTM AN OVERVIEW

3.1 Orascom Telecom Holding Ltd.

Orascom is a conglomerate of three different companies:

Banglalink - You First

Orascom Construction Industries,

Banglalink - You First

3.2 Banglalink - The Tiger

Banglalink - You First

Banglalink - You First

3.3 Functional Departments of Banglalink

Banglalink - You First

3.4 The Brand: BanglalinkTM and its prospects

Banglalink - You First

Bangladesh is an immensely promising telecoms market, with a population of 140 million.

Banglalink - You First

3.5 Areas covered by Banglalink:

Banglalink - You First

Following map shows the current and expected coverage* of Banglalink.

Banglalink - You First

Figure 2 Banglalink Coverage Map

Banglalink - You First

Banglalink - You First

Banglalink - You First

4.0 BRAND - DEFINITION AND EXPLANATION

Banglalink - You First

4.2 Brand definition

O'Malley, 1991, p. 107.

Some important definition of brand is given here.

The Economist, 1988

The purpose of branding is essentially to build the product's image.

Montgomery and Wernerfelt, 1992

So we can say that,

Banglalink - You First

4.3 Background of Branding

Main focus of the 1980s

Banglalink - You First

Banglalink - You First

4.4 Issues/problems regarding Branding

Banglalink - You First

Advertising, marketing and promotion

Brand research and development