The PunchLine Expert

Vodafone Make the Most of Now!                                                                                                        The Pug: It’s said that a dog is a man’s best friend. Vodafone is using the Pug as symbolic of its strong customer service. Earlier during the days of Hutch, a possible differentiation based on strong network was possible. Now when having a strong network is perceived by consumers as almost of point of parity, the role of the pug has also changed from a symbol of a strong network to a symbol of superior customer service. This superior customer service would be there to help you in every possible way, at every possible place and at every possible time. Hence, you would be able to...

Telecom Brands "A brand image is typically the attributes one associates with a brand, how the brand owner wants the consumer to perceive the brand - and by extension the branded company, organization, product or service." Telecom sector brands like Airtel, Vodafone and IDEA are amongst the brands having highest recall and awareness in India. They are also amongst the most likable. Some of them like IDEA and Airtel have a clearly defined identity which remains constant across all their communication. Through his post I seek to examine the common thread which is apparent across some of these brands and also seek to lay a base to go deeper into a common thread which is not so apparent in one major telecom brand. What is IDEA? The IDEA brand is represented in essence by the punch line "What an IDEA!". It seeks to convey that here is a brand which would strive to find out innovative ways in which the mobile can positively enhance the life of the consumer....

Game Changer: Mobile Number Portability Mobile Number Portability (MNP): Starting from Sep' 09, MNP would be possible in a phased manner across India. That means, customers can change their mobile operators while retaining their number after paying a fee to designated agencies who would be managing the process of number portability. With that, the biggest barrier people had while changing connections is gone. The nightmare of changing mobile numbers was the biggest defense markets leaders like Airtel and Vodafone had against new players of the likes of Aircel, Reliance GSM and others. With the coming of MNP, the customer would be benefited because now an Airtel or a Vodafone would try harder to retain him and at the same time, he would have the option to shift to an Aircel if he finds their schemes attractive. New Players: These would be looking at giving customer value propositions that make them shift from existing big players like Airtel and Vodafone. These would have to...