Recently, I was watching an Indian advertisement on television after quite sometime. It was about the Indian telecommunications company, Bharti Airtel's digital video recording (DVR) service, launched early last year. The ad was well-made, featured two top Bollywood celebrities engaged in a conversation about the service and evidently the company had spent a hefty sum on making the ad. Then, it struck me.
The ad was actually closely modeled on the way British telecommunications giant BSkyB marketed its digital video recording service, Sky+ post its launch in 2001. Sky+ was marketed as an innovation that clearly differentiated itself through the technological platform and value-added services it offered. The emphasis was to let busy family members optimize their time and record live programs which could be watched later. Celebrity couples and opinion formers on radio were deployed to engage potential customers about the benefits of the product. This is exactly how Airtel was marketing their service as well, taking a leaf out of Sky+'s book to engage Indian customers. But, there were other aspects to Airtel's new service as well. Let's see how exactly Airtel was faring with the help of the five C's.
Company - Airtel is the leading telecom company in India, widely regarded to have kickstarted the wireless revolution in India. In the DVR space, Airtel marketed the service as technologically advanced, supporting their Bollywood ad campaign with the MPEG 4 DVB S2 platform, a first in the industry. This was clearly communicated through the ad, which also talked about the 'record from mobile' feature of the DVR service.
Collaborator - Airtel collaborated with companies such as Alcatel Lucent and Nokia Siemens for network upgradation and management of pan-India broadband and telecom services. This collaborative aspect was made clear through newspaper and magazine articles and ads and tv ads.
Customers - Indian customers are becoming fast-acquainted with new technological developments and look for products and services which match the high standards of developed world offerings. But, on the other hand, couples and families are increasingly pressured for time largely due to work commitments. Just like Sky+, the Airtel DVR sought to connect with the consumers by providing a compatible service and communicate its benefits in saving time and watching good programs later.
Competitors - India has witnessed a convergence in communication and entertainment spheres. The marketplace in India has, therefore, become crowded with each player vies assiduously for the consumers' attention. Airtel's marketing strategy sought to outdo its competitors through product differentiation and related advantages of compatibility and communicability. Airtel's ads focused on the simplicity of the service and compatibility with mobile phone technology.
Context - Social and technological trends indicate that Indian consumers are increasingly looking to save time and watch tv programs whenever it suits them. Compatibility with different mediums such as tv and mobile has also become important. Airtel's ads focused on these two aspects with Bollywood celebrities discussing how to use the DVR, how much time will be saved and where they can watch the programs later.
The jury is still out on the success of the DVR service but Airtel does want a large share of the pie, emulating what Sky+ achieved in England.
The ad was actually closely modeled on the way British telecommunications giant BSkyB marketed its digital video recording service, Sky+ post its launch in 2001. Sky+ was marketed as an innovation that clearly differentiated itself through the technological platform and value-added services it offered. The emphasis was to let busy family members optimize their time and record live programs which could be watched later. Celebrity couples and opinion formers on radio were deployed to engage potential customers about the benefits of the product. This is exactly how Airtel was marketing their service as well, taking a leaf out of Sky+'s book to engage Indian customers. But, there were other aspects to Airtel's new service as well. Let's see how exactly Airtel was faring with the help of the five C's.
Company - Airtel is the leading telecom company in India, widely regarded to have kickstarted the wireless revolution in India. In the DVR space, Airtel marketed the service as technologically advanced, supporting their Bollywood ad campaign with the MPEG 4 DVB S2 platform, a first in the industry. This was clearly communicated through the ad, which also talked about the 'record from mobile' feature of the DVR service.
Collaborator - Airtel collaborated with companies such as Alcatel Lucent and Nokia Siemens for network upgradation and management of pan-India broadband and telecom services. This collaborative aspect was made clear through newspaper and magazine articles and ads and tv ads.
Customers - Indian customers are becoming fast-acquainted with new technological developments and look for products and services which match the high standards of developed world offerings. But, on the other hand, couples and families are increasingly pressured for time largely due to work commitments. Just like Sky+, the Airtel DVR sought to connect with the consumers by providing a compatible service and communicate its benefits in saving time and watching good programs later.
Competitors - India has witnessed a convergence in communication and entertainment spheres. The marketplace in India has, therefore, become crowded with each player vies assiduously for the consumers' attention. Airtel's marketing strategy sought to outdo its competitors through product differentiation and related advantages of compatibility and communicability. Airtel's ads focused on the simplicity of the service and compatibility with mobile phone technology.
Context - Social and technological trends indicate that Indian consumers are increasingly looking to save time and watch tv programs whenever it suits them. Compatibility with different mediums such as tv and mobile has also become important. Airtel's ads focused on these two aspects with Bollywood celebrities discussing how to use the DVR, how much time will be saved and where they can watch the programs later.
The jury is still out on the success of the DVR service but Airtel does want a large share of the pie, emulating what Sky+ achieved in England.
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