06-02-2013, 01:07 PM
AIRCEL – Market Expansion
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INTRODUCTION
Aircel is aggressively expanding to
become a pan-Indian mobile service provider. M S Dhoni
is its brand ambassador. Aircel wants to convey
simplicity with an underlying element of trust, which fits
with the image of Dhoni. And since nothing connects
better in India than cricket, it also sponsors Chennai
Super Kings in IPL, the team captained by Dhoni. The
brand ambassador is unpretentious, much like the brand,
and is also a symbol of modern emerging India. The
communication campaign has resulted in high recall
value for the brand.
Given the tough competition in the Indian
market, Aircel has to differentiate its brand value in
order to gain market share. As Aircel’s call rates are
already low, it cannot lower the tariff rates any more.
Also, the larger, well-entrenches players have a
much wider network giving them larger economies of
scale of operations, besides years of experience in
the market. Consequently, the incumbents have
evolved along the learning curve, while Aircel being a
new player is still learning from its mistakes. This is
another reason why Aircel feels that it is not possible
for it to take on the giants in the industry by charging
lower prices, as its existing cost structure does not
allow it.
Update: Aircel: Increasing its footprint
Aircel, the joint venture between Maxis Communications Berhad, Malaysia, and the Apollo Hospitals Group,
has been one of the more visible telecom brands of 2010. Apart from expanding its 2G footprint across the
country, Aircel went all out with its aggressive marketing efforts to promote itself as a brand. Showcase
billboards, events, radio minutes, and prime-time advertisements on television featuring high-profile
cricketers and actors, were all there to be heard and seen, loud and clear, to ensure high brand recall.
One of Aircel’s most popular initiatives, which captured the country’s imagination and generated intense
media attention, was its “Save Our Tigers” campaign. Lending its name to a worthy social cause, Aircel,
along with the World Wildlife Fund, kicked off the multimedia campaign in February 2010. The tagline “Just
1411 Left” highlighted the rapidly declining tiger population in the country, thereby prompting urgent media
and public action.
NDTV came in, bringing conservationists and big media names into this initiative. Aircel leveraged the
internet as a communication tool by setting up a website that offered users a chance to raise their voice and
donate to the cause. In the end, the entire exercise, which involved a lot of time and effort by the operator,
NDTV and others, paid off, mobilising over Rs 50 million as donation for the cause.