Soon after Vodafone launched its 4G network across the country, it decided to bring back its iconic pug to make yet another key announcement: arrival of the Vodafone SuperNet 4G, positioned as a seamless network experience which allows consumers to stay connected at all times. Siddharth Banerjee, National Head, Brand Communication & Insights, Vodafone India, tells us why the company decided to pull out its strongest card
By NEETA NAIR
Q] Why did Vodafone decide to bring back Cheeka the pug after five years?
The pug is one of the most loved brand icons in Vodafone’s history of communication. With the launch of Vodafone SuperNet 4G, we thought that the time was right for us to evaluate bringing back the pug. We wanted to do it in the most impactful manner and reach out to a large number of consumers across India. And thus, the marketing task of announcing the arrival of the SuperNet 4G was given to the pug.
Q] What will be the marketing mix for this particular campaign and which medium would be the focus of your ad spends?
The key media touch-points would be television, to begin with and a large part of it would be digital communication. This would be in addition to the activity on ground at the sale and retail touch-points.
Q] When Cheeka last made an appearance about five years ago, the digital revolution had not taken place. How are you using the digital medium to create a buzz around Cheeka’s return?
We are using digital media creatively and interestingly, running a campaign on Twitter and asking consumers where they think the pug and the boy will go next - a city, village, overseas, or to the moon. Consumers really loved the idea, and we have got lots and lots of consumer engagement going.
Q] Tell us a little about Vodafone SuperNet 4G and its features…
Vodafone SuperNet 4G is essentially our way of announcing the fact that we have a superior network, because we have invested a lot in terms of our network capabilities, be it cellphone towers or sites. The name Vodafone SuperNet 4G stands for a network which would give the user a bouquet of benefits. People who are on, let’s say 3G, will experience the benefit of a significantly better network. But for 4G benefits, you need to physically change your sim card. Consumers across the country have different needs and therefore we believe that 2G, 3G and 4G can co-exist in the near future. While we are putting in investments on 4G, we are not ignoring 3G, so that the benefit of this network is extended to each and every person. That’s how we want to take our enhanced network story forward.
Q] Why did you launch the campaign at the same time as the ICC T20 World Cup?
It doesn’t have anything to do with the ICC World Cup in particular. After having spent the last few quarters investing on our networks, launching 4G in our top circles, we thought we had the on-ground readiness that we were looking for. We had also managed to reach a significant proportion of our consumers as far as our enhanced network services are concerned. So we felt the time was right to tell the story to our consumers.
Q] Around three months ago, Vodafone also brought back the ZooZoos. Why is the brand suddenly playing on nostalgia?
It is about utilizing our much loved brand assets and not so much about the past or the present or the future. We understand what consumers love and try to offer them products and services using communication that both delights and surprises them. It would be a shame if we don’t figure out what they are telling us. Isn’t that the essence of good marketing? So, whatever we have done with ZooZoos and Zumis for our ‘My Vodafone App’ campaign, has delighted our consumers and driven downloads for us. Similarly the return of Cheeka, the pug, and the boy, has surprised consumers in a very pleasant and delicious manner. And that’s really the marketing task at hand, i.e., how do we really communicate our messaging in the Vodafone way which is fun, simple and delightful.
Q] Is bringing back the best of Vodafone mascots an attempt to counter the mass appeal of the Airtel girl, Sasha Chhetri, whose campaign launched at the same time as Vodafone?
Vodafone ZooZoos and the Vodafone pug have their own unique place in consumers’ hearts. I don’t want to compare it with anybody else, but suffice it to say that I am very proud of the work that has been done for these icons of Vodafone, both the ZooZoos as well as the pug. And therefore we will continue to use them strategically as and when the marketing task really needs us to.
Q] What is the biggest challenge Vodafone faces at this time?
The biggest challenge that any marketing organization focused on consumers faces is understanding how consumers are evolving, what they want, what they feel and what are their needs. As long as we as businessmen and marketers have our eyes and ears close to our consumers, we will be doing good.
Q] You launched Vodafone 4G across the country, in parts around three months ago. What percentage of existing customers are using 4G now?
It’s too early for us to start talking numbers in this space, but in three months, we have seen a strong uptake by consumers, especially in the larger cities, to take up 4G. India is a leapfrog economy, so don’t be surprised if consumers move very fast at one end. Recently, we have seen many consumers coming into the 3G fold. The market and the consumer landscape is truly dynamic and exciting.
Q] According to a report published earlier this month, Vodafone is trailing behind Airtel when it comes to 4G data speed due to paucity of 4G airwaves. What is your comment?
I don’t think it would be right to comment on that in particular. We have made significant investments in terms of our network enhancement and that is really delighting consumers across the country.
Q] Do you think Airtel will continue to enjoy the first mover advantage in the 4G space?
For now, I am just enjoying the fact that we have brand assets like the ZooZoos and the Zumis, the pug and the boy, and lots of more delicious meaningful, impactful communication coming through. Our consumers would really feel engaged with the brand and love brand Vodafone.
Q] What is the brand’s current market-share in India and what is the target market-share?
Ours is a very dynamic field. While we have worked out multiple scenarios, we can only quote a particular number after watching the next few quarters unfold for us.
Q] How are you approaching customers in Tier II and Tier III cities… how different is the marketing strategy for them?
We need to be close to the customers to find out what they need and what they are really looking for in our products and services. Keeping two basics - reliability and trust - constant, we are delighting and surprising our consumers with different offerings, both data-driven and plans that fit more with consumers’ lives.
Q] What are the emerging consumer trends and opportunities in the telecom sector?
The telecommunication sector is truly exciting because we see consumers using voice and data in a very explosive manner for various needs. We must together be able to figure out how to really communicate with consumers and educate them on some of these aspects. Only then will we be able to, as an industry, create a dramatic positive impact for our consumers across India.
Q] How do you personalize the marketing process… any consumer insights that have added value to your campaign?
Like all savvy marketing organizations, we spend a substantial amount of time in consumer immersion, in social listening and in really understanding how consumers are decoding our products and services, and our communication. For example, we have just released the boy and dog communication and consumers are already asking for more. Obviously, we have struck a chord. We get a large number of requests on mail and WhatsApp messages asking what next, what else is happening… Again, when we look at ZooZoos, many times we have played ZooZoo campaigns during IPL which we have been associated with for many years. Therefore, we get a lot of consumer-generated ideas on both ZooZoos and our pug.
