Aggressive intents

Meet Sanjay Behl, the Marketing Head at RCOM, whose clever strategies changed the rules of mass marketing game in the telecom sector
This is one telecom company, which has maintained its aggressive marketing intents, despite undergoing various advertising and positioning changes over the last four years. Right from the days of the Monsoon Hungama campaign in 2003 to the current Yeh India Ka Cricket Hai, RCOM has always managed to develop an instant connect with its customers. So much so that the brand is now fast closing the gap with market leader Bharti Airtel in number of subscribers. Talking to 4Ps B&M, Sanjay Behl, Marketing & Branding head at RCOM, reveals the strategic mantra behind RCOM’s marketing initiatives.

What has been RCOM’s marketing thrust?
The main thrust of our marketing strategy has been to lead the market growth. And to follow our vision, we at Reliance Communications, have initiated a series of unique and breakthrough initiatives. Whether it is the One India plan, handset bundling, mobile TV, we have always aimed at changing the whole paradigm in customer space.

Visible in all RCOM’s campaigns is the aggressiveness on the pricing front. What is the strategy?
We always strive to stick to our commitment to offer the best deals to our mobile users. In the last few months, we have launched various handsets at varying price points, starting from the Monochrome handsets for Rs.777, Classic Celebrations handsets for RS.999 and the colour handsets for as low as Rs.1234. We also broke the price barrier in the value added service arena by launching a caller tune for Re.1/day.

Most successful RCOM campaign in your opinion?
A campaign which deserves a special mention is RCOM’s Go Colour campaign stating Baton Baton Mein Rang – that really caught on the emotions of mobile users. The Bus Batan Dabao was also a hit, reflecting RCOM’s focus in the VAS market.

What is your strategy for rural markets now?
Targeting the rural customers has been at the forefront of our marketing blueprint. Apart from the ads, we have tried to penetrate deeper into the villages through unique concepts like mobile vans and e-recharging, thus, reaching to almost two lakh retail outlets spread across the country. We have also kick-started the world’s fastest and largest telecom infrastructure roll-out to provide coverage to more than 2,34,000 villages.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist)

Chak Diya India!

‘India Disco, Pakistan Khisko’. The entire country was jumping with joy and gay abandon when a bunch of brash youngsters in blue killed the demons of the World Cup debacle and came back with the maiden T-20 World Cup. The swashbuckling Yuvraj Singh created history by smashing six consecutive sixes in one over. Nobody missed the big stars. And Joginder Sharma did to Misbah Ul Haq what Javed Miandad had done to Chetan Sharma more than 20 years ago in Sharjah.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist)

Wooing the retail investors

So is it that MF companies are really not interested in wooing the retail investors? Says Amit Saxena, CEO, Planman Financial to 4Ps B&M, “Partly, yes! Wooing corporate money is always advantageous from the fund’s standpoint. Leaving Tier I cities, retail investors from other cities are not even thought of by MF houses. But added to this is the fact that even the retail investor is strangely thoroughly disinterested in investing in mutual funds.” Have the Indian retail investors overnight gained the acumen to leverage knowledge of global cues and associated periodic bouts of volatility to directly invest in the stock market? Or have they become so risk averse that they now prefer opting for FDs or insurance products? And why is the continued disinterest of MF firms towards Tier II cities? Saxena of Planman Financial answers, “Over the years, the contribution of the metros toward the AUM of the industry has increased considerably (from 78% in 2001 to 81% in 2006; of which, 49% belongs to corporate clients, banks and FIs and the remaining 32% to retail investors).

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist)

High on energy and tanked up on optimism... oil’s well with him!

ASHOK SINHA... CMD, BPCL
High on energy and tanked up on optimism... oil’s well with him!
When many public sector units have been performing rather shabbily, in stark contrast, Bharat Petroleum CorporaLtd (BPCL) has consistently made its mark among the Fortune 500 and Forbes 2000 list. A part of the credit can easily go to Ashok Sinha, the man who has been adding value to the company for the last 30 years, almost since its inception in 1976. An IIT alumnus, Sinha served the company in almost every arena; be it finance, corporate affairs, treasury operations and management, before finally taking over the reins as Chairman and MD of BPCL in August 2005. A stalwart of the industry, Sinha is recipient of several awards including the India CFO Award 2001 for Information and Knowledge Management by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) India. Besides being the CMD of BPCL, he is also on the board of Kochi Refineries Ltd, Petronet LNG Ltd and Bharat Shell Ltd. This astute professional reflects the fortitude of Bharat Petroleum – as also the courage, conviction and pride that got the company to where it is today. Now, he is fuelling BPCL’s belief in the future...

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist)

BRAND : Himalaya

AGENCY: Meridian
BASELINE : Himalaya sabse pehle
DESCRIPTION: A girl locks herself inside her room – so that no one sees her skin rashes. The VO says, “Skin trouble agayi poore ghar pe trouble.” Her sister makes sandalwood paste and her brother gets her imported creams – all in vain. The VO says, “Pehle haath se chupayengi, phir baal se, aur weekend pe khud hi chup jaayengi.” The girl buys Himalaya Neem Face Wash and washes her face with it. In the end, the VO says, “To jab devi ji ko pata hi tha to pehle kyon nahi istemal kiya.” 4Ps TAKE: Targeting youngsters (especially looks-conscious girls, who bring the house down!), this is a whacky ad that makes its point effectively. The communication talks about the healing quality of Himalaya’s neem face wash – which works better than home-made remedies and imported stuff! The USP is the Neem that has great medicinal benefits. The ad marries a big brand name with Neem very well, and comes up pretty much on top! Himalaya’s mantra – A Neem face wash a day, keeps the rashes away!

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist)