Vodafone Customer Satisfaction Survey Blog

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UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI

ORIENTAL EDUCATION SOCIETY’S
SANPADA COLLEGE OF COMMERCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SANPADA, NAVI MUMBAI
SANPADA,

PROJECT ON

VODAFONE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY

SUBMITTED BY

PROJECT GUIDE

BACHELOR OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES
(2010-11)

Projectsformba.blogspot.com 1


UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI

ORIENTAL EDUCATION SOCIETY’S
SANPADA COLLEGE OF COMMERCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SANPADA, NAVI MUMBAI
SANPADA,

PROJECT ON


Submitted
In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements
For the Award of the Degree of
Bachelor of Management

By

PROJECT GUIDE

BACHELOR OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES
(2010-11)



DECLARATION

I …………………… student of T.Y.BMS (2010-11) hereby
declare that I have completed this project on
.
The information submitted is true & original to the best
of my knowledge.

Student Signature



CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Mr./Ms.

______________________________________________ of Bachelor of

Management Studies has undertaken and completed the



project work titled

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------- during the academic



year 2010-2011 under the guidance of Prof.

Dr.-------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------ submitted on ----------------------------- to

this college in fulfillment of the curriculum of Bachelor of



Management Studies University of Mumbai .

This is a bonafide project work and the information

presented is true and original to the best of our

knowledge and belief.



PROJECT GUIDE COURSE CO-ORDINATOR

PRINCIPAL

PROJECT TOPIC:



“VODAFONE
CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION
SURVEY”.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

It is a pleasure to thank all the people who directly or indirectly in many ways
have assisted me in my project related studies and contributed in the process of making
this project.

Firstly, I would like to thank my project guide ………………….. for his support,
cooperation and fruitful discussions during my research on the topic -“VODAFONE-
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY.”



Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to all my college and in particular to
the coordinator of Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS); ………………., for
providing me such an interesting topic for my university project and their by supporting,
and cooperating with me during my project.



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

This project is based on telecom sector as the telecom sector is growing at a very good
pace. The telecom company which I have selected for my project is VODAFONE. The
reason behind selecting Vodafone is its various schemes in product & service category &
also its future policies where the company is coming out with lots of new & affordable
schemes for its customers. Vodafone is a UK based company & has various branches all
over the world. The company was started in the mid 70’s & since then it has never looked
back. The products & services offered by Vodafone is of a very high quality & also at an
affordable rates. They have various plans for various customers depending on the status
of the customers.

Vodafone has various product categories ranging from chargers, internet, mobile phones,
headsets & headphones & many more. In the service category it has internet services
which include broadband internet & PC internet services.

Apart from the products & services normally offered they also came out with some
interesting & unique product like the I phone. This was one of the biggest events in the
history of Indian telecom industry. The phones were available at around 32000-36000 Rs
which has a unique feature called as 3G system.

Vodafone also came out with cell phones for the poor which was a part of their social
responsibility toward the poor class people of the society. The phones were available in
the range of 1000 Rs -1500 Rs which was one of the successful strategies of Vodafone.

According to the 2003-2010 data VODAFONE captures the market with 17.56 % & is at
the 3rd position just after Bharti with 24.69% & Reliance with 17.68%.



Vodafone also came out with one of best& most attractive advertisement which no one
has ever seen before called as “VODAFONE ZOO-ZOO’S”. This advertisement was a
part of VODAFONE’S marketing strategy to boost its sales during the IPL 2 season. This
was one of the master moves by VODAFONE to introduce ZOO-ZOO during the IPL 2
season which was a “SUPER-HIT”.

VODAFONE is planning to come with its own accessories stores which would be a one-
time shop for its customers wherein the customers will get all the products under one
roof. Vodafone’s future plan is to become no.1 telecom company by the year 2010-2011
which does not seems to be very difficult keeping in mind the progress it has made in the
last 5 years.

Vodafone has added around 5 million subscribers in the year 2008-2009 which makes it
the 3rd largest telecom company in the world. Vodafone has joined hands with one of the
world largest & the best car racing company F1 MCLAREN MERCEDES to host the 2
day event. This is the part of the promotion strategy of Vodafone to become the world
wide leader in telecom industry.

Vodafone is also the official sponsor of the England Cricket Team for the Npower test
series . It has also shaken hands with the most popular football tournament UEFA
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE football which is a part of the promotional strategy of
Vodafone.



INDEX
SRNO. TOPICS PAGE
NO
1. CHAPTER I 10-17
A: WHAT IS TELECOMMUNICATION
B:PLAYERS IN TELECOMMUNICATION

2. CHAPTER II 18-20
A: DOT
B: TRAI & ITS FUNCTIONS
3. CHAPTER III 21-31
A:ABOUT VODAFONE
B:HISTORY OF VODAFONE
C: MANAGEMENT OF VODAFONE
4. CHAPTER IV 32-56
A: PRODUCTS & SERVICES OFFERED BY VODAFONE
B: VODAFONE MARKET SHARE
B: EXTRA EFFORT TO BOOST SALES
C: CRM ADOPTED BY VODAFONE
D: COMPARISON BETWEEN LOOP & VODAFONE
5. CHAPTER V 57-58
FUTURE OF VODAFONE
6. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 59
7. CONCLUSION 60

8. BIBLIOGRAPHY 61



CHAPTER I

WHAT IS TELECOMUNICATION

Telecommunication is the transmissions of signals over a distance for the purpose of
communication. In modern times this process almost always involves the sending of
electro magnetic waves by electronic transmitters but in earlier years it may have
involved the use of smoke signals drums or semaphore lines.

HISTORY OF TELECOMMUNICATION:

The history of telecommunication began with the use of smoke signals & drums in Africa
the America & parts of Asia. Smoke signals

In the 1790’s the first fixed semaphore systems emerged in Europe however it was not
until the 1830’s that electrical telecommunication systems started to appear. This article
details the history of telecommunication & the individuals who helped make
telecommunication systems what they are today.

Early telecommunication included smoke signals & drums. Drums were used in natives
like Africa, New Guinea & South America & smoke signals in North America & China.

In 1792 a French engineer Claude Chappe built the first visual telegraphy for semaphore
system between Chile & Paris. This was followed by a line from Strasburg to Paris.



SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR TELECOM COMPANIES
IN INDIA:

A.P TELECOM

A.P.-telecom officer's service telephone numbers can be viewed by clicking the
concerned telecom district. A.P. telecom circle is serving the whole state of Andhra
Pradesh including the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secundrabad.

ASC ENTERPRISES LIMITED (ASCEL)

Ascel is a multi venture corporate heralding the "convergence" era in our country,
focusing on nationwide retailing of time (telecom, information & learning, media,
entertainment) products & services, satellite and digital wireless communication ventures
for provision of infrastructure, services and solutions among other initiatives.
AIRCEL
Aircel is a mobile phone service provider in India.It offers both prepaid and postpaid
GSM cellular phone coverage throughout India. Aircel is a joint venture between Maxis
Communications of Malaysia and Apollo Hospital Enterprise Ltd of India. UTSB has a
74% stake in Aircel and the remaining 26% is with Apollo Hospitals. It is India’s fifth
largest GSM mobile service provider with a subscriber base of over 46.51 million, as of
September 30, 2010. It has a market share of 9.65% among the GSM operators in the
country.

BANGALORE TELECOM
Bangalore telecom system is a communications window to the rest of the world. Offer a
wide range of telecom services from basic telephone service to high speed data circuits.



BHARTI ENTERPRISES

Established in 1985, Bharti has been a pioneering force in the telecom sector with many
firsts and innovations to its credit, ranging from being the first mobile service in Delhi,
first private basic telephone service provider in the country, first Indian company to
provide comprehensive telecom services outside India.

COMMSOUTH

Commsouth was founded in Chennai, in the mid nineties; Commsouth has grown steadily
and established sound positions in the mobile telephony and telecom management
software market.

CELLEBRUM

Cellebrum is a company of M Corp global group with interests in the field of telecom
solutions, office automation and information technology and value added services. Asia’s
leading value-added mobile services and solutions provider on platforms like sms / ivrs /
wap / gprs / ussd etc.

CRICKET COMMUNICATIONS

Cricket is the operating subsidiary of leap wireless international, a customer-focused
company providing innovative mobile wireless services targeted to meet the needs of
customers who are under-served by traditional communications companies.



ESSAR GROUP

The Essar group is one of India’s largest corporate houses with interests spanning the
manufacturing and service sectors in both old and new economies: steel, power, shipping,
constructions, oil & gas and telecom.

IDEA CELLULAR

India's leading GSM mobile services operator, idea cellular has licenses to operate in 11
circles. With a customer base of over 17 million, idea cellular has operations in Delhi,
Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Uttaranchal,
Haryana, UP-west, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala. Idea acquired spice telecom which was
operating in Karnataka and Punjab. Idea cellular footprint currently covers approximately
45% of India’s population and over 50% of the potential telecom-market. As a leader in
value added services, innovation is central to idea's vas factory. It is the first cellular
company to launch music messaging with 'cellular jockey', 'background tones', 'group
talk', a voice portal with 'say idea' and a complete suite of mobile email services.

INTERNET & MOBILE ASSOCIATION OF INDIA

The internet & mobile association of India (IAMAI) is a not-for-profit industry body
registered under the SOCIETIES ACT, 1896. Its mandate is to expand and enhance the
online and mobile value added services sectors.



JP MOBILE, INC.

JP Mobile is a solid, well-established company, a true pioneer in the enterprise mobility
market. They are a privately held company with solid financial backing. They offer sure
wave mobility suite, a comprehensive wireless mobility solution for enterprises, carriers,
system integrators and independent software vendors.

LOOP MOBILE

Loop mobile (BPL mobile now rebranded as loop mobile), represents growth with
continuity. While we constantly work towards giving our subscribers a better network,
innovative products and a superior mobile telephony experience, our subscribers can be
assured of the same focus and commitment in providing the best network coverage,
billing accuracy, and an unmatched personalized customer service.

MTNL DELHI

MTNL Was Set Up On 1st April, 1986 By The Government Of India To Upgrade The
Quality Of Telecom Services, Expand The Telecom Network, Introduce New Services
And To Raise Revenue For Telecom Development Needs Of India �S Key Metros �
Delhi, The Political Capital And Mumbai, The Business Capital Of India.

MTS - SHYAM TELECOM

Sistema Shyam teleservices limited is a joint venture company between sistema of Russia
and Shyam group of India. Currently they operate in the states of Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu,
Kerala, Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkand.



RELIANCE COMMUNICATIONS

Reliance Communications has a reliable, high-capacity, integrated (Both Wireless and
Wireline) and convergent (Voice, Data and Video) digital network. It is capable of
delivering a range of services spanning the entire infocomm (Information and
Communication) value chain, including infrastructure and services for enterprises as well
as individuals, applications, and consulting.

RELIANCE INFOCOM

Reliance Infocomm will offer a complete range of telecom services, covering mobile and
fixed line telephony including broadband, national and international long distance
services.

SHYAM TELECOM LIMITED

Shyam telecom is pioneer in Telecom Industry. It has revolutionized the industry with
development of innovative products. Shyam group commenced its operations in 1974 to
introduce up-to-date telecommunication technology.

SONY ERICSSON

Sony Ericsson mobile communications offers mobile multimedia consumer products for
people who appreciate the possibilities of powerful technology.



SPICE TELECOM

Spice telecom the brand name of spice communications limited is presently operating
cellular phone services in the states of Punjab and Karnataka. Considered as one of the
best providers of mobile telephony in India.

TATA INDICOM

Tata teleservices ltd offers its products and services to customers across India under the
name of "Tata Indicom". Tata teleservices limited is India’s leading private basic service
operator.

TELEMATIC ENGINEERS (P) LTD.

Established in 1993, the TEPL network spans across the central western India, with
service and distribution centres of its own. Since its establishment, TEPL has been
foremost in bringing global technology to the Indian market.

TOUCHTEL
A Bharti group company offering landline, DSL in metros

VIDESH SANCHAR NIGAM LIMITED

VSNL incorporated on April 1, 1986 under the Indian Companies Act, 1956 to take over
the activities of the erstwhile overseas communication services (OCS). The company
operates a network of earth stations, switches, submarine cable systems, and value added
service nodes to provide a range of basic and value added services.



VODAFONE ESSAR

Vodafone essar in India is a subsidiary of Vodafone group plc and commenced
operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison telecom acquired the cellular license
for Mumbai. Vodafone essar now has operations in 16 circles covering 86% of India’s
mobile customer base, with over 34.1 million customers.

YOUR BILL BUDDY

Your bill buddy.com is your one-stop solution for finding the best mobile plan in market
for yourself. Also you can send free sms to your friends.

ABOUT DOT:



DOT stands for department of telecom. It was started in the year 1992-93.The department
is presently headed by Prof M.N. Srirangaraju, who is supported by a team of qualified &
dedicated staff members.

On the forefront of development & with the advent of technological revolution &
quantum development in the field of electronics & communication due to myriad
complexities of the e-world it was inevitable for the evolution of another field to make a
distinct identity of its own. Thus the ball of development was set into motion & the
telecommunication field gradually assumed a role of pre-eminence which is shared by
few other engineering disciplines in the modern world.

The Department established in the year 1992 emphasized in providing quality education
with the practical aspects of learning given ample importance .The department
encourages tech-savvy Projects which Whet the students appetite for technical
exploration.



TRAI:

TRAI stands for Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. TRAI was established in the
year 1997 in pursuance of TRAI (Ordinance) 1997 which was later replaced by an act of
parliament to regulate the telecommunication services. Some of the major
recommendatory, regulatory & tariff setting.

FUNCTIONS OF TRAI

Functions of TRAI are to make recommendations on the need & timing for introduction
of new service provider ensure compliance of terms & conditions of license, effective
management of spectrum, lay down the standards of quality of service to be provided by
the service providers & ensure the quality of service & conduct the periodical survey of
such service provided by the service providers so as to protect interest of the Consumers
of telecommunication service, ensure effective compliance of universal service
obligations notify the rates at which telecommunication services in India shall be
provided under this act etc.

Recently in exercise of powers conferred by Provision(K) (1) of Section 2 of the TRAI
Act, the Central Government, Vide Notification no S0 44(E) dated 9th January 2004, has
notified Broadcasting & Cable services to be telecommunication service.



RECONSTITUTION:

I (Amendment) Act, 2000 had led to reconstitution of the authority. It consists of one
Chairperson, two full-time members & two part-time Members.

The present composition of the authority is as follows:

SHRI. NRIPENDRA MISRA
CHAIRPERSON

SHRI A.K. SAWHNEY
MEMBER

SHRI R.N. PRABHAKAR
MEMBER
PROF N. BALAKRISHNAN
PART-TIME MEMBER

DR RAJIV KUMAR
PART-TIME MEMBER



SOME IMPORTANT & INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT
VODAFONE
Vodafone is the third largest company in this country by market capitalization. This is
remarkable because Vodafone is a relatively new company. Most of the other companies
in the FTSE 100

(largest 100 companies in the UK) have been around considerably longer.

Most people in this country instantly recognize the Vodafone logo and know what the
company does. Vodafone supplies customers with mobile telephone facilities including
text, games, music, mobile TV, and internet services. In 2005 Vodafone had around 16
million UK customers, employed over 11,500 people across call centres, offices and
retail shops.

The NAS is less well-known. It is a national charity working with children, adults, and
families affected by autism, and those professionals who work alongside them. Autism is
a complex life long developmental disability affecting an increasing number of children
in the UK. The term autism covers a wide range of behavioral and communication
difficulties. For example people with autism find everyday social interaction very
difficult.

Their ability to develop friendships is generally limited as is their capacity to understand
other people's emotional expression. People with autism can often have accompanying
learning disabilities but everyone with the condition shares a difficulty in making sense
of the world.

The NAS champions the interests of people with autism and provides services
appropriate to their needs. Around 535,000 people in the UK have autistic spectrum
disorders and 2 million parents, carers and friends are affected. Understanding of the
condition remains limited.



HISTORY OF VODAFONE:

Vodafone is the world's leading international mobile communications company.
Currently it has operations in 25 countries across 5 continents and 40 partner networks
with over 260 million customers worldwide.

DURING 1980’S

Vodafone made the UK's first mobile call at a few minutes past midnight on 1 st January
1985. Within fifteen years, the network was the largest company in Europe and the
largest of its kind anywhere in the world. By the turn of the century, almost every second
UK citizen had a mobile – and a third of them were connected to Vodafone.

The Vodafone story is one of investment, innovation and award-winning customer
service. Above all, it’s one of growth and the ability to deliver the tremendous benefits of
mobile communications, not just in the UK but worldwide.

1982
• The Racal electronics group wins its bid for the private sector UK cellular license. It
sets up the Racal telecoms division and names the new network ‘Vodafone’ to reflect the
provision of voice and data services over mobile phones. Based in Newbury, the
company has less than 50 employees, all in one building.

1985
• The Vodafone analogue network is the first cellular network to launch in the UK, and
the first call is made from St Katherine’s dock in London to Newbury on 1 January 1985.

1987
• Vodafone is recognized as the largest mobile network in the world.



• Vodata is created as the ‘voice and data’ business to develop and market Vodafone
recall, the voicemail service.

• Vodapage is launched, providing a paging network that covers 80% of the UK
population.

1988
• Racal telecomm plc floats on the London and New York stock exchanges.

1989
• Paknet is formed as a joint venture between Racal telecom and cable & wireless.

VODAFONE DURING 1990’S:

1991
• Racal and Vodafone demerge. And the Vodafone group is listed as an independent
company on the London and New York stock exchanges.

• Vodafone and telecom Finland make the world’s first international roaming call.

• Vodafone launches its digital (GSM) mobile phone service – the first in the UK.

1992
• Vodafone and telecom Finland sign the world's first international GSM roaming
agreement.

1993
• Vodafone group international is formed to acquire licenses and supervise overseas
interests.

• Vodafone opens its first high street store.



1994
• Vodata is the first network operator in the UK to launch data, fax and sms services over
the digital network.

• Vodafone joins the global star consortium to develop and launch a low earth orbiting
satellite mobile phone service.

1996
• Vodafone is the first network operator in the UK to launch a pre-pay analogue package.

• Per second billing on the digital network is introduced, as well as options to buy
‘bundled’ minutes and make off-peak local calls to landlines.

1997
• Chris gent succeeds Sir Gerald Whent as chief executive officer of Vodafone group plc.

1999
• Vodafone air touch plc is created as a result of a successful merger between Vodafone
group plc and air touch communications Inc.

• On 5 January Vodafone connects the five million customers in the UK.

VODAFONE DURING 2000’S:

2000

• The acquisition of Mannesmann Ag almost doubles the size of the Vodafone group
making it the largest mobile telecommunications company and one of the top ten
companies, by market capitalization, in the world.



• Vizzavi is launched, a 50/50 joint venture between Vodafone air touch and vivendinet
to deliver a multi-access branded internet portal for Europe.

• Vodafone acquires the largest available 3g license in the UK. In parallel with the
development of 3g, Vodafone announces its intention to offer GPRS (general packet
radio service) to UK corporate customers.

• The global star satellite communications service is launched in the UK.

2001

• Vodafone introduces instant messaging to its networks.

• Vodafone makes the world’s first 3g roaming call between Spain and Japan.

2002

• Vodafone trials its global mobile payment system in the UK Italy and Germany.

• Vodafone launches the first commercial European GPRS roaming service.

• The Vodafone group foundation is launched. The group and its subsidiaries plan to
contribute £20 million to community programmes, guided by the group social investment
policy.

• Vodafone launches Vodafone live! & mobile office, two new consumer and business
propositions.

• Arun Sarin is selected to succeed Sir Christopher Gent as Chief Executive of Vodafone
group plc.



2003

• Vodafone live! attracts 1 million customers in its first six months.

• Orange, telefonica moviles, t-mobile, and Vodafone form a new association to drive
interoperable mobile payments.

2004

• Vodafone launches its first 3g service in Europe with the vodafone mobile connect
3g/gprs data card.

• Vodafone live! With 3g is launched in 13 markets.

2005

• Vodafone simply is launched, giving customers new, easy-to-use voice and text
services.

• Vodafone introduces passport, a new voice roaming price plan.

2006

• The number of Vodafone live! Customers with 3g reach 10 million.



MANAGEMENT OF VODAFONE

NEW CEO OF VODAFONE:

VODAFONE ANNOUNCES NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Vodafone group plc today announces that, after five years in the role, Arun Sarin will be
retiring as chief executive at the end of the company’s AGM on 29th July 2008. He will
be succeeded by deputy chief executive Vittorio Colao.

Arun Sarin became chief executive in July 2003 and over the last five years has led the
company through a period of significant change, both strategic and organizational. Under
his leadership Vodafone has developed and implemented a new strategy to become a total
communications company, which is already delivering results. As part of its strategy
Vodafone has also expanded into emerging markets including Romania, Czech Republic,
Turkey, and most recently, India where Arun Sarin led the acquisition of Hutchison essar,
which is the largest foreign investment made in the country.

In portfolio management, during this time the company also disposed of its businesses in
Japan and Sweden, together with interests in Switzerland and Belgium. In Europe the
new strategy has delivered innovative products, improved revenue and significant cost
reduction.

Organizationally the company has been structured to take advantage of its significant
global footprint by becoming an integrated business with a clear distinction between
global and local activities.

During his time as chief executive the company has also grown its proportionate
customer base from 120 million to more than 260 million globally and over this period
Vodafone has consistently delivered strong results. Returns to shareholders over this



period have also been very positive with dividends increasing from 1.69p to 7.51p, an
increase of more than 400%. He has also built a new senior management team and taken
the lead on major industry issues, including mobile broadband and internet services.

COMMENTING, CHAIRMAN SIR JOHN BOND SAID:

“Arun has done a tremendous job as chief executive. He has led the company with
distinction and navigated Vodafone through a period of rapid change. He has developed a
new strategy for the business and significantly expanded our footprint in emerging
markets. The acquisition in India was very well timed and executed. The board has a
great deal to thank him for and i would like personally to thank him for all he has done
for the business and wish him and his family all the best for the future. In Vittorio Colao
we have a fine successor and I am looking forward to working with him in his new role.”

ARUN SARIN SAID:

“It has been a privilege to lead Vodafone for the last five years and to have been involved
in the company for such a long time. I feel that I have accomplished what i set out to
achieve, particularly in developing and implementing a new strategy. I am very proud of
what Vodafone and its 71,000 people have achieved and the good momentum we have in
the marketplace. I know that the business is in capable hands with Vittorio Colao. Having
worked with him for many years I know that he has the experience and vision to take
Vodafone on to future success.”

Vodafone group plc also announced today that non executive directors Michael Boskin
and Jurgen Schrempp will not be seeking re-election at the AGM. Michael Boskin joined
the Vodafone board in 1999 on Vodafone’s merger with air touch communications inc,
having served for a number of years previously on the air touch board. Jürgen Schrempp
became a director of Vodafone in 2000 when Vodafone completed its acquisition of
Mannesmann, having been a member of Mannesmann’s supervisory board before then.



Sir John bond said: “I would like to thank Michael and Jürgen for their contributions and
for the different and important perspectives each has brought to our board. Both have
served with distinction and i am very grateful for their tireless work on our board
committees, especially Michael’s chairmanship of the audit.

Committee. Jürgen has, at one time or another, been a member of each of our principal
board committees. We wish them both well in the future.”

ARUN SARIN

Arun Sarin, aged 53, graduated from the Indian institute of technology with a BS in
engineering in 1975. In 1978 he gained a MS in engineering and a MBA from the
University of California, at Berkeley.

He started his career as a management consultant before moving, in 1984, to pacific
Telesis group in San Francisco. Commencing in corporate development, he was
instrumental in the company acquiring the first cellular licenses in the us as well as
winning the first cellular license in Germany and a PCN license in the UK. He was
subsequently appointed CFO and chief strategy officer at pacific bell, before moving on
to become vice president and general manager, San Francisco bay area telephone
company, a pacific bell division with 12,000 employees.

Following the demerger from pacific Telesis of the mobile and paging businesses to form
air touch communications, Arun was appointed senior vice president corporate strategy
and development where he developed and implemented a growth strategy encompassing
partnerships and acquisitions, which included the merger with us west’s wireless
business.



On becoming president and CEO, air touch international, Arun was responsible for the
acquisition of wireless licenses in several overseas territories and establishing the
management teams of these new ventures.

He then became president of air touch communications where he was responsible for
managing the cellular and paging operations in 14 countries and was a key negotiator in
the successful merger of air touch with Vodafone group plc. Within the combined
business, Vodafone air touch plc, he was appointed CEO US/Asia pacific region,
managing the group’s operations in the US, Asia and Australasia. In addition, he headed
the global mobile internet division, responsible for the introduction of wireless internet
services.

In 2000, with the successful merger of Vodafone air touch’s us businesses with those of
bell Atlantic and GTE to form VERIZON wireless, arun, whilst maintaining a non-
executive directorship of Vodafone air touch plc, became CEO of info space, a provider
of mobile internet content and directory services.

In 2001 he joined ACCEL-KKR telecom; a telecom investment and management
business, where he evaluated numerous opportunities in the telecommunications industry
around the world and oversaw the acquisition of bell Canada’s yellow pages business.

In April 2003 he became CEO designate of Vodafone group plc and assumed the post of
chief executive on July 30th 2003.

Prior to becoming chief executive, Arun had been a non-executive director of the GAP
Inc, the Charles Schwab Corporation and Cisco systems inc. In July 2005, he was
appointed to the court of directors at the bank of England.



Vittorio Colao

Vittorio Colao, aged 46, was appointed chief executive, Europe and deputy group chief
executive of Vodafone group plc in October 2006.

Vittorio holds a business degree cum laude from Bocconi university and an MBA with
honors from the Harvard business school.

Between 2004 and 2006 he was chief executive officer of RCS media group in Milan, a
leading media group, publishing newspapers, magazines and books in Italy, Spain, and
France.

Prior to that, Vittorio held the post of regional CEO, south Europe, Middle East and
Africa, of Vodafone group plc, and he was an executive director on the main board.
Before the Vodafone acquisition, Vittorio was COO and CEO of Omnitel Pronto Italia,
now vodafone Italy.

Vittorio spent the early part of his career (1996-98 and 1991-96) at Mckinsey & co,
where he was a partner in the Milan office, working on media, telecommunications and
industrial goods. He headed the finance practice, and was responsible for the office
recruiting of consultants.

Vittorio worked in 1989/1990 for Morgan Stanley investment bank division, in London,
and Mondadori, the Italian publisher.Vittorio has been a non-executive director and
member of the remuneration committee of Ras insurance, then listed on the Milan stock
exchange (now merged with allianz se), and was previously a non-executive director and
chairman of the remuneration committee of Finmeccanica,



CHAPTER IV

PRODUCTS & SERVICES OFFERED BY VODAFONE:

PRODUCTS CATEGORY:

1.CHARGERS:

Stay connected wherever you are with the nokia travel charger. It's handy when you're
camping, flying or on the go. It's also ideal if you forget to keep your phone fully
charged.

With most nokia phones now packing cameras, organizers and email, this nifty gadget
will come in handy for more than just talking. And because it's small, you can pack it in
your bag and forget about it - until you run out of juice.



2.CONNECTIVITY:

Get a great signal at home - without leaning out of the window - thanks to the Vodafone
access gateway.

The gateway simply plugs into your broadband line, boosting your 3g signal right
through your home. It's also small, so you'll hardly notice it's there. Want to share your
signal with friends and family?

If they're on Vodafone you can - up to four people can use the gateway at once.

Vodafone access gateway works with any 3g phone. You'll also need a home broadband
line, with a minimum speed of 1mbps.

The Vodafone access gateway is also available from just 290 RS a month with select pay
monthly offers; please pop into a store for more information.



3.HEADSETS & HEADPHONES:

Get a great signal at home - without leaning out of the window - thanks to the Vodafone
access gateway.

The gateway simply plugs into your broadband line, boosting your 3g signal right
through your home. It's also small, so you'll hardly notice it's there. Want to share your
signal with friends and family?

If they're on Vodafone you can - up to four people can use the gateway at once.

Vodafone access gateway works with any 3g phone. You'll also need a home broadband
line, with a minimum speed of 1mbps.

The Vodafone access gateway is also available from just 290 a month with select pay
monthly offers; please pop into a store for more information.



4.FLEX ARM CRADLE:

Talk in your car - while your hands stay firmly on the wheel. The Vodafone car cradle is
designed for any handset. Just attach the suction cap to your windscreen, or clip the
cradle to your air - vent. No mess. No tools. No hassle.

Once the cradle's attached, twist the bendy arm for the perfect position. It's as easy as
that. Simple and safe, the must-have accessory is, at just 567 RS, very affordable too.



5.MEMORY CARDS:

When you need to pack even more into your phone, choose the sandisk 4 GB micro sd
memory card. It has the same dimensions as the 2 GB card, but lets you carry loads more
tunes and photos.

With space for up to 1,000 tracks, there's enough room in this tiny device for all your
favourites. You can also store, view or transfer photos and video clips - safely and easily.

Slim, powerful and ultra compatible, the 4 GB micro sd memory card is the ideal
companion for your phone.



SERVICES:

Vodafone’s new telecoms management service - simplifying the management of fixed
and mobile telecoms services.

Vodafone Global Enterprise- – The division of Vodafone which manages the
communications needs of the largest multinational companies worldwide – announces the
launch of Vodafone telecoms management, a new service which combines and simplifies
the management of fixed and mobile telecoms.

Vodafone telecoms management is a fully hosted service designed to remove the
operational complexity of managing the telecoms environment for multinational
businesses.

Underpinned by Vodafone’s global support and service level agreements, the service will
give multinationals greater visibility and management control over their telecoms
expenditure, as well as improve the quality of service delivered to employees.

The offering will also deliver a single, online management view of both their fixed and
mobile telecoms services. Vodafone consultants will work with customers to assess and
scope their current telecoms vendors and services, then develop a management plan
aimed to deliver greater efficiency and reduce costs.



ADDITIONAL KEY FEATURES INCLUDE:

• A single online view of spend across all telecoms providers
• Full visibility of telecoms assets such as mobile and fixed devices
• Ability to control and manage mobile devices
• Capability to secure, lock and remotely wipe mobile devices
• Visibility of telecoms vendor contracts and the current contract status

The online management portal is tailored to each organization to ensure that it interfaces
with their existing company processes. For example, the service provides an employee
self-service portal, enabling employees to order new mobile devices and update their
profiles. The process of ordering a device and the type of device that an employee is
allowed to order will be in line with each company’s set approval guidelines, policies and
work flows.

“In this tough economic environment our customers are urgently seeking ways to reduce
cost and simplify their processes,” said Nick Jeffery, director, Vodafone global
enterprise. “Very few global organizations have a complete and accurate view of their
fixed and mobile telecoms landscape. Our telecoms management service has been
developed in direct response to this need.”



INTERNET:

MOBILE BROADBAND:

MOBILE BROADBAND VIA YOUR PHONE

Feel the freedom. Use the internet your way – with full access to VOIP services like
SKYPE™, and peer to peer services like file sharing.

With mobile broadband via your phone, you get a whopping 5 GB each month. Simply
use your phone as normal – and if you have a 3g phone, connect it to your laptop to turn
your phone into a broadband modem.

Before you get started, you might need to make a few changes to your phone’s settings –
your user manual will have all the details.

Add mobile broadband via your phone – for £20 a month

• 5gb a month – ideal for big downloads
• VOIP and peer to peer services – get full access to SKYPE™, file sharing and lots
more
• One plan for everything – you don’t need a separate USB modem device. Just use
your phone instead



HOMEBROADBAND:

Vodafone home broadband gives you high-speed internet access and inclusive anytime
landline calls for just 812 RS a month.

With no hidden catches, our customers say its better value than their previous home
broadband package.

What do I get?

• Super fast broadband connection (up to 8mb) with unlimited usage
• Inclusive calls to UK landlines any time
• 25% off calls to UK mobiles
• Free UK-based telephone support 24/7
• Broadband modem and micro filters included

All for just 812 Rs per month.

30-Day money back guarantee

We’re so confident Vodafone at home is better value for money than your current
broadband package, we’ll give you a 30-day money back guarantee. Call us to find out
more.

What about VAT?

Costs shown include vat at 17.5%. Don't worry; you'll only be charged vat at 15% -
while that rate remains.



PRICING STRATEGIES :

A: MONTHLY PRICE PLANS

B: PAY AS YOU DO PLANS

C: CALL CHARGES WHILE GOING ABROAD

D: PAY MONTHLY CALL CHARGES

E: BUSINESS CALL CHARGES



MARKET SHARE OF MOBILE OPERATORS IN INDIA:2002-2008



VODAFONE TOP’S THE LIST IN THIS CATEGORY

ABOUT THE MOST POPULAR VODAFONE ZOO-ZOOS:



SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ZOOZOOS:

On first look, these “Zoo Zoos” in Vodafone TV ads may resemble animated cartoon
characters with an alien look or simply a stupid egg-head character with disproportional
white bodies and black dots for eyes and mouth.

But the interesting part is that Zoo Zoos are not animated characters but are actually slim
women actors from local Mumbai theatres, dressed in white costumes that are stuffed
with foam to portray the characters.

These characters are named Zoo Zoos, and are created by O&M. These ads were directed
by Prakash Varma and were launched during the ongoing IPL 2 series.

They are human beings who were made to wear body suits. “the design of the characters
is such that one gets fooled into thinking it is animation,” shrugs Rao, which was indeed
the very illusion that had to be created. “in a sense, it is ‘live’ animation!” He quips,
referring to the fact that it was all shot live.

To create large heads they used a material called Perspex, which was again stuffed with
foam. Also, they casted only women and children to play the zoo zoos so that the thin
hands and legs made the heads look even bigger.

SPONSORSHIP

VODAFONE’S PARTNERSHIP WITH MCLAREN MERCEDES
SERIES:



As title sponsor and official mobile partner of the ‘Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes’ team,
Vodafone is raising its association with Formula 1 to the ultimate level. We
have committed to a long-term agreement, starting in 2007.

The sponsorship demonstrates Vodafone’s ongoing commitment to the Formula 1 world
championship, a sport which continues to deliver massive global television coverage and
which has significant appeal for Vodafone’s consumer and business customers around the
world.

The title sponsorship including the team name ‘Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes’ and
‘official mobile partner’ of the team gives Vodafone; dominant title sponsorship branding
on the cars, drivers' and pit crews' overalls and helmets.

As we enter into this exciting new partnership the associative rights acquired provide
unique opportunities that will continue to raise brand awareness through the team name
and branding. The team partnership delivers a powerful integrated marketing platform
through advertising, hospitality, mobile content, handset offers and promotions and
through innovative activation will encourage preference and loyalty amongst Vodafone’s
customers.

VODAFONE WITH UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:

Vodafone is in its second season as official partner and official mobile network of the
UEFA Champions’ League, the world's largest annual football competition.

Vodafone is delighted to be at the forefront of Europe’s premier club competition. After
the successes of last season's UEFA champions league sponsorship and the agreements
announced in April to sponsor the UEFA cup final and UEFA super cup, Vodafone is
looking forward to strengthening its position as a brand passionate about the beautiful
game.



The UEFA champions’ league is the world's greatest club football competition. During
nine months of every year, Europe’s top 32 clubs battle it out for the trophy that proves
they're the best of the best. It's a sponsorship that delivers considerable value to Vodafone
and is highly relevant to most of the Vodafone operating companies.

Football is the most popular sport in the world. Huge numbers of Vodafone customers are
passionate about football - and sponsorships help to convert this passion into a business
relationship.

The partnership enables Vodafone to deliver content including video highlights packages
and goal alerts from all UEFA champions league matches to football fans on the
Vodafone live! With 3g consumer service.

VODAFONE TIE-UP WITH RADIO CHANNEL FEVER 104:

Vodafone tied up with Radio channel FEVER 104 wherein the channel provides with
cash prizes of upto 1 lakh or more which is another promotion strategy adopted by
Vodafone which was a success.

VODAFONE SPONSOR OF ENGLAND CRICKET TEAM:

As our sponsorship of the England cricket team comes to a close, we’ve got an
impressive line up to celebrate the 12th and final year of the partnership. This summer
England will once again embark on the quest for victory in the ultimate test of any
England cricketer as they take on Australia in the Npower ashes series; and as a
Vodafone customer, you can be with us the whole way.



VODAFONE SOUNDBITES

Vodafone sound bites explore every aspect of the global music scene. Featuring
international artists’ interviews at gigs and festivals, bands’ fantasy group line-ups, pre-
show rituals and performers describing their first time on stage, the programme brings an
authentic behind the scenes insight into the world of music.

Vodafone sound bites is available on tv, via a website (www.mtv-
vodafonesoundbites.com) and on mobile (wap.mtv-vodafonesoundbites.com) as a series
of twenty one, three minute shows. The website and mobile service carry additional
footage, as well as editorial and news elements.

Uniquely the programme is available in seven languages on MTV in Germany, Hungary,
the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey, the UK and Ireland, Australia, New
Zealand and on the mtv European feed, covering sixteen countries!

EFFORTS TAKEN TO BOOST SALES BY VODAFONE
(THE ZOO ZOO SERIES):

Vodafone’s new series of advertisements feature lovable white, large-headed creatures
that have attracted more than 28,500 fans on face book. “They are so cute,” “they remind
me of Casper who was my favourite cartoon.”



But for all those who think the zoo zoos are animated, here’s the shocker: they are real
people in costume.

Rajiv Rao, Executive Creative Director (South Asia) of Ogilvy & Mather, the agency that
handles Vodafone advertisements, said: “we wanted to make real people look as
animated as possible.”

Bangalore-based nirvana films shot the ads in Cape Town, South Africa, just in time for
IPL. Said Prakash Verma, nirvana’s owner

and director of the zoozoo campaign: “our actors were small-bodied, thin women
covered in layers of white fabric. Each facial expression was made of rubber and pasted
on the actors.”

In about 10 days, O&M completed the campaign shooting two-three films a day, each
selling a product or a service offered by Vodafone. A dozen more films are expected as
the league progresses.



The characters, which look like distant cousins of the Pillsbury dough boy, were enacted
by professional ballet artists in white body suits. “What makes them so endearing is that
they are innocent people living in a simple world unlike ours, who laugh loud when they
laugh. And who seem to be in an in-between world of animation and reality,” said Mr.
Rajiv Rao, executive creative director, O&M.

A film shot at 20 frames per second made the zoo zoo’s movements hurried and comical.
Of the 29 different zoo zoo ads created for the IPL, there will be a new one everyday.

CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

VODAFONE LAUNCHES PHONES FOR THE POOR

From now onwards millions of people all through the world could access mobile phones
for the first time with the release of Vodafone’s first ultra-cheap own-branded phones. It
is said by the company that these phones are cheap enough for poor people to have. Plus
the Vodafone 125 and 225, released recently, are aimed at expanding the availability of
affordable mobile phones in increasing markets.

The mobile phones have been produced for Vodafone by Chinese manufacturer ZTE
Corporation - the first handsets resulting from an agreement between the two companies
announced in December. They will come into view first on Vodafone networks in Egypt,
Romania and South Africa. The Vodafone 125 and 225 are reported to be consisting with
a similar set of basic features, although the 125 has a monochrome display whereas the
225’s display is colour.

Vodafone is also planning to open access to mobile services for more people in countries
where mobile networks are the most viable and cost-effective communications service
available. The phones are said to be coming with the price tag of around 1200-2500.



HAPPY TO HELP:

This is an online 24*7 helpline service for the customers of Vodafone. This
provides help to the customer queries related to the products & services like
VAS, talktime, recharge & etc.

CUSTOMER CARE CENTRE:

This is one of the best way of maintaining a healthy customer relationship
adopted by VODAFONE. They have their own customer care centre’s all
over India wherein the customers directly come to the centre’s regarding the
problems they face related to the products & services.

INTRODUCTION OF I PHONE 1 OF THE BIGGEST EVENT IN
THE HISTORY OF INDIAN TELECOM:



“We are delighted to announce that the iphone 3g will be available in India from august
22, 2008. It will be available in 8gb & 16gb models, priced at Rs 31,000 and Rs 36,100
respectively. ”

And this is just the cost of apple hardware - you will have to pay extra for data and voice
plans. Airtel will also introduce iphone on the same date but I don’t think if an iphone 3g
is worth that kind of money.

Now that Vodafone officially announced the price of iphone, a local rep. Shared details
about the different tariff plans available for Vodafone customers of iphone in India.

Unlike blackberry, Vodafone offers no "unlimited data" plan for iphone users. That
means if you exhaust your monthly data usage limit, be prepared to shell out an extra Rs
5 per mb of data exchanged.



The monthly rent for iphone will range from Rs 500 to Rs 1000 depending on your
internet requirements. The lower plan will provide you with 50 mb of free data usage
while the upper 1000 plan provides 600 mb of data usage.

The above plans are for customers with a postpaid connection.

If you want to go for a prepaid iphone connection, there’s a iphone data card available for
a monthly rent of Rs 100 but without any free data usage.

The sms and local / std call charges on iphone will more or less be the same as existing
tariffs offered by Vodafone.

Let’s do some maths. If you are heavy web user, the overall cost would work something
like this - Rs 36000 (for handset) + Rs 12000 (yearly rent) + call charges + extra data
charges + taxes.

Contrast that with a blackberry curve from airtel - Rs 23000 (for headset) + Rs 6000
(yearly rent with unlimited data) + call charges + taxes.

VODAFONE’S TIE-UP WITH B.E.S.T & RAILWAY’S:



As a part of the customer relationship management Vodafone came out with a unique
plan of providing its customers with utmost ease of paying their bills on the railway
platforms & in the buses. The customers were have to visit the respective centre’s of their
area to pay the bills which was time consuming & required some effort. Because of the
initiative taken by Vodafone postpaid customers are very much relaxed that they do not
have to visit the respective centre’s to make the payment.

COMPARISN BETWEEN VODAFONE & LOOP MOBILE

LOOP MOBILE:

Loop mobile strives for customer satisfaction and business success in the telecom service
field. Apart from offering prepaid, post-paid, roaming, voice sms and push mail services
in the wireless industry, this mobile service company also provides other values-added
services. The communications service company gives an itemized bill, which a detailed
bill is accounting the outgoing calls, sms, subscribed services and other such details.

The customer of the mobile service company also gets missed call alerts through sms
alerts, when the phone is switched off or is out of the coverage area/range. Mobile answer
phone service or voice mail service is available for customers not able to attend calls, and
if activated allows the caller to record his/her message. Call conferencing is also offered
by bpl communication, which a conference between two or more persons.

Other services such as clip, which identifies the caller; popular roaming, which allows
special roaming without any deposit in India and STD/ISD facility to make
national/international calls are provided by the mobile service company. Emergency
STD/ISD services, which provide access to STD/ISD calling without any deposits for 20
minutes, clir to secure the customers’ numbers from being reflected on caller’s mobile
and fax/data and internet options are also the other value-added services offered by the
communications service company. BPL communication offers national roaming that



allows the customers to get incoming calls while traveling in India and international
roaming to get incoming calls while traveling outside India.

Offers post-paid, prepaid, roaming, voice sms and push mail services. The post-paid
service offered by the mobile service company has several plans to attract customers.
These plans include PAISA VASOOL on BPL mobile at reduced call rates, sms and
mms, talk more with BPL mobile, which is a group plan for the family and friends at
reduced call rates, national family and friends, which offers 60 per cent discount on std
airtime for calls to any one mobile number and night plan.

Under the prepaid scheme, the communications service company offers MOTS RCC 399
with outgoing calls free on BPL and zone advantage, which allows the customer to pick
any of the 15 zones, like home, office, college and so on, in order to enjoy some special
privileges of calling and sending sms. The night pack allows customer to make calls at
minimum rates and the sms bundle pack is offered by BPL communication at very low
rates. Roaming with MOTS allows one to subscribe for national and international
roaming.

E-mails may be unanswered in the inbox and in the present competitive world, quick
decision are highly essential. The push mail offered by the mobile service company
allows one to access mails even while traveling. The push mail supports Microsoft
exchange, lotus notes, SMTP and imap/pop3 servers.

PROBLEMS FACED BY LOOP CUSTOMERS:

BILLING PROBLEMS:



I have 2 mobile numbers from bpl mobile. I have given auto pay from my credit card so
as to there is no delay in bill payment. This was working fine till November 06. Since
December every time bpl comes back saying that my bank declines the payment i had
check with my bank they are saying that my card is in active mode has large limit than
bpl mobiles bill still bpl disconnects my connection. This has happened 5-6 times. I have
a confirmation from my bank that there is no problem in my card. I have written to bpl at
least 10times but none of their senior level people looked in this I am suffering even
monetary losses due to this & frustration. It feels like they want to harass you. I have very
clean record of bill payment & not even a late payment as I have always kept my bill
payment on auto pay. I have submitted this auto pay to their Malad gallery but I don’t
know why their operations dept or customer care dept are not able to solve this. My
sincere request to all new mobile connection buyers to read through my complaint.

BY AJAY PATANKAR

REDUCING BALANCE WITHOUT ANY CONFIRMATION:

I was in Germany for about two months during which barring one or two numbers no one
could reach me despite activating international roaming on my cell. This caused a lot of
inconvenience and I had to pay additional money to make phone-calls.

But then on 9th November suddenly my balance went off from Rs. 2,500 to a negative
balance after sending and receiving one sms. I logged a complaint on the online system
for which i receive two apparently unique complaint numbers doc-c-11117465 and doc-
c-111121812 which itself speaks a lot about the complaint management system.



After returning when I called the absolutely useless help desk and explained the situation
to several executives over and over again, they finally gave me the two numbers on
which apparently i had spoken. I tried both these numbers here locally from my land line-
one number is out of service and the other is a fax line. First of all i could not receive any
calls while i was in Germany and then these numbers that were given by the help desk are
not even functional numbers.

I am really annoyed now and its getting worse cause today I have had another debit of Rs.
99 for activating an inactive international roaming.

BY D.RANADE

BAD SERVICE:

I am prepaid subscriber , I had given my documents 3 days back , after that they send me
a message your request could not proceeded please call mobile assist 0n 555, after that
last night they suspended my both prepaid line , when i visit Mahim gallery they said
signature is not there on application form , I signed on application & they promise me
that my line will be activated within an hour but still it is suspended so please i request do
not use BPL mobile. Now i have already taken airtel card & i am not going to use bpl
anymore. Airtel & Vodafone is best.

COMMENTED BY SHAILESH PATIL

PROBLEMS FACED BY VODAFONE CUSTOMERS:



Anyone experiencing problems with Vodafone today, no sms and cannot receive any
calls, cannot get through to CS.

Chris

No problems in derby. Could be a local problem.

FUTURE OF VODAFONE:



VODAFONE SUGGESTS FUTURE ANDROID PHONE:

Vodafone have confirmed that their currently looking at developing more android phones
to complement their new HTC magic handset, and that some future android devices could
appear without google.

In an interview with techradar.com, Vodafone’s Rachel Williams revealed that whilst the
HTC magic arise bundled with all the well-known google services future android
handsets may feature a basic package allowing networks to integrate their own clients’
software instead.

Williams also went onto confirm that more Vodafone android phones were likely in the
future, “we are looking at other android devices by joining the open handset alliance it
shows our commitment (to ranging other devices using Androids)”.

VODAFONE APPLICATION STORE COMING SOON:

Vodafone on May 12TH 2009 announced plans to open their own application
stores for third party application that will be made available across a wide variety of
mobile platforms

VODAFONE COMPLETES HUTCH ACQUISITION:

On day when Indian conglomerate Essar threatened legal action against Hutch-Essar deal
Vodafone’s CEO Arun Sarin met Communications & IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran &
briefed him on the company’s future plans for India.



The British telecom major won the bid to acquire the stake of Hutchison Telecom in
India’s fourth largest mobile operator Hutch – Essar.

Essar sources said the company is considering legal action over the deal on account of it
being ignored in taking key business decisions.Essar is concerned over Vodafone’s move
to forge ahead with plans like networks sharing without consulting it first.

“This is just the beginning Maran told PTI about the Hutch-Vodafone deal. India’s
telecom growth story is really interesting. Once the tele-density crosses 25 per cent, the
growth curve will become even steeper.

Maran hoped that the number of mobile users in India which is currently 150 million
would touch 250 million by end of 2007 & 500 million mark in the next 3 years.



Research Methodology

Method used: Case study

A Case study was conducted on Vodafone and vodafone’s rebranding strategies in India
from Hutch to Vodafone.I used newspapers and various other sources to study the case.It
took around 40 days for me to study and analyse the case.

A Case study can be defined as a careful study of some social unit (as a corporation or
division within a corporation) that attempts to determine what factors led to its success or
failure.

Rather than using samples and following a strict set of rules to examine limited number
of variables, case study methods involve an in-depth, longitudinal examination of a single
instance or event: a case. They provide a systematic way of looking at events, collecting
data, analyzing information, and reporting the results. As a result the researcher may gain
a sharpened understanding of why the instance happened as it did, and what might
become important to look at more extensively in future research.



A CASE STUDY ON VODAFONE’S REBRANDING STRATEGIES
IN INDIA:HUTCH TO VODAFONE

Launch of Vodafone Essar

Vodafone is the world’s leading international mobile communications company. It
presently has operations in 25 countries across 5 continents and 40 partner networks with
over 200 million customers worldwide. Vodafone has partnered with the Essar Group as
its principal joint venture partner for the Indian market. The Essar Group is a diversified
business corporation with interests spanning the manufacturing and service sectors like
Steel, Energy, Power, Communications, Shipping & Logistics and Construction. The
Group has an asset base of over Rs.400 billion and employs over 20,000 people.

Vodafone Essar was launched in India on 21st September 2007. Vodafone was welcomed
in India with the “Hutch is now Vodafone” campaign. The popular and endearing brand
Hutch was transitioned to Vodafone across India. This marked a significant chapter in the
evolution of Vodafone as a dynamic and ever-growing brand. This brand unveiled
nationally through a high profile campaign covering all important media.

Vodafone, the world’s leading mobile telecommunication company, completed the
acquisition of Hutchison Essar in May 2007 and the company was formally renamed
Vodafone Essar in July 2007. The transition from Hutch to Vodafone is probably the
largest brand change ever undertaken in this country and arguably as big as any in the
world. It is even larger than Hutch’s own previous brand transitions. The migration from
Hutch to Vodafone was one of the fastest and most comprehensive brand transitions in
the history of the Vodafone Group, with 400,000 multi brand outlets, over 350 Vodafone



stores, over 1,000 mini stores, over 35 mobile stores and over 3,000 touch-points
rebranded in two months, with 60% completed within 48 hours of the launch.

The Vodafone mission is to be the communications leader in an increasingly connected
world – enriching customers’ lives, helping individuals, businesses and communities be
more connected by delivering their total communication needs.

Vodafone’s Marketing Strategies: Hutch to Vodafone

Vodafone’s new advertising campaign in India carried on with the same popular pug that
has become a brand ambassador for Hutch. ‘Where ever you go, our network follows,’
was the previous slogan with the pug following the child wherever he goes. Now, with
Hutchison Essar becoming part of the Vodafone Group, the new campaign had started
with Vodafone Essar earmarking Rs. 2.5 billion on the transition from Hutch to
Vodafone. The main message of the brand transition exercise: The new Vodafone is the
same old Hutch. In the advertisement, the pug sees a new home when it returns after an
outing and feels the change is better. The new catch phrase will be ‘Make the most of
now.’

Vodafone had tied up with Star India to run a complete roadblock of its fresh campaign
on the entire network by unveiling the 24-hour nationwide rebranding campaign.
Vodafone used all of the commercial airtime across all 13 channels in five languages
(Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi and English) from 9 pm on 20 September to 9 pm on
September 21. This exercise included TV commercials, transition bumpers and contest
spots to promote the Vodafone Essar brand. Commercial spots had also been purchased
on Sony.

Conventionally awareness for a new brand takes some time to build. However, Vodafone
wanted to achieve this task at the shortest possible time. Hence, Maxus and Star Network
worked closely to address this challenge and came up with the idea wherein during the
day of the launch a complete roadblock on the Star Network channels was
conceptualized. Considering that the Star Network is the lead network in India, this was
the most apt platform for Vodafone launch. This strategy helped not only in achieving
build rapid brand awareness but also breaks the clutter during such an important launch in
the most happening category – telecom. This is a first of its kind mega media initiative in
India by any brand. While the campaign was heavy on television, it also included all
other media vehicles. The print campaign kicked off on 21 September, a day after the
television splash.

While the brand campaign had been addressing the transformation, the Company, on the
other hand was swiftly preparing for a price war in the Indian telecom space. Indeed, it
was preparing to provide mobile handsets to new subscribers at ultra-cheap prices,
ranging from about $19 to $25.



Vodafone Essar launched low priced cell phones in India under the Vodafone brand, and
also co-branded handsets sourced from major global vendors. By bringing in millions of
low-cost handsets from across the globe into India, Vodafone Essar distributed bundled
handsets through its existing 400,000 distribution outlets. By flooding the market with its
low-cost handsets, Vodafone also became a mass mobile phone brand like Nokia,
Samsung, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson in addition to continuing as telecom services
provider.

Previously, similar handset-driven expansion strategies to grow subscriber bases were
adopted by CDMA players, like RCOM and Tata Teleservices. Vodafone is the first
GSM operator to follow suit.

The Vodafone mission is to be the communications leader in an increasingly connected
world – enriching customers’ lives, helping individuals, businesses and communities be
more connected by delivering their total communication needs. Vodafone’s logo is a
representation of that belief – The start of a new conversation, a trigger, a catalyst, a mark
of true pioneering.

Vodafone’s Advertising Strategies: Hutch to Vodafone

Advertising is probably one of the most frequently used vehicles for Rebranding, as it is
fairly easy, flexible and quick to change. It is a powerful way of reaching a broad or
targeted audience quickly and is effective at signalling a change in positioning, however
real or broad that may be. There are many examples of where advertising has either
repositioned or strengthened brands, other good examples of where advertising has built a
new position for a brand or built a strong emotional link with the public are where
companies have created a sort of soap opera out of their advertising.

The Advertising agency of Hutch and now Vodafone, Ogilvy & Mather (O&M), had a
two-fold task to achieve: announce the entry of Vodafone into India and highlight the
metamorphosis of Hutch into Vodafone. O&M realised that they had a fantastic property
in the Hutch pug, which they had been using for about five years. Therefore, to show the
transition from Hutch to Vodafone, O&M launched a rather direct, thematic ad showing
the trademark pug in a garden, moving out of a pink coloured kennel which symbolised
Hutch making his way into a red one that is the Vodafone colour. A more energetic,
chirpier version of the ‘You and I’ tune associated with Hutch was played towards the
end, and it concludes with ‘Change is good. Hutch is now Vodafone’.

O&M has also rolled out four Commercials featuring Hutch’s animated boy and girl,
‘introducing’ the new brand’s logo to consumers. The four creatives which were of five
seconds each included the duo peeping over a wall to see the logo; parasailing with the
logo flying high behind them; releasing a rocket bomb wherein the explosion reveals the
logo; and lastly, drawing curtains aside to show the logo.



Four other ads with the pug did the rounds of telly screens. These five and 10 second
spots cast the dog in situations where he, literally, saw red, using the colour as a visual
mnemonic to remember the brand by. The pug was shown in a red basket, popping up
from a red cart, drying himself on a red mat, and hiding in a red blanket. Each of these
made use of the ‘Hutch is now Vodafone’ tagline.

The print ads, in all major languages in several leading dailies, were kept unbelievably
simple: a still shot of the pug inside a red kennel. The same creative was used in outdoor
hoardings as well, in all the 16 circles in which Vodafone now operates.

It wasn’t easy integrating Vodafone with Hutch; the latter, as is known, is a subtle,
understated brand, while globally, Vodafone represents high energy, dynamism and
young vitality – all represented by its bright red speech mark logo. And so they put in
elements such as a more energetic tune and feel to the ads.

A few advertisements include:

• Hutch is now Vodafone: If you watch any of the star channels or tuned into 20-20
world cup, you would have seen this ad. On 11 February 2007, Vodafone agreed
to acquire the controlling interest of 67% held by Cheung Kong Holdings in
Hutch-Essar for US$11.1 billion and now had to rebrand itself so it has decided to
run a new ad series which piggy banked on Hutch’s dog mascot and the theme
“Change is Good”. This required nearly 250 crores of spending by Vodafone but
they have successfully painted the town red. An interesting part of this campaign
was on the opening day roadblock where they made a deal with Star India so that
besides them no other commercials were aired (apart from in-channel promos) on
the Star India’s channels for 24 hours.
• Vodafone Valentine Day Special Ads: Vodafone had released a simple and sweet
ad for musical greetings targeted at couples during the valentine week the feature
of this campaign is its simplicity and believability and is quite well received. It
uses the positioning “Make the most of now” enjoy the video
• Vodafone Chota Credit Ink Ad: This new ad had come as refreshing change and
more so that this ad takes a very refreshing look at school and at fountain pens.
This ad creates a wonderfully subtle message which really puts the point of chota
(small) credit across.



CONCLUSION:

Vodafone with the help of its correct marketing strategy & quality products & services at
an affordable price is one of the world’s leading telecom companies with the customer
base of over 250 million & the future plans & policies of Vodafone will help the
company to achieve its target of adding 500 million by the end of 2010.



BIBLIOGRAPHY:

SOURCES OF INFORMATION:

INTERNET & NEWSPAPERS

I INTERNET:

WWW.GOOGLE.COM
WWW.VODAFONE.CO.UK
WWW.BUSINESS-STANDARD.COM
WWW.WIKIPEDIA.COM

II NEWSPAPERS:

BUSINESS STANDARD


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