Strategic Brand Management

Brand Audit – Idea Cellular

Contents
History of the Brand..............................................................................................................................2
Rewards and Recognitions....................................................................................................................2
Corporate Image....................................................................................................................................3
Points of Parity......................................................................................................................................3
Points of Differentiation........................................................................................................................3
Brand Portfolio......................................................................................................................................4
Product Attributes.................................................................................................................................5
Brand Elements.....................................................................................................................................5
Brand Name.......................................................................................................................................5
Brand Association..............................................................................................................................6
Brand URL..........................................................................................................................................6
Logos & Symbols................................................................................................................................6
Slogans / Jingles.................................................................................................................................7
Colors.................................................................................................................................................7
Communication.....................................................................................................................................7
Comparison with Competitors:..........................................................................................................8
Role of Celebrity....................................................................................................................................9
Sports....................................................................................................................................................9
Culture...................................................................................................................................................9
Brand Value.........................................................................................................................................10
Customer Based Brand Equity – The CBBE Pyramid............................................................................11
Kapferer Brand Identity Prism.............................................................................................................12
Brand Mantra......................................................................................................................................14
Sources of Brand Equity.......................................................................................................................14
Brand Positioning................................................................................................................................15
Brand Personality................................................................................................................................16
Recommendations...............................................................................................................................16
References...........................................................................................................................................16
History of the Brand
Initially the Birlas, the Tatas and AT&T Wireless each held one-third equity in the company.
But following AT&T Wireless' merger with Cingular Wireless in 2004, Cingular decided to sell
its 32.9% stake in Idea. This stake was bought by both the Tatas and Birlas at 16.45% each.

Tata's foray into the cellular market with its own subsidiary, Tata Indicom, a CDMA-based
mobile provider, cropped differences between the Tatas and the Birlas. The Birlas
approached the Department of Telecom and sought its intervention, and the Tatas agreed
to sell their stake in Idea. The Aditya Birla Group announced its acquisition of the 48.18%
stake held by the Tatas.

Idea is among the top five cellular operators in India with an 11 per cent all India subscribers
market share. More importantly, it ranks third in terms of wireless revenue market share at
12.7 per cent. Idea ranks second with 20.8 percent revenue market share in nine service
areas where it holds 900 MHz spectrum and which derive 48 per cent of the industry’s gross
revenues (Based on gross revenues for UAS and mobile licenses only for December 09
quarter, as released by TRAI).

The market positioning of Idea reflects the strength of its brand considering the fact that
Idea added 14 out of its total 22 service areas in the past four years. Today it is a pan India
player with commercial operations in all 22 service areas. Its subscriber base has grown
multifold from 7.37 million in March 2006 to 63.82 million in March 2010.

IDEA Cellular is a leading GSM mobile services operator in India with over 72 million
subscribers, under brand IDEA. It is a pan India integrated GSM operator covering the entire
telephony landscape of the country, and has NLD and ILD operations.

Idea has been a leader in the introduction of value-added services, and there are several
firsts to its credit, including a voice portal ‘Say Idea,’ Idea TV, Voice Chat, Instant Messenger
and many more. Tariff plans have been customer friendly, catering to the unique needs of
different customer segments, where ‘Women’s Card’ caters to the special needs of the
woman on the move, and ‘Youth Card’ covers the emerging youth segment.

Rewards and Recognitions

IDEA is the winner of 'The Emerging Company of the Year Award' at The Economic Times
Corporate Excellence Awards 2008-09. The company has received several other national and
international recognitions for its path-breaking innovations in mobile telephony products &
services. It won the GSM Association Award for "Best Billing and Customer Care Solution”
for 2 consecutive years. It was awarded "Mobile Operator of the Year Award - India” for
2007 and 2008 at the Annual Asian Mobile News Awards. It was awarded Buzziest Brands in
India 2010 in India by afaqs for the second consecutive year. IDEA Cellular has been
recognized as the 'Most Customer Responsive Company' in the Telecom sector, at the
prestigious Avaya Global Connect Customer Responsiveness Awards 2010.

Corporate Image
IDEA Cellular is an Aditya Birla Group Company, India's first truly multinational corporation.
The group operates in 25 countries, and is anchored by over 1,30,000 employees belonging
to 30 nationalities. The Group has been adjudged the '6th Top Company for Leaders in Asia
Pacific Region' in 2009, in a survey conducted by Hewitt Associates, in partnership with The
RBL Group, and Fortune. The Group has also been rated 'The Best Employer in India and
among the Top 20 in Asia' by the Hewitt-Economic Times and Wall Street Journal Study
2007.

Points of Parity
 Basic voice and data transmission
 GPRS services
 easy recharge facilities by local retailers
 specific company stores to cater to customer query
 customer service helpline
 call management services(Call Divert, Call Barring, Caller Line Identity Restriction
and Call Conferencing)

Points of Differentiation
 Advertisements communicating a social message
 Position in the mind ladder
 easy recharge on the website
 pro active advertising (mobile number portability)
 initiator of competitive prepaid pricing
 innovative VAS like customer friendly tariff plans
 Catering to the unique needs of different customer segments, where ‘Women’s
Card’ caters to the special needs of the woman on the move, and ‘Youth Card’ covers
the emerging youth segment
Brand Portfolio

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The pre paid and post paid plans are complemented by various value added services which
act as a differentiating factor:

 SMS Conferencing “Reply all”

 Idea Multiplayer gaming

 Different GPRS settings for different handsets

 M-chat

 Cricket alerts

 Flash SMS

 Voice SMS

 Idea fresh

 Idea Radio

 Dialer tone search

 Background music

There are exclusive offering for corporate plans as a part of its business offering. There are
exclusive services for its business clients like:

Idea Remote meter Reading

Remote meter reading is an area focused on the automatic reading of meters - the non-
manual collection, storage and utilization of   data from meters for monitoring and
increasing the efficiency of processes.

Vehicle Tracking System

VTS enables businesses to keep track of their fleets of vehicles through a VTS unit installed
in a vehicle. VTS unit has a GPS device (to take the location coordinates), GSM modem
(which is programmed to initiate an outgoing SMS / GPRS session) and a GSM SIM card.

Product Attributes
The various product attributes are:

Voice services, data transmission, network connection, easy recharge, calling and messaging
plans, GPRS, value added services.

The key issues that people face in a telecom service are:

 Network issues
 Billing issues
 Customer care

Idea has tried to resolve the network issue by having a subsidiary for handling its passive
and active infrastructure. For customer care and billing services ‘MY IDEA’ stores have been
opened.

The Company deployed a best-in-class Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, based on a
highly efficient technology architecture deployed by IBM in partnership with CISCO. This IVR
is the world’s largest Cisco CVP deployment in telecom, and the largest deployment in APAC
(Asia Pacific American Coalition). The Company currently manages close to 5 million
customer interactions per day using this IVR.

Brand Elements
Brand Name
The brand name ‘IDEA’ is has meaningful connotations in the English language and the
company has used that well in the brand building process. ‘Idea’ was the preferred
choice as the brand name, since the word is spoken and understood in all major Indian
languages. There advertisements are focused on an idea which helps the society. It
carries a moral message catering to an issue of relevance to all like ‘education for all’,
‘power of democracy’, ‘save paper, save trees’, ‘language barrier’ etc.
Brand Association
Brand Associations are not benefits, but are images and symbols associated with a brand
or a brand benefit. Associations are not “reasons-to-buy” but provide acquaintance and
differentiation that’s not replicable. Idea is associated with a brand that provides value
for its entire customer. This is conveyed through the ad campaigns which are aimed at
spreading a message which will add value to the society, the flexible tariff plans which
are value for money. For eg. The latest ads by Idea on breaking the ‘language barrier’
and uniting India has been executed through 360. Campaign.

Brand URL
The URL is www.ideacellular.com. It is easy to locate as the URL has the name of the
company. The first page has a link to you tube for the customers to have a look at all the
ad campaigns of Idea and a facebook link to connect with Idea. The home page of the
website has a lot of information about:

• How to take a connection

• Easy recharge through the internet
• Latest schemes for the local users in various states
• Upcoming events
• Latest contests being organized by the firm
• Investor relations report
• VAS provided
• Corporate plans
• Business offering
• Customer care

The website is a comprehensive medium used by the company to display the various
services it offers to its customers.

Logos & Symbols

To enhance the visual appeal and to promote a generic association of ‘Idea’ with the
company name ‘IDEA Cellular’, and to depict the category of telephony services, the
brand’s visual identity is set against the backdrop of the universally recognized SIM chip.
The inverted ‘I’ (!) is an attention-grabber, a visual representation signifying innovation.
Slogans / Jingles
‘An idea can change your life”, “what an idea sirjee” have a strong association with the
customers. The brand name Idea has been well incorporated in the slogans to
communicate the change which Idea can bring to the lives of its users. The jingle has also
been constant for long time and has become familiar with the people.

Colors
Idea uses yellow black and blue as it colors. The yellow color of the logo, considered to
be friendly and warm, is used to motivate and stimulate creative and intellectual energy.
The colors used by Idea are also very different from what its competitors use. With Airtel
and Vodafone using red and white, TATA Docomo being multi colored and TATA Indicom
and reliance using blue, Idea in its striking yellow background successfully breaks
through the clutter.

Communication
The telecom category in India is characterized by a plethora of similar drivers such as
tariff, network, and customer service expectation. Therefore, the challenge for IDEA
Cellular was to break out of the commoditized environment and resonate with a diverse
target audience. Thus, the communication was designed to appeal to the masses and
classes to create preference for the brand ‘Idea’.

The Brand Strategy is to elevate an Idea above the transactional plane by communicating
the philosophy of the power of an idea and fixing it to an essential brand promise and
adding good consumer experience with it. Each campaign from IDEA reinforces the core
philosophy of the brand – “An idea can change your life”.

The effort has been, and is, to establish IDEA as a ‘Champion, Elevating and Humane’
brand. The brand communication resonates with what is happening in the society today,
and hence there is a reflection of socially relevant topics in the campaigns like education,
caste, elections, health etc. The key thought in all the campaigns is to offer simple
solutions to complex and big problems through the power of mobile telephony in a way
that’s fresh, imaginative and elevating.

1. Idea’s campaign of “World sans Division” (caste war) was the first step in this
direction. It has successfully provided stature and differentiation to the brand by
moving it beyond a transactional plane. The message in this advertisement
highlighted the way to address the highly prevalent caste barriers that exist in the
Indian society.

2. The second campaign “Education for All” demonstrated that through mobile
telephony it is possible to rid India of high level of illiteracy. The ad depicts a solution
to address the education disparities across urban and rural India.
 The “For the people, by the people” campaign highlighted the idea of ‘Participative
Management’ for Governance where two-way communication is encouraged
between government and public.

3. The next campaign was based on the theme of “Walk when you Talk” and offers a
simple and effective solution for a critical subject such as Health & Fitness – the fact
that one can stay fit by walking while talking on mobile phone.

4. Talk for India campaign on 26/11 was a campaign to encourage Indians to raise their
voices against the terror attacks in Mumbai. It showed a concerned Abshishek
Bachchan raising his concern for the people who lost their lives in saving the
innocent. The campaign reiterated the brands stand for the welfare and justice of the
society.

5. Oongli Cricket was started during the IPL season 2010. The customers were asked to
send their predictions about various questions in the ads. The campaign was aimed at
capturing the mind of cricket loving Indians.

6. The environment issue highlighted by the company ‘Save paper, Save trees’
highlighted how mobile phones could be used instead of paper. Use of mobile phones
as a mode of payment, newspaper, taking orders in hotels was common usage of
paper which could be easily substituted by mobile phones.

7. The latest campaign on breaking the ‘Language Barrier’ is aimed at uniting India by
overcoming the restrictions in communication due to regional languages. This has
been executed as a 360 campaign. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Idea Language
Helpline is being promoted through Railway's inquiry no. 139 across all regions. The
passengers are being informed about Idea Language Helpline for conversational
support service in local language that they can avail when they reach their new
destination. As part of this program, the Idea Language Helpline is being promoted
across Indian Railways network for a week. Idea Language Helpline jingle will play on
139, creating a brand connect with millions of callers who call on this number .

8. Idea has been pro-active in its marketing initiatives by starting a drive to educate the
users about ‘mobile number portability’ which is to be implemented in India soon.
The ads highlight the various problems users face with other telecom operators like
poor customer care, poor network coverage, wrong billing statements and encourage
them to get Idea.
Innovative Mediums of Communication:
Idea has continued its innovation in the ad campaign themes to the mediums of
communication. Apart from the conventional television and print ad , the company
launched a laser light show with the Idea branding. The brand ambassador, Abhishek
Bachchan, was projected on the multi-storeyed Air India building in Mumbai. Bright yellow
lights (the brand colour) and images were projected on the building while multiple laser
beams from the roof lit up the night sky and even danced on clouds passing by. Idea
Cellular also utilised trains, railway stations, cabs, 500 buses and conventional OOH media
such as hoardings for the launch campaign in Mumbai. 

Comparison with Competitors:

The communication campaigns of other telecom operators have focused on the benefits
that mobile telephony. Airtel’s campaign has been focused on the brand idea of
connecting people. It showcases the various tariff plans available. Vodafone came up
with an innovative idea of ‘ZooZoo’ which added a humorous touch to the campaign.
Aircel focuses on the value added services and applications that it offers to the
customers. MTS highlights the low cost call charge rates of ½ paisa per second and the
voice clarity( no call drops). Reliance has always emphasized on the value for money it
provides to its users with low call charges and its universal presence. Tata docomo has
also been pro-active by being the first player to launch its 3 G services.

Brand Exploratory
Role of Celebrity

IDEA Brand Ambassador, Abhishek Bachchan, symbolizes the value of Brand Idea, which
has attained pan-India appeal. South Indian film actors Shriya Saran and Siddharth are also
associated as brand ambassadors to enhance IDEA’s regional appeal across many telecom
service areas in India .

While the Brand Ambassador, in his various Avatars has been successful in demonstrating
the power of an ‘Idea’ by looking at mobile telephony and its benefits in a fresh,
imaginative, and elevating way, it is the character which he plays that remains indented in
the minds of the people, not the celebrity. The ‘sirjii’ tag give to him in the ad campaign
has become synonyms with him in real life.

Sports
Idea had its own way of welcoming the visitors of the ‘Common Wealth Games’ in Delhi.
IDEA Cellular had introduced a bouquet of special mobile communication services to cater
to their information and communication needs. Idea provided unique utility service to get
 instant information on Games, places of tourist attraction, restaurants, hotels, hospitals,
events, and transportation facilities in and around the city, besides affordable ISD tariffs
especially to the Commonwealth countries, to its subscribers and the visiting tourists in the
city.

Idea's new initiatives - City Life, Inroamer infoline and special ISD Tariff vouchers - were
designed to assist travelers and other Idea subscribers with their queries pertaining to city
specific information, downloads, economical international calling etc. Through this
initiative they not only promoted heir brand with the Common Wealth Games but also
showcased the customer centricity. Idea captures the craze of the nation by sponsoring
the IPL team ‘Deccan Chargers’.

Culture
With the objective of strengthening the brand, they work with strategic communication
partners on campaigns like sponsorship of the Idea International Indian Film Academy
awards and the television programs “Idea Rocks India”, “Idea Star Singer” and “Idea
Andhra Idol”. They seek engagement with subscribers on a variety of levels, from major
celebrity fashion shows to small local events timed to coincide with new product offerings.

Idea introduces various schemes in local circles according to the festivities in that area. For
example Idea has a special Navratri Pack to make the festival more colourful in Gujarat.
Idea also aims at rewarding loyal subscribers in the festive season. Idea's 'Call and Fly' offer
is aimed at rewarding subscribers who make ISD calls by giving them an chance to win
exciting prizes including a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fly on an international sector.
This initiative is based in Kerala during the Onam festival, the initiative is a result of Idea's
customer centric approach which has led to the company's strong growth and
performance in the state of Kerala, making us the leading mobile operator with over 60
lakh subscribers.

The latest contest ‘Whats’s in an idea?’ is aimed at promoting logical thinking in students.
They have organized this in various schools across India, reiterating the brand value.

Brand Value
Each campaign from IDEA reinforces the core philosophy of the brand – “An idea can change
your life”. The effort has been to establish IDEA as a ‘Champion, Elevating and Humane’
brand.

Innovate. Stimulate. Liberate....

It is these brand values, which have made Idea a formidable player in the telecom industry.
Innovations that stimulate the customer and liberate him from the shackles of time and
space are the core of Idea as a brand. This is what they strive for.
The brand believes in:

 Integrity is defined as: Acting and taking decisions in a manner that is fair, honest,
following the highest standards of professionalism and also perceived to be so.
Integrity for us means not only financial and intellectual integrity, but in all other
forms as are commonly understood.
 Commitment is defined as: On the foundation of integrity, doing whatever it takes to
deliver value to all stakeholders. In the process, taking ownership of our actions and
decisions, those of our team and that part of the organization that we are
responsible for.
 Passion is defined as: A missionary zeal arising out of emotional engagement with
the organization that makes work joyful and inspires each one to give his or her
best. Relentless pursuit of goals and objectives with the highest level of energy and
enthusiasm, that is voluntary and spontaneous.
 Seamlessness is defined as: Thinking and working together across functional silos,
hierarchies, business and geographies. Leveraging the available diversity to garner
synergy benefits and promote openness through sharing and collaborative efforts.
 Speed is defined as: Responding to internal and external customers with a sense of
urgency. Continuously seeking to crash timelines and choosing the right rhythm to
optimize organization efficiencies.

Customer Based Brand Equity – The CBBE Pyramid

Brand equity refers to the value associated with a brand name and is contributed by
several factors. Building a strong brand, according to CBBE model can be thought of in
terms of a sequence of steps in which each step is contingent upon the successful
completion of the previous step. All these steps involve accomplishing certain
objectives with the customer, both existing and potential. These steps for the Idea
brand are described as under:
1. The first step is to ensure identification of the brand with customers and an association
of the brand in customers’ mind with a specific product class or customer need. This
step answers the question – “Who are you?” and establishes the brand identity.

IDEA Cellular Limited is a leading GSM mobile services operator in India. It comes
from the stable of the Aditya Birla Group of companies.

2. The second step is to firmly establish the brand meaning in the minds of the customers
by strategically linking a host of tangible and intangible brand associations. This answers
the question – “What are you?”

The brand idea has created a very strong imagery by associating itself to the yellow
colour, the idea logo, the signature tune, the caption – “An IDEA can change your
life,” the value for money concept as well as the ambassador – Abhishek Bachchan.
The brand values of innovate, stimulate and liberate are beautifully brought ahead
by the campaigns.

The brand has consistently offered affordable and world-class services to its users. It
stands good on the aspects of availability, reliability, innovative schemes and
customer care services.

3. The third step is to elicit proper customer brand responses to this brand identity and
brand meaning. This answers the questions – “What about you? What do I think or feel
about you?”

The brand has created enough favourable judgements and feelings for itself through
its much talked about campaigns – “Switch to Idea,” “Break the language barrier,”
“Idea jagoran :Kaho what’s your Idea” etc. The ads are innovative, funny, exciting
and effective in putting forth a social message, to which everyone can relate to. By
tying itself to a social message, the brand had generated respect, credibility and
superiority for itself. This is further boosted by the several CSR initiatives undertaken
like the Pocket PCO project for rural India, Idea Telecom Center for excellence at IIM
Ahmedabad, FICCI-Aditya Birla Center for Excellence etc

4. The final step is to convert this brand response to create an intense, active-loyalty
between customers and the brand. This step answers the question – “What about you
and me? What kind of connection would I like to have with you?”

Engagement with subscribers is seeked at various levels, from major celebrity

fashion shows to small local events timed to coincide with new product offerings.
 Campaigns like “Idea Rocks India,” “Idea Star Singer,” “Idea Andhra Idol” etc help in
the same. Again its social inclination in its communications and CSR activities for
education and rural development have helped generate community attachment for
it.

Kapferer Brand Identity Prism

Brand identity is a unique set of brand associations

that the brand strategists aspire to create or
maintain. They represent what the brand stands for
and imply a promise to the consumer.

Kapferer has developed a brand identity prism where he

distinguishes a sender and recipient side and an
externalisation and internalisation side. The six identity
facets express the tangible and intangible characteristics
of the brand and give it a unique authority and legitimacy
of values and benefits. These six facets of the identity
prism for the Idea brand can be described as:

1. Physique

This represents an exterior tangible facet communicating physical specificities, colour,

form and brand qualities. Physique is the starting point of branding and therefore it
forms the brand’s backbone. Idea is basically a service company, however its physique
may be associated with the yellow colour sim card and recharge coupons.

2. Personality

It is an internal intangible facet which forms the character, soul and brand personality
which are relevant for brands. Idea as a brand is perceived as socially responsible,
reliable and trustworthy brand and the one that offers cheaper and good promotional
offers.

3. Culture

It is an internal intangible facet to integrate the brand into the organization which is
essential in differentiating brands. The parent group’s – Aditya Birla’s performance ethic
pegged on value creation for multiple stakeholders is well ingrained into the brand Idea.
Values of Innovation, stimulation and liberation are brought forth through innovations
 like tariff offerings that stimulate the consumers and liberate them from the shackles of
time and space like language barrier etc.

4. Relationship

It is an exterior facet with tangible and intangible areas, and defines the behaviour that
indentifies the brand - the way the brand connects to its customers. The main
communication medium for the Idea brand is television, where it seeks strategic Idea
brand coverage in various formats. Billboards and hoardings are used as a secondary
medium, customized for specific regional preferences to communicate effectively at the
local level. It also uses other mass communication media such as the press and radio to
communicate price plans and other tactical and customer information. Apart from all
this Idea connects to the consumer through its various CSR initiatives.

5. Reflection

This is an external intangible facet reflecting the customer as he or she wishes to be seen
as a result of using a brand. An Idea consumer may reflect a smart person who achieves
value for all he pays.

6. Self-image

This as an external intangible facet reflecting the customer’s attitude towards the brand.
These inner thoughts connect personal inner relationship with the brand. Customers
trust Idea and find it reliable in terms of its offerings. They find it reasonable in terms of
value for money. They respect the brand out of the social associations that the brand
has created.

Brand Mantra

A brand mantra is an articulation of the heart and soul of the brand. Their purpose is to
ensure that all employees within the organization and all external marketing partners
understand what the brand most fundamentally is to represent with consumers so that
they can adjust their actions accordingly.

A good mantra for the brand Idea would be “Let’s bring a change, with a new idea.” This
mantra highlights the fact that the company strives to bring some positive change into
the society and you need not think before adopting the new idea for it is so reasonable.
Sources of Brand Equity
Brand equity is the extra value that a brand name offers to a brand in the marketplace.
There are several sources of brand equity for any brand; however we have considered the
following for the brand Idea:

1. Availability:

Idea is available pan India and has a customer base of

72 million subscribers. It operates its 2G services in all
22 circles in India and has won 3G licenses for 11 circles.
It is available with almost every neighbourhood retailer
in addition to the various exclusive Idea stores.

2. Preference

The target segment for Idea is people who seek value

for money. Such people show a high preference for the
brand.

3. Loyalty

The consumers of Idea are loyal and are mainly tied to the brand through the various
innovative schemes and offers that match their needs and keep the total cost of ownership
low.

4. Awareness and familiarity

Idea as a brand is very old. It is a part of the very old and strong Aditya Birla Group. It exists
in almost all parts of the country since decades now and thus is known to everyone. It
henceforth scores very high on awareness and familiarity.

5. Image and personality

Idea maintains a reliable, trust worthy figure of a socially responsible citizen. This is exactly
perceived the same way by the consumers. According to the brand track index study
conducted by TNS every month, Idea as a brand is perceived as “reliable/trustworthy” and
one that “offers cheaper and good promotional offers”.

6. Associations

The brand has very strong associations with the yellow colour, the idea logo, the signature
tune, the slogan – “An IDEA can change your life,” the value for money concept as well as
the ambassador – Abhishek Bachchan. The brand values of innovate, stimulate and liberate
are beautifully brought ahead by the campaigns and thus stay in consumers’ minds who
connect them with the brand.

Market research
Market research was carried out to understand the perception people have about Idea and
also to determine whether Brand Idea has been successful in creating the desired image and
personality of not. Mall Intercept Survey as well as Online Survey was done to get a wide
range of respondents. The target group for both the survey were tier 1 city, Delhi – NCR
region and the sample size considered for this research is 57 respondents. Malls visited for
the mall intercept survey were The Great India Place Mall and Spice Mall in Noida. A total of
51 users and 6 retailers were approached and out of these 12 were Ideas users.

Brand Recognition:-

Top of Mind Recall

100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Idea Airtel Vodafone

Top of mind recall is considered if the brand features in first three brands
mentioned by the respondent for the mobile operator category.

Idea has the second highest top of mind recall with 70% users mentioning it
among the first three brands recalled by respondents.
Clue Recognition

Clue Recognition
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Sirjee SRK Zoo Zoo Hrithik Deepika

Clue recognition was also used to find out if respondents can recognize the
brand with the help of clues which act as a stimulus.

Both Idea and Airtel were recognized correctly by 91% respondents using their
respective clues Sirjee and Shahrukh Khan.

Logo Recognition

Respondents were also asked to identify logos of different telecom operators. Idea came
second only to Airtel and was recognized by 90% of the respondents. Airtel was the as its
new logo was identified by 100% respondents.
Brand Personality:-
What Idea means to people

What Idea means to people

Abhishek
Bachchan
What an Idea Sir
Jee
Advertisements
Service Issues
Social Issues

Respondents were asked what came to their mind when the thought of Idea.

Advertisements and Abhishek Bachchan were the most common replies comprising
of 60% responses put together.

Perception about Idea Users

Perception about Idea Users

45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
College Students Villagers Price Conscious People

Respondents were asked who in their mind was a typical Idea User

The common perception among respondents had been that Idea is used my college
students or price conscious people, comprising of over 70% responses.
Personality Type

If Idea were a person...

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
Abhishek Bachchan Innovative Bold Common Man Witty

Respondents were asked to imagine Idea as a person.

Idea had the personality of a ‘common man’ is what more than 30% respondents said.
Other personality types mentioned were Innovative which was said by close to 20%
respondents

A Film that can be associated with Idea

Film that resembles Brand Idea

Creative Film
Comedy Film
Village Based

Respondents were also asked to associate a film with Brand Idea

All the responses could be clubbed into three broad categories of Creative, Comedy
and Village based films. The common films mentioned were 3 Idiots, Andaaz Apna
Apna and Peepli Live
Brand Communication:-

Most admired feature about Idea

What is most admired about Idea

Advertisements
Social Message
Schemes

When respondents were asked one thing that they admired most about Idea, it got an
almost unanimous reply with 85% of respondents saying that the Idea ads and social
messages in these ads were what they admired.

Favourite Campaign

Favorite Campaign
60%
40%
20%
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On asking the respondents to choose their favorite campaign across brands, over 60%
respondents chose Idea’s save paper and language barrier campaigns as their
personal favorite
Conclusion
Idea started in 2004 and in the past six years it has built a great brand, a brand that has the
ability to become the biggest brand in India. Communication is clearly Idea’s strong point.
Lowe Lintas have done a great job with each of the TVC campaigns and they are hugely
popular with Idea users and non users alike. Even out of home campaigns like the Mumbai
& Surat launches were first of its kinds in India.

However, branding doesn’t only mean communication, and a brand also has to look at the
quality of product and services offered. This is where we feel that Idea lets the ball slip. The
image that is created by the TVC is not maintained by the products and services and that is
why Idea is losing out on the branding race to Airtel and Vodafone because both these
brands have great communication coupled with quality products and services.

Recommendations

1) There is a wide disconnect in the perception of people about Idea. The urban consumers
think it has poor network whereas in rural areas it is primarily used for good network
coverage. This gap needs to be bridged. The company should promote advertisements
which build a singular pan India perception of Idea.

2) The main competitors of Idea i.e. Airtel and Vodafone are very global companies which
have global appeal. Idea is viewed as a Desi Indian company. The company needs to
revamp its image by polishing its brand. As Indian per capita income would grow in the
coming years, people would more and more prefer brands that have a global presence.
Idea needs to keep that in mind.

3) Idea users are perceived to be value conscious users. They are mostly students. Idea

needs to break this image by focusing a little more on HNI's. Most of their schemes are
aimed at students. This alienates them from the wealthy people.

4) The idea brand is too much dependent upon Abhishek Bachchan as its sole ambassador.
It should not be that in future Idea is unable to change its celebrity. It may occur that
Idea brand recall will bring back Abhishek in the consumer's minds. It should look
towards other celebrities too.
References
1) http://www.afaqs.com/news/story.html?
sid=21971_Idea+Cellular+uses+a+'bright+beaming'+idea
2) http://www.afaqs.com/news/story.html?
sid=23360_Buzziest+Brands+of+the+Year+2009:+Airtel+retains+the+No.1+rank;
+Facebook++Google+in+Top+3
3) http://www.afaqs.com/news/story.html?
sid=26294_Buzziest+Brands+of+the+Year+2010:+Facebook+is+the+buzziest+brand;
+Vodafone++Twitter+follow
4) http://faculty.insead.edu/chandon/personal_page/documents/case-note_brand
%20audit-inspection%20copy.pdf
5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idea_Cellular
6) http://www.ideacellular.com/IDEA.portal?
_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=IDEA_Page_AboutIdea&displayParam=brandInformation