A

PROJECT REPORT
ON
Comparative analysis of Marketing Strategies of
Vodafone & Airtel

UNDER GUIDANCE
Prof. Bharat Bhushan
(Submitted in fulfillment of the requirement for the degree)
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

(Marketing)
2008-2010

SUBMITTED BY
Raman Kumar
MBA- 4th SEM.
Roll No.-80907317092

DR. IT BUSINESS SCHOOL

BANUR

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I Raman Kumar sincerely thankful to all those people who have

been giving me any kind of assistance in the making of this project
report.

I express my gratitude to Mr . Bhart Bhushan, w ho has through his vast

experience and knowledge has been able to guide me, both ably
and successfully towards the completion of the project..

I would hereby, make most of the opportunity by expressing my sincerest

thanks to all my faculties w hose teachings gave me conceptual
understanding and clarity of comprehension, which ultimately made
my job more easy. Cr edit also goes to all my friends whose
encouragement kept me in good stead. Their continuous support has
given me the strength and confidence to complete the project without any
difficulty .

Las t of all but not the least I would like to acknowledge my

gratitude to the respondents without whom this survey would have been
incomplete.

I am also thankful to authority of Airtel & Vodafone for providing me the

information.

(Raman kumar)

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 DECLARATION

I Raman Kumar, student of Dr. I.T.Businees school Banur hereby

solemnly and affirmly declare that the project of comparative study
between Airtel and Vodafone has been prepared by me. The findings and

analysis made in the project is exclusively the extensive study made in

the form of data collected and its systematic analysis to make the project
a comprehensive one. The data is not copied and will only be used for
academic purpose.

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 PREFACE

Education becomes more meaningful when its theoretical

aspects are combined with practical experience. These provide an

opportunity to the students to improve their understanding of the studies.

M.B.A. (Marketing) is a course, which combines both its theory

and application as its content of study in the field of Marketing and

commerce as a part of this course

This project is the result of my major project based on

strategies used by two company. Major project is an integral part of

Master of Business Administrator (MBA) course & it aims at providing a

first hand experience of the industry to the students. This practical

experience helps the students to view the real business world closely

which in turn widely influences their conceptions & perceptions.

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 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that this project report titled

”Comparison Between Airtel & Vodafone Based on their Strategic

Performs.”
being submitted by Raman Kumar to Dr. IT Business School in

partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Business Administrator

(MBA) is a bonafide piece of work on major project report by him under

my guidance & supervision. This report has not been submitted to any

other unit or institution for a degree and diploma. The assistant & help

received by the candidate during the course of investigation have been

acknowledging.

Mr. Bhart Bhushan

Lecturer

Dr. IT Business School

Banur

Dated………………

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CONTENT
PAGE

1.NEED OF STUDY……………………………………………………7

2. OBJECTIVE OF STUDY ……………………………………….......8

3. A BRIEF HISTORY OF TELE SECTOR IN INDIA ………………. 9

4. INTRODUCTION OF TOPIC ………………………………………19

5. SWOT ANALIYSIS ………………………………………………..34

6. COMPARISON OF MARKETING STRATEGIES BETWEEN

AIRTEL & VODAFONE…..................................................................... 38

7. REASEARCH METHODOLOGY ………………………………......43

8. LIMITATION …………………………………………………........46

9. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPERTATION ……………………48

10. CUSTEMOR RESPONSE TOWARDS QUESTIONNAIRE…........55

11. CONCLUSION ……………………………………………………60

12. SUGGESTION ………………………………………………… …61

13. BIBLOGRAPHY ………………………………………………….62

14. QUESTIONNAIRE ……………………………………………….63

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 NEED OF THE STUDY
1.To identify the difference between market performance of Airtel
industry and Vodafone.

2. To study the market of Airtel Industry and Vodafone on

big scale telecommunication sector

3. To compare various parameters of marketing strategies,

manufacturing process, technology
adopted production policy, advertising collaboration, export scenario,
future prospect for the two companies and government policies.

4.To study the level of customer satisfaction in Airtel & Vodafone.

5.To study customer buying behavior and factors which influence the
purchase decision process.

6. To study consumer preferences

7. To study the consumer trend in telecommunication sector

8. To study competitive marketing strategies adopted by Airtel and

Vodafone

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 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

Every organization has to achieve its organization goals. For this

it is very essential for an organization to know about the view of
consumers and their competitive products. This survey research may be
also aimed as to estimate potential buyer for the product. The objective
of the study is as under:-

1. To identify the difference between market performance of Airtel

industry and Vodafone.

2. To study the market of Airtel Industry and Vodafone on big scale

telecommunication sector.

3. To compare various parameters of marketing strategies,

manufacturing process technology adopted production policy,
advertising, collaboration, export scenario, future prospect f or the tw o
companies and government policies.

4. To study customer buying behavior and factors which

influence the purchase decision process.

5. To know how the company has been successful in encountering the

aggressive marketing strategies of competitors.

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 A brief history of Tele sector in India
In the early 1990s, the Indian government adopted a new economic policy
aimed at improving India’s competitiveness in the global markets and the
rapid growth of exports. Key to achieving these goals was a world-class
telecom infrastructure.

In India, the telecom service areas are divided into four metros (New
Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata) and 20 circles, which roughly
correspond to the states in India. The circles are further classified under
"A," "B" and "C," with the "A" circle being the most attractive and "C"
being the least attractive. The regulatory body at that time — the
Department of Telecommunications (DOT) — allocated two cellular
licenses for each metro and circle. Thirty-four licenses for GSM900
cellular services were auctioned to 22 firms in 1995. The first cellular
service was provided by, Modi Telstra in Kolkata in August 1995. For the
auction, it was stipulated that no firm can win in more than one metro,
three circles or both. The circles of Jammu and Kashmir and Andaman
and Nicobar had no bidders, while West Bengal and Assam had only one
bidder each.

In 1996, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) bill was

introduced in the Lok Sabha and the president officially announced the
TRAI ordinance on 25 January 1997. The government decided to set up
TRAI to separate regulatory functions from policy formulation, licensing
and telecom operations. Prior to the creation of TRAI, these functions
were the sole responsibility of the DOT.
High license fees and excessive bids for the cellular licenses put
tremendous financial burden on the operators, diverting funds away from
network development and enhancements. As a result, by1999 many
operators failed to pay their license fees and were in danger of having
their licenses withdrawn. In March 1999, a new telecom policy was put in
place (New Telecom Policy [NTP] 1999). Under this new policy, the old
fixed- licensing regime was to be replaced by a revenue- sharing scheme
whereby between 8-12 percent of cellular revenue were to be
paid to the government.

INDIAN CELLULAR MARKET - EARLIER ROADBLOCKS

AND THEIR RESOLUTION

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Indian Cellular market immediately after the first round of licensing
in 1994-96 was beset by several problems for 3 - 4 years till the New
Telecom Policy1999 was announced. Some of these roadblocks / current
position is tabulated below:

ROADBLOCKS

CURRENT POSITION

High license fees

Migration to revenue sharing mode in 1999 mitigates high initial fund

requirements for payment of license fees.

Inadequately funded businesses / weak and fragmented promoters.

Businesses that have since been adequately funded growing at

over 60% per annum, while businesses with weak promoters
continuing to languish - spate of acquisitions / mergers, with 4/5 major
groups emerging in the last one/two years.

Regulatory authority not in place

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) firmly in place, and its

role being accepted by all operators; Deptt of Telecommunications
(DOT) restructured, with operations and policy making roles vested in
different bodies.
Issues relating to unfavorable interconnect terms for private operators,
pass through income, intra circle long distance, spectrum availability and
allocation and the like remained unresolved for long periods.
Interconnect terms since rationalized, risks on pass through
income to DOT / BHARTI Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Ltd.)
resolved to the satisfaction of all parties with changes in
methodology / revenue sharing, intra circle long distance allowed,
spectrum availability cleared with vacation of frequencies for usage by
GSM operators.

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Problems in Financial closures due to:
Licensing tenure of 10 years

Large upfront cash requirements from promoters due to heavy license fee
burden in initial stages of deployment Asset based financing approach by
Indian Financial Institutions.

Licensing tenure increased from 10 to 20 years

Large upfront cash requirements for license fee payments mitigated

with migration to sharing mode allowing promoters to deploy more
capital for capital expenditure; project financing being considered by
most financial institutions.

Foreign ownership / change of partner limitations

ownership norms clarified, and change of partners allowed as a matter of

routine allowin ease of entry / exit - paves the way for full control of
businesses by foreign companies.

Inadequate growth of market / subscribers

Roadblocks spelt out earlier resulted in low market / subscriber

growth, but with corrective measures taken, market / subscriber base
expected to zoom.

2.2 DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CELLULAR INDUSTRY

The interconnection regime between cellular operators and fixed-line

operators is still biased against the former. Despite the recent gains of
the cellular industry, not everything is rosy. The cellular penetration rate
is still very low at 0.8 percent in a nation of over one billion people.

In recent years, many foreign companies had pulled out from their cellular
joint ventures in India due to the difficult operating environment and
bureaucracy. In 1999 alone, Swisscom pulled out from Sterling Cellular,
Telstra from Modi Telstra and both the Telecom Organization of Thailand
and Jasmine International from JT Mobile. In 2000, Telecom Malaysia
sold its stake in Usha Martin Telecom, and both Shinawatra of Thailand

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and Bezeq exited from Fascel. In June 2001 British Telecom exited
from Bharti Cellular. Bell South International has also indicated
its intention to pull out from Skycell Communications, and Hong Kong-
based Distacom is seeking to sell its stake in Spice
Communications. First Pacific's (based in Hong Kong) continued
commitment to Escotel is uncertain, and the former is reviewing various
options.

The string of sell-outs notwithstanding, there has been a merger and

acquisition wave sweeping across the Indian cellular industry in recent
years. Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa, via Hutchison
Telecommunications (HK), acquired major stakes in Sterling
Cellular (December1999), Usha Martin Telecom (mid-2000) and
Fascel (September 2000). Through a partnership with local company,
Kotak Mahindra Finance, Hutchison Whampoa practically controls
Fascel and Usha Martin Telecom, thus circumventing the 49 percent limit
on foreign ownership in Indian cellular operators. Hutchison Whampoa
is also the controlling shareholder of Hutchison Max Telecom. Not to
be outdone, Bharti Enterprises — another major cellular player —
acquired Telecom. Not to be outdone, Bharti Enterprises — another
major cellular player — acquired.

Communications renamed Bharti Mobinet (August 2000). Bharti also

acquired the Punjab license of Essar and started operations, giving
competition to the lone operator there, Spice Communications.
Going forward, Bharti is likely to merge all its cellular companies
into one entity.

Five companies together bid Rs16.3 billion to bag the licenses for the
fourth operator slots in four metros and 13 circles. Bharti emerged as the
No. 1 bidder with eight new licenses, followed by Escotel with four,
Hutchison with three, and Vodafone and Idea cellular with one each.
Bharti and Hutchison have already commenced operations in all the
circles while Idea is set to launch in Delhi. Escotel and Vodafone have
not made any headway
BHARTI, the third cellular operator for Delhi and Mumbai, started
services in March 2001. BSNL as the third nationwide cellular operator,
launched services in Kolkatta and Bihar in January 2002. This was
followed by Tamil Nadu in July 2002. A nationwide launch was
scheduled for 2 October2002. However, this has been postponed until
after mid October. Once BSNL rolls out its service, most telecom circles
will have four cellular operators. There will be tremendous
competitive pressure, which will result in lower tariffs. Future rate cuts are

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expected, which will drive demand together with falling handset prices
and the introduction of prepaid services.
In the midst of declining interest in technology stocks, Bharti came out
with its long-awaited initial public offering (IPO) in January 2002.
Leveraging on the success of its cellular service, the company got a
very good response from the primary market. The total size of the IPO
was 185 million shares at a floor price of R s10. The issue was
oversubscribed by more than 2.5 timesnetting Rs8.3 billion. This will be
used to fuel its investment in long-distance, basic and cellular services.

As of October 2002, only BPL Mobile has launched commercial

general packet radio service(GPRS) in Mumbai. However, large-scale
uptake remains elusive. While both Bharti and Idea have GPRS-enabled
networks, there is caution on their part to launch the service. With hardly
any applications, the success of GPRS remains a question.

In 2005 Hutchison Essar an Indian and hongkong telecommunication

alliance was taken over by the United Kingdom based telecommunication
company name Vodafone telecomm services and comes with the name of
Vodafone essar.

Virgin mobile comes in Indian Territory with the alliance of TATA

telecommunication Maharashtra in 2008.

Mitsubishi a Japanese telecomm services (MTS) company comes in India

in 2009 and take over

Building visibility and awareness

Deviating from competing on the price platform, cellular operators are

actively promoting their brand and service portfolio through high-
visibility advertising and promotional campaigns. Cellular operators
like Bharti, Orange and BPL Mobile have been advertising
aggressively on hoardings and kiosks. Public transport like the city rail
system and cabs are used widely to carry the message of mobility.

Customer-focused activities are gaining traction among cellular operators

with the establishment of longstanding consumer benefit programs.
Orange in Mumbai offers "Orange Holidays" and"Orange Monsoon
Offers" at very attractive rates and added benefits like discounts on
airfare, food and beverages, among others. Others offer special privileges
in retail outlets, cinemas and music shops.

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Enterprise mobile applications — promising revenue stream
All along, customer acquisition and the top line have been the
focus. Few operators have concentrated on offering differentiated
services for businesses. However, as operators realize that offering basic
voice and Short Message Service (SMS) will get them the numbers but
not the margins, some are now seriously looking at the enterprise
segment for provisioning superior services.
Cost-centered solutions like closed user group (CUG), value-adds
like unified messaging and instant alerts are being offered.

A variety of mobile applications are finding takers among the enterprise

segment. Bharti is in the process of introducing a facility to fleet
management companies so that they can improve the efficiency of
trucks or buses by tracking movement and ensuring higher-use,
accurate route planning. Premium automakers are also installing a
global system for mobile communications inside a vehicle to help trace
lost vehicles and track down stolen cars.

Corporations can choose enhanced services like user-defined call routing

to prevent misuse. Calls can be barred, limiting access to select
numbers and diverting calls to one single number. Broadcasting
services are also quite popular, especially among fast food centers that
have a central number. Group SMS is quite popular, especially among
enterprises both in the service as well as number. Group SMS is quite
popular, especially among enterprises both in the service as well as
number. Group SMS is quite popular, especially among enterprises both
in the service as well as the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG)
segment that have a large field force and need to provide regular
updates on inventory status, discount schemes and movement of
goods from warehouse to the retail outlet. Banks too find bulk
SMS service very useful to forward transactional alerts to their
customers.

2.3 FUTURE TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENT

• There will be more competition, forcing operators to

constantly focus on differentiations to maintain their lead.

• The implementation of enhanced networks like 2.5G will enable

operators to offer data services. This is an opportunity to

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 customize and differentiate better.

• The entry of state-run operators like BSNL and BHARTI means

that prices will no longer be controlled, thus there is less chance of
a cartel being formed.

• Network coverage in terms of geographic spread and

quality of coverage is crucial especially for the business
subscriberThe bigger the service provider's national presence, the
better it is for businesses. On the roaming front, signing up with a
national operator is advantageou

• Limited mobility wireless in local-loop services (by fixed network

service providers) will be a disadvantage for cellular operators in
the short term. Consequently, operators need to streamline their
customer relation activities and adopt aggressive subscriber
acquisition and retention strategies

2.4 REGULATORY ISSUES

The operations of this sector are determined as under the Indian

Telegraph Act of 1885. A document buried in the sands of time. The
next major policy document, which was produced, was National Telecom
Policy of 1994, a consequence of the on going process of liberalization.

Year Event

1851 First telephones in India

1943 Nationalization of telephone companies

1985 DOT was created

1986 Creation of BHARTI and VSNL

1991 Telecom equipment liberalized

1994 Licenses for paging

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1994 Telecom policy announced

September 1994 Guidelines for private sector participation in basic

services

November 1994 Cellular licenses issued for metros

December 1994 Tenders for cellular licenses in 19 cities apart from 4

metros

January 1995 Tenders for 2nd operator in basic services apart from
DOT on circle basis

August 1995 VSNL launches Internet services

January 1996 TRAI formed

November 1998 Internet policy announced

The National Telecom Policy of 1994 document, which laid out broad
policy guidelines rather than a series of action points. Like other policies,
it sought to achieve the impossible in finite time like improve quality of
service and its availability, wide coverage (a phone in every village), at
reasonable rates, etc. The targets in quantifiable terms were installation of
9.5mn additional lines, telephone on demand by 1997, and a PCO pop of
500. The Eighth Plan had also allowed private operators in value added
services. To facilitate licensing, the nation was divided into 20
circles(akin to a state) for basic and 21 circles for cellular telephony.
Mumbai falls in Maharashtra circle and Delhi in itself a circle.

The basic premise on which competition has been introduced is that every
circle will have one private operator apart from DoT/ BHARTI for basic
and two operators for cellular. DoT/ BHARTI have the option to become
the third cellular operator in future.

Government did not achieve most of its stated targets. The basic theme,
which was broadening the reach of telephony in India, has not been met.
Even liberalization policies were not implemented properly. The
regulator TRAI was set up after delays and confusion and even after its
creation DoT continued to fight with it in courts. It was also affected by
the resource crunch, and financing options like BOT, BOOT and BOLT
was not used at all. The major policy direction it showed was to allow
private sector entry in both basic and value added services. The intention,

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though noble failed to achieve its goals because of improper
implementation, the economic costs are still borne by the end user.
The telecom sector has witnessed some fundamental structural and
institutional reforms in the past decade. Telecom equipment
manufacturing was completely deregulated in 1991. Value-added
services (including cellular services) were thrown open to private sector
participation in 1992. Basic services were opened to private
participation in 1994 by dividing the country into 21 telecom
Circles and allowing one private operator per Circle to
compete with DOT. An independent telecom regulatory Authority of
India was set up in 1997. A new Policy for Internet Service Policy
Providers (ISPs) was announced in 1998 allowing independent service
providers to enter the sector ending the earlier monopoly of
VSNL. Reorganization of DOT, separating policymaking function and
service provision and corporatization of DOT's operational network are
two major institutional reforms, which need to be implemented.

Scope of the study

• To conduct this research the target population was the mobile

users, Who are using GSM technology.

• Targeted geographic area of Delhi/ NCR. Sample size of 50 persons

was taken.

• To these 50 people a questionnaire was given, the questionnaire

was a combination of both open ended and closed ended questions.
• The date during which questionnaires were filled.
• Some dealers were also interviewed to know their prospective.
Interviews with the managers of GSM service providers were also
conducted.
• Finally the collected data and information was analyzed and
compiled to arrive at the conclusion and recommendations given.

Sources of secondary data

# Internet

# Magazines

# Journals

# Bharti Circulars Store

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# Vodafone Store
# Vodafone Ministore

SYNOPSIS
Telecom Sector In India

Than 125 million telephones network is one of the largest

communication networks in world, which continues to grow at a
blistering pace.
The rapid growth in the telecom sector can be attributed to the various
pro-active and positive policy measures taken by the government
as well as the dynamic and entrepreneurial spirit of the various
telecom service providers both in private and public sector. The telecom
sector has shown impressive growth during the past decade.
Two striking features of this growth viz. increasing preference for
mobile phones and higher contribution of private sector in the
incremental growth have predominated the etlecom sector. The share
of mobile phones (including WLL mobile) has overtaken the share of
landlines with 62% in the total number of phones. The private sector's
contribution is
also increasing rapidly. Currently more than 30 lakh phones are being
added each month and it is targeted that by the end of 2008 the total
number of phones may reach a level of350 million taking the tele-density
to more than 30% which is currently at 24.63%.

Network Expansion:- The total number of telephone subscribers has

reached 281.62 million at the end of January 2008 as compared to 232.87
million in July 2007. The overall Teledensity has increased to 23.63% in
January 2008 as compared to 21.20% in August2007.

Wireless Service:- The wireless segment saw a surge of 8.77 million

subscribers last month compared to 8.17 million in December2007. This
pushed the total wireless subscribers base to 242.40 million by Jan 31
2008

Wire line Subscribers:- The wire line segment subscriber base stood at
39.73 million with a decrease of 0.16 million at the end of January 2008.

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Teledensity:- The gross subscriber base reached 206.83 million at the end
of March 2007. The Teledensity is 24.63%at the end of January 2008 as
compared to 18.31% at the end of March 2007, registering an increase of
6%.

Increasing Role of Private Sector:- The private sector has played a

significant role in the growth of telecom sector. The share of private
sector has risen to 85 per cent in December2007 from 64.14 per cent in
November 2006

Tariff Rebalancing Measures:- There has been a dramatic fall in

the tariffs due to increased competition. The minimum effective
charges for local calls have fallen considerably in recent months
especially for cellular service. The long distance domestic as well as
international charges have also fallen considerably.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI): TR AI was

established under the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997
enacted on March 28,1997. The goals and objectives of TRAI are
focused towards providing a regulatory framework that facilitates
achievement of the objectives of New Technology Policy (NTP) 1999.
TRAI has endeavored to encourage greater corporation in the telecom
sector together with
better quality and affordable prices.

Introduction Of the Topic

The project is an extensive report on how the Airtel Company markets

its strategies and how the company has been able in tackling the present
tough competition and how it is scooping up by the allegations of the
quality of its products. The report begins with the history of the pr
oducts and the introduction of the Airtel Company. This report
also contains the basic marketing strategies that are used by the
Airtel Company of manufacturing process, technology, production
policy, advertising, collaboration, export scenario, future prospect and
government policies. The report includes some of the key salient
features of marketer end issues.

In today’ s world of cutthroat fierce competition, it is very essential to not

19
only exist but also to excel in the market. Today’s market is enormously
more complex. Hence forth to s ur vive in the market, the company not
only needs to maximize its profit but also needs to satisfy its
customers and should try to build upon from there
AIRTEL
Company profile

AIRTEL is a brand of telecommunication services in India operated by

Bharti Airtel. Airtel is the largest cellular service provider in India in
terms of number subscribers. Bharti Airtel owns the Airtel brand and
provides the following sevices under the brand name Airtel: Mobile
Services (using GSM Technology), Broadband& Telephone Services
(Fixed line, Internet Connectivity(DSL) and Leased Line), Long Distance
Focus on satisfying and retaining customers by ensuring high
level of customer satisfaction;
Services and
Leverage strengths of its strategic and financial partners; and
Emphasize on human resource development to achieve operational
efficiencies.
Enterprise Services (Telecommunications Consulting for corporates). It
has presence in all 23 circles of the country and covers 71% of the current
population (as of FY07.Leading international telecommunication
companies such as Vodafone and SingTel held

partial stakes in Bharti Airte.

Vision

"As we spread wings to expand our capabilities and explore new horizons,
the fundamental focus remains unchanged: seek out the best technology
in the world and put it at the service of our ultimate user: our customer."

These are the premise on which Bharti Enterprises has based its entire
plan of action.
Bharti Enterprises has been at the forefront of technology and
has revolutionized telecommunications with its world-class products and
services.

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

20
the country, first Indian company to provide comprehensive telecom
services outside India in Seychelles and first private sector service
provider to launch National Long Distance Services in India. Bharti had
approximately 3.21 million total customers – nearly2.88 million mobile
and 334,000 fixed line customers. Its services sector businesses
include mobile operations in Andhra Pradesh, Chennai, Delhi,
Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Kolkata,
Madhya Pradesh circle Maharashtra circle, Mumbai, Punjab, Tamil
Nadu and Uttar Pradesh (West) circle. In addition, it also has fixed-line
operations in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Haryana,
Delhi Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and nationwide broadband and long
distance networks.

Bharti has recently launched national long distance services by offering

data transmission services and voice transmission services for calls
originating and terminating on most of India's mobile networks.
The Company is also implementing a submarine cable project connecting
Chennai- Singapore for providing international bandwidth.

Bharti Enterprises also manufactures and exports telephone terminals and

cordless phones. Apart from being the largest manufacturer of telephone
instruments, it is also the first telecom company to export its products to
the USA.

Bharti Tele-Ventures' strategic objective is “to capitalize on the

growth opportunities that the Company believes are available in the
Indian telecommunications market and consolidate its position to be
the leading integrated telecommunications services provider in key
markets in India with a focus on providing mobile services”.

• The Company has developed the following strategies to achieve its

strategic objective

• Focus on maximizing revenues and margins;

• Capture maximum telecommunications revenue potential with

minimum geographical coverage;

• Offer multiple telecommunications services to provide customers

with a "one- stop shop" solution;

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 • Position itself to tap data transmission opportunities and
offer advanced mobile data services;

• Focus on satisfying and retaining customers by ensuring

high level of customer; satisfaction;

• Leverage strengths of its strategic and financial partners;

and….Emphasize on human resource development to achieve
operational efficiencies.

Businesses

• Bharti Tele-Ventures current businesses include

• Mobile services

• Fixed-line

• National and international long distance services

• VSAT, Internet services and network solutions

• Broadband services with DSL and Wi-Fi network

Competitive Strengths

Bharti Tele-Ventures believes that the following elements will contribute

to the Company's success as an integrated telecommunication services
provider in India and will provide the Company with a solid foundation to
execute its business strategy a solid foundation to execute its business
strategy

• Nationwide Footprint - approximately 92% of India's total mobile

subscribers resided in the Company's fifteen mobile circles.
These 15 circles collectively accounted for approximately
56% of India's land mass.

• Focus on telecommunications to enable the Company to better

anticipate industry trends and capitalize on new

22
 telecommunications- related business opportunities.

• The strong brand name recognition and a reputation for offering

high quality service to its customers;
• Quality management team with vision and proven execution
skills; and

• The Company's strong relationships with international strategic

and financial investors such as SingTel, Warburg Pincus,
International Finance Corporation, Asian Infrastructure Fund
Group and New York Life Insurance.

Brand Architecture:

Bharti is working on a complex to three-layered branding architecture

BHARTI AIRTEL TOUCHTEL INDIA ONE

(Cellular (Basic Service (National Long

Operations) Operations)
Distance)

Airtel - The flagship brand for cellular operations all across the
Indian country.

Touchtel- The brand earmarked for basic service operations.

India One- The brand for national long distance (NLD) telephony
Though the costs of creating new brands are heavy but the group wants to
create“distinct independent brands to address different customers
and profiles”.

Brand Strategy

23
To understand the brand strategy, let’s first look at the brand building
exercise associated with Airtel — a brand that had to be repositioned
recently to address new needs in the market. When the brand was
launched seven years ago, cellular telephony wasn’t a mass market by
any means. For the average consumer, owning a cellular phone was
expensive as tariff rates (at Rs 8 a minute) as well as instrument prices
were steep — sometimes as much as buying a second-hand car.

Bharti could have addressed the customer by rationally explaining to him

the economic advantage of using a mobile phone. But Sachdev says that
such a strategy would not have worked for the simple reason that the value
from using the phone at the time was not commensurate with the cost.

“Instead of the value-proposition model, we decided to address the

sensory benefit it gave to the customer as the main selling tack. The idea
was to become a badge value brand,” he explains. So the Airtel
“leadership series” campaign was launched showing successful men
with their laptops and in their deluxe cars using the mobile phone. In
simple terms, it meant Airtel was positioned as an inspirational brand
that was meant for leaders, for customers who stood out in a crowd.

Did it work? Repeated surveys following the launch showed that there
were three core benefits that were clearly associated with the brand —
leadership, dynamism and performance.

These were valuable qualities, but they only took Airtel far enough to
establish its presence in the market. As tariffs started dropping, it became
necessary for Airtel to appeal to a wider audience. And the various brand-
tracking exercises showed that despite all these good things, there was no
emotional dimension to the brand — it was perceived as cold, distant and
efficient.

Sachdev and his team realized that in a business in which customer

relationships were the core this could be a major weakness. The reason
with tariffs identical to competitor Vodafone telecomm and roughly the
same level of service and schemes, it had now become important
for Bharti to“humanize” Airtel and use that relationship as a major
differentiation.

The brand had become something like Lufthansa — cold and efficient.
What they needed was to become Singapore Airlines, efficient but also
human. A change in tack was important because this was a time when the

24
cellular market was changing

The leadership series was okay when you were wooing the crème de la
crème of society. Once you reached them you had to expand the market so
there was need to address to new customers By that time, Bharti was
already the leading cellular subscriber in Delhi with a base of 3.77 lakh (it
now has 1.8 million customers). And with tariffs becoming more
affordable — as cell companies tasrted cutting prices — it was time to
expand the market.

How could Bharti leverage this leadership position down the value chain?
Surveys showed that the concept of leadership in the customer’s minds
was also changing. Leadership did not mean directing subordinates
to execute orders but to work along with a team to achieve
common objectives — it was, again, a relationship game that needed to be
reflected in the Airtel brand.

Also, a survey showed that 50 per cent of the new customers choose a
mobile phone brand mostly word-of-mouth endorsements from friends,
family or colleagues. Thus, existing customers were an important tool
for market expansion and Bharti now focused on building
closer relationships with them.

That is precisely what the brand tried to achieve through its new
positioning under the Airtel“Touch Tomorrow” brand campaign. This
set of campaigns portrayed mobile users surrounded by caring family
members. Says Sachdev: “The new campaign and positioning was
designed to highlight the relationship angle and make the brand softer and
more sensitive.”

As it looks to expand its cellular services nationwide —to eight new

circles apart from the seven in which it already operates — Bharti is now
realizing that there are new compulsions to rework the Airtel brand, and
a new exercise is being launched to this effect. Right now, the
company is unwilling to discuss the new positioning in detail. But
broadly, the focus is on positioning Airtel as a power brand with
numerous regional sub-brands reflecting customer needs in various parts
of the country.

If Airtel is becoming more humane and more sensitive as a brand, Bharti

has also understood that one common brand for all cellular operations

25
might not always work in urban markets that are now getting increasingly
saturated.

To bring in new customers, the company decided that it needed to

segment the market. One such experiment, launched last year, is
Youtopia, a brand aimed at the youth in the 14 to 19 age bracket and for
those who are “young at heart”. With its earlier positioning, Airtel was
perceived as a brand for the well-heeled older customer; there was
nothing for younger people. With Youtopia Airtel hoped to reverse that In
order to deliver the concept, Airtel offered rock bottom tariff rates (25
paise for 30 seconds) at night to Youtopia customers — a time when they
make the maximum number of calls. It also set up merchandising
exercises around the scheme — like a special portal for young people to
buy things or bid for goods.

The company is now looking at offering other services at

affordable prices to this segment which include music downloads on the
mobile and bundling SMS rates with normal calls to make it cheaper
for young people to use. The other experiment that Bharti has worked on
is to go in for product segmentation through the Tango brand name. The
brand was created to offer mobile users Internet-interface services or what
is known as WAP (Wireless Application Protocol).

The idea was to bring Internet and mobile in perfect harmony. “The
name was chosen from the popular movie title It Takes basically, you
need the two services to tango to offer customers a new choice”, says
Sachdev.

This, however, had less to do with the branding exercise as with

inefficiency of service (accusingly slow download speeds) and the limited
utility of WAP services.

Subsequently, the ads were withdrawn, but the company re-iterated

that the branding exercise could be revived because Tango will be the
brand to offer GPRS services — or permanent Internet.

26
 The Magic
Perhaps the more ambitious experiment has been with— the pre-paid
card. The idea was to make the brand affordable, accessible and, most
importantly, feasible as a means of expanding the market even faster.

PHASE I –

Magic was aimed at bringing in infrequent users of a mobile phone into

the market and assure him that he would have to pay only if he made a
call. Such a customer used the phone sparingly- mostly for emergencies
— and was not willing to pick up a normal mobile connection with its
relatively high rentals (pre-paid cards do not include rental charges).

To achieve its objectives Bharti did three things.

• One, the product was made available at prices ranging from Rs 300
to Rs 3,000 with no strings attached and was simple to operate.

• Two, the product was made accessible and distributed through

small stores, telephone booths and even kirana shops so that the
offering was well within arms reach.

• Third, to make the product more “approachable” to the customer,

the company came with vernacular ad campaigns

Like“Magic Daalo Say Hello”

This apart, the company roped in Karisma Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan
for a major ad campaign all across Delhi, a ruse that saw the number of
subscribers go up from 5.47 lakh to 1.2 million today, overtaking Essar’s
branded pre-paid card Speed, which was launched much ahead of Magic,
which was launched much ahead of Magic. The company is now re-
working its Magic strategy even further.

Earlier, the branding strategy was aimed at roping in only

27
interested customers - that is, customers who were already inclined
to opt for mobile services. But now, with basic service providers
having been allowed limited mobility at far cheaper rates, mobile service
providers could find themselves under threat again.
That is why the new exercise is aimed at co-opting non-adopters. While
the exact strategy is under wraps, insiders say the new branding strategy
would be aimed at offering them value which they had not perceived
would be available from using a pre-paid card.

PHASE II –

Bharti used Airtel Magic to build a strong value proposition and

accelerate market expansion through India’s first national pre-paid card
TV brand campaign

• First time ever in India - any pre-paid card brand goes on TV

• A combination of the film genre exposed through the TV medium
designed to connect with the masses of Indi

• Youth based - romance driven strategy platform makes the value

proposition of Airtel Magic‘Mumkin Hai’ come alive

• All elements - user imagery, context, tone & language created to

connect the category to the lives of the SEC B & SEC C segment –
the middle class non-mobile user.
• Airtel Magic positions itself on the platform of being excellent
for emergency situations increasing productivity as a part of
everyday life.

• Sharukh Khan makes ‘everything in life possible’ while

romancing pretty Kareena Kapoor with Airtel Magic, India’s
leading pre- paid mobile card.

• Airtel today unveiled its strategy for market expansion with the
launch of its new Airtel Magic pre-paid card brand campaign –
‘Magic hai to Mumkin hai’. The strategy is targeted at the non user
segment defined as young adults, 15-30 years of age; in the Sec B &
C segment is aimed at acceler ating market expansion. The value
proposition is centered around a person’s desire to make all his / her
dreams, ambitions & aspirations instantly possible. The new campaign
for Airtel Magic is all about empowering millions of Indians to be on top

28
of their lives.
The brand is positioned to be relevant to the mass-market who want to
make all their dreams hopes & desires come alive… instantly. (At just
Rs.300/- per month Airtel Magic is so easy to.) Improving productivity,
letting you befriend the world and opening up new horizons.
It gives you the freedom to control your life in a way never possible
before. Indeed, anything that think is possible is possible with Airtel
Magic. The new brand slogan ‘Magic hai to Mumkin Hai.

This strategy is designed to help us talk to this segment directly in the

tone, manner & language of the masses. The “Mumkin hai” value
proposition will help us expand the market and gain a higher percentage
of market shares in the process.

Brand ambassadors Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor embody this

‘can do’ or “Mumkin Hai” spirit (infact that is the reason they were
selected as brand ambassadors). Sharukh rose from a TV actor to become
India’s top film star and national heartthrob. Kareena’s success is due to
her attitude’, talent, hard work and the sheer ability to make a mark in
such a short time. Both these stars have said ‘Mumkin hai’ and made it
happen for themselves

The genre of this new strategy & campaign is Hindi cinema led. This
genre connects millions across India. The spirit of romance,
dancing… the Indian cinema, well known to most as Bollywood,
holds millions of Indians together as one.

The new TV campaign of Airtel Magic crafted in the Hindi film idiom,
magnifies the empowering optimism of “Mumkin Hai”, in the endearing
situation of a boy-girl romance. Where Sharukh Khan, sets his eyes
on Kareena Kapoor and wins her love with the help of Airtel
Magic(Poignantly conveying that special feeling we all get when a dream
is made possible and a victory of the heart is won).

The strategy & new brand campaign is targeted at the large untapped
base of intending mobile customers from Sec A, B & C. The estimated
addressable market of such customers in the next two years is around
25 million in Airtel’s 16 states. The new strategy aims at correcting
the perception that the mobile category is useful mainly for ‘business’ or
‘work’ related scenarios.

The new strategy, brand positioning & brand slogan is an outcome of an

extensive nationwide research and is an integral part of Airtel Magic’s

29
new multi-media campaign. The campaign has been created by Percept
Advertising

PHASE III -

Bharti used Airtel Magic to build a strong value proposition and

accelerate market expansion through India’s first national pre-paid card
TV brand campaign.

First time ever in India - any pre-paid card brand gives such freedom to
recharge any value

A combination of the film genre exposed through the TV medium

designed to connect with the masses of India.

Youth based - romance driven strategy platform makes the value

proposition of Airtel Magic - Aisi azaadi aur kahan?” come alive

Sharukh Khan Makes ‘everything in life possible’ Airtel today unveiled

its strategy for market expansion with the launch of its new Airtel Magic
pre-paid card brand campaign – ‘Magic Hai to Mumkin Hai’. . The value
proposition is centered on a person’s desire to make all his / her dreams,
ambitions & aspirations instantly possible. The new campaign for Airtel
Magic is all about empowering millions of Indians to be on top of their
lives.

The brand is positioned to be relevant to the mass-market who want to

make all their dreams, hopes & desires come alive… instantly .At a
amount of your choice you can recharge your account with available
validity time .Improving productivity, letting you befriend the world and
opening up new horizons. It gives you the freedom to control your life in
a way never possible before. Indeed, anything that you think is possible is
possible with Airtel Magic. The new brand slogan‘Aisi azadi aur kahan’
has been specially created to capture this effectively.
Other Brand Building Initiatives

• The main idea is to stay ahead of competition for at least six

months. Working on the above game plan Bharti is constantly
coming up with newer product offerings for the customers.

• The focus, of course, is to offer better quality of service.

30
• To make the service simpler for customers using roaming
facilities, Airtel has devised common numbers for subscribers
across the country for services like customer care, food services
and cinema amongst others.
• It will also launch a unified billing system across circles so,
customers moving from one place to another do not have to close
and then again open new accounts at another place.

• To assist customer care personnel to deal with subscriber queries,

a storehouse of 40,000 frequently asked questions and their
answers have been stored on the computers.

• Bharti expects that most of its new customers (one estimate is that
it would be 60 to 70 per cent of the total new subscriber base)
would come from the pre-paid card segment. So, they must be
given value-added products and services which competitors don’t
provide.

• Bharti, for the first time for a cellular operator, has decided to offer
roaming services even to its pre-paid customers, but the facility
would be limited to the region in which they buy the card. To
ensure that customers don’t migrate to other competing services
(which is known as churn and ranges from 10 to 15 per cent of the
customer base every month), the company is also working on a
loyalty program. This will offer subscribers tangible cash benefits
depending upon their usage of the phone.

• The loyalty program will not be only for a ‘badge value’, it will
provide real benefits to customers. The idea is to create an Airtel
community.

• Another key area which Bharti is concentrating its attention upon is

a new roaming service launched in Delhi under which calls of a
roaming subscriber who is visiting the city will be routed directly
to his mobile instead of traveling via his home network.

• The company also offers multi-media messaging systems under

which customers having a specialized phone with a in-built camera
can take pictures and e-mail it to friends or store it in the phone.
The cost per picture is between Rs 5 to Rs 7.

31
 • Bharti is also aware that it has to make owning a ready-to- use
cellular service much easier than it is today. A key area is to
increase the number of activation centers. Earlier Bharti had 250
Airtel Connect stores which were exclusive outlets (for its services)
and about 250 Airtel Points which were kiosks in larger shops. Now
activation can be done by all of them, and not only by Connect
outlets, all within 15 to 20 minutes. In comparison, the competition
takes two to four hours.

• Pre- paid cards are really catching up with the mobile phone users
and it is actually helping the market to increase.
First, they are easier to obtain and convenient to use. Unlike post-
paid, one need not pay security deposits for picking up a pre-paid
card. It is often available even with paanwalas. As befits a fast-
moving consumer service, the game is now moving beyond price to
expanding distribution reach and servicing a well-spread-out
clientele with technology and strategic alliances. Bharti is
focusing on two factors to make pre-paid cards more attractive
Keeping the entry cost low for consumers and making recharging more
convenience.

Bharti is in the process of launching a new system in alliance

with Mumbai-based Company Venture InfoTech which will enable a
pre-paid card user to renew his subscription by just swiping a card. The
system will not only save users the hassle of going out and buying a card
every time it expires but also enable mobile companies to
reduce the cost of printing and distributing cards.

Bharti Televentures has tied up with 'Waiter on wheels,' a company

delivering food at home, to reach its Magic pre-paid cards to subscribers'
doorsteps. The company is also joining hands with local grocery shops
which will enable users to recharge their cards by just making a phone
call to the shop. Apart from improving the convenience of recharging,
mobile operators are beefing up their distribution channels. The company
is constantly innovating to enhance the value proposition for its pre-paid
service. They are leveraging technology to expand their distribution
network and deliver round-the-clock recharge options to its
MOTS (Mobile on the Spot) subscribers.

Bharti Cellular has also launched a special service, CareTouch, for high-
value, corporate customers, providing them with instant, single-point
access for any assistance they require. Customers can dial 777 and
enjoy a slew of services, which includes easier payment of bills

32
service on priority basis, and value-added services without any
additional paper work. Bharti Cellular is offering a range of
services without going through an interactive voice recorder
ensuring that they save time. Dedicated ‘CareTouch’ executives are
expected to assist customers with any service on priority basis. Besides
the regular proactive reminder calls for bill payment customers can also
call CareTouch for bill payments at free of cost.

Airtel presented MTV Inbox the first ‘on-air’ SMS based interactive
music dedication show exclusively for Airtel and Airtel Magic
customers. Highly interactive VJ based show with real-time feedback
mechanism. Both brands joined hands to target the high growth youth
segment.

Bharti’s View on its Branding strategy:-

First, brand building efforts in today’s context have to be seen

in a more holistic manner. Delivering value on a sustained basis is
perhaps the most potent key to build a brand that lasts. Unflinching
orientation to customer needs is the second key success factor. Customers
(be it for industrial products or consumer goods and services) across the
world are more informed and, at the same time, becoming more
individualistic in their needs and far more demanding with the passage of
time.

Pro-active tracking of shifts in consumer behavior, anticipating redefined

or emerging customer needs, and then reacting in “real-time” are essential
to attract and retain customer loyalty — a key element of creating brand
equity in the present situation.

Customizing the product (and communication of its benefit) to meet the

specific needs of various consumer/customer sub-segments is the third
element in creating brand appreciation.

As far as allocation of time and financial resources are concerned, too

many companies mistakenly allocate a disproportionate amount on mere
advertising and promotion. This is not to say that advertising and
promotion are less relevant. On the contrary, with more choices and
higher media clutter, businesses need to budget for an increasingly higher
spend on their brand promotion but this has to be undertaken in
tandem with enterprise-wide “reengineering” of the business
philosophy and core design, production, and delivery operations for the
product itself.

33
 The positive spin to this argument is that by first addressing the
fundamentals, the enterprise itself becomes more competitive. This can
be the beginning of a virtuous cycle wherein brand equity continues to
increase as the enterprise sustains delivery of an appropriate product or
service at an ever increasing value.

It is, however, crucial to note that in the years to come, not only will the
cost of building a regional or a national (or an international) brand will
continue to rise but also the time taken to do so will be longer and will
need sustained and focused efforts.

SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths

• Being one of the largest companies in India the company has

achieved a degree of focus in its core business of its products

• It has a strong brand name, super ior quality products and an

enviable distribution network.

• It has a clear and well-defined organization structure and

limits of financial authority.

• Increase in advertisement spends affect the company’ s margins .

• The company‘s bottom line f alls victim to the bloated and

highly paid workforce, which affects its mar gins.

Weakness

• Little efforts over the Advertising of products.

• Distribution channel is not accurately categorized.
• Premium priced products, hence can’t compete in low price
segment.
• No separate strategy for rural market.

Opportunities

34
 • The company's financial performance can receive a major
boost from There is a lot of scope of product and market
diversification.
• Exports of products will also have huge chances in the coming
years
• Airtel’s business has ample scope for gaining market share
from the unorganized sector . Rural penetration too holds vas t
potential to bring about growth.

Threats
The slowdown in the economy has restricted top line growth of most
FMCG major s and for Airtel also it will be difficult to maintain
historical growth rates in such a depressed scenario.

• Company’s major raw materials are influenced by government

policies / controls as well as vagaries of the monsoons.
Fluctuations in the prices of raw materials would have significant
impact on costs and mar gins of the company.
• Moreover , inordinate hike in Broad B and Internet
products would also increases company’s production and
distribution cost.

35
 VODAFONE ESSAR

Vodafone Essar, previously is a Hutchhison Essar in cellular operator

India that covers 16 telecom circles in India.
Despite the official name being Vodafone Essar, its products are simply
branded Vodafone. It offers both prepaid and postpaid GSM cellular
phone coverage throughout India and is especially strong in the major
metros.

2G services based on 900 MHz and 1800 MHz digital GSM

technology, offering voice and data services in 16 of the country's 23
licens

Vodafone Essar, previously is a Hutchhison Essar in cellular operator

India that covers 16 telecom circles in India
Despite the official name being Vodafone Essar, its products are simply
branded Vodafone. It offers both prepaid and postpaid GSM cellular
phone coverage throughout India and is especially strong in the major
metros.

36
 Comparison of
marketing
strategies

Between

Bharti Airtel and

37
 Vodafone
Purpose of comparison

The sub main purpose of this report is to compare the marketing

Strategies adopted by Bharti Airtel and its rival Vodafone

The comparison shows how both of the companies have been challenging
each other to gain market shares.

Why comparison with vodafone

Bharti Airtel is the leader in telecommunication sector

Bharti Airtel holds the lion share of market of communication sector.

However, Vodafone has been giving tough competition to Bharti Airtel.

Vodafone is the second largest player and share holder in Communication

sector.

Since its launch Vodafone has been adopting aggressive marketing

strategies.

The comparison shows how Hutchison Essar Telecom. Captured 22%

market share in one month of its first launch of postpaid subscription in
2002.

With a different technology Vodafone creates its own market

Vodafone today deals in every business of communication sector.

Vodafone making and changing the strategies to capture the market

shares

38
Brand positioning by Bharti Airtel

Market segmentation

Geographical segment (metropolitans & cities India)

Demographic segment - middle income groups

People age group of 20 to 28 year

Target marketing

People who living in cities and towns.

Poor or middle income group people.

Youngsters in big cities.

Businessmen

Positioning

Creating brands (Sharukh khan & Sachin Tendulker)

Ads and promotions.

Promotion for study of poor childrens.

Marketing mix

Price: low price strategy

39
Place: maximum outlets and service centers

Product: verities available for various groups

Promotion: various schemes for pre-paid and post-paid

Marketing strategies of VODAFONE
Vodafone target the rural India

The main targeted customers of Vodafone are from rural

India.

By offering cheap and light mobile sets Vodafone attracts most of the
customers of small villages and towns.

Offering cheap handsets

Vodafone offers cheap and free connections to all customers.

The cost for these sets was Rs-799-849-1099\set and onward

Free support and services

In every district and big towns Vodafone opens its service centers to
provide better support and services.

Strong logistics and supply chain

Vodafone has a strong logistic and supply all over India.

In every small town the potential customers can easily purchase the
Vodafone SIM & Sets.

Targeting youngsters in metropolitans

Vodafone attracts youngsters by offering colorful handset at very low

prices.

Brand positioning by VODAFONE

40
Market segmentation

Geographical segment (rural India)

Demographic segment - middle income groups

Target marketing

People living in small towns and villages.

Poor and middle income groups.

Youngsters in big cities.

Businessmen

Positioning

Creating brands

Ads and promotions

Marketing mix

Price : low price strategy

Place : maximum outlets and service centers

Product : verities available for various groups

Promotion: various schemes for pre-paid and post-paid

Services provided by Bharti AirteI

• Mobile services with GSM technology

• Fixed-line connections

• National and international long distance services

41
 • VSAT, Internet services and network solutions

• Broadband services

Services provided by Vodafone

mobile services with GSM technology

fixed- line telephone services

Universal Internetworking

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)

Interactive Television

Visual Communication

Broadband Portal

42
 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Achieving accuracy in any research requires a deep study regarding
the subject. The prime objective of the project is to compare Airtel with
the existing competitor (Vodafone) in the market and the impact of WLL
on Airtel. The research methodology adopted is basically based on
primary data via which the most recent and accurate piece of first hand
information could be collected. Secondary data has been used to support
primary data wherever needed.

Primary data was collected using the following techniques

Questionnaire Method

Direct Interview Method and

Observation Method

The main tool used was, the questionnaire method. Further direct
interview method, where a face to-face formal interview was taken.
Lastly observation method has been continuous with the questionnaire
method, as one continuously observes the surrounding environment he
works in.

DATA COLLECTION METHOD

There two type of method of data collection

• PRIMARY DATA

43
 • SECONDARY DATA

PRIMARY DATA

Data used for the research work was primary in nature.

Primary data is that which is the collected for the first time and thus
happen to be originated in character.

QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY

In the studies a questionnaire is prepared. the questionnaire

consists of 15 questions.

SECONDARY DATA

Secondary data refer to the data that has been

already collected .the secondary data, which has been used to carry out
this study, are as follow

• BOOKS, JOURNALS, MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS

• INDUSTRY REPORTS

• COMPANY’S INTERNET SITE

• SOMEOTHER RELEVANT STUDY MATERIAL AND

WEBSITES

SAMPLE UNIT

The research process was done by interacting with

number of customers during the activities performed, which included,
markets cold calling, canopies, etc. sample design consists of
random sampling.

44
SAMPLE SIZE: 200 PEOPLE

METHOD OF COLLECTION

Field procedure for gathering primary data included observation

and interview schedule in which the
questionnaires were filed by the personal interviews through self
administered survey was done to collect the data, market research
was undertaken, that was accomplished by performing various
activities designed.

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

Questionnaire

The questionnaire was formulated by keep in mind the following

points.

• Giving the respondents clear comprehension of the question.

• Identifying the needs to be known.

45
 LIMITATIONS
No project is without limitations and it becomes essential to figure out the
various constraints that we underwent during the study. The following
points in this direction would add to our total deliberations:-

1. During the study, on many occasions the respondent groups gave us a

cold shoulder.

2. The respondents from whom primary data was gathered any

times displayed complete
ignorance about the complete branded range, which was being studied.

3. Lack of time is the basic limitation in the project.

4. Some retailers/whole sellers refuse to cooperate with the queries.

5. Some retailers/wholesalers gave biased or incomplete information

regarding the study.

6. Money played a vital factor in the whole project duration.

7. Lack of proper information and experience due to short period of time.

8.Some retailers did not give answer all the question or do not have time
to answers.

46
Data analysis

And

Interpretation

47
MARKET PLAYERS IN TELE COMMUNICATION

Operator Market share Market share

Aug''05 Aug''09

Bharti Airtel 19.06 22.49

Vodafone 21.81 16.96

Reliance info 17.03 16.01

Idea Cellular 10.45 8.49

Market share Aug''05 Market share Aug''09

25
20
15 B
hartiAirtel

10 Voda
fone
R
elia
nceIn
fo
5
Id
eaC
ellula
r
0
Ma
rketS
hareAug Ma
rkets
hare09
05

From above the graph it show that in 2005 Vodafone has highest market
share but in 2009 Airtel gets highest share market comperesion to other
company.

FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS

Age Group Graph

48
As we can see from the above graph, the people who are in the age group
of 21-28 years are the ones who are the maximum users of mobile
phones. This segment is the one which gives maximum business to
the mobile operators. This segment constitutes the young executives and
other office going people. They are 65% of the total people who were
interviewed. The next age group are the people who are 28-35 years old.
They are 20% of the total. They are those who are at home or have small
business units etc. And the next age group is the youngest generation who
are 15-21 years old. They are school and college going students and carry
mobile phones to flaunt. They are15% of the total interviewed people.

Occupation Graph

OCCUPATION

10% 15%

15%
Student
Executives
Households
Other

55%

STUDENTS EXECUTIVES HOUSEHOLDS OTHER

As the above graph shows that 55% of the total people interviewed are
working. So, these people are the ones who are the maximum users
of mobile phones. They are the young executives managers, Tele -

49
callers etc. who require mobile for their official purposes. The next
category is the households, who are either housewife, small units which
operate from their homes etc. They are 20% of the whole. The next
segment is the students. They are 15% of the whole. And 10% of the
whole is categories who are the professionals.

Service Provider Graph

These are the total market share of mobile user or people

captured by the mobile provider company. There two major company
in mobile phone service sector Vodafone and Airtel who respectively
hold the market share with other company as 17% and 20% of total
market user segment of mobile customer.

Customer Service At Airtel Graph

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION LEVEL

50
 10%
10%
Fully Satisfy
Partialy
Dissatisfy
20% 60% Fully Dissatisfy

As the above graph clearly shows that customer services at Airtel seems
good. 60% of the people are satisfied with the customer services
provided by Airtel. They are the ones who have the maximum share in the
market but they are lagging behind in the customer services. 10% of the
people were fully dissatisfied with the customer services of Airtel. This
could leave an impact on the mind of the consumer. He can even switch
over his brand. 20% of the people seemed partially satisfied with the
customer services and only 60% seem to be fully satisfied with Airtel’s
customer services, which is a very large amount.

Type Of Card Graph

Types of cards sim cards cash cards

15%

85%

Cash cards seemed quite popular among the people interviewed. 85% of
the total mobile users were having cash card connections. This means
that the cash cards should be easily and readily available in the local
markets. Airtel should make sure that Magic is available in each and every
nook and corner of the market. 15% of the people were having sim
connections which is the regular bil.

51
Monthly expense graph

Monthly Expense

12%
24%

Rs 600
Rs 450
Rs 200

64%

People on an average spend RS 500 per month as their mobile phone

expense. 64% people spend this amount. 24% people spend RS 300 per
month as their monthly mobile expense. And the remaining 12% had
an expense more than RS 1000, they could the ones having sim
connections or having cash cards and having a lot of business calls on
their mobile.

Awareness About WLL Graph

35%
Awareness Of WLL
Yes
No
65%

WLL seemed to be a new word for many of the people. 45% of the people
were not at all aware of such a technology. So, in order to get the answer
for this question they were first explained the concept .Only 65% people
knew WLL is all about.

Awareness of WLL Players Graph

52
 Airtel, 80%

80%
70%

60%
50%
Airtel
40% Vodafone
30% Vodafone, 20%

20%
10%
0%
Airtel Vodafone

Vodafone was the brand which was popular amongst the interviewed
people. As Vodafone had done so much advertising and has it banners and
hoarding spread all over Delhi. So, this could be one the reasons of its
popularity. Tata was hardly a known brand in this new field. Possibly
because of less promotions done by them as compared to Vodafone On
the basis of analysis of the questionnaire I have found that the maximum
no. of people who use mobile phones is in the age group of 20 to 28. Who
are the young executives and other office goers?
They spend a maximum of RS 500 as their mobile expense.
There is more no. of prepared cards than post paid cards. The mobile
users want to spend money side by side than to spend money at the end of
the month on a big bill.
Now when I compared Airtel with its competitor from the point of view
of the consumer I found that on the basis of Tariff plan, value added
services and billing accuracy Airtel is at par or ahead of its competitor
but in the case of customer care and availability they lag
behind there competitors. As, Airtel has a hold in the market because it
has the maximum no. of connections, so it must improve upon it customer
services. As far as WLL is concerned people are aware about it but not
many people are aware about Tata. They only know more about
Vodafone.

53
Customer Response
Towards

Questionnaire
54
Q.1 Name those companies which provide telecom services now a days?

Airtel

Vodafone

Reliance

Tata Docomo

Idea

Q.2 which mobile company services you are using now a days?

Airtel

Vodafone

Others

55
 Others, 20%
Airtel
Vodafone
Airtel, 50%
Others
Vodafone, 30%

The graph clearly show that there is 50% people who are using Airtel and
Vodafone has only 30% customer in the market other is remaining 20
%which include all other company. The graph suggest that Airtel
providing better service in present time.

Q.3 Which Brand you, prefer most?

Airtel

Vodafone

Reliance

Tata Docomo

Idea

Customer preference using telecom service

56
 0.45

0.4

0.35

0.3

0.25

0.2 42%

0.15 28%
0.1
14%
0.05 10%
6%
0 0
Airtel Vodafone Reliance Tata Idea

Most of the customer like to use Airtel because it provide better service
and networking. In this graph Airtel customer is about 40% and
Vodafone has 28% and other are not in large no. so Airtel has maximum
customer compare to other.

Q.4 How long you have been using this Product?

0-2 Years
2-5 Years
5-10 Years
More than 10 years

BrandLoyalty
80%

60%

40%

20%

0%
Morethan10
0-2 2-5 5-10
year
Series1 65% 20% 10% 5%

This graph show that customer change their brand according to new
schemes launch by the different company. In this graph there are 65%
customers which are loyal for only 0-2 years. And 20% people they used
the product at least 2-5 .There are some people who used the product at
least 5-10 years due to their satisfaction of the brand and 5% people who
used the product for long time. Most of time businessmen don’t change
their product due to their business .

Q.5 Are you using other product with Airtel?

57
Yes

No
A
irte
l

Y
ES,4
0%
Y
ES
N
O
N
O ,6
0%

Here are the customer responses about the use of the Airtel product and
other product rather than Airtel
in this segment of survey 60 % of customer are aspire with Airtel and 40
% shown interest in other telecom products in urban areas.

Q.6 Do you collect any information search before decision making

purchase?

NO,15%

Y
E S
NO

Y
E S,85%

In this graph it represent that every customers before purchase they gather
the information .85% people search information before purchasing and
15%people they do not want to search any information . They purchase
which they like to want. The graph show that people are more aware to
purchase any product.

58
Q.7 how would you rate the experience with Brand?

Excellent Good Average Below

Average

Airtel

Vodafone

Reliance

Tata

10%
15%
Airtel Excellent
VodafoneGood
RelianceAverage
50%
TataBelowAverage
25%

The above graph show that Airtel is more excellent brand compare to
Vodafone, Reliance Tata Indicom. Vodafone is also good but not enough
to Airtel. Reliance is quiet average by the rate of experience by the
customer according to brand name.Tata is below average due low
markets and less awareness of the people. So Airtel is a strong brand in
the market due to their better services.

59
 CONCLUSION
After analyzing the findings of the research, I can conclude that
Airtel lagged behind its competitors as far as customer service and
availability is concerned.
The maximum no. of people who use the mobile is
in the age group of 20 to 28. Cash cards are the most popular type of
mobile connections, as they are consumer friendly and recharging the
connection is not a problem. Maximum no. of people spends RS 500 on
their connections. As Airtel is the only company having the maximum no
of mobile connections so it must seriously look into the loop holes of the
existing customer service department.

As we know that now Airtel has already launched its product with logo “’
Aisi azaadi aur kahan” has already became popular in market. So we can
say that in spite of so many competitors in the market Airtel is having a
good position just because every time, it tries its best to understand the
need of its important customers. From the comparison and deep analysis
of every aspect of business of both the companies we can conclude that
bharti Airtel has to more work in every field of communication business.
It is the time not only to survive but to sustain in the market for a long
time.

For this Airtel has to work on its all marketing strategies, marketing,
promotion, brand image etc.
Airtel has to take Vodafone. Very seriously and update its own strategies
from time to time and when the need arises.
With aggressive marketing strategies Airtel has to target rural India as
70% of population of India lives in these areas.

60
The other segment may be costumers of all age groups.

SUGGESTIONS

Following are the few suggestions to AIRTEL for improving the market
share and image of the products concerned.

1. PRODUCT

*Modification must be brought about in AIRTEL, in terms of

quality. Its demand should be increased.

2. PLACE

* The brands must be made available easily in, PCO & general store

3. PROMOT ION

*Company must undertake extensive promotional activities like

advertisements must be released in different Medias to create brand
awareness.

*Free samples should be distributed among the prospects. Sales promotion

tools like gifts, contests and coupons must be given to retailers as well as
customers and prospects.

* Catalogues should be distributed among customer.

4. PRICE

61
* Price should be as competitive as other company maintains.

* Distribution of new connection should be in reach of customer pocket.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

In this project report, while finalizing and for analyzing quality problem in
details the following
Books, Magazines/Journals and Web Sites have been referred. All the
material detailed below provides effective help and a guiding layout while
designing this text report.

Books :

“Principles of Marketing” –Philip Kotler & Kevin keller edi. 12

“Market Research” – D.D. Sharma

“Research Methodology” – C.R. Kothari

Websites:

www. Airtelworld.com

www.india.com

www.Vodafone.in

62
 QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear Sir;

I Raman kumar, student of MBA of Dr. I.T Business school I

am doing my project on “Comparative analysis of marketing strategy
of Vodafone and Airtel” Please give your precious time for filling these
detail.
.
Q.1 Name those companies which provide telecom services now a days?

Airtel

Vodafone

Reliance

Tata Indicom

Idea

Q.2 which mobile company services you are using now a days?

Airtel

Vodafone

Reliance

63
Tata Indicom

Idea

Q. 3 Among them, which Brand you, prefer most?

Airtel

Vodafone

Reliance

Tata Indicom

Idea

Q.4 How long you have been using this Product?

0-2 Years

2-5 Years

5-10 Years

More than 10 years

Q.5 Are you using other product instead of Airtel?

Yes

No

Q.6 how would you rate the experience with Brand?

Excellent Good Average Below Average

Airtel

Vodafone

Reliance

Tata Indicom

64
Q.7 Do you collect any information search before making purchase?

Yes

No

Q.8 If yes, which sources are used?

Magazines
Dealers

Sales Executives

Any others

Q.9 What are the features you look for in a product before making
purchase decision? Give preferences (1-Highest, 6- least)

Brand credibility

Price and Discount

After sales services and parts, network

Value for money

Vehicle performance

Add on features or ergonomics of design

Q.10. Which of these marketing / sales schemes attracts you while

purchasing any connection?

Good Network

Discount scheme

Service package

Any other

Q.11 If you have to purchase a new connection or product in near future,

65
which Brand will you go for and why?

_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________

Q.12 Are you aware of various promotional activities being run by Airtel,
if yes then how? Are you satisfied with these promotional activities?

Very satisfied
somewhat satisfied Not satisfied

Customer Care

By Ad Films

By Camp

24 hrs call center services

Q.13 How would you r ate Airtel performance as your expectation on

5 points scale (5 Highest?)

1 2 3 4 5
After Sale service

Maintenance

Product as per expectation

Q.14 What are you suggestions for improving the product quality,
service availability and parts availability?

66
___________________________________________________________
____________________
___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

67