INTERNATIONAL MARKETING

PROJECT ON

AIRTEL

Submitted by:
Anubhav Mittal 17DM049
Arsh Javed 17DM058
Ashi Sachdeva 17DM060
Deep Kumar Gupta 17DM074
Gurnoor Kaur 17DM093
Neha Samvedi 17DM144
Sarthak Bhandari 17DM213
About the company
Bharti Airtel Limited (ordinarily abbreviated to Airtel) is an Indian worldwide tele communication
organization situated in New Delhi, India. It works in 20 nations over South Asia and Africa. Airtel
gives GSM, 3G, 4G LTE and VoLTE versatile services, fixed line broadband and voice services
relying on the nation of operation. Airtel had revealed its VoLTE innovation over eight telecom
circles in particular Mumbai, Maharashtra and Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat,
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Kolkata, Kerala and Odisha in India and
should reveal the innovation in rest of the circles by end of August 2018. It is the biggest mobile
network administrator in India and the third biggest on the world with more than 429 million
subscribers. Airtel was named India's second most important brand in the primary ever Brands
positioning by Millward Brown and WPP plc.

Airtel is credited with pioneering the business strategy of outsourcing the greater part of its
business services aside from marketing, sales and finance and building the 'minutes factory' model
of minimal effort and high volumes. The technique has since been embraced by a few operators.
Airtel's equipment is provided and maintained by Ericsson, Huawei, and Nokia Solutions and
Networks, though IT bolster is given by IBM. The transmission towers are kept up by auxiliaries
and joint venture organizations of Bharti including Bharti Infratel and Indus Towers in India.

MODES OF ENTRY FOR AIRTEL IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS

There are some basic decisions that the firm must take before foreign expansion like: which
markets to enter, when to enter those markets, and on what scale. A foreign market mode of entry
is a channel which enables the enterprise’s product, human skills, management, technology or
other resources, to enter into a foreign country. The choice of market entry mode is a vital strategic
decision for firms intending to carry out business overseas.
The various modes of entry into the international market are:

1. Exporting
2. Licensing
3. Franchising
4. Turnkey Project
5. Mergers & Acquisitions
6. Joint Venture
7. Acquisitions & Mergers
8. Wholly Owned Subsidiary

Airtel took on steps in order to enter the international market. They used various modes of entry
that suited the foreign market in order for them to attain a position in their telecom sector. The
company has become a major Indian MNC with operations in 18 countries across Asia and Africa
with a customer base of over 180 million.
Below are the modes of entry that Airtel used:

 Acquisition:
1. Airtel did an acquisition of Zain Group's telecom business in fifteen African counties
in 2010 gave it a footprint in the African continent. Africa posed an intriguing
environment with different cultures, political forces and socio-economic environment.
After completing the deal, BAL was in the process of giving shape to its strategy for
the African markets. In June 2010, the company acquired Zain Group's mobile
operations in 15 countries across Africa for an enterprise valuation of USD 10.7 billion.
With this, the company has become the first Indian brand to go truly global with a
footprint that covers over 1.8 billion people.
2. In September 28, 2007, they acquired 100% of the equity in Network i2i Ltd, Mauritius,
at a consideration of USD 133,400 thousand.
3. In August 27, 2010, they acquired the 100% interest in Telecom Seychelles Ltd, a
telecom operator of Seychelles, for an enterprise value of USD62 million.
4. On 1 September 2014, Bharti Airtel announced the signing of a definitive agreement
with Essar Telecommunications Kenya Limited, which operates under the brand name
yuMobile', to acquire over 2.7 million subscribers of yuMobile.

 Merger:
Bharti Airtel Ltd (Airtel) completed the merger of its subsidiary Airtel Bangladesh Ltd
with Robi Axiata Ltd (Robi Axiata), a unit of Axiata Group Berhad (Axiata).

Post the merger, Axiata held 68.7 per cent stake in the combined entity, while Airtel
Bangladesh held 25 per cent. The remaining 6.3 per cent stake were to be held by NTT
DoCoMo. The combined entity became the second largest mobile operator in Bangladesh
with around 32.2 million customers and operated under the Robi Axiata brand.
 Joint Venture:
On June, 2016 – Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) and Bharti Airtel
Limited (Airtel) joined hands to deliver high-speed, secure data network coverage to Asia-
Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the US. They combined resources into one
network to provide high speed data connectivity to 325 cities across the world through 370
Points of Presence (PoP). This formed one of the largest Internet Protocol Virtual Private
Networks (IP VPN) globally.

Together, Singtel’s 200 PoPs in 160 cities around the world and Airtel’s 170 plus PoPs in
165 cities across India, Africa and the Middle East, formed a new network that offered a
connectivity backbone to enterprises which spans several continents: Asia, Europe, Africa
and North America.
  Alliances:
1. They entered into a regional mobile services agreement with six other leading
mobile operators, namely Globe Telecom, Philippines; Maxis, Malaysia; Optus,
Australia; SingTel, Singapore; Taiwan Cellular Corporations, Taiwan and
Talkomsel, Indonesia and formed a regional alliance, namely Bridge Alliance.
2. In October 1, 2007, the company incorporated a new company namely, Bharti
Airtel Holding (Singapore) Pte Ltd in Singapore as an investment holding
company.
3. On 14 June 2016, Singapore Telecommunications and Bharti Airtel announced a
strategic alliance to provide seamless high speed data connectivity to global
enterprises under one network.

Airtel India Products

Airtel comes from Bharti Airtel Limited; Bharti Airtel is one of the leading alternative providers
of telecommunications services in India and the first private telecom services provider with a
footprint in all the 23 telecom circles. Bharti Airtel since its inception has been at the forefront of
technology and has steered the course of the telecom sector in the country with its world class
products and services. The businesses at Bharti Airtel have been structured into three individual
strategic business units - Mobile Services, Airtel Tele media Services & Enterprise Services. The
mobile business provides mobile & fixed wireless services using GSM technology across 23
telecom circles while the Airtel Tele media Services business offers broadband &telephone
services in 94 cities. The Enterprise services provide end-to-end telecom solutions to corporate
customers and national & international long distance services to carriers. All these services are
provided under the Airtel brand.””

The company is structured into four strategic business units - Mobile, Tele media, Enterprise
and Digital TV. The mobile business offers services in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The Tele
media business provides broadband, IPTV and telephone services in 89 Indian cities. The Digital
TV business provides Direct-to-Home TV services across India. The Enterprise business provides
end-to-end telecom solutions to corporate customers and national and international long distance
services to telecoms.”

Airtel major products are: -

Mobile: The mobile business offers services in India and Sri Lanka. The various product under
mobile services are:-
2G services
3G services
4G services
Tele media: The Tele media business provides services like: - broadband, IPTV and telephone
services in 95 Indian cities

Enterprise: The Enterprise business provides end-to-end telecom solutions to corporate customers
and national and international long distance services to carriers.

Digital-TV: “The Digital TV business provides Direct-to-Home TV services across India. All
these services are provided under the Airtel brand. Airtel provides a host of voice and data products
and services, including high speed GPRS services. Airtel also offers a wide array of post-paid and
prepaid mobile offers, with a range of tariff plans that target different segments. A comprehensive
range value- added, customized services are part of the unique package from Airtel. The
company’s product reflects a desire to constantly innovate. Some of these are reflected in the fact
that Airtel was the first to develop a µsingle integrated billing system. Airtel’s national high-speed
optic fiber network currently spans over 113,326 R km’s covering all the major cities in India. The
company has two international landing stations in Chennai and Mumbai that connect two
submarine cable systems - i2i to Singapore and SEA-ME-WE-4 to Europe. The businesses at
Bharti Airtel have been structures into three individual strategic business units. All these services
are provided under the Airtel brand.”

Voice Services: Bharti Airtel became the first private fixed line service provider in India. It is now
promoted under the Airtel brand. Recently, the govt. opened the fixed line industry to unlimited
competition. Airtel has subsequently started providing fixed line services in the four circles of
Delhi, Haryana, M.P., Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & UP (west). Airtel Enterprise services believe that
these circles have high telecommunications potential, especially for carrying Voice & Data Traffic.
These circles are strategically selected so as to provide synergies with Airtel’s long distance
network and Airtel’s extensive mobile network

Voice-Product Profile:
Airtel Enterprise Services telephone services go beyond basic telephony to offer users a whole
host of value added services as well as premium add on. Few of the value added services offered
are calling line identification, three party conferencing, dynamic lock, hunting numbers, and
parallel ringing etc. Airtel Enterprise services and voice services provide free dial ±up internet
access that is bundled along with telephone connection from Airtel. Its fast, reliable and gives
unlimited internet access.

Mobile service:
In India, the company's mobile service is branded as Airtel. It has nationwide presence and is the
market leader with a market share of 30.07% (as of May2010). Airtel’s mobile foot print extends
across the country in 21 telecom circles. Its service standards compare with the very best in the
world. It is one of the top 5 operators in the world, in terms of service and subscriber base.
Enterprise Services:
Enterprise Services provides a broad portfolio of services to large Enterprise and Carrier
customers. This division comprises of the Carrier and Corporate business unit. Enterprise Services
is regarded as the trusted communications partner to India's leading organizations, helping them
to meet the challenges of growth

Satellite Services:
Airtel Enterprise Services is a leading provider of broadband IP satellite services and
DAMA/PAMA services in India. Their solutions support audio, video and voice applications on
demand. The DTH service from Airtel, Direct to Home (DTH) enables viewers to receive
broadcast signals into their home via a satellite dish. Satellite services include PAMA/DAMA,
BIT- internet, VPN, Satellite based IPLC for redundancy reasons

Managed data & internet services:

Airtel Enterprise Services provides a comprehensive suite of data technologies which support all
types of networks and ensure that their customers can migrate their network to the future
seamlessly. Managed Data & internet Services include MPLS, ATM, FR, Internet, IPLC, Leased
lines, Customized solutions, International Managed Services, Metro Ethernet

Managed e-Business Services:

Airtel Enterprise Services offers an internationally benchmarked, carrier class hosting, storage
and business continuity services. Managed e-Business includes CO-lo: Dedicated and share, BCR
services, Web hosting.

POSITIONING
Media Strategy

The media arranging was finished by Madison Media. The essential media utilized for the
rebranding effort was TV and print so everybody would get the opportunity to see the promotion
and this would make an effect in his psyche. Later in the auxiliary media, OOH and computerized
media was utilized broadly so that there was a quick brand review of the new logo and the brand
Airtel. JWT was the innovative organization that has dealt with the new Airtel campaign as of
now playing out on TV, print, outside.

Brand Strategy

To comprehend the brand system, allows first take a gander at the brand building exercise related
with Airtel — a brand that repositioned as of late to stamp its worldwide nearness in the market.
The new Airtel campaign isn't just rebranding. It' a re-launch with a new positioning and new brand
idea even new voice. The brand has left on an energizing new trip. An excursion that tries to bring
individuals closer to what they adore. In the new interest economy, clients are not any more
cheerful being uninvolved watchers. They need to make, remark on and share all that is near their
souls. Airtel tries to empower that inside and out conceivable. At the point when the brand was
propelled, cell communication was definitely not a mass market using any and all means. For the
normal shopper, owning a mobile phone was costly as tax rates (at Rs 8 a moment) and additionally
instrument costs were steep, now and then as much as purchasing a second-hand auto. Bharti could
have tended to the client by reasonably disclosing to him the monetary preferred standpoint of
utilizing a cell phone. In any case, Sunil Bharti says that such a procedure would not have worked
for the straightforward reason that the incentive from utilizing the telephone at the time was not
equivalent with the cost. "Rather than the incentive model, we chose to address the tangible
advantage it provided for the client as the primary offering tack. The thought was to wind up an
identification esteem mark," he clarifies. So the Airtel "authority arrangement" campaign was
propelled indicating fruitful men with their workstations and in their luxurious autos utilizing the
cell phone. In basic terms, it implied Airtel was situated as a moving brand that was intended for
pioneers, for clients who captivated everyone. Did it work? Rehashed studies following the
dispatch demonstrated that there were three center advantages that were plainly connected with the
brand, administration, dynamism and execution. These were important characteristics, yet they just
took Airtel sufficiently far to set up its essence in the market. As levies began dropping, it ended
up vital for Airtel to speak to a more extensive group of onlookers. What's more, the different
brand-following activities demonstrated that in spite of all these great things, there was no
passionate measurement to the brand, it was seen as cool, far off and productive. By 2000, Bharti
and his group understood that in a business in which client connections were the center this could
be a noteworthy shortcoming. The dissuade levies indistinguishable to contender Essar and
generally a similar level of administration and plans, it had now turned out to be critical for Bharti
to "adapt" Airtel and utilize that relationship as a noteworthy separation. The brand had progressed
toward becoming something like Lufthansa, chilly and effective. What they required was to wind
up Singapore Aircrafts, proficient yet additionally human. An adjustment in tack was critical in
light of the fact that this was a period when the cell showcase was evolving. The initiative
arrangement was alright when you were charming the crème de la crème of society. When you
contacted them you needed to grow the market so there was have to deliver to new clients. At that
point, Bharti was at that point the main cell endorser in Delhi with a base of 3.77 lakh (it presently
has 200 million clients). What's more, with duties ending up more reasonable — as cell
organizations began cutting costs — the time had come to extend the market. How could Bharti
use this initiative position down the esteem chain? Studies demonstrated that the idea of
administration in the client's psyches was likewise evolving. Initiative did not mean guiding
subordinates to execute arranges but rather to work alongside a group to accomplish regular
destinations — it was, once more, a relationship amusement that should have been reflected in the
Airtel mark. Additionally, an overview demonstrated that 50 for each penny of the new clients pick
a cell phone mark for the most part through verbal supports from companions, family or partners.
Along these lines, existing clients were a vital apparatus for advertise development and Bharti
currently centered around building nearer associations with them. That is exactly what the brand
attempted to accomplish through its new situating under the Airtel "Touch Tomorrow" mark
campaign. This arrangement of battles depicted versatile clients encompassed via minding
relatives. Says Bharti: "The campaign and situating was intended to feature the relationship point
and make the brand gentler and more delicate." Airtel situated itself as a power mark with various
provincial sub-brands reflecting client needs in different parts of the nation and turned out to be
more altruistic and more delicate as a brand. Bharti likewise comprehended that one normal brand
for every single cell task may not generally work in urban markets that are getting progressively
immersed. To acquire new clients, the organization concluded that it expected to section the
market. In 2003, Airtel repositioned its image with "Express Yourself" battle and changed its logo
to give more lively and more youthful look. The feature of the campaign was capacity of Airtel's
execution and system scope and that it was propelled in provincial dialect.

CURRENT STRATEGY

As it looks to expand its cellular services globally— With an eye on the youth in Bangladesh, India
and Sri Lanka, Bharti Airtel has rebranded itself as 'Airtel' and launched a global campaign that
will rebrand its operations across the world. The new brand identity has been created in sync with
the launch of the company's third generation (3G) services.

THE AIRTEL RE –DESIGN

Old Logo New Logo

The new logo for Airtel service is designed London-based Brand Union, a WPP agency. Brand
Union has done a wonderful job as far as the Airtel logo goes.
“It’s young and vibrant. Above all, there’s a change in positioning, from a voice company to one
that provides data. It enriches lives in other words. The group’s marketing effort has been
reinforced with the re-launch of the Airtel brand logo, with a new international and younger look.
The idea was to rework the brand so that it is relevant to a larger segment of the population as we
are now expanding globally. The new brand look will be supported by Rs 300 crore budget.
Basically, Bharti Airtel, the brand owner, which provides the service, has done away with the box
in which the word Airtel was placed earlier. This was famously called the flag logo because the
look resembled just that — the colours red and white alternating with each other. The word ‘Air’,
in black, was placed against a white background, while ‘Tel’, in white, appeared against a red
backdrop. To keep the continuity going, the dot of the letter ‘i’ in the word, was also red. Airtel
now, is “unboxed” having been freed of its rigid boundaries. In a break from the past, the word
airtel has been spelt in lower case.
The brand has also recently unveiled its new positioning,
'Dil jo chahe paas laye'

The benefits the target audience would get form the brand Airtel would be a combination of :

o Emotional Benefit- The consumer could express his inner most feelings and always
stay connected to loved ones.

o Social Benefit- Airtel is an International brand now, it would satisfy his esteem
needs.

 The target audiences’ involvement with the product is very HIGH, as communication
is one of the most important aspects in every consumer’s life as it helps him to stay
connected to his near & dear ones & also carry on his daily life both professionally &
personally. Thus while choosing any such cellular service, he would do a complete analysis
& research to find out which service provider would satisfy his needs & may be give even
more.
CREATIVE BRIEF

The target audience in this ad campaign is both males and females of the SEC- A. who is intellectual,
intelligent & has the rationality to understand the gravity of the ad campaign. Since the objective was to
reposition the brand, it was necessary to make the consumer change his perception about the brand which
required a strong motivation. This could be done only by connecting with the consumer emotionally &
India being a country of emotions, it became necessary & easy to reach out to the consumer & place our
brands in their minds in a positive way. Airtel as a brand had to enhance its image, thus it had to give
something more, if not literally then emotionally. Thus came the concept of, 'Dil jo chahe paas laye' which
meant you'll never be away from your close ones in Airtel’s world. Once the consumer has seen the ad
campaign, it should create a deep impact in the minds of the consumer, so that if asked about any service
provider Airtel should be the brand that should in the consumers TOMA (Top of the mind Awareness).
After this ad campaign the consumer would have a higher bonding with the brand. Since the situations
shown in the ad campaign are similar to what every consumer can relate to, the consumer after having seen
the ad campaign should be convinced that its only Airtel which is a service provider that enables him to
convey all that he wants to.
PROMOTIONS
AD ELEMENTS
SITUATION 1: Endless Goodbye

The first TVC titled, 'Endless Goodbye', shows a couple bumping into each other repeatedly after having
said their goodbyes.
The TVC begins with a couple who looks very sad as the young man is leaving. However, the very next
moment, he finds the girl in a nearby café and is very excited to see her. Later, both walk down a street.
They say goodbye to each other and the girl turns away, only to meet the man again, who comes in a cab.
The girl hops into the taxi and both of them leave together. Then, the man asks the cabbie to stop the taxi
and gets out, bidding adieu to the girl inside. The next instant, the girl comes running towards the man and
hugs him. The TVC then shows the couple happily walking across the city. They enter a metro station and
once again are very sad, as the young man boards a train. As the train leaves, the girl once again meets the
man on the platform and happily hugs him. The TVC ends with a voiceover saying, "In Airtel's world, you'll
never be away from your close ones. Dil Jo Chahe Paas Laye."

SITUATION 2: Street Performer

Airtel to “Touch Tomorrow” with a new brand vision

The Bharti Mobile promoted AirTel cellular service will go in for repositioning of its brand image.
The new brand ethos is portrayed in two distinct fashions - the tag line "Touch Tomorrow", which
underscores the leading theme for the new brand vision, followed by "The Good Life", which
underscores a more caring, more customer centric organization. Aimed at re-engineering its
image as just simply a cellular service provider to an information communications services
provider, Touch Tomorrow is meant to embrace the new generation of mobile communication
services and the changing scope of customer needs and aspirations that come along with it.
 The new communication is about a new dimension
in the cellular category that goes beyond the
Internet, SMS, roaming, IVRS, etc but which
engulfs the whole gamut of wireless digital
broadband services that will constitute tomorrows
cellular services. The new campaign is in two
phases - the first of which will communicate
overall brand philosophy and the second products
and services. According to Mr. Jagdish Kini, Chief
Operating Officer, Bharti Mobile Limited, Karnataka "We are adopting a new brand- platform -
Touch Tomorrow - not only to reflect our corporate ethos but also business strategy".

The new identity will have the logo in Red, Black and White colours along with lower case
typography to convey warmth. AirTel will incorporate the latest branding in all of its
communication and will soon be going in for an enhanced promotional drive to establish the
brand's presence

Some other AD Campaigns like:-

 Phase 1

 Airtel Magic - “Magic Daalo Say Hello”

 Phase 2

 Airtel Magic – “Mumkin Hain…..”

 Phase 3
  Aisi Azadi Our Kahan, Express Yourself, Dil Jo Chahe Pass Laye…

FRIENSHIP CAMPAIGNS

 Har Ek Friend Zaruri Hota Hai (2011)

 Jo Tera Hai Vo Mera Hai(2012)

PROMOTIONAL OFFERS

Some promotional offers were made to

attract customers like:-
Current Positioning Since August 2015, when Airtel's 4G Challenge went on air, Chhetri became
synonymous with 4G in India and established herself as the confident go-getter who can deliver
the brand's message with panache.
Tag Line :- “India’s First 4G Network”
DISTRIBUTION
Airtel has spread its channel structure wide & effectively all over India. The channel structure is
effective and simple. Complications are kept avoided in order to create the overall process very
efficient and effective.
Distribution Channel

Under the
company

DSA CSA FSA

Direct Selling Corporate Selling Frachisee Selling
Associates Associates Associates

ARC
AIRTEL relationship
centre

The above figure reflects the regional level channel structure. Details are described below for better
understanding.

TERITORY MANAGER
The distributor is the one who handles provisioning, documents, operation back up and field sales
executives.
Teritory
Manager

Alternate
Channels

Tie ups

Brand/Stores
Products
etc

Distributors Distributors Distributors Distributors

Retailers

Tie ups
SELECTION OF CHANNEL MEMBERS/DEALERS
Airtel “follows a strict policy in selection of the dealers, and therefore it is necessary to fulfill the
following pre- requisites to be eligible to become a dealer:”

1) “The dealers should have a sound financial background. The financial capability of a dealer is
solely depended on the discretion of the company officials.”

2) “The dealers should have a good market reputation, since the dealers help the customers in
forming the first impression a customer has about the company.”

3) “The dealer should have a good previous track record, i.e., of timely payments, no criminal
background etc.”

4) “The dealers should have good market penetration. The company’s ability to gain maximum
customers in this era of competition solely depends on the penetration the dealers have in the
market.”

5) “The last criterion of dealer’s selection for Airtel is the area the dealers cover. This would
include different geographical areas which are covered by a dealer.”

RESPONSIBILITIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE DEALERS

Airtel “believes in “Customer Loyalty” and thus Airtel expects that their dealers apart from selling
paint products should perform the following functions for better customer relations’ management:”

1) “Sales promotion through regular promotional schemes, road shows, campaigns etc. the
expenses incurred by the dealers is shared by the company only if these activities are for promotion
of the company and not of the dealer.”
2) “Recruitment- done under the guidance of certain Airtel officials”
3) “Training and development of manpower with company assistance”
4) “Servicing according to the size of orders”
5) “Customer relation management”
6) “Promote other products of the company”

The “dealer should be in regular touch with the customer, keep taking his feedback and ensure
maximum customer satisfaction. The dealer should also try and convince the customer to try newer
products of the company.”
CHANNEL MANAGEMENT AT AIRTEL
Since “Airtel has an intensive distribution network, proper channel management becomes
an indispensable part of the system. One of the major issues encountered in the channel
management is channel conflict. Channel conflict is behavior by a channel member that is
in opposition to its channel counterparts. It is opponent centered and direct, in which the
goal or object sought is controlled by the counterpart.”

Channel “conflicts, that mainly result from competing goals of the channel members,
different perceptions of reality, clashes over domains i.e. intra and multi-channel
competition, roles disclarity, expectations divergence, relationship disharmony etc. To
avoid these conflicts, Airtel has adopted a Second and Third Degree Distribution network.”

INNOVATIONS IN CHANNEL MANAGEMENT

 With “the drastic improvement in technology, a centralized system can be set up in order
to reduce the number of channel members and the problems accompanying them. This may
lead to improvement in the communication among the channel members.”
 Reduction “of the number of methods through which a retailer can recharge his SIM in
order to do recharge/ give service to the end customer. This method would help facilitate
better communication as well as improved monitoring of the business.”

ISSUES OF CHANNEL CONFLICT

Due “to lack in channel innovation these are the conflicts that are arising in the channel. The
following also has a list of problems faced due to this conflict.”

 Problem “of service gap: Cases have been found where the retailer has run out of its
recharging balance and the balance has not been refilled by the distributor timely. This may
be caused because of the time lag or because of the no credit policy of the distributor. This
however leads to some loss to the company as the customer has to return back without
recharging. This also weakens the company’s image in the eyes of the customer as retailer
here acts as the face of the company.”
 Competition: “Due to large number of players, now the retailer has to keep competitor
products as well. However, they are unwilling to make extra investment and reduce the
share of each existing company to accommodate the competitor products.”
 Non-availability “of particular offers: There have been instances where the company has
announced new offers. However, those are not available at the retailer’s outlet. This may
happen due to lag in information passage from the company to the retailer. This situation
is seen especially in the rural areas where number of retailers is less compared to urban
areas. This may lead to loss of potential customers and ultimately unrest among the
retailers.”
  Retailers “selling SIM Cards at a cost lesser than the MRP: Big retailers who purchase
the SIM Cards in bulk sell the SIM Cards at a cost lower than the MRP. They use the
economy of scale achieved through bulk purchase, reduce money from their commission
and pass on the difference to the end customer. Thus they are able to sell the SIM Cards at
a lower cost than the competing retailer. This leads to unequal sell by the various retailers.”
 Old “SIM Cards not replaced in time: Once some offer is over, the SIM Cards which
hold that offer has to be taken back by the distributor and replaced by new SIM Cards.
However there have been instances where the distributor is late on completing this activity.
This leads to inventory accumulation at the retailer’s shop which the retailer cannot sell.”

BRANDING
The “aim is to highlight the rebranding and constant repositioning done by Airtel. Airtel has
recently undergone a very huge rebranding which has cost millions to the company. Airtel despite
being the number one company (with widest consumer base and largest market presence) has been
constantly rebranding and repositioning itself. Airtel is the number one telecom service provider
in India, it’s the only service provider which has its presence in all the telecom service circles of
India. Even then it changes its logo, jingle and tagline very regularly.”

LOGOS:
The Black Logo (Year 1995-2002):
The “time when mobile telephony began in India a decade ago, the brand was all about aspiration.
That's understandable: a handset cost about Rs 45,000 - the price of a second-hand Fiat - and call
charges hovered around Rs 16 a minute. Naturally, the target customer was clearly defined: elite,
upmarket professionals and entrepreneurs. They positioned Airtel as an aspirational and lifestyle
brand.”

Airtel “was on a power trip: the logo was black, uppercase bold lettering; and the baseline was
"the power to keep in touch." From day one, it was decided that the brand should always connote
leadership - be it in network, innovations, offerings or services.

A Change of Colour (Year 2002-2010):

This was also a time when customers needed to be educated; interest levels were high, but
customers' exposure to the cellular world was limited. Airtel took out full and half-page ads in
newspapers, answering queries like "what is roaming?", "what is coverage area?" and "how to
make international calls".

A “new logo was introduced which incorporates two solid, red rectangular forms whose counter-
form creates an open doorway. The title case lettering with its capital "A" reinforces leadership
position. The red dot cues in the focus on innovation. The red colour was used to refresh the brand.
The new logo was a strong, contemporary, a confident symbol of a brand that is always ahead of
the rest, always "In-touch" and on customer’s side.”

The Current Logo (2010-Present):

New logo was introduced as Airtel expanded to Africa, so to give a new identity of expanding
beyond boundaries. The logo is a modern representation of the letter ‘a’ on a bright red
background. The curved shape and the gentle highlights on the red color make it warm and inviting,
almost as if it were a living object. The logo represents a dynamic force of unparalleled energy
that brings it and customers closer. The “unboxed” having been freed of its rigid boundaries. The
color Red is part of heritage. It is the color of energy and passion that expresses the dynamism that
has made Airtel the success it is today, in India, and now on the global stage.”

AIRTEL JINGLE:

 In 2002, “Airtel signed on music composer A R Rahman to compose “Signature tune”

which is aligned with its value preposition “Live every moment". It was later the most
downloaded ringtone in India and helped in Brand Recall for Airtel.
 In November 2010, when Airtel repositioned itself after the expansion to Africa, along with
creating a new value preposition and a new logo, music composer AR Rahman composed
a new signature tune which find the space in the mind of the youth.
 In July 2011, Airtel used another jingle in Television commercials “Har ek friend zaroori
hota hai”. It reflects that all types of friends around you are important in once life, hence
encourage the youth to connect with every friend.”
BRAND COMMUNICATION:

 In 1995, “Airtel campaigns begin with teaser hoardings across the city bearing just the
company name without explaining what it was. In next phase Airtel was related to cellular
services of bharti and vans with Airtel logos roamed the city, handing brochures that
advertised about the company and its services to all consumers. About 50,000 direct callers
were sent out. When the name was well entrenched in Delhiites mind, Airtel focused on
communicating the utility of cellphone and started with “leadership campaign” through
commercials depicting business executives travelling in cars and using laptops were also
using Airtel mobile. It also sponsored golf tournament to communicate its positioning.
 In 2002 it signed music composer AR Rahman as brand ambassador and started “live every
moment” campaign to connect to the masses and youth of the country. In next phases Airtel
created some highly acclaimed campaigns - Quality time campaign, Magic dalo campaign,
Say hello campaign, Magic hai tau mumkin hai campaign. For these campaigns Airtel
signed various brand ambassadors like Shah Rukh Khan (2002), Sachin Tendulkar(2003),
this associated the leadership position of Airtel as they were the leader of their fields . Also
Saif-Kareena(2006), Vidya Balan(2008) were trending those days so they associated Airtel
connect with the youth. Through these campaigns Airtel communicating itself as brand for
the youth and reflected itself as a brand providing premium service.
 On 9 May 2009 Airtel signed a major deal with Manchester United. As a result of the deal,
Airtel got the rights to broadcast the matches played by the team to its customers. In 2010,
when Airtel repositioned itself, it launched a new TVC of the new signature tune composed
by AR Rahman, which communicated about the new identity of the brand. This was
initiation of “Thematic Brand campaigns” launched by Airtel.
 In 2011, a new campaign commercial was launched “Hare k friend zaruri hota hai” which
was an extension of thematic brand campaign. Airtel further extended this brand idea with
the launch of a new online viral campaign at its YouTube channel.”

Overall strategy
Airtel “is the world’s 3rd largest mobile telecommunication Indian MNC operating in 20 countries
across Asia & Africa. Airtel has presence in 22 telecom circles across India & is India’s largest
integrated telecom service provider.

Segmentation, targeting, positioning in the Marketing strategy of Airtel

Airtel uses mix of segmentation strategies to segment its offerings like basic Call /SMS plans,
prepaid / Post-paid plans, VAS – Data, caller tunes etc. Apart from geographically segmenting the
market in East, West, North, South & central, the market is also segmented in each region on the
basis of demographic variables like age, Income, Social groups.
Different geographic regions are handled independently and different campaigns are run according
to the preferences of people in each region. Airtel has targeted the generation Z of 15-25 ages,
generation X & baby Boomers by using different campaigns over the period of time i.e. campaign
like “Har Ek friend Jaruri hota hai”/ “Jo tera hai wo mera hai ” to target Gen Z and recently
launched campaign of “one touch internet” targeting Gen X & baby boomers.

Airtel has been successful in top-of-the-mind recall amongst cellular phone users and is enjoying
a leadership position in most markets. After changing its logo it has repositioned itself as Young,
Energetic & International brand. It has evolved itself as a torch bearer of the telecom industry in
India.”

Mission –“Hunger to win customers for life.”

Vision- “Our vision is to enrich the lives of our customers. Our obsession is to win customers for
life through an exceptional experience.”

Tagline – “The smartphone Network”.

Competitive advantage in the Marketing strategy of Airtel –

With “the formation of Indus tower & partnering with Idea & Vodafone for Indian Operations,
Airtel has extended its infrastructure in the extreme parts of the country for nationwide penetration,
creating competitive edge over other players in terms of low operational cost, better network
connectivity, coverage, low call drops & better customer service.

Airtel developed a sustainable advantage through its excellent network of telecom towers. In many
locations, newer entrants found it cheaper to rent Airtel’s existing infrastructure rather than setup
new towers. Also spending extensively on advertising & promotions helped it to become a market
leader. Word of mouth is one of the strongest forms of promotions & Airtel has completely
leveraged that. Airtel is always known for its innovation and some of its products were thelifetime
prepaid, Airtel live, Hello tunes, My Plans, M-check are pioneer strategies & the list is never
ending.”

BCG Matrix in the Marketing strategy of Airtel-

Airtel “have 4 SBU’s (Strategic business unit) which occupies different places in BCG matrix
namely
Mobile services are stars, as it is operating in 22-telecom circles of India and is the largest mobile
service provider in the country, based on the number of customers & (22.7 %) market share.

Tele-media services – fixed-line services are dogs since there is a phenomenal decrease in the
services in the industry as a whole.

High-speed broadband which is question mark since it has best in class network with
126,357Rkm of fibre laid down but still they have presence in only 87 metros & tier-1 city further
investment can increase their market share & will help it to move to stars.

Airtel business to large enterprise is question mark, although it provides a broad portfolioof
services to large Enterprise, Government, Small & Medium businesses and carrier customersbut
the services offered by Airtel are expensive as compared to other players.

Digital TV services are stars, Airtel have 18% market share in the DTH services second to only
Dish TV & have head on competition with TATA sky.”

Distribution strategy in the Marketing strategy of Airtel

It “has wide spread simple and effective channel structure. Company uses 2-Tier & 3-tier
distribution network system. Under 2-tier distribution network, company appoints UD (urban
distributors) & RS (Rural Suplliers). UD distribute the items to retailers according to the demand
& transfer easy balance to retailer through FOS (Field officer Sales) SIM who work under UD’s.
Under 3-tier distribution RS (rural supers) distributes the items to RD (Rural Distributors) &
transfer easy balance into RD’s SIM, who then distribute it to Retailers. Apart from all these
company also uses Airtel Relationship centres under franchised model & company officials for
corporate sales

SWOT
One of the top telecommunication companies in India, Airtel has spread across far and wide in the last 2
decades of its existence. The company is known for its availability and its smart range of value added
services. Here we present you the SWOT analysis of Airtel to understand the strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats for the company.

Strengths
Renowned Telecom company: With its 19+ years of rich experience in telecom industry this MNC had
travelled far to become world’s 3rd largest telecom operator overseas with operations in nearly 20 countries.
High Brand Equity: It is one of the pioneer brands in telecommunication having a high brand recall.
Extensive infrastructure: With the formation of Indus tower & due to its partnership with Idea & Vodafone,
the infrastructure of Airtel has extended in all parts of the country resulting into nationwide penetration.
Strategic Alliances: The company has top notch stakeholders, namely Sony Ericsson, Nokia and singtel,
and the recent one being Apple. Such strategic alliances boost the brand equity and the bottom line of the
company.
Torchbearer of the telecom Industry: With its number 1 spot due to its excellent services in developing
economies, Airtel has interconnected the life of people in an highly efficient way. Thus, where Vodafone
is an external entrant, Airtel is a leading nationwide player in India and the torchbearer of the telecom
industry.”

WEAKNESS

Outsourced “Operations: Outsourcing operations helped Airtel in lowering its cost. But on the
other hand, they are running the risk of being dependent on some other companies which may
affect its operations.
Venturing into African operations: Although it’s been 4 years that Airtel has acquired Zain’s Africa
business, but Airtel is still struggling to turn around the unit which was bought at a whoppy 9 billion dollars.
High Debt: With its acquisitions turning out to bad investment, and credit being high and margins being
low, Airtel group is under high debt. Airtel does not have as deep pockets as Vodafone.

Opportunities:
Strategic Partnership: Partnering with smart phone companies is going to be a smart strategy as far
as MNP (mobile number portability in India) is concerned. This will ensure fixed cash flows in
the future and a higher customer base.

Market Development: With fierce competition in the telecom industry & shrinking margins,
venturing out in new markets/developing economies will prove fruitful for the company.
VAS: VAS (Value Added services) is going to future of the telecommunication industry & by
specializing itself in this vertical Airtel can differentiate itself in highly competitive market. With
introduction of unique services, Airtel can avail higher margins.
Untapped geography of the current market: Although it is currently providing 3G & 4G services,
but these services are limited to specific geographical locations. Expansion of these services to
most of its regions will help the company get more margins and customers.
LTE: The whole wireless world is moving towards LTE (long term evolution or 4G). LTE for
mobile broadband can be a good solution for India where fixed broadband penetration is otherwise
low. Airtel has taken the lead with this version of LTE in 4 cities, but deployment needs to catch
up pace. Despite a weak LTE ecosystem in India, Airtel should portray itself as the embracer of
that technology. The company lacks nationwide 3G license with spectrum in 13 out of 22 telecom
service areas. Airtel’s LTE network for mobile broadband is still confined to only 4 cities in India.
Threats:
Government Regulatory Framework: With the auction of spectrum & change in the government
policies on a regular basis, it is a potential threat to the stability & existence of this industry thereby
affecting the players

Competition: Price war in the home market and declining margins due to this is adversely affecting
the overall business of the group.

MNP (Mobile number portability): MNP gives the customer independence to change the service
provider while retaining the number and as Airtel charges are premium over other service
providers, it can see slump in subscriber base in the next fiscal year with PAN India MNP
applicable from May 3rd 2015.

Marketing mix of Airtel

Bharti Airtel Limited (Bharti Airtel) is one of India’s most popular providers of integrated
telecommunication services and is based in India and headquartered in New Delhi. Basically, the
company is tasked with the work of operating telecommunication services in the larger Indian
subcontinent. The company’s business services include mobile services, enterprise services and
Tele media services. The mobile services comprise of fixed wireless services and mobile services
which use GSM network technology across major telecommunication circles in the country.

With a Pan-India presence, Airtel an established player in providing 3G services is now planning
aggressively to roll out its 4G services in a phased manner. These services are now available in
metros and big cities like Bangalore and Mumbai. The company also provides world class landline
telephone and broadband services and the enterprise unit across 95 cities in India. Some of Bharti
Airtel competitors include the following:

 Idea
 Tata Docomo.
 Reliance Communications Limited
 Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.
 Vodafone (strongest competitor)

Products in the marketing mix of Airtel

The company provides a wide array of products and services. In order to retain the maximum
number of customers, Airtel has tried to provide as many products and services as possible in order
to keep the customers. The following is a list of its products:
  Airtel Pre-paid services
 Blackberry Wireless Handheld
 Airtel Post-paid services
 Value added services like instant balance inquiry, caller line identification, 24 hour
recharge facility, multimedia messaging service, call wait & call Hold, Caller divert,
Airtel Live portal
 SMS based information services
 Voice mail services
 Hello tunes, Ring tones,
 Ringtones and hello tunes offers
 Easy post-pay bill payment solutions
 Enterprise Solutions

Place in the marketing mix of Airtel

Airtel’s penetration in India is quite impressive because the services and networks can be found
even in India’s remotest regions. Currently, gross subscriber base has pass the 200 million mark
while the total wireless subscriber base for CDMA, GSM and WLL is about 162 million. Clearly,
the customer base of Airtel is strong in India. It is also worth mentioning that millions of the
network’s lines are added per year.

Airtel enjoys a well distributed network of distributors including even businesses like groceries
and chemist outlets. One of the things that have made Bharti Airtel a force to reckon in
telecommunication industry in India and Africa is that it has the strategy of making the first moves
and emerging as a winner. It has managed to buy Kuwait’s Zain and Tata steel in the past, making
it a top 5 wireless carrier in the world by subscription.

 Wider distribution network as compared to competitors

 Network is widespread bringing many customers daily to Airtel
 Fourth largest mobile operator in the world with presence in 20 countries

Promotion in the Marketing mix of Airtel

Airtel engages in aggressive marketing strategy ranging from traditional print media to social
network marketing. However, the company’s recent rebranding efforts bombed in the market and
were not received positively. The company also engages in large scale TV and print advertising.
The company frequently uses big celebrities who endorse the services. The company also managed
to create its signature tune from Oscar winning musician A.R.Rahman which has become one of
the most downloaded tunes in India. It is also interesting to note that even such seemingly
redundant activities like providing wallpapers and screensavers to computer users has proved a
very effective marketing strategy. The company also offers special discounts and offers to its
subscribers. Some salient points about the promotions of Airtel are

 Uses ATL and BTL activities

 Makes an effort to go regional
 Recent rebranding effort has failed in the market
 Has good word of mouth and a good brand image second only to Vodafone.

Price in the marketing mix of Airtel

The company uses competitive pricing strategy just like any other network providers because of
the competition which is present in this sector. However, Airtel also provides flexible pricing
mechanism depending on the prevailing market conditions. For instance, when the company
relaxes taxation, it also reduces its prices across all affected products. The make my plan
introduced by Airtel was a smart strategy as customers could now modify their plan as they see
fit.”

INFERENCES FROM PRIMARY DATA

From “the 3 interviews that we conducted with Airtel employees of different departments, we
concluded few important points about the company:

 Leading global telecommunications company

 Does operations on a global basis. 19 countries operations across Asia and Africa.
 It is a recognizable brand name
 Offers mobile voice & data services, fixed line, high speed broadband, IPTV, DTH,
turnkey telecom solutions for enterprises and national & international long distance
services to carriers.
 Has been ranked among the six best performing technology companies in the world by
business week.
 It has strong economic and financial base.
 Increases the use of services as per the demand of public (like internet packages)
 Competition in market is very high. New companies that recently entered into the market
like, Jio, Hathway, MTS, etc. They offer the best services at competitive prices.
 Still, Jio is a big threat as it disturbs its pricing strategy and market share.
 Lacks in providing proper network coverage.
 Has low-standard geographical coverage.
 People in villages are still using BSNL because of Airtel’s bad network coverage. So,
Airtel is still trying to grab a chance to grow in village on the basis of their best services
quality.
  Claims highly skilled workforce”

On the basis of the inferences made from the primary data, research was conducted via
secondary data to give the desired suggestions for the company. Secondary data is collected from
the previously published research studies and newspaper articles.

SOURCES FOR PRIMARY DATA

 Mr. Tribhuvan Joshi, Assistant manager, Marketing. Email- tribhuvan.joshi@airtel.com

 Mr. Anuj Aggarwal, Manager, Sales. Email- anuj1.aggarwal@airtel.com
 Mr. Akshay Bissa, Senior Executive, Network. Email- akshay.bissa@airtel.com

SUGGESTIONS
1. Airtel “should ensure superior delivery of the basic core service benefits of mobile
telecom services such as voice clarity, geographical network coverage, and congestion
free networks to keep a lead in the mobile telecom services market.
2. Changing the tag line again and again has confused the customer. Thus positioning the
brand in a way to make it aspirational enough will help them to increase the customer
base.
3. The current strategy of introducing 4G girl to promote the 4g channel has frustrated the
customers because of high coverage, since customers felt that they were being spy by the
brand. Thus ATL activities should be in a way that it increase the visibility and awareness
irrespective of frustrating the customers.
4. More campaigns like “Har ek friend jaruri hota hai” should be created to engage the youth
population who are the highest consumers as per value.
5. It should continue to attract the internet savvy customers, especially youngsters which
would provide easy to activate mobile internet services.
6. There is ample scope for Airtel in the public sector to further improve their customer care
services. They should provide: trouble-free access to customer care touch points,
effortless activation of value added services, uncomplicated deactivation of the services
as and when required, knowledgeable and empowered customer care personnel. They
should show enthusiasm to solve customers’ problems at all interfaces.
7. Airtel have very good brand value in India. In order to achieve success in problem prone
Africa they should use this brand value to overcome their troubles through meaningful
differences distinctive from other operators.
8. In order to attract low income groups and daily earners in Africa, Sri Lanka and
Bangladesh they should introduce small denomination recharge facility and make it
available at customers’ convenient locations. They should advise tariff plans to the
customers suitable for individual usage.
9. Airtel should utilize the possibility of advertisements in their marketing communication
in their foreign expansions since they are known to attract customers through their vibrant
and alluring ads.
10. They should take initiatives to attract the internet familiar customers, to their websites to
make the marketing communication more effective.
11. The aggressiveness in promoting attractive SMS and Internet packages will help Airtel to
attract and retain the students and younger age groups.
12. Airtel should redesign their displays and demonstrations at point of sales according to the
country of operation to gain the attraction of more customers.
13. Airtel may find success by offering customized services to their customers in the
countries where they are still struggling
14. The demographic segments such as younger age groups, private sector employees,
customers in low income profile, low educational profile, and rural residents show clear
inclination towards private sector service providers. Therefore Airtel may formulate
appropriate strategies to attract these customer segments in economies like Africa and
Bangladesh.”

REFERENCES

 https://www.airtel.in/
 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/columns/chitra-narayanan/how-airtel-
improved-its-offertojoining-ratio/article9924032.ece
 https://www.vccircle.com/bharti-airtel-creates-unit-foreign-expansion/
 http://www.airtel.in/about-bharti/media-centre/bharti-airtel-
news/enterprise/singtel+and+airtel+announce+a+strategic+alliance+to+provide+seam
less+high+speed+data+connectivity+to+global+enterprises+under+one+network
 http://www.ft.lk/article/129823/Airtel-Lanka-completes-four-years-of-market-
transformation-in-Sri-Lanka
 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/bharti-airtel-completes-merger-of-
bangladesh-arm-with-robi-axiata/article9353767.ece
 https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/bangladesh-goes-africa-way-
for-bharti-airtel-114110400936_1.html
 https://www.termpaperwarehouse.com/essay-on/International-Expansion-Strategy-
Of-Airtel/29554
  http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-how-bharti-airtel-plans-to-
make-it-big-in-africa/20110610.htm

APPENDIX

Interview Questions
1. Tell me something about your company.
2. Tell us something about few of your company products.
3. How does company plan the strategy while launching its products.
4. How is branding maintained in the competitive world like now?
5. Whom does company consider the biggest competitor or threat?
6. How does company position itself in the current competition?
7. What are the threats to the company while framing the strategy and maintaining its
brand?
8. How does company manage to keep up with the changing technologies?
9. How efficient is the distribution of the Airtel? What factors you think makes it most
and least in its efficiency?
10. How do you think that company can improve its distribution system?
11. Where do you see this company in coming 10 years?