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In the success story of Indian economy in the recent past, the telecom sector plays an important role. Indeed, the sector has witnessed the biggest ever action in the last couple of years, and has grabbed attention from across the globe.
No wonder then, that within months of Tata Docomo entering the telecom space -- which was already dominated by biggies such as Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance Communications, Tata Indicom and others - another player, Uninor, is set to make its debut. The GSM service provider is the result of a joint venture of real estate major, Unitech and Norway-based Telenor Group.
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But how do these newcomers break into the highly competitive Indian telecom market and acquire customers? The trend suggests aggressive marketing as their mantra. If Docomo hit it right with the price card, Uninor is banking on its strong and unique positioning.
"We chose to go beyond the immediate functionalities of prices, plans and schemes and offers. There's something much bigger going on in India. An entire generation is breaking free and reaching out to get what it wants. We hope to be able to serve as a tool in their hands to do this," explains David Meneghello, executive vice-president, marketing, Uninor.
Uninor has set its sights on an 8 per cent market share by 2018. At the same time, it wants to be ready and responsive to its customers. To achieve this, the brand aims to speak to the young, ambitious Indians in their own voice.
Uninor's recently launched brand campaign is a reflection of this thought process. The 360-degree campaign, launched in eight circles so far (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar, Eastern and Western Uttar Pradesh), upholds the voice of the youth, proclaiming that their time has arrived. The campaign will be launched nationally soon.
"Our positioning statement, 'Ab mera number hai', is the voice of a young Indian who is restless to succeed; who knows that his or her time has come and it is now. We at Uninor believe that heroes need not necessarily be celebrities and stars. The real heroes are out there -- succeeding every day in their own lives, making it on their own and wanting more. And these are the faces you see in our TVCs and on our billboards," adds Meneghello.
About the cost of the campaign, he states, "We are in a market that is competitive and cluttered. Our spends will reflect the need to establish and position ourselves as a strong telecom brand in India."
On a creative note
Conceptualised by Leo Burnett, Delhi, produced by Rising Sun and directed by Shoojit Sircar, the campaign showcases common people and youth from various walks of life, who have one thing in common -- raw ambition.
Unlike other telecom brands, which play the 'fun' card or feature 'happy, shiny faces', the campaign has a stark, raw and intense look.
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Detailing more on the creative idea, KV Sridhar, national creative director, Leo Burnett, says, "We want this brand to be placed in young people's everyday lives and play an active role in helping them achieve their ambitions. We want it to be a brand that is inspirational, more than aspirational."
The campaign comprises five short films of 10 seconds, two theme films and two product films. The 10-seconders set the tone for the brand. They are snippets that showcase the youth's aspirations in a direct and in-your-face manner.
The two theme films take category ownership and work on the insight that most young people think of getting a mobile phone when they are preparing to step into the world in order to chase their ambitions; eventually, this mobile number stays constant with them, while everything else changes. And it is through this mobile number that opportunities come knocking.
The product films, too, speak the same language. They talk about all the struggle and hard work bearing fruit with that one critical call, which now costs just 29 paise per minute.
The films have been conceived and written by Abhinav Tripathi, creative director, copy, Leo Burnett. While talking to afaqs!, Tripathi mentions that most of the films have been inspired by his own or his colleagues' real-life stories.
"We did not want to be a voice to the customer, but the voice of the customer. Our tone is such that we are not instructing the audience on what to do and what not to do. Instead, we trust them on the fact that they know what they want and how to achieve it. We are just saying that we, as a brand, will fuel their ambitions," he explains.
On the efforts that the creative team has taken to break the clutter, Loveleen Raina, business unit head, Leo Burnett, says, "We have purposely avoided clichés of the industry, such as using good-looking models, expensive foreign locations or high-profile celebrities. Our view of the young is clear - they are their own heroes and role models and they appreciate honest and straight talk. We are not here to peddle razzmatazz; we are here to make a difference in young people's lives in our own little way."
The innovation carried out in the outdoor campaign is in sync with the brand idea of upholding the ambitions of the youth. In several small towns, projection hoardings were installed with plain screens. Passersby were then asked to stand in front of the camera and see themselves on the screen with the projected message, "Ab mera number hai".
Has the time come for Uninor?
The fraternity is divided on whether the TVCs would help the brand establish its roots in the Indian telecom industry and hold a special place in the heart of its consumers.
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Naresh Gupta, national planning head, Publicis Mumbai finds the campaign interesting. He acknowledges that although the category is very challenging; but Uninor manages to create a niche for itself.
He is hopeful that the campaign will make people consider the brand. "There is a promise of being new, and people do consider the new brand when they are evaluating. However, new customer acquisition in this category is increasingly getting tough. Does this really build a differentiated reason? I am not so sure. The 29 paise per minute strategy is different from 1/2 paise per second; and therein lies the trap. So, either it will work very boldly, or Uninor will have to do a quick course correction," he states.
Naren Kaimal, executive creative director, India, M&C Saatchi feels that it's a good campaign from the strategic planning perspective; but the creatives don't break any new ground.
"The emotional route, appealing to young job-seekers, may find some resonance in the short term; though in an impending number-portability era, a greater opportunity might have been missed. Also, the tagline reminds me of the old soft-drink line of 'Mera number kab aayega'," he explains.
He adds that in the scripts, he would have liked to see more interesting characters, or an insight into this generation of young people. "The bland goodness of hard-working, sincere, self-made, idealistic is true for every generation of youth. But today's youth goes beyond all these, which needed to be captured in the campaign" he opines.
© 2010 afaqs!From Rakesh sharma, Thu 17 Jun 2010 03:26:12 PM I do agree with the point that the 'Uninor' as a brand now it recognize across the masses. The first job is done, getting the awareness about the brand. Even the tagline 'ab mera number hai' clearly emphasis of young aspirant wanted to achieve something in his life .made thr voice heard, and they succeed a lot to make the brand uninor known to people.
From Rohan Joshi, Sun 13 Jun 2010 08:16:30 PM I do agree with the point that the 'Uninor' as a brand now it recognize across the masses. The first job is done, getting the awareness about the brand. Even the tagline 'ab mera number hai' clearly emphasis of young aspirant wanted to achieve something in his life . Though the Insight has nicely picked up, the TVC lack in the formulation of the ad The emotional part of th ad (when the gentle men get's the offer) has exagerated very badly, inspite as a normal consumer we should feel very happy that boy has got the job, but it doesn't touches our heart. Logo is very unique n cathy too.
Hope the brand will get the good success. All the best.
From Rakesh sharma, Fri 04 Jun 2010 03:32:16 PM Though the target group is Bang on!!!...but creative doesnt seem to be really appealing to a youth like m to even get a thought of switching over to other connection. ya in this cluttered market they made thr voice heard, and they succeed a lot to make the brand uninor known to people.
From Aparna, Fri 29 Jan 2010 01:42:53 AM @Arif : FYI - Grameenphone is a Telenor group owned company, like Telenor Pakiastan and Uninor India.. Hence the logo is same..
From Dheeraj, Mon 25 Jan 2010 06:36:40 PM Uninor"A great start".
Its starting just like nirma and I think that know very well that who they can capture the market.
From Ashish Kumar Jaiswal, Mon 25 Jan 2010 12:37:41 PM I really liked creative "Father and Son" & "Flat Mates" were best while first of half of "Job" & "Football" was excellent, in other half it comes to usual benefit of 29 ps per min, otherwise excellent
From Ankur, Sun 24 Jan 2010 11:38:44 AM The TVCs are different from cinematic point of view. Raw, unpolished characters, sync sound dubbing - all these things cover up for the lack of twist in the storyline. They look different from the gloss of other telecom brands. But the outdoor is really path breaking.
From Bharat Aggarwal, Sat 23 Jan 2010 01:06:24 PM First i would like to say all the very best to this venture. See Communication is the first and foremost thing when anybody arrives in this world. The second step is to have a clear and understandable communication. My only point quoting this is to the fact that do less business go slowly in your growth but the services should be user friendly. Take an example of Nokia, why people prefer it in comparison to others, coz it is user friendly.
The advertisment approach is quite appealing and eye catching. Being noticed does not always mean that it will sell. Focus on customer requirement and come out with a concrete reason that why people get associated with you.
All the best once again.
From Pavan, Sat 23 Jan 2010 12:44:58 PM I haven't seen the TVC but I feel that the creative concept, as I understood from the tag line of 'ab mera number hai', could put off the youth who already live a rate race life. I would have preferred somethng 'life is not just a number'. I feel this would have resonated better with the current youth. Going by the run away success of '3 Idiots', it even makes even more sense to me.
From bijulal, Sat 23 Jan 2010 05:40:18 AM the campaign will not sell its brands, it lacks both the creative and functional benefit.just c the docomo branding its is the right strategy and idea
From Manoj Sahay, Fri 22 Jan 2010 10:16:45 PM Most of these people residing in metro miss out the fact that , Uninor in India is a new telecom brand and just showing odd faces doesnt tell the masses what this brand is all about . Yes, there may have been good awareness about the brand name, but if you ask what this brand does ? I did a dips stick test and the result was , they didnt know what this company sells. Now with mobile density almost reaching its peak in metro , the media communication needs to be slightly more loud ,keeping the target in mind.
From Hephail, Fri 22 Jan 2010 07:36:23 PM Mind blowing ads!
Why does the "Mera Number Hai!" seem to hint at Number Portability so much, I wonder!
From RNZ, Fri 22 Jan 2010 06:34:40 PM Uninor's 'Ab mera number hai' campaign reminds me pepsi 's 2000 campaign "Mera number kab aayega?
ya in this cluttered market they made thr voice heard, and they succeed a lot to make the brand uninor known to people,
From bhaskar, Fri 22 Jan 2010 06:10:37 PM I really like the fact that young people are being shown not in the regular ways that they are shwon in jeans of bike ads. This is like me with my father. good show.
From Pratap Ch Bhanja, Fri 22 Jan 2010 05:21:45 PM Uninor has tried to be different by making its ads simple. They have succeeded in making appropriate sound. Their tagline "Ab mera number hai" related to common customer and they have tried to project themselves as the voice of the customer. The use of common people as brand messengers / ambassadors instead of big celebrity is perfect fit to the tagline. Common customer can easily relate to them.
However, the creative when transferred on to hoardings is not that striking. The color selection of fonts (blue) is wrong somewhat, which gets merged with the back ground. That should have stand out clearly. Only backlit kiosks (only when there is Logo on white back ground) stand out in the clutter.
From naveen sequeira, Fri 22 Jan 2010 05:06:19 PM very very very drab....good concept but the ideas could have been better...very vliche ideas
From Niketa, Fri 22 Jan 2010 05:00:31 PM Really good work guys, thought-though and meaningful. way to go! looking forward to seeing Uninor in Mumbai soon.
From Praveen Mehta, Fri 22 Jan 2010 02:08:01 PM The ads and hoardings are undoubtedly different from that of Uninor's competitors and usually different is good. I really like the fact that to back up their campaign line "Ab mera number hai", they have used normal looking people and not some big celeb or model. Even their ads have been made in such a normal manner that everybody can relate to them.
From Francoise, Fri 22 Jan 2010 02:01:33 PM to quote Mr. Tripathi, "We did not want to be a voice to the customer, but the voice of the customer. Our tone is such that we are not instructing the audience on what to do and what not to do. Instead, we trust them on the fact that they know what they want and how to achieve it. We are just saying that we, as a brand, will fuel their ambitions,"
If everybody realizes that these are the type of messages that would actually connect with customers, India will definitely move forward!
From domniique, Fri 22 Jan 2010 01:54:15 PM actually i wouldn't say the logo is copied from anywhere because Telenor one of the major shareholders in uninor has this logo i.e. the blue flower.
in reference to the advertising strategy i would so Uninor's efforts to be different and unique have paid off quite well looking at how they have 1.2 million subscribers in just one month..so im guessing they have struck the correct chord with the indian audience!
From Priyanka , Fri 22 Jan 2010 01:30:32 PM Though the target group is Bang on!!!...but creative doesnt seem to be really appealing to a youth like m to even get a thought of switching over to other connection.
From smita, Fri 22 Jan 2010 01:07:00 PM May be its an attempt to break the regular clutter in advertising , but at the same time it should have been clear and appealing. I don't know why would one be motivated enough to believe and buy into such proposition, that looks hackneyed. There is nothing new in terms of the positioning strategy, Airtel & Reliance have been through this route, moreover the creative execution also doesn't hold you back. They could have atleast got the visibilty and hype by the scale of launch, however the launch had been so staggered that it can be termed as "shy" launch. I think they should have had a better strategy, after learning from DOCOMO that had its successful and much hyped launced few months before Uninor. Uninor seems to be to confused and shy.
From dhruv sharma, Fri 22 Jan 2010 12:55:29 PM i would like to point out the fact that Uninor's different approach with their ads i.e. focusing on the RAW AMBITION inside every young Indian, is really like a breathe of fresh air. Every telecom provider till now focussed on the bright colors and used big names to support their ads but uninor really has struck the right chords with society. Personally i would like to appreciate their efforts and hope that they set the bar higher with each ad, tariff etc in the future.
From pradeep, Fri 22 Jan 2010 12:44:57 PM young people may notice the brand just because of the media spend not because of anything new in the ads...but as naren opined it may not convert into acquisition of cutomers as the ad do not show the brand's differentiation from other players and the price cud be communicated in a better way too...also disagree with the claim of using very original looking people in the ad...cudnt see any not-so-good-looking character in any of those ads
From Arif Husain, Fri 22 Jan 2010 11:56:03 AM Ab Mera Number hai is totally confusing & cluttered creative (logo is copy cat of surf excel ( stains are good) & Grameen phone of bangladesh). Youth is dominated by external frame of reference not internal frame of references. There is no reason to buy concept niether on rational cord nor on emotional cord. A huge wastage of money & media.Technology & services sold on edges.......................
From vikramjit, Fri 22 Jan 2010 11:45:32 AM True- not a very unique or clutter breaking ad when held in isolation. But like the artice says,looks fresh when compared o the now set norm of 'happy, shiny' faces. But they seem to have narrowed down their target audience with this concept(maybe that was the idea), unlike say Idea's 'Walk when you talk' which brings everyone into the fold.
From SETLUR D VENKATESH, Fri 22 Jan 2010 10:27:04 AM THE AD IS DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER, THEY HAVE NOT COMMUNICATED ANYTHING ABOUT THE PRICE OR COVERAGE WHICH IS REGULAR PRACTICE DEFINITELY THE MESSAGE AS REACHED THE YOUNGER GENERATION MINDS AND THEY MUST CREATE SOME MORE LIKE THESE ADS WHCIH MUST HIT THE MEDIAS SHORTLY
From harini, Fri 22 Jan 2010 10:03:25 AM "We did not want to be a voice to the customer, but the voice of the customer: ..hope the rband is more than clever word play....by saying"ab mera no hai" hope it doesnt mean that the brand is for those "whose number hasnt comeas yet"....or a" for the loser-in-life" till now .......A case study for sure, if 'aspiration' neednt be a brand attribute in this category and 'real life' can sell .
