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Effies 2009: When Vodafone was more than happy to help
After a successful campaign with the pug promoting Vodafone's network strength, the popular dog was recalled for the 'Happy to Help' campaign, pushing the company's customer service
Of all that Vodafone promotions are remembered for, the pug surely has to be one of the most memorable. The campaign that promoted Vodafone's network strength made the pug breed a household name and there was little surprise when the dog was recalled for the 'Happy to Help' campaign.
Ogilvy India presented its case study for the Happy to Help campaign at the Effies 2009 presentation round, shortlisted in the Services category. The pug, the agency said, stood for everything that was good about the brand.
The Effies 2009 awards, organised by The Advertising Club of Bombay, will be given away on December 16.
In the presentation, Ogilvy India explained how every mobile service provider promised better network, value added services and competitive prices in a highly cluttered market. However, it was found that the customer was left "lost, confused and alienated" once a sale was closed. Hence, Vodafone chose to back its customer service efficiency, which was pushed with the Happy to Help campaign.
It was ensured that the Vodafone employees believed in the promise that was being made, an effective mode of communication to the customer was in place and the promise of being happy to help was acted upon.
A series of commercials under the campaign were released, featuring the trademark pug and the girl. The ads promoted offerings such as Vodafone Mobilestores, Self Help, Vodafone Stores and Mini-Stores and Vodafone Self Service Kiosks.
The campaign also included outdoor, point of sale, digital, print and radio promotions. Four radio spots were aired across the country, with the promise of better customer service.
Activities within the organisation were also carried out, internalising the campaign.
Vodafone witnessed a 24 per cent jump in the number of subscribers in the month of May, 2008, when the campaign first broke, as claimed by the agency. Ogilvy India also claimed that there have been more than 3,50,000 views till date of the commercials on YouTube, and more than a million subscribers have downloaded the music track.