Idea launches in Delhi circle; earmarks Rs 75 crore national ad budget

With an existing subscriber base of 1.4 million (as per the Cellular Association Of India's figures), Delhi is India's largest cellular market. At the same time, penetration in this circle is as low as 10 per cent. Naturally, this presents cellular operators with a fantastic opportunity to expand the market - a fact both existing players (Bharti Enterprises, Hutch and MTNL) and new entrant, IDEA Cellular, (formerly Birla-Tata-AT&T) recognise. With yesterday's formal launch in the capital, Idea, for one, is aggressively pitching for this space with a bouquet of services.

Among the value-added features and technological advantages Idea promises are 3G compatibility, a General Packet Radio Services (GPRS)-enabled network, Multimedia Messaging (MMS), multiple tariff plans on Prepaid, M-Coupon (electronic discount coupon), full roaming on Prepaid in Mumbai and six more circles, and automatic national roaming for Incoming calls.

Speaking about the company's commitment to quality service, Graham Burke, CEO, IDEA Cellular, says, "The future benchmark of telephony is service, and not tariff. The fact that we have been voted number one in customer satisfaction, in a nationwide survey conducted by NFO-MBL, speaks volumes for our service levels. Idea is committed to remaining the most customer-focused mobile service provider in India by continuously innovating, so as to liberate our customers from the shackles of time and space."

Indeed, it is this experience of ‘liberation' that the company is attempting to communicate through its brand promise, ‘An idea can change your life', as unveiled in its national brand campaign - created by Lowe, Mumbai - a couple of months ago.

As part of the pre-launch activities in Delhi, Idea had also launched a print- and outdoor-specific campaign to convey the possibilities of how going cellular (read, going Idea) could change the way one works, plays or lives. "The fundamental objective of the pre-launch campaign was to correct the perception people had with regard to cellular service in general," explains Manosh Sengupta, general manager, marketing communications, IDEA Cellular. "Thus, these ads spoke about our heritage, better technology, network and voice quality and how they could better the lives of people."

Supporting yesterday's official launch is another series of print ads. "While the first one is a full-page ad on how ‘now onwards, you can change your life with an idea', the follow-up ads will be about the prepaid and post paid service," Sengupta adds. To reinforce the overall brand communication, the brand commercial will be telecast again on channels such as ESPN, STAR Plus, Sony, Zee and Aaj Tak. "The company has earmarked a national advertising budget of Rs 75 crore for the year," informs Sengupta.

So far, the company has invested Rs 500 crore in setting up its Delhi operations, and an additional Rs 172 crore in license acquisition. For improved coverage, Idea has set up some 925 cells in Delhi and NCR (the Northern Capital Region). And in addition to the 4,000 retailers it has tied up with, the company has also inaugurated 22 company outlets - branded as Idea 'n' U - across the capital. Currently, Idea's infrastructure supports a subscriber base of 250,000, although company officials refrain from commenting on expected/targeted conversions. © 2002 agencyfaqs!