Airtel assumes fresh brand positioning; Sachin Tendulkar is new ambassador

From ‘Touch Tomorrow' to ‘Live Every Moment', Airtel's positioning has tried to weave the brand promise - that of mobility - with the lives of people by drawing on simple human emotions. The current brand positioning - ‘Express Yourself' - takes one more step in articulating Airtel's relationship with its customers. It exhorts them to express themselves freely.

Airtel has underscored its new brand positioning with a new multi-media campaign that captures the entire communication process through a series of black and white images. Indian cricketing hero Sachin Tendulkar now joins the ranks of cine star Shah Rukh Khan and music composer AR Rahman as the brand ambassador of Airtel.

The new communication attempts to capture an entire range of human emotions - be it Tendulkar inspiring a country of over one billion, be it a husband and wife looking to ‘say something' to each other after an argument, or be it three young women conspiring about something in right earnest. "The campaign emphasises the fact that just talking is not enough; what really matters is expressing one's innermost thoughts, whatever may be the situation," says Atul Bindal, chief, marketing mobility, Bharti Tele-Ventures.

To that Manoj Kohli, president, mobility, Bharti Tele-Ventures, adds, " The campaign is a means of free expression, further consolidating the virtues of trust, care and simplicity, values that are at the core of the Airtel brand." The campaign, comprising print, TV and outdoor and created by Rediffusion DY&R, breaks today.

But why Tendulkar? Explains Kohli, "Both Sachin and Airtel are leaders, having similar values and personality traits. This includes being trustworthy, friendly, emphatic, youthful, innovative and trend setting. Airtel will leverage these attributes to strengthen its bond with customers."

The contract with Tendulkar is for "over a year", say company officials, who refuse to disclose the contract amount and the exact timeframe during which Tendulkar will do the talking for Airtel. © 2003 agencyfaqs!