Brand Update : No Idea then Get Idea !

There are times when a campaign thrills you with its simplicity and creativity. Idea's new campaign on number portability was one such thrilling moment.

Mobile number portability ( MNP) is on the verge of becoming a reality. It means that a consumer can switch their mobile service provider while retaining their number for a fee.The allowing of MNP will take away one of the most important switching cost as far as a consumer is concerned. Many consumers ( like me) had grudgingly stayed with a subscriber just for the sake of retaining the mobile number for the fear of losing contact with old friends and acquaintances. When MNP becomes a reality, that fear will go and consumers will be free to switch service providers.

For the service provider, MNP is both a challenge and an opportunity. Challenge because they cannot take a consumer ( subscriber) for granted. Consumers often are lazy and have inertia in terms of taking pains to switch service brands. One has to be too pissed off to take the trouble of moving to a different service provider and then messaging all contacts about the new contact number. This switching cost over the period of time has been lightened with the popularity of dual SIM phones and most of the subscribers are now open to carrying multiple phones with them.

It is in the light of these developments that Idea decided to take on MNP through their latest campaign - No Idea,Get Idea.

The ad uses the most commonly used slang - No Idea to drive home their point. It is an example of sheer brilliant creative which hits you right on target.

The campaign focuses on instances where non- Idea subscribers gets pissed off with their mobile service providers. They encounter network issues, over charging instances and bad consumer services and when Abhishek Bachchan asks them for the reason why they are being mistreated, they responds in the typical slang - No Idea. Abhishek Bachchan pitches with the punchline " Get Idea ". Simple but brilliant.

Watch the campaigns here :

Network Issues

Customer Service

Billing Issues

It is clear that Idea has done some research on the burning problems that consumer's face with regard to mobile services. Network coverage , customer service and billing issues feature prominent among the key reasons for customer churn and complaints.

One will know which brand will gain more with MNP only after it is implemented but Idea decided to use this for yet another brilliant campaign. This preemptive campaign puts Idea in a advantageous position against competition. Now competitors will find it difficult to crate campaigns on these features and negate this first -mover advantage of Idea.

Another interesting thing I noticed about the campaign was that " Get Idea " term may have came late to the creative directors because if you notice the ads, Abhishek Bachchan says " Thats What " (not Get Idea) when the other character says " No Idea ". I think that " Get Idea" punchline was later incorporated into the ads.

Idea brand is on a roll . Aditya Birla Group should be applauded for the investment it is making on the brand. Telecom services over a period of time will become commoditized interms of tariff plans and other features.Once consumers are free to chose without switching costs, brand will play a big role in customer acquisition and retention.

A nice take on the current campaign from an adman - Bhatnaturally

Brand Update : Idea Wants To Break Language Barrier

Idea Cellular has hit upon another smart idea this season with the latest " language barrier " ad. Sirji now wants to break the language barrier using mobile phones.

Taking the concept of " An idea can change your life " , Idea cellular has been relentlessly pursuing new ideas in their campaigns. Whether those ideas have any relevance to the brand or not, campaigns were run with passion. This persistence has paid off for the brand interms of brand recognition and also interms of market share.

This time the brand talks about how the mobile telephony can the solve the issue of language barrier in a diverse country like India. A country with 28 recognized languages and 22000 dialects, language has been a big problem for those people who needs constant relocation.

As a follow-up to the campaign , Idea launched a language helpline across the circles it operates for the general public. Through the helpline, the caller can get the help of a translator . The user should give the message to be translated in English and the helpline agent will translate the message in the language required by the caller. The helpline is open to non- Idea subscribers also.

One of the key lessons from the brand is the power of passion. The brand owners are passionate about the brand's positioning and it invests heavily in the campaigns bombarding the consumers with passionate messages. This passion has made " What an Idea Sirji " line a part of the common lingo of youngsters.

The ad campaign has been well received by the viewers and it needs to be seen whether the actual service will be used by the consumers. Whether it is used or not, Idea should be congratulated on the consistency and the passion in which it approach the core brand positioning.

Related post

Idea

Brand Update : Idea

Idea cellular is running another series of campaigns under " An idea can change your life " theme.
This time, the brand is evangelizing " save the trees " idea.

Watch the tvc here : Idea

Idea cellular should be commented for its consistency in their positioning. It is very easy for the brand managers to become bored at harping on same theme again and again. This can prompt some managers to change for the sake of changing thus undoing the entire work done so far. In that way, it is good to see Idea cellular milking the maximum out of its big idea.

Coming to the campaign, as usual the campaigns are catchy, humorous and has a message which is miles away from where the brand stands.

According to reports, the brand is planning a 360 degree campaign to take the concept to the masses.
I have been closely watching the unfolding of Idea's branding strategies for a while . The brand had wisely taken a strategy which acted as an effective clutter breaker. No one misses the campaign but after a while no one remembers it too . Although the campaigns talks about various issues, I felt a sort of disconnect somewhere. If we look at similar consistent campaigns like Fevicol or Gillette, there is a strong string which connects their campaigns together. That connecting string is missing in the Idea cellular campaigns.

This is my hypothesis about the brand's campaign :

Even though the brand uses the same set of brand elements like the taglines in all their campaigns, normal audience often discounts the idea as utopian or imaginative. Unlike Fevicol, Idea mixes hyperbole with real issue which makes the viewer "dismiss " the idea of the campaign. I have never seen anyone discussing the concept proposed by Idea campaigns.
In Fevicol, there is only hyperbole without any mixing of real issues and audience "discuss" the exaggeration and does not dismiss .

Having said that, in telcom market, the purpose of advertisement is largely creating brand salience. Idea cellular has become a master in creating brand salience and the campaigns serve this purpose very well.

Brand Update : Idea

Idea has launched another campaign extending its core idea of " An Idea can Change your life ". This time the brand has chosen a funny tale to drive home its positioning. 

Watch the new ad here : Walk the Talk

The new campaign revolves around the theme " Walk when you talk " urging the mobile users to walk while they talk and there by be more healthy. 

The ad is funny and Abhishek Bachchan is at his  best. The brand and the celebrity co-existed perfectly well without eclipsing each other. 

One should really appreciate Idea for being consistent with its positioning. The brand reaped the rewards also. " An idea can change your life " has become a common usage. 

Marketing a cellular service is a complex task. The prepaid segment which dominates the market is a highly volatile segment with little or no brand loyalty. Consumers look at the plans and coverage quality and some times acts as a grasshopper making life difficult for marketers. 

Brand managers spent on their brand building activities hoping that when plans become commoditized , consumers will give more value to the brand .

Related Brand

Idea

Brand Update : Idea

Idea cellular has been hit by the Idea Virus. The brand has been investing heavily in its " Ideas that Change " theme.

The latest in the series is the Idea for participative democracy.

Watch the tvc here : Idea for the people

The new campaign revolves around the idea of using mobile for understanding the public opinion and thus encouraging public partnership in development and encouraging participative democracy. ( What an Idea ! Sirjee )

As usual , this brand is making the best use of its brand ambassador.

The earlier campaign was addressing the issues of
Caste
Disability
and Education.

As a part of the current campaign, the brand has started a new website : bythepeople .in
There is nothing special in the website except for a voting form.

What I like about Idea's marketing initiatives are the effective use of media like OOH. You will never miss the Idea hoarding and these hoardings changes in line with the campaigns.

The brand also makes use of its brand elements like the color and the tagline to its advantage.

" What an Idea , Sirjee " have already become a hit lingo .

As a pure promotion strategy, these social themes work well primarily because it is different. Atleast one brand is taking about things that matters.

But these initiatives are not carried over to the implementation by the brand . Hence no serious change can be expected out of such initiatives. The campaigns just serve as a sounding board for ideas that has possibilities - nothing more and nothing less.

What happens is that when the brand is talking about Democracy, its earlier pitch for " Education for all " takes the backseat... The caste issue has long been forgotten.

I am not saying that the brands should spend their limited resources in trying to change the world.

But little sad that these ideas only have life till the next big idea...

Related Brand

Idea
Brand update

Brand Update : Idea

Idea is running a new campaign on education . The new campaign featuring Abhishek Bachchan as a School Principal is aimed at promoting the concept of inclusive education ( education for all).
The campaign begins with a scene where a poor girl child is denied admission in a reputed school .The school principal think of a new idea to use Idea Mobile phones for teaching these poor kids.

Watch the Tvc here : Idea School Campaign

I was both impressed and intrigued by this idea. Impressed because the concept of inclusive education is a noble cause. Intrigued because I was not sure whether its possible to teach through mobile phones.

Further probing on the internet virtually crash landed my admiration about Idea. The idea is only an idea. This is just a campaign . Nothing more and nothing less. I thought that Idea cellular had actually developed a real model where kids in rural India can learn using mobile phones. But in fact this is only a campaign.

I think that many of the viewers would also be thinking that Idea has actually implemented this in rural areas .

The latest campaign was more in touch with reality than the earlier campaigns ( mobile numbers instead of name ) . That may be the reason I mistook it for a real life CSR initiative.
So what Idea is going to do is to spread the message of " education for all " using these campaigns. The brand also have tied up with an NGO Nanhi Kali and NDTV to further spread the message.
Had Idea tried implementing this model , then it would have given more credibility into the new initiative. The award winning campaign of Times of India's Lead India is a classic example of cause marketing . Not only was the campaign effective but at the end of the campaign there was also an output interms of identifying some leaders.
But in the Idea campaign , there is no visible output which can further enhance the brand's equity . There is no scope for following it up with another set of campaigns.

Idea with execution will change your life.