Pbm Airtel Final

8/6/2019 Pbm Airtel Final

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Brand Image Measurement of

AIRTEL

A report

Submitted to

Prof. S. Govindrajan

In partial fulfilment of the requirements of the course

Product & Brand Management

On 20.08.2009

By

Budhaditya Banerjee

Govind Prasad Sahu

Sandeep Shah

Sahill Shaha


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SL. NO. CONTENT PAGE NO.

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 03

2 HISTORY & EVOLUTION - AIRTEL 05

3 INSTRUMENTS OF DATA

COLLECTION WITH RATIONALE

12

4 BRAND ASSET VALUATOR MODEL 13

5 PRESENTAION OF FINDING OF

BAV

28

6 LADDERING 43

7 BIBLIOGRAPHY 53


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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Airtel is a brand of telecommunication services in India and Sri Lanka owned and operated by Bharti

Airtel. It is the largest cellular services provider in India in terms of number of subscribers. Services

are offered under the brand name Airtel: Mobile Services (usingGSM Technology), Broadband &

Telephone Services (Fixed line, Internet Connectivity (DSL) and Leased Line), Long Distance Services

and Enterprise Services (Telecommunications consulting for corporate). It has presence in all the 23

circles of the country and covers 71% of the current population.

Airtel in its course of time had a particular kind of positioning and they repositioned themselves to

change their brand image and increase the customer base. Our project would study Airtels brand

image amongst mobile users. To study this we took 2 methods of evaluating.

y Brand Asset Valuator model, a quantitative technique and,y Laddering Technique, a qualitative technique

The BAV model measures the value of a brand along four dimensions - Differentiation,

Relevance, Esteem, and Knowledge. Differentiation and Relevance build up to Brand

Strength, while Esteem and Knowledge are used to calculate Brand Stature. For the BAV

analysis, sample of 40 mobile services consumers was surveyed through a questionnaire

tool.

Brand Airtel performed exceedingly well on all the fronts measured through the BAV

analysis. Brand Airtel topped on the brand stature parameter with a score of 600 and jointly

topped on the brand vitality parameter with Vodafone with a score of 550. Now, brand

stature consists of two components: Brand Knowledge (Airtel jointly topped the survey

amongst six mobile service operator brands with Vodafone) & Brand Esteem (Airtel

emerged as the sole winner). Similarly, Brand Vitality consists of two components: Brand

Relevance (Airtel again emerged as the leader in this category) & Brand Differentiation

(Airtel ranked as the number two brand and followed Vodafone on this parameter). Thus


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from the above results, we can conclude that the need identification has been excellent

(courtesy the Relevance score), and the efforts undertaken to chart out a clear and

separate image in the minds of the consumer have paid rich dividends (courtesy the

Differentiation score). This has contributed to the high vitality of the brand. Also the brand

awareness regarding Airtel and the consumers/users association with the brand has shown

excellent results (courtesy the Knowledge scores) backed by the brands positive image,

boosting the pride, the attachment, and the ego of the users (courtesy the Esteem scores).

This has led to high stature for the brand. Thus Airtel has been mapped to be in the

quadrant of a Leader in the power grid.

The findings from the above exercise were clubbed with the ones from laddering. Laddering

refers to an in-depth, one-on-one interviewing technique used to develop an understanding

of how consumers translate the attributes of products into meaningful associations with

respect to self. Laddering provides an association of networks between the attributes,

consequences arising out of them and the values inherent in them to represent

combinations of elements that serve as the basis for distinguishing between and among

products in a given product class. Eight depth interviews were taken to understand the

values consumers attach to a mobile services operator.

At the end of the laddering exercise, the group arrived at four values through various

combinations of attributes and consequences. The four values are-value for money, self

esteem, sense of belonging and emotional connect with the brand and its concepts. Hence

future product strategies and decisions should be consciously built around these core

values, as these are the ones for which consumer/us er shop for a particular product/brand.

Attributes and consequences only serve as enablers towards attaining certain values.


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HISTORY AND EVOLUTION-AIRTEL

Airtel was started by Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, a graduate from Ludhiana (PUNJAB). Earlier he

was the owner of the Local telecom company Beetel. Afterwards he planned to expand his

company at the national level and the consequence is Airtel, what we see today. Bharti

Airtel is Indias largest telecommunications company by subscriber base, which stood at

85.7 million in December 2008, and total revenues, which were Rs.270 billion in 2007/08.

Airtel is one of Asias leading providers of telecommunication services with presence in all

the 22 licensed jurisdictions (also known as Telecom Circles) in India, and in Sri Lanka. It

served an aggregate of 96,649,487 customers as of March 31, 2009; of whom 93,923,248

subscribe to GSM services and 2,726,239 use Telemedia Services either for voice and/or

broadband access delivered through DSL. It is the largest wireless services provider in the

country, based on the number of subscribers as of March 31, 2009. It also offered an

integrated suite of telecom solutions to our enterprise customers, in addition to providing

long distance connectivity both nationally and internationally. It had recently forayed into

media by launching the DTH and IPTV Services. All these services are rendered under a

unified brand Airtel. The Company also deploys, owns and manages passive infrastructure

pertaining to telecom operations under i ts subsidiary Bharti Infratel Limited. Bharti Infratel

owns 42% of Indus Towers Limited. Bharti Infratel and Indus Towers are the top two

providers of passive infrastructure services in India.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, the founder chairman of Bharti Enterprises (who owns Airtel), is today,

the most famous Face of the telecom sector in India. He symbolizes the adage that success

comes to those who dream big , and he has worked assiduously to deliver it. His strong

entrepreneurial instincts gave him a unique flair for sensing new business opportunities. In

the early years, Bharti established itself as a supplier of basic telecom Equipment. His true

calling came in the mid 1990s when the government opened up the sector and allowed


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private players to provide telecom services. Telecom giant Bharti Airtel is the flagship

company of Bharti Enterprises. The Bharti Group has a diverse business portfolio and has

created global brands in the telecommunications sector. Bharti has recently forayed

into retail business as Bharti Retail Pvt. Ltd. under an MOU with Wal-Mart for the cash &

carry business. It has successfully launched an international venture with EL Rothschild

Group to export fresh agri-products exclusively to markets in Europe and USA and has

launched Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company Ltd under a Joint venture with AXA, world

leader in financial protection and wealth management.

VISION:

By 2010 Airtel will be the most admired brand in India :

Loved by more customers

Targeted by top talent

Benchmarked by more business.

KEY MILESTONES:

y Date of Incorporation-------------------------------------------------------------- July 07, 1995y First private operator to offer fixed line telephony ---------------------------- June 04, 1998y Became a public limited company in India ------------------------------------ February 18,

2002

y First Telecom Company to have an all India mobile footprinty (Presence in all 23 telecom circles in India) ------------------------------------ March 30, 2005

COMPANY HISTORY:Each year of Airtels existence has been marked by historic and far reaching milestones

including many firsts, all of which have been stepping stones to their success and

performance. A brief history of the Companys major events is:


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2003-2004

y Joined the US $1 billion revenue club .y Strategic partnerships with IBM and Ericsson for outsourcing of the companys core

IT and network activities.

y Acquires a controlling stake in Hexacom and becomes the leading mobile operator inRajasthan and holds a license to offer services in the northeast.

y First private operator to launch mobile services in Jammu and Kashmir.y Founding member of the Bridge Mobile Alliance, a consortium of seven leading

mobile operators in the region.

2005-2006

y All-India foot print with the launch of mobile services in Assam.y Becomes Indias largest integrated private operator based on the total customer

base

2006-2008

y Profit crosses US $ billion.y Receives license for providing 2G and 3G mobile services in Sri Lanka.y Launch of Airtel call home service, a calling card service for various countries aimed

at the Indian Diaspora.

y Strategic partnership with Google, enabling search through mobile phones.y Strategic tie-up with Microsoft and becomes the first telecom operator to offer

Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 technology.

y Facility Based operator license in Singapore, enabling the company to operateinternational carrier facilities from Singapore.

y Joins international consortia of leading telecom companies to build 3 high bandwidthsubmarine cables AAG, I-ME-WE AND Unity.


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y Receives US $ 1.275 billion investment from leading international investors in BhartiInfratel, a subsidiary established with the aim to provide passive infrastructure

services to all mobile services operators in India

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Sunil Bharti Mittal ------------------ ---Chairman and Managing Director

Manoj Kohli -----------------------------Joint Managing Director

Akhil Gupta ------------------------------Non Executive Director

Chua Sock Koong -----------------------Non Executive Director

Paul OSullivan --------------------------Non Executive Director

Quah Kung Yang ------------------------Non Executive Director

Rajan Bharti Mittal ----------------------Non Executive Director

Rakesh Bharti Mittal --------------------Non Executive Director

Craig Ehrlish -----------------------------Independent Non Executive Director

Ajay Lal ----------------------------------Independent Non Executive Director

Arun Bharat Ram -----------------------Independent Non Executive Director

Bashir Abdulla Currimjee -------------Independent Non Executive DirectorMauro Sentinelli ------------------------Independent Non Executive Director

N.Kumar ---------------------------------Independent Non Executive Director

Nikesh Arora ----------------------------Independent Non Executive Director

Pulak Chandan Prasad -----------------Independent Non Executive Director

FACT SHEET:

Name

Bharti Airtel Limited.


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Business Description

Provides GSM mobile services in all the 22 telecom circles in India, and was the first private

operator to have an all India presence. Provides telemedia services (fixed line and

broadband services through DSL) in 95 cities in India.

Established

July 07, 1995, as a Public Limited Company

Proportionate Revenue

Rs. 369,615 million (year ended March 31, 2009 -Audited)

Rs. 270,250 million (year ended March 31, 2008 -Audited)

As per US GAAP Accounts

Proportionate EBITDA

Rs. 151,678 million (year ended March 31, 2009 - Audited)

Rs. 113,715 million (year ended March 31, 2008 - Audited)

As per US GAAP Accounts

Sharesin Issue

1,898,239,796 as at March 31, 2009

Listings

The Stock Exchange, Mumbai (BSE)

The National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE)

CustomerBase

93,923,248 GSM mobile and 2,726,239 Telemedia Customers (status as on March 31, 2009)

Operational Network


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Provides GSM mobile services in all the 22 telecom circles in India, and was the first private

operator to have an all India presence. Provides telemedia services (fixed line) in 95 cities in

India.

Registered Office

Bharti Airtel Limited

(A Bharti Enterprise)

Aravali Crescent,

1, Nelson Mandela Road,

Vasant Kunj, Phase II,

New Delhi 110 070, India

Tel.No.: +91 11 4266 6400

Fax No.: +91 11 4166 6137

AIRTEL SERVICES:

Wirelessservices

y 2Gy Rural Market

Telemedia Services

y Fixed Liney Broadbandy DTH (Media)

Enterprise Services

y Carriersy Corporate


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INSTRUMENTS OF DATA COLLECTION

WITH RATIONALE

Apart from the Brand Asset Valuator (BAV) Model, we have taken Reynolds and Gutmans

Laddering Method. We have chosen a qualitative model above quantitative methods like

Aakers Brand Personality Model and Kapferers Brand Prism. The rationale behind the

decision is that when we purchase any brand, most of the time the decision is not rationale,

rather emotional. A qualitative research is more effective to determine the emotional

influence behind one associating himself/herself with a specific brand. Quantitative

approach is more structured than a qualitative method (which is unstructured). Thus gives

the researcher the whole universe to work with.

For the BAV model we used a structured questionnaire. This is to give the research a

direction and make sure that the outcome does not go out of the context. Each question is

designed keeping in mind the four dimensions of the BAV model and the general at tributes

applicable to watches. Each question, therefore, tests one or more dimension

(Differentiation, Relevance, Esteem and Knowledge).

For the survey, we have taken a sample size of 40. The key criteria of selection of the sample

were the age and education qualification. The sample fell in the age bracket of 22 55. The

minimum qualification is graduation.

In the laddering method, 8 interviews were taken. Of these all the 8 interviews were

considered for analysis. Here as well, a judgment sample of Airtel users was considered to

understand the values associated with the selection and realisation of services from mobile

services operators.


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BRAND ASSET VALUATOR MODEL

MEASUREAIRTELS BRANDIMAGEUSINGTHEYOUNGANDRUBICAM BAVMODEL:

The Brand Asset Valuator (BAV) is a database of consumer perception of brands created and

managed by Brand Asset Consulting, a division of Young & Rubicam Brands to provide information

to enable firms to improve the marketing decision-making process and to manage brands better.

Brand Asset Valuator and BAV also describe the Y&R group managing the database.

BAV provides comparative measures of the equity value of thousands of brands across hundreds of

different categories, as well as a set of strategic brand management tools for planning brand

extensions, joint branding ventures, and other strategies designed to maintain and grow brand

value. BAV has now been linked to a unique set of financial analytics, which allows determining a

brands contribution to a companys intangible value.

There are four key components of brand health in BAV the four pillars. Each pillar is derived from

various measures that relate to different aspects of consumers brand perceptions and that

together trace the progression of a brands development. These four components for determining

brand value are

1. Differentiation:-Differentiation is the ability for a brand to be distinguished from its competitors. A brand should

be as unique as possible. Brand health is built, and maintained by offering a set of

differentiating promises to consumers. And by delivering those promises to leverage value.

2. Relevance:-Relevance is the actual and perceived importance of the brand to a large consumer market

segment. This gauges the personal appropriateness of a brand to consumers and is strongly tied

to household penetration (the percentage of households that purchase the brand).


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3. Esteem:-Esteem is the perceived quality and consumer perceptions about the growing or declining

popularity of a brand. Does the brand keep its promises? The consumers response to a

marketers brand building activity is driven by his perception of two factors: quality and

popularity. Both vary by country and culture.

4. Knowledge:-Knowledge is the extent of the consumers awareness of the brand and understanding its

identity. The awareness levels about the brand, and what it means, shows the intimacy that

consumers share with the brand. True knowledge of the brand comes through building of the

brand.


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HowBrands Are Built

Four Primary Aspects:


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Brand Strength:

Differentiation and relevance taken together say a lot about a Brands strength (brand vitality).

These two pillars point to the brands future value, rather than just reflecting its past.

When Differentiation is greater than Relevance, the brand has room to grow. This is ahealthy pattern.

When Relevance is significantly greater than Differentiation, the brand has becomecommoditized. Its Uniqueness has faded and price has become the primary reason to buy.

This is an unhealthy pattern.


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Brand Stature

Esteem and knowledge together create Brand stature, which is a report card on a brands past

performance and which determines the current power of the brand.

When Esteem is greater than Knowledge, and the consumer says, Id like to get to knowyou better. Consumers have motivation to find out more about your brand. This is a

healthy pattern for the brand.

When Knowledge is greater than Esteem, consumers are saying, I know you more than Ilike you. The brand has become too familiar and consumers have no motivation to listen to

you. Too much Knowledge has become a dangerous thing.


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Mapping a Brands Life: the Power Grid

BAV uses a two-dimensional plot to

measure Brand Strength and Brand

Stature.

The strength is measured on the

vertical y-axis [Differentiation,

Relevance] and stature is measured

on the horizontal x-axis [Esteem,

Knowledge].

The Power Grid provides a model

for mapping and diagnosing the life

of a brand. New brands begin in the

lower left quadrant with low

strength, low stature. As the brand develops, it rises to the upper left quadrant where strength is

significantly higher than stature. It is here where niche brands and brands with unrealized potential

reside. This is high margin territory. In order to maximize shareholder value, brands should be

strategically leveraged to move to the upper right quadrant, where powerful leadership brands

reside. When brands get into trouble, the first thing to erode is Differentiation, causing leadership

brands to decline. This loss in Differentiation reduces the ability to extend the brand across new

consumer and market segments. As a result, there is a huge loss in intangible value.

Advantagesof Young & RubicamsBrand Asset Valuator

Brand Asset Valuator is an important tool to assess a brands current achievements and stature.It is even more powerful when the future potential of a brand can also be measured. Y&Rs

Brand Asset Valuator offers this opportunity.


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Combining exhaustive amounts of consumer data with a proven model of brand -building, BrandAsset Valuator anticipates future operating earnings and operating margins. This can enhance

the marketing-decision process in a variety of substantive ways.

Brand Asset Valuator can help managers understand marketplace opportunities and the typesof risk that go with them. It can provide a deeper understanding of consumer behaviour: for

example, shedding light on reasons why some segments are willing to pay a higher price for a

highly differentiated brand.

Brand Asset Valuator stands apart from other brand study aids in a number of ways. It ispredictive, focusing on leading indicators instead of lagging. It is exh austive in every way, size

and scope. Most importantly, it evaluates a brand in the entire world of brands, not in its

category.

Brand Asset Valuator also helps to determine a brands elasticity and helps to explorebeneficiary brand alliances.

Lastly, Brand Asset Valuator is not only just useful for creating brands. It is useful for managingbrands in the long termthrough ups and downs.

Disadvantagesof Young & RubicamsBrand asset Valuator

The major disadvantage associated with Young & Rubicams Brand asset Valuator is that it isproprietary in nature and can be employed only by Young and Rubicam.

Another disadvantage associated with BAV is that the measures underlying the four factors maynot be relevant across a wide range of product categories and thus these factors tend to be

abstract in nature and might not be related directly to product attributes or benefits and more

specific marketing concerns.

Nevertheless, the BAV model represents a landmark study in terms of marketers ability to better

understand what drives top brands and where their brands fit in with other brands.


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PBM PROJECT PART 2-

QUESTIONNAIRE

BRAND KNOWLEDGE:

Q.1.What is the first brand that comes to your mind when we speak about mobile service

operators?

(Rationale: The reason behind choosing this question is to measure the Top -of-Mind recallon

part of the consumers. The brand that gets listedas an answer to this particular question

can be said to have a Top-of-Mind recallon part of the consumers; hence the brand occupies

the maximum mind-share, thus awareness is high).

Q.2. Relate the following celebrities/characters with the mobile services operator brands:

i. M.S. Dhoni

ii. Kajol

iii. Hrithik Roshan

iv. Zoozoo/puppy

vi. A.R. Rahman

vii. Deepika Padukone

(Rationale: Getting popular celebrities to endorse a brand is a conscious brand building

exercise, one thataims at connecting with the emotions of people who connect with a

particular celebrity. Also characters like Zoozoo or the puppy come up due to supe rlative

ideas and execution of the ideas through wellconceptualisedadvertisements. This question

is to test whether the respondents are aware of the brandambassadors ofa particular


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brand, a question that willenable us to capture awareness levels of consumers. This was to

again concentrate on the recall, unaided in this case ).

Q.3. Identify the tag line of the following brands:

i. Airtel

ii. Vodafone

iii. Reliance

iv. Aircel

v. Tata Indicom

vi. BSNL

(Rationale: Again, the tag line ofa brand is a brand s identityand is an integralpart ofany

brand building exercise. The familiarity of respondents with a particular tag line ofa brand is

a measure of the awareness levelof consumers when it comes to the bran d. Again we went

in for unaided recallin this case, answers to which led us to insights regarding brand

knowledge).

Q.4. Identify the colour of the logo for the following brands:

i. Airtel

ii. Vodafone

iii. Reliance

iv. Aircel

v. Tata Indicom

vi. BSNL


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(Rationale: The logo and its descript forms an i ntegralpart ofany brandand is the one

through which people identify the brand. The respondentsability to answer the above

mentioned question would translate into an ability to connect with and identifya brand.

Thus the responses generated willhelp the team in tracking awareness levelof the users in

relation to a specific brand).

BRAND ESTEEM:

Q.5. Rank the following mobile service operators as your preferred brand (rank from 1 -6 in

terms of preference, 1 being the most preferred and 6 being the least):

i. Airtel

ii. Vodafone

iii. Reliance

iv. Aircel

v. Tata Indicom

vi. BSNL

(Rationale: In this particular question, the rankings assigned can be traced to the image ofa

particular brandand hence a superior ranking would translate into a brand being regarded

highly by the consumer which can be related to esteem).

Q.6. Which brand has a higher perceived quality in terms of the services on offer (rank from

1-6 in terms of preference, 1 being the most preferred and 6 being the least):

i. Airtel


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ii. Vodafone

iii. Reliance

iv. Aircel

v. Tata Indicom

vi. BSNL

(Rationale: Again, a higher ranking in this particular question would translate into a superior

levelofassociation with the brandand hence shalldirectly po int to the levelof esteem ofa

user with the mobile services brand).

Q.7. Would you recommend the below mentioned brands to your relatives/friends?

i. Airtel

ii. Vodafone

iii. Reliance

iv. Aircel

v. Tata Indicom

vi. BSNL

Answer as: a. Not at all, b. Dont Know, c. May be, d. Definitely

(Rationale: Ifa particular brand scores high on this parameter, that is, the results are skewed

towards Definitelyas an answer, then the user has a high levelofassociation with the

brandand takes pride from the association leading him/her to recommend the b rand to

others; hence the levelof esteem in relation with the brand is high).


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Q.8. Relate the following qualities with the brands (Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance, Aircel, Tata

Indicom, BSNL).

i. Dependable

ii. Prestigious

iii. Aggressive

iv. Youthful

v. Friendly

vi. Others (specify)

vii. None

(Rationale: The above mentioned words would help the group gauge the perception of the

consumers and their feeling towards a certain brand. Also the brand personality shallevolve

from answers to this question. If the persona is positive, we can relate that to high esteem

and shallalso help to define the brand persona).

Q. 9. Which brand will lead the 3G revolution?

i. Airtel

ii. Vodafone

iii. Reliance

iv. Aircel

v. Tata Indicom

vi. BSNL

(Rationale: Again this question demands respondents to predict the quality of services that

they might derive from 3G revolution happening in the near future. The brand that emerges

as a leader for this question eventually has better perceived qualityand image, leading to

higher esteem being associated with the brand).


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BRAND RELEVANCE:

Q.10. In accordance with the past and present experiences, which brands do you consider

being the most appropriate to satisfy your personal needs?

i. Airtel

ii. Vodafone

iii. Reliance

iv. Aircel

v. Tata Indicom

vi. BSNL

(Rationale: Again, the answers should be a pointer, anda clear one at that, of the relevance

of the brands to the specific needs of the respondents in the sample. Hence shallgive us an

ideaas to which brand can emerge as the one suited to/most relevant to the needs of the

mobile users).

Q.11. Rate the brands (Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance, Aircel, Tata Indicom, BSNL) on the

following parameters (rank on a scale of 1-5; 1 being the worst and 5 being the best ):

i. Network Coverage

ii. Call

iii. SMS

iv. Call center Support

v. Internet Facility


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vi. Rates

vii. Other Values Added Services

(Rationale:Some of the major needs for using a mobile connection were identified by the

group. On the above needs the relevance of the various brands chosen were tested. The

brand having the highest relevance across most of the above mentioned categories would be

the brand that has identified its needs the bestand is best satisfying them).

BRAND DIFFERENTIATION:

Q.12. Rate the following brands on a scale of 1-5 on the following parameters (with 1 being

the worst and 5 being the best):

i. GPRS

ii. Closed User Group/Friend Circle

iii. Promotional offers

iv. Customer Care

v. Value-added service

vi. Innovation

vii. Call rates

(Rationale: The responses shall clearly indicate to us on whether the brand that we have

selected can differentiate itselfand cuta clear identityacross a clutter of brand, on some of

the most soughtafter services from a mobile services operator).

Q.13. Rate on a scale of 1-5, the following brands on satisfying needs of the following

categories:

Brands

i. Airtel

ii. Vodafone


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iii. Reliance

iv. Aircel

v. Tata Indicom

vi. BSNL

Categories:

i. Familyii. Friendsiii. Professionals

(Rationale: The responses emanating from here shallhel p us identify whether brand Airtel

differentiates itsel f from its competitors in identifying and serving the needs/wants ofany

one of the specific categories listedabove).

SAMPLING PLAN:

Sample size: 40

Age group: 22-55 (both inclusive); includes respondents from Praxis Business School, Kolkata

&ITM Business School, Navi Mumbai. Plus one respondent was from Tech Mahindra, Pune.

Sampling method: Convenient random sampling

Education: All postgraduates or pursuing post-graduation


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PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS FROM

BAV

BRAND KNOWLEDGE:

We have asked four questions for determining the knowledge of the brand. So each

question was given an equal weightage of 25 points. The final outcome of the analysis of

these four questions is as below:

BRAND AIRTEL VODAFONE RELIANCE AIRCEL

TATA

INDICOM BSNL

TOTAL

SCORE 525 525 400 225 250 325

RANK 1 1 3 6 5 4

PERCENTILE 100 100 66.66 16.66 33.33 50

So Airtel ranked one along with Vodafone in terms of brand knowledge. This shows that

Airtel as a brand has high awareness among the people and most of them are able to recall

it without any aid.

In question no.1, we asked the respondent about a brand which comes to their mind when

they thing about a mobile service provider. Maximum respondents named the brand Airtel.

Thus Airtel has the highest top of the mind recall among the people. The table below shows

the result of question 1:


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BRAND RANK

PERCENTAGE

OF TOTAL

AIRTEL 1 37.50%

VODAFONE 2 27.50%

RELIANCE 3 17.50%

BSNL 4 15.00%

IDEA 5 2.50%

AIRCEL 6 0.00%

In question no. 2, we asked the respondents to relate the celebrities with the brand they

endorse. Here Vodafone turned out to be the winner because of the Zoo -Zoo campaign

started recently. The entire sample very easily related the Zoo-Zoo/puppy with the

Vodafone brand. Airtel was ranked second along with BSNL with 85% of the respondent

relating the two brands with the celebrities endorsing them. This shows that Vodafone has

created great awareness with its recent campaign. So Airtel should try and improve its

awareness with some innovating idea like the Vodafone. The table below shows the findings

of question 2:


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BRAND RANKPERCENTAGE

OF TOTAL

VODAFONE 1 100%

AIRTEL 2 85%

BSNL 2 85%

TATA

INDICOM4 80%

AIRCEL 5 62.50%

RELIANCE 6 40%

In question no. 3, we asked the respondents to recall the taglines of the six brands namely

Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance, Aircel, Tata Indicom and Bsnl. Here Reliance turned out to be the

winner with 67.50% of the respondents recalling its tagline. Airtel ranked third with 57.5%

recalling its tagline.

So Airtel needs to work hard and try to increase its awareness in this area. The findings of

question 3 are given below:

BRAND RANKPERCENTAGE

OF TOTAL

RELIANCE 1 67.50%

VODAFONE 2 60%

AIRTEL 3 57.50%


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BSNL 4 45%

AIRCEL 5 15%

TATA

INDICOM6 12.50%

In question 4, we asked the respondents about the colour of the logos of different brand.

Here Airtel turned out to be the winner with 95% of respondents identifying the colour of its

logo i.e. red and white. Thus Airtel has huge awareness among the people in respect to the

colour of its logo. The results are given below:

BRAND RANK

PERCENTAGE

OF TOTAL

AIRTEL 1 95%

VODAFONE 2 92.50%

RELIANCE 3 75%

TATA

INDICOM 4 65%

BSNL 5 70%

AIRCEL 5 70%


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BRAND ESTEEM:

We have asked five questions in this section i.e. from question no.5 to question no.9, to

determine the brand esteem of Airtel . Each question carried a weightage of 20 points. The

final outcome of the analysis of these five questions is given below:


TATA

INDICOM BSNL

TOTAL

SCORE 560 480 440 160 260 300

RANK 1 2 3 6 5 4

PERCENTILE 100 83.33 66.66 16.66 33.33 50

Here Airtel comes out to be the no. 1 brand. This shows that consumers have high regards

for the brand. This is a big achievement for Airtel because it has been able to surpass

Vodafone which is the world biggest mobil e operator in terms of revenue (source:

Wikipedia).

In question no.5 we asked the respondents to rank the mobile operators in order of their

preference. Airtel shared the no.1 position along with Vodafone. The findings of this

question are given in the table below:

BRAND RANK SCORE

AIRTEL 1 197

VODAFONE 1 197


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RELIANCE 3 158

BSNL 4 118

TATA

INDICOM 5 101

AIRCEL 6 69

In question no.6, we asked the respondents to rank various brands in respect of higher

perceived qualities in terms of services on offerings. Here Vodafone got the no.1 rank

followed by Airtel. Thus Vodafone has been able to create an image of giving high quality of

services. Airtel is not far behind and it should try and improve its quality of service to catch

up with Vodafone. The findings of this question are given below:

BRAND RANK SCORE

VODAFONE 1 209

AIRTEL 2 201

RELIANCE 3 162

BSNL 4 110

TATA

INDICOM 5 94

AIRCEL 6 77

In question no.7, we asked the respondents if they would recommend the mentioned

brands to their friends or relatives. They were required to give their response in four


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parameters for each brand, like they would never recommend, they do not know if they

would recommend, they may recommend and they would definitely recommend. The

never recommend response was given a score of zero, do not know response was given

a score of 3, may be response was given a score of 5 and definitely recommend

response was given a score of 10. The results of this question are given below:

BRAND RANK PERCENTAGE

VODAFONE 1 26.00%

AIRTEL 2 24.00%

RELIANCE 3 16.00%

BSNL 4 14.00%

TATA

INDICOM 5 11.00%

AIRCEL 6 9.00%

Here Vodafone was the most recommended brand and again Airtel followed it. People think

that Vodafone is a better brand to recommend and this shows that they have high regards

for the brand. Airtel comes out to be the second best brand to recommend and so it has to

work harder to improve its image.

In question no. 8, we asked the respondents to relate the qualities like dependable,

prestigious, aggressive, youthful, friendly and others if any, with the brands. The results are

given below:


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BRAND RANK SCORE

AIRTEL 1 27

RELIANCE 1 27

TATA

INDICOM 1 27

AIRCEL 4 24

BSNL 4 24

VODAFONE 6 23

Here Airtel emerged as the no.1 brand along with Reliance.

In question no.9, we asked the respondents that which of the mentioned brand would lead

the 3G revolution in future. Here Airtel shared the no.1 spot along with Vodafone. This

shows that people think Airtel as a brand of future and associate high value to it. The

findings of this question are given below:

BRAND RANK PERCENTAGE

AIRTEL 1 40%

VODAFONE 2 40%

RELIANCE 3 12.50%

BSNL 4 5%

AIRCEL 5 2.50%


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TATA

INDICOM 6 0%

BRAND RELEVANCE

We have asked two questions in this section i.e. question no.10 and question no.11 and

each question carried a weightage of 50 points. The final outcome of the analysis of these

two questions is given below:


TATA

INDICOM BSNL

TOTAL

SCORE 550 500 450 100 250 250

RANK 1 2 3 6 4 4

PERCENTILE 100 83.33 66.66 16.66 50 50

Here Airtel is ranked no.1 and this shows that Airtel has delivered what is communicates

and the need identification in case of Airtel is very good.

In question no.10, we asked the respondents that in accordance with their past experience,

which brands satisfies their specific needs. The respondents were free to choose more than

one brand. The results of this question are given below:


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BRAND RANK

PERCENTAGE

OF TOTAL

AIRTEL 1 37.50%

RELIANCE 2 35.00%

VODAFONE 3 32.50%

BSNL 4 20.00%

TATA

INDICOM 5 5.00%

AIRCEL 6 0.00%

Here Airtel comes out to be the no.1 brand which satisfies the specific needs of the

consumers.

In question 11, we asked the respondents to rate various brands on given parameters like

network coverage, call clarity, sms facilities, call centre support, internet facilities, call rates

and other value added services. The results of this question are given below:

BRAND RANK SCORE

VODAFONE 1 38

AIRTEL 2 34

RELIANCE 3 30

TATA4 20


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INDICOM

BSNL 5 18

AIRCEL 6 7

Here Vodafone comes out to be the no.1 brand satisfying various needs of the people. Airtel

ranked second and needs to work on its basket of services offerings so that it can catch up

with Vodafone.

BRAND DIFFERENTIATION:

We have asked two questions in this section i.e. question 12 and question 13 in other to find

out brand differentiation of Airtel. Each question carried a weightage of 50 points. The final

outcome of our analysis is given below:


TATA

INDICOM BSNL

TOTAL

SCORE 500 600 450 100 250 250

RANK 2 1 3 6 4 4

PERCENTILE 83.33 100 66.66 16.66 50 50

Here Vodafone was ranked no.1 and was followed by Airtel. Thus Vodafone has been able to

differentiate itself from other brands substantially. It is really very difficult in this industry to

differentiate one brand from other because every brand offers services which are at par

with each other and which could hardly be differentiated. So the companies have to really

work very hard to do it. The Vodafone has been able to do it because of its very good

customer support and its innovative zoo-zoo campaign. Airtel has created differentiation

compared to other brands but it has to work further to gain the no.1 spot.


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In question 12, we asked the respondents to rate different brands on given parameter like

GPRS, closed user group/friend circle, promotional offers, customer care, value added

services, innovation and value for money. The idea was to find out if a brand has created

any differentiation through its service offerings. The results are given below:

BRAND RANK SCORE

VODAFONE 1 41

AIRTEL 2 34

RELIANCE 3 28

TATA

INDICOM 4 18

BSNL 5 14

AIRCEL 6 12

Here Vodafone was ranked no.1 which shows that it has been able to satisfy the needs of

the people better than other brands satisfying the same needs.

In question 13, we asked the respondent were asked to rate various brands on the

parameter of satisfying needs of a particular category like family, friends and professionals.

The idea was to find out if a brand has differentiate d itself by satisfying needs of a specific

segment or category better than other brands. The results are given below:

BRAND RANK SCORE

VODAFONE 1 17

AIRTEL 2 14


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RELIANCE 2 14

BSNL 4 9

TATA

INDICOM 5 7

AIRCEL 6 3

Here also Vodafone is ranked no.1 and it shows that even in specific segments or groups,

Vodafone satisfies needs better than other service providers. Airtel is ranked second and

should work hard to differentiate itself from other brands in this highly competitive

environment.

Now the Brand Asset Valuator tries to measure two aspect of a brand i.e. Brand Stature and

Brand Vitality. The brand Stature determines the current state of a brand and it has two

components

1) Brand knowledge which tells how well the consumers are aware about the brand.2) Brand Esteem-which tells how well the consumers regard the brand.

Brand Vitality determines the potential for growth of the brand and it consists of the

following two components:

1) Brand Differentiation- which shows how distinct the brand is from others.2) Brand Relevance- which shows the appropriateness to the target customers.

Since we have all the above four components, so we calculate the Brand Stature and Brand

Vitality of various brands. The results are given below:


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P 41

AIRTEL V

AF

E RELIANCE AIRCEL

TATA

INDICOM BSNL

BRAND

STATURE 600 550 400 100 200 300

BRAND

VITALITY 550 550 400 100 300 300

Brand Stature

AIRTELVODA

FONE

TATA

INDICO

M

A CEL

RELIA

NCE

BSNL

HIGH

HIGHLOW


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1) Airtel and Vodafone are brand with high Stature and high Vitality-2) Reliance and BSNL have medium Stature and Vitality 3) Tata Indicom is a brand with low Statute but medium Vitality -4) Aircel is a brand with low Stature and low Vitality.

Thus from the above results, we can conclude that the ne ed identification of Airtel has

been excellent (courtesy the Relevance score), and the efforts undertaken to chart out a

clear and separate image in the minds of the consumer have paid rich dividends (courtesy

the Differentiation score); has contributed to the high vitality of the brand.

Also the brand knowledge regarding Airtel has shown excellent results (courtesy the

knowledge scores) backed by the brands positive image boosting the pride, the attachment,

and the ego of the users (courtesy the Esteem scores). This has led to high stature for the

brand.

To conclude, the impact of having high scores on the stature and vitality front for Airtel

depicts a brilliant present position for the brand and places it in the quadrant of Leadershipin the power grid.


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LADDERING

Clinical psychologists first introduced the laddering technique in the 1960s, as a method of

understanding peoples core values and beliefs. The technique is powerful, because it

provides a simple and systematic way of establishing an individuals core set of constructs

on how they view the world. Laddering is well established in the field of psychology, and its

success has led researchers in other industries to adapt its core tenets to their fields.

Early marketing practitioners conceived and refined a model for describing the linkages

between customers values and their overall purchasing behaviour: the Means End Chain

theory.

Specifically, market researchers have adapted the laddering method for use in consumer

and organizational research. However, in addition to adapting the research method itself,

early marketing practitioners conceived and refined a model for describing the linkages

between customers values and their overall purchasing behaviour: the Means End Chain

theory. This theory provides both a framework for capturing qualitative laddering research

data in the consumer space and a model for assessing consumer values and behaviours.

According to the Means End Chain theory, there is a hierarchy of consumer perceptions and

product knowledge that ranges from attributes (A) to consumption consequences (C) to

personal values (V), as follows:

y AttributesAt the top level of this hierarchy, attributes are most recognizable byindividuals. Individuals recognize the attributes of a product or system easily. For

example, I like this car, because it is a convertible.


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y ConsequencesIn turn, the attributes have consequences for the individual. Forexample, the convertible makes its driver feel young and free. Each attribute may

have one or more consequences for any given individual.

y Core valuesFinally, each consequence are linked to a core value of the personslife. For example, the sense of youth makes that driver feel attractive.

The A-C-V sequence forms a chain,orladder,thatindicatesthe relationship between a

product attribute and a core value.

In theory, for each area of a product or application, an A -C-V sequence forms a chain,

or ladder, that indicates the relationship between a product attribute and a core value. We

can collect all the ladders for a given domain to form a HierarchicalValue Map that

illustrates all the major means-end and attribute-consequence-value connections and

describes individuals behaviour based on their core values. Typically, these maps contain

many product attributes that are linked to a smaller set of consequences, which are, in turn,

mapped to a core set of individual values.

While particular individuals are likely to have specific nuances to their sets of ladders and

value maps, we can recognize and document high-level patterns across different customer

types or personas. The real power of the Means End Chain model is that it

emphasizes whyand howproducts are important in an individuals life, going beyond a

reported description of functional attributes or properties.

Attributes

Whenyou first askindividualswhythey bought a productor like a particular application,

theywill likelyrespond by describingproduct attributes.

To better understand the limited significance of attributes, consid er the following example.

When you first ask individuals why they bought a product or like a particular application,

they will likely respond by describing product attributes. These attributes may include

quality, price, brand name, or the inclusion of par ticular features. However, while such


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product attributes may be recognizable to individuals, they dontnecessarily get at the

underlying reason for purchase or use

A researcher who focuses onlyon such responses will miss the opportunity to explore the

consequences that the individual associates with those attributes.

Consequences

The consequencesofparticular attributesreveal more personal aspectsofthe

individualsrelationshipwiththe productor application.

Understanding the impactof certain attributesrather than just recognizing the presence

of the attributes alonereveals a significantly greater number of insights about theindividuals behaviours. The consequences of particular attributes reveal more personal

aspects of the individuals relationship with the product or application. Often, inexperienced

researchers fail to follow up on the consequences of various attributes. Neglecting to do this

is, obviously, notrecommended; because we can use many of the insights we gain to inform

strategy decisions for our products.

By asking Why?to get research participants to elaborate on their initial answers, we can

elicit responses that reveal more about the emotional values of an individual. Compared to

lists of product attributes, the responses at this level are much more thoughtful and come

closer to the real reasons an individual chooses a particular product or behaves in a certain

way. From a marketing perspective, understanding the consequences of product or

application attributes can provide the basis for marketing messages or branding.

Values

Ifwe canuncoverthe core valuesthatrelate to a givenproductor application domain,

suchinsightscanhave significantpotential toinform productstrategy and design

decisions.


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The reasons people buy something, opt-in to a community or service, or adopt a process

are notalways clear, even to the individuals making the decisions. As I noted above, people

usually respond readily to questions about their selection of a given product or service at

the attribute level, but their responses usually do notreveal their core reasons for adoption.

The Means End Chain theory suggests that personal values play the most dominant role in

directing individuals choices. These personal values are individuals core beliefs and are

relatively stable perspectives that have a strong emotional impact. Examples are security,

belonging, happiness, fun, and enjoyment.

According to the Means End Chain, if we can uncover the core values that relate to a given

product or application domain, such insights can have significant potential to inform

product strategy and design decisions.

Conductingthe Laddering

First, askparticipantsto describe whatkindsof featureswould be useful inor distinguish

differentproducts. The goal ofthis firststepisto elicitthe mainproduct attributes from

the participants.

Laddering is the actual interview technique we can use to uncover the attributes,

consequences, and values that the Means End Chain defines. To envision a laddering

interview, think of the traditional image of a psychologist interviewing a patient, attempting

to uncover the root cause of some behaviour or problem. The patient may not be able to

make connections between underlying issues and their manifesta tions, but through skilled

interviewing, the psychologist can dig deeper and deeper to unearth insights that have

relevance. A laddering interview for user experience research is similar.

First, ask participants to describe what kinds of features would be useful in or distinguish

different products. The goal of this first step is to elicit the main product attributes from the

participants. Initially, if youre lucky, participants may provide some answers that actually


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identify consequences, but most likely, they will describe attribute information. So, you

must ask them to expand on their answers later in the interview.

Youcannextturnto questionsthat addressthe consequencesofthe identified

attributes.

Based on their initial responses relating to attributes, you can next turn to questions that

address the consequences of the identified attributes. You should lead the participants to a

higher level of questioning that forces them to think about the reasons for their attribute

preferences. To achieve this, ask questions such as the following: Why is this important to

you? What does it mean to you? What is the meaning of this product having this attribute? If

necessary, ask such questions repeatedly, with the goal of understanding the consequences

of the attributes you elicited during the first round of questioning.

To uncover personal values, employ the same type of Why?Questions. While participants

may notbe able to enunciate a value for every consequence, your goal is to ask questions at

higher and higher levels of abstraction and assemble a good picture of each participants

ladder for a particular area of a product.

Touncoverpersonal values,we employthe same type of Why?questions. While

participants maynotbe able to enunciate a value for everyconsequence,yourgoal isto

ask questions athigher and higher levelsof abstraction.

For a given product or application, there may be several areas under consideration in your

research. Typically, during a laddering interview, you will lead partic ipants through one area,

or ladder, at a time. This allows participants to remain focused on each particular line of

questioning. However, you should maintain a broad list of topics to cover and be aware of

any areas that may overlap. Optionally, you can jump between consequences and attribute

sets, but this requires a significant amount of cognitive focus on your part to keep track of

everything.


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With all of the data youve collected, you can perform a typical qualitative analysis to

identify affinities and patterns across participants. In a formal study, you might detail a

Hierarchical Value Map for each participant and identify areas of similarity and differences

across participants. The end result of the analysis is a set of qualitative findings whose ai m is

to identify actionable insights for product strategy and design.

RATIONALE BEHIND CHOOSING THE LADDERING TECHNIQUE:

In the previous section, we tried to identify the status of the brand by quantitative

techniques. In this section we had to understand the identity or the personality of the

brand. It is often an observation that the decisions related to brands are emotional and

hardly rational. One would pay a premium for the perceived additional benefits than the

mentioned features. The heavy inclination towards emotional influencers would limit the

quantitative analysis. Converting emotional reasons in to numbers would not only be a

tough task for the respondent but also for the researcher. Thus, we choose to carry out a

qualitative study to find out the rational and emotional reasons influencing a consumers

behavior towards brands.

Also please note that the group did not have a fixed set of questions to start the laddering

process. The main aim was to extract the values which the respondents seek in a mobile

services provider. Thus we picked cues from the discussions that we had with the

respondents for the laddering process to extract the set of consequences and values. Thus,

the process as a whole was more bent towards responsive nature than a struct ured and a

formal one.

SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS:

Sample size: 8 (All Airtel Users)


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Age Group: 22-26

Education: MBA postgraduates

SUMMARY CONTENT CODES FOR BRAND AIRTEL:

ATTRIBUTES:

1. Good coverage/connectivity2. Low rates3. Promotional offers4. Awareness5. Availability6. Quality of services (customer support, billing support, etc)

CONSEQUENCES:

7. Voice clarity and clear communication

8. Avoid call drops at critical time

9. Convenience

10. Gain Attention

11. Saves money

12. Saves time

13. Impress others

14. Allocate time to other chores

15.Superior academic performance


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16. Brand recall

17. Spend money for other purposes18. Improves social life

VALUES:

19. Value for money20. Self-esteem21. Belonging22. Emotional connect


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P 51

HIERARCHIAL VAL E MA

GOOD

COVERAGE/

CONNECTIVITY

(1

LOW RATES

(2

AWARENESS

(4

AVAILABILITY (5

VOICE CLARITY &

CLEAR

COMMUNICATION

(7

PROMOTIONAL

OFFERS (3

QUALITY OFSERVICES (BILLING,

CUSTOMER SUPPORT, ETC.) (6)

VAL E FOR

MONEY (19)

yJudicials e dto avail bette

se vices than

competitors

IMPRESS

OTHERS

13

ALLOCATE

TIME TO

OTHER

CHORES (14)

SUPERIOR

ACADEMIC

PERFORMANCE (15)

SPEND MONEY

FOR OTHER

PURPOSES (17)

CONVENIENCE (9)

BRAND

RECALL

(16)

GAIN

ATTENTION (10)

IMPROVESSOCIAL

LIFE (18)

SAVES TIME

(12)SAVES MONEY

(11)

AVOID CALL DROPS

AT CRITICAL TIMES

8

SELF-ESTEEM (20)

yImprovesselfimage/worth (20)

EMOTIONAL

CONNECT (22)

yWith the brandambassadors/ad

vertisement

concept.

BELONGING (21)

yFamilyyFriends/PeersySocial Acceptance


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Thus at the end of the laddering exercise, the group has arrived at four values through

various combinations of attributes and consequences. The four values are -value for money,

self esteem, sense of belonging and emotional connect with the brand and its concepts.

Also, attributes like good coverage/connectivity and low call rates emerged as the most

important attributes from the exercise conducted. Hence future product strategies and

decisions should be consciously built around these core values, as these are the ones for

which consumer/user shop for a particular product/brand. Attributes and consequences

only serve as enablers towards attaining certain values.


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B B APH

www.brandassetvaluator.com/au

www.wikipedia.org

www.ai tel.in

marketing.byu.edu/htmlpages/courses/490r/ladderingtheory.doc

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