Introduction:

Axiata (Bangladesh) Limited is a dynamic and leading countrywide GSM communication solution provider. It is a joint venture company between Axiata Group, Berhad, Malaysia and NTT DOCOMO INC Japan. Axiata Bangladesh Limited formerly known as Telecom Malaysia International (Bangladesh), commenced its operation in 1997 under the brand name Aktel among the pioneer GSM mobile telecommunications service providers in Bangladesh. Recently, on 28 March 2010 the company re-branded itself and started its new journey with a new brand name Robi. Robi is the third largest mobile phone operator in Bangladesh in terms of revenue and subscribers (10.31 million as of February 2010) . In early 2008 Robi slipped from the second position to the third after facing fierce competition from Banglalink. Robi boasts of the widest international roaming service in the market, connecting 315 operators across 170 countries. It is the first operator in the country to introduce GPRS.

As Axiata(Bangladesh) Limited started their journey in Bangladesh under the brand name Aktel and recently did its re- branding under the new brand name Robi, it is essential to understand about the terms Branding and Rebranding.

Understanding About Branding and Re-branding: Branding:

A brand is a name, term, sign, symbol or design or a combination of these intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or a group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of the competitors.

Therefore, it makes sense to understand that branding is not about getting the target market or consumers to choose the marketer over competition, but it is about getting the marketer to see as the only one to provide a solution for the consumers problems. Branding now has become a common term used in marketing. It is essentially burning the company or website name or slogan into the minds of potential customers.

 Rebranding:
Rebranding is a process by which a product or service developed with one brand, company or product line affiliation is marketed or distributed with a different identity. This may involve radical changes to the brands logo, brand name, image, marketing strategy, and advertising themes. These changes are typically aimed at repositioning of the brand or company, sometimes in an attempt to distance itself from certain negative connotations of the previous branding, or to move the brand up market.

However the main reason for rebranding is to communicate a new message for a company something that has evolved or the new board of directors wish to communicate. Rebranding can be applied to new products, mature products and even products in development. The process can occur intentionally through a deliberate change in strategy or occur unintentionally from unplanned and emergent situations.

Are People Well Informed About Robi?:

As Axiata (Bangladesh) Ltd has rebranded itself with a new look by introducing Robi, the new brand name for the company, it is essential to find out whether people, that is the mass population using telecommunication service in Bangladesh are well informed about Robi.

As Robi is the 3rd largest telecommunication service provider company of Bangladesh, a major proportion of the people are aware about Robi.

Robi is one of the first few companies to enter the vastly prospective telecommunication sector of Bangladesh and is well reputed among the customers compared to other telecommunication service provider companies like Banglalink, Citycell, Teletalk, Warid Telecom etc.

Vast majority of mobile phone users of the country know about Robi.

 Among the six mobile phone operators in Bangladesh, including Grameenphone, Banglalink, Citycell, Warid Telecom, Teletalk and Robi, the company has 20% market share. This indicates that a significant portion of the market is well informed about Robi.

A large number of people come to know about Robi from television advertisements. Other sources include billboards, hoardings, newspapers and mouth publicity. Similar to all other mobile phone operators of Bangladesh, Robi also has two major services Pre-Paid and Post-Paid. Approximately, 50-60% of total subscribers of Robi are users of the Pre-Paid service while the remaining portion uses the Post- Paid service.

Among the various features of Robi, call rates, SMS rates, quality of network and value added services are prominent. Most subscribers are satisfied with the call rate of Robi although others believe the company should reduce its call rate. In terms of network quality, majority of people opine that there is still some scope for improvement.

Advertising Effectiveness of Robi:

Advertising is a form of communication intended to persuade an audience (viewers, readers and listeners) to take some action. It includes the name of a product or service and how that product could benefit the consumer, to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume that particular brand. It can also serve to communicate an idea to mass amount of people in an attempt to convince them to take a certain action.

Advertising Effectiveness is an evaluation of the extent to which a specific advertisement or advertising campaign meets the objectives specified by the client. The effectiveness is commonly gauged by measuring the effect on sales, brand awareness, brand preference etc. Similar to any other telecom operators in Bangladesh, Robi has also undertaken massive advertising activities after its recent rebranding. It focused on four different types of media including TV channels, radio, billboards and newspapers.

Robi performed advertising activities on all TV channels, both on BTV, the national TV channel as well as other private owned TV channels.

The company also did advertising activities on the radio including Radio Today, Radio Foorti and Radio Amar.

The company also did massive branding and advertising through billboard in important locations of Dhaka and Chittagong.

As far as the newspaper advertisements are concerned, the advertisements of Robi can be found in all well recognized newspapers of the country.

In target market for telecommunication industry in Bangladesh, young generation is the most aware and enthusiastic segment. Because they have lots of friends to keep in touch with and so much to talk about. Many of them are going through the use of multiple SIMs from different mobile operators as to enjoy the lower rate, more FNFs, to talk more and thus naturally they are very aware of the activities undertaken by telecom companies in order to better manage their talking needs by minimizing costs. This young generation is really a very interesting segment for the telecom companies and they know it very well which is easily observed by their heavy marketing activities and campaigns just for this group. For example, Grameenphone has created a very strong brand like Djuice which is a very popular and successful brand with the young generation. Similarly Robi has also launched its advertising campaign after rebranding by targeting the emotion and cultural bondage of the people with this land. They have chosen to specify the meaning of their advertisement in Bengali so that it can easily be understood and help the company to create a connection with the customers on a deeper emotional level. Another noticeable fact is that they have focused on the rural parts of the country in their new TV advertisements as after rebranding they aim to center the rural market as their main area of attention.

Target Customer of Robi

Robi is one of the most well reputed telecommunication service providers of Bangladesh. Like any other company in the telecommunication market, Robis prime focus is its customers. The company aims to gain the end customers satisfaction by providing end to end quality service and superior value.

At present, the mobile penetration level (population using mobile phone) in Bangladesh is 35%. Majority of this portion are located in urban area. Still there is a huge segment which is situated in semi urban and rural areas of the country. Robi has come up with its new name, which is in a Bengali word in order to capture this rural area of the country. As the name is in a Bengali word it is evident that Robi is targeting the rural segment of Bangladesh in order to expand its business.

Robi is a highly customer centric company. By providing relevant and convenient solutions, the company makes all necessary efforts to make its products and services attractive to customers.

In order attract large number of customers, the company focuses on innovations, strengthening network and considering affordability.

Currently, the company has 10.35 billion subscribers as of February 2010. The company holds a market share of 20% with geographic network coverage of 80% and population coverage of 86%. The company has plans to make further coverage expansions in the near future.

With its new outlook, the company empowers its customers with various befitting products and services. The products are simple, easy to understand and straight forward.

 The customers have the power to choose whichever suits them best from a variety of affordable services including reduced call rates, multiple bill plans, flat rates etc.

The companys improved customer service benefits customers as it is dedicated to resolve any problem at the earliest convenience. The company has a wide reach with 100,000 plus recharge sales points, more than 26,000 SIM selling points, more than 450 services points and 24- hour call centerall that ensure easy accessibility.

The company is committed to continuously improve its network coverage and quality in order to ensure its presence wherever the customers are so that they can enjoy uninterrupted service. The company has invested 117 M USD in 2009 and plans to invest more in 2010.

As individual new businesses open, new jobs are created and financial security is enhanced, one can be hopeful of a corresponding growth in telecom services. The company is optimistic about it and hopes to be a major partner of this development process.

Positioning Of Robi:
A positioning strategy is one of the most important parts of promoting a rebranded company. As the company has rebranded itself from Aktel to Robi, it needed to come up with a all new positioning strategy. Previously, when it used the brand name Aktel, the company focused on the urban parts of the country. Conversely, with its new brand name Robi, the company aims to penetrate the untapped rural market of the vastly potential telecommunication market. After rebranding the new positioning message of Robi is Apner Shakti Apner Shathe, Jole Uthun Apon Shakti Te. This means that every person has their own power, light and strength and they should spread that strength.

Robi is a truly people-oriented brand of Bangladesh. Robi, the peoples champion is there for the people of Bangladesh, where they want and the way they want. Having the local tradition at its core, Robi marches ahead with innovation and creativity.

 The transformation of the brand from Aktel to Robi came into effect from the dawn of Sunday, March 28, 2010 after unveiling of the new logo and branding at a colorful ceremony in Suhrawardi Uddan in the capital. Celebrations took place in Dhaka, Chittagong and all across the country to mark this historic transition. The company launched its branding campaign in Bangladesh Mela at more than 70 spots across the country on 27th March where renowned local singers and bands performed until the next day.

The thematic importance of the rebranding process is based on the rich, vibrant culture and heritage of Bangladesh. Through this transformation the company wants to develop a emotional link with the people of this country.

By changing its name to a Bengali word, the company aims to aligning its services to local culture and tradition.

The word has been chosen as it carries a range of dominant meanings of emotional and cultural bondage to the people of this land. Robi brings the first gleam of light that shows us the day; Robi is the symbol of harvest that brings satisfying smiles on the faces of the farmers; Robi, meaning sun is the sources of energy that vitalizes agriculture weather and life everywhere.

The word Robi is also very familiar to all classes of Bengali speaking people as it is in the Bengali name of their pride poet, Rabindranath Tagore.

The company aims to develop a link with the culture and roots of this nation. The cultural heritage of Bangladesh is very rich has always positive impacts upon social and economic activities. Therefore, the company chose the Bengali word Robi as its identity.

Robi promises to remain beside the people of Bangladesh as they want and incorporate Bengali in all facet of its work.

 In Bangladesh, telecommunication sector witnessed massive development during the last decade mainly due to the penetration of mobile phones. However, there are enormous opportunities for further growth as the economic indices grow correspondingly. As the main thrust of development will be rural-based, identification of the name with a Bengali word is expected to add significant value.

In order to boost its presence and market share, Robi has embarked upon this transformation endeavor to tap the possibilities to grow and at the same time contribute to the socio economic development of the country. In its new outlook Robi is deemed to ensure greater customer satisfaction by offering quality services

Customer Section of Robi:

As Robi is the 3rd largest company in the telecommunication industry of Bangladesh, naturally it has a significant customer following. As mentioned before, Robi has total subscriber of 10.35 million as of February 2010. To continuously provide superior value to these huge customer section, Robi has come up with numerous exciting and innovative offers for its customers which aims to provide complete solution to the customers problems. Like any other company Robi has also divided its vast quantity of customers into different segments in order to do business efficiently.

Robi has divided its customers into two major segments. These are as follows

Pre Paid Customer Segment

Post Paid Customer Segment

Pre Paid Customer Segment:

A large number of customers of Robi are its Pre Paid customers. It is assumed that approximately 60-70% of the companys customers are Pre Paid users. This segment includes a huge number of people because almost all classes of people of Bangladesh can afford a Robi Prepaid SIM as the company offers a Pre Paid SIM at a very modest price of 98 tk. only. This is the lowest Pre Paid connection available in the market. This is why this segment holds a huge amount of customers from different segments of the society including students, service holders, businessmen etc. To satisfy this large number of customers, the company aims at providing some unique benefits which are as follows---

The company offers a single Pre paid package with the best rates in the market with different tariff plans in one package to meet different types of needs.

Robi offers instant, simple and multiple migration facility from one tariff plan to another which is easy for the customers to understand and use.

It provides 5 FNF facility to other mobile operators with one Robi partner facility and also gives customers extended and simplified refill validity for ease and freedom.

Robi provides Economy ISD (EISD) facility to its customers to call to 55 different countries of the world by dialing 012.

It also provides nationwide Easyload facility and high speed Internet connectivity.

Post Paid Customer Segment:

Robi also has a significant amount of Post Paid customers. But in recent years, due to emergence of Pre Paid Robi has lost a considerable portion of its Post Paid customers as all of its competitors are focusing on prepaid and also the customers are willing to buy Pre Paid connection because of its lower price and diverse benefits. At the moment, approximately 3040% of the total customers of Robi are Post Paid users. The price of Robi Post Paid connection is 499 tk. which is not affordable for most of the customers. This is why Robi Post Paid connection is mainly targeted for affluent business people. Robi Post Paid provides few benefits to its customers. These include----

The line rent of Robi Post Paid is 100 tk. and its free if monthly usage exceeds tk.500

Robi Post paid provides a very modest call rate of tk.0.68/min to any other mobile operator nationwide.

The most unique benefit provided by Robi for its Post Paid customers is that it offers a very attractive tk. 100,000 life insurance policy. This is an exclusive benefit for customers provided by no other competitors in the market

Robi Post paid tariffs are also exclusive of VAT which reduces the cost factor for the customers.

Robi Post Paid customers can check their bills by visiting the website of Robi which is www. robi.com.bd. Here they can provide their mobile number and password and check their last 3 months bills anytime, anywhere.

They can also enjoy the SMS billing facility of Robi From this system they can know the amount of their last bill, updated usage amount of the last bill and also the difference between the total billed amount and paid amount.

 Robi Post Paid also offers a wide variety of bill paying mechanisms to its customers. They can pay their Post Paid bills through scratch card, Easyload, auto debit, banks and Customer Care Centers.

Customer Perception towards Robi:

Being able to satisfy a customers perception is the biggest challenge a company faces in doing business. The companys job is to alter the perception of prospects to make the customers believe that the companys product or service is right for them and turn them into a client. When the customers perceive the value of the products or services to be more than the selling price they have every reason to buy that particular product or service. In the fiercely competitive market environment of the telecommunication industry of Bangladesh, customer perception is very important indeed. Because all of the companies are trying to continuously satisfy the customers by delivering superior value.

Similarly, while engaging in its rebranding process, Robi also had to consider its customers perceptions to this whole system. As they faced competition from other mobile operators they really had to come up with something completely fresh. So, they chose this process of rebranding the company. After completing this rebranding process the company has received mixed reaction from its customers.

Positive Customer Reactions towards Robi:

Major portion of the customers think that Robi has taken a praiseworthy initiative by rebranding itself with the objective of creating a link with the cultural and emotion bondage of the people of Bangladesh.

 This initiative is really very highly valued by the customers as no other company has taken this kind of step in the telecommunication sector.

The people of Bangladesh rate their language very highly. So rebranding with a new Bengali name is expected to add significant value to the company.

As it is assumed that, the focus of future telecommunication market will be rural-based, this new name will help the company to link with its rural customers on a deeper emotional level.

It is predicted that approximately 60% of the people have accepted the new name of the company.

Negative Customer Reactions towards Robi:

Although a major portion of people have taken the new name of the company in a positive way some people still believe that it was not a right step for the company.

Some customers have been very disappointed with this type of name and have referred to it as not such attractive.

Initially after receiving a mixed reaction, it is assumed that the companys new name will eventually be accepted by all the people with the passage of time.

Recommendation:
The whole rebranding process of Robi has created a fascination among the people of Bangladesh. It is hoped that this initiative will bring success for the company in the future. But to ensure this, the company needs to continue to satisfy its customers by providing the best network quality, a wide range of connectivity; call rates which are flexible and also affordable for the people of all classes. The company also needs to continue its social activities to make sure that its Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) are fulfilled and thus maintain its commitment to the society. It has already set an example for other companies by performing such activity during the SIDR cyclone in coastal areas of Bangladesh in 2007. It needs to continue such activities.

Conclusion:
Robi is one of the major companies of the telecommunication industry of Bangladesh. It is a very powerful industry for the country which has generated a huge amount of revenue in recent years. So, it is hoped that if Robi can improve its business by being more customer friendly and providing more effective solutions to their problems it can recapture its old fame and also boost the countrys economy and thus contribute the dream vision of creating a Digital Bangladesh in future.