SUPERBRANDS 2012

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vodafone.in

VODAFONE
available to prepaid ones as well. Vodafone did not leave behind even those who were not comfortable with mobile data. The brand made it easier for them to use and manage a wide variety of digital content by offering the services of 123 a simple number anyone could dial and get options for subscribing to recipes, astrology or even matrimonial alerts.

In fifteen years, after launch on 1st January 1985, Vodafone had become Europe's largest company and controlled a third of UKs mobile services market. The brand's success lies in its belief that its every endeavour must empower its customers to exploit life's opportunities to the fullest. It also attempted to make complex technologies so simple that even the most technology challenged could extract substantially out of them. If there ever was a secret to Vodafone's success it was right here.
Market
The recent history of mobile telephony is littered with the success the end-consumer has reaped. He was, at once, a winner when competition became so intense that a price war was fought on his home turf. He became a beneficiary yet again, when mobile number portability (MNP) was finally introduced. This enabled the user to switch service providers without changing his mobile phone number. He once again came centre stage when 3G services were introduced. In every one of these forward movements the customer won. It would seem that with so many service providers the spoils of war would be equitably distributed amongst them. The truth is that one company grabbed the lion's share when 700 million people were offered a chance to change operators and opt for the one they believed was superior. Vodafone was again at the forefront when 3G services were introduced. There was no secret formula why Vodafone benefitted. It simply was that Vodafone was a better service, fewer drops, better connectivity, friendlier to clients, technologically sound and always on the ball, probing at the ways in which it could build greater trust and a stronger bond with its clients. Vodafone made sure that its existing customer base was given as much importance as its later one. It is this empathy that led to Vodafone capturing the hearts and minds of users and to win the Brand Equity 2010 Most Trusted Service Brand award. 3G opened the floodgates and customers began enjoying and managing an overwhelming variety of digital data on their mobile phones. Vodafone firmly believed in the power of 3G. Their effort to win over ten circles during the 3G spectrum allocation goes a long way to show the seriousness of intent. Remarkably, despite being a late entrant in the 3G race Vodafone was able to catch up with most competitors, surpassing many on its way to success. challenges has always been able to negotiate complicated tasks with consummate ease. In 2007, the transition from Hutch to Vodafone was an exercise fraught with many pitfalls. Vodafone surprised the telecom world by crossing the chasm and never missing a single step. This was followed by the overwhelming success of the Zoozoo debut campaign in 2008 and the introduction of the Pug to the Vodafone fold. While the Pug made Just when the high of the awards was dying down, Vodafone came out with the second instalment of the Zoozoos during IPL 2010. It reiterated Vodafone commitment to its customers and set new benchmarks for excellence. In the following year, during IPL 2011, Vodafone launched its 3G services giving the Zoozoos yet another makeover. It got the nation talking and made the already successful Zoozoos more loveable than ever before. Zoozoo Part Duex, was a runaway success sweeping four Golds and a Grand Prix at the Effies and Goafest 2010. Much like the 3G sobriquet Faster, Smarter, Better the Super Zoozoo, zipped through the 3G race keeping Vodafone 3G at the top of the heap. The 3G success was followed by the Vodafone BlackBerry launch. It changed the way people perceived a Blackberry phone. Vodafone was the first to nudge BlackBerry away from its cold corporate persona offering a premium postpaid product to the customer as an affordable prepaid BlackBerry service. Not only did this open the market to a much younger audience, it also made the phone cool enough to hang out with. The effort, too, won for Vodafone two Effies in 2011.

international. It invested extensively in other countries bringing passion and belief that services should be customised to suit different professional and personal needs, on a single platform. After proving its competency in Europe, Vodafone crossed the seas to India one of the most potentially explosive markets in the world. Soon it had inveigled itself into the lives and hands of millions of Indians. In a way, it was the meeting of the titans: a great nation meeting a great company.

was launched exclusively for Vodafone users caught most competitors off-guard. Attractive deals on travel, fine dining and fashion, amongst others, made customers feel special.

Recent Developments
Vodafone believes today's consumers seek more from a phone than just the ability to make calls. To bring phones and people together under the Vodafone umbrella, the brand collaborated with various other mobile handset and telecom brands. This meant that customers could get the most advanced telecommunication solutions under a single roof. Indeed, these Vodafone stores, spread across the country have now become one-stop shops for everything related to telecom. They feature a wide range of products like data cards, USB dongles, mobile handsets, notepads and laptops. Customers can also just walk in to a store and avail of a host of other telecom-related services or get expert advice for their products.

Brand Values
Vodafone stands for simplicity, trust and speed. By itself none of these would mean much but juxtaposed alongside a demanding customer they become the difference between a good service provider and a truly outstanding one. Today, by pushing the envelope on all these fronts Vodafone has become a powerful brand across 70 countries and five continents and a much appreciated partner to 370 million users. The brand continues to find new ways to make its clients feel special and new ways to put technology in their hands. It's a fine example of why its philosophy 'power to you' is working and will continue to do so till Vodafone finds another extension to it.

Product
Vodafone's product mantra was woven around the philosophy that every product should empower the customer, helping him or her make the most out of life's opportunities. So, at Vodafone, a lot of care went into developing well-thought out products and services. Listening to customers and attention to detail helped Vodafone deliver on its promise of a customer-driven approach. Vodafone 121, a single-window customer care number was the first step towards taking the brand closer to its clients. Among others, it offered a unique service that analysed usage history and recommended a plan best suited to his or her needs. Along with innovation, Vodafone also strove to simplify complex technologies so that customers who weren't tech savvy and were uncomfortable with using data on their mobile phones were made more appreciative of their benefits. Early to spot the possibilities of using Facebook while on the move, Vodafone introduced a phone for Facebook christened Vodafone Blue. Launched in India at an attractive price of just C4950 (US$ 90), it opened up the joys of Facebook to a wider, younger audience. Riding on the success of its products, Vodafone moved away from the expensive telecom provider image to a more approachable one. Vodafone Bonus Cards priced at C4 (US 7) helped Vodafone reach the masses. The Vodafone BlackBerry Prepaid service was no different. For the first time, BlackBerry services went prepaid for as low as C15 (US 27) per day. Vodafone Delights, a loyalty programme that

Promotion
Vodafone is credited with opening up the predominantly postpaid-dominated BlackBerry services to a younger, youth-oriented market. Leveraging the benefits of BlackBerry chat, email and BlackBerry messenger, Vodafone gave the phone a whole new image supporting it with a 60-second television commercial (TVC). This resulted in stepped up interest in the brand. Mob activations in malls and Vodafone BlackBerry Blast Smoothies, especially developed by Caf Coffee Day, were the other spin-offs. The other Vodafone contribution is developing the 2G and 3G markets. Before the brand launched a broadside on this market, the penetration levels on a base of 500 million subscribers was an abysmal 9% and 3% respectively. It appeared that people weren't entirely convinced of the effectiveness of these formats. Vodafone took it open itself to educate the consumer and help him shed his inhibitions. Before long, the markets surged forward and people on the periphery embraced these technologies. Vodafone Prepaid customers, too, had a lot to celebrate. Its clients were given the benefit of such services as Call-me-Back, Chhota Recharge and Credit Transfer. In this way, conveniences available only to postpaid customers were made

Things you didnt know about

Vodafone
Super Zoozoo, who runs faster than a bullet, shoulder-blocks trains, saves a screaming damsel in distress from a falling building and then sweeps her off her feet is a five-foot girl in a Zoozoo suit When Vodafone used an animated parrot for their Chhota Bonus campaign, People For Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) awarded Vodafone for the sensitivity and respect shown towards animals The BlackBerry Boys soundtrack was played at Navratri programmes, BlackBerry steps were taught at Navratri dance classes and a Bhangra remix was created out of it by fans Vodafone operates in 70 countries and is the preferred choice of 370 million subscribers

Achievements
Vodafone is one of the most alive companies in India, today. Its advertising tasked with hard
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Vodafone synonymous with an outstanding network, the Zoozoos confirmed this perception and made Vodafone a winner, yet again. Vodafone went on to out-class competition by setting new benchmarks and securing the highest percentage of acquisitions with MNP. Not the one to shy away from awards, they also won the +WPP Partnership award and the Effies 2011.

History
Vodafone was introduced to the world on 1st January 1985 when it launched its first service in the United Kingdom. In less than fifteen years it powered its way to the top, becoming the largest company in Europe and controlling more than a third of the mobile phone market in the UK. Cementing award-winning customer service with technical competence, Vodafone, now armed with stunning experience, went

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