|
Bharti Cellular opts for Bollywood Magic
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kumarkaushalam
New Delhi
: Bharti Cellular Ltd has roped in cinema celebrities Shah
RukhKhan and Karisma Kapoor as brand ambassadors for the Magic
pre-paid cellularcard. The telecom major is kicking off a
Rs 2.5-crore launch campaign - YouCan Do Magic - with the
duo beginning February 16, 2001, to bolster theMagic brand's
presence.
The move follows the repositioning of the cellular brand Airtel
(TouchTomorrow) in September 2000. The contract with Mr Khan
and Ms Kapoor - foran undisclosed amount - is indicated to
have been signed in late December2000.
``Karisma
and Shah Rukh will carry forward the magical values of the
Magicbrand to the peoples,'' says Mr Atul Jhamb, vice-president,
marketing,Bharti Cellular. ``They epitomise youth, trendiness
and exuberance of theMagic brand.''
A consumer
survey by Quantum revealed that consumers related Magic withproperties
like film icons, music and cricket. ``Our consumers wanted
maleas well female icons - personalities with charm and clean,
`Phir bhi dil haiHindustani' kind of image. In fact, they
wanted both of them,'' says MrJhamb.
Mr Jhamb
adds that the pre-paid brand has taken the platform of emotionalempowerment.
``Like one's first date, Magic is supposed to be be a majorhappening
in the life of a consumer entering the cellular category,''
saysMr Jhamb.
The launch
campaign `Yehi to hai Zindagi/ Aur issi mein hain Magic',
handledby creative agency Leo Burnett, will be splashed across
print media,outdoors and Magic's extensive retail network.
Target
the mass market ``We plan to double our existing customer
base forthe pre-paid Magic card,'' says Mr Jhamb. ``We expect
the cellular growth tobe led by the pre-paid cellular cards
this year.''Bharti Cellular expects the entry of the third
player and the lowering ofcellular tariff to bring a good
number of customers to the cellularcategory, especially in
the pre-paid market, which grew by around 25 percent last
year.
Magic
commands over 60 per cent share of the 2.75 lakh a year pre-paidcellular
market in Delhi. Currently, the brand has presence in the
marketsof Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh
- with Delhiaccounting for over 60 per cent of overall Magic
sales. The signing of thetwo hottest stars of Bollywood is
significant as Magic aspires to target newmarkets and become
a pan-Indian brand.
Bharti
Cellular plans to crack open the mass market with Magic. Around
30per cent of Magic customers belong to SEC B1 and B2. Says
Mr Jhamb, ``We'lllike to swell this category and broaden the
brand's appeal to SEC C as well,especially among the youth
and women.''
Bharti
also sees big boost to Magic coming from the satellite towns
ofDelhi, especially from corporates, traders, contractors
and small shopowners.In terms of distribution, Magic has plans
to grow its distribution reach by60 per cent up from 3,500
outlets now in Delhi. The company plans tomaintain its focus
on the FMCG outlets - these account for over 65 per centof
the Magic's retail network. ``The FMCG model has worked for
an instantproduct like Magic,'' says Mr Jhamb.
In Bharti
Cellular's brand hierarchy, Magic is designed to be an entry-level
mass brand; the pre-paid brand Airtel is expected to move
the Magicconsumers up the value chain; and moving up further,
there is the Tangobrand and a host of value-added services
for Airtel subscribers, as branddifferentiators.
TOP
|
Cover
Story
