This document summarizes the history and marketing strategies of Idea Cellular Limited, an Indian telecommunications company. It discusses how Idea started in 1995 and expanded through mergers and acquisitions over the years. The document also describes Idea's marketing communications approaches, including its use of television, print, radio, and outdoor advertising. A key part of Idea's strategy has been socially-relevant ad campaigns addressing issues like education, health, and the environment.

1. Marketing
Communication
at Idea

2. Started in 1995 as Birla
communications services
initially operating in
Maharashtra and Gujarat
In 2000 the company
merged with the Tata
Cellular ltd, thereby
acquired license of AP
circle
In 2005 IDEA became
the first telecom
services company to
launch EDGE and GPRS
In 2008, acquired Spice
Communications with
the operating circles of
Punjab and Karnataka
In 2011, they became the
first telecom service
provider to announce the
launch of Mobile number
portability
1995 1996 2000 2002 2005 2006 2008 2009 2011 2013
In 1996 it changed
name to Birla AT&T
communications
In 2002 company
changed the name to
Idea Cellular Limited
and launched the “Idea”
brand name
In 2006 the company
acquired, Escorts
Telecommunications
Limited and the company
name changed to Idea
Telecommunications
Limited
In 2009, company
became pan India
operating company
In 2013, Received a USD
1 million Grant from US
Trade and Development
Agency for a Green
Telecom Project
Journey So far

3. Advertising Medium
• Their Main Medium is Television
• Others are billboards, hoardings which comprise of OUTDOOR ADVERTISING
• Quite Innovative
• Walls on roadsides are also used in Ads – Major Bus Routes
• Print Ads in Newspapers
• Radio and Cinema halls
• Online Advertising

4. TV Advertisements
• Idea had not hired any celebrity to promote its services till late 2007
• It hired Film star Abhishek Bachchan to endorse its brand in October 2007
• The company’s focus in the Ads also changed from Highlighting its tariff plans and
Network Coverage towards Mobile Telephony to solve social Issues
• Idea also developed various websites to support its Ads based on Social Issues

5. IDEA Taglines
‘A Good IDEA’
‘An IDEA can change your Life’
‘What an IDEA Sirjee’

6. ADVERTISEMENT
CAMPAIGNS

7. Championing A World Without Caste, Creed and Religion

8. “for the people, by the people”
• The ad advocated the public empowerment ; a sincere
approach to reach out to rural people
• The campaign used the Internet, TV and radio media to engage
people, demonstrate the power of collective decision making
and the usability of mobile phones in that process
A website, myidea.co.in, had been created, which allows users
to raise or submit questions related to issues in their cities or
districts, politics, society, economy, entertainment and sports in
150 words

9. The ad uses the concept of mobile telephony for
educating one and all who are located in the remotest
of villages
Education for all
Addresses social issue of lack of access to quality
education. It was set in Rural Backdrop

10. Emphasis on uninterrupted and ubiquitous network

11. To connect better with the Mumbaikars, who account for major
customer base

12. • This advertisement focuses on the concept that we all can be healthy and fit if we follow this simple
phrase which is “walk when you talk”
• Idea also developed an application on the Idea website where in one can feed in the number of minutes
that they talk daily and then the software displays that how many calories you can burn if you walk during
that duration

13. • On the first anniversary of 26/11, Idea cellular initiated the movement titled the “ Talk for India”
• An advance nationwide campaign publicized the idea
• Approximately 5.5 crore Idea Subscribers were made aware that for every call they made between 8.36 p.m and 9.36
p.m. that evening the net revenue generated would be handed over by Idea cellular to the cause of protective gear for
police personnel

14. • As the planet faces hazards of global warming, and the world leaders debate the role of developed and developing
countries to save the Earth- there is one simple solution that Idea’s very prudent and popular Sirji! Proposes this time
• He advocates the message “Use Mobile, Save paper”, thus have a green planet

15. PRINT
ADVERTISEMENTS

17. Integrated Communication
All Idea Campaigns follow the same patterns-Essential brand promise of providing a simple, fresh and
imaginative solution to a complex problem of society
Campaigns-”Championing a world without cast”, “ championing a world in which no one suffers from disability to
communicate”, ”Education for all”, “Participative governance", "Walk when you talk”,” Use mobile save paper”
address concerns such as caste war , disability to communicate, education, democracy ,health and environment
respectively
According to advertising experts, Idea enjoyed very little brand recall in the initial years after its inception. It had
gained on that front by using its brand name in creative and meaningful slogans that concluded in its ads making
perfect sense

18. Integrated Communication contd..
Idea’s ads were in contrast to that of its competitors like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone which focused on their value
added services and products
Therefore it must continue with its current advertisement strategy and should improve on its services so that it
improves its ranking on Brand Track Index Survey

19. Accolades
• Idea is the winner of ‘The Emerging Company of the year Award’ at Economic Times Corporate Excellence
Awards 2008-2009
• It won the GSM Association Award for Best Billing and customer care solution for 2 consecutive years
• It was awarded “ Mobile operator of the year Award-India” for 2007 & 2008 at the Annual Asian Mobile News
Awards

20. Idea Mobile Number Portability Campaigns
• In these TVCs, created by
Lowe Lintas, brand
ambassador Abhishek
Bachchan encounters people
who are experiencing
difficulties with their mobile
service providers like poor
customer care, limited
network and a bad tariff plan.
When asked why they have
such problems, they all
respond, "No idea", to which
Bachchan advises, "Get Idea“
• Captured the Inherent
trouble that people faced
with their mobile operators
but were not able to do
anything

21. Language Barrier
• The ad starts with a group of four friends, all sitting
glumly at a tea stall where Abhishek Bachchan is the
vendor; he plays a mute in this ad.The boy replies that
all four have got jobs, but the Maharashtrian is going
to Kolkata, the Bengali is going to Kerala, the
Malayalee to Haryana and the Haryanvi to Mumbai.
"If they don't know the language, then what will they
do," he asks. Bachchan has an idea; when each of the
four reaches their destination, they just call the friend
who speaks the language via their bluetooth device
for quick assistance. At the end, the friends come to
thank Bachchan and one of the them says, "Now
anybody can speak in any language. What an idea,
Sirji." To which he replies in sign language, "You don't
need a language to be able to speak."
This Ad is very relevant because it's a problem most
people are facing in the country which is the
language problem

22. !dea Save Trees
This Ad positions and projects Idea cellphone as
a device to eliminate wastage of paper