Open or Close ?

Let me again comment on the Indian telecom industry and its giants, who have a common feature called adaptibilty.

When a brand is being built, marketers use offensive strategies while they use defensive tactics to maintain their brands. Indian Telecom mammoths are now using defensive strategies to maintain their brand, and thereby retain their customer base. The major components of defensive branding strategies are adaptability, protectibility and transferability, which are being well used by players like Airtel, who have adapted the brand as per the heinous context of global meltdown.

Airtel has recently come up with its new ad campaign called "Anna and her special 5". Click here to view the commercial.

The commercial shows the synergy between Anna and her group of five friends, but there is no information on the significance of the figure 5 in the product offering. In the end of all TVCs of the campaign, there has been a mention of a toll free number for more information on the deal.

The ads are really cute and adorable with a special component which is called need for closure. When consumers are exposed to any marketing stimulus like a TVC, they tend to form perceptions, which may be favorable or unfavorable. In the process of organization of perceptions, marketers play a major role in moulding the consumer perceptions which are favorable for the brand.

Humans, by default have a tendency to organize their thoughts and perceptions and form a complete picture for every incoming stimulus. As such, they need a beginning, content or body for the perceptual image and then the closure.

In the new Airtel campaign of special 5, there is a beginning with introduction of the characters of the commercial as Anna and her friends and also the content which are interactions amongst friends, but there is no closure as there is lack of explanation on the special five offer, though there is a hint on lower call rates. This need for closure is addressed by giving a toll free contact number where customers can get the details of the offer.

Now, as the consumers have an urge to closure for the perceptual picture formed by the stimulus, TVC in the contemporary context, and as such, customers are compelled to dial to the customer contact centre, which would serve as a point of contact for the company to sell the new offering.

Well, most of the commercials and campaigns fail due to lack of conceptual support in managing the marketing mix, but Airtel has really lived up to the need of the hour.