Exclusive | Catering to ever changing behaviour, Docomo's Jain

Tata Docomo, one of the budding names in the telecom industry lately launched a new ad campaign that urges customers to ‘Open Up’ and share happiness using their customized data offers.

Using quirky visuals and dialogues, the latest 50-second advertisement is built on the idea that sharing either through Data or Voice is not just an act of passing something on: its end impact is much larger than the sender could have envisioned. For example, a simple ‘Like’ can boost the self-esteem of someone who has posted a “Selfie”.

To get a deeper understanding of the campaign, Adgully caught up with Pushkar Jain, Head - Brand Marketing, Tata Teleservices Ltd.

Speaking about the rationale behind launching the campaign, he said, “Social media platforms are trending across the globe, while internet as a medium of communication is becoming even more important. As a youth-centric brand that caters to data-hungry consumers, the *123# platform has been developed to provide specially customized data offers that promise ‘more data, every time’.”

The campaign’s mock-altruistic tone depicts how something as simple as using social media platforms on your phone can really help make someone’s day. Designed and created by Contract India, the task was to communicate these ideas through quirky visuals and dialogues that were both relatable and light-hearted.

The ‘Open Up’ TVC that is airing in six languages, including Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu has also adopted a 360 degree approach in reaching out to target audiences. The ad is airing across all major Indian TV channels and has been amplified through digital channels, outdoor media and point of sale merchandise.

On the digital front, Jain said, “The TVC is being promoted in the digital space to drive engagement amongst Tata Docomo’s 14 million-strong online community. We are focusing on enhancing our digital presence, taking cognizance of the exponential growth in the consumption of data that would allow for greater ROI from digital advertising.”

“As a brand, we believe that every piece of communication has the power to alter the mood and outlook of our customers. Through this campaign we hope to establish a stronger connect with our younger customers whose mobile behavior is defined by the ability to share their lives and receive acknowledgment and validation from their online communities. The campaign helps us assure our customers that we understand their expectations from their mobile experience and have just the right offerings to meet their individual needs,” he added.

Today’s millennial customers are more aware of their surroundings and know how best they can avail relevant services. The advent of online mediums has made every one explore more avenues to communicate with their customers and that has worked in Tata Docomo’s favor too. “Even with the various customer touch points available to us, the key takeaway remains the same. The customers (especially in a country like India) are price sensitive and in this globalized world of endless options, they are just not happy with following the herd. In the age of mass personalization, they want products and services that best fit their pockets and provide them with superior experience - be it voice, data or other value-added services. They also want efficient assistance at all stages of their purchase, which makes our job more comprehensive and challenging,” Jain added.

In the last couple of years, the company has made a strenuous effort towards making the Tata Docomo brand experience more accessible and personalized to meet the rapidly evolving needs of our customers.

We have been fairly aggressive with revamping our retail presence over the last two years. We’ve invested in completely transforming the look and feel of about 900 of our stores across the country. We currently have nearly 1,000 stores in over 100 towns with a combined retail space of approximately 500,000 sq ft,” Jain said.

Tata Docomo from the very beginning also recognized digital as one of the most effective mediums to drive engagement and consumer connect, especially with the millennial generation. The idea was to build engagement by establishing one-on-one conversations, encouraging advocacy through positive word of mouth, and providing consumers a platform to voice their concerns/build a connect with the brand. As a result, Tata Docomo is amongst the top-recalled brands on social media, and has a 14-million strong Facebook community.

Elaborating further, Jain said, “With our offerings, we’ve been cognizant of the millennial generation’s need to stay connected and share their lives on the go. The increasing demand for mobile data has been largely driven by the younger consumer set and we’ve been quick to respond to this need with affordable and customizable data plans.”

With the millennial generation’s growing affinity for online shopping, they have also developed Tata Docomo’s eShop. Exhibited on familiar e-commerce platforms the portal offers the three pillars of catalog presentation; add to cart and a payment gateway. It facilitates doorstep activation with free shipping and cash on delivery options. It also provides live chat support to help customers with their purchase decisions.

The brand that has overcome all the hurdles, when asked about the key markets, Jain explained by saying, “Our focus is towards delivering quality telecom products and services across all 19 telecom circles we operate in. We have seen a consistent increase in brand engagement through the right mix of our physical and online retail touch points. We ensure that our brand messages are localized for various markets and are delivered through the right channels for maximum impact.”

Tata Docomo invests in breaking away from the traditional and providing unique offerings to customers, by embracing new thinking. Rising competition in the sector only facilitates the requisite drive towards evolving as a brand that truly connects with the Indian consumer. By Aanchal Kohli | Twitter: @aanchalkohli