DISSERTATION

REPORT
ON

MARKETING STRATEGY OF AIRTEL

Submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirement of the degree of
Masters of International Business
H.N.B. Garhwal University, Srinagar, Garhwal

UNDER THE GUIDENCE OF

Submitted to: Submitted By:

Ms Swati Bisht SATYAM KUMAR JAISWAL

BBA Vth SEM
8571049

NATIONAL P.G. COLLEGE

2008-2011
 ACKNOWLEGEMENT

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude towards all those people who have

helped me in the completion of this project and without whose support I would have not been able

to complete the project successfully.

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude towards my teacher Ms Swati Bisht, for

providing guidance and helping me in every step to complete this project. I also thank my parents

for their direct and indirect support during the entire course of this project.
 CERTIFICATE

I have the pleasure in certifying that SATYAM KUMAR JAISWAL Is a bonafide student of BBA
V Semester of National P.G. College, Lucknow under Roll No 8571049.

He has completed his project work entitled AIRTEL under my supervision.

I certify that this is his original effort & has not been copied from any other source. This
project has also not been submitted in any other University for the purpose of award of any
degree.

This project fulfills the requirements of the curriculum prescribed by University Of Lucknow,
for the said course.

Signature:

Name of the Guide:

Date
 DECLARTION

I, SATYAM KUMAR JAISWAL hereby to declare that this project

is the record of authentic work carried out by me during my academic
session year 2008-2010 and has not been submitted to any other
university or institute towards the award of any degree.
 Table of Contents

1.1.1. Bharti Airtel....................................................................................................21

1.1.1. Bharti Airtel......................................................................................21

1.1.2. The Brand......................................................................................................23

1.1.2. The Brand........................................................................................23

1.1.3. Airtel’s Vision & promise...................................................................................24

1.1.3. Airtel’s Vision & promise....................................................................24

Business Divisions.............................................................................25
Airtel Advantages.............................................................................27
2005....................................................................................................45
Sells 10% stake to Vodafone............................................................45
Inks insurance J-V with Axa...........................................................45
2006....................................................................................................45
Signs pact with Wal-Mart to explore retail opportunities in India45
2007....................................................................................................45
SUBSCRIBERS IN AIRTEL...........................................................46
a) The Airtel Colour Palette .........................................................................49

Research Methodology.....................................................................50
Limitations........................................................................................66
BIBLOGRAPHY..............................................................................69
www.airtel.com.................................................................................69
www.google.com................................................................................69
Business India...................................................................................69
Economic times.................................................................................69
 70
Executive Summary

The project undertaken by me at Bharti Airtel Limited as part of Summer

Internship Program provided me an opportunity to understand the operations

and to gain an insight into the various strategies employed to cater this

segment of the industry.

Working from the office in Dehradun from 18th June 2007 to 18th August

2007, I have learnt about the various aspects of Telecom sector. This project

was a practical experience as I learned how to deal with the channels of

distribution.

As a part of the project the following activities were done during the eight

week summer internship project at Bharti Airtel Limited:

 • Worked with marketing team headed by Mr.GiteshTaneja (Zonal

Manager Marketing), Dealers, Distributors, Retailers, Field Sales

Executive (F.S.E) and F.C.E. etc.

• Covered few regions in Dehradun(rural) like [rajpur, kandoli, raipur,

nehrugram, doiwala, mahuwala, banjarawala, mothrawala,

mohabewala, banyawala, premnagar, tahakurwala, manduwala and

many other rural areas .]

The following steps followed to conduct this research:

• Primary data is collected by using the survey research. In the survey

research personal contacts are made with retailers and the required

information is collected by directive or structured interview.

• Interviewed the targeted respondents in the predecided field area

Dehra-Dun (Urban).

• Then the data was processed to give it a logical form.

 • On the basis of this information, conclusion was made and

recommendation was given.

This provided me an ample amount of learning and an opportunity to

communicate with the professionals across the segment.

The project has been a great experience for me as an individual and

provided me an opportunity to work in team on a practical project;

thereby it acted as a platform for me to gather first hand experience for

exploring the corridors of the corporate world.

Executive summary of Indian Telecom Market

• Lowered call tariffs are a major industry growth driver

• Wireless Subscriber growth will continue around 10m users/year

• India is primarily a low priced handset market (100-150 Euros)

• Prepaid will continue to dominate in both GSM and CDMA Segments.

• Operators are experiencing low ARPU because of lowered call Tariffs, thus

they are focusing upon content aspect

• Games and content should to be developed keeping local trends and tastes in

mind

• GPRS and MMS are here, but fail to gain subscribers as Compatible

handsets are expensive

• SMS based applications; services are most successful so far

• Internet penetration is low but the industry is growing at a rapid Pace

• Broadband & Wi-Fi are here, but too expensive for general Public

• Dial-in is the most preferred mode for internet access

 Telecom service-A profile

The telecom services have been recognized the world-over as an

important tool for socio-economic development for a nation and

hence telecom infrastructure is treated as a crucial factor to

realize the socio-economic objectives in India. The department is

also responsible for grant of licenses for various telecom services

like Unified Access Service ,Internet and VSAT service.

 The power of Wireless

The rapid strides made by the telecom sector in India continue to amaze us.

It gives us a great joy to see a young boy in Kashmir strike a spontaneous

Conversation with someone in Kerala. To see fisherman bargain for the best

Price on their catch while they are still on the water, or a farmer in Punjab

Accessing commodity rates in various mandis at the push of a button, is

Equally inspiring.

India has very quickly transformed from an era of snail mail, scarcity in

Phones and occasional long distance phone calls to an era of having

The sixth-largest telecom network in the world. A world without borders and

boundaries—a world restricted only by your Imagination—this is the world

of wireless technology.
 Market Share

4.62% 2.27% 2.59% 2.52%

3.27%
0.05% 0.10% 21.54%
20.47%

9.76%
18.98%
14.83%

Mtnl Spice Tata Hfcl Bharti Bsnl

Hutch Idea Reliance Shyam Aircel Bpl
 BHARTI CELLULAR LIMITED

An Introduction:

Airtel comes to you from Bharti Cellular Limited – a part of the biggest

private integrated telecom conglomerate, Bharti Enterprises. Bharti

Enterprises has been at the forefront of technology and has revolutionized

telecommunications with its world class products and services. Established in

1967, Bharti has been a pioneering force in the telecom sector with many

firsts and innovations to its credit. Bharti has many joint venture with world

leaders like singtel (Singapore telecom); Warburg pincus , USA; Telia ,

Sweden; Asian infrastructure find, Mauritus ; International Finance

corporation, USA and New York Life International, USA. It provides a range

of telecom services , which include cellular , basic,internet and recently

introduced national long Distance. Bharti also manufactures and exports

telephone terminals and cordless phones.

Apart from being the largest manufacturer of telephone instruments in India ,

it is also the first company to export its products to the USA. Bharti is the

leading cellular service provider, with an all India footprint covering all

23telecom circles of country.

Bharti has been a pioneering force in the telecom sector with many first

and innovations to its credit, ranging from being the first mobile service in

Delhi, first private basic telephone service in the country, first Indian

company to provide comprehensive telecom services outside India in

Seychelles and first private sector service provider to launch National &

International Long Distance services in India.

Bharti Enterprises has successfully focused its strategy on telecom while

straddling diverse of business. From the creation of “ AIRTEL”, one of the

India’s finest brands, to becoming the largest manufacturer and exporter of

world class telecom terminals under its ‘Betel’ brand , Bharti has created a

significant position for itself in the global telecommunications sector. Bharti

Tele- ventures is today acknowledged as one of India’s finest companies , and

its flagship brand “AIRTEL”, has over 13.2 million customers across the

length and breadth of India.

Bharti tele – ventures limited , a part of Bharti Enterprises is India’s

leading provider of telecommunications services. The businesses at Bharti

tele-venture have been structured into two main strategic business groups- the

Mobility Leaders business group and the Infotel Leaders business group.

The Mobility Leaders business group provides GSM mobile services across

India in twenty-three telecom circles, while the Infotel Leaders business

group provides broadband & telephone services, long distance services and

enterprise services. All these services are provided under the “AIRTEL”

brand.
 AIRTEL VISION AND MISSION

“To be globally admired for telecom services that delight customers.”

We will meet global standards for telecom services that delight

customers through:

 Customer service focus

 Empowered employees

 Innovative services

 Cost efficiency
Delhi is where it all began. An acid test , which gave the motivation

and inspiration to give service , that compares with the very best in

the world. This is what has made Airtel one of the top 5 operators

in the world in terms of population covered . The growth, to put it

modestly , has been phenomenal in terms of subscribers, coverage

and the milestone.

BASIC & CELLULAR SERVICES OF AIRTEL
 THE MILESTONE OF AIRTEL

 First and only service to be adjusted the best mobile service

In the country.

 Consecutively for four years 1997,1998,1999,and 2000 by

Communications world and awarded the Techies Awards.

 First to launch intelligent Network services.

 First to launch pre-paid roaming service.

 First to launch full roaming services on pre-paid.

 First to launch 32kK sim cards.

 First to launch local direct dialing facility.

 First to reach the 1 million – customer mark in a single circle.

 First to successfully conduct EDGE trials.

 First to launch a dual band network on the country.

 First to deploy voice quality enhancers to improve voice quality

and acoustics

 Bharti Cellular Limited is also the first telecom company in the

World to receive the ISO 9001:2000 certification from British

Standards institute
1.1.1. Bharti Airtel

Telecom giant Bharti Airtel is the flagship company of Bharti Enterprises. The

Bharti Group has a diverse business portfolio and has created global brands in

the telecommunication sector. Bharti has recently forayed into retail business

as Bharti Retail Pvt. Ltd. under a MoU with Wal-Mart for the cash & carry

business. It has successfully launched an international venture with EL

Rothschild Group to export fresh agri products exclusively to markets in

Europe and USA and has launched Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company Ltd

under a joint venture with AXA, world leader in financial protection and

wealth management.

Airtel comes to you from Bharti Airtel Limited, India’s largest integrated and

the first private telecom services provider with a footprint in all the 23

telecom circles. Bharti Airtel since its inception has been at the forefront of

technology and has steered the course of the telecom sector in the country

with its world class products and services. The businesses at Bharti Airtel
have been structured into three individual strategic business units (SBU’s) -

mobile services, broadband & telephone services (B&T) & enterprise

services. The mobile business provides mobile & fixed wireless services using

GSM technology across 23 telecom circles while the B&T business offers

broadband & telephone services in 94 cities. The Enterprise services provide

end-to-end telecom solutions to corporate customers and national &

international long distance services to carriers. All these services are provided

under the Airtel brand.

1.1.2. The Brand

Airtel was born free, a force unleashed into the market with a relentless and

unwavering determination to succeed. A spirit charged with energy, creativity

and a team driven “to seize the day” with an ambition to become the most

globally admired telecom service. Airtel, after just ten years, has risen to the

pinnacle of achievement.

As India's leading telecommunications company Airtel brand has played the

role as a major catalyst in India's reforms, contributing to its economic

resurgence.

Today we touch people’s lives with our Mobile services, Broadband services,

to connecting India's leading 1000+ corporates. We also connect Indians

living in USA with our callhome service.

1.1.3. Airtel’s Vision & promise

By 2010 Airtel will be the most admired brand in India:

• Loved by more customers

• Targeted by top talent

• Benchmarked by more businesses

“We at Airtel always think in fresh and innovative ways about the needs of

our customers and how we want them to feel. We deliver what we promise

and go out of our way to delight the customer with a little bit more”
 Business Divisions

Bharti Airtel offers GSM mobile

services in all the 23-telecom circles of India and is the largest mobile

service provider in the country, based on the number of customers.

The group focuses on delivering

telecommunications services as an integrated offering including

mobile, broadband & telephone, national and international long

distance and data connectivity services to corporate, small and

medium scale enterprises.

\

The group offers high speed broadband

internet with a best in class network. With Landline services in 94

cities we help you stay in touch with your friends & family and the

world.

The Company compliments its mobile

and broadband & telephone services with national and international

long distance services. It has over 35,016 route kilometers of optic

fibre on its national long distance network. For international

connectivity to east, it has a submarine cable landing station at. For

international connectivity to the west, the Company is a member of

the South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe – 4 (SEA-ME-

WE-4) consortiums along with 15 other global telecom operators.

Airtel Advantages

Here are some of the many advantages that New Airtel Prepaid brings you.

Total Cost Control

You can control your Airtel Prepaid like never before. No more rentals or deposits –

simply recharge as much as you need to from as low as Rs. 10, to as high as Rs. 10,000/-.

Pre activated STD/ISD without deposits or rentals

You can now enjoy a pre-activated STD/ISD on your Airtel Prepaid. No more

paying deposits or having a minimum balance in your account to make an

STD/ISD call. Hassle-free calls are here to stay!

Strong Network Coverage

Enjoy complete clarity when calling with Airtel’s world-class technology and

unbreakable network coverage that spans over 23 circles across the country.

Instant Balance and Validity Enquiry

Your account balance is updated on the screen of your handset at the end of

each chargeable call. You can also call 123 from your mobile phone and listen

to the voice announcement or simply dial *123#, press 'OK' or 'YES' button

and your account balance will be displayed on the screen of your handset.

Recharge your Airtel Prepaid

Recharging is Easy. The calling value on your card keeps reducing as you

make calls or use any other chargeable service. Choose the Airtel Prepaid

Recharge Coupon that’s right for you, from a variety of tailor– made recharge

coupons with different denominations, which are available at a number of

outlets across your city. Simply follow the procedure mentioned below, to

recharge your phone.

More Recharge options:

Flexible recharge voucher

This unique recharge voucher gives you the option to choose between validity

or talktime, as per your need.

Easy Recharge

Recharge your Airtel Prepaid Card electronically with value that suits your

needs, starting from Rs. 10 till Rs. 10,000. You can also recharge your Airtel

Prepaid while roaming anywhere in the country.

24-hour Recharge via ATM

Recharge your Airtel Prepaid round-the-clock at your nearest ATM. Just walk

up to your nearest ATM, insert the ATM card and enter your ATM PIN

number. Select 'Mobile Recharge / Bill Pay' from the main menu and follow

the prompts to recharge your prepaid. This recharge option is available with

all leading banks.

SMS Recharge

You may also register your mobile number at any of the member bank's ATM

to avail the SMS recharge facility. Upon registration you will receive a

registration PIN number. To recharge your prepaid, type, RC <Recharge

Amount> <Registration PIN> and SMS it to the 3 digit SMS code of your

bank. All future transaction will require this PIN.

The code to which this SMS needs to be sent for various banks is as follows:

Bank of Punjab: 550, Centurion Bank: 565, Citibank: 530, Corporation Bank:
545, DCB: 585, HDFC Bank: 540, ICICI Bank: 575, IDBI Bank: 520, ING

Vysya Bank: 552, SBI: 535, UTI Bank: 525.

Internet Recharge

You may log on to the Internet banking website of your bank and select the

prepaid recharge option to recharge your Airtel prepaid. Many leading banks

provide Internet based recharging.

Validity Extension service

Trade your talk time to extend the validity of your prepaid. Dial *141*001#

and then, press the call button. Your validity would be extended by 1 day for a

charge of Rs.15. You can similarly extend your validity for 5, 10, 15 or 30

days.

Transfer Talk time

Transfer talk time to another prepaid, just dial *143* number# and then press

the calling button. You can transfer Rs.50 per request for which Rs.55 would

be deducted from your balance.

For details call 121.

Prepaid Roaming

Airtel Prepaid comes pre-activated with 'National Roaming', so you stay

connected no matter wherever you are. You can also send or receive MMS,

check your email and access other GPRS services while roaming in India as
you would in your own city. While traveling abroad you can receive calls &

send or receive SMS.

More with Airtel Prepaid

Airtel brings you, a wide range of Services that will change the way you

communicate. Try them and discover a whole new world of fun and

excitement.

Call management Services

Call waiting, call hold, call divert and Caller Line Identification Presentation –

all with your Airtel prepaid connection.

Voice Mail

When your handset is switched off, or you’re too busy to answer the phone,

Airtel Voicemail will answer your calls and record a message. The best part is

that there's no extra monthly cost for setting up Voicemail - you just pay for

the phone call when you use the service.

SMS (Short Messaging Service)

Send messages quickly and easily using text, if it's too noisy to talk or you

don't have much time. It's the way to share those interesting one-liners,

important reminders and rib-tickling jokes, with anyone, anytime, anywhere in

the world.

Subscription Alerts

Get regular alerts on news, jokes, business, health and films on your Airtel

mobile phone with Subscription Services. SMS <SUB NEWS> to 3333 for

News, <SUB JOKE> for Jokes, <SUB BIZ> for Business News, <SUB SPO>

for Sports Alerts & <SUB VAASTU> for Vaastu tips.

MMS (Multi-media Messaging Service):

Jazz up your messages with pictures, images and video clippings, with MMS

from Airtel! To activate MMS on your phone, SMS 'MMS' to 646 and save

service settings.
Airtel Live!

Make your mobile the most happening entertainment destination with Airtel

Live! Airtel brings you the latest in entertainment and information services,

right on your phone!

Airtel Live! WAP Services: Download the latest ring tones, games, wallpapers,

videos and much more. You can also get news clips, watch live TV and

download full songs on you phone. To get Airtel Live! settings on your phone,

SMS 'Live' to 646 and save the settings that you receive as your preferred

connection. Airtel Live! Portal can be accessed from you GPRS enabled

phone, by sending a SMS 'FUN' to 646.

Airtel Live! Voice Services: Just Dial 646, and name the service. For e.g. say

ring tones to download your favorite ring tones. You can also choose a variety

of content options like Live Cricket Commentary, latest National /

International News, Movie Reviews or Stock Market Updates.

Airtel Live! SIM Services: Access loads of fun content and exciting services

like cricket, stocks, on your phone at the touch of a few buttons with Airtel

Live! SIM based Services on your SIM card menu. To download new services

on your Airtel SIM, choose the "What's new" option under the "Airtel

services" menu.

Airtel Live! SMS Services: You can enjoy a host of services by sending a

keyword as an SMS to 646! Choose Astrology / Horoscope, Cricket,

Bollywood / Hollywood / Indi Pop Ring tones. In case you need assistance

SMS, Help to 646.

Hello Tunes

Tired of that boring old ‘tring tring’ on your phone? Well now when a friend

calls, you can make them groove to the hottest new tracks burning up the

music charts with Hello Tunes from Airtel! You get a wide choice of songs in

the Popular & New Arrivals categories that are updated regularly. What's

more you can directly call the number for your kind of music, e.g. call 678005

for English New and 678001 for Hindi New. This would directly take you to

your favorite artist's Hello Tunes listing.

Copy a Hello Tune

Get the tune you want, all you have to do is call 678 and follow the simple

voice instructions to copy your favorite Hello Tunes. Once inside the copy

feature, just key in the 10-digit Airtel mobile number you want to copy the

Hello Tune from and you get the same Hello Tune assigned to your number.
Gift a Hello Tune

Forget gifting chocolates, flowers and greeting cards. Say it with a song

instead! Gift a Hello Tune to that special someone. Just call 678 and choose

the song that you want to gift. Follow the simple voice instructions and key in

the 10-digit Airtel mobile number that you want to gift the Hello Tune to. You

will get an SMS notification upon successful receipt of that gift.

Buy Music - Airtel Music Shops

Buying your favorite Hello Tune or Ring tone is as simple as recharging your

phone with talk time. Simply walk into your nearest Airtel Shop and walk out

with your favorite song. Choose from Bollywood Hits to Indipop Remixes,

Hard Rock to Gujrati Garba, Bhajans to Jazz, Bhangra Beats to foot tapping

Tamil Hits from a list of more than 18000 songs.

Partners

The company has a strategic alliance with SingTel. The investment made by

SingTel is one of the largest investments made in the world outside Singapore,

in the company.

The company’s mobile network partners include

• Ericsson

• Nokia

• Siemens and

IT partners include:

• IBM
 About The Brand

Airtel comes to you from Bharti Cellular Limited - a part of the biggest private

integrated telecom conglomerate, Bharti Enterprises has been at the forefront of

technology and has revolutionized telecommunications with its world class

products and services.

Bharti provides a range of telecom services, which include Cellular, Basic, Internet

and recently introduced National Long Distance.

The First and Only Telecom Operator to have an all India Presence: Bharti

created history by becoming first and only telecom operator to have an all India

mobile footprint across 23 circles. Airtel today connects India from the Indus to the

Indian Ocean and from Sabarmati to the Brahmaputra on a network of more than

10,000 base stations with cumulative investments of more than Rs. 16,000 crores.

Airtel today provides seamless roaming spanning 228 networks in 128 countries

and more than 3000 towns across all the 23 telecom circles in India.The company

today has an aggregate of 12.70 million customers as of end of May ‘05, consisting

of approximately 11.8 million mobile customers.

1995

 Bharti Tele-Ventures Limited incorporated on July 7, 1995

 Bharti Cellular launched mobile services ‘AirTel’ in Delhi.

1996

 Bharti Telenet launched mobile services in Himachal Pradesh

1997

 Bharti Telenet obtained a license for providing fixed-line services in

Madhya Pradesh circle.

 Bharti Telecom formed a joint venture, Bharti BT , for providing

VSAT services.

1998

 First Indian private fixed-line services launched in Indore in The Madhya

Pradesh circle on June 4, 1998 by Bharti Telenet thereby ending fixed-line

services monopoly of (now BSNL).

 1999

 Bharti Tele-Ventures acquired an effective equity interest in Bharti Mobile

(formerly JT Mobiles), the mobile services provider in Karnataka and Andhra

Pradesh circles.

2000

 Bharti Cellular entered into license agreements to provide mobile services in

eight new circles following the fourth operator mobile license bidding

process

2001

 Bharti Telenet entered into license agreements to provide fixed-line services

in the Haryana, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka circles

 Bharti Telesonic has entered into a license agreement with DoT to provide

National Long Distance Services in India and has been the first service

provider to start service in the country.

2002
  Bharti launched mobile services in Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Madhya

Pradesh circle, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh

(West) circle.

 Bharti listed on the National stock Exchange, Bombay Stock Exchange and

the Delhi Stock Exchange on February 18, 2002.

2003

 Bharti entered into a license agreement with the DoT to provide international

long distance services in India.

 Bharti launched fixed-line services in the Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka and

Tamil Nadu license areas.

 Bharti became the first private telecommunications services provider to

launch international long distance services.

2004

 Bharti decided to outsource both its IT system management and its networks.

 Bharti covered all the 23-telecom sectors present.

 2005

Sells 10% stake to Vodafone.

Inks insurance J-V with Axa

2006

Signs pact with Wal-Mart to explore retail opportunities in India

2007

Launches cellular services in channel

 SUBSCRIBERS IN AIRTEL

Airtel is providing two types of services to their mobile subscribers.

(1)Pre paid-80%

(2) Post paid-20%

20%

Post paid-20%
Pre paid-80%

80%

Bharti Tele-Ventures current businesses include -

 Mobile services

 Fixed-line

 National and international long distance services

 VSAT, Internet services and network solutions

 Services

Airtel Prepaid

Airtel Prepaid, the Ready Cellular Card from Airtel comes to us from

Bharti Enterprises, India’s leading integrated telecom service provider.

Going mobile with Airtel Prepaid is a new way of life. With a host of great

features, also simple to use, Airtel Prepaid makes everything that you

dreamt and believed, possible.

Airtel Prepaid, the Ready Cellular Card from Airtel comes to you from
Bharti Enterprises, India's leading integrated telecom service provider.

Airtel & Visual Identity

For a brand to be successful, it must build enduring relationships with its

different audiences. Integral to this relationship is the visual image of the

brand the consumer carries in his/her mind. The Airtel brand image is created

through the consistent application of a carefully developed visual identity,

which helps Airtel distinguish itself in a cluttered market. Airtel's visual

identity helps create instant brand recall and strengthens the relationships that

its audiences have with it.

The Airtel visual identity has different elements that work together to create a

strong and consistent identity for the brand. The most important of these are:
The Airtel Logo:

The Airtel logo is a strong, contemporary and confident symbol for a brand that is always

ahead of the rest. It is a specially drawn wordmark.

The Airtel Image style

It incorporates two solid, red rectangular forms whose counter form creates an open

doorway.

The Airtel Typographical style

The title case lettering with its capital 'A' was deliberately chosen to reinforce the brand's

leadership position. The red dot on the letterform 'I' cues Airtel's focus on innovation..

The words 'Express Yourself' are very much part of the brand identity

a) The Airtel Colour Palette

The lettering is grey so that the pure black of Airtel is visually unharmed.
 Research Methodology

Background to the problem

Airtel a venture of Bharti tele services is today the number one company in

private telecom providers in India.

Airtel has its presence all over India in all 23 circles. It is proud of having

more than 11 million customers being the largest service provider it believes

in building good relation ships with its customers and retailers by providing

better services to them.

Today retailers play an important role for the success of an organization as

they act as a bridge between company and the customer. Hence the growth

and sales of the product also depends upon the retailers of the company. Apart

from promoting the sales they act as a medium of communication, what the

company wants to communicate to the customers it can do so easily with the

help of retailers and what the customer wants to know about the schemes and

services etc. can be communicated to them through retailers. Retailers are the

one who makes the brand visible in the market so the contribution of retailers
can’t be ignored so the research is being conducted to know the visibility

criteria of Airtel and also the problem identification of retailers. The company

needs market information, which will help them to know about this sector and

about the real mindset of the retailers. So that the company can design a

strategy which would help them to face the challenge posed by the

competitors.

There are many problems which retailers face like delay in stock, late visit of

FSE, FCE etc. from the distributors side. In many cases retailers are not

interested or are unaware about the promotion of the brand and does not

allocate proper permanent place for the promotional material like glow sign

board, non-lit board, banners, etc. So our main concern is to get the proper

data regarding the problems faced by the retailers and the next task is make

sure that promotional material of Airtel should be visible and for that we also

educate the retailers about the importance of promotional materials. For

example we educate them that if they maintain proper place for promotional

material it will attract customers and it will help them to increase their sale.
Statement of Research Objective.

Primary Objective

 To know Market share of Airtel in terms of signage (glow sign board & non-lit

board.)

Secondary Objective

 To identify the competitors in the zone

 To know the satisfaction level of the retailers.

 To enhance the position of Airtel by identifying and solving the problems of the

retailers.

 To find out the sales of the product.

 To educate the retailers for innovations.

 Research Design

In exploratory Research the focus is on the discovery of ideas. The

exploratory Research has been undertaken by me, it is being done in order to

maintain the position of Airtel as a no. one brand in the telecom sector by

finding a no. of factors that can influence its position; like increase

competition, inadequate advertising, lack of efficient and trained personnel or

use of wrong channels of distribution.

An attempt was done to get additional information from distributors who have

some particular knowledge of the subject. The relevant people from outside

the organization like retailers were contacted who are much closer to the

market and its problems than the manufacturer. The research is directed

towards the solution of a problem, it is based upon empirical evidence.

 Collection of Data

Primary Data

The instances are recorded or itemized as encountered. The data is collected for the first

time as original data. Retailers having first hand knowledge about the problem are

interrogated and the desired data is collected. Generally a questionnaire was prepared and

the replies are recorded by personally contacting them. The data is fairly accurate because

the informants are contacted personally and a directive or structured interview was

undertaken, by opting for this procedure we not only get a clear picture of the problem

but also get various suggestions and recommendations. Under personal interview the

additional data is also collected with the help of supplementary questions.

Secondary Data

Secondary data provided the knowledge about company in terms of facts and figures, it is

being collected from:

Website

Books

Magazines

News
Sampling Plan

An integral component of a research designing is the sampling plan. Sample refers to a

part taken from a population. If a sample is taken carefully then conclusion can be

extrapolated to entire population and generalization could be made. In order to collect the

sample we visited retailers and from there the information is gained.

Sampling

Since the available time period was less i.e. two months hence the whole group cannot be

surveyed because of large universe and difficulties in contacting people, therefore a

limited no. of items representing the population was chosen.

Sampling Design

The simple random sampling technique is adopted in which each item has the same

chance of being selected. The size of sample in this survey is taken to be 150 (i.e. 150

retailers are being contacted in Lucknow region)

 Problem Identification

Glow Sign Board

Retailers needed glow sign board and non-lit board in order to make people

aware of their existence in the market. During my survey I found only a few

retailers possess the G.S.B. whereas others need it in order to promote their

sales and to increase profit.

Percentage of GSB working

Total no of sample 150

GSB

33%
YES
NO
67%
P.O.S.

P.O.S. is known as point of sale material which is supplied to the retailer by the

distributor. In my survey I found most of the P.O.S. material is properly supplied to the

retailers and they placed it properly in their shops. Only few shops were found which

have not devoted proper place for P.O.S material because the material was not supplied

or delivered at time.

POS is in place or POS not in place

Total no of sample 150

POS

20%

YES
NO

80%
Claim

Airtel has a strong goodwill among its retailers and the retailers are satisfied with the

services and facilities provided to them by Airtel. But sometimes because of some

technical error or as it is not easy to give attention to all its retailers some problems

related to claim is faced by the retailers. In my survey I found that a small no. of retailers

has the problem of claim or their claim was delayed and very few have the problem of

reversal and deactivation.

Retailers having no claim problem

Total no of sample 150

CLAIM

10%

YES
NO

90%
Technical

Technically Airtel is at the top of all the telecom companies. During my

survey I found a very few retailers have faced technical problems like sim

blockage and reversal.

Technical problem

3%

YES
NO

97%
Network

Most of the network failure problem and server down etc were found in

various regions especially during evening.

Network Problem

10%

YES
NO

90%
Lapu

Lapu is used when retailers recharge the customer ---------------------- with the

help of his Lapu number. So sometimes transaction problem occurs.

LAPU PROBLEM

7%

YES
NO

93%
Miscellaneous Problems

There were a number of problems which I found were faced by the retailers

are:

Lack of knowledge about new schemes.

Change in plan is not known to them.

E.N.R. is not met., etc.

Miscellaneous problem

5%

YES
NO

95%
 Recommendations

After conducting the whole survey and analyzing the interviews and

questioner’s my recommendations to Airtel Lucknow are

MONTHLY MEETINGS WITH RETAILERS

There should be a monthly meeting marketing persons and retailers so that

retailers can communicate their suggestions and problems freely. This practice

can give them a sense of belongingness.

FREQUENT VISIT TO RETAILERS SHOP

Timely visit by the marketing persons should be done in order to check the

current position of the retailers and also motivate them to increase their sales.
PROPER COMMUNICATION

Retailers in rural areas do not updated with the latest schemes, so proper and

fast communication is required in order to make them updated.

TOWER SHARING

Tower sharing should be done where airtel lacks in connectivity because of

non availability of tower.

TRAINING OF FSE & FCE

Time to time training programme for fse &fce should be organized so that

they can develop their skills in order to deal with the retailers efficiently&

effectively.

SPECIAL CONCENTRATION ON SMALL RETAILORS

Special concentration should be given to the retailers in rural areas in order to

capture the rural market.

 Limitations
LIMITATIONS OF THE PROJECT

The project under taken was subject to few limitations mentioned as

The result of the analysis is mostly based on the responses of the retailers which if biased

or untrue can alter the findings of the researcher.

The reluctant of the respondent in disclosing some informations like address, lapu no.,

sales etc. and even their own name.

The possibility of sample size considered not being representative of the entire population

although the researcher tried to cover as much area as possible.

If this was not there ,it would definitely affected the sample size in a positive way.
 SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTH

India’s most famous and dynamic star communication group.

Ability to think big.

Latest technology.

High level of customer satisfaction rate.

A good team of brand ambassador.

Goodwill.

WEAKNESS

Delay in claim.

Transactions problem.

Poor connectivity in some parts of rural areas.

OPPORTUNITY

As rural market is growing very. So future prospect for growth in rural market

is an opportunity for Airtel.

Attractive marketing strategy .

3A’S strategy of Airtel is a big success in attracting a large number of

customers.

Availability

Accessibility

Affordability

THREATS

Rumors by competitors
BIBLOGRAPHY

www.airtel.com

www.google.com

Business India

Economic times
 LEARNING

This internship programme gave me an opportunity to learn and utilize my

skills in the real business situation. This internship is a good platform for me

to develop or improve my marketing skills which will definitely pays me in

future. I have learned a lot of things from the marketing department of Airtel

Lucknow. From there I have got an indept knowledge about the telecom

sector.