The Hindu Business Line : Motoring ahead

Amid all the noise in the mobile phone market, one brand is striving to come out of `silent' mode. Motorola is trying to essay a makeover ... from being known for phones with advanced technology and complex functions to being a consumer-centric brand.

Says Motorola's Lloyd Mathias, Director, Marketing - India, Mobile Devices: "As a brand, we are moving the needle from being known as a company rich in technology and makers of advanced gadgets to being consumer-driven." And just how?

In the market share game, although it claims a number two slot, Motorola is way behind Nokia. The company is aware that it has its work cut out if it wants a larger slice of the market. "We plan to tackle competition through retail experience, enhanced offering to suit consumers, focussed advertising and an aggressive activation agenda by going after youth," says Mathias.

Till about a couple of years ago, Motorola's presence in the market was fairly scattered and sparse. But in 2005, the company began to ramp up distribution. It tied up with Bharti Teletech (its national distributor) and improved distribution from just 3,000 points in 2005 to 32,000 points across shops-in-shops and multi-brand outlets. In March 2006, Motorola also entered into a distribution agreement with ITC's e-choupal division as part of its BharatMoto initiative to tap consumers in the rural and semi-urban areas.

"Our next thrust was working with operators as a lot of people buy their phone along with a mobile connection. We are today the most preferred partner of cellular operators. We work with most of them - Tata Indicom, Airtel, Idea, Hutch and BSNL," explains Mathias. With a fairly widespread distribution network in place, Motorola began focussing on communication. The company started to look at local communication to tap the market. Explains Mathias: "Motorola's communication stands for brand design and coolness. Our communication for India is not a dubbed version of the international ad; our focus is on creating local communication that understands the Indian consumer. Our advertising has transformed our brand identity with the signing on of Abhishek Bachchan," says Mathias.

Design, colour and technology have always been Motorola's strengths and much of its communication touts these. It created plenty of advertising hype around the Moto RAZR and its shocking pink variant. For a dash of glamour, Motorola tied up with Dolce and Gabbana to come out with the D&G Gold RAZR with signature tunes and wallpapers.

Then it rolled out MOTO PBL in six colours, followed by the slim phone Moto SLVR; its global premiere was done in India in December 2005. End-November 2006, Motorola created the Motophone — the entry-level model with voice prompt in eight languages for Rs 1,605. Ming is Motorola's latest launch in India and has already managed to create quite a buzz in the market with its `smart' functions.

Apart from advertising, Motorola did the sponsorship routine as well. It tied up with the TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati 3, and was also the broadcast sponsor for the FIFA World Cup. Below-the-line activities are also on Motorola's agenda to woo the youth — its "key target." The company associated itself with college festivals such as St Xavier College, Mumbai's Malhar, IIT-Madras' Saarang and IIT Mumbai's college festival, where it set up `experience zones' and ran contests to build brand stickiness.

Any brand building initiative would be incomplete without the retail story. Recently, Motorola opened two Motostores - exclusive experience stores - in Mumbai and Bangalore. The Motostore is built on the thinking that consumers must be provided a platform to savour the brand in its totality. With 50 lakh - 60 lakh mobile subscribers added every month and people upgrading their phones frequently, consumers want an "enhanced rich retail experience," says Mathias. This is exactly what Motostore proposes to do.

The Motostore, which displays the entire range of phone and accessories, has different sections such as the Bluetooth zone, the music zone for music-related information and a section for entertainment and personalisation of phones with features such as ring tones, screen savers and etching/tattooing.

How has all this worked for Motorola in terms of brand awareness? Awareness is slowly picking up, says Mathias, who is betting big on the Motophone for a spurt in brand acceptance. "We are targeting the small towns with the dust-proof and break-free Motophone. It can withstand high temperature and has a clear vision display. It is the lowest priced model in the Indian market and was awarded the best phone award at the 3GSM congress in Barcelona."

Says Suresh Kumar, Director, Mindspark Consulting: "The recent efforts by Motorola and the launch of a spate of models which are sleek and affordable would strike the right chord with the youth segment that seeks to change their mobile phone every year or so. Abhishek Bachchan as brand ambassador is an excellent fit - the move reinforces Motorola as the choice for the tech-savvy youth. The brand's awareness and visibility has certainly increased for more than one reason — besides celebrity endorsement and heavy advertising in mass media but also the brand's integrated effort in improving their distribution and availability at many more outlets as well as good branding at retail points. To fight competition and gain market share, Motorola has to sustain this momentum generated by new product designs and distinctive communications efforts. Getting into strategic alliances with brands and services that appeal to youth would be a way forward."

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