SITUATION
Etisalat Nigeria entered the vibrant and competitive GSM market 7years after the GSM revolution in Nigeria. As a late entrant, it met discontented telecommunications subscribers deeply concerned about the quality of services provided by the existing providers . This situation created issues for the new entrant leading to heightened scepticism and suspicion of the brand by the media and public.
TASK
C&F Porter Novelli was charged with proving to the public that change is needed and to communicate what value change will bring to the increasingly competitive market with underserved customers.
APPROACH
Etisalat Nigeria was projected as the 1st new generation GSM company within with a vision of a world in which the customer is the centre of attention and is always pleasantly surprised. A strategy in which the customer and other stakeholders were made to identify the gaps was employed, with the company’s key values – Care, Optimism, and Simplicity embedded in all messaging. Against this background. Etisalat embarked on a number portability campaign with considerable success.
RESULT
There was substantial increase in awareness for Etisalat Nigeria, its products, and services as evidenced in the increasing subscriber base that stood then at around 9 million. The brand enjoyed a favourable perception amongst its stakeholder groups. Subscribers saw the brand as friendly, innovative with pocket friendly tariffs. Increase in subscriber base in line with goals of management. Media mentions continuously topped the competitive charts over the 3 and a half years period of the retainership, achieving well over 4000 mentions in total and retaining first or second position of Share of Voice per quarter over the period