International Marketing Study Program 2006
Vodafone
12th January 2006
Inspired by the surprisingly warm and sunny day in London, after an hour long bus trip we finally arrived at the World and UK headquarters of the world’s leading telecommunications company Vodafone. Warmly greeted by Ms Sandra Read, PA to the Head of Marketing for Vodafone UK, Mr Dominic Chambers. We were invited inside and treated with a delicious spread of sandwiches and drinks. The group was sincerely touched by the hospitality, and enthusiasm of our hosts. The picturesque view from the windows added to the wonderful atmosphere.
Darragh and Dominic presented to us insights into the marketing strategy of Vodafone in the UK market and also the current strategy that is in the process of being launched. Vodafone’s use of sponsorship has been an important part of their strategy and continues to be so but the emphasis was on the importance of being able to measure your sponsorship programs so that they can be evaluated. The group has learnt about the growing importance of music in the competitive mobile telecommunications sector.
We were also informed us about the mature state of the mobile telecommunications market and the competitive environment from both network and virtual operators, like Tesco and Virgin Mobile, who putting pressure on margins because of the intense competition for other companys' customers. To manage this requires innovative and specific strategies to differentiate the brand so as to keep and look after their most valuable customers.
We have also learnt about the rationale behind the company’s repositioning from the friendly “How are you?” image to more progressive and dynamic “Now. Make the most of now” orientation. We discussed Vodafone’s sport-focused sponsorship strategy and how it was to be used in the UK market and we were also informed about some of Vodafone’s segments their segmentation strategy and some of their key strategies.
In examining the role of music and sports sponsorship strategies Vodafone recognizes that they require a long-term commitment and as such they are keen to invest time and efforts to build strong partnerships leading to a stronger and solid brand in the future. We were also told of Vodafone’s awareness of the local issues and commitment to providing support to the community as part of what it sees as a social role.
We had lively question and answer sessions where Darragh and Dominic responded to our questions and in particular about the importance of their sponsorship measurement system along with a range of other marketing issues. After a productive two-hour session, we feel we have a greater understanding and knowledge of Vodafone marketing practices and the role marketing can play in organizations. This will certainly assist us along our career paths. We wish to express our deepest gratitude to everyone at Vodafone for a fantastic visit and great experience!
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