MUMBAI: Internet of Things (IoT), the technology that connects any digital device to your phone, is one of the hottest buzzwords in the technology industry this year. Telecom operator Vodafone India has marked itself as the first brand to undergo this evolution in India by asking consumers to be future ready.
Vodafone has repositioned itself as a modern, contemporary, inspiring and future-fit brand with its new tagline, “The future is exciting, Ready?’’. It is a significant metamorphosis for one of India’s most iconic and loved brands from its earlier 'Power to you' tagline, which was introduced in 2009. This new positioning, part of Vodafone’s global rebranding exercise across 36 countries, is designed to underline Vodafone’s belief in new technologies and digital services playing a positive role in transforming society.
Although the repositioning is a part of its global campaign, Vodafone wants Indian consumers to understand technology by showcasing Indian characters and Indian scenarios in its campaigns. The new visual identity will place greater emphasis on Vodafone’s iconic 'speech mark' logo that will now appear as the central graphical focus overlaid on all marketing and marketing communications collateral in a new 2D design in place of a skeuomorphic 3D approach.
Vodafone India managing director and chief executive officer Sunil Sood said that the telco has marked a 180 per cent growth in SIM cards used for IoT devices in India. Although the numbers are small, the market is still emerging and with government’s smart cities initiative, a lot of IoT solutions would be used, making it an exciting time to reposition itself. Globally, 60 million SIM cards have been sold for IoT solutions.
“India is entering a new exciting era of digital, convergence, big data, IoT, cloud, augmented realities, robotics and AI. The real and virtual worlds are converging at an unprecedented pace to create a bold new future. Our new brand positioning emphasises Vodafone's mission and purpose to help customers and communities adapt, navigate and prosper from the remarkable new trends reshaping the world,” he adds.
The company recently tied up with various smartphone makers like Intex, Micromax, Lava and Nokia to encourage current non-users of 4G to upgrade and use internet. Vodafone India chief operating officer Balesh Sharma mentioned that the company has a well distributed network in India and now wants to make feature phones more affordable in rural India.
The telecom corporation will invest only selectively in print media but its digital spends will increase. “Our media spends will evolve over the next few years and we will invest heavily in digital and social media as that is where the opportunity lies,” he adds.
It remains to be seen whether Vodafone can replicate its success of earlier campaigns, such as its evergreen Zoozoos, into the unknown territory of IoT.
