Engage through differentiation

Given the clutter, Bharti Airtel knows it has to take a different line. The key to its communication, the company has decided, will be an emotional strain (it never fails to work in India) and the promise of magic (driven though product innovation).

Till a few years ago, Bharti Airtel had brands like IndiaOne, Touchtel and Magic in its portfolio, apart from Airtel.

The company realised that it could extract value only when there was one brand. Thus, out of the window went IndiaOne, Touchtel and Magic along with the tagline, Express Yourself. The company decided to focus on Airtel (Bharti remains the corporate brand).

According to internal documents reviewed by The Strategist, the quest of the brand is to make the world a better place which is full of hope and optimism. Its belief is that people despair when they are alone and are happy when together.

The role identified for Airtel is that it should act as a beacon of hope and release positive energy. And its action is to break down communication barriers and ring in hope. These are the core values that Airtel has set out to communicate.