Bharti

Airtel wins the “World Communications Best Brand Award”

The awards widely acknowledged as the Telecom Oscars
The World Communication awards have been constituted by the London based Emap Communications Group. The awards in the 6th year of its inception recognizes outstanding performance by telecom companies and brands from across the world .
More than 50 of the world’s leading telecom companies submitted a total of 123 entries for the awards.
The judges after screening all the entries, nominated Airtel in two categories- Best Brand and Best Mobile Operator Airtel won the best brand award amidst stiff competition from leading international players like Orange, British Telecom, Starhub and M1.
Airtel’s Express Yourself struck a chord with the international panel of judges which included the likes of like Sean Collins, Chairman – ICE, KPMG, UK, Roger Wilson, Director, European Competitive Telecommunications Association, David Molony, Editor-in-Chief, Total Telecom, Christine Winter, Head – Global Telecom Sourcing, Reuters Ltd.

New Delhi, October 12, 2004 : Airtel – India’s leading mobile service provider and a part of India’s largest telecom conglomerate Bharti Enterprises has been adjudged as the “World Communications Best Brand of the Year.” Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman & Group Managing Director of Bharti Enterprises, received the award at a glittering function in London. Airtel won this award amidst stiff competition from leading international players of the likes of Orange, British Telecom, Starhub and M1. This award, a part of the World Communications Awards 2004 recognizes outstanding performance by companies and brands from across the world in the telecommunications industry.

According to Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman & Group Managing Director, Bharti Enterprises, “It is indeed noteworthy that our efforts at placing Bharti on the global map at par with the leading telecom brands of the world has been recognized. The potential of telecommunications in this country is enormous and Airtel has been the first to recognize this potential and commit itself to play a lead role in connecting India like never before and providing high quality telecom services to all. It is an honor to receive this award and we can indeed say that Airtel has not only made us at Bharti, but also made the country proud. ”

Additional Details About World Communication Awards
The World Communication awards constituted by the London based Emap Communications Group are widely recognized as one of the telecom industry’s foremost telecom accolade. The award in its sixth year of inception has had a sustained level of interest and high quality entries since its inception in 1999. The award is based on the actual market performance of the brand and the parameters include revenue growth, market share & market share growth and demonstrated leadership in product and service innovation.

The Panel Of Judges
Airtel was selected for the award by a panel of highly distinguished judges comprising eminent achievers in their respective fields like Sean Collins, Chairman – ICE, KPMG, UK, Roger Wilson, Director, European Competitive Telecommunications Association, David Molony, Editor-in-Chief, Total Telecom, Christine Winter, Head – Global Telecom Sourcing, Reuters Ltd, Audrey Mandela, Telecom Consultant, Mandela Associates, Annette Nabavi, Anchusa Consulting and Ed Vonk, CEO, European VPN Users Association. Airtel was short-listed for two awards - the Best Brand Award and the Best Mobile Operator Award.

AirTel’s Express Yourself Brand Campaign- A Winner All The way Airtel, which identified “Brand Preference by trust & innovation” as one of the means of reaching out more effectively to the customers, rolled out its ‘Express Yourself’ campaign. The campaign added a new meaning to mobile communication, which helped Airtel to move from the cellular industry clichés and reached out more effectively to both the users as well as the uninitiated. The new approach by Airtel was recognized by the marketing and communication community and won it several accolades and mentions in different forums. It is by virtue of its brand preference initiatives that Airtel is today one of the best brand across the world.

Such was the appeal of Airtel Express Yourself campaign that brand awareness as a result of advertising grew from 60% to 91% in just 6 months versus its nearest competitor. Commenting on the success, one of the panel judges remarked, “This was a well presented entry supported by persuasive data on brand awareness and business results.” The depth of the marketing effort featuring both the cricket hero Sachin Tendulkar and the use of a classical signature tune composed by the music maestro A.R Rehman also impressed the judges. Such was the appeal of the tune that it became a leading ring tone download in India.

Besides mass media advertising, the Airtel’s success was also evident in the commendation received via hundreds and thousands of weblogs, column inches of news coverage and the customer service records.

About Bharti : Bharti Tele-Ventures is one of India’s leading private sector provider of Tele-communications services with an aggregate of 9.47 million customers as of end of September ‘04, consisting of over 8.7 million mobile customers. The company today offers mobile services in 17 out of 23 circles in India. The company also provides fixed - line services and Internet access over DSL in 5 circles. The company complements its mobile and fixed-line services with national and international long distance services. The company also has a submarine cable landing station at Chennai, which connects the submarine cable connecting Chennai and Singapore. The company provides reliable end-to-end data and enterprise services to the corporate customers by leveraging its nationwide fibre optic backbone, last mile connectivity in fixed-line and mobile circles, VSATs, ISP and international bandwidth access through the gateways and landing station. For more information, visit www.bhartiteleventures.com