Do the new with Tata DoCoMo

Sumedha Srivastav - Televisionpoint.com | Mumbai
Tata DoCoMo, the GSM service from Tata Teleservices Maharashtra Ltd (TTML) and Japan's NTT DoCoMo, is doing the new. The telecom service, which has been present in the southern states and in Orissa, was recently launched in Mumbai and Maharashtra circles.

Clock's second is the new minute for the brand Tata DoCoMo. In a category that is highly cluttered, the per-second billing system for calls has the potential to bring down the sector's revenues by 10-15 per cent if other operators follow suit.

Tata's may be looking at repeating the magic of two-year validity scheme through its per-second billing plans. Back in 2005, Tata Teleservices rolled out the scheme, followed by lifetime validity, which has been a game changer in the Indian telecom landscape.

Angel Broking analyst (telecom & IT) Harit Shah said, "There is enough competition in the GSM space already and TTML will only add to it. This is only good news for consumers who will have more choice."

The brand proposition that Tata DoCoMo has taken is that of 'do', much like the first syllable of the brand name, DoCoMo. Abdul Khan, head, GSM marketing, Tata DoCoMo, says, "We are focusing on the thought of 'Do'. Just as one expects to get more out of life and do more, Tata DoCoMo wants to give the doer spirit a tangible shape. We like to give it a voice in itself."

NTT DoCoMo's stake in TTSL is just 26 per cent, but the Japanese brand is getting the pride of place in the country's first dual branding strategy in the telecom space. Khan says, "Tata is a household name in the country and is considered as one of the most trusted names across the world. We don't need to build up the Tata brand name."

The new logo for Tata DoCoMo has been created by Wolff Olins. Two brand ambassadors, or as the brand would like to call them, 'doers', have been appointed - Krushnaa Patil, who scaled the Mount Everest and Pooja Chopra, who is Lakmé Femina Miss India (World).

Draft-FCB Ulka is the creative agency that has worked on the campaign, which will run through the festive season. It aims to stand out with two key selling points - its tag line 'Do the new'; and its differentiated tariff plans.

Many feel 'Do the new' has an uncanny similarity with 'Do the Dew', the famous campaign of Coca Cola's beverage brand Moutain Dew, and even Nike's much-celebrated 'Just Do It', but Khan says that the inspiration for the new GSM player's tag line came from the first two letters of DoCoMo, and nowhere else.

Regular media vehicles of TV, press, outdoor and radio are being utilised. Print ads include both text and image led creative's, which talks about the joy in every second. The outdoor hoarding's are an adaptation of the print ads. Television commercials will soon be launched as vignettes with the brand ambassadors. A couple of humorous radio spots have been planned to target the youth.