How Vodafone is wooing youngsters with new campaign

Vodafone, the country's second largest mobile phone operator, has launched a new data marketing campaign aimed at the internet-surfing youth, underscoring telecom operators' increasing dependence on data services to shore up sagging revenues.

In a minute-long TV commercial, the company entices the off-and-on desktop internet user to switch to continuous access via mobile phones with its cost-effective data plan "Unlimited Internet at Rs 199 per month".

"We're trying to coax people who surf the Internet from their desktops to migrate from time-bound access to continuous mode via mobile without fear of bill shocks or unwanted deductions," said Vivek Mathur, Vodafone India's chief commercial officer. The O&M India-created TV campaign, which was to go live on Monday, comes barely two months after India's top mobile carriers raised 2G data rates by 25%.

In the commercial, titled "Unlimited Fun Mobile Internet", Vodafone tries to capture the fun element of people randomly watching, shooting and uploading mobile videos. "Our research indicates one of the key triggers of internet usage is entertainment , but a key barrier is the perceived risk of huge bills," said Anuradha Aggarwal, senior vice-president , brand communications & insights.

"The new campaign tries to dispel such fears by emphasising unlimited mobile internet can cost less than Rs 200 a month." The Vodafone campaign with its "tribal motif " comes when company executives claim the 2G data market has boomed in urban pockets but is yet to catch on in rural India.

"The new commercial was created to attract potential data customers in rural markets where there is lack of exposure to data plans," said another Vodafone India executive Vodafone's Internet user base of over 33.1 million accounts for 6.2% of its total revenues, the company claims.