A comparison of UAE telecom brands, from a brand intimacy perspective - MBLM
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A comparison of UAE telecom brands, from a brand intimacy perspective
Testing the spectrum
Goal
When it comes to building and With the rise of social media
creating brand intimacy, the and increasing demand for
telecom industry is challenging. mobile data, this local duopoly
Our research has shown telecom was challenged to create
consumers are price- and offer- new offerings that are cheap,
driven, meaning brands have convenient and attractive for
few opportunities to cultivate the growing demographic of
intimacy based on unique factors. the young and tech savvy. In
In addition, every small detail 2017, Etisalat launched swyp,
beyond basic functionality can and Virgin Mobile entered the
dilute the customer experience, market building on du’s network.
exponentially impacting the These newcomers claim to
strength of a brand’s bond with offer a new way forward for the
customers. mobile telecom industry in the
As our annual study continues to UAE. But which brand, if any,
reveal, the greater the intimacy has really captured the hearts
between brand and consumer, of consumers and created an
the less likely consumers are authentic emotional connection?
to switch. In a price and feature
dominant industry, we wanted to Challenge & methods
examine the UAE telecom brands
to see who performs best and MBLM is an agency comprised
why. of many digital natives, and the
nature of our work demands that
we stay connected constantly.
Context
We examined each of the four
The UAE has embraced the digital telecom brands’ prepaid services
revolution, building connectivity to find out if there really is a
and accessibility to international better mobile experience in
digital networks and transitioning UAE—and whether, or not, any
towards e-government services of the brands could forge a more
to support the growth of its intimate relationship with us.
economy. Known for its high To do this, we purchased
per-capita GDP, and with an products and services at each
abundance of youth and expat brand to experience first-hand
consumers, the UAE’s telecom how well they delivered on their
services have been at the promise and positioning.
forefront of the latest and best.
The industry has been dominated
since the inception of mobile
by Etisalat, with competitor du
acting as a foil since 2007.
Did you know?
Globally, the UAE ranks:
• First in the total population covered by at least a 3G
mobile network (100% coverage)[1]
• Second in the number of mobile broadband
subscriptions (156 subscriptions per 100 people)[2]
• Eleventh in the number of Internet users in the total
population (90.6%)[2]
UAE telecom brands field notes 2
The brands Established Established Established Established February 2007 September 2017 January 2017 October 1976 Tagline Tagline Tagline Tagline Add Life to Life The New Mobile Experience Mobile Made Simple Together Matters Brand promise/vision Brand promise/vision Brand promise/vision Brand promise/vision To Enhance Your Life Anytime, Your Lifestyle Companion The Future of Mobile Driving the Digital Future Anywhere The review criteria For our field notes review, we focused on how each brand delivered on its promise through its essence, story and experience. Specifically we reviewed: Registration Purchase and usage Mobile applications Customer service Sign-up requirements, ease of Sign-up costs, plan value and Complexity of sign-in, design, Ease of contact, clarity of registration, sign up costs, time flexibility, over use and add-on breadth of functionality communications, issue for SIM activation charges, network connectivity resolution Marketing campaigns Website content Social media In-store experience A selection of the brands’ latest Following the steps to get a Brand presence and Overall impressions and campaigns across different prepaid line via the website communications on Twitter, customer service at the store, channels Facebook and Instagram where available UAE telecom brands field notes 3
Ranked 10th overall in the telecom industry
in our most recent Brand Intimacy Study,
Etisalat is the UAE’s incumbent provider.
Its promise of innovation is compelling, yet it
may be too ambitious to implement across
products and channels.
Essence Experience
Etisalat’s influence is visible Etisalat’s consumer-driven
everywhere in the UAE, message is replicated in its
from its infrastructure to its physical and digital channels Etisalat Etisalat
sponsorships and consumer with consistent visual branding
advertising. The brand’s promise and a uniform voice throughout
invokes the power of digitizing materials. However, in a city Etisalat Etisalat
communities and businesses. inundated with convenient online
It is currently ranked as the 12th services, a key digital strategy
most intimate brand across should be online registration, but
Etisalat has yet to implement
Etisalat Etisalat
all industries in the 35-64 age
category. With millennials, this for prepaid customers. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQSTUVWXYZ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
however, Etisalat is ranked
Within their brick and mortar !@#$%ˆ& 1234567890 !@#$%ˆ& 1234567890
in the 45th position.
stores, Etisalat representatives
The Etisalat brand offers a helped address our needs,
compelling promise, it has a asking about our usage patterns
clear purpose and its identity is to provide tailored service
distinctive. The brand is clearly and information. However,
delineated and has an ownable this industry is very much
force of attraction implemented offer-driven, and customer
across its digital and physical representatives focused more
environments. on upselling than on the
services that would make life Etisalat Etisalat
Story easier. The brand also has a
dedicated street sales team
Etisalat’s brand narrative across the city, but their
leverages its legacy as a premier knowledge of Etisalat’s offerings
national brand–one that has is restricted to the specific
shaped the communications product they are promoting.
landscape and is determined
to helping consumers across The brand’s mobile application
the UAE. Occasionally, this and website are designed
message adopts a feature driven to cover its wide range of
approach that covers every services and functions. While
digital need, underlined with the comprehensive, site navigation
brand’s vision of empowering and information hierarchy suffer,
people. Etisalat delivers on its as a result, making it difficult
promise through its breadth of to find information and
offerings, but how its messaging challenging the brand’s promise
differentiates between its of a digital future. Etisalat
wide range of prepaid plans is
The experience of using
+
convoluted, and its distinction
Etisalat’s network was seamless,
between types of data (social
with excellent connectivity
and general-use) is confusing:
throughout Dubai. But when
both are at odds with the • A wide range of home and • No online registration and
it came to post-sale service
message of empowerment.
interactions, representatives mobile solutions SIM delivery for prepaid
gave us different solutions mobile services
• Strong nation-wide mobile
or could offer no immediate
resolution. The experience connectivity • Limited flexibility due to a
was time-consuming and clear distinction between
• Consistent store design and
frustrating, creating barriers to social media and general use
experience administered
communication and indifference data
by store customer
towards the brand.
representatives • Weak customer service
communication and lack
of issue resolution
UAE telecom brands field notes 4
This new contender differentiates through a
focus on a lifestyle proposition.
Essence Experience
Positioning itself as the swyp’s mobile application is
“companion brand to your multi-functional and user-
lifestyle”, swyp promises users friendly, save for some minor
a rewarding experience and a bugs. The app experience
sense of belonging; however, was worthy of the brand’s
its product is only available to ‘companion’ identity.
consumers ages 15 to 29. swyp
entered the UAE market in 2017, swyp’s online registration and
swyp
so we don’t yet have data on its SIM delivery seemed convenient
brand intimacy with consumers and helpful, but our SIM card
in the target group. took two weeks to arrive, and
customer care wasn’t helpful.
Catering to the young modern And while swyp’s membership
customer, the brand provides a plan offers value and provides an
prepaid-only, social media- and enhanced social experience,
lifestyle-focused product. As it comes at a cost: other services
Etisalat’s youth-only brand, it is such as minutes, SMS and
swyp swyp
reliant on Etisalat’s product and general data are all treated
service infrastructure. as add-ons.
Story Our interactions with customer
service started with a warm
swyp adopts a youthful and greeting by name, but we faced
quirky tone across its brand long call holds and follow-ups
narrative. It also connects that never occurred. Speaking
and creates dialog with its to swyp’s alternate Etisalat
audience through social media helpline was even worse, as the
engagement. Similar to other Etisalat team couldn’t find our
brands, its overarching message registration details at all. We
swyp hinges on the concept of expected superior service to
empowering users and helping align to the promise of being
them get what they need, but the a companion, and the brand
+ underlying details of its various
offers sometimes become
didn’t deliver.
unclear and difficult to discern Overall, swyp offers some
• The low-cost membership • Call minutes and general
through the tone of voice. attractive features for users
plan is accessible for its data offerings are treated
in its target demographic, but
target audience as add-ons
swyp’s principal offering is its flaws like lost registration details
• A wide range of customer • Lack of balance between monthly “membership plan” with and a two-week wait for a SIM
experiences in the form of fun youthful language, and 5GB of social data and “perks” card drastically reduced the
perks, reward system and clarity in describing the (discounts and buy-one-get- brand’s opportunities to build
competitions that come brand’s offering one offers) at multiple retail intimacy with us.
with the membership and F&B outlets. The service
• Reliance on Etisalat
• Option to use Etisalat prevents swyp from having is differentiated, has a clear
recharge cards is a a clear and distinct brand audience in mind, and aligns with
welcome feature for the brand’s ‘lifestyle companion’
teenagers with no bank promise, offering plenty of
accounts advantages for those who truly
care to track and use discounts.
UAE telecom brands field notes 5
This global player has brought its digital-first
approach to the UAE, with online registration
and SIM delivery.
Essence Experience
Promising the “future of mobile”, Virgin Mobile’s story of total
Virgin Mobile takes cues from user control is evident in the
its family of brands, claiming to sign-up experience: users can
deliver a different experience immediately search for and
than what customers have choose their own numbers,
become used to. This promise and DIY mobile plans make
hinges on customizability, choosing data, minutes and SMS
flexibility and the immediacy configurations incredibly flexible,
of services, offered through while still staying transparent
digital app-only registration and straightforward. While the Virgin Mobile
and account servicing. Because six and twelve-month payment
Virgin Mobile is a newcomer periods offer great value, the
to the UAE market, we don’t story of control does falter
yet have brand intimacy data a little, as there is no refund
on the brand; however, we offered upon cancellation.
anticipate that it will score highly
with millennial users, who are Virgin Mobile’s investment in
typically digital-first themselves. its digital medium is evident,
providing a simple, fast and
Story hassle-free experience while Virgin Mobile Virgin Mobile
registering for, ordering and
Virgin Mobile concentrates its maintaining our service.
messaging on social and digital Interesting details included
channels in an attempt to appeal live tracking of our quick and
to millennials and tech-savvy efficient SIM delivery and
consumers. Virgin Mobile’s straightforward usage and
narrative is centered around how billing views.
its mobile plans and application
offer total user control. The At the time of our review, the
brand’s story focuses less on only way to contact help was
user lifestyle and places more through the in app-chat function.
emphasis on value-based This option was only offered
Virgin Mobile
benefits and convenience. during business hours on
Occasionally, this narrative weekdays—a major downside.
ties into other Virgin Group However, we did find replies to
offerings present in the UAE, be quick and straight forward.
+
helping a brand with various The customer care was also
disparate verticals create consistent, with representatives
a more unified voice. prompt in understanding and • DIY plans ensure you pay for • Lack of refund policy
addressing our issues, whether what you want and up-front payments
live or through follow-up emails. don’t align with the ‘no
• One hour delivery means you
commitments’ messaging
Overall, the brand offers UAE get a sim immediately with
consumers a fresh experience. no need to go to a store • No process for customers
With a strong essence and story, to generate invoices for past
• Distinct identity from du
and with many aspects of the months
that is built on the innovative
experience aligned, the potential Virgin brand narrative
of developing an intimate bond
with users seemed much higher
than with any other brand.
UAE telecom brands field notes 6
Ranked 9th overall in the telecom sector of
our most recent Brand Intimacy Study, du
is the UAE’s second oldest mobile brand. It
pledges to delight customers and enhance
their lives, but faces challenges similar to that
of its larger competitor.
Essence Experience
du was launched to break a du’s message of consumer
monopoly and facilitate growth convenience is realized through
du du
within the telecom sector by its online registration and SIM
du du
giving customers more choice. delivery, while its website and
The brand promises to “enhance app offer a full suite of functions
your life anytime” by delighting that track all requisite services.
du du customers and improving quality However, rather than delighting
of life at every moment with a us, the website’s breadth
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz broad suite of telecom services. of information and complex
!@#$%ˆ& 1234567890 hierarchy made navigation
In our Brand Intimacy Study, challenging. The mobile app
du ranks 7th among all brands imposed unexpected redirects
across industries within the to the website and suffered from
35-64 years old category. With bugs that slowed us down. Our
millennials, it tumbles to 31st. registration experience also
While its original launch in 2007 weakened the brand narrative.
may have brought exciting new A timed page prompted us
changes to how the industry to change our chosen number
worked, such as seconds-based multiple times, and we
call billing and data-plan flexibility, were forced to purchase
its prepaid offering in 2018 recharge cards.
doesn’t match that promise.
Our interactions with customer
Story care failed to deliver on the
promise of enhancement: du’s
du
du’s consumer messaging service team left us feeling
focuses on empowerment and helpless with long wait times
enhancing consumers’ lives and a lack of clear solutions.
through transparency, ease of We found the Interactive
services and the latest digital Voice Response (IVR) system
solutions. The brand utilizes complicated to navigate, and the
friendly narratives and imagery email form kept resetting
that consumers can identify with due to glitches.
to speak about its offerings.
du du
Overall, we experienced du
The brand offers a set of voice- to be very similar to Etisalat:
only or voice-and-data plans, bringing a strong message
+
which are renewable monthly, and infrastructure to support
weekly and daily, which du continuous growth, which with
describes as the “future of prepaid”. careful delivery on the promise
• Customer enhancement • Complex purchasing and These plans are similar to Etisalat’s can create greater intimacy with
realized through online maintenance processes offerings, and like its competitor, its customers.
registration and sim delivery across digital channels the brand separates its data into
via the website social and general-use.
• Outdated and complex
• A wide range of offerings in segregation of product
While du describes the offerings
the realm of mobile, home offerings
clearly, the breadth of choice
and digital services
• Weak, non-uniform customer and data segregation don’t align
• Tailored service offerings for care guidelines with the simplicity expected
various ethnic groups from the future of prepaid.
UAE telecom brands field notes 7
With our data exhausted
and dead batteries, we
identified our top choice…
Over a year into its operation, swyp comes in second, While these two brands offer to create stronger bonds, and
Virgin Mobile is a breath of delivering a no-frills great flexibility, they are there’s also an opportunity for
fresh air with its intuitive and experience. Given that swyp new to the market and only the newer players to break into
easy to use app, its efficient is not available to anyone age offer prepaid services. du other service territories.
delivery and registration over 29 however, a large share and Etisalat have dominated
processes, and its unmatched of UAE customers are out of the market for some time
flexibility. The brand really luck, and those who do sign up and offer a wider range of
does deliver on providing a enjoy Etisalat’s infrastructure offerings from home services
new mobile experience. but may have to endure to business lines. There’s still
customer service issues. room for these larger brands
UAE telecom brands field notes 8
Opportunities
Throughout our testing, common insights
emerged
Applications drive the The eSIM revolution
brand experience With three of the four brands
Virgin Mobile managed to check offering the option to deliver our
all the boxes with the most user- SIMs, convenience seems to be
friendly app of the four brands. at the front door. It’s clear that
There are many things that can delivery is the future: a quick
go wrong when creating a mobile way to activate services like
application, from deep sitemaps mobile telecom subscriptions.
and infinite subsections to slow Moreover, the arrival of the
load times and website redirects. eSIM will place even more
It’s essential for brands to clearly focus on digital registration
define a digital strategy for a experiences. Given the
component that is going to be importance of online ordering,
so core to users’ experience. it is vital that brands perfect the
Repeated frustrations across process, avoiding complications
digital channels, especially as much as possible.
when mobile applications drive
brand experience, lead to lost The changing mobile
opportunities for brand intimacy. landscape
Virgin Mobile and swyp
Good customer care is
are Mobile Network Virtual
lacking Operators – independent
Stellar customer care is critical operators dependent on
to forming intimate bonds with du and Etisalat for network
customers, though service infrastructure. This allows both
brands always struggle to get the companies to concentrate
formula right. During our review their efforts on building
in this industry, we were largely stronger brands, while network
met with inaction and uncertainty infrastructure is managed by
when dealing with customer others. As the average customer
representatives. Telecom brands becomes more global and data-
need to take a hard look at how hungry, brands that pair truly
they train their service reps–the differentiated offerings (such as
face and voice of the brand–as free roaming and uncapped data)
well as the guidelines and core with a strong essence, story
principles they hold to heart to and experience, will start to rise
support the brand narrative. to the forefront.
UAE telecom brands field notes 9
Which carrier is right for you?
Facing a tough decision between telecom brands in the
UAE? Let our chart help!
Start
Need more than Interested in a
Yes
just prepaid and family, business Yes
lifsetyle? or enterprise
plan?
No
No
Age 29 and under?
Yes
UAE telecom brands field notes 10Insights from Brand Intimacy
Brand Intimacy is a new becomes more significant and
paradigm in marketing which committed. However in the most
leverages and strengthens the intimate stage, fusing, where
emotional bonds between a a user and a brand become
person and a brand. Every year, co-identified, both brands
MBLM conducts the world’s underperformed against the
largest study on brands and industry average, highlighting the
emotion, and 2018’s report difficulty these brands are facing
analyzes the responses of 6,000 in creating lasting emotional
consumers and 54,000 brand relationships.
evaluations across 15 industries
Telecom services is a cutthroat
in the U.S., Mexico and the
industry, and every small
UAE. The study reveals that top
detail above and beyond basic
intimate brands deliver superior
functionality leads to a superior
results related to revenue
outcome, and can increase
and profit growth by creating
the chance of customers not
deeper relationships with their
jumping ship based on minor
consumers.
price differences. swyp and
While looking into the Virgin Mobile are capitalizing on a
experiences that create niche in the market with younger
differentiators between these customers, but it remains to
telecom competitors, we also be seen if they can effectively
looked into the emotional leverage the archetypes of Brand
connections between the brands Intimacy to create deep long-
and their customers. In our 2018 lasting bonds.
study, du and Etisalat ranked
With a more competitive
ninth and tenth respectively
landscape offering greater
within the tech and telecom
choice than ever before,
industry, but they continue to
consumers have the last word
face competition from larger
on which brand they choose to
international brands that focus
partner with. For telecom brands,
on devices and suites of digital
taking a closer look at their
services.
essence, story and experience
The depth and degree of intensity to form stronger emotional
of an intimate brand relationship connections with customers will
can be measured by the stages play an enormous role in moving
of Brand Intimacy. From least customers through the stages of
to most intimate, these are: intimacy.
Sharing, bonding and fusing. In
our 2018 study, du and Etisalat
both had a higher number of
users in the bonding stage than
the industry average (10%).
Bonding is when an attachment
is created and the relationship
between a person and a brand
UAE telecom brands field notes 11Emotion drives our decisions and behaviors. Brand Intimacy is the new paradigm that examines,
measures and builds the bonds we form with the brands we use and love.
Experience
Story
Essence
Architecting a brand Crafting a strong narrative Orchestrating an
for greater impact by that connects audiences elevated experience that
creating an ownable to a brand in emotionally focuses on delivering more
force of attraction driven ways while personalized, memorable,
and connection. fostering engagement and well-considered
and relevance. moments in more places
across more devices.
Learn more on
mblm.com/labCredits
Written in collaboration with:
Ashwin Kulothungun
Arcangelo Anthony
Lisa England
Saneesh Sukesan
Brand intimacy advisor:
Mario Natarelli
Partner in charge:
William Shintani
Sources
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Telecommunications Union, p.19. Available at: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Regional-Presence/ArabStates/Documents/
events/2018/ICT-Statistics/Presentations/Session_5_7_ITU_admin_data.pdf
2. Steele H. (2018), Arab World Competitiveness Report 2018, [e-book] Geneva: World Economic Forum, p.145. Available at: https://
www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/fdeefc9a-1283-402c-8845-e9f5e7d5eb73/AWCR+2018.post-launch+updates.180824_1442.
pdf?MOD=AJPERES
3. Burke C., (2015, April 22), 100 Customer Service Statistics You Need To Know, Available at: https://www.insightsquared.
com/2015/04/100-customer-service-statistics-you-need-to-know/
4. Nagraj A. (2017, Monday 06). What Will Virgin Mobile’s Entry Mean for The UAE Telecom market. Available at: http://gulfbusiness.com/
what-will-virgin-mobiles-entry-mean-for-the-uae-telecom-market/
5. Oxford Business Group Editorial Team, (2015), Growing Market Saturation in Dubai Telecoms Increasing Competition for High-Quality
Content. Available at: https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/overview/growing-market-saturation-dubai-telecoms-increasing-competition-
high-quality-content
6. Everington J. , (2017, January 31) Du Owner To Bring Virgin Mobile Brand To UAE, Available at: https://www.thenational.ae/business/
du-owner-to-bring-virgin-mobile-brand-to-uae-1.53343
7. Du, Etisat, swyp and Virgin Mobile logotypes, ads, wordmarks and imagery are copyright by their respective brands. Other imagery
sourced from Getty Images.Let’s get intimate Learn how we can help you create and sustain ultimate brand relationships. @mblm | mblm.com NYC | YYZ | MX | DXB | STO | BOG | CCS
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