Vodacom in the DRC, which I had as a competitor in the early 2000’s, is what I consider one of the best case of good planning and management of its brand contact points and internal marketing.
Considering the plannification part
The inventory of its contact points was very well conducted, not only on its direct points of sales but especially through its distribution network which was extremely large, and maintained in a remarkable & consistent way .
Beyond a very aggressive ATL approach, noticeably through TV and Radio and Outdoor (Billboards) as brand contact point , Vodacom was very strong through the effectiveness of the other contact points made up of the shops, distributor shops, retail shops, partner shops, but also through its brochures, posters and the strongest through its brand ambassadors who scoured the streets of different towns, districts and villages of the DRC, making subscriber acquisition, insuring first aid customer care , and promoting Vodacom products and services.
This defined patterns was reinforced by a strong call center with a highly advanced IVR system capitalizing on the fact that people in this part of the world love voice contact.
The most important , there was for sure established and a individual plan well defined for each brand contact category , ensuring consistency, synergie and convergeance in the management of all those points. All Contact points were aligned as per the Vodacom purpose and strategy
Vodacom internal marketing
The above consistency a sustained success was made possible only because the job started internally. This is where as competitor, i couldn’t beat them.
The Vodacom brand positioning was so well communicated internally and embedded in employee mind that till 2012 , the employee still believed that their company was number 1 operator in the DRC , while since 2002 it’s only in 2012 that they took that position.
