Digicel is a mobile phone network or telecommunications provider owned by Irishman Mr. Denis O’Brien. It currently operates in over twenty-six countries within the Caribbean and Central America regions. It was first established in Jamaica in April of 2001, where it grew to a maximum of one hundred thousand customers within a time period of one hundred days which was very extreme for them at the time. They have however extensively grown to a near two million mark where customers are concerned to date. It has currently adopted over seventy percent of the Jamaican Market.
Digicel has proven to change the face of the local telecommunications by providing the Jamaican mobile consumers with an offering which was far superior to that of the incumbent (Cable and Wireless). They have also been a major contributor to national income and to employment creation for Jamaicans island wide. It provides a wide array of phones, accessories and services to meet customer’s expectations and is known to be the number one telecommunication customer service provider.
VISION
Digicel vision is to constantly look for new talents with fresh ideas to further cement
place as the leading mobile telecommunications provider in the region.
OBJECTIVE
Digicel’s goal is to provide our customers with affordable and innovative mobile communications that fosters personal and professional connections between nations and people.
Macro Environmental Factors
Three Marco environmental factors currently impacting Digicel organization’s marketing efforts are:
Demographical Factor
Digicel uses demographic factors to impact on their customers in a positive way. This is done through utilizing people of various ages, occupation, and from different area in the country to advertise their product.
For example, Digicel uses business people to advertise specifics phones that would be suitable for their life style in the business world. The black berry phones and I Phone are advertised by Digicel as ideal business phones. These phones include features that can video call, conferencing, and access the internet. Based on their advertisement, this would be an ideal business phone and very convenient, as it carries the similar features of a computer.
Digicel uses school children and young people to advertise the entertainment that their phones offer. These include MP3 players, music videos, games, pictures, movies and easily down loaded programs.
They utilize elder people in their advertisement to attract people of their age group. This is also a marketing strategy to show people that Digicel provides phones that are easy to operate, and that elderly people will not have a problem operating them.
Digicel exploit people like farmers, fishermen and vendors to attract the market of low income customers. This is a strategy used to inform their customers that Digicel have products that caters for all class of people.
Finally Digicel include people in their adverts that live in deep rural area, and even fishermen that go miles off the island, to show their customers that they provide superior network coverage over their competitors.
Economical Factor
Digicel uses economical factor to impact on the market in a positive way. They advertise a variety of cellular phones which have various costs from very expensive to very cheap. This is a strategy implemented to allow every customer to be able to afford a cellular phone. A few years ago, there was a stigma attached to cell phones that only a rich person could afford one, however Digicel dominated the market by making cell phones affordable that everybody can afford one.
Digicel offers closed group packages to some business companies, which is unlimited call within that specific company among a specific amount of people for a fixed cost. Companies who utilize this package are able to cut cost as it relates to their telephone bills.
Digicel offers a low call rate for Digicel to Digicel calls. They use promotions like free after 5, which allows u to speak free after talking for 5 minute on your phone, free nights, which is a promotion where u get free call after 11: 00pm if you purchase at least $200. 00 credit per pay, free texting after 5, which is a promotion where they allows you to make one hundred free text after you have sent five text messages. These factors are economical to the customers, but it also boots the sale of phone cards.
Technological Factor
Digicel uses technological factors to impact on the market in a positive way. With the introduction of 3 D network service, and the installation of cell site within almost every area of Jamaica, Digicel have an edge over it competitors . Digicel uses its fast internet service to transfer information among customers. Digicel utilizes social networks like facebook, twitter and MySpace to advertise and promotion their products and to gather information from their valid customers.
Digicel aids in globalization and offers effective communication throughout the world. As a result of this, customers tend to gravitate towards this network, because they provide reliable service and network coverage. Business people are able to communicate much more effective across the globe, hence business get the opportunity to widen their scope of business.
Repositioning of the Firm
Demographical Environment
As it relates to the demographical environment, Digicel should ensure that their location is at a central point so that customers from all walks of life can access the location easily. Also they can use more young persons to advertise their products and services in order to attract more customers.
Economical Environment
Digicel can utilize this medium to implement new purchasing strategies so that consumers who are interested in purchasing a phone that is of a cost that they cannot afford may be able to do so through a higher purchase plan, which will pull more customers to their customer base thus increasing profit.
Technological Environment
Digicel should also ensure that more cell sites are implemented to accommodate the number of customer using their network; this will reduce the number of complaints and customer annoyance that occurs occasionally. In implementing this, the company will benefit economically.
Pricing Approaches used by the Organization
Nokia 1661
Nokia 1661 is a practical, reliable phone that makes it easy for you to connect to people.
Nokia 1661 is a practical, reliable phone that makes it easy for you to connect to people. See applications and messages clearly and explore your phone with ease on the large TFT display. Listen to your favourite stations on the go with the integrated fm radio. Get some help with your day-to-day tasks with handy tools such as the built-in speaker and torch.
Key Features
SMS
FM Radio
Flashlight
Organizer
DigicelSelect
J$2, 360
DigicelFlex
J$2, 950
BlackBerry Bold 9700
The new BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700 smartphone: Bold is Beautiful! **The Postpaid Price is applicable when you activate a Digicel Select 1000 and above postpaid plan.
The new BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700 smartphone: Bold is Beautiful! The Blackberry Bold 9700 has a large, hi-res screen that displays over 65, 000 colors; creating a vivid viewing experience for all your photos, videos, files and websites. Access what’s important with trackpad navigation based on how laptops are designed. Glide your finger over the trackpad to scroll through menus and icons. A slight press and click lets you select an item to navigate where you want to go. Along with a 3. 2 MP camera, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone features video camera functionality. Record and view videos on the hi-res screen, and share them through email, text messages or social networking sites
Key Features
3. 2 mega-pixel camera
Wi-Fi
Blackberry OS
Digicel Select
J$27, 575
Digicel Flex
J$55, 150
Digicels pricing strategies are based on the type of phones and features that they carry. An example of this is as shown above with a simple nokia and a top of the line blackberry phone. Digicel also price in order to have a competitive edge over their competitors in order to give or generate more customer base.
Effectiveness of Promotion Mix Used by the Organization
Digicel utilizes all the various types of promotional mixes. This includes advertising, sales promotions, public relations, personal selling and direct marketing. Digicel utilizes advertisement through the means of text messaging and media publics, for example the electronic media, tabloids and billboards to inform customers about phones and accessories they are currently having at the specific time. This persuasive measure helps customers to gravitate or buy into their products.
Advertisement also reminds customers of promotional offers and services that the company has; which differentiates them from their competitors. This is a very effective means of communicating with customers as it pulls or attract customers and increase their market sales.
Sales promotion helps digicel to inform customers of new products and services that they have to offer. It also helps to boost its customer base, thus increasing its profit margin.
Public relations on the other hand as it relates to the internal public of the organization, for example, a customer service representative, that utilizes its primary data collection to provide assistance to customers from time to time in order to satisfy the customers needs or queries.
Personal selling is utilize by digicel in that individuals are able to purchase phone cards from them at a discounted price and sell to other customers in various ways, in order to make a small profit.
Direct marketing is used by the organization to target the business persons with phones that have features which will enable them to conduct business whether in or out of the office. This will enable them both to improve their business and maximize profits.