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CHAPTER – III MARKETING MIX FOR DTH SERVICES 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Marketing Mix for DTH Services 3.2.1 Product 3.2.2 Price 3.2.3 Place 3.2.4 Promotion 3.2.5 People 3.2.6 Physical Evidence 3.2.7 Process 3.3 Summary

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Page 1: CHAPTER – III MARKETING MIX FOR DTH SERVICESshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/125337/9/09_chapter 3.pdf48 CHAPTER III MARKETING MIX FOR DTH SERVICES 3.1 INTRODUCTION The

CHAPTER – III

MARKETING MIX FOR DTH SERVICES

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Marketing Mix for DTH Services

3.2.1 Product

3.2.2 Price

3.2.3 Place

3.2.4 Promotion

3.2.5 People

3.2.6 Physical Evidence

3.2.7 Process

3.3 Summary

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CHAPTER III

MARKETING MIX FOR DTH SERVICES

3.1 INTRODUCTION

The emerging trends in the preferences, likes and dislikes, lifestyles are

fantastically influenced by the positive trends in the discretionary income. The

liberalization of economy makes the ways for the internationalization of

fashion, culture and civilization. The sophistication in the development of

communication technologies paves avenues for the development of

entertainment facilities. In India, as in the rest of the world, entertainment is

dominated by films, television and internet, music and radio and outdoor live

entertainment such as sports. But DTH service is the only service which brings

home all the dominated entertainment such as films, television programmes,

music, radio, games together through television. Entertainment, Infotainment

and Edutainment is possible for subscribers through DTH services.

3.2 MARKETING MIX FOR DTH SERVICES

DTH marketing deals with providing services to satisfy subscribers'

recreational needs and wants. To satisfy these recreational needs, subscribers

want specific services. All the techniques and strategies of marketing are used

so that ultimately they induce the subscriber to avail the services of particular

service providers. Service marketing mix plays an important role in DTH

marketing. It helps in differentiating services of a particular DTH service

provider from its competitors. The formulation of marketing mix for DTH

services is found essential to make the services competitive. Marketing mix for

DTH services consists of different sub mixes such as the Product, Price, Place,

Promotion, People, Physical Evidence and Process.

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FIGURE 3.1

SERVICES MARKETING MIX

3.2.1 Product

A product is a set of attributes assembled in an identifiable form. The

product is the control component of any marketing mix. The product mix deals

with a variety of issues relating to development, presentation and management

of the product which is to be offered to the market place. It covers issues such

as channel packages, service levels and peripheral. The DTH services offered

at various levels are as follows:

3.2.1.1 Core Service Level

This level consists of the basic service product or benefit that the

subscriber is really buying. For the marketer core products are essentially all

those products that define what kind of business they are in. The DTH service

providers are in the entertainment and leisure business and offer core services

such as fun, relaxation and happiness as a subscriber benefit in the home itself.

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This level provides the platform for the platform for the development of other

peripheral levels.

3.2.1.2 The Expected Service Level

The expected service reflects the minimum set of expectations a

subscriber has about a product or service. A DTH subscriber expects the

following:

a) Picture Clarity

b) Sound Clarity

c) Number of channels in a package

d) Variety of channel packs

e) Warranty

f) Repair Service

g) Re-shifting

h) Usage instruction

i) Reminders

j) Customer care service

k) Recharging facility

l) Dealer’s support

m) Value added service

n) Uninterrupted service

This level deals with understanding the customer’s mind, and then fine-

tuning one’s offering to match the customer’s expectation. A new stream of

marketing is emerging, called expectation management to ensure that

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customer’s expectation and the company’s offering match. Managing

expectation becomes critical when customer satisfaction depends heavily on

expectation as in services. Obviously, the marketers must strive to satisfy the

fundamental expectation of the customers. If the service offer does not regard

this level, it will mean-immediate dissatisfaction.

3.2.1.3 The Augmented Level

This includes the fundamental services, benefits that distinguish the

company’s offer from the competitor’s offer. The augmented product is

basically a formal product with some ancillary benefits, extra features attached

to it. These value additions are given to make the service more attractive to

customers. According to Helen Woodruffe , “augmented service is the way in

which the service provider fine-tunes the marketing mix to differentiate their

service and make it stand out from the competition”.1

The service providers differentiate by adding value to the core, in terms

of service reliability, responsiveness and enable them to charge a higher price.

The DTH service providers differentiate in their service by offering the

following:

a) Variety of packages with special product description

The service providers offer variety of packages with special product

description. The pack must convey to the potential customer not just what the

product is, but what is does in terms of the benefits it offers- the promotional

message. This may be conveyed by the words, but for the most impact the

graphics and overall design are usually chosen to deliver the main, initial

messages.2

1 Vasanthi Venugopal and Raghu .V. N., “Services Marketing”, Mumbai: Himalaya Publishing House,

2011, p.87.

2 David Mercer, “Marketing” United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishers Limited, 2000, p.193

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b) Interactive Television

Interactive television describes a number of techniques that allow

viewers to interact with television content as they view it. It is generally

known as iTV. Normal TV flows in one way path from the broadcaster to the

viewer, however interactive TV, usually includes a digital modem that can

include either the cable operator, satellite TV operator or broadcast company.

Three ways people can use interactive TV today are:

i) Control Programming

TV watchers can easily pause live programming, record shows or skip

through TV advertisements. Cable and satellite companies include DVRs

(Digital Video Recorders) that can digitally store programming, so that show

can pause, watch shows from different angles, or skip through commercials.

ii) Purchase of Products and Services from the comfort of own TV set

Another common feature that makes its way into the interactive TV

market is the ability to purchase products and services via TV set. It might be

able to watch a TV commercial and instant purchase and pay for the product

being advertised.

iii) Voting and giving opinion

The third type of interactive TV technology that is available today is the

ability to vote and to give opinion via the TV set. Television programming

asks viewers to participate live with their show. This might be in the form of

voting for a favourite entertainer, voting in a news poll or giving opinion on a

new show.

b) Electronic Program Guide

Electronic Program Guide (EPG) provides users of television, radio and

other media applications with continuously updated menus displaying

scheduling information for current and upcoming program. EPG is typically

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associated only with television and consists of a digitally-displayed, non-

interactive menu of program scheduling information shown by a cable or

satellite TV provider to its subscriber on a dedicated channel.

c) Movie-on-demand

Movie-on-demand is a perfect opportunity for viewers to enjoy latest

block busters and wholesome entertainment through pay-per-view. Video-on-

demand delivers straight to the television. Movie-on-demand is generating

high levels of subscriber interest but little revenue with free content accounting

for more than 95 per cent of the material being watched.3

d) High Definition Television (HDTV)

HDTV is defined as having higher quality video, audio and a wider

image aspect ratio than standard television broadcast signals. HDTV is a part

of a larger set of standards called ATSC (Advanced Television Systems

Committee). The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) mandated that

all licensed television stations could be capable of broadcasting HDTV by

2007.

Standard TV uses 4:3 aspect ratios. This means that the screen format is

more like a square than a cinema screen. Cinema screens usually have an

aspect ratio of 16:9, which also is the screen ration of all HDTV screens. This

mean that one can watch most movies on TV as they would be shown in the

threatre.4 Another great feature is that HDTV are able to receive and reproduce

5.1 independent channels of digital sound. This format is generally termed

Dolby AC-3 and reproduces CD quality digital sound. It is important that

HDTV is able to receive or a standalone receiver to watch HDTV

programming. Just having a High Definition television set will not allow to

view of HDTV broadcast on HDTV set. It must also have an HDTV receiver.

3 http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report-dth-emerging.

4 http://www.tech-taq.com/Satellite - television.shtml.

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The DTH service providers pipe the satellite signal into the home using an

addressable set-top-box.

e) High Definition Recording

High Definition recorder lets the subscriber to record high definition

channels as well as standard definition channels. HD has 5 times sharper

picture than standard definition with the highest possible resolution of

1920x1080 (2.07 million+ pixels). HD recorder also has the features like 3D,

Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround sound, mobile recording, internet recording,

HDMI, storage capacity, watch one record one, easy series recording, pause

and resume live TV, fast forward, rewind, recording management and slow

motion.5

f) Parental Control

Parental controls provide parents with automated tools to help protect

their children and set restrictions while using devices and services. These

controls may include altering a parent when their child’s device leaves school,

limiting their car speed to a certain maximum speed, controlling the content

which the child views on a device connected to the internet or limiting the

amount of time they can use their device.

Parental controls are optional features typically included in digital

television services, computer and videogames, mobile phones and computer

software-parental controls fall into categories; content filter, which limit access

to age appropriate content, usage controls, which constrain the usage of these

devices and monitoring, which can track location and activity when using the

devices.

5 http://www.airtel.in/hd-recorder/features-html.

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g) Multiple TVs

It enables the subscriber to enjoy multiple connections with single Dish.

The multiple TV connections are best for the subscribers who own a house

with 2-3 rooms having one TV in each room.

h) FM Radio

Radio channels are available in DTH set. All the Indian DTH service

providers, DD DTH, Sun Direct, Tata Sky, Reliance Big TV, Videocon D2H,

Airtel Digital TV and Dish TV are providing FM radio facilities along with

their DTH service.

The few, DTH service providers also have strategic alliance with

ezeego.com and cleartrip.com, which offers packs as add-on benefit to online

subscribers. The rate at which competition is catching up at the augmented

level, the augmented benefits soon become expected benefits for the DTH

subscribers.

3.2.1.4 Potential Level

This consists of all potential added features and benefits that are or may

be of utility to some buyers. The potential DTH customers have a wide range

of ‘Entry Offers’ to select the options available. And they are also benefited

through price discounts, zero installation cost and also by product description.

The service providers add number of channels according to subscriber

preference during the festive season and it telecast the matches like Indian

Premier League (IPL), Cricket World Cup, Foot Ball and Common Wealth

Games by adding that channels to all packages at free of cost for a particular

period of sports season. This helps the DTH players to attract the existing

subscribers. The potential for redefinition of the product gives advantages in

attracting new subscribers or ‘locking in’ existing subscribers. This could

make it difficult or expensive for subscriber to switch to another service

provider.

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Service offer is the elements that make up the total service package,

including both the tangible and intangible components of the service. The

service package is the product dimension of service. Subscribers, needs are

varied, complex and multi-dimensional. So the satisfaction of these multi-

dimensional needs is what is called package. Christian Gronoos describes

service package as a bundle of different services, tangible and intangible,

which together form the total product.6

Generally all subscribers purchase a combination of tangibles and

intangibles. Absolute goods and services are rare. Similarly, DTH subscribers

purchase the tangible components such as Set-Top-Box: Standard, High

Definition and High Definition with Recorder, Head-Antenna, Cable, DVD,

Remote, Access Card and LCD TV.

DTH’s core service, expected service, augmented service and potential

service takes the form of intangible components.

3.2.2 Price

Price is the significant element of the marketing mix. Pricing policy of a

DTH service is important for widening the subscriber base. Price also relates

to the value of the product to the subscriber and it can be highly sensitive. The

price reduction for the first time for existing subscriber and potential customers

of other service holders are standard promotional tool in the industry. Pricing in

DTH service is related to:

a) Installation and Activation cost of tangible equipment like Set-top-box,

antenna, cable, remote etc.

b) Subscription fee for different types of channel packages.

c) Charge rates for the selection of individual channels under a-la-carte

option.

6 Vasanthi Venugopal and Raghu V.N., “Services Marketing”, Mumbai: Himalaya Publishing House,

2011, p.87.

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d) Fees for repair service and re-shifting of equipment.

e) Charge rates for activating value-added service.

f) Installation and activation charges for any multi room connections.

When DTH service entered into the market as a new service, the

providers adopt price skimming strategy. This is the strategy in which new

services are introduced at high prices. DTH service is positioned on a high

quality, it is priced high, as high price supports the image of prestigious

service.

After the entrants of many DTH service providers, a tough competition

has started to prevail for positioning the product. Then competition based

pricing is adopted. DTH services provider operating in a competitive market

may find it safer to price its service offering taking into account the price set by

the competitor.

Under price bundling strategy, the service provider prices the entire

service offering as a package at a single price. Bundling means pricing and

selling service as a group rather than as individual offering. To simplify the

DTH subscriber’s purchase, the service providers bundles the channel rather

than offering as an individual channels. As an ‘Entry Offer’, the service

providers include installation service, activation service and channel package

and movie-on-demand service as a bundle under a single price tag.

DTH service providers practice differential pricing. It is the practice of

charging different prices according to subscribers’ willingness to pay. The

service providers charge different prices for different types of channel packs

and different interactive services. It enables the DTH subscribers to opt the

services according to their need, preference and budget. DTH services reach

all the income group people, which is the reflection of differential pricing.

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The factors that affect the pricing decision of DTH services are:

License fee on gross revenue paid to the Information and Broadcasting

Ministry (I&B).

Service Tax charged on the subscription fee revenue earned by the DTH

operator.

Entertainment Tax to different states on subscription revenue earned by

the service provider.

Value Added Tax (VAT) levied on the purchase of hardware by the

consumer.

Rental for KU-band transponders.

Inflated price of Set-Top-Boxes, which is imported from other countries.

3.2.3 Place

Place refers to contact point between the service provider and the

subscriber, who gets the benefit of the service. This element in the marketing

mix leads to the identification of a suitable location.

The two main issues considered regarding the decision of a place are

accessibility and availability of the service to subscribers. Accessibility refers

to the ease and convenience with which a service can be purchased, used or

received. Availability refers to the ease and convenience with which a service

is obtainable or capable of being purchased, used and received.

Although distribution is defined as place of interaction of the service

provider and subscribers, distribution activity in services is more strategic as

the distributors are the performers of the service Act. Distribution is the

provision of personal service and information to the subscriber. It adds value to

the service.

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DTH service providers deliver their service at national level. They have

segmented the market on the basis of geography wise, i.e. north, south, east,

west. The service providers expect the wider coverage with the aids of

distribution and dealers. The distribution and dealers are decided as channels

in service delivery of DTH service. Factors influencing the placing decision

are market size and structure by geographical regions, number of competitors

in the region, location of potentially attractive subscriber segments.

In DTH service, the dealer offer advice to the subscribers and guide

them to choose the channel pack and service that matches their need. The

promised services should reach the users effectively. Moreover, the location

points for DTH services should be easily accessible to users. The most

common benefit for choosing the dealer in the service delivery process is the

ability of these dealers to get close to the subscriber and thus the subscriber is

able to get more information from them without much effort. The another mode

of reaching the DTH subscriber is through internet, customer care service and

mobile service for the purpose of availing the service, recharging, repair

service and payment is made with credit card.

3.2.4 Promotion

Creation of awareness is an important factor in the formulation of

marketing mix for the DTH service. The promotion task simplifies the

activities of informing, persuading and influencing the decisions of potential

customers. And in these days of price competition, service marketers often

complain about the difficulty of differentiating their service from those of

competitors. The solution to price competition is to develop a differentiated

offer, delivery and image. The offer can include innovative features that set

one company’s offer from the competitors offer.

The promotion mix plays vital roles as the users of service feel a high

degree of involvement and uncertainty about the product and their role in the

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buying process. Some of the important aspects of the promotion are

advertising, publicity, sales support, sales promotion and word of mouth.

FIGURE 3.2

PROMOTIONAL MIX

Advertising Publicity Sales Promotion Word of mouth 360 degree

campaign

3.2.4.1 Advertising

Advertising is a paid form of persuasive communication intended to

promote the DTH service. Advertising professionals create advertisement

slogans, appeals and campaigns. Eg: Sun Direct’s jingle is “TUN TANA TUN”

and Dish TV’s slogan is “Dish Sawaar Hai”. Advertising is done through

telecast, broadcast and the print media. By and large, the telecast media are

effective in the sensitizing process. With the help of audio visual exposure, the

rate of acceptability of the message will be considerably increased. DTH

service work on a large scale, they afford the expensive telecast media.

According to the news source Dish TV has earmarked around 900 million for

marketing and promotion in the year 2010. The sophistication achieved in the

printing technology has made this media more attractive. DTH services used

the print media, telecast media and broadcast media for the effective appeals in

the regional languages. They should maintain a close relationship between

services offered and the services advertised. Positive image can be built up by

offering the promised services to the subscribers.

Promotion Mix

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Messages delivered by attractive sources achieve high attention and

recall. Advertisers often use celebrities as spoke people. Celebrities are likely

to be effective when they personify a key service attribute. DTH service

providers use celebrities as spokes people, who has creditability e.g. Actor

Shahrukh Khan has been Dish TV’s brand ambassador since its inception in

2007. The factors which lead to high source creditability are expertise,

trustworthiness and likability.

3.2.4.2 Publicity

Publicity exercise transmit to the masses news and information related

to the effectiveness of the DTH services. Publicity involves publishing creative

literature in important newspapers, magazines, journals preferred by the

subscribers.

While publicizing marketing professionals usually assign due

weightage to the people. Arranging press conferences, highlighting the i)

positive contributions ii) quality of services iii) benefits to the users are

important for publicity.

3.2.4.3 Sales promotion

Sales promotion offers incentives to motivate the middlemen and the

clients. It is purely a temporary measure to promote business. Sales promotion

aims at stimulating the new and existing subscribers. The tools of sales

promotion should be innovative in the case of introduction of new services.

More innovation in the tools of sales promotion, more positive is results. In

DTH services promotional tools are directed at the three categories of people –

distributors, dealers and subscribers. A number of techniques are used to

promote DTH services. Sales promotion techniques directed at subscribers of

DTH services are as follows:

Point of sales

Window display

Wall display

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Direct Mail

Discount

Free pack

Online price offer

Multiple TV offer

Gift voucher

Free subscription to Business World magazine

Price offers at channel pack

Zero installation cost

Entry offer

Cash back offer

On time renewal offers.

These promotional techniques aimed at consumers try to build brand

awareness and create demand. In this case, the pull strategy pulls the users into

the retails of the distributors and dealers.

Apart from the above, inducements to subscribers through distributors

and dealers are their immediate responses include Brochure, Direct Mail, Joint

Promotion, and Commission. At the same time, the high performers in the

group of distributors are given additional incentives in the process of getting

profitable business.

3.2.4.4 Word of mouth

Communication about DTH services takes place by word of mouth

information. Word of mouth promoters assume the role of a hidden sale force.

Subscribers come to know about the services through their friends, relatives

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and other well-wishers. They communicate about the dealer’s service,

packages, interactive services etc. Thus, the word of mouth makes a strong

advocacy in favour of improving the quality of services. To promote the DTH

services effectively, distributors should use the local persons and opinion

leaders who are capable of influencing.

Innovative usage of media is the need of the hour and clients should stop

spending their money on traditional advertising medium like print and TV.

3.2.4.5 360 degree market campaign

The 360 degree campaign strategy is a detailed process where every

piece of information concerning a particular brand is communicated to the

target audience through all possible channels.7 For example: To increase the

number of subscribers TataSky has adopted a 360 degree marketing campaign

approach that encapsulates television, print, outdoor and radio along with on-

ground activities and marketing on the digital platform.8

3.2.5 People

The people component reflects the important role played by individuals

in the provision of service. People are also an important element in the

marketing mix.

Service personnel play an important role in an organization which

provides services. The behavior and attitude of the personnel providing

services will influence the customer’s overall perception of the service.

Customers are a source of influencing other customers by word of mouth. In

the service industry, service personnel come in direct contact with their

customer in the course of production and consumption of the services.

7 http://www.advertising in india.word press.com/../does-360-degree-advertising campaign

www.scribd.com/doc16743789/case study - Tata Sky.

8 Ananta Mallik, “Tata Sky’s Marketing Strategies”, June 8, 2011 - www.scribd.com/doc

16743789/case study - Tata sky..

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The people involved in DTH service are service providers, service

engineer, customer care service personnel, distributors and dealers. In the DTH

service industry, the ancillary service personnel, the distributors and dealers

who help to create the service exchange and come in contact with the

subscribers in the process of providing the services. While on the other hand

the service engineer, being categorized as a low contact personnel, require

possessing high analytical and technical attributes to solve the subscriber’s

problem. The service provider and customer care service personnel who

contribute to the service product but do not come in direct contact with the

subscribers. In DTH services, the selection, training and motivation of

distributors can make huge difference in attaining subscriber satisfaction.

Ideally, distributors and other employees should exhibit competence,

responsiveness, initiative, problem solving ability and goodwill. Many service

organizations trust their people enough to personnel to resolve subscriber

problems.

The objective of providing quality service to subscribers can be

achieved by:

Motivating with incentives on the achievement of the sales target

Use of latest technology

Providing regular training to the personnel to ensure continuous

improvement in the DTH service industry

Communicating regularly, the ancillary personnel about the product

launch, modification in the existing product, campaign programme etc.

Providing assistance to joint promotion plan undertaken by an ancillary

personnel in the local market for the attraction of the potential

customers.

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3.2.6 Physical evidence

Services being intangible, customers often rely on tangible cues, or

physical evidence, to evaluate the service before its purchase and to assess their

satisfaction with the service during and after consumption.9

Peripheral evidences possessed as part of the purchase of a DTH

services are Set-Top-Box, Head-Antenna, Cable, Remote, Access card, Usage

Instruction, and Brochures.

Service organizations with competing service products may use physical

evidence to differentiate their service products in the market place and give

their service products a competitive advantage. DTH services are sold with a

warranty for the peripherals and cost of free service for the first year of

ownership.

Printed matter such as brochure also plays an important role in the

development of DTH services. As the products in DTH services are intangible,

there is a need to describe fully the product, which shows different packages

availability and helps the subscribers to select the package according to their

affordability. The brochure is the product at the point of purchase; it

establishes expectation of quality value for money, product image and status,

which must be matched when the product is delivered.

To make the service more tangible the access card and other peripheral

evidence helps in the following means:

The service can be separated from the seller

The service product of one service provider can be differentiated from

the service product of other service providers

The service acts as symbol of status for the subscribers

9 Balaji B, “Services Marketing and Management”, New Delhi: S Chand and Company Limited, 2008,

p.145

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Re-shifting of service is possible to any geographic area in which the

service marketer can operate.

3.2.7 Process

Process means the actual procedures, mechanisms and flow of activities

by which service is delivered. The sequential steps involved in the delivery of

DTH services are:

Packages of services – the services are provided in the form of channel

packages and interactive service with differential prices.

Provision of information i.e., the information regarding the DTH service

is provided through various Print media, Brochure, TV advertisement,

Radio in the regional languages and also the potential customer seeks

clarification about the services in the distributor’s and dealer’s outlet.

Liaison with intermediaries – before any form of DTH services is sold;

terms and condition have to be made with the distributors of the service.

The distributor and dealer are one who sells the set-top-box on rental

basis and services all over the nation. The service provider

communicates the distributor regularly about the new product launch,

modification of the existing product and campaign undertaken to attract

the potential customer.

Installation and Activation of the service – as soon as the subscriber

approaches the distributor or dealer or through sources, the service

provider installs the required equipment in the subscriber’s house and

activate the service within 24 hours.

Payment Process – enjoying DTH service is possible by recharging the

account using Subscriber Identity. Whenever payment is due, a message

will be received on TV. So the subscribers are alerted to recharge. The

recharging facility varies from one service provider to another. The

following are the common recharging facilities:

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3.2.7.1 Recharge through Credit Card or Net Banking account

To recharge one can use credit card or net banking system from any of

the banks specified by service provider to transfer the amount directly from

bank account.

3.2.7.2 Voucher Recharge

Purchase a recharge voucher of the desired denomination from a dealer

and scratch the back of the voucher to view the digit recharge PIN to recharge

the account. The subscriber has to send RC< digit recharge PIN > to specified

number from the registered mobile number.

3.2.7.3 Recharge by Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

IVR system of recharging is available with toll free number given by the

service provider which helps to recognize the subscriber ID. Recharge can be

done using Menu Option. Select denomination amount for recharge and enter

credit card details to debit the amount toward services subscription. Once

done, account balance gets instantly updated with the recharge value.

3.2.7.4 Recharge on the web

Recharge can be done instantly from the service provider website. To

do this, it is necessary to register on the concerned website with the subscriber

ID. Then the subscriber will be given a secured login ID and password. After

the successful recharge, it will reflect on TV within few working hours.

3.2.7.5 Mobile recharge

Account can be recharged using state-of-the art mobile technology.

Powered by ATOM technologies, this is a convenient way to top-up the

account, make insurance payment and shop. A subscriber can avail this facility

by linking credit card and debit card.

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3.2.7.6 Oxicash e-Wallet

Sun Direct avail oxicash service to its subscribers. Oxicash is a kind of

prepaid offering that enables to buy, just by clicking a few buttons in oxicash

or partner websites. It is a prepaid stored value closed e-wallet that is

accessible through all mediums. It allows making payments toward a host of

services like prepaid mobile and TV recharges, bill payments, travel, online

shopping, mobile videos, music, games and other utilities. Oxicash e-wallet

contains 16 digits ID which would be system generated as soon as the mobile

number is registered by the subscribers. Subscriber can load money in e-wallet

by paying cash at an oxigen outlet, sify i way, croma stores, in and out shops,

P3 stores or at any mobile outlet.

3.3 SUMMARY

All the above services marketing mix elements revolve around

subscribers. Differentiating the services from competitors is the principal

requirement of every service organization. Knowing subscribers' perceptions

regarding services offered to them will help to know their feeling about service

marketing mix and relationship of these factors with satisfaction will help

marketers to decide marketing strategies for their subscribers. In DTH services

price fairness, product features, value-added-services, distributing DTH

services in convenient way, behavior of employees, subscribers' education and

awareness through promotions, better services and payment process play

important role in differentiating services from competitors.