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MG6304 Market Research
Market Research Report: E-Mobile
MBS Management and Marketing
Philippe Vancell - Student No: 110222323
David Shanley - Student No: 110223130
Mark ODonovan - Student No: 106571921
Date: 07/01/2011
Word Count: 4,786
Executive Summary
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This report was written in conjunction with a Market Research Project carried out on Eircoms
newest mobile brand e-mobile, and what are the perceptions of the brand in general with
consumers.
In order to understand the e-mobile brand, we gathered data about Eircom since it is the mother
company. We also did a comparative analysis of the other mobile brands existing in Ireland and
came up with a SWOT analysis of the e-mobile brand. This was summarized as part of our
secondary data in the first part of the report.
In order to get a hands on experience and grasp the meaning of e-mobile more intensely we
embarked on analysing the brand personally by conducting various research exercises. As part of
our market research we conducted the following:
2 one-hour observations in order to record the gender and generation of people entering
the E-Mobile Store situated in St. Patrick Street Cork.
1 Focus Group in which we analysed the peoples perception upon viewing e-mobiles
television adverts. We wanted to see what their opinions and impressions of the brand
would be after viewing the adverts e-mobile had used since their launch in October 2010.
40 Surveys which dealt upon the perception consumers had of Eircom and E-mobile. And
also to see if there was a correlation between them.
Once our research was done we did an analysis of our findings. The results of our findings relate
with our research question, since the peoples perception of e-mobile is effected by the advertising
of e-mobile and also by Eircom as its mother company.
Concluding we gave recommendation on how e-mobile can actually change in a positive way the
consumers perception, in order to attract a vaster target market.
We will start this market research report with a brief introduction on Eircom, since it is e-mobiles
mother company
Introduction
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The Eircom Group plc is an Irish telecommunications company established in 1984 and was in the
past owned by the state. It is currently the largest telecommunications operator in the Republic of
Ireland and operates primarily in the republic and Northern Ireland, with a small presence in the
UK. Eircom currently has 6,073 employees and generates about 2.602 billion in revenue. Eircom
has a number of subsidiaries which include meteor and Eircom Phonewatch both of which are
established recognisable organisations within the communications market.
Eircom operate the largest fixed-line telecommunications network in the republic, under license
from the commission for communications regulation. Most homes and businesses in the state are
connected by this network. Eircom currently operate a fixed-line telephone network, a mobile
telephone network (Meteor) and act as an internet services provider amongst other things. Prior to
the privatisation of Eircom in 1995 the organisation had a monopoly in the Irish market. During this
time the organisations market share of Irish landlines was as high as 82%. This figure has
decreased in recent years to72% in 2006, however it is still a significantly large market share and
underlines Eircoms position as a market leader in Ireland. Additionally Eircom broadband had a
49% share in the Irish market in 2006 and the meteor subsidiary had a 19% share in the Irish
market with 1,032,000 cellular subscribers on the network.
Eircoms strength in todays market is largely down to its success during the initial years of its
inception. As the organisation was a state owned organisation with a monopoly in the
communications market there were no rival organisations competing for market share. As a result
Eircom or Bord Telecom Eireann as it was know at the time could envision the mass market, thatbeing land line distribution to the hole of Ireland. Tellis and Golder (1996) suggested that tapping
into the mass market provides economies of scale and allows an organisation to exploit the full
potential of a new product/service. The concept of envisioning the mass market is evident in the
development of the land line telecommunications sector during the early years of the organisations
development. By the time the organisation was privatised in 1995 it had secured 82% of the market
making it almost impossible for competitors to compete. Additionally having been a state owned
organisation the financial resources were available for rapid expansion, resources beyond which
most private limited companies can access.
Having been a market leader since its inception Eircom has developed a high level of brand
loyalty. Soloman et al (2009) suggest that one of the most common heuristics which effect
customers decision making is brand loyalty. Customers who have strong brand loyalty feel that it is
not worth considering alternative options. Jones (2007) suggests the first to market approach
establishes a level of brand loyalty, it is then up to the organisation to be innovative and creative
enough to retain these customers. In relation to Eircom the high levels of brand loyalty evident
during the early years is largely due to the monopoly which they had on the market at the time. In a
market where the competitive climate is nonexistent the only viable option is to go with the
available product/service.
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Another area to consider when discussing brand loyalty with particular relevance to Eircom is
cultural receptivity. The Eircom brand having been a government owned organisation may have
been perceived as a very safe and credible organisation thus effecting brand loyalty. Erdem et al
(2006) suggest that brand receptivity is largely driven by risk aversion, considering this idea
customers may have felt a false sense of security due to Eircom being a government owned
organisation.
In the current market enviroment do it has changed high levels of brand identification and brand
loyalty remain. The association with the current Eircom brand may be as simple as why change
now, the organisation has a track record of being effective, efficient, reliable and above all Irish.
There are few Irish people if none that cannot relate to or who havent dealt with the Eircom group
at some point.
Market Research Question
In this market research project we will be discussing E-mobile the newest mobile brand launched in
the Irish market. The main question we are analysing is as follows:
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Do customers views and perceptions of Eircom and the E-Mobile brand translate and correlate
with Eircomss method and approach in advertising E-mobile as the newest entry to the mobile
market?
In order to answer our research question we have decided to establish our findings by focusing the
consumers views and perception of both Eircom and E-mobile and correlating these responses
with the advertising messages and channels Eircom is using in order to promote the E-mobile
brand.
We will be collecting data, by using both primary and secondary data as follows:
Primary Data Structure:
Perception of Eircom by consumers
Knowledge about Eircom as the mother company owning E-mobile
Are the consumer perceptions of E-mobile influenced by their perception on Eircom as
Irelands largest telecommunication provider?
Independent perception of the E-mobile brand in general.
Secondary Data Structure:
Literature on Eircom and E-mobile
Comparisons between mobile brands in the market.
SWOT Analysis on the E-mobile brand.
E-Mobile Package and Comparison:
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As part of our secondary data for this market research project, we did an analysis of the services
being offered by the main mobile brands in the Irish market. There are 6 main mobile operators
within Ireland mainly Meteor, Vodafone, 3, O, Tesco and E-mobile.
E-mobile is the newest entry to the mobile market, however when analysing telephony services its
packages match with what other mobile networks are offering. Moreover it distinguishes itself by
having a unique pre-pay option weekly plan as opposed to the usual monthly plan, which other
mobile companies are not offering at the moment. E-mobile offers an exclusive weekly plan called
the 7 day plan. This plan is further subdivided into 2 different packages, you get the 7/10 plan,
where you have the option of getting unlimited calls and texts to all networks by topping up with 10
euros per week, and you also have the 7/15 plan, where you have the option of getting unlimited
calls and texts to all networks plus 250mb of data download by topping up with 15 euros per week.
This new tariff plan may be seen as quite innovative, however a little bit on the expensive side. Onanalysing e-mobiles adverts in the media, one can see that they are clearly advertising their
packages to innovative high end professionals in a corporate work environment. This is clearly
seen in these adverts by calling the main protagonists during the advert such names as Head of
non-complication, Director of simplicity, thinking ahead and Head of doing things differently.
Moreover these protagonists are being portrayed to be E-mobile employees, hence making
consumers associate E-mobile as being a fresh innovative no worries alternative in the mobile
market, with forward thinking individuals working for you.
Following is a clear description of all services which are being offered by all mobile networks in
Ireland in comparison with E-Mobile. Mobile networks have been analysed on the following plans: -
Pre-pay option, Standard Rates, Bill pay, Add-ons, Broadband and Roaming. (see appendices for
all Mobile network services)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-mobile:1
Pre-pay options:
Weekly
7 day plan 7/10 all the calls and text to all networks for 10 euros per week
7/15 all the calls and texts to all networks and 250 mb of data for 15 per week
Monthly
30 day plan - Free texts to any network for 20 per month
Free e-mobile talk and texts for 20 per month
1 Intouch eMobiles free quarterly magazine Autumn Issue 2010
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Standard - Irish landlines and networks for 25c per minute
Texts to Irish networks 13c per text
Voicemail 15c per minute
Bill Pay: 6 plans from 14 to 94, Sim only or monthly contract, all including free minute calls
and text to any network, 3 plans offer free data allowance up to 5 GB and Eircom
customer discount (landline)
Add-ons: Data, International Minutes and any network texts.
Broad Band: Bill pay, monthly at 19.99, 12 month contract, 10 GB
Pre-pay, daily at 2.99 (500mb), monthly at 19.99 (7.5 GB), no contract
Roaming: Call 47c, receiving a call 18c, text 13c,
Customers for less than 2 months - 60 to setup and enable roaming.
E-Mobile SWOT analysis:
We are outlining the Swot analysis from our research into the brand E-mobile and how it can
improve the brand in the future and where also it could meet in its end. As E-mobile is entering the
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mobile market it meets experienced competitors head on. How can they make themselves unique
in this market?
E-Mobiles Strengths:
Wide market base in terms of customers.
They are marketing to an older more experienced customer with better bill pay options than
competitors.
Have the popular and credible brand name of Eircom to back up their products.
Use the Eicoms brand trademark underneath the E-mobile brand offering reassurances to
the customer.
Offers customers in-depth knowledge of the mobile industry.
Weaknesses:
Dont put enough energy marketing to customers in the age barrack 12-25 year olds.
The Eircom brand being associated with the E-mobile can have both a positive and equally
a negative effect on customer interest.
Competing with O2, Meteor and Vodafone for market share- major organisations who offer
cheap rates to customers and have been operating for a number of years, thus developing
consumer loyalty
From our research we feel E-mobile hasnt established itself yet in the market and needs
time to develop the business and to develop their market strategy.
Advertising needs to be more widespread and on every medium (radio, newspapers and on
Eircom website- there is only a quick link option, this needs to advertised more effectively
on the website, heighten awareness.
Word of mouth aspect- Meaning people are not talking about the brand and little is known
about the brand.
Opportunities
A major opportunity is to advertise to the students 12 to 25 year olds and go head to head
with other brands, under-cutting their prices so E-mobile will look attractive and
approachable to students. This will help develop customer loyalty and word of mouth
advertising.
Increased awareness of the brand through marketing- sponsorship of a team or an event
has always the potential to increase awareness.
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The opportunity to increase customers by making the E-mobile and Eircom connection
more widespread. It mentioned on the E-mobile website that Eircom has a customer base
of 2.5 million people; this in itself offers many opportunities to target this market.
Exploring the idea of a combined network connection Eircom. .i.e. If Eircom has a
connection/network deal with an organisation then offer a deal with company mobile
phones and incorporate the idea that way.
Opportunity to take E-mobile into the European market and compete in the euro market.
More ambitiously to make E-mobile a global brand by development of networks throughout
Europe.
Threats
As mentioned above the threats such as Vodafone, Meteor and O2 in the Irish marketmakes it very difficult to compete against.
Being a new brand means facing difficult challenges against the top 3, how can E-mobile
price their products and with the emergence of Tesco mobile this is another threat to their
company and adds pressure to compete.
Mobile market is open to additional competitors and this leaves the option of other major
co-operations like Tesco competing in it.
The threat of Eircoms reputation being undermined by other competitors and having aknock on effect to E-mobile.
The threat that their effect will be not enough to establish a market share and thus ending
the company as it is not producing profits.
Observation Analysis
Observation No. 1 - Saturday 6th November from 12:00 to 13:00 near E-Mobile Shop.
Aim: Recording gender and generation of people entering the E-Mobile Store.
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Observation No. 2 - Saturday 27th November from 12:00 to 13:00 near E-Mobile Shop
Aim: Recording gender and generation of people entering the E-Mobile Store.
MALE FEMALE
YOUNG
(UP to 30)
MIDDLE
(30 to 60)
OLD
(61+)
YOUNG
(UP to 30)
MIDDLE
(30 to 60)
OLD
(61+)
5 10 2 3 20 0
MALE FEMALE
YOUNG
(UP to 30)
MIDDLE
(30 to 60)
OLD
(61+)
YOUNG
(UP to 30)
MIDDLE
(30 to 60)
OLD
(61+)
12 20 6 10 26 4
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Analysis:
As part of our primary data collection, we decided to carry out 2 one-hour observations in front of
the E-mobile shop in St. Patrick Street, in order to analyse which age segment the E-mobile brand
is attracting in general. The E-mobile shop is situated approximately in the centre of St. Patrick
Street and confines with a high standard fashion clothes shop like Tommy Hilfiger on one side, and
a coffee shop/pub on the other.
Observation Techniques were useful in order to be more flexible in our research approach and also
to avoid bias from respondents that would act differently if they knew that they were being
monitored for research purposes. In this case we were recording individuals on their free will in
entering the E-mobile shop without them being affected behaviourally by our observational
research.
The first observation was done in early November, on a Saturday afternoon. Our observation
showed that since E-mobile had been just launched approximately around a month only; a lot of
individuals did not know much about this new mobile brand. This was evident in the low number of
people actually entering the shop compared to a much superior number of people just walking by
the shop on St. Patrick Street and not taking any care of the E-mobile shop in general. In fact
during our first observation 17 males and 23 females only entered the shop.
What was more striking is that out of the 40 consumers who entered the shop in order to enquire
on E-mobile the 30 of them were middle-aged individuals. This correlates with the advertisementsthat are being showed in the media, in which their main highlight is middle-aged professionals
The Second observation was done in late November, as well on a Saturday afternoon. Numbers of
people entering the E-mobile shop had increased, even though it was only 2 months since their
main launch. This can be due to 2 factors:
1. The highly competitive environment which is found within the mobile industry especially
when people become knowledgeable on the various packages mobile companies offer.
2. A period closer to Christmas time, aided by the advertisements E-mobile launched about
their Christmas offers.
During this observation 38 males and 40 females entered the E-mobile Shop on St. Patrick Street,
increasing the total number to +38 customers from our first observation in the beginning of
November. This shows that the E-mobile brand was becoming more recognised and followed by
consumers; also people walking by were sometimes giving furtive glances to the Christmas
promotional posters attached on the shops showcase in the front. The interest between middle-
aged individuals was consistent throughout the second observation as well; out of the 78customers entering the shop 46 of them were middle-aged individuals.
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The recordings from both observations, shows that the approach the E-mobile brand is advertising
its services and products in order to attract middle-aged consumers in particular is actually being
reflected. Also the increase in the number of individuals enquiring shows that the E-mobile brand is
becoming a recognised brand within the Irish mobile industry,
Focus Group Analysis (transcript is found in the appendices)
Jobber (2007) highlights that the strongest type of media for promotion would be television. During
our Focus group we wanted to analyse the peoples perception upon viewing e-mobiles television
adverts. We wanted to see what their opinions and impressions of the brand would be after viewing
the adverts e-mobile had used since their launch in October 2010.
Three adverts and a small documentary on e-mobiles launch were shown and the floor wasopened for discussion after each viewing. The video clips that where shown were as follows:
1. Advert Meet the Team 2
2. Advert Seven/Ten (7/10)3
3. Advert Making Christmas Easier4
4. Documentary e-mobile launch Documentary5
The first advert to be shown to the participants also happened to be the first advert that was aired
after the launch of e-mobile. After showing the advert the main perception by most of theparticipants was that e-mobile wants to be portrayed totally different from other competitors by
giving a very simplistic non-complicated feel to the brand. The participants also felt that its trying to
give a friendly appeal where there are forward thinking people working for you. Even though the
participants felt that this advert was very comforting, they still thought that the target they are
aiming for would not be students, but middle aged business people. This is made clear when
2 http://www.youtube.com/user/emobileIreland#p/u/11/RKy9xMIPEHg
3 http://www.youtube.com/user/emobileIreland#p/u/10/CxX6Scx5GEQ
4 http://www.youtube.com/user/emobileIreland#p/u/9/qeMAb2HYAvA
5 http://www.youtube.com/user/emobileIreland#p/u/24/H3Dis4txebs
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participant 1 says I mean the younger generation just want the cool stuff when it comes to mobile
services. Definitely they are not really directing it to the younger generation.
The second advert which was shown portrayed one of the packages that e-mobile was offering to
its clients. After seeing this advert the participants looked uninterested in the brand. They found the
package to be quite expensive and useless and to be more targeted to middle aged businesspeople. They even noticed that there was a part of the advert which had small print about
regulations of the package and the video had to be shown again in order for them to recheck what
it said and reconfirm that the package was quite expensive.
The third and last advert shown was a Christmas time advert, named Making Christmas Easier.
After seeing the advert the participants emphasized again that e-mobile is trying to portray this
friendly image in order to relate more to the brand and their adverts are innovative and nice to
watch. On the other hand when seeing the prizes and the people portrayed in the adverts, their
perception was that e-mobile is targeting the older generation.
The last clip to be shown was a short documentary on the launch of e-mobile, as Eircoms newestmobile entry. The Participants were quite positive in their comments after being shown this clip.
They though that this clip showed how Eircom with the help of e-mobile wants to promote their
network and their progression in the communications industry. Participant 4 highlights this by even
regarding their efforts as a means to the future of technology. It was also noted that by making
such a clip with the actual people that have worked for the launch of e-mobile, it makes it more
credible in the eyes of the consumers and they should have used the same strategy in their
adverts.
After showing these 4 clips we asked the participants on which network they were currently, and
none of them was with e-mobile, making it clearer that e-mobile was not targeting the student
profile but the more professional middle aged profile. Naturally when asked if after what theyveseen they would change to e-mobile, all participants were reluctant to change to e-mobile all of
them being comfortable with the network they were on and most of them seeing e-mobile as quite
an expensive option to move to.
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Survey Analysis (survey copy found in appendices)
The following analysis is based on stastical information gathered via Survey Monkey, the survey
was completed by 38 participants. The age range of participants who completed the survey is 16-
60, there were no surveys completed by anyone in the age bracket of 60+. A statistical break down
of all participants can be seen in figure 1 below.
Figure 1
The largest percentage of participants who completed the survey were aged 16-24 and account for66% of the overall number of participants. The 25-35 age bracket account for the second highest
number of participants, approximaly 24% of the total number. Combining both age groups, the
number of participants amounts to 90% of the total number of participants. The high percentages
of participants evident in the younger age catagories may be a reflection of the method utalised to
deliver the surveys. The online method of surveying may not have given a fair representation of the
different age brackets, people aged between 16 and 45 are more likely to utalise and online
method of surveying where as people aged 45+ would be more likely to complete a survey in a one
to one setting.
Therefore the statistical information based on this survey may not be an accurate reflection of the
older age groups. The gender representation was almost identical with the male participants
accounting for 52.7% of the surveys and the female participants acounting for 47.3%. The even
representation of both male and female participants strenghtens the validity of the results gathered
from the survey and allows for an accurate statistical representation of both genders in the survey
answers.
The first question which was asked in the survey was whether participants had a positive ornegative perception of Eircom, this question would allow us to gain a better understanding of how
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Eircom is perceived in the current market place. Figure 2 below highlights the varying perceptions
of Eircom.
Figure 2 Figure 3
The perceptions of Eircom based on the survey results are mostly positive with 63% of the
participants selecting either good or very good and only 37% selecting bad or very bad. This is an
important aspect to consider when marketing the E-mobile brand using the strength of the mother
company Eircom. If people in large had negative perceptions of Eircom it may have been
detrimental to associate E-mobile with Eircom. The positive perceptions evident in the surveys
however suggest the opposite that E-mobile would benefit for the recognition of Eircom as its
mother company. Additionally figure 3 shows the Eircom services utilised by the participants, all
participants avail of one if not both of the services offered by Eircom and so its clear that the
Eircom brand is widely used amongst the participants.
The awareness of E-mobiles connection to Eircom maybe a reflection of how new it is to the
market, people have no relationship with the brand as of yet and therefore cannot identify with E-
mobile and its connection to Eircom.
Figure 5
The next aspect of the survey was to discover the mobile network each participant used and why
they chose their particular network, this would allow us to compare and contrast E-mobiles strength
in the market to those it is competing with. Nearly 40% of the participants said they used Vodafone,
most common answers for their choice were value for money, cheap, good deals, effective
and popular. Vodafones
appeal seems to be
value for money and the offers which they give to customers. The second most popular choice of
network was Meteor with 30% of the total number of participants choosing this network. Most
common choices for picking Meteor include cheap, for students, value for money, cheap texts and
for teenagers. Based on the participants answers the Meteor service appeals to teenagers and
students by offering value for money and special offers, similar to that of Vodafone but aimed more
toward the younger generation.
E-mobile had the least amount of users along with Tesco Mobile with only 1 participant availing of
each service, participants views on E-mobile included expensive, dont know enough about them,
for older markets and new/untested. Peoples perceptions of E-mobile are almost the opposite of
Figure 4: Represents
participants awareness of E-
mobile as a subsidiary of
Eircom.
The number of participants
that are aware of E-mobiles
connection to Eircom is almost
identical to those unaware of
the connection.
Figure 4
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that evident in the comments left for Vodafone and Meteor, the fact that the brand is new and
participants knew little about E-mobile suggests that the advertising campaign is not working.
Having identified the different Networks used by participants, the next question was to determine
whether they would be willing to change to E-mobile. The results are represented in figure 6. 84%of the participants stated that they would not change to E-mobile, the reasons given by participants
included too expensive, no value for money, poor top up options, need something more cost
efficient, deals are not beneficial and happy with my current network. From the analysis of the data
participants feel there is nothing to be gained by joining E-mobile, additionally most participants
seemed content with their current network.
Of the 16% who said yes it was based on the premise that they would receive a better offer than
they are currently getting, some of the responses in favour of switch included if I got a better offer I
would switch, if it was better value for money, if the offers were good and if it was better than my
current network. Those who stated they would switch didnt seem to know any of the offers
available with E-mobile as almost all stated if something were different of better etc. The final
question was whether the participants perceptions of Eircom would affect their decision to switch
to E-mobile; the results were quite similar however the responses in relation to the question varied
quite a bit. The main responses associated with those who said it would affect their decision
included Eircoms customer service is terrible, Eircom are too expensive, Eircom offer poor value
for money and Eircom have poor internet spend and call out service. The negative aspects of
Eircom's reputation would therefore affect some of the participants decisions when considering a
switch to E-mobile. Those who stated that Eircom wouldnt affect their decision to change to E-
mobile suggest reasons such as Eircom is a reliable and reputable and makes no difference in
their decision.
Reccomendations
After getting our primary data and doing its analysis we can conclude that the consumer perception
of e-mobile is in a way affected by Eircom as its mother company and that even though it is the
newest mobile brand on the high street market, its not getting the widest market segment.
Hence in order for e-mobile to get a more positive consumer outlook we suggest that:
The marketing of e-mobile should focus more on e-mobile as a particular brand.
The adverts although innovative in style need to give the consumer a more direct
understanding of the offers and deals available.
A better comparison of e-mobile packages with packages offered by other mobile
companies in the Irish market.
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Their adverts should feature actual people working at e-mobile so the company is viewed
as more credible, however at the same time keeping the warm simplistic and friendly feel of
the other adverts
Include packages which would target a younger generation who maybe are put off by such
expensive packages that e-mobile is offering at the moment for a more professional
audience.
Offering a multi-deal package, including Landline, Broadband and Mobile telephony at a
discounted rate.
Bibliography
Erdem, T., Swait, J., and Valenzuela, A., (2006). Brands as signals: a cross-country validationstudy. Journal of Marketing Research, 70 pp.34-49
Jobber, D., 2007. Principles and Practice of Marketing. 5th ed. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill Education.
Jones, G. (2007). Organisation Theory Design and Change. 5th ed. New Jersey, USA: Prentice Hall
Kapferer, J.N. (2001). Strategic brand management: creating and sustaining brand equity long
term. 2nd ed. London: Kegan Page Limited
Kotabe, M., and Helsen, K., (2010), Global Marketing Management. 5th ed. John Wiley & Sons:Danvers
Soloman, M.R., Marshall, G.W., Stuart, E.W., Mitchell, V., and Barnes, B., (2009). Marketing realpeople, real decisions. Prentice Hall: Essex
Tellis, G.J., and Golder, P.N., (1996). First to market, first to fail? Real causes of enduring market
leadership. Sloan Management Review
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Appendices
i) Survey
MG 6304 Market Research, E-Mobile Survey:
1. Gender & Age
Male
F emale
-----------------------
Under 16
16 - 24
25 35
36 45
46 60
61+
2. What is your general perception of Eircom?
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Very Good
Good
Bad
Poor
Other: ____________
3. Do you use any of the services offered by Eircom?
Landline
Broadband
Both
4. Do you know that Eircom is the mother company owning E-Mobile?
Yes
No
5. Which mobile network are you on
E-Mobile Meteor
Vodafone 3 Mobile
O Tesco
6. One word that come to your mind to describe the network:
E-mobile __________
Vodafone __________
O __________
Meteor __________
3 Mobile __________
Tesco __________
7. Would you consider changing to E-Mobile?
Yes
No
8. Why?
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___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
9. Seeing that Eircom owns E-mobile, would your perceptions of Eircom play a part
when thinking about E-mobile?
Yes
___________________________________________________________________________
No
___________________________________________________________________________
10.What are your general perceptions of E-mobile?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
ii) Mobile Comparisons
E-mobile:6
Pre-pay options:
Weekly
7 day plan 7/10 all the calls and text to all networks for 10 euros per week
7/15 all the calls and texts to all networks and 250 mb of data for 15 per week
Monthly
30 day plan - Free texts to any network for 20 per month
Free e-mobile talk and texts for 20 per month
Standard - Irish landlines and networks for 25c per minute
Texts to Irish networks 13c per text
Voicemail 15c per minute
Bill Pay: 6 plans from 14 to 94, Sim only or monthly contract, all including free minute calls and text
to any network, 3 plans offer free data allowance up to 5 GB and Eircom customer discount
(landline)
6 Intouch eMobiles free quarterly magazine Autumn Issue 2010
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Add-ons: Data, International Minutes and any network texts.
Broad Band: Bill pay, monthly at 19.99, 12 month contract, 10 GB
Pre-pay, daily at 2.99 (500mb), monthly at 19.99 (7.5 GB), no contract
Roaming: Call 47c, receiving a call 18c, text 13c,
Customers for less than 2 months - 60 to setup and enable roaming.
3:7
Pre-pay options:
30 day plan - 10 top up, 35c all services to all networks
20 top up
Unlimited free calls, all weekend, any network
Unlimited free texts anytime and network
Unlimited facebook, google and twitter and more (500mb per month)
5 extra credit every month.
Best of Both: Mixing Bill with pre-pay, 3 plans 15, 25 or 45 Euros (Bill), 15, 20, 40 Euros (Top-up)
Pay bill monthly, with the option of topping up like a prepay mobile if you want more.
Unlimited texts to all networks and unlimited 3 to 3 calls.
Bill Pay: 4 plans on a 12 month contract from 25 to 75, 4 plans (smartphone) on an 18 month
contract from 40 to 95 all include 2 GB data, flexi units (call [1min] text [2texts] or surf
[500kb)
Add-ons: 1free, 8 offered in all,
Unlimited landline calls
Downtime calls (evening and weekend calls)
Call N.America
Call down under
Call Europe
Text all
Internet mini
Internet Max
Broad Band: Broadband
Bill pay, 3 plans, monthly 9.99[1GB] 19.99[15GB] to 26.24[30GB],
Pre-pay, daily at 5 (500mb), weekly 10 (2GB) monthly at 15[1GB] 25[7.5GB] to
35[20GB]
7 Discover 3- October 2010
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0:8
Pre-pay options:
Monthly
30 day plan - Free texts to any network for 20 per month
Free 0 talk and texts for 20 per month
Standard - Irish landlines and networks for 30/35c per minute
Texts to Irish networks 13c per text
Bill Pay: 4 plans from 15 to 80, Sim only or 12/18 month contract, all including free minute calls
and text to any network,
3 plans from 20 to 80, Sim only or 18 month contract, O talk and text, O calls and
landline, O talk and text and landline.
Add-ons: Texts, MMS, Broadband, Data, Mobile Internet.
Broad Band: Bill pay, 18/12/6 contract monthly at 19.99, 15 GB, free stick
Pre-pay, daily at 3.97 (500mb), monthly at 19.90 (5 GB), no contract stick 19.99
Roaming: Call 47c, receiving a call 18c, text 13c,
Customers for less than 2 months - 60 to setup and enable roaming.
Vodafone:9
Pre-Pay Options:
Monthly
30 day plan - Free texts to any network for 20 per month
Free Vodafone talk and texts for 20 per month
Free mobile internet and Vodafone texts for 20 per month
30 top-up, free mobile service with either of first 2 plans.
Standard - Irish landlines and networks for 29c per minute
Texts to Irish networks 13c per text
Voicemail 15c per minute
Bill Pay: 3 choices:
8 Connect Your O Magazine October 2010
9 Your Vodafone Guide
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Perfect Choice [5 plans from 19 to 89], 12 monthly contract, all including free calls and
text to Vodafone and set amount of minutes and text to other networks.
Perfect Choice Access Plus (Smartphones) [5 plans from 35 to 100] 18 month contract, all
including free calls and text to Vodafone and set amount of minutes and text to other
networks, data package.
Simply: 30 day contracts [3 plans from 20 to 60] all including free calls and text to
Vodafone and set amount of minutes and text to other networks.
Add-ons: Texts, Minutes, Data, Insurance, International minutes
Broad Band: Bill pay, monthly at 19.99, 12 month contract, 10 GB free modem [new customers]
Bill pay, monthly at 9.99, 12 month contract, 1 GB; Modem 29.99 [existing customers]
Pre-pay, daily at 3 (500mb), weekly at 10 (2 GB) monthly at 20 (7.5 GB), no contract,
modem for all three plans is 49.99
Roaming: Call 79c first charge than normal rate per minute, receiving a call 79c any length, text 13c,
Customers for less than 2 months - 60 to setup and enable roaming.
Meteor:10
Pre-pay options:
Monthly
30 day plan - Free texts to any network for 20 per month
Free e-mobile talk and texts for 20 per month
Free mobile internet and Meteor texts for 20 per month/
Standard - Irish landlines and networks for 29 per minute
Texts to Irish networks 12c per text
Voicemail Free
Bill Pay: 3 smart plans from 30 to 85, Sim only or monthly contract, all including free minute calls
and text to Meteor, Free data allowance up to 5 GB. Other network calls at 25c and texts at
10c
3 bill pay plans from 10 to 85, 30 day/12 or 18 month contract, various offers for talk or
text.
Add-ons: Mobile Internet, International Calls, Text
Broad Band: Bill pay, monthly from 16.99, 12 month contract, 5 GB and 29 for stick
Pre-pay, daily at 2.99 (500mb), monthly at 19.99 (7.5 GB), no contract, 49 for stick
Roaming: Call 52c, receiving a call 23c, text 13c,
10 Get on to Meteor
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Tesco Mobile:11
Pre-pay options:
Monthly
30 day plan - Anyone Anytime plane for 10 Euro,
Anyone Anytime Plan for 20 Euro, Free Tesco-mobile talk and texts
Anyone Anytime Plan for 30 Euro, Free Tesco-mobile talk and texts
All plans have Bonus double value credit.
Irish landlines and networks for 20c per minute
Texts to Irish networks 9c per text
Standard - Irish landlines and networks for 20c per minute
Texts to Irish networks 9c per text
Voicemail 20c per minute
Roaming: Call 47c to 2.29, receiving a call 18c to 2.19, text 13c to 39c.
iii) Focus Group Transcript
Focus Group One
Location: The Boole Library, UCC.
Date: Wednesday 1st December 2010
Time: 17:30 18:30
Speaker: Philippe Vancell
Participants: 6 college students
Speaker:
Hello Everyone,
Ok first of all I would like to thank you all for coming, we really appreciate it. My name is Philippe Vancell and
I am going to be directing the questions during the focus group, these are my other colleagues; David and
Mark who are going to observe the group.
We are doing a research on e-mobile and we would like get your opinions and impressions of the brand. We
will be focusing on e-mobiles adverts. We will show you the adverts they have used since their launch and
we will discuss them.
Share your ideas and your perception upon seeing these advertisements. We would really appreciate it if you
could answer them as honestly as possible in a group environment.
(Before starting this focus group we asked how many knew that e-mobile was owned by Eircom and all
participants knew that it was owned by Eircom)
11http://www.tesco.com/mobilenetwork/
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1stAdvert: Meet the Team
Speaker: What are your views after seeing this advert?
Participant 1: To be honest I think they are trying to make the e-mobile brand look simplistic, with the
headings they are giving in the advert.
Participant 2: Yeah I think it has a forward thinking appeal
Participant 3: I agree with that it gives the impression that they are trying to portray a forward thinking appeal.
However I dont think so this would attract me, I mean the younger generation just want the cool stuff when it
comes to mobile services. Definitely they are not really directing it to the younger generation.
Participant 2: It also gives a friendly appeal to the whole organization. It gives me ease to know there are
forward thinking people working for you.
Participant 4: I also think they are trying to give a simplistic outlook in general. I feel customers in general will
be at ease when they see this ad. Its simplistic and not complicated, like they are saying in the advert.
Participant 5: I think they are definitely targeting middle aged business people with their advert; definitely as
student it would not really attract me.
Participant 1: Yes I definitely agree.
Participant 6: I think the advert in general is quite friendly and personal. It does attract me.
Speaker: That is a very good analysis of this advert, actually this was one of the first adverts they used when
they launched e-mobile.
Well now move onto the second advert, and see if you perceptions about e-mobile start changing.
2
nd
Advert: Seven/10
Participant 1: Whats the use of having all free, what am I going to use at the end of the day. I would be
putting 10 euros every week in my mobile and just piling up credit.
Participant 3: Well at on point during the advert theres the small print, so you have to take that into
consideration.
Participant 2: I did not see that can you show us the video again.
Video is replayed another time
Participant 2: Oh now that makes sense, it is a bit too expensive, especially for a college student
Participant 5: My perception definitely did not change, 10 euros a week that is too expensive. Now Im more
sure they are targeting middle aged business people.
Speaker: Thanks for your contribution, so now lets pass onto the third advert. This ad is quite recent; you
might have seen this on your TV lately, as it is specifically for the Christmas period.
3rd Advert: Making Christmas Easier
Participant 1: Definitely its not making Christmas easier for me. Not when you have to top up 10 euros every
week. Im not buying that.
Participant 6: I am very impressed about the way they are really stressing the friendly personal side of e-
mobile. In the adverts we have seen so far they are trying to generate a friendly environment so you canrelate more to the brand.
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Participant 3: For me it definitely seems it is for older people
Participant 4: I just think the ads are really nice to watch; they are very innovative and are giving a new
dimension to the mobile sector. But thats all I barely understand their meaning.
Participant 5: I think they might be targeting older people. After all the mother company is Eircom and has
been offering landline forever.
Participant 6: Well Eircom honestly is quite useless and expensive, they do not want to expand, and they
provide very poor customer service. So I am not interested in their mobile brand.
Speaker: Now were going to show you a small documentary about the work behind e-mobiles launch.
E-mobile Launch Documentary
Participant 1: This clearly shows they are not just simply about phones, but they have a range of services
and they want to promote their network.
Participant 4: It also shows the progression of Eircom from landline, to mobile, to the future of technology.
Participant 2: I think they are investing a lot in resources; there are a lot of people in customer service.
Participant 6: I liked the fact that they did not utilize anyone popular to endorse the e-mobile brand, they at
least show the faces of the people that make e-mobile, making it more credible.
Participant 3: I think it was just boring and long. They should compare with other companies not just showing
what they offer.
Participant 5: it would have been better to use people from their company for their ads.
Speaker: Can I ask what networks you are all on?
Participant 1: Im on the Meteor network
Participant 2:O2, I get great deals there
Participant 3: Meteor
Participant 4: All my mates are on meteor so it just makes sense to be with that network.
Participant 5: O2
Participant 6: My girlfriend bought me the Iphone4 for my birthday and its on the O2 network, I was meteor
before though.
Speaker:Would you be interested in switching to e-mobile after you saw their advert messages?
Participant 5: Id have to see if my friends would move too because its cheaper texting them when we are all
on the same network. If its cheaper then I might but it again depends who moves over to the network
Participant 1: Eh, I probably wouldnt, meteor gives me free texts and calls like so I dont see the point in
switching over to a network Ive no idea about.
Participant 3: A Simple no. Ive no interest in switching networks because I get a great deal with meteor.
Participant 4: As I said there, all my friends are with meteor so changing over just wouldnt make much
sense. You can buy nice phones in meteor and even though Ive never been in the E-mobile shop Id say my
phone is still the best out there.
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Participant 6: Well Ive just had to move networks recently because I got the IPhone but normally I wouldnt
move or even consider it unless someone offered me cheaper calls and texts like and even if I did get that
offer, the hassle of changing over is stressful!
Participant 2: As I said Im happy with the offers O2 give me.
Speaker: Well that concludes our focus group, thank you to everybody for coming; we really appreciate yourhelp. Thanks again.