Advertising Strategies of Multinationals in Bangladesh - Research Proposal Example

Research Proposal Template of Research: How does Vodafone adopt advertising strategies in Bangladesh? Introduction Vodafone is a multi-national telecommunications service provider and is the second largest mobile company in the globe. The company was formed in 1984 as the Racal Telecom Limited. Through strategic acquisition and subsequent integration of the acquired units, the company has grown enormously over a short time. The company encountered setbacks between 1991 and 2001 but still remains to be the second largest mobile phone provider. In 2006, the company had spanned to a total of 26 countries and controlled cell phone operations in over 16 countries while holding a minority stake in the 10 other countries (Perry, 2013). The growing success of the company has seen it expand in all continents. The company’s expansion to Bangladesh is a strategic move as the Asian country provides an array of opportunities for mobile companies. The country had a customer base of 34.37 million subscribers at the end of 2007 with opportunities for rapid growth of the sector in the future (Bagazonzya, 2010). The prospect lies in the vast percentage of opportunity for cellular penetration with the country recording only 21 percent of cellular penetration which includes land phones (BTRC, 2014). The company’s strategy to move into Bangladesh may be the correct decision as the stakes seem to be high in the future. In this study, the researcher will consider the adoption of advertising strategies of multi-nationals in Bangladesh particularly focusing on Vodafone. The researcher will also consider a secondary research by comparing the company’s advertising strategies in the UK and in Bangladesh. Literature review Introduction A comparison of the marketing strategies of Vodafone in the UK and Bangladesh is considered in this section. The marketing and advertisement strategies used by the company differ greatly in the two countries. The UK is the parent country of the company while Bangladesh is a country that the multi-national has new ventures. In the UK, Vodafone has advertised its brand through the sponsorship of football clubs and motor racing teams. These sports are considered as hot spots of advertisement as the locals form a great fan base (Business Case Study, 2014). Vodafone was a long time sponsor of Manchester United in the country. Vodafone, a winner in its business line, boasts in associating itself with winning football team; Manchester United (Roy & Kumar, 2012). The strategy is thus to engage in public activities which excite the local in the UK. In Bangladesh, the company plans to use a different approach to the advertisement of its brand in the Asian country. The successful campaign of the company in the UK through the sponsoring of football club and motor racing teams such as the Mercedes McLaren and Ferrari may not work in Bangladesh as these sporting activities are not embraced by the locals (Ruiz, 2009). The company thus settled for social media-driven event approach to boost its brand in the country. The traditional badging sponsorship of the company is replaced with this new approach in Bangladesh and the success of this marketing approach in the country has led to the adoption of the strategy in other parts of the globe (Barnes, 2014). The company will also employ a product led and customer focused marketing strategy in Bangladesh (Curwen & Whalley, 2008). The company continually develops new products and services which always utilize the latest advancement in technology. However, consumers in the country are increasingly becoming sophisticated users of the modern mobile technology being offered by the company making new demands and seeking value through product improvements. The country already has six other mobile phone operators and thus Vodafone’s strategy is precisely aligned to ensure full consumer satisfaction. The company will thus advertise product highlighting unique features with the aim of enticing individuals to subscribe to the network. In the UK, the mobile phone market is approaching maturity in a very short space of time particularly among the young people. There are a few new customers in the country as a result of the age and mature state of the company in the country (Curwen & Whalley, 2008). The advertisement strategy used in the UK is the reassurance of the existing customers of the brand properties. The company’s strategy in the country is thus retaining the existing customers in the country (a focus on customer loyalty) as opposed to the company’s aim of gaining new customers in the Bangladesh market segment by competitive means (Curwen & Whalley, 2008). Summary Vodafone, a multi-national service provider has enjoyed continued global leadership in telephony. The company’s venture into Bangladesh is sparked by the untapped niche and potential for growth of the mobile sector in the Asian country. The company, thus, focuses on penetrating the market by using advertisement strategies that will lead to the new customer subscriptions in the country. In the UK, the company is the second largest mobile operator and faces the challenge of market maturity thus concentrates on retaining its existing customers as opposed to gaining new customers in the country. Research questions/Hypotheses and/or Research objectives The main objective of the study is to find out the advertising strategies of multi-nationals in Bangladesh with particular focus on the adoption of advertising strategies of Vodafone in Bangladesh. The other objectives of the study are listed below a) To investigate how the economic atmosphere of Bangladesh affects the advertising strategies used by Vodafone. b) To find out the effects of geographical location within the country on the adoption of various advertising strategies. c) To establish the impact of various advertising strategies on Vodafone’s financial performance in Bangladesh. From the research objectives, the following research questions were formulated; a) How does the economic atmosphere of Bangladesh affect the advertising strategies used by Vodafone in the country? b) What are the effects of the geographical location within Bangladesh on the adoption of various advertising strategies? c) How do the various advertising strategies adopted by Vodafone impact the financial performance of the company in the country? Research Method The research will engage in an inductive study. In the research study, the researcher use qualitative methods of primary data collection. Therefore, the researcher will use interviews in the collection of primary data for the study. Employees from Vodafone working in Bangladesh will be interviewed by the researcher to give first-hand information on the topic of study. The primary data will be presented in tables and charts where applicable and analysed by the researcher in the fourth chapter of the study (Hale, 2012). The researcher will collect secondary data for the study from existing literature such as books, journal articles and credible web sources. These secondary data will be presented in the literature review section of the study and will be used in the formation of theory and conceptualisation of ideas (Kothari, 2004). The secondary data will also be used to supplement the primary data for the study and be used to further validate the data collected during the primary research. The qualitative research design will be exploratory in nature (Babbie, 2001). With such an approach, the researcher will understand the opinion of the participants and underlying concepts of the research study (Bhattacharya, 2006). Moreover, the researcher settled for a qualitative research design as such an approach will enable develop deep insights of the study (Jackson, 2009). Table 1: Respondent Details Respondent Research Activity Additional Case Information General Manager Interview Process Information on general overview of the company Operations Manager Interview Process Collection of marketing and advertisement schedules Marketing Manager Interview Process Collection of advertisement cost estimates Brand Development Manager Interview Process Collection of information about the brand development process used in Bangladesh Public relations Manager Interview Process Description of customer relations with the company Source: Researcher The researcher will interview the respondents listed on table 1 above as these individuals are perceived to have knowledge on the topic of study. In addition, the researcher will collect additional case information from these participants. This information is not necessarily for use in the study but is intended to give the researcher an in-depth understanding of the company under research (Kurtz & Boone 2011). Table 2: Interpritivism Philosophy Interpritivism Approach The Study will be inductive-seeking the views of employees of Vodafone in Bangladesh who understand factors affecting the adoption of various advertisement strategies in the country by Vodafone. (The researcher is less concerned with the generalized view of the topic) Strategies Case study approach- Employees working at Vodafone in Bangladesh will be interviewed by the researcher to gain insights on the topic of study. the researcher will then compare the advertisement strategies used in Bangladesh with those in use in the UK before drawing conclusions. Choices Mono-method – Semi-structured interviews Time horizons Data collection and analysis will be carried out in a month. Techniques and procedures The data collection process will use the same question and methods (approaches). However, the researcher noted that there may be various limitations associated with such techniques as the participants interpret the questions in their own ways based on their own experience or understanding. adapted from Saunders et al (2007). Timetable Figure 3: Gantt Chart Activity May June July August Proposal Writing Preparation of Instruments Data Collection Data Analysis and Interpretation Report Writing Submission of Final Report Source: Researcher The first month of the study will be used by the researcher to write the proposal for the study. Amendments on the proposal will be made in this month after which the researcher will commence on the research study with approval from the supervisor. The researcher will assemble the necessary instruments of study in the second month. This time will also be used to contact the participants of the study in preparation of the actual study. The researcher will collect, analyse and interpret the collected data during the third month of the research study. Finally, the researcher will compile the final report of the study in the fourth month and submit is to the supervisor for assessment. Practical issues relating to the operationalization of the research programme In carrying out the research study, the researcher will collect primary data for analysis by conducting interview with Vodafone’s employees in Bangladesh. The qualitative nature of the research study prompts the use of a semi-structured interview which will be conducted using the same set of questions throughout. The researcher will carry out a pilot study with a small group of students. These individual will be taken through the interview process and sample data collected from the pilot study. The researcher will then revise the interview script accordingly for errors and polish up the entire interview script. This is an important step as it will enable the researcher project the actual expected response. In addition, the exercise will also build up the confidence of the researcher and give the researcher a real experience of how the actual interview process will be. Ethics of research will also be considered. The researcher will remain objective throughout the study. Furthermore, the identities of the respondents will remain confidential and no personal details will be recorded in the final report of the study. References Babbie, E. (2001). The Practice of Social Research: 9th Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Thomson. Barnes, J. (2014). Mobile News: Vodafone Reveals ‘First’ Global Marketing Strategy. Retrieved from: http://www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk/2013/12/09/vodafone-reveals-firsts-global-marketing-strategy/ Bagazonzya, H. K. (2010). Linking up and reaching out in Bangladesh: information and communications technology for microfinance. Washington, D.C., World Bank. Bhattacharya, D. K. (2006). Research methodology. New Delhi: Excel Books. BTRC. (2014). Mobile Subscribers. Retrieved from: http://www.btrc.gov.bd/telco/mobile Business Case Study. (2014). Superbrand sponsorship: A Vodafone case study. retrieved from: http://shop.businesscasestudies.co.uk/superbrand-sponsorship-pdf Curwen, P. J., & Whalley, J. (2008). The Internationalisation of Mobile Telecommunications strategic challenges in a global market. Cheltenham, Edward Elgar. Retrieved from: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&A N=248160. Fund, I. M. (2008). Bangladesh. Washington, International Monetary Fund. Retrieved from: http://public.eblib.com/EBLPublic/PublicView.do?ptiID=1608723. Hale, J. (2012). The 3 Basic Types of Descriptive Research Methods. Retrieved from: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/09/27/the-3-basic-types-of-descriptive research methods/ Jackson, S.L. (2009).  Research Methods and Statistics:  A Critical Thinking Approach 3rd edition.  Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Kothari, C. R. (2004). Research methodology: Methods and techniques. New Delhi: New Age International (P) Ltd. Kurtz, D. L., & Boone, L. E. (2011). Contemporary business. Hoboken, N.J., Wiley. Perry, L.D. (2013). Vodafone Case Study. Retrieved from: http://www.slideshare.net/LaurenDPerry/vodafone-case-study-16389459 Roy, A., & Kumar, S. D. (2012). Assessment of impact of advertising campaign of Vodafone on the viewers. Retrieved from: http://www.zenithresearch.org.in/images/stories/pdf/2012/Jan/ZIJBEMR/12_ZIB_VOL2_ISSUE_1.pdf Ruiz, J.V. (2009). Analysis of market Entry strategies of European Wireless Operators into Undeserved Markets. Retrieved from: http://www.vernimmen.net/ftp/Analysis_of_Market_Entry_Strategies_of_European_Wireless_Operator_Into_Underserved_Markets.pdf Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2009). Research methods for business students. 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