Global Marketing

Marketing is one of the strategies that many companies use to gain a competitive edge over their competitors. Organizations conducting domestic as well as international business must employ marketing as a tool to reach out to their customers to encourage them to buy their products. MTN Group is a global service company that operates across many countries in Africa and in the Middle East countries (MTN 2012, para. 1). The business head office is at South Africa and is headed by R.S Dabengwa. The company has established its branches in South Africa, Uganda, Sudan, Cyprus, Afghanistan, Swaziland, Montenegro and Nigeria among many other countries (MTN 2012, para. 1).

The company is one of the leading telecommunication companies in the region. It provides telephone voice services, data and other services relating to communication. In achieving its status, the company has used various marketing strategies to market its services and to create a package that has appealed to the target audience. The company’s marketing strategies over the years has incorporated the 4 p’s of marketing i.e. price, product, placement and promotion. The company has over the years used pricing to gain a competitive edge over its competitors and to gain more market. Price refers to the total cost that the client pays to access a given service (Bartels, 2001, p. 151). The company has been offering prices at discounts that have made many clients to be loyal and consider using its services. The company has time and again reduced its voice and SMS charges. The company has been giving its clients some discounts, which has enabled it gain high number of clients.

The company has various products that it provides to the market. The company has invested in innovations and this has enabled it to come up with new products that have made it remain competitive. The company provides better services, good customer care service, others services that are of interest to the customers such as providing music, movies, other funs and sharing of resources. The latest product that the company has adopted as one of its marketing strategy is the MTN zone dynamic price plan that gives customers a discount that goes up to 100% on calls and SMS services (MTN 2012, para. 4). This is achieved by optimizing network utilization, the zone pricing plan whereby various prices are adjusted in various markets to stimulate increased sale and gain a competitive edge.

Placement is yet another product mix and marketing strategy that the company has employed in selling its services. Placement refers to how the company packages its services before taking them to the customers (Bartels, 2001, p. 151). Services that are offered by the company in its subsidiaries are geared and aligned to the interest and the demands of the customers. Because the company operates in regions with different cultural backgrounds, the company tailors its services in consideration with the cultural beliefs. This has enabled the company to remain competitive in all its subsidiaries.

Promotion is another marketing strategy the company has invested in to ensure that it remains competitive over its rival companies. In promotion, it is imperative that decisions concerning the best promotion strategies are reached to ensure that the services are well known to the audiences (Peterson, 2007, p. 4). In promotion, the company employs various promotion strategies which includes, advertising, carrying out of campaigns, sales promotion, public relations activities among others. The company has used social corporate responsibilities in reaching out to many target audiences. For instance, the company has participated in various initiatives that are geared at improving the lives of the people by initiating various projects that are aimed at uplifting their lives and eradicating poverty. The company has been in the forefront in promoting its sales through offering discounts and other benefits that has enabled the company to remain competitive in the regions that it is established.

For any marketing venture or initiative to be successful, it is important for the market to have knowledge about the target audience. Having knowledge about the audience is important because it helps in the formulation of marketing ideas and strategies that are able to stimulate increased sale and expand the market of the services being offered. MTN Groups has been sensitive to the target audience. Before providing their services in a country, the company carries out research on the target audience. This research helps to identify the needs and the size of the market, and this helps to promote their services.

Competition is inherent in the regions that the company has rolled out its service. There are other service companies that are providing communication services. Therefore, marketing has been of great importance in helping the company emerge victor in the regions that it is established. Communication strategy is equally very important in ensuring that marketing is successful (Bartels, 2001, p. 151). In communication, messages are designed in a manner that helps stimulate increased use. The company has been successful in using best communication in the regions. Most of the people employed to manage communication are specialists and have experience. They further understand the cultural backgrounds of the countries, which has assisted to foster growth.

In its distribution strategy, the company has a team of specialists that make decisions on distribution. Various services are provided in the local countries. There are services that are provided at retailing and wholesale prices, depending on the nature of the customer.

There are some noticeable differences that are experienced in the implementation of these concepts. These differences vary because of the differences in cultural and needs of the target audience. For instance, in South Africa, most clients use voice services compared to Afghanistan which uses more data services. Therefore, these factors are considered in their marketing strategy. Another difference is in the pricing. Countries that have more customers are often provided with discounts compared to those with few customers to ensure that they remain loyal.

In conclusion, MTN has applied various marketing strategies that have enabled it to achieve better services. Therefore, it is imperative for business to employ better marketing strategies to remain competitive and have a competitive edge. In marketing, understanding of marketing principles is core to ensuring that success is achieved.

References

Bartels, R. (2001). Marketing principles, Journal of Marketing, 9 (2):151-157.

MTN. (2012). About Us. Retrieved from http://www.mtn.com/MTNGROUP/Pages/CompanyProfile.aspx

Peterson, R. (2007). Principles of Marketing, Global Media. eBook. 304p.