Caller Ring Back Tunes are the tunes you hear on the phone when waiting for a person to answer your call. In India, CRBT is popular, as it provides a significant revenue source with high monthly downloads.
Vodafone has a large music library of 175,000 songs for users to download as their CRBT. However, despite multiple platforms including the internet and SMS, downloads were stagnant. In general, downloading a caller tune was perceived as time-consuming and complicated. Furthermore, people were worried about whether Vodafone had the particular song they were looking for and what the short code for that song would be. Even if the consumer wanted to download a caller tune, the process was so complex that they dropped out midway.
Vodafone needed to overcome this hurdle by communicating the simplicity that the brand offered. Moreover, the brand not only wanted to increase its revenue, but also produce a new sustainable format.
In addition to consumers wanting a simpler download process, consumer insight revealed that intent to download a particular song as CRBT was highest while listening to the song. Vodafone's task was to simplify the process, display the vast library, and enable download as the song played.
All possible options for the downloading process, internet, IVR (Interactive Voice Response), and SMS were deemed unreliable. Internet in India has less than 4% reach, IVR was considered to be time consuming, while SMS only lasted until deleted.
For these reasons, instead of using a medium to advertise the Vodafone music library, the brand chose to convert the medium itself into a library.
Vodafone teamed up with Radio Mirchi (India's largest FM radio network) to create a new media format using new technology which synced the music library and the radio's playlist. This in turn allowed subscribers to download any song heard on the radio by dialling just one number. Radio Mirchi now acted as a virtual music catalogue for Vodafone.
Dubbed the Power of One, listeners dialled a single number to download any song as soon as it was broadcast.
Vodafone Caller Tunes was heavily promoted by the DJs. Each song started and ended with a download announcement. This message was played 72,000 times over the course of six months in each market. Jingles prompted the simplicity of the download process.
Results
This initiative opened up a new revenue stream for Vodafone.
Conversion rates were over 17% which is about 800-900% higher than any other comparable voice portals. (Source: Vodafone)
For a traditionally stagnant market, it provided great results for the Delhi circle delivering over 50% higher than the national average. (Source: Vodafone)
Bronze Award at Emvies 2010 (Radio Innovation)
Nominated for WPPed Cream Awards 2010
Bronze Award at Emvies 2010 (Radio strategy)
Shortlisted for Best Use of Technology, FMA2011