1 Introduction

Managing the name of the brand in order to increase the market for the company is one of the key roles in the management phase of the brand. Analyzing the market situation and developing sound strategies in order to promote the brand successfully in the market is what brand management is all about. The development of an effective relationship with the customers will increase the value of the brand. The customers in return can recommend the brand to other customers, which can automatically promote the brand. In addition, the management of the brand considers numerous factors that are required to be evaluated in order to increase the promotional branding opportunity for the company. The elements under focus require adequate strategizing, which can help the company to increase the market competency for their brand (omantel.om, 2018)

 

1.1 Organizational Background

With the advancement in technology, the communication gap has decreased extensively. The developing countries in terms of technology have improved their research criteria to increase their proficiency in the technological race.

Omantel is the first telecommunication and network service providing company in Oman. The company acquired 65% shares of the network service provider WorldCall which was operating in Pakistan. In addition, the government of Oman now owns 51% of the shares in the assets of Omantel.

Even though the company was founded in 1996, it could not flourish much in the business as compared to other telecommunication providers such as Telstra, Vodafone, etc. Still, the organization has changed its perspective and innovated its strategies to improve the progress of the business. It has 10 submarine cables landing in Oman, allowing the company to provide high-speed network coverage to its users. Moreover, the company is now using high-speed optic fiber connections to increase its proficiency in data transmission (omantel.om, 2018).

2 Brand Extensions used by Omantel

As explained earlier, the company is a growing service provider in the country of Oman. The organization has no severe competition and needs not to strategize extensively to gain a competitive edge over the other marketers. However, the organization is required to make extensive planning in order to promote the brand domestically in order to make it successful.

2.1 Hayyak:

The company offers mobile telecommunication services as well as network and broadband services too. Hayyak is the prepaid mobile service plan by the company. The term prepaid means that the customer or the client will have to pay for the services before the use of the service. The extension of the company offers great deals over pay-as-you-go policies, which allow the users to consume the data bundles according to their desires. In addition, the brand also offers voice bundles, which can be subscribed to according to the users (omantel.om, 2018).

2.2 Baqati:

In addition to the prepaid services, Omantel also offers postpaid services to its customers. The brand extension is named Baqati which offers postpaid services of the data and voice bundle subscription to the users. The postpaid services allow the users to consume the bundles of their choice, without worrying to pay the charges at the respective subscription. The billing is made at the end of the month, giving the users an ease of freedom (omantel.om, 2018).

2.3 Implications of identified brand extension

The development of the extension helps the company to increase the market value of its brand. The creation of the market value will help increase the demand for the brand’s products and services. The increase in the demand for the products will also increase the potential for the growth of the company with the generation of profits.

The plausible usage of the two brand extensions, Hayyak and Baqati, can help the company to increase market proficiency by providing the customers with diversified services. The current demographics that the organization tends to target include all ages, cities, and businesses that require the services of telecommunication to support their progress.

Taking advantage of the situation, Omantel can use its resources to increase the market competitiveness for its brand extensions. In order to do so, the company administration can:

2.3.1 Innovation the packages offered

One of the major influencing factors that can drive an increase in the market for the brand is the diversification in the services offered by the company (Hoonsopon & Ruenrom, 2012). In the current scenario, the company can tend to increase and diversify the packages of the services offered by Hayyak. At the present, the brand is offering numerous bundle services with a different range of data offered at various prices. The Hayyak per minute plan consumes the credit in exchange for providing a voice call facility of 55 Bz per minute.

In addition, the service continues as long as the consumer is using the facility. That is why it has been termed a pay-as-you-go service. In addition, the Hayyak liberty package offers is a diversified form of the per-minute call offer. The liberty offer allows the customer to be charged with respect to the number of calls made, with a reduced amount of minutes. The brand also offers exclusive services for disabled personalities. The promotion of equal rights and the care of the brand for the customers is elevated from such actions. The plan offers great deals for disabled personalities, which can be availed if the person registers himself as disabled (omantel.om, 2018).

For diversifying Baqati, the company can tend to increase the consumption plans for the service. It can also use to increase or decrease the duration period of the service, which can help the customers to choose between various packages according to their needs (omantel.om, 2018)

Furthermore, the company also offers recharge vouchers and offers with the Hayyak. The Marhaba recharge voucher for Hayyak subscribers allows the user to use additional minutes that are provided free to the customers. In addition, the company also offers exclusive packages combined in one single package known as the Ozone. The strategy of the company is to target the consumption increase in the young generation with the increase in the usage of mobile and technology. The company can use this opportunity to diversify the packages that can attract a fair amount of customers, most importantly the younger generation

2.3.2 Introducing New Services

In order to keep the customers entertained, the company needs to maintain the quality of the service that it is providing. Being a telecommunication and network service provider, Omantel needs to provide efficient services of speed and communication to its consumers. In addition to providing the services, it should monitor the response of the customers regarding the services. The customer response can help the company to evaluate various customer-oriented problems that can help increase the effectiveness of the services (Junarsin, 2010).

Furthermore, the company can choose whether to promote the same service or to introduce a new product in the market. The introduction of the newer product will not only attract the customers but if proven successful can help the company to generate greater returns than the previous products (Basu, 2014).

2.3.3 Integration of Services

In addition to providing newer services, the company can focus on creating products with the integration of the existing services. This can be done by combining different bundles of Hayaak or integrating bundles of Baqati. Furthermore, the company can also choose to integrate the services of Hayyak with that of Baqati; it can choose to introduce the packages offered by Hayyak in context with the policies of Baqati. The element of risk exists in introducing a newer product, yet the success of the products can increase the revenue generation for the company on a large scale (Un, et al., 2010).

 

3 Brand Management Practice

As explained earlier that the management of the brand will not only help the company to increase the market value of the brand but also help in increasing the progressive opportunities for growth in the business. Omantel has employed various branding techniques that have helped the company to increase the market value of its services as well as promote the brand domestically and internationally (Keller, et al., 2011).

3.1 Target Market Research:

One of the important factors that contribute to the increase in the efficiency of the branding for the company is the research of the targeted clients, customers, and markets. The demographics to be targeted are important as it allows the company to evaluate the feasibility of the services that it is going to introduce in the market. In addition, the research about the target market helps the company to gather information regarding the market feasibility of the company’s business and the market to be established. The research also gives an insight into the business that the company is about to invest in. the insight allows evaluation of the effectiveness of the investment and the probability of success in the future. In addition, the research indicates growth factors that the organization can use to increase the market proficiency for its services (Rosenbaum-Elliott, et al., 2015).

3.2 Market Positioning:

One of the key factors that contribute to the effectiveness of the brand is the market positioning applied by the company. The company can achieve an effective market positioning when it can strategize using the information that has been gathered through an extensive market approach. The company can use market researchers to increase the feasibility and the strategies that are to be formed for the company to progress. Omantel has used the aforementioned strategies along with several other strategies to increase its business proficiency. The market research and market positioning can help the company to develop effective strategic plans to approach the market, introduce diversification in the products offered, innovate the methods of production and the services, and increase the market potential for the brand using effective marketing techniques and development of resourceful plans that can help tackle adverse situations (Slack, 2015).

3.3 Effectiveness:

The process of branding helps the organization develop a sound strategy for increasing the market feasibility of the services offered by the company.

3.3.1 Development of goals:

One of the major advantages of researching is the development of measurable and feasible goals for the company. Deciding to approach the target market without planning to access the market will leave the company in drastic circumstances. In addition, the administration is required to create effective and measurable goals that can be achieved actually practically. If the goals are irrelevant or metaphorically ignorant of the circumstances that the organization can actually face in the market, will result in failure. The failure to the achievement of the goals will result in a waste of the investment and the resources as well. The evaluation and research of the market will allow the organization to assess the market and form effective goals that can be achieved by the company (Blankson, et al., 2013).

3.3.2 Refined demands of Customers:

Researching will not only allow the organization to gather details about the market that it is going to approach but will also allow the company to gather information regarding the demands and trends of the market. Assessment will result in an evaluation of the market rivals, resources, suppliers, customers, and current market trends that can help the company to strategize according to the demands. In addition, the evaluation will also allow the organization to focus on the key resource and manage the important factors into consideration. A list of prioritized factors can be generated, which will allow the company to focus its resources on the most useful and important factors firsthand.

3.3.3 Better Awareness:

Approaching any new market while having little or no information about the market can lead the organization into adverse cases such as strategizing the policies ineffectively, using the resources over minimum prioritized services, etc. In addition, the company can fall prey to the rivals present in the market and lead to unsuccessful ventures. To avoid such circumstances, the company needs to perform in-depth research regarding the market and all the factors associated with the market. The assessment will provide a clear and distinctive picture of the prevailing brands in the market, the suppliers, resources to be considered, and other factors that contribute to the growth of the business (Mullins, et al., 2010).

3.3.4 Better Positioning:

The research related to the market factors will help the company to organize in an effective manner. The company can evaluate the factors and create efficient market strategies to address the target market. In addition, it can use various performance management tools to assess the feasibility of the strategies formed. Moreover, the company can also assess the feasibility of its operations, which can help the company to overcome the weak areas within the operating sectors of the company.

3.3.5 Increased communication:

The approach to the market to gather information will result in increased communication opportunities for the company. The administration can gain insight into the trends in the market, make contacts with various suppliers and create a relationship with potential buyers as well. The increased contact with the suppliers will help the company to secure the resources as well as gain proper access to supplies. In addition, the company can gain insight into the available threats in the market, which can help the company to avoid such threats. Furthermore, the evaluation of the market will help the company to strategize in its investment, whether to invest more in the business or to focus on potential expansion in newer markets (Kwak & Kim, 2013).

 

4 Conclusion

Omantel is a growing telecommunication service provider in the country of Oman. The company is fortifying its footings in the domestic market. To increase business proficiency, the company is using numerous branding techniques to create market influence for itself. It has created several brand extensions including Hayyak and Baqati, which has helped the organization to create market strength for itself. In addition to the development of brand extensions, the company has used various branding techniques such as market research and positioning, which has helped the organization manage the resources available to the company and forming of effective policies based on the information gathered by the research. It has created market-penetrating strategies that can help the company to fortify its position and allow the company to expand its business globally.

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