Telecom Operators & Promotions

Telecommunication promotions across networks have no doubt have made some subscribers millionaires overnight beyond their widest dreams.

Vodafone Ghana has launched the biggest promotion ever in the history of Ghana�s telecommunication industry recently.

Amone Gbedemah, the marketing manager of the company, told this paper that Vodafone aimed at rewarding prepaid mobile and fixed line voice customers across the country for the overwhelming patronage it has enjoyed since its launch in Ghana. She added that retailers were not left out in the promotions, adding that, �there is one ongoing promotion which is called �Stock and Win.�

The promotion started on July 20 this year and is due to end October 31. The promotion, she added, entails a furnished Trasacco Valley home with a 4x4 and a personal driver and other exciting prizes to be won including 3 Pajero 4x4 vehicles, 15 Yamaha motorcycles, 60 two year scholarships, 30 Dell Laptops, 300 iPod shuffles, 1,500 mobile phones and loads of bonus talk time.

To ensure that the fairness and integrity of the promotion is not compromised, Ms Gbedemah said Vodafone has contracted PriceWaterhouseCoopers as the sole auditing company to authenticate all entries and the selection of winners. Vodafone customers just need to call 111 to register for the promotion.

Another network Zain Ghana, has also launched �Live Your Dream� promotion recently in Accra.

The promotion offers opportunity for every Zain customer in Ghana to win GH�75, 000 to actualise their dreams. Ransford Nyarko, Marketing Director of Zain Ghana, said the programme was an appreciation of Zain to its customers.

Zain Ghana, has been presenting cheques to the winners of the weekly draw of their �live your dreams� promotion which is still on going.

Other players in the telecom industry such as MTN, Tigo, Kasapa have also launched various promotions on one way or the other with the ultimate objectives of rewarding customers, boosting sales revenue and increasing their subscriber base.

But the majority of subscribers, who have described the promos as �game of luck,� want telecom operators in Ghana to look further and come up with strategies that could affect the lives of every subscriber on their networks, instead of a selected few that have been favoured by the �game of luck.�

A public opinion poll conducted by BUSINESS GUIDE revealed that subscribers prefer a situation where telecom operating companies will affect the generality of their subscribers through general price slash in tariff or through a monthly bonus airtime.

Some say it does not bother them if operators refuse to further slash cost of services, provided they guarantee quality of service 24/7.

David Nyunke, a subscriber to MTN said: �I am not against any telecom promo, because I believe the operators are using promotions to grow their subscriber base and to also raise the financial status of some subscribers, but the truth is that everybody cannot be winner.

But if operators decide to further cut tariff by 50 per cent, then every subscriber will benefit from such cut.�

Matthew Asante who claimed to be a subscriber to both Vodafone and MTN, asked of what benefit would it be to the majority of subscribers if only few would be declared winners.

According to him, �it is sad to hear or even watch people on television receiving cheques worth millions of cedis with lots of consolation prizes won from telecoms promo, while we clap for them as they take their millions to better their lives.�

The monies, he said would enter into the hands of few subscribers, while the majority of subscribers would be left aside.

�If half of these monies were shared to subscribers, everybody will be happy, instead of a few that will be determined by the magic force in telecom promotions,� Mr Asante said.

Mrs Esther Donzooya, Vodafone and Tigo subscriber thinks telecommunication promos are not necessary at a time when subscribers are still faced with poor quality of service.

�It is pretty difficult to make smooth calls without several drop calls and subscribers are billed for such calls,� he said.

Instead of embarking on promotions, operators should use the money meant for promotions to roll out more base stations and improve quality of service, she added.

Three other Zain subscribers who pleaded anonymity described Vodafone�s promo as the biggest promotion they have ever heard in Ghana.

While acknowledging that the promotion will attract more customers towards the company, they also think it will not drift them from their network (Zain) since Zain gives them back the total amount of credits they buy at the end of every month.

Such is the story of telecom promo and the expectations of telecom subscribers across networks.

Source: Daily Guide