INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT TIRUCHIRAPALLI

POST GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

[2023-2025]

Individual Case Writeup Submission

CASE: “CREATIVE ADVERTISING: SUNDAY

COMMUNICATIONS LTD”

For
PRODUCT POLICY AND BRAND MANAGEMENT
Year 2023 – 2025

Prepared By
Jerin Joseph John - 2303015
Case Write Up Questions
1. Identify the sources of Sunday's brand equity and suggest how it can be leveraged long-term.

2. Assess the strength, Favourability and uniqueness of Sunday's brand associations relative to
competitors.

3. Identify the strategic intention of each Sunday campaign (i.e., brand awareness, highlighting
brand attributes, brand positioning, etc..)

Answers
1. Sunday’s Brand Equity was channelled by the below factors ;-

• Brand Positioning: Sunday positioned its services as a “Lifestyle” brand

• Target Market: Sunday’s target market was “people drawn to the creative and the new”,
the youth.
• Brand building: Sunday Focussed on brand building using the Differentiated marketing
through creative adds and “Wacky “strategy, these coupled with the Bundling strategy
made it the 2nd highest in ARPU.
• Sunday’s brand building initiative also involved alliance marketing and joint
promotions with companies lie Cirque du soleil reinforced the Sunday’s creative brand
image among the youth and target audience.
• Sunday’s collaboration with AD agency like BBDO’s ensured creative and original ads
which resonated well with the youth and target audience of Sunday.
• The key element to Sunday’s branding strategy was a firm grasp on the residents leisure
time of Hong Kong and their growing attachment to mobile phones. They tapped the
local trends in real estate, internet dating and dining habits to generate brand awareness.

2. Assessment of Sunday’s brand associations can be structured under the below headings

• Strength:
o Sunday’s brand association were in line to creative a strong brand awareness
and brand image using creative advertising and joint partnerships.
o Sunday’s associations resonated a strong brand recall with the youth with its
“wacky strategy” and Irreverent humor ads.
o However, the competitors sued traditional advertising which only to establish
them as “Low cost” leaders with high market share.

• Favourability
o Sunday’s was perceived as creative and new, which resonated with the youth
who were price sensitive, this were the Sunday’s differentiated marketing along
with its bundling strategy fuelled its ARPU to be the second highest in the
market.
 o Sunday’ positioned itself as a “Lifestyle brand “unlike its competitors like Brand
“orange who positioned itself to be “mature”. The position strategy of Sunday’s
was consistent with its target audience and its promotion strategies.
• Uniqueness
o Sunday’s had the unique advantage of a strong branding and promotional
strategy which included alliance marketing with creative advertisements filled
with humor and irreverent content, joint promotions with companies like Cirque
du soleil which helped them to have a strong grasp on Hong Kong residents
leisure time and growing attachment to mobile phones.
o The Bigger competition stayed their course of branding themselves a low cost
leaders with traditional promotional strategies.

3. Based on the campaign in Exhibit 3, the below pointers states the strategic intention behind
the campaigns,

o Strategic Intention: “TITS" Campaign

o Brand Awareness: The provocative acronym to capture attention and establish
Sunday as a brand that challenges norms and stands out in a crowded market.
o Brand Differentiation: Emphasized Sunday’s irreverent personality, targeting
younger audiences who appreciated humor and boldness.

o Strategic Intention: "FARTS" Campaign

o Brand Recall and Humor: This campaign was aimed at brand recall and humor
to make Sunday’s advertising more memorable.
o Brand Image: Sunday reinforced brand image as a youth-centric and rebellious
brand.

o Strategic Intention: “I Don’t Want to Grow Up" Campaign

o Brand Positioning: Positioned Sunday as a “Lifestyle Brand”
o Emotional Connection: target the emotion of being youth forever.

o Strategic Intention: "Kung Fu Baby" Campaign

o Brand Attributes: Used humor and creativity to connect and meet the needs of a
dynamic audience.
o Cultural Resonance: Leveraged the popularity of martial arts to connect with
local and regional culture

o Strategic Intention: "Sunday Surprise" Campaign

o Customer Engagement: delight customers with bundling benefits or offers,
reinforcing Sunday as a dynamic brand.
 o Build Loyalty: Encouraged customers to associate Sunday with positive
surprises and memorable experiences.

o Strategic Intention: "Bunny" Campaign

o Youthful Branding: Featured whimsical elements to appeal to younger
audiences.
o Visual Differentiation: Used the iconic bunny imagery to create a unique visual
identity that stood out in the cluttered telecom advertising space.

o Strategic Intention: "International Roaming" Campaign

o Highlight Functional Benefits: Positioned Sunday as a provider of convenient
and affordable international roaming services.
o Expand Target Market: Aimed at young professionals and frequent travelers,
moving slightly beyond Sunday’s core youth demographic.

o Strategic Intention: "MTR" Campaign

o Mass Reach: Targeted a broader audience through advertising placed in high-
traffic public transportation areas.
o Sustain Brand Awareness: Ensured Sunday remained visible to both existing
and potential customers during their daily commute.

o Strategic Intention: "Independence Day - Think Twice" Campaign

o Promote Thought Leadership: Encouraged critical thinking and reflection,
aligning the campaign with Sunday’s positioning as an intelligent and
unconventional brand.
o Differentiate Through Meaningful Messaging: Demonstrated Sunday’s ability
to use advertising to provoke thought, not just entertain.

o Strategic Intention: "Independence Day - Gandhi" Campaign

o Celebrate Iconic Figures: Associated the brand with influential figures to
convey values of freedom and individuality.
o Build Emotional Resonance: Used historical and cultural references to create
deeper connections with the audience.

o Strategic Intention: "Independence Day - John F. Kennedy" Campaign

o Inspire Audiences: Leveraged JFK’s legacy and famous speeches to position
Sunday as a brand that values innovation, vision, and change.
o Strengthen Brand Identity: Reinforced Sunday’s image as a forward-thinking,
unconventional telecom provider.

o Strategic Intention: "Independence Day - Sun Yat Sen" Campaign

 o Cultural Relevance: Paid homage to a figure significant in Chinese history,
aligning the brand with themes of leadership and progress.
o Engage Local Audiences: Increased relatability by incorporating culturally
relevant messaging that resonated with Hong Kong’s population.

Case Summary:
Case Background and Overview

Sunday Communications Limited, a Hong Kong-based telecommunications company, entered

a competitive market with a unique strategy of positioning itself as a “lifestyle” brand. Unlike
competitors who emphasized low-cost services, Sunday targeted youth and creatively inclined
audiences through irreverent and wacky advertisements. Collaborations with agencies like
BBDO and partnerships with brands such as Cirque du Soleil reinforced Sunday’s creative and
youth-centric image. This approach, coupled with bundling strategies and trend-based
promotions, led to high ARPU (average revenue per user) and strong brand recall,
differentiating Sunday from traditional competitors.

Key Issues

Sustaining Brand Equity: While Sunday effectively built its brand around creativity and youth,
it faced challenges in maintaining its distinctiveness as competitors caught up.

Competitive Pressure: Larger players like SmarTone relied on cost leadership and network
reliability, positioning Sunday as a niche rather than a mass-market option.

Campaign Impact: Sunday’s bold, humor-driven advertising strategy risked alienating

conservative demographics, raising concerns about its broader market appeal.

Functionality vs. Creativity: Sunday needed to balance its creative branding with functional
advantages such as affordability and service quality to retain and grow its customer base.

Decision Points

How should Sunday maintain its creative edge while addressing functional benefits demanded
by price-sensitive consumers?

Should Sunday expand beyond its youth-centric branding to attract older, conservative
segments?

What strategies can sustain Sunday’s brand equity against competitors leveraging cost and
network advantages?

How can Sunday evaluate and adapt its campaigns to ensure long-term impact on customer
loyalty and acquisition?
Alternatives

Focus on Youth-Centric Branding: Continue targeting creative and youth audiences with
innovative campaigns while enhancing digital outreach.

Diversify Target Market: Develop campaigns that appeal to broader segments, emphasizing
functional benefits such as affordability and network coverage.

Enhance Tangible Offerings: Invest in service improvements (e.g., coverage, pricing plans) to
compete on both branding and functionality.

Hybrid Campaigns: Balance creative campaigns with promotions that clearly communicate
practical benefits, ensuring relevance to diverse demographics.

Recommendations

Refine Target Market Strategy: Retain the core focus on youth while introducing campaigns
tailored to professionals and older demographics, emphasizing Sunday’s functionality
alongside creativity.

Leverage Digital Platforms: Expand digital marketing efforts with interactive and gamified
campaigns to engage tech-savvy users and strengthen brand recall.

Promote Tangible Benefits: Highlight practical offerings such as competitive pricing,

international roaming, and service quality in future campaigns to attract value-conscious
consumers.
Sustain Cultural Resonance: Continue leveraging local and cultural themes (e.g., Independence
Day campaigns) to maintain emotional connections with the audience.
Evaluate Campaign ROI: Regularly measure the effectiveness of advertising initiatives in terms
of customer acquisition, retention, and ARPU growth to ensure resources are optimized.

By balancing creative excellence with functional value and broader appeal, Sunday can sustain
its competitive edge in a dynamic telecom market.