Celtel Subscribers demand for an improved Service

Celtel subscribers would like to see the Mobile Service Provider improve its services especially in the rural areas and also support local artists who are not established become known as they launch a new advertising campaign.

Celtel consumers made a comment to the Celtel advertisement of the campaign in which Celtel international announced a simultaneous launch of its new advertising campaign in 14 countries of operation. The campaign aims at bringing the values and beliefs of Africa closer through one common thread: Music.

A Celtel subscriber based in Mongu acknowledged their presence in the 72 districts adding that as Zambia is part of the information society it was also a human right for the people of Zambia to communicate.
Mukela Liwena said Celtel needs to empower local musician based in the rural districts since noticing that they have only sponsored already known musicians.

“There is so much talent in the rural areas and Celtel should localize the Celtel messages in Zambia’s local language using their own traditional instruments. There is the Chikuni Musical Festival which is the coming together of musicians based in the Southern Province through their songs and he called on Celtel to take advantage of the festival,” said Liwena.

In terms of posters, Liwena asked Celtel to use the faces that are known to Zambia. The new campaign dubbed “Rock Your World” gives a fresh and interactive feels to the Celtel brand; while preserving the company’s devotion to Africa by highlighting the richness, diversity and warmth of the continent and it’s people. Through this campaign Celtel will locally, regionally and internationally set out to find and promote the best musical talent that exists in Africa.

Meanwhile, some Celtel consumers are wondering why Celtel is particular about service branding and not service provision. The new campaign should be synonymous with the service. What is good is a Mobile Service glamorous outlook if there is no better service? asked Reginald Ntomba.

Rose Kalwani sees the campaign as an opportunity for Celtel to improve the service observing that many times when am with my mother in the same room and I try to call her I will be told that am out of coverage area which is not true. She pointed out that these were issues which Celtel should try and correct as soon as possible.

Gershom Musonda complained of the mobile top up s facility which he said was most of the time its off. Musonda observed that Celtel was also offloading cheap phones.

“Imagine a handset fully connected at 100pin only. They also used to charge us for checking the balance until they were challenged by other providers. Not long they sold us weak phone models like Nokia 3310 which dropped in price from K800,000. to K100 000. within 5 yrs. This was dumping of the worst order,” he said.

The original and creative advertising campaign follows Celtel’s initial branding that painted the continent red and gave birth to the popular slogan “Making Life Better” almost three years ago in January 2004. Since the company’s new face the brand has worked hard to empower Africans while creating a common synergy throughout the continent. From the warm sunshine filled beaches of east Africa to the rough waters of West Africa, Celtel has joined the lives of Africans like no other brand to date.

Speaking about the new advertising campaign, Zain Group Chief Officer, Tito Alai commented, “with this new phase of our brand roll-out we have taken a fresh start jump and committed ourselves to promoting and investing in music across the continent. As Africans music is our life blood, it’s in our veins and souls – it brings us together while living our everyday lives. Weather its contemporary jams blasting out of cars in the bustling city or soul stirring rhythm of traditional music in the village, music is core to African lives.”
Alai observed that the company tagline “making life better” continues to stand behind the Celtel brand independent of the phases we enter throughout its life cycle. Ultimately “Celtel strive to deliver the means for people to be better connected, to communicate , to stay closer in touch to share emotions , to get more done , to transact business and to celebrate successes,” said Alai.

“As a company we also go beyond impacting only our individual consumers, we strive to achieve synergies across the African continent by creating jobs, enhancing skills and developing infrastructures. We are already involved extensively in sponsoring various music initiatives.”

Celtel International connects over 24 million subscribers covering over 40% of the African population. The group’s strategic aim is to become the leading Pan African mobile communications group providing innovative and intergraded communications services across the continent.