Aenil Premji set foot in Hong Kong for the first time little over a year ago but already says he has an accent that is “a little bit Hong Kong”. The chief marketing officer at Hong Kong Communication Services Limited (CSL) is, however, adaptable by nature.
Ethnically Indian, Premji was born in Africa and moved to the UK aged nine. He has also taken a rather unusual route to a career in marketing. Holding a degree in electronic engineering, he moved into research and development at British Telecom, but after five years on the tech side, he moved over to communications. “I wanted to engage with people again,” he says.
With stints in senior marketing positions at Vodafone, T-Mobile and AT&T in the UK, plus several years as an independent consultant, Premji quickly carved a niche in the telecoms business.
Lilian Leong, general manager at Leo Burnett Hong Kong, notes that Premji’s career trajectory has helped him stand out in the industry. “Maybe it is because of his engineering background, but Premji uses a lot of graphs and visuals to support his ideas in meetings,” she says. “Unlike most clients that walk into the meeting room with vague ideas, Premji has already done the work himself and comes in with a blueprint and plan.”
Premji first travelled to Hong Kong in 2008 where he met with CSL’s CEO Tarek Robbiati. “What was a 20-minute chat turned into a three- hour discussion,” Premji recalls. Two months later, he was in Hong Kong and leading the marketing division of CSL.
CSL, he says, aims to operate by the motto: “create a simple life”. It oversees three brands: 1010, One2Free and New World Mobility. The first focuses on premium and business customers, while One2Free is a lifestyle brand for everyday Hong Kong people. Premji describes New World Mobility as a no-frills brand, which targets incomers to Hong Kong and provides basic mobile services.
He admits that the telecoms industry in Hong Kong is crowded and highly competitive. With a 174 per cent penetration rate of mobile users in such a small market, and five operators fighting for their share of the pie, CSL - which claims to be the largest - is operating in a tough place. “Wherever you go, the other four [telecom companies] will line up next to you. It’s very much an in-your-face kind of market,” he says.
The upside, however, is what Premji calls the “phenomenal turn-around rate of marketing”. Across seven million mobile users, he sees Hong Kong as an ideal place to test market response. “Whether it is mobile operators, gadgets manufacturers or the people themselves, the pace in Hong Kong is fast and furious.”
Yet despite this pace, the market is still playing catch up in some areas.
“Compared to Japan and Korea, there is still a big gap between mobile usage and everyday activities,” says Premji. “Take zap codes and mobile payments on vending machines. These are routine in other countries already.”
Premji suggests different industry sectors need to work together as a whole; manufacturers, providers and companies need to collaborate to build an eco-system and standards. “People have visions, but structurally, the market needs to evolve. It’s not slower than I expected, but it takes time. Telecoms is all about infrastructure. Individual companies need to look beyond and on a worldwide level.”
As for its own marketing strategies in the SAR, Premji says CSL focuses more on brand equity and added value, rather than the more commonly-seen market methods of price competition and free gifts. He points out that the brand has a large group of customers that have stayed with the company for more then 10 years. “CSL has been here in Hong Kong for 25 years in many incarnations,” he says, adding that it is important for the brand to remind people of its heritage.”
In addition, last November, the company launched the Next G wireless broadband service by One2Free. It doesn’t sell on pricing, focusing instead on the concepts of spontaneous and easy usage.
Looking ahead to the rest of this year and beyond, Premji says that CSL is set to take on 4G, while more investment in digital marketing is planned. “As we introduce products that are much more interactive, we’ll then select the right media to perform,” he says.
2004 Independent consultant, UK
2003 VP product management, T-Mobile International, UK
2001 Global director marketing, Vodafone, UK
1999 VP strategy & marketing, GTS, UK
1997 Director marketing, AT&T Europe, UK
1995 Management consultant, Accenture, UK
1984 Engineering, sales and marketing, BT, UK
This article was originally published in the 11 March 2010 issue of Media.
Ethnically Indian, Premji was born in Africa and moved to the UK aged nine. He has also taken a rather unusual route to a career in marketing. Holding a degree in electronic engineering, he moved into research and development at British Telecom, but after five years on the tech side, he moved over to communications. “I wanted to engage with people again,” he says.
With stints in senior marketing positions at Vodafone, T-Mobile and AT&T in the UK, plus several years as an independent consultant, Premji quickly carved a niche in the telecoms business.
Lilian Leong, general manager at Leo Burnett Hong Kong, notes that Premji’s career trajectory has helped him stand out in the industry. “Maybe it is because of his engineering background, but Premji uses a lot of graphs and visuals to support his ideas in meetings,” she says. “Unlike most clients that walk into the meeting room with vague ideas, Premji has already done the work himself and comes in with a blueprint and plan.”
Premji first travelled to Hong Kong in 2008 where he met with CSL’s CEO Tarek Robbiati. “What was a 20-minute chat turned into a three- hour discussion,” Premji recalls. Two months later, he was in Hong Kong and leading the marketing division of CSL.
CSL, he says, aims to operate by the motto: “create a simple life”. It oversees three brands: 1010, One2Free and New World Mobility. The first focuses on premium and business customers, while One2Free is a lifestyle brand for everyday Hong Kong people. Premji describes New World Mobility as a no-frills brand, which targets incomers to Hong Kong and provides basic mobile services.
He admits that the telecoms industry in Hong Kong is crowded and highly competitive. With a 174 per cent penetration rate of mobile users in such a small market, and five operators fighting for their share of the pie, CSL - which claims to be the largest - is operating in a tough place. “Wherever you go, the other four [telecom companies] will line up next to you. It’s very much an in-your-face kind of market,” he says.
The upside, however, is what Premji calls the “phenomenal turn-around rate of marketing”. Across seven million mobile users, he sees Hong Kong as an ideal place to test market response. “Whether it is mobile operators, gadgets manufacturers or the people themselves, the pace in Hong Kong is fast and furious.”
Yet despite this pace, the market is still playing catch up in some areas.
“Compared to Japan and Korea, there is still a big gap between mobile usage and everyday activities,” says Premji. “Take zap codes and mobile payments on vending machines. These are routine in other countries already.”
Premji suggests different industry sectors need to work together as a whole; manufacturers, providers and companies need to collaborate to build an eco-system and standards. “People have visions, but structurally, the market needs to evolve. It’s not slower than I expected, but it takes time. Telecoms is all about infrastructure. Individual companies need to look beyond and on a worldwide level.”
As for its own marketing strategies in the SAR, Premji says CSL focuses more on brand equity and added value, rather than the more commonly-seen market methods of price competition and free gifts. He points out that the brand has a large group of customers that have stayed with the company for more then 10 years. “CSL has been here in Hong Kong for 25 years in many incarnations,” he says, adding that it is important for the brand to remind people of its heritage.”
In addition, last November, the company launched the Next G wireless broadband service by One2Free. It doesn’t sell on pricing, focusing instead on the concepts of spontaneous and easy usage.
Looking ahead to the rest of this year and beyond, Premji says that CSL is set to take on 4G, while more investment in digital marketing is planned. “As we introduce products that are much more interactive, we’ll then select the right media to perform,” he says.
Aenil Premji CV
2008 Chief marketing officer, CSL, Hong Kong2004 Independent consultant, UK
2003 VP product management, T-Mobile International, UK
2001 Global director marketing, Vodafone, UK
1999 VP strategy & marketing, GTS, UK
1997 Director marketing, AT&T Europe, UK
1995 Management consultant, Accenture, UK
1984 Engineering, sales and marketing, BT, UK
This article was originally published in the 11 March 2010 issue of Media.
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