VIDEO: CSL's Liversidge on its multi-brand strategy and 4G

As a local company, Liversidge's remit focuses on Hong Kong specifically, which he describes as the most aggressive consumer market in the region; with a unique segmentation, particularly when it comes to technology, which plays an integral role in CSL's business model.

To take on the dynamic market, CSL employs a multi-brand strategy. This includes premium global lifestyle service 1O1O, aimed at the international traveller, expatriate and the lifestyle rich individuals; the 'One-two-free' brand which is a Hong Kong community brand designed for people at the heart of Hong Kong; the 'New world mobility' brand; and the ethnic brands that cater to specific communities such as Hong Kong's Indonesian, Filipino, Indian or the inbound mainland Chinese segments.

Liversidge believes that this multi-brand strategy allows CSL to effectively reach out to each one of the segments without having to compromise any of the others. The strategy enables the company to devise very specific offerings and service propositions to each of the segments that it engages in, he says.

Over the past 12 months CSL has gone against the norm to completely revise it service plan model. "We had, like other mobile operators, a high number of plans that met every sector of the market. We looked at the market and understood there was a commonality at the core of all requirements for users so we've stripped our service plans back. Now we only have 11 service plan propositions," said Liversidge.

Another departure from the industry trend is that CSL has launched limited data plans, as opposed to unlimited plans that are ubiqitous among mobile service providers.  "Since we launched the volume-based pricing with the limited data scheme, (it) has led to an increase of at least 50 per cent increment in sales volume. So we've completely killed the myth that only unlimited plans work in the market place," he added.

Liversidge hails the 4G platform as the "dawn of a new generation" for advertisers. "We have talked about mobile marketing as a leverage for the future and allowing advertisers to personalise marketing propositions 4G now provides the capability to send rich content, in real time, location-based, time-specific, need-specific, to the end consumer. We can now get it very defined towards a specific individual's user habits and lifestyle needs."