An Early and Sneak Peek into the Consumer Value of Mobile Telephony

Over 2000 consumers across India were asked in a recent survey what the value of mobile telephony was to them, and the two highest scoring answers were: “It has given me a feeling of security” and “It has kept me in touch with my family.”   These responses outscored the others by some (see below).The respondents to a recent survey conducted by my team and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad spanned all the SEC groups and came from six locations around India.  I wonder whether this shows that in today’s age, regardless of what people do and how much they earn, our handiest communications tool is most valuable in keeping us safe and in touch with our loved ones.  Consistent with the family theme, more regard the mobile as a social tool than either an economic or a personal one (see results below).Here I try not to “judge” the results, but rather like a good Monet painting, let them stand out and speak for themselves.  So I’ll resist offering an opinion except to say that this is food for thought for telecom marketers, given how little focus we see from marketing campaigns on mobile as a tool for security and managing uncertainty.Expect a more detailed post from me soon analyzing the responses and their implications for mobile marketers in India.