According to the 2010 Telco Innovation Study conducted by Innovation Agency, senior managers rate marketing before products and technology.
Senior managers earning above R 750k per annum cited marketing as the biggest lesson that can be learnt from innovative Telcos - an indication of the direct correlation between company success and marketing. The top Telcos were perceived as having excellent marketing to the target audience with specific reference to language and mind set used in relating to people.
14% fed up with cellphone provider
The study reveals that 14% of the respondents had switched one Telco for another. Of these, 47% became Cell C subscribers. “As the new comer, and soon after their Trevor Noah campaign, it was not surprising that the results showed that Cell C were the biggest gainers,” says Rory Moore, CEO of Innovation Agency.
Respondents cited a variety of reasons for switching, with disappointing customer service right at the top of the list. Women were also 18% more likely to switch than men.
Vodacom rated most innovative, then MTN
Vodacom was rated as the most innovative Telco in South Africa by quite a margin in the 2010 study. “What was quite interesting was correlating the demographic breakdown of the respondents with their rating preference - people over the age of 50 were the biggest group to rate Vodacom the most innovative provider. MTN was rated second overall with their biggest fans falling in the under 30 age group,” says Rory Moore, CEO of Innovation Agency.
More about the study and Innovation Agency
Innovation Agency’s 2010 Telco Innovation Study explores innovation in action and reflects consumers’ perceptions of what makes a Telco innovative.
Innovation Agency offers advisory work and the mobilisation of innovation campaigns, underpinned by a customised technology platform. Innovation Agency employs a new paradigm called social based innovation to pave the way to a more networked and integrated means of managing innovation. Innovation Agency is driving this evolution forward. | 
