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1. About the Case Competition
This Case Competition was conducted at IIM Lucknow as part of a national-level strategy challenge focused on real-world telecom problems. The case tested participants on consumer insight research, market sizing, financial feasibility, and go-to-market execution. Teams were expected to build a data-backed strategy with clear business impact, making this one of the more rigorous campus Case Competition formats
2. Problem Statement Overview
OrbiTel (Airtel) holds over 50% postpaid revenue market share, yet postpaid accounts for only 10% of its total user base, with the 22–30 age group representing just 6% penetration despite being a 220 million-strong digitally native cohort. The paradox is structural: postpaid carries a significantly higher ARPU of ₹434 per month (2.4x of prepaid) and a 1.5% monthly churn rate that implies a six-year average customer lifetime, yet the segment remains chronically underserved. Primary research across 165 respondents and five COCO store interviews surfaces the root cause, not price sensitivity, but a trio of misconceptions (postpaid is for families, bills are unpredictable, prepaid has the same benefits) combined with a frustrating onboarding journey that triggers a sales call before the user even sees a plan menu. The deck’s core thesis: fix the education gap, establish aspirational positioning, and the conversion economics become compelling.
3. What This Winning Deck Covers
The deck opens with a sharp industry framing – 5G subscribers projected to grow from 250M to 770M by 2028, industry ARPU jumping 19% YoY to ₹183/month, and pure customer postpaid ARPU at ₹434, before mapping OrbiTel’s competitive moat across four dimensions: market leadership at 65% postpaid RMS, network quality ranked #1 or #2 in TRAI tests, 1,500+ COCO stores, and the OrbiTel Thanks app as a youth-friendly digital layer competitors cannot replicate. The competitor analysis compares OrbiTel, Rio, and Fi across prepaid pricing, postpaid plans, 5G coverage, and brand perception, establishing a clear white space where OrbiTel = quality + premium while Rio = value and Fi = perks-first but quality-weak.
The consumer research section is the deck’s most distinctive contribution. A 165-respondent survey combined with COCO store interviews and eight OrbiTel user interviews surfaces five critical findings: 54% cite cost as the top barrier, 44% said “No” to switching, only 23% currently use postpaid, 80% want unlimited data, and 84% prioritize high-speed data. The behavioral segmentation maps four distinct customer types, Loyalists (OrbiTel prepaid users viewing postpaid as a lifestyle upgrade), Migrants (competitor postpaid users attracted by roaming and bundled ecosystem), Defectors (competitor prepaid users seeking better coverage), and Freshers (first-salary earners for whom postpaid is an aspirational life badge like shifting from debit to credit cards), each with its own conversion motivation and recommended next step. The TAM-SAM-SOM sizing is rigorous: prepaid-to-postpaid TAM of 1,157M narrows to a SAM of 180M (22–30 age group) and a conversion SOM of 22M. The research-to-segmentation depth here closely parallels the approach in BTRIBE Launchpad ’25.
The three-aim marketing architecture is the deck’s strategic centrepiece. Aim 1 solves misconceptions through myth-busting campaigns, demonstrating cost parity with prepaid when OTT bundles and hidden recharge costs are factored in, using Finfluencer collaborations, on-ground COCO store activations, and billboard taglines like “Prepaid ≠ Premium. Postpaid = Freedom from recharge hassle.” Aim 2 builds premium trust through creator testimonials, CODM tournament sponsorships to prove network superiority in real time, and airport kiosk activations targeting the international roaming segment. Aim 3 makes postpaid aspirational through the “OrbiTel Red Club” lifestyle rewards platform, bundling CultFit sessions, Zomato Gold priority booking, WeWork co-working discounts, and a Bill-to-Rewards loyalty system modelled on Citibank’s credit card ecosystem. Ancillary innovations include a corporate B2B partnership channel targeting employees whose companies use competing reimbursement schemes, a surplus data donation programme for rural student internet access appealing to Gen Z’s cause-driven mindset, and a “Pay Your Way” salary-flow billing option inspired by AT&T. The aspirational lifestyle brand positioning and loyalty ecosystem design are also central to the strategy in InsightX – Masters’ Union – Blue Tokai Gen-Z Growth Strategy.
Key Takeaways:
- The “debit-to-credit card” framing for postpaid is a positioning insight that converts a product category into an aspirational identity shift, replicable in any premiumisation case
- A 100-point propensity scoring model (usage intensity 30%, spending power 25%, lifestyle signals 20%, convenience needs 15%, engagement signals 10%) converts internal behavioural data into a hot/warm/cold/not-ready lead segmentation system
- Myth-busting at the salesperson level, not just the consumer level, is an underused execution lever that this deck surfaces through direct COCO store research
- The OrbiTel Red Club concept demonstrates how a telecom plan can evolve into a lifestyle membership platform, creating switching costs that go beyond network quality
- LTV-based break-even logic (1.5 lakh users over six years rather than 8.9M in one year) reframes campaign ROI in a way that makes a ₹139 crore spend look strategically sound
4. The Numbers
The total marketing campaign budget is ₹139 crore, representing 12% of OrbiTel’s ₹1,161 crore marketing-operational pool, allocated across events and activations (₹50 crore, 36%), referral and family incentives (₹40 crore, 29%), social media and influencers (₹30 crore, 22%), and OOH billboards (₹19 crore, 13%). Postpaid ARPU is ₹434/month; annual ARPU is ₹5,208; annual contribution per user at 30% EBITDA margin is ₹1,562; and six-year LTV per user is ₹9,372. At 1.5% monthly churn and a six-year average tenure, only 1.5 lakh incremental youth users are needed for full lifetime ROI on the ₹139 crore spend, against OrbiTel’s current pace of 2.5–3 million postpaid additions per year. The goal is to double youth postpaid penetration from 6% to 12% within two years.
5. Who Should Study This Deck
MBA students, consulting aspirants, growth and strategy roles, and recruiters evaluating analytical rigor will benefit most. It is especially useful as a strategy case competition winning deck for telecom, subscription, and consumer growth cases. CaseBuzz hosts this deck as part of its curated library of Winning Decks.
6. Related Decks on CaseBuzz
- InsightX – Masters’ Union – Blue Tokai Gen-Z Growth Strategy – Gen Z targeting, loyalty programme design, and omnichannel brand strategy; parallels the OrbiTel Red Club aspirational lifestyle ecosystem.
- Prodigy 2025 – IIM Calcutta – Gen Z branding, creator-led marketing, and omnichannel growth strategy; strong complement for the myth-busting campaign and youth activation layers of this deck.
- MarkQuest Masters – FMS Delhi – B2B GTM, competitor analysis, pricing strategy, and execution roadmap with analytics; relevant for the corporate B2B channel and competitive comparison campaign dimensions of this deck.