5 million. (Anon.1, 2001) .
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4. Statement of Marketing Objectives .
4.1 Sky Digital.
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Increase market share by expanding the subscriber base. (BSkyB Annual Report, 2001).
Maintain the existing customer base through increased retention and revenues. (Reed, 2001).
Aim to build an understanding of what technology can offer customers to promote the unique interactive features of Sky. (Reed, 2001).
Reduce customer churn. (Reed, 2001).
To increase the number of subscribers from 5.3m to 7m by the end of 2003. (Tylee, 2001).
To establish the minidish as a gateway to choice for viewers'. (Tylee, 2001).
To be leading broadcaster in digital television. (Tylee, 2001).
4.2 ITV Digital.
To communicate the re branding from OnDigital to ITV Digital to existing and new customers. (Darby, 2001) .
Inform and educate potential customers of ITV Digital services. (Reed, 2001).
Raise awareness of ITV Digital (Reed, 2001) and establish brand loyalty. (Anon 1, 2001).
Aim to attract and retain more valuable customers. (Reed, 2001).
To improve average revenue that is received from each subscriber and reach break even of 1.7 million subscribers by 2003 to 2004. (Bulkley, 2001).
4.3 Comparative Analysis of the Marketing Objectives .
Objectives, according to Drummond and Ensor (2001:135), need to be SMART in order to be effective. ITV Digital and Sky Digital have specific objectives however they differ in that Sky Digital provides clear statements of the marketing objectives, where ITV Digital's fundamental principles are ambiguous. Both ITV Digital and Sky Digital have measurable tangible targets, which can be monitored over time. However, due to the omission of a well-defined mission statement ITV Digital's objectives fail to provide any aspirational qualities. Sky Digital has a concise mission statement therefore providing clear guidelines for corporate activities. ITV Digital's objectives have recently proved to be unrealistic. This was revealed through the vast reduction of their subscriber targets.
