Nokia phones return to Singapore with relaunch of retro favourite Nokia 3310 priced below $100 After a three-year hiatus, Nokia mobile phones are officially returning to target Singapore consumers. The first of them is the revamped version of the classic Nokia 3310. The talk-and-text-centric "dumb" phone from the year 2000 will be on sale here. The phone will work on Singapore telcos' 3G networks and will go for less than $100. Finnish start-up HMD Global, which owns rights to the Nokia brand, believes that demand will come from consumers wanting to relive their nostalgia, and parents of young children. The redesigned Nokia 3310 was first launched in early 2017 in select markets as it worked only on 2G networks. It was not available here as Singapore shut down its 2G networks in April 2017. "We saw demand in some markets, including Singapore, which have switched off their 2G networks. So, we decided to support 3G on 3310 to allow more people to enjoy a modern classic reborn," said an HMD Global spokesman. The Finnish brand was once synonymous with mobile phones, but lost substantial market share when touchscreen smartphones became popular. In 2014, Microsoft bought over Nokia's ailing mobile phone business but wrote off the purchase a year later. In May 2016, HMD Global acquired the exclusive rights to use the Nokia trademark from Microsoft until 2024. The revamped 3310 hits the sweet spot for bookstore owner Jennifer Jiang, 35. "Nokia was my first phone and will possibly be my son's too," Ms Jiang said with nostalgia. She would give the 3310 to her eight-year-old son to arrange for his pickup on days when he stays back in school for co-curricular activities. "I don't want him to be distracted by smartphone games or be exposed to social media at such a young age," she said. Housewife Samantha Seow, 45, would also give the 3310 to her seven-year-old daughter for emergency calls. More importantly, she will know where to get a replacement phone for her 73-year-old mother if her current "dumb" phone breaks down. "My mother is averse to smartphones. She only needs to make calls," said Ms Seow.

(a) Explain the consumer needs, wants and demands for a "dumb" phone such as the Nokia 3310. Analyse one (1) possible development in the technological environment that is likely to have an impact on consumer demand for the Nokia 3310. (12 marks)

(b) Examine appropriate demographic and behavioural segmentation variables to describe two (2) likely target markets of the Nokia 3310 phone. (8 marks)

(c) Discuss the stage of the product life cycle that the 3G-compatible "dumb" phone is currently in, and describe the typical characteristics of a product at this stage of the product life cycle. (8 marks)

(d) Based on the stage of the product life cycle that you have identified in Q1c, implement appropriate marketing communications and channel design strategies (based on types and number of intermediaries) for the Nokia 3310 phone in Singapore. (12 marks)