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BRAND IMAGE MEASUREMENT OF
HAPPYDENT
Submitted to Prof. S. Govindrajan
Submitted by:
Anton Babu
Ayan Dasgupta
Gaurav Kayal
Ishita Goel
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................ 3
HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF THE BRAND ............................................................................................. 4
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL DATA COLLECTION AND EVALUATION ................................................... 6
INSTRUMENTS FOR DATA COLLECTION .................................................................................................. 8
Laddering: Qualitative Research Model adopted ............................................................................... 8
Brand Asset Valuator (BAV) .............................................................................................................. 15
ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................................... 18
QUESTIONNAIRE ADMINISTERED FOR QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH (A SCREENSHOT) ...................... 23
Brand Image Measurement Page 2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Happydent, a brand from Perfetti Van Melle India is being tracked in the project. The brand
tracking was done though a combination quantitative and qualitative methodology. In
quantitative, a suitable adaptation of Young and Rubicam’s BAV has been used to identify
the performance of the brand in its category across 82 respondents through online
questionnaire. Apart from this, 17 responses were taken where respondents rated
Happydent and other products of their choice in the same product category on same
questions.
For qualitative analysis of the brand, laddering interviews were conducted and Attributes‐
Consequences‐Values identified and plotted on the Hierarchical Value Map.
Belonging, Self Esteem and Societal Conformance was included in most ladders. These value
orientations in a person’s ladder have served as the basis for classification in terms of
segmentation and advertising strategies to be followed. With most respondents exhibiting a
sense of belonging – to the society or their peer group to be specific – as their ‘value
orientation’, the scenario for the advertisement i.e. the vehicle by which the value
orientation is to be communicated becomes all too clear. (For example, based on the fact
that “whitening” is perceived as a desired consumer benefit Happydent took the liberty of
dramatizing whiteness to a degree of unbelievable, a fantastical exaggeration).
The BAV indicates that the brand is a leader in its category, given the fact that it has high
‘esteem’ (in terms of the one of the four broad dimensions that the BAV evaluates a brand).
Even though the brand has low ‘differentiation’ as compared to ‘relevance’, it is perceived
as a better product by consumers because of its health utility.
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HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF THE BRAND
Chewing gum is one of the most popular traditional confectionary items which have
endured the test of time through suitable product evolution & innovation. Typically,
chewing gum is made of Chicklet, a natural latex product (that is why the brand name‐
Chicklets). If we look at the per‐capita consumption of chewing gum in India it is only 8 per
year as compared to 2000 per year in U.S.A & 1000 in Russia. The current size of the Indian
chewing gum market is estimated to be about 1000 Crores (INR)thus it offers huge
opportunity to companies like Perfetti & Wrigley in terms of market & new product
development.
Perfetti launched the brand `Happydent’ in 1970 along with Alpenlibe, Big Babol and the
brand has been growing ever since. The parent company of Happydent, Perfetti Van Melle
was established in March 2001 through the merger of Perfetti S.P.A and Van Melle NV. In
2001, Perfetti Van Melle India introduced the functional gum category to India by way of
Happydent White, a chewing gum containing ingredients (baking soda) that provides the
benefit of keeping teeth naturally white. In this category, Happydent competed with
strongly entrenched brands with high awareness and big spends. The brand was sailing
along but could not really shake the competitors. In early 2006, Orbit White (Wrigley’s)
stepped up, with marketing inputs. It has been as serious potential threat to Happydent
White.
The category of chewing gums is an impulse purchase and so ads play a very important role
in market share. Based on the fact that “whitening” is perceived as a desired consumer
benefit Happydent took the liberty of dramatizing whiteness to a degree of unbelievable, a
fantastical exaggeration‐ Thus was borne the bizarre idea of a human bulb—a man who is a
professional bulb since his teeth are so white. Spontaneous recall more than doubled to 16
percent, from the previous 8 percent in 2005. Market share simply doubled and trebled.
Total brand awareness scores of HAPPYDENT doubled and grew dramatically to reach the 90
percent level. Gross national volume grew by 102 percent over 2005 figures.
Happydent has also been successful in increasing health awareness amongst consumers
thus making functional gums the most exciting sub‐category within confectionery. What
adds to the excitement is the fact that functional aspects bring some level of “planning” in
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the purchase procedure from the customer’s side. This is good news as it means
incremental business for confectionery‐players with increased relevance to the customer
and possible addition in the monthly grocery list. To tap into this opportunity Happydent has
tried innovative pricing and a new packaging (pocket bottles) which carry aesthetic appeal
which tends to increase per‐customer‐throughput . The launch of products like Protex
Happydent which is claimed to prevent tooth decay due to the presence of a special
ingredient called 'Xylitol' and Happydent White which contains sodium bi‐carbonate helps to
keep teeth clean & white helped to leverage its position in this segment. The latest variety is
Happydent wave which is already making the waves in the market.
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STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL DATA COLLECTION AND EVALUATION
Successful data collection and evaluation, of any type, can be enhanced with some
preliminary planning and thought. We set the following ground rules to s to increase the
likelihood of a successful evaluation.
Knowing Your Audience ‐ Prior to designing an evaluation and determining what data
collection techniques will be used, it is important to recognize who the audience for the
evaluation results will be. Since most of the respondents were from within the campus
between the age group of 20‐27 the questions were framed in accordance with it.
Deciding What Exactly will be Evaluated ‐ Given the limitations, we focussed on obtaining
"actionable" results.
Determining Costs and Schedules‐ There wasn’t much of a costing to be done but it was
very important to come up with a schedule for the completion of the project detailing the
key tasks that will have to be done over the duration of the study.
Identifying the Appropriate Study Participants –Since chewing gum is a product mostly
used by age group 15‐25 we were able to get respondents from within the campus.
Administering Instruments Appropriately
The logistics associated with administering data collection instruments can be formidable.
Yet overlooking any of these details can seriously affect evaluation outcomes. Key concerns
are: getting the full participation of all subjects, providing a forum for participants to discuss
issues and concerns that the moderator does not bring up, and documenting participants'
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comments completely and accurately. To minimize these concerns, the following may be
helpful:
• Arrange for a pleasant setting to conduct the focus group, surveys,
transaction logs, interviews, etc., and typically, provide some refreshments
and amenities
• Consider the order and development of topics to be discussed in the session
• Record and analyze the content of the session while it is occurring (e.g., use
note takers, audio or video recorders, etc.)
• Manage and moderate the session in a positive and productive manner
(prevent individuals from dominating or disrupting the session)
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INSTRUMENTS FOR DATA COLLECTION
Laddering: Qualitative Research Model adopted
WHAT IS LADDERING?
• Laddering is an interview technique used in semi‐structured interviews.
• Laddering is a method that helps you elicit the higher or lower level abstractions of
the concepts that people use to organize their world.
• The method is performed by using probes. Probing means to “peel back the layers”
of the informant’s experience.
• Laddering and probing is used to: “understand the way in which the informant sees
the world” (Reynolds & Gutman, 1988).
WHEN IS LADDERING USED?
Laddering is used within two streams of research: Consumer research and organization
research
• Consumer research to elicit consumers’ preferences towards certain products or
services.
• Consumers’ preferences are categorized into three dimensions:
‐ Attributes of a product/service
‐ Consequences
‐ Values
• Organization research to elicit values and decision making structures in
organizations.
– The laddering method can be used to elicit values among managers or
employees (e.g. work conditions among employees).
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– Preferences are categorized into means and ends
WHY USE THIS TECHNIQUE FOR OUR RESEARCH?
• The laddering interview technique is a structured approach.
• You get to know what is important to the informants and why it is important; the
values.
• The high degree to which the method can provide the appropriate data
• The relatively less amount of time required to collect and analyse the data
• Low Costs associated with collecting and analysing the data.
• Low Level of commitment and involvement required of interviewees
• Requirements for training in the method – Even though Laddering becomes more
effective with experience the formal training required is relatively less
• The informants are able to relate to this way of thinking (e.g. focus group interview).
RATIONALE OF OUR LADDERING TECHNIQUE:
A couple of the interviews done using this technique and the reason for asking such
questions are given below:
INTERVIEW (1)
Interviewer: You indicated that you are likely to consume a mouth freshener after a long,
stressful day at work, why is that?
Respondent: Well, when I am stressed out I tend to have a ‘bad feeling in the mouth’.
Having a mouth freshener – a chewing gum mostly – kind of rejuvenates me.
Interviewer: How does getting rid of a ‘bad feeling in the mouth’ rejuvenate you?(Reason:
Evoking the Situational Context)
Respondent: See, what happens is that after a long tiring day (something like attending 6
lectures in a day) is that your muscles are all tensed up; so chewing gum (kind of) unlocks
the intensity brewing inside...
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Interviewer: So you mean a chewing gum will do, its ‘mouth‐freshening’ features are not
that important to you?
Respondent: Yes kind of, but a mouth freshener allows for a cool, refreshing feeling as well.
Interviewer: What is the benefit of feeling rejuvenated after having gone through a long,
tiring day?
Respondent: You just feel instantly better.
Interviewer: Okay, let me phrase this differently, you’ve mentally exhausted yourself after a
hectic day and you have a mouth freshener (say) in the evening and you feel better. Does
that help in any way? (Reason: Communication check)
Respondent: I can’t really say, but then being an MBA student means you have a myriad
other activities to attend to so maybe there is a need somewhere.
Interviewer: A need for what?
Respondent: A need to be on your toes at all times, to keep the energy levels high and put
in your best in everything else you do.
Summary Ladder for the above is as follows:
V Sense of accomplishment (putting in one’s best in everything)
C Rejuvenates
C Releases pent‐up energy (unlocks the intensity brewing inside)
A Cool, refreshing feeling
INTERVIEW (2)
Interviewer: When do you generally prefer consuming a mouth freshener?
Respondent: To freshen my breath after smoking; my way of maintaining good oral hygiene.
Interviewer: Do you consider any other alternative to a freshener if ti’s not available?
(Reason: Postulating the absence of an object)
Respondent: Yeah it need not always be a mouth freshener, I could opt for pan masala,
meetha masala etc.
Interviewer: When did you start thinking that it was advisable to have a mouth‐
freshener/chewing gum after a fag? (Reason: Age‐Regression Contrast Probe)
Respondent: I guess I just saw others doing so...
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Interviewer: Would you say it is important to not have bad breath when in the company of
friends, especially if they do not smoke themselves?
Respondent: Frankly, I would not really care. But then, on second thoughts, I wouldn’t want
others to figure out that I had just had a ‘sutta’, simply because I was carrying bad breath
Interviewer: Would you suggest your friends to have a freshener after a Smoke? (Reason:
Projective technique)
Respondent: Yes, I think I would.
Interviewer: Do your folks at home know that you smoke?
Respondent: No, but then I cut down on this habit of mine when I am at home.
Interviewer: Somehow one gets the feeling that it’s not really a case of ‘bad‐breath‐
riddance’ that compels you to have a mouth freshener post a fag?
Respondent: You are right; actually you avoid that irritating feeling in your mouth.
Interviewer: Why should that be important to you?
Respondent: Of course it’s important; otherwise I just don’t feel very confident when
interacting with others.
Summary Ladder for the above is as follows:
V Self Esteem (feel more confident when interacting)
C Avoid an irritating feeling in the mouth
C Not carry bad breath
A Freshens the breath, good oral hygiene
LADDER FREQUENCIES FOR ATTRIBUTE‐VALUE LINKAGE
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The above table includes a summary by attribute and value for respondents whose ladders
extended to values level. ‘Belonging’ was included in most ladders, with ‘societal
conformance’ and ‘self‐esteem’ following in decreasing order of frequency. One can also
summarize from the above findings that the attributes that consumers of candy‐mouth
fresheners look for, are their mouth‐freshening and whitening capabilities in most cases
(This indicates why Orbit and Happydent which focus on the ‘whitening’ attributes in their
advertisements are the market leaders in this product category). Thus valuable information
is provided in terms of (a) segmenting consumers with respect to their values orientations
for a brand and (b) as a basis for advertising strategies.
The benefit of laddering as in this case would be the interesting insights it provides for
advertising strategists. With most respondents exhibiting a sense of belonging – to the
society or their peer group to be specific – as their ‘value orientation’, the scenario for the
advertisement i.e. the vehicle by which the value orientation is to be communicated
becomes all too clear. For example, Based on the fact that “whitening” is perceived as a
desired consumer benefit Happydent took the liberty of dramatizing whiteness to a degree
of unbelievable, a fantastical exaggeration. (Thus was borne the bizarre idea of a human
bulb) This supposedly resulted in a doubling of the market share.
Even in the new ad these companies focus on these attributes and our analysis shows that
these are indeed the attributes which needs focus. Since chewing gums are an impulse
purchase the importance of advertising strategy can never be understated.
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Hierarchical Value Map
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Brand Asset Valuator (BAV)
Brand Image is defined as consumer perceptions of a brand and is measured as the brand
associations held in consumer’s memory.
The Brand Asset Valuator, a proprietary tool developed by advertising agency Young &
Rubicam, measures Brand Image by applying four broad dimensions: Differentiation,
Relevance, Esteem, and Knowledge. These four core aspects of the brand are called ‘Pillars’.
The four pillars can be clubbed into two‐directional indicators‐
Brand Vitality: This is a combination of Differentiation and Relevance. As these pillars are
indicators of where the brand is likely to shape out in the future, Brand Vitality is a leading
indicator.
Brand Stature: This is a combination of Esteem and Knowledge. It gives a sense of the
brand’s present and past. Brand Stature tends to, over time, mimic brand strength and is
thus a lagging indicator.
The BAV is an ideal tool for advanced brand analysis such as managing brand portfolios,
positioning/repositioning exercises, understanding target audience etc. BAV's database is
the result of the world's most extensive research project on branding, based on data on
30,000 brands across 400,000 consumers in 48 countries through 240 studies.
Quantitative Research Model to test the current status of the Brand (using a suitable
adaptation of the BAV model)
Brand Image Measurement Page 15
benefits) that Happydent
delivers?
iii. How has Happydent fared in
terms of “cutting through the
Indian mindset that chewing
gum is not a socially
acceptable etiquette”?
iv. Is Happydent suitable for all
age groups and not just
children?
i. How unique do you think is
Happydent’s USP (Unique
Selling Proposition) as
compared to its competitors?
Differentiation is a measure
ii. How willing are you to pay a
of how distinct the
premium for Happydent?
consumers perceive a
iii. How successful according to
DIFFERENTIATION particular brand to be. It is
you has Happydent been in
this difference that enables
breaking through the clutter
the brands to charge a
that is there in the market for
premium.
candy‐mouth‐fresheners?
iv. Is Happydent an innovative
brand as compared to its
competitors?
i. Would you say that Happydent
Esteem is a function of
is a ‘trustworthy’ brand as
positive brand experience
compared to its competitors?
and brand communication
ESTEEM ii. Would you associate ‘high
and essentially the regard
quality’ with Happydent as
that the consumer has for
opposed to other similar
the brand.
products?
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iii. Do you believe that what
Happydent claims are its
product features (oral
whitening etc.) are authentic?
iv. Would you consider
Happydent to be a leader in
the product category of candy
mouth fresheners?
i. How familiar are you with the
‘brand’ called Happydent? Some brands makes you
ii. How aware are you of the feel like you know the
latest product variations and brand as you would a close
KNOWLEDGE promotions carried out by friend. This is called
Happydent? knowledge. This in effect is
iii. How would you rate your a culmination of the other
knowledge about brand three pillars.
Happydent’s history?
Note: The set of sample questions referred to in the above table are not an exhaustive
compilation and other questions were also asked to ensure maximum quality of responses.
Additionally, a similar questionnaire was also administered to the same respondents asking
them to rate their preferences for other brands in the ‘candy‐mouth‐fresheners ‘category.
This essentially provides us valuable information on how audiences are consuming brands
within the same product category.
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ANALY
YSIS
ADMIN
NISTERING TTHE QUESTIIONNAIRE
The queestionnaire developed for the Brand Asset Vaaluator Mod
del was adm
ministered o
on two
sets of cconsumers –
• First Set of consumer b
base were 8
82 in number, and thosse who resp
ponded to tthe
questionnaaire for the brand Happ
pydent (in contrast to tthe competition that exists in
the industrry)
• The Second
d set of consumer basee was 17 in number. Th
hey were assked to nam
me 3
other brand
ds in the “m
mouth fresh
hner” segme
ent apart fro dent. They then
om Happyd
responded to the same questionn
naire (as administered on consum
mers in the ffirst set)
4 brands (Haappydent and three otther brands named by them).
for all the 4
Note: Itt must be noted that, aall the consu
umers whosse responsees were con
nsidered vallid were
users off Happyden
nt.
The queestionnaire consisted o
of four categories namely, Relevan
nce, Esteem
m, Knowledgge and
Differen
ntiation, each having 8
8 sets of queestions each
h.
EVALUA
ATION OF TTHE RESPON
NSES
The datta set of 82 consumerss was used ffor “Brand U
Understand
ding”.
Following graph sh
hows the co
omparison o
of the four ccategories aas discussed
d above ‐
68.0
00
66.0
00
64.0
00
62.0
00
60.0
00
58.0
00
Series1
56.0
00
54.0
00
52.0
00
Brand Im
mage Measu
urement Page 18
The next step was to obtain the Brand Stature and brand Vitality values. Brand Stature value
was obtained as a percentage product of the Brand Esteem and Brand Knowledge values.
The Brand Vitality value was obtained as a percentage product of Brand relevance and
Brand Differentiation. The results were obtained on a 100 point scale (percentage).
Brand Stature 74.87341
Brand Vitality 85.03106
The results indicate the following –
• The brand vitality is high. This is due to high brand relevance or in another words,
the brand enjoys personal relevance among the customers and a lower (but still
high) brand differentiation score. Many of the respondents, interviewed pointed out
that easy availability is one reason why they have opted for Happydent.
• The brand stature is relatively lower. The major contributor here is the brand esteem
itself. Brand knowledge is comparatively far behind. This indicates that the
consumers don’t have considerable knowledge about the, but hold it in high esteem
and thus are willing to learn about it more.
Differentiation and Relevance of a brand taken together say a lot about a Brand’s strength
(Brand Vitality). These two pillars point to the brand’s future value, rather than just
reflecting its past.
Differentiation measures the distinctiveness or Margin opportunity of the brand. Relevance
measures the appropriateness or “Brand Appeal” of the brand.
The following graph shows the comparison between the percentage scores of
differentiation and relevance for the brand Happydent in the “candies mouth freshner’s”
industry.
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66.50
0
66.00
0
65.50
0
65.00
0
64.50
0 Series1
64.00
0
63.50
0
63.00
0
62.50
0
62.00
0
diffe
erentiation releevance
As can b
be inferred from the graph, the reelevance of the brand iis significantly greater than
the Diffferentiation
n, indicatingg that the brrand has be
ecome comm
moditized. Its uniqueness has
buy the brand. This is aan unhealth
faded aand price haas become tthe primaryy reason to b hy
pattern
n for the braand.
Esteem and Knowledge together create B
Brand Statu
ure, which iss a “Report Card” on a brand’s
past performance which determines the current pow
wer of the b
brand.
Esteem measures tthe Reputattion & Resp
pect or the aability of the brand to keep customers.
Knowleedge on the other hand
d measures the depth o
of understanding or “A
Affinity with
h the
brand”..
The following grap
ph shows the comparison between
n the percentage scorees of Esteem
m and
Knowleedge for thee brand Hap
ppydent in the “candiess mouth freeshner’s” ind
dustry.
Brand Im
mage Measu
urement Page 20
64.00
0
63.00
0
62.00
0
61.00
0
60.00
0
59.00
0 Series1
58.00
0
57.00
0
56.00
0
55.00
0
54.00
0
Esteem
E Kno
owledge
As it can be inferreed from the graph, the esteem of the brand is greater th
han the knowledge,
which im
mplies that the custom
mer would liike to know
w the brand better. Con
nsumers havve the
motivattion to find out more aabout the brrand. This iss considered a healthy pattern forr the
brand.
Next, a power grid
d was plotteed between Brand Vitality on the YY‐axis and B
Brand Stature on
n be seen, tthe brand “Happydent”” lies in the top right quadrant – w
the X‐axxis. As it can which
denotess “Leadersh
hip” in the ccategory.
Brand Im
mage Measu
urement Page 21
This possition indicaates that th
he Brand is aa leader in its categoryy, given the fact that it has
high estteem. Even though thee brand has low differe
entiation as compared to relevancce, it is
perceivved as a bettter productt by consum
mers because of its health utility.
The datta set of 17 consumerss was used ffor “Category Understaanding”.
The responses for consolidateed and the aaverage was taken outt for each off the four
parameeters, namely, knowled
dge, relevan
nce, esteem
m and differeentiation. B
Brand Staturre
(producct of brand esteem and
d brand kno
owledge) an
nd Brand Vittality (produ
uct of brand
d
relevan
nce and bran
nd differenttiation) valu
ues were caalculated forr each of th
he brands.
The highest value o
obtained fo n as 100th
or Brand Vitality and Brrand Staturee was taken
percenttile for the ccategory, an nds were calculated
nd percentiiles for rest of the bran
hencefo
orth. It was observed that Happyd
dent scored the maxim
mum score fo
or Brand Vittality
and Braand Stature in the category, and hence is the Leader as ffound out b
beforehand..
Brand Im
mage Measu
urement Page 22
QUESTIONNAIRE ADMINISTERED FOR QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH (A
SCREENSHOT)
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