CASE STUDY NO-1.

CASE-1. Marketing of Services

The other day, one of the delivery boys from a courier company of international repute
brought an important document to be delivered to me. It becoming a working day, I was
not at home; and my wife who is also a working lady, was also not at home. The delivery
boy had left a slip stating that he missed me and provided some numbers to be contacted
for further assistance. The next day being a Saturday, I made it a point to be at home so
that when the courier boy made the next trip, I was around to collect the document. When
he did not turn up even by 3.30 pm, I rang up their number provided by the delivery boy.
After explaining my case to the girl who picked up the phone, I was asked to furnish
the 10 digit airway bill number. I promptly furnished the required information based on
what the delivery boy had mentioned in his note. The girl presumably fed the number
given by me to the computer. Apparently, there was some mistake in the number and the
computer asked for the correct number The girl, in turn, asked me to furnish the correct
airway bill number. In spite of my pleading with her that there was no way I could access
the correct number, she regretted her inability to be of any help to me.
I then found the cell number of the delivery boy and to my dismay, it contained only 9
digits. I stayed back home despite had some urgent personal work but the delivery boy
skip my place. The next day being Sunday, there was no way the delivery boy was going
to come back to deliver my document. On Monday morning, before leaving for work, I
wrote a letter of authorization in favor of the security guard. To my great relief, when I
returned home late in the evening, I was handed over the document by the security guard.

CASE- 2

I have availed home loan under the HOME SAVER scheme offered by one of the
multinational banks. I am sure the bank does not expect customers to visit them for every
small query.. Unfortunately, there tele-banking executives are quite short of the skills and
training required to man those position. The other day, when I called one of the customer
service executive regarding certain clarification in the monthly statement received, to my
utter surprise, the lady who took the call did not have the updated statement on her
system. When I expressed my dissatisfaction over the way my queries were handled, after
consulting her supervisor, she suggested that I fax her the lateset statement of account, so
that she could get back to me with the information I needed.
I was not particularly impressed with her suggestion and choose to visit the branch and
finally got my queries resolved with the help of customer service executive whom I met
in person.
This is just not one incidence reflecting total lack of concern provided by the service
providers.

Such gross lack of concern for customers may not have much impact on the top lines and
bottom lines of service firms in the short term. But the long term effects are not difficult
to predict.
Question-1) Why should service industries be customer-centric? What are the benfits of
being customer-centric?

Question-2) Suggest at least 5 points to enhance the service levels for better connectivity
with the customers in both the cases.

Question-3) As a Manager in service industries, list down the service gaps on the basis of
knowledge, design and delivery needs in both the cases.

Question-4)What could be the role of communication and technology should we adopt

to rectify the service failure in these above cases.

CASE STUDY NO-2

DIRECT TO HOME TELEVISION

September 15,1959, was a letter day in India’s entertainment history, when it witnessed
the first telecast from New Delhi by India’s national television network--- popularly
known as Doordarshan or DD. Television in India entered a new phase, with the
restricted entry of private and foreign players in 1992. The spiraling operating costs led to
channels reorienting themselves as pay channels and entering into strategic alliances to
become a part of larger networks—in turn—resulted in the cable operator facing
customer complaints for frequently hiking cable rentals. These regular disputes led to the
ideas of Conditional Access System (CAS) in 2001. CAS involved the transmission of
cable television signals through wires routed through a small device called Set Top Box.

DIRECT- TO- HOME

Unlike in the case of CAS, in DTH the signals are accessed using a small personal dish
antenna, and a set top box is used to decode the signals. All the signals are digital and
unlike CAS, the delivery is wireless, thus eliminating the necessity of a cable operator as
an intermediary. India, currently, has six DTH operators and the seventh one expected
shortly.

DISH TV
This is the first DTH service provider in India and was recently the leader in the DTH
market, roping in Shah Rukh Khan as its brand ambasssdor. It made a pitch of “Stop
being santust ( ie satisfied). It offers 240 national and International televisions and audio
channels. It has an array of package---- ranging Rs.113 to Rs.238 per month and with
several payment options.
DD DIRECT PLUS

It is India’s first and only free DTH services and offers 59 TV & 21 radio channels. There
is only one time expenditure on installation of about Rs. 3500 to Rs. 5000. DD has given
10,000 STBs free of cost to anganwadies, schools and youth clubs in areas not covered
by cable TV. It has subscriber base of around 3-4 million.

TATA SKY

It was launched in India on August 8, 2006. and managed a subscriber base of 4 million.
It has 171 channels and 10 interactive services. It comes at a cost of Rs. 1499 and the
activation fee is Rs.1000, with the packages ranging from Rs.125 to Rs 310 per month.
Tata sky has also introduced an exchange scheme, thereby subscriber can return the old
STB for the advanced version.

BIG TV, Aiertel Digital TV, Vidiocon D2H Service,Sun Direct are other DTH providers
and are engaged in superstars endorsement and huge advertisement campaigns.
Conventional trade channels like telephone booths, grocery shops, etc. are targeted by
them.
The skies are truly open for a DTH war and the customers are lured by all the marketing
masalas and offerings.

Questions based on above case study.

Question 1) .Explain the market oriented strategic planning for conquering the DTH
market.

Question-2) Do the SWOT analysis of the DTH market.

CASE STYDY NO-3

SENSORY BRANDING.

In today’s highly competitive global environment, companies, on a constant basis, have

to find new ways to position their brands in consumers’ mind. No amount of advertising
and sales promotions can do any good if a brand does not confer a distinctive benefit.
Brands need to be geared up to provide a complete package of functional, sensory and
emotional experiences. Touching and triggering all the five senses of the consumers—
touch, smell, sight, sound, and taste – creates a compelling brand experience. The more
multi-sensory appeal that a brand has, the higher is the number of sensory triggers
activated and resultantly, higher the bonding between the brand and the consumer.
Sensory branding attempts to foster a lasting emotional connect between the brand and
the consumer, using a deliberate design and deployment of interaction with the senses. In
brand communication, all the five senses need to be evoked to create optimum impact on
the consumer.
Automobile Industry.
Sensory branding was pioneered by the automobile industry. The industry made effective
use of sound and smell at appropriate touch points to make an impact on prospective
buyers. By the late 1990s, General Motors and Diamler Chrysler had departments that
researched on the right kind of sound that the doors of the car should make, when
potential buyers slam them hard. The prospect slams the door hard and the sound, thus,
resulting gives him/her cues on the durability and solid engineering of the car. The sound
enhances values, such as sturdiness, safety and trust of the brand. The car, thus, becomes
a total concept from a form, touch and sound viewpoint.
Smell is something that is not left to chance too. Rolls Royce has long recognizes the
scent of new car as one of the most potent tools for cementing a love affair between the
car and the new owner and takes utmost care to ensure that the smell emanating from a
car is appropriate for a luxury car.
Telecom Industry.
Several telecom companies in India have adopted signature music to help their target
audience identify and connect with the company and its offerings. Airtel, has shared a
long relation with A R Rahman, who composed the signature tune for it, which has
become almost synonymous with the brand. The tune is one of the world’s most
downloaded piece of mobile music, with over 60 million downloads. More recently, we
have signature music from DoCoMo being played repeatedly through its television
commercial.
Kellogg’s.
Kellogg’s stand for crunchiness. If it is Kellogg’s, it has to be crunchy; otherwise it is
considered unfit for consumption even if the taste is perfect. It is the sound of the crunch
which we hear that is strongly behind the success of the brand. The crunch that we hear
when the product is crushed between the teeth is more important than any other aspect of
the commercial.
Coca-Cola.
The coca-cola bottle exemplifies tactile branding. The shape of the bottle is so unique
that it can be identified by merely holding it, even in the dark. “We need a bottle—a
distinctive package that will help us fight substitutions…… we need a bottle, which a
person will recognize as a Coca-Cola bottle even when he feels it in the dark. The bottle
should be so shaped that, even if broken, a person can tell what it was….” . Wrote the
company’s legal counsel. The bottle was nicknamed “the Hobble Skirt”. (Hobble skirt
was long skirts tied together at the ankles). The bottle was a commercial success, so
much so that it received a place at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Singapore Airlines.
In 1990, Singapore Airlines commissioned an aroma – Stefan Floridian Waters—to boost
its corporate identity. The aroma becomes an integral element of branding at Singapore
Airlines. The new branding tool was surprisingly an aroma comforting the olfactory
senses of the passengers. The fragrance of Stefan Floridian Waters formed an important
part of the total experience of the passengers and become a distinct trademark of
Singapore Airlines.

Retail.
In the context of retailing, the ambience of the store, including background music,
lighting and smell, are all ingredients of sensory branding. The ladies floor of Shoppers’
Stop or “W” has a special smell that attracts women, inducing them to spend more time
and, hence, more money.

It is true that a brand cannot impart aroma via TV set or a newspaper. Nevertheless, there
is nothing stopping an aroma from being fully integrated with the brand in other ways.
The idea is to engage customers on a wide range of touch points to create an impactful
brand.

Question-1) How strongly does a particular sense come to your mind in association with
the brand? How is the association? Is it Positive or negative? Please cite real life
examples apart from the brand discussed above in the case.

Question- 2) Does the association evoke any memories and emotions? Is the association
really distinctive and meaningful?

CASE STUDY NO-4

EMOTIONAL MARKETING

Emotional marketing is a highly successful method that is used by marketers to both

attract and retain customers. The main aim is to connect to customers’ hearts. It is seen
that emotional thoughts stimulate people’s minds faster than rational thoughts. Emotional
marketing is all about considering the feelings and needs of customers and finding ways
to take advantage of the same to achieve higher volumes of sales. Most marketers are
now adopting this because of the realization that the emotional route can be effectively
used to change consumers’ attitude towards their products. Now-a-days companies are
using emotional advertisements to evoke favorable reaction from consumers. Emotion
based marketing offers competitive advantages to marketers in developing strong
relationship with consumers.

Many of the advertisements these days have a strong element of emotion touch to them,
which draws consumers to connect with the brands being advertised. For example, the
advertisement for Johnson & Johnson baby care products and those for various insurance
products most often attempt to influence consumers through emotions. Brands which are
not able to make an emotional connect gradually lose out to competing brands which are
able to use emotional marketing effectively. The success of emotional marketing is
established when customer experiences the product. Once companies are able to deliver
their promise, they can establish a long-time their presence in the consumers’ heart

When people think of emotional marketing, they are likely to visualize weepy and
heartrending sentiments. However, emotional marketing can also make people smile and
even laugh, if they have a tinge of humor in them. When people laugh, they feel good. If
people feel good, while viewing a marketing communication, they will feel good about
the company and its product.

By understanding the target consumers and their needs, one would be better prepared to
add value to one’s product offerings and to satisfy their needs. Choosing the right
emotion at the right time for the right consumers will help in generating better sales
revenue. There are many emotions that a company can use to draw the attention of the
target audience. However, one must be careful about customers’ emotion when
communicating promises. The promises should have some positive impact on the
consumers’ mind and heart. Companies should ascertain that the emotions they are
incorporating in their communications are relevant and that the claims they are making
about their products and services are truthful.

Finally, emotional marketing is a powerful tool for marketers to attract customers

towards their products, services and brands. It helps marketers to improve customer
loyalty and achieve their sales targets. It has a great impact on customers’ mind. In
today’s scenario where there is intense competition, the companies, that adopt emotional
marketing, have an edge over the others who do not. It yields the desired results and is
gaining increasing popularity with marketers.

Question-1) What is the relative importance of various factors( including price, motions,
etc.,) that influence consumer decision making while selecting any product and brand
during purchasing.

Question-2) What is the impact of emotional marketing on the minds and hearts of
consumers? Do you consider emotional marketing as ethical or unethical? Support your
views with examples.

Question- 3) List down 10 products / brands which uses the techniques of emotional
advertising with their copyright slogans.
 CASE STUDY NO-5

LIMITED EDITION

According to Wikipedia, an online encyclopaedia, the term “Special Edition”; when used
in marketing, intends to give the product something new and previously unseen in the
regular edition. Limited Edition carries a sense of immediacy and exclusivity as the
products would only be available for a short time and/or in limited numbers.

The term “Limited Edition” has its origin in the publishing industries where limited
numbers of copies of books are printed with top quality impressions. These limited
editions are sold at a premium price.

Although limited edition are sold at premium, there are many FMCG companies which
have implemented this concept minus the premium price. The industries which are using
this concept are automobiles and luxury lifestyle products such as wrist watches, designer
wear, etc. Of late, India has witnessed several products with the stamp of “Limited
Edition’.
There can be variety of motivations for a marketer to launch products as limited or
special editions. The reason can range from long-term strategy for building a brand to
survival strategy to save an ageing brand.

Although there are many advantages to using limited editions as strategic marketing tool,
these are expensive for both the company and consumers because of the small volumes.
Most often, the exact return from these limited edition are not quantifiable. It is also
possible that some limited edition can turn to be failures and thus, effect the equity of the
parent brand. The much-hyped and much –advertised limited edition--- Vanilla Coke----
was a dismal failure because most customer did not like the taste. Maruti once launched a
two-door version of its popular Zen car, but the varient failed to generate the desire
response in the market.

Marketers have to make sure that there is a compelling reason for the consumer to buy
the limited edition product at a premium. Another important factors that determines the
success of limited edition strategy is the truthfulness of the claim of being ‘Limited’. If
the company advertises that the product is available in only limited quantities but in
reality releases unlimited quantities to the market, then consumer will feel cheated. The
charm and the exclusivity of limited edition would be lost if this happens. Marketers
should not expect to drive volumes through limited editions. Rather, they should focus on
the qualitative outcomes like renewed customer interest, brand image etc.
Question-1) Does the limited edition products/brands induces Brand Rejuvnation?
Support your reasons with examples.

Question-2) Does the limited edition products requires Test Marketing? How they are
useful with customer connect.?

Question-3) Celebrity endorsement during Events/Occasions/Festivals is for creating

Hype in the markets. Support your views quoting relevant examples.