A RESEARCH REPORT ON

BRAND AWARENESS OF THE BERKLEY ALUMNI FOR SESSION 2012

Submitted in complete fulfilment of requirements for the degree of MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Under the Guidance of MR. JAGDEEP SINGH (Assistant Professor in HRM Department

Submitted by Jatinder Pal Kaur (105422251234) (2010-2012)

THE BERKLEY COLLEGE

Affiliated to Punjab Technical University / A I.C.T.E. New Delhi.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
1

It is absolutely impossible for a single individual to complete the assigned job without help and assistance from others.

It is my greatest pleasure to acknowledge sincere gratitude towards Mr. Jagdeep Singh (Assistance Professor) THE BERKLEY COLLEGE , PATIALA, for the completion of the project work.

Mrs. Raman and Miss Sonia Batra for proof-reading and editing, Mr. Jagdeep Singh for his assistance in analysing the research data,
The library staff at THE BERKLEY COLLEGE for their

willingness to help.

My parents for their encouragement and financial support.

My friends who helped me a out to suggest ways for collecting and manipulating the data for this research.

Jatinder Pal Kaur

DECLARATION

I Jatinder Pal Kaur, Roll No : 105422251235, a student of MBA iv semester of THE BERKLEY COLLEGE hereby declares that the report titled Brand Awareness of THE BERKLEY alumni is my original work and the same has not been submitted for the award of any other qualification and has not been copied from anyone.

PLACE: PATIALA KAUR DATE:

NAME- JATINDER PAL

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify the Jatinnder Pal Kaur , reg.no.105422251235 has completed this project report under the title BRAND AWARENESS OF THE BERKLEY ALUMNI under my supervision. This is an original research carried by her to the best of my knowledge and it has not been submitted anywhere else for other educational courses.

Mr. Jagdeep Singh, (Head of mgt. dep.) The Berkley College, Patiala.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
4

To ensure a long-term successful product brand, it is important to build brand awareness, to reach the consumers mind, encourage a consumer to develop a preference and eventually provide a positive contribution to consumer decision-making. Therefore, there is a need to understand and identify the role of brand awareness in the purchase process. An understanding of students as consumers and their brand awareness is important to marketers, particularly as students are recognised as a specialised market segment for a variety of products. The research focused on identifying the differences, if any, in brand awareness and its role in students purchase of clothing and shoes (high-involvement products). A drop-off survey was used to collect the required empirical data from a convenience sample of 50 students and professors enrolled at THE BERKLEY COLLEGE PATIALA. The empirical findings showed that the alumni members are more aware of clothing and shoe brands . Advertising played an important role in the awareness of shoes and clothing brands. Brand elements were found to enhance brand awareness. The brand name was important for footwears, while the name and the logo played a role in awareness of clothing brands. The study deduced that differences in brand awareness between high-involvement and low-involvement products exist among the students. Marketers thus need to choose appropriate strategies to create and increase brand awareness for the different products. KEY WORDS: Brand Brand awareness Clothing Shoes The Berkley College

INDEX CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO MAIN TOPIC 8 - 13

5

1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5

Introduction Need for study Objectives of study Scope of research work Limitations of the research 14 - 28

CHAPTER 2: COMPANIES PROFILE 2.1 Introduction to shoe industry 2.1.1 NIKE 2.1.2 ADIDAS 2.1.3 REBOK 2.2 Introduction to textile industry 2.2.1 PEPE 2.2.2 LEVIS

2.2.3 KOUTONS
CHAPTER 3: REVIEW OF LITERATURE BRANDS AND BRANDING Overview All about branding Introduction to branding Purpose of branding Brand Identity Brand Effectiveness Brand and Reputation Brand Building Brand Brand Equity BRAND AWARENESS Introduction Brand functions Levels of Brand awareness Advertising Consumer Decision Making Factors affecting Consumer behaviour Benefits of Branding CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Problem Research Methodology
6

29 - 53 29 - 45

46 - 53

54 - 57

Sample Plan Methods of data collection Sample Design Research Instrument Questionnaire Design CHAPTER 5: DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION Analysis of questionnaire regarding Branded Shoes Analysis of questionnaire regarding Branded Clothes FINDINGS SUGGESTIONS CONCLUSION SAMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE 1 SAMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE 2 71 72 73 75 76 58 70

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

This research work has been done on BRAND AWARENESS of selected brands in clothing and shoes segment and it has been done on randomly selected students and the staff members.

In todays era, people are more aware about the markets, products, services, trends, fashion of present times and changing accordingly. So, it is very important for all the students, professionals, lecturers, teachers, celebrities, etc. to carry themselves with the changing time requirements. Students are the trend setters in the markets, because the youth of today is more aware about the emerging needs and satisfying elements for the same. The topic of BRAND AWARENESS is very vast and its not possible for an individual to include each and every element of this segment in a single report. I and my respectable guides have worked over this topic for 30 days and relevant material is taken in this after a long discussion.

NEED OF THE STUDY

Brand awareness, as one of the fundamental dimensions of brand equity, is often considered to be a prerequisite of consumers buying decision, as it represents the main 9

factor for including a brand in the consideration set. Brand awareness can also influence consumers perceived risk assessment and their confidence in the purchase decision, due to familiarity with the brand and its characteristics. On the other hand, brand awareness can be depicted into at least two facets unaided (brand recall) and aided (brand recognition) each of the two facets having its more or less effective influence on buying decision and perceived risk assessment. Every company has to adopt strategies to keep its brand in consumers memory. Strong brand awareness means easy acceptance of new products. An organization has to measure the level of awareness of the potential customers and has to adopt different strategies to enhance the awareness level and to identify the appropriate promotional tool. Brand awareness is asset which brand managers create and enhance to build brand equity. It is related to the nature and features of product. It leads to brand strength which is constituted by measuring the variable like leadership, stability, Market, geographic, trend, support and protection etc Creating brand awareness with the use of advertising, promotion event management etc. A different brand has different kind of awareness which retains recognition. Brand awareness satisfies a need of the consumer. A consumer as aims, ambitions, motivation drives and desire. Consumer feels more powerful when he uses the brand. Satisfactions or preference for a brand shows how loyal the consumer is likely to be brand. In todays competitive business scenario where every companies product is competing with each other retaining loyal customer is an essence for which increasing the level of brand awareness is very vital.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

10

The main objective of any business is to acquire larger market share, or higher percentage of sales in the industry. This could be only achieved by building a higher percentage of brand loyal customers through awareness. Any company can survive through the stiff competition of the market if it has brand loyal customer. Today many broking companies in the market have brand loyal customers and they adopt many strategies to maintain and improve their branded equity. Without creating proper brand awareness they cannot build brand image. Strong brands help build the corporate image and also by making it eager for the trading firms to launch new brands/services. Today brands/services are treated as major enduring assets of a company. More over brand equity is also a major contributor to customer equity. This all can happen only when there is proper brand awareness about the product/service. This study is under taken to analyze the brand awareness with respect to branded clothes and shoes. An attempt has been made to analyze the brand awareness of different brands included.

To know how they are aware about brands. To judge the awareness level of the prospect consumer
To judge in which way they have developed the awareness

To judge which promotional tool is effective to increase the awareness level among
the people

To see whether brand awareness influences the buying behavior or not To know how to maintain and improve brand awareness and to build brand loyalty To understand the customer feedback. To suggest areas of improvement to various brands for improving its brand
awareness.

Find out factors influencing the people at the time of purchasing such as Quality,
Durability, Variety, Price, And Use.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

11

The study is an analysis of brand awareness of different clothing and shoe brands. The study is carried out by interviewing 50 customers who were in the age group of b/w 20 to 45 years. It has been deliberately decoded to conduct the survey among this age group because they are the people who generally look for buying quality products with respect to price, brand, awareness, status, etc .

The study has only made a humble attempt of evaluation of customer feedback and
brand awareness based on different criteria. The study depicts that what the customers seek from specific brands, and how the various factors affect the brand awareness of various brand.

The brand awareness towards various brands in textiles and shoes has been carried
out at THE BERKLEY Campus. The survey conducted provides the details about the brand awareness levels of respondents responding to the products.

LIMITATIONS
12

 The objective of the study is to understand the awareness levels prevailing among
people regarding awareness of various brands only.

The study covers THE BERKLEY COLLEGE only and due to the limited sample
size, the facts relabeled in the study may not generalize. While calculating the percentages, approximations are made to the nearest figures, for convenience in understanding.

The analysis is based on customers opinion at the time of survey. Suggestions and
conclusions are based on the limited data. Due to time constraint the detailed information cannot be collected, but many efforts are taken to collect the actual information.

There was a constraint with regard to time allocation for the research study i.e. for a
period of 30 days.

13

CHAPTER 2 COMPANIES PROFILE

14

INTRODUCTION TO SHOE INDUSTRY

This project takes a look in various kinds of Merchandising activities, Market Share of different shoes and various Sales Promotion schemes, which are followed in the Sports shoes industry. The three major global players i.e. Nike, Adidas and Reebok dominate the sports shoes industry in India. India is one of few battle grounds in the world where there is neck-to-neck competition between the three. The companies claim to be in number one sport coating the data produced by two different marketing research companies. In India, most of the people belong to 18 to 35 years of age group. So, it is very genuine that most of the population belongs to youth category. The students and young working youth prefer brands for carrying shoes. Sports persons prefer sport shoes, due to the comfort level provided in them for easy walking, running, doing sports, etc. Working personnels prefer formal variety of shoes as they give a look of gentle person during the work. Professional companies have made it must to wear formal shoes at working hours in work place. The demand of branded shoes increases as the population of India has become more aware about the brands, quality products, pricing factor, style and fashion, durability and many more measures about the shoes. There has been a neck to neck competition between the top three shoe companies in India i.e. NIKE, ADIDAS and REEBOK.

INTRODUCTION TO NIKE
15

NIKE

Nike is the world's #1 manufacturer and marketer of athletic footwear and apparel. Almost out of the blue, the company established itself as one of the world's most familiar brands during the 1980s and 1990s. HISTORY Nike, originally known as "Blue Ribbon Sports", was founded by University of Oregon track athlete Philip Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman in January 1964. The company initially operated as a distributor for Japanese shoe maker Onitsuka Tiger , making most sales at track meets out of Knight's automobile. The Swoosh was first used by Nike on June 18, 1971, and was registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on January 22, 1974. The first shoe sold to the public to carry this design was a soccer shoe named Nike, which was released in the summer of 1971. In February 1972, BRS introduced its first line of Nike shoes, with the name Nike derived from the Greek goddess of victory. In 1978, BRS, Inc. officially renamed itself to Nike. Nike India has a large marketing network with over 1,500 showrooms, 27 wholesale depots and eight retail distribution centers across the country. Nike India has roped in Ogilvy & Mother for devising its festive season advertising. The job involves developing special communication directed towards the festival season shoppers.

POPULAR

BRANDS

Nike owns brands like Hush Puppies, Signor, Marie Claire Power, Sandak, Hawai, Naughty boy and Ambassador. It also distributes other brands such as Nike and Lotto. Focus on middle-class and upper class Nike will continue to focus on middle and upper class customers. It is introducing budget stores which will help customers to identify with the brand. It is also increasing focus on rural thrust for volume growth in the low-priced footwear segment. 16

MARKETING CHANNELS Promotional activities in shopping malls and department stores are the most popular promotional and sales activities, followed by discount/price reduction, TV commercials, discount coupons, promotional stands, exhibitions, buy-one- (or more) gets-one-free.

Quick review of company

Type: Industry: Founded: Founder(s) Headquarters: Key people: : Public Clothing and Sports equipment 1964 (as Blue Ribbon Sports) William J. "Bill" Bowerman Philip H. Knight Washington County, Oregon, United States Philip H. Knight (Chairman) Mark Parker (President and CEO) Products: Revenue: Operating income: Net income Total assets: Total equity: Employees Website : : Athletic shoes, Apparel, Sports equipment, Accessories US$ 19.014 billion (FY 2010) US$ 2.517 billion (FY 2010) US$ 1.907 billion (FY 2010) US$ 14.419 billion (FY 2010) US$ 9.754 billion (FY 2010) 34,400 (May 2010) www.Nike.com

INTRODUCTION TO ADIDAS

17

Adidas

Adidas was formed by German sports apparel by the founder Adi Dassler during the 1920s. For over 80 years, Adidas has been part of the world of sports on every level, delivering state-of-the-art sports footwear, apparel and accessories. Today, Adidas is a global leader not only in the shoe industry, but also in the sporting goods industry. Shoes from the Adidas are available in virtually every country of the world. . Besides sports footwear, the company also produces other products such as bags, shirts, watches, eyewear and other sports and clothingrelated goods. The company is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and the second biggest sportswear manufacturer in the world, after its American rival Nike. The companys clothing and shoe design typically involve three parallel stripes of the same color and the same motive is incorporated into Adidas official logos. HISTORY: The history of Adidas is one of consistently meeting the evolving needs of the athlete. Focusing more on function and less on fashion, Adidas strives to provide athletes with shoes that can make a noticeable difference in their performance. Meeting athlete needs is what makes Adidas the best. The company Adidas was founded in the early 1920s as Gebruder Dassler Schuhfabrik, in Herzogenaurach in Germany. Adolf Dassler designed a pair of sport shoes in 1925 and few years later he and his brother Rudolph were selling special shoes for tennis players and began design specific shoes for different sports. The family company split in 1948. After the split, Adolf (Adi) Dassler founded Adidas and his brother Rudolph founded Puma. The three-stripe logo was designed in 1941 by Adi Dassler and he registered it as a trademark for Adidas after the split. The strength of Adidas was its product innovation. Adi Dassler registered more than seven hundred 18

patents. Adidas began selling its shoes in the United States after 1968 and in few years the company dominated the American market. The most important marketing breakthrough was the active promotion of global sporting events, especially the Olympics. The connection of Adidas to the Olympics has a rich heritage. At the 1972 Olympic game in Munich, every official wore Adidas. Adidas has 107 subsidiaries in 20 countries, and exports to 160 countries. Activities of the company and its subsidiaries are directed from Adidas-Salomon AG's headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Adidas is a German sports apparel manufacturer, part of the Adidas-Salomon Das sler who

Corporation. Adidas was named after

its founder, Adolph ( Adi )

started producing shoes in the 1920s in Herzogenaurach near Nuremberg with the help of his fellow friend Cody. It registered as Adidas AG on 18 August 1949. The company's clothing and shoe designs typically include three parallel stripes of the same color, and the same motive is incorporated into Adidas' official logos.

ENHANCEMENT In the 1980s, Adidas sneakers became popular amongst teenagers and young men. The Adidas sneaker was popularized by the Run DMC song "My Adidas" and became a huge fashion trend.

A quick view
Type Founded Location Key people Public 1949 Herzogenaurach, Germany Adolph Dassler, founder Herbert Hainer, CEO Robin Stalker , CFO Andreas Gellner , Managing Director , India Industry Products Textile Footwear 19

Accessories

INTRODUCTION TO REEBOK

REEBOK
INTRODUCTION: Reebok is the world's third-largest maker of sneakers, athletic shoes and sports apparel. Goods are sold under the brands Reebok, Rockport and Greg Norman Collection. Reebok is also the official outfitter of the NFL. Adidas maintains its corporate headquarters in Germany and its North American headquarters in Portland, OR. Paul Fireman will remain as Chief Executive Officer of Reebok International Ltd. and will continue to lead the Reebok team. Reebok will continue to operate under its name and will retain its headquarters in Canton, MA.

HISTORY: Reebok's origins go back to 1895 when Joseph William Foster made running shoes with spikes in them. He formed a company called J.W. Foster and Sons which made shoes for top runners. The family-owned business made the shoes for athletes in the 1924 Summer Olympics. In 1982, Reebok introduced the first athletic shoe designed especially for women; a shoe for a hot new fitness exercise called aerobic dance. The shoe was called the Freestyle, and with it Reebok anticipated and encouraged three major trends that transformed the athletic footwear industry: the aerobic exercise movement, the influx of women into sports and exercise and the acceptance of well-designed athletic footwear by adults for street andcasual wear Reebok went public in 1985.

20

A quick view of REEBOK Type Founded Headquarters Products Key people Brands Website Private 1895 ( as J.W.Foster) 1958 ( as REEBOK) Germany Shoes and apparels Paul Fireman (CEO) Reebok, Greg Norman www.reebok.com

21

INTRODUCTION TO TEXTILE INDUSTRY The textile industry is the largest industry of modern India. It accounts for over 20 percent of industrial production and is closely linked with the agricultural and rural economy. It is the single largest employer in the industrial sector employing about 38 million people. If employment in allied sectors likes ginning, agriculture, pressing, cotton trade, jute, etc. are added then the total employment is estimated at 93 million. The net foreign exchange earnings in this sector are one of the highest and, together with carpet and handicrafts, account for over 37 percent of total export earnings at over US $ 10 billion. Textiles, alone, account for about 25 percent of Indias total for ex earnings. Textile industry includes raw material for production of clothes, machinery for production, thread for weaving, etc. All these materials increase the demand of all the same things and their production. Clothing is considered is a major part of anyones personality as it reflects the persons taste, style, economic well being, capability to spend on clothes, and status. The major part of todays generation is very conscious about their clothing. They take it as a status symbol. Brand are very common this time. Youth gets attracted towards brands due to appeal, style, fashion, etc. Fashion keeps on changing so the textile industry make changes from time to time in the styles of their garment productions. For the global fashion industry, India is a very big exporter of fabrics and accessories. All over the world, Indian ethnic designs and materials are considered as a significant facet for the fashion houses and garment manufacturers. In fabrics, while sourcing for fashion wear, India also plays a vital role as one of the biggest players in the international fashion arena. India's strengths not only depend on its tradition, but also on its raw materials. World over, India is the third largest producer of cotton, the second largest producer of silk and the fifth largest producer of man-made fibres.

22

INTRODUCTION TO PEPE JEANS

Pepe is a premium international brand from London offering fashionable, stylish, trendy and fashionable jeans and casual wear. Pepe is very distinctively positioned, as a brand for the youth with a strong attitude; A brand not only for the youth but also for everyone who is young at heart. Pepe speaks about young, appealing , cool, fashionable, independent, self confident personality who exudes an attitude that says I am what I am. Pepe Jeans London entered the Indian market in 1989 and today is the No.1 international premium denim brand in India. Pepe Jeans is an absolute casual wear brand and sells everything one would associate with casual wear like casual cotton shirts, denim shirts, light-weight jeans, t-shirts, shirts, jackets cotton casual pants and accessories such as bags, caps, belts, wallets, wrist bands etc. Thus Pepe Jeans London has transcended from a jeans brand to a complete lifestyle brand today.

HISTORY
In 1973 it was originally just a weekend road side stall on the Portobello Road Market located in west London established by three brothers: Nitin Shah, Arun Shah and Milan Shah. Nitin and his three brothers later started their own company Sholemay Ltd trading, as Pepe Jeans. The brand was named "Pepe", because it was a short word that could be written without much trouble. By 1975, the number of market stalls grew to four. One of the stalls was stationed at Kensington Market, which was the selling place of many denim sellers who found success in the jean biz. With the expansion of their business, the brothers opened a Pepe Jeans boutique at Kings Road, London. After that, they opened another boutique at Carnaby Street and a 25,000-feet office and warehouse at the Avonmore Trading Estate. Through the 1980s, the denim company achieved European prominence. Pepe Jeans was launched in India in 1989. The brand is currently the leading player in the premium jeans and casual wear segment, enjoying a market share of more than 25 percent.

23

The songs "Heart and Soul" and "How Soon Is Now?" were used to advertise the brand in 1987 and 1988 respectively. Also the supermodel Kate Moss first advertising campaign was for Pepe Jeans.

Target Market
In India a very large audience falls under the age group 25 and 35 years respectively and that is the age group Pepe targets. It strongly focuses on youth between 16 to 25 years of age, offering fashionable jeans wear. Pepes positioning has been consistently fashionable and stylish in terms of communication (advertising and promotions). Pepe planned to use the outdoor medium to be highly visible at all strategic locations in the targeted cities.

Market in India
The total size of the denim market is estimated to be at Rs 2000 crore. The denim market in India is growing at the rate of 10 15 per cent per year. Pepe Jeans contributes around 25 per cent in the premium jeans and casual wear market.

Marketing strategy
Its present strategy is to strongly focus on innovation and quality. Pepe Jeans believe that it has to be the right blend of both fabric and style to create the perfect product. Hence, focus most certainly is both. In terms of marketing communications Pepe Jeans aims to continue working on a 360 approach thus involving both above the line and below the line activities. Pepe Jeans advertises its brand campaigns heavily through hoardings & billboards across the country and most of the top fashion magazines. This medium helps to create brand imagery by associating ourselves with the fashion space and being seen around the top international fashion brands. In order to reach a larger audience Pepe Jeans also advertises in leading English dailies across major cities. All these aim at creating the visibility, top of the mind recall with the end consumers. These above the line activities are strongly backed by point of sales material, innovative window displays and larger than life visual images in the Pepe Jeans stores, reinforcing the communication received by the consumers through above the line initiatives. This also increases the consumer interaction with the brand and its product line.

24

A quick view of PEPE JEANS

Type Founded Founders Private 1973 Nitin shah, Arun shan, Milan shah Brands Headquarters Industry Pepe Jeans London Clothing

INTRODUCTION TO LEVIS
HISTORY: Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&CO) is a privately held clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. It was founded in 1853 when Levi Strauss came from Buttenheim, Franconia, (Kingdom of Bavaria) to San Francisco, California to open a west coast branch of his brothers' New York dry goods business. Although the company began producing denim overalls in the 1870s, modern jeans were not produced until the 1920s. The company briefly experimented (in the 1970s) with employee ownership and a public stock listing, but remains owned and controlled by descendants and relatives of Levi Strauss' four nephews. Modern jeans began to appear in the 1920s, but sales were largely confined to the orking people of the western United States, such as cowboys, lumberjacks, and railroad workers.

25

Levis jeans apparently were first introduced to the East during the craze of the 1930s, When vacationing Easterners returned home with tales (and usually examples) of the hardwearing pants with rivets. Another boost came in World War II, when blue jeans were declared an essential commodity and were sold only to people engaged in defence work. From a company with fifteen salespeople, two plants, and almost no business east of the Mississippi in 1946, the organization grew in thirty years to include a sales force of more than 22,000, with 50 plants and offices in 35 countries. In the 1950s and 1960s, Levi's jeans became popular among a wide range of youth subcultures. Levi's popular shrink-to-fit 501s were sold in a unique sizing arrangement; the indicated size was related to the size of the jeans prior to shrinking, and the shrinkage was substantial. The company still produces these UN shrunk, uniquely sized jeans, and they still sell very well although popular remains the original design.

A quick view over LEVIS

Company type Founder Founded in Headquarters Area served Key people Industry Brand names Private Levi Strauss LEVIS (1873), Dockers (1986), Levi Strauss (2003) San Francisco, California, U.S. Worldwide Richard L. Kauffman (chairman) John Anderson (president & CEO) Clothing Levis, Dockers, Signature by Levi Strauss.

26

INTRODUCTION TO KOUTONS

Koutons Retail India Ltd. is the leading retailer of readymade and fashion wear brand in the country today. With more than 1400 outlets across India, it has a wide range of apparel designs suited for all segments including corporate, formal and casual dressings. Koutons aptly creates the conducive environment for a family outing, making family shopping the best experience at an affordable price - all at one place. Koutons was born in 1991 as Charlie Creations and are now Koutons Retail India Ltd. Koutons started primarily as a denim brand but are today manufacturing and selling complete men, women and kids wardrobe under the brand name Koutons, Les Femme and Koutons Junior respectively. Another brand from the stable of Koutons is Charlie Outlaw, which caters to the teens of the country with apparels including jeans, T- shirts, jackets etc. Koutons Brand is catering to the Upper & Upper Middle Class of Society with a vast target age group between 18-60 years. "Value for Money and High on Fashion" being their USP, Koutons has given the brand an extension delving into specific consumer segments. The garments are made keeping in view the overall need of the niche market and the basic/fashion demand of the Indian masses. Our product range also caters to the tastes of all segments. Our Brand is placed as the most dynamic brand of India.

27

A quick view of KOUTONS

Type Founded Founders Brands Private, retail 1991 Charlie Koutons, Les Femme, Koutons Junior Headquarters Industry INDIA Clothing

28

CHAPTER 3

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

29

Overview Brand awareness is the first and prerequisite dimension of the entire brand knowledge system in consumers minds, reflecting their ability to identify the brand under different conditions: the likelihood that a brand name will come to mind and the ease with which it does so. Brand awareness can be depicted into brand recognition (consumers ability to confirm prior exposure to the brand when given the brand as cue) and brand recall (consumers ability to retrieve the brand when given the product category, the needs fulfilled by the category, or some other cues). Brand awareness is essential in buying decision-making as it is important that consumers recall the brand in the context of a given specific product category, awareness increasing the probability that the brand will be a member of the consideration set. Awareness also affects decisions about brands in the consideration set, even in the absence of any brand associations in consumers minds. In low involvement decision settings, a minimum level of brand awareness may be sufficient for the choice to be final. Awareness can also influence consumer decision making by affecting brand associations that form the brand image. The outcome of any brand choice can only be known in the future, the consumer being thus forced to deal with uncertainty. Brand choice could be considered the central problem of consumer behavior, while the perceived risk associated to buying decisions is a pivotal aspect of brand choice. Risk is often perceived to be painful in that it may produce anxiety, in which case it must be dealt in some manner by the consumer. All About Branding: The term brand means different things to the different roles of buyer and seller, with buyers generally associating brand with a product or service, and merchants associating brand with identity. Brand can also identify the company behind the specific product -- that's not just a biscuit, that's Britannia biscuit. This use of brand puts a "face" behind the name, so to speak,

30

even if the "face" is the result of advertising copy and television commercials. This use of brand also says nothing of quality, just the buyer's exposure to the brand's PR and media hype. For the typical merchant, branding is a way of taking everything that is good about the company -- positive shopping experience, professionalism, superior service, product knowledge, whatever the company decides is important for a customer to believe about the company -- and wrapping these characteristics into a package that can be evoked by the brand as signifier.

Introduction to Branding:
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as A name, term, sign, symbol or design or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group and to differentiate them to those for competitors. A brand is thus a product or service thats adds a Dimension that differentiates it in some way from other products or services designed to satisfy the same need. These differences may be functional, rational, or tangiblerelate to product performance of the brand. Branding has been around for centuries as a means to distinguish the goods of one producer to those of another. The earliest signs of branding can be traced to Europe where the medieval guilds required that craftsmen put trademarks on their product to protect themselves and producer against inferior quality substitutes. Also in fine arts branding began with artists signing their works. Brands today play a number of important roles that improve the consumers lives and enhance the financial value of firms. Brands identify the source or maker of the product and allow consumers-either individual or organizations- to assign responsibility to a particular manufacturer or distributor. Consumers may evaluate the identical product differently depending how it is branded. Consumers lean about the brand with its past experience and the marketing program. As consumers lives becomes more complicated, time starved the ability of brand to simplify decision making is invaluable. Brands also perform valuable functions for the firm. First they simplify the product handling and tracing. Brands help to organize inventory and accounting records. The brand name can be protected registered trademarks. The intellectual property rights ensure that the firm can safely invest in the brand and can reap the benefits over a long period of time. Brands can signal a certain level of quality so that satisfied buyers can easily choose the product again. Brand loyalty provides predictability and security of demand for the firm and 31

creates barriers to entry that makes it difficult for other firms to enter the market. This brand loyalty can translate into willingness to pay higher price. In this sense branding can be seen as powerful means to secure a competitive advantage. Brands represent enormously valuable pieces of legal property that can influence consumers behavior. Strong brand results in better earnings and profit performance for firms, which in turn, creates greater value for shareholders. How do you BRAND a product? Although firms provide the impetus to brand creation through marketing programs and other activities, ultimately a brand is something that resides in the mind of the consumers. A brand is a perpetual identity that is rooted in reality but reflects the perceptions and perhaps even the ultimate choice of the consumers. Branding is endowing products and services with the power of brands. To brand a product, it is necessary to teach the consumers who the product-by giving a name. Branding involves creating mental structures and helping consumers organize their knowledge about products and services in a way that clarifies their decision making and in process provides value to the firm. Brand is the proprietary visual, emotional, rational, and cultural image that you associate with the company or a product. When you think of Volvo, you think of safety. When you think of Nike, you think of Michael Jordon or Just Do It. When you think of IBM, you think of Big Blue. The fact that you remember the brand name and have positive associations with that brand makes your product selection easier and enhances the value and satisfaction you get from product. It is emotional relationship with brands that make them so powerful. Purpose of Branding: The purpose of branding is to create a powerful and lasting emotional connection with customers and other audiences. A brand is a set of elements or brand assets that in combination create a unique, memorable, unmistakable, and valuable relationship between an organization and its customers. The brand is carried by a set of compelling visual, written and vocal tools to represent the business plan and intentions of an organization. Branding is the voice and image that represents your business plan to the outside world. What your company, products and services stand for should all be captured in your branding strategy, and represented consistently throughout all your brand assets and in your daily marketing activities 32

The brand image that carries this emotional connection consists of the many manageable elements of branding system, including both visual image assets and language assets. The process of managing the brand to the business plan is important not only in big change situation where the brand redefinition is required, but also in the management of routine marketing variables and tactics. This does not have to be a ground-up situation where there are wholesale changes to the business. Rather it is more common that specific changes to the changes to the business plan are incremental and the work of the brand strategist and designer is to interpret these changes and revise the branding strategy and resulting brand assets and define their use in the full range of marketing variables. Brand Identity: Brand Identity includes brand names, logos, positioning, brand associations, and brand personality, brand toons etc. A good brand name gives a good first impression and evokes positive associations with the brand. A positioning statement tells what business the company is in, what benefits it provides and why it is better than the completion? Brand personality adds emotion, culture and myth to brand identity by the use of a famous spokesperson (Bill Cosby-Jello), a character (Pink Panther), an animal (the Merrill lynch bull) etc. Brand associations are the attributes that costumer thinks of when they hear or see the brand name. McDonalds television are a series of one brand association after another, starting in yellow arches in the low right corner of the screen and following with associations of Big Mac, Ronald MacDonald, kids, happy meal, food quality etc. The first step in creating a brand for your company is branding workshop. Tools for Building Brand Identity: Brand builders use a set of tools to strengthen and project the brand image; Strong brands typically exhibit a slogan, a color or a symbol. Slogan: Many companies successfully added a slogan or tagline to their brand name which is repeated in every ad they use. Here are some well-known brands slogans, which people on the street may easily recall or recognize:

33

COMPANY British Airways Ford LIC

SLOGAN The worlds favorite airline Quality is our number one job Jeevan ke saath bhi jeevan ke baad bhi

Symbols and Logos: Companies would be wise to adapt a symbol or logo to use in their communications. Many companies hire a well-known spokesperson, hoping that his or her quality transfer to the brand. Nike uses Michael Jordon who has worldwide recognition and likableness, to advertise its shoes. Sporting goods manufacturers sign contracts with top athletes to serve as their symbols, even naming the product after them. Cartoons and Animations: A less expensive approach is to develop a character, animated, to etch the brands image into customers mind. The advertising agency Leo Burnett has successfully created a number of memorable animated characters. Here are some well known brand cartoons which people may recognize:

Company Amul Butter McDonalds All Out mosquito Repellent Pillsbury 7 Up

Cartoon or Animation Utterly Butterly Girl Ronald Louis Doughboy Fido Dido

Objects:

34

Companies have developed many logos or abstracts, which are easily remembered by people. Even the way the brand name is written makes a brand recognizable and memorable. Brand Effectiveness: With an increase in global competition, branding has become a source of competitive advantage. In rapidly evolving market for consumer, and industrial products and services, the source of next generation competency will be branding. In this briefing we demonstrate how to calculate the brand strength, the price premium associated with the products categories, and type of customers attracted to the Premium Products. Marketers who match their brand with customers needs will have a sustainable competitive advantage. Measuring Brand Effectiveness: There are many metrics to measure the potential of and actual effectiveness of brands. The simplest way is to apply the concept of what we call the 4 Ds of Branding; differentiation, distinctiveness, defendable, digit-able. Distinctiveness: your brand should be distinct when compared to your competitors and to all spoken and visual communications to which your target audiences will be exposed. The more unique and distinct your communications, the wider the filed of effective competitive strength it will have. There are simple means to apply to test the distinctiveness of your brand. Differentiation: the brand strategy and brand assets must set youre offering apart and clearly articulate the specific positioning intent of your offering. Defendable: you will be investing in creating your brand assets and in all cases your brand must have proprietary strength to keep others from using close approximations. This applies to your trade names and other proprietary words as well as to your logos, symbols and other visual assets. Digit-able: in most businesses there is strong and growing element of electronic communications and commerce that dictate all brand assets be leveraged effectively in tactile and electronics form. This goes for all brand assets. Much of the brand managers work is to build a brand image. But its job doesnt stop there. The rand manager needs to make sure that brand experience matches the brand image. Much can go wrong. A fine brand of canned soup described in a full page color ad may be found in

35

dented and dusty condition in the bottom shelf of a supermarket. The ad describing a gracious hotel chain is belied by the behavior of a surly concierge. Building brand therefore calls for more than brand image building. It calls for managing every brand contact that customer might have with brand. Since all the employees, distributors and dealers can affect brand experience. Brand and Reputation: A brand exists in the mind, or not at all. The mind it exists in may be that of a customer, a potential customer, an interested observer, a disinterested observer... or almost anybody. Awareness of a brand may be irrelevant to any purchasing decision that an individual may make. People are aware of the Mercedes car brand, but cannot envisage any circumstance under which they would (could!) buy a Mercedes. They are aware of Marlboro (and scores of other cigarette brands) but as a non-smoker they will never convert their awareness into purchase. Male with no children are not targeted by Pampers or Huggies but still are aware of the brands. They have no idea what an Intel chip is, but might be persuaded that it is a good thing to have and therefore buy a computer from a company that uses them. Brand Aware argues that there is no difference between "Brand" and "Reputation". Some conventional wisdoms state that customers buy brands, but that investors buy reputations. Those potential employees join companies because of their reputation. This part argues that such distinctions are fallacious for all companies, but especially for single brand companies such as a NIKE, LEVIS and PUMA. These companies reputations are part and parcel of their brand. Their brands are their reputation. The Brand: To any individual a brand (in his mind) is a complex combination of experiences, beliefs, perceptions and associations that have grown up over time. It is a brand which may represent (to any one individual) diversity, internationality, technical excellence, financial strength etc. etc. It may also mean insensitivity, environmental pollution, abuse of power and other negative perceptions. Perceiving the Brand: An individual builds up his perceptions of a brand via a wide range of communications channels. They are as follows: 36

Experience:

The most powerful influence is experiential. This is when the individual

actually has a "Brand experience". Advertising: Over time an individual who lives in a country in which the company/brand is active, or travels to one on business or vacation, will be exposed to their advertising. This advertising may be in a wide range of media: TV commercials for products and services Recruitment ads inviting employment applications "Corporate" TV commercials promoting the company's "reputation" Web based advertising An ad for the companys branded products or services in a wide variety of print media. Billboards on highways Radio Point of sale etc. Media Reports and Stories: Individuals will be exposed to a wide variety of reports about companies in the media (print and broadcast) where the editorial content is only partly influence able by the company (in some cases) or not at all (in most cases). These stories will come from a variety of primary and secondary sources: Press releases Press conferences Reporting of "events" Investigative journalism Stories passed to the media by third parties (Non governmental organizations etc.) Professional/Business Interest: For some individuals to interface professionally, or from a specific business need, with famous companies (or to observe them) is part of their job. They will usually procure their information from a variety of sources and via a variety of channels

37

of communication. These individuals have a special interest in the companies and they include: Financial analysts and journalists with an interest in share performance Existing or potential suppliers of products and services Existing or potential industrial/commercial customer. Celebrity endorsement : "Studies show that using celebrities can increase consumers' awareness of the ad, capture [their] attention and make ads more memorable" Building the Brand The art of marketing is largely art of brand building. When something is not a brand, it will probably be viewed as a commodity. Then price is the thing that counts. When price is the only thing that counts then the low cost producer wins. But just having a brand is not enough. What does the brand name mean? What associations, performances and expectations does it evoke? What degree of preferences does it create? Choosing a Brand Name: A brand name first must be chosen then its various meanings and promises must be built up through brand identity work. In choosing a brand name, it must be consistent with the value positioning of the brand. In naming a product or service the company may face many possibilities: it could choose name of the person (Honda, Calvin Klein), location (American airlines), quality (Safety stores, Healthy choice), or an artificial name (Exxon, Kodak). Some of the Desirable qualities of a Brand Name: It should suggest something about the product benefits. It should suggest product qualities such action or color It should be easy to pronounce, recognize and remember; short names help a lot to recognize the product to the customers. It should be distinctive. It should not carry poor meanings in other countries and languages etc.

38

Building Positive Associations: The best known brand names carry associations. For example, here is a list of words that people say they associate with McDonalds: Kids Fun Happy Meal Ronald Mc. Donald Quality Toys

In trying to build a rich set of positive associations for a brand, the brand builder should consider five dimensions that can communicate meaning: Attributes: A strong brand should trigger in buyers mind certain attributes. Thus a Mercedes automobile attributes a picture of well-engineered car that is durable, rugged and expensive. If a car brand does not trigger any attribute, then it would be a weak brand. Benefits: A strong brand should suggest benefits, not just features. Thus Mercedes triggers the idea of well performing car that is enjoyable to drive and prestigious to own. Company Values: A strong brand should connote values that the company holds. Thus Mercedes is proud of its engineers and engineering innovations and is very organized and efficient in its operations. The fact that it is a German company adds more pictures in the mind of the buyers about the character and the culture of the brand. Personality: A strong brand should exhibit some personality traits. Thus if Mercedes were a person we would think of someone who is middle age, serious, well-organized and somewhat authoritarian. If Mercedes were an animal we might think of lion or its implied personality. Users: A strong brand should suggest the type of people who buy the brand. Thus we would expect Mercedes to draw buyers who are older, affluent and professional. 39

In summary, brands when their very name connotes positive attributes, benefits, company values, personality and users in the buyers mind. The brand builders job is to create a brand identity that builds on those dimensions. Choosing Brand Elements: Brand elements are those trademarks devices that serve to identify and differentiate the brand. Most strong brands employ multiple brand elements. Nike has distinctive swoosh logo, the empowering Just Do It slogan and the mythological Nike name based on the winged goddess of victory. Brand element can be chosen to build as much as brand equity as possible. The test of the brand building ability of these elements is what consumers think or feel about the product if they only knew about the brand element. A brand element provides positive contribution to brand equity. Brand Element Choice Criteria There are six criteria in choosing brand element. The first three can be characterized by brand building in terms of how brand equity can be build through judicious choice of brand element. The latter three are more defensive and are concerned with how the brand equity contained in the brand element can be leveraged and preserved in the face of various opportunities and constraints. Memorable: How easily is the brand element recalled? How easily recognized? Is this true at both purchase and consumption? Short brand name like tide, Nike can help. Meaningful: To what extent is brand element credible and suggestive of the corresponding category? Does it suggest something about a product ingredient or a type of person who might use the brand? Likeability: How aesthetically appealing does consumers find the brand element? Is it inherently likeable visually, verbally, and in other ways? Concrete brand names such as Wheel, Sunsilk etc evoke much imagery. Transferable: Can a brand element be used to introduce new products in the same or different categories? To what extent does the brand element add to brand equity across geographic boundaries and market segments?

40

Adaptable: How adaptable and updatable is the brand element? Betty corker received 8 makeovers through the years-although she is 75 yrs old, she doesnt look a day over 35.

Protectable: How legally protectable is the brand element? How competitively protectable? Can it be easily copied? It is important that names that become synonymous with product categories such as Kleenex, Xerox, Jell-O, etc retain their trademarks rights and not become generic.

Brand elements can play a number of roles. If consumers do not examine much information in making their product decisions, brand elements should be easily recognized and recalled and inherently descriptive and persuasive. Memorable or meaningful brand elements can reduce the burden on marketing communications to build awareness and link brand associations. The different associations that arise from likeability and appeal of the brand elements may also play a critical role in the equity of brand.

What is Brand Equity? There is no universally accepted definition of brand equity. The term means different things for different companies and products. However, there are several common characteristics of the many definitions that are used today. From the following examples it is clear that brand equity is multi-dimensional. There are several stakeholders concerned with brand equity, including the firm, the consumer, the channel, and some would even argue the financial markets. But ultimately, it is the consumer that is the most critical component in defining brand equity. Some researchers in the field of marketing have defined brand equity as follows: Lance Leuthesser, et al (1995) writes that " brand equity represents the value (to a consumer) of a product, above that which would result for an otherwise identical product without the brand's name. In other words, brand equity represents the degree to which a brand's name alone contributes value to the offering (again, from the perspective of the consumer)." The Marketing Science Institute (1988) defines brand equity as, "The set of associations and behaviors on the part of the brand's customers, channel members, and parent corporations that permit the brand to earn greater volume or greater

41

margins than it could without the brand name and that gives the brand a strong, sustainable, and differentiated advantage over competitors." Brand Equity can be Defined as Three Distinct Elements: 1) The total value of a brand as a separable asset -- when it is sold or included on a balance sheet. 2) A measure of the strength of consumers' attachment to a brand. 3) A description of the associations and beliefs the consumer has about the brand. Of those three concepts, the first can be classified as "brand valuation," the second "brand loyalty," and the third "brand description." Brand loyalty will be a factor that affects the overall brand value, and brand description will usually affect or explain some of the brand loyalty. Because of the importance of each of these elements of brand equity, they will each be briefly explained. Brand Equity as Brand Value: Brand value involves actually placing a dollar or rupee value on a brand name. The reasons for doing this are usually to set a price when the brand is sold and also to include the brand as an intangible asset on a balance sheet (a practice which is not used in some countries). While there are many methods for making this measurement, some of which will be described shortly, it is important to note that there is a significant difference between an "objective" valuation created for balance sheet purposes, and the actual price that a brand may get when sold? A brand is likely to have a much greater value to one purchaser than another depending on the synergy that exists. For acquisitions, the value of a brand to a certain purchaser is often estimated through scenario planning. This involves determining what future cash flows the company could achieve if it owned and took advantage of the brand. What this means is that there is no such thing as an absolute value for a brand, and brand value needs to be considered as only one component of the overall equity of a brand. Brand Equity as Brand Loyalty: Loyalty is a core dimension of brand equity and is a way to gauge the strength of a brand. It represents a barrier to entry, a basis for a price premium, and time to respond to

42

competitive innovations. The variety of measures used for brand loyalty usually is a combination of one or more of the following: Price/demand measures-focus on a brand's ability to command a higher price or make consumers less sensitive to price increases than price increases for competing brands. Behavioral measures-focus on consumers' behavior. Attitudinal measures-focus on general evaluative measures such as 'liking' or 'disliking.' Awareness measures-focus on identifying a brand as being associated with a product category. Brand Loyalty and Equity refer to the notion that some brands are "stronger" or better than others. So marketing strategies could be putting money into (or out of) the brand equity bank account. But the question is as always how do we know? That is are we actually building the brand with all our advertising (or other brand building 4 ps decisions e.g., limited / premium distribution rights, high price, fancy packing, after sales service, extended warranties).So, hopefully you have got the idea - theories about brand loyalty and equity are used to represent aspects of brand strength. This "strength" can take a number of forms, e.g., consumers predominantly buying your brand, which might be represented by a high share of category requirements, or high proportion of sole-buyers. Consumers saying good things about your brand, e.g., having a positive brand Attitude, it might be the ability to charge a price premium. It might be the ability to not be substituted when out of stock. Future strength might be in terms of some sort of long-term competitive advantage or the ability to sustain brand extensions. Brand Equity as Brand Description Brand description, the final component of brand equity, concerns the actual attributes of the brand. These attributes or associations are major creators of brand loyalty. A wide variety of techniques exist for matching consumer associations with perceptions of a brand. These techniques can be both qualitative and quantitative. They work by getting the

43

respondent to link each brand with pictures or words. These attributes then can be measured with multi-dimensional scaling to position the attributes relative to one another. Qualitative Measures of Brand Equity: The Brand Equity Ten are ten sets of measures grouped into five categories, which attempt to gauge the strength of a brand. The first four categories represent customer perceptions of the brand along the four dimensions of brand equity- loyalty, perceived quality, associations and awareness. The fifth includes two sets of market behavior measures. Loyalty Price Premium: A basic indicator of loyalty is the amount a customer will pay for a product in comparison to other comparable products. A price premium can be determined by simply asking consumers how much more they would be willing to pay for the brand. Customer Satisfaction: A direct measure of customer satisfaction can be applied to existing customers. The focus can be the last use experience or simply the use experience from the customer's view. Perceived Quality and Leadership Measures Perceived Quality: is one of the key dimensions of brand equity and has been shown to be associated with price premiums, price elasticities, brand usage and stock return. It can be calculated by asking consumers to directly compare similar brands. Leadership/Popularity: has three dimensions. First, if enough consumers are buying into the brand concept it must have merit. Second, leadership often taps innovation within a product class. Third, leadership taps the dynamics of consumer acceptance. Namely, people are uneasy swimming against the tide are a likely to buy a popular product. This can be measured by asking consumers about the product's leadership position, its popularity and its innovative qualities. Associations/ Differentiation Measures Perceived Value: This dimension simply involves determining whether the product provides good value for the money and whether there are reasons to buy this brand over competitive brands.

44

Brand Personality: This element is based on the brand-as-person perspective. For some brands, the brand personality can provide links to the brands emotional and self-expressive benefits. Organizational Associations: This dimension considers the type of organization that lies behind the brand. Awareness Measures Brand awareness: reflects the salience of the product in the consumer's mind and involves various levels including recognition, recall, brand dominance, and brand knowledge and brand opinion. Market Behavior Measures Market Share: The performance of a brand as measured by market share often provides a valid and dynamic reflection of the brand's standing with customers. Price and Distribution Indices: Market share can prove deceptive when it increases as a result of reduced prices or promotions. Calculating market price and distribution coverage can provide or more accurate picture of the product's true strength. Relative market price can be calculated by dividing the average price at which the product was sold during the month by the average price at which all the brands were sold. The World Strongest Brand Share 10 Attributes: 1. The brand excels at delivering the benefits consumers truly desire. 2. The brand stays relevant. 3. The pricing strategy is based on consumer perceptions of value. 4. The brand is properly positioned. 5. The brand is consistent. 6. The brand portfolio and hierarchy makes sense. 7. The brand makes use of and co-ordinates a full repertoire of marketing activities to build equity. 8. The brand is given proper, sustained support. 9. The brands manager understands what the brand means to customers. 10. The company monitors source of brand equity. 45

BRAND AWARENESS INTRODUCTION

BRAND AWARENESS is referred to the knowhow of existence of various brands in a particular segment to buy the product. It is a process though which brand awareness is created by the marketer in the market. Most commonly, advertising is done for the purpose of making people aware about the particular brand. A influences the choice of consumer groups in various aspect as price of product, quality provided, etc. To attract new customers and maintain existing ones, organisations need a

distinguishing element that will make consumers identify and buy their products. Such an element can be a successful product brand. An important step in ensuring a successful product brand, is to create and build brand awareness, reach consumers minds, and encourage consumers to develop a preference for the brand. Brand awareness is essential for the whole process to occur as for consumers to buy a brand, they must first be made aware it. Young consumers play an important role in the marketplace as they exert much influence on the allocation of spending power across a growing number of product categories. Many young consumers are students, and thus represent a specialised market segment for a variety of goods and services. Therefore, an understanding of students brand awareness is very important to marketers.

46

This study investigated TBC Alumni awareness of clothing and shoes brands. The link between brand awareness and brand functions, advertising, brand elements and consumer decision-making, was also investigated, taking cognisance of differences based on gender and ethnic group. Brand awareness is the first step in building brand equity and is the foundation of brand knowledge. Brand awareness consists of brand recognition and brand recall. Brand recognition requires consumers to correctly identify a brand as being previously seen or heard. Brand recall requires consumers to correctly retrieve the brand from memory when given the product category. In addition, brand awareness can also be classified into three levels, namely, brand recognition (lowest level), brand recall (next level) and top of mind recall (highest level). Advertising and brand elements as marketing elements can create and enhance brand awareness. Different advertising media play different roles in brand awareness. Brand elements such as the brand name, logo, symbol, slogan and package serve to identify and differentiate the brand. Brand awareness also plays an important role in consumer decision-making by influencing which brands enter the consideration set, using a heuristic (simple decision rule) to choose brands from the consideration set and by its influence on the perception of quality.

Brand functions The brand provides a landmarking function, a decision simplification function, a guarantee function, a personalisation, social and status function and a pleasure-giving function for consumers . These functions were relevant to respondents purchase of clothes and shoes to different degrees. The personalisation, social and status function and guarantee function played a more significant role in the case of clothing. The decision simplification function is particularly relevant to buying shoes. It thus seems evident that in purchasing a low-involvement product, brands have a decision simplification and a guarantee function, while brands have various functions in the case of high-involvement products. Marketers of clothing and shoes in turn could use advertising and promotion to introduce their product brand. An attractive label could help to reflect a wearers self-identify and social identity.

47

1. Landmarking function: 2. Decision simplifying 3. Guarantee 4. Social and status 5. Pleasure giving

Levels of brand awareness Brand awareness exists on three levels, namely, brand recognition, brand recall and top of mind recall (Mariotti 1999). Brand recognition: In this, the respondents give a view of weather knowing the specific brand or not. Brand recall Top of mind : The customer is identified if he/she reminds the brand. : It shows what is the first preference and liking of the customer.

Advertising Advertising plays important role in creating and increasing brand awareness. However, the empirical findings showed that the role of advertising differ among the three products. Advertising played an important role in awareness of sportswear shoes and clothing brands, while it was far less important for coffee. With respect to sportswear shoes and clothing products, in-store advertising and magazine advertising played an important role in creating brand awareness, while newspaper, radio and Internet advertising were unimportant. Although advertising did not seem to play an important role in awareness of coffee brands, in-store advertising and television advertising were more important than other media in creating brand awareness. Marketers of coffee can thus successfully employ in-store advertising and television advertising to create and enhance the brand in consumers minds, while marketers of sportswear clothing and shoes could use instore and magazine advertising to achieve and enhance brand awareness.

48

In addition, black and

female students were particularly attracted by advertising for

sportswear shoes and clothing, indicating their likelihood of noticing applicable advertising.

Brand elements Keller (2003b) suggested that brand elements could be chosen to enhance brand awareness. The empirical findings supported these views. The brand elements enhanced brand awareness but plays different roles in the case of the two selected products. Brand name and logo were important for sportswear shoes and clothing products. Hence, respondents seemed to pay more attention to brand names in low-involvement situations, while in high-involvement situations, they also attach importance to other brand elements. Marketers of clothing and shoes could concentrate on the brand name and the logo. An attractive logo and symbol, together with a short, easy to pronounce and easily remembered name could be effective in creating and enhancing brand awareness. The role of brand elements differed based on gender and ethnic group. This implies that there is a relationship between demographic variables, brand elements and brand awareness. Consumer decision-making As explained in the literature review, brand awareness plays an important role in consumer decision-making by influencing which brands enter the consideration set; which of the brands are used as a heuristic (simple decision rule); and the perception of quality (MacDonald & Sharp 2000). Hoyer and Brown (1990) found that brand awareness is used as a heuristic in low-involvement situations such as the preference of peanut butter where consumers may engage in little active search for information to aid their choices. This theory was supported by the findings of the current study with respect to coffee. The findings of the current study also showed that brands tend to represent a particular perception of quality. Taylor and Cosenza (2002) state that most consumers establish their brand preferences between the ages of 15 to 25. Marketers to students could utilise the potential opportunities to create brand awareness and brand preference among this group of consumers and so establish future preferences and possible brand loyalty.

49

Factors influencing consumer behavior Consumer purchases are influenced strongly by or there are four factors. 1. Cultural Factor 2. Social Factor 3. Personal Factor 4. Psychological Factor. 1. Cultural Factor:Cultural factor divided into three sub factors (i) Culture (ii) Sub Culture (iii) Social Class Culture:The set of basic values perceptions, wants, and behaviors learned by a member of society from family and other important institutions. Culture is the most basic cause of a persons wants and behavior. Every group or society has a culture, and cultural influences on buying behavior may vary greatly from country to country. Sub Culture :A group of people with shared value systems based on common life experiences and situations. Each culture contains smaller sub cultures a group of people with shared value system based on common life experiences and situations. Sub culture includes nationalities, religions, racial group and geographic regions. Many sub culture make up important market segments and marketers often design products. Social Class:- A Almost every society has some form of social structure; social classes are societys relatively permanent and ordered divisions whose members share similar values, interests and behavior.

2. Social Factors:A consumers behavior also is influenced by social factors, such as the (i) Groups (ii) Family (iii) Roles and status

50

Groups :Two or more people who interact to accomplish individual or mutual goals. A persons behaviors are influenced by many small groups. Groups that have a direct influence and to which a person belongs are called membership groups. Some are primary groups includes family, friends, neighbors and coworkers. Some are secondary groups, which are more formal and have less regular interaction. These include organizations like religious groups, professional association and trade unions. Family:- Family members can strongly influence buyer behavior. The family is the most important consumer buying organization society and it has been researched extensively. Marketers are interested in the roles, and influence of the husband, wife and children on the purchase of different products and services. Roles and Status :A person belongs to many groups, family, clubs, and organizations. The persons position in each group can be defined in terms of both role and status. A Role consists of the activities people are expected to perform according to the persons around them.

3. Personal Factors:It includes : Age and life cycle stage : Preferences keep on changing from time to time as every person moves forward in maturity stages. Occupation: It affect the awareness and usability of branded products most. Economic situation: usability of branded shoes and clothes depend upon the income level of the person. If he cannot afford the high brand prices, he has nothing to do with BRANDS. Life Style: It depicts the way of living a person has adopted. Brands provide various products based on this category of customers. Personality and self concept: Personality refers to the sum total of a persons attributes including likes and dislikes, priorities , etc. 51

4. Psychological Factors:It includes these Factors. Motivation: motivation is encouragement done by self or others for doing or not doing something. Brands motivate people using celebrity endorsements, discounts. And other promotion schemes. Perception: It is the result of what we thing about some product or anything. Perception plays important role consumer decision making. Learning: It is the process of getting knowledge of anything. Brands give us knowledgeable information that is must for customer before buying any product or service. Mental satisfaction: This is a final stage, a person when reaches there, feels excellent and left with no complaints.

Branding benefits buyers as well as sellers in the following manner

To Buyer:

1. Help buyers identify the product that they like/dislike. 2. Identify marketer 3. Helps reduce the time needed for purchase. 4. Helps buyers evaluate quality of products especially if unable to judge products
characteristics.

5. Helps reduce buyers perceived risk of purchase. 6. Buyer may derive a psychological reward from owning the brand, i.e., Rolex or
Mercedes.

52

To Seller: Differentiate product offering from competitors Helps segment market by creating tailored images, i.e., Contact lenses Brand identifies the companies products making repeat purchases easier for customers. Reduce price comparisons Brand helps firm introduce a new product that carries the name of one or more of its existing products...half as much as using a new brand, lower co. designs, advertising and promotional costs. Example, BPL telephones. Easier cooperation with intermediaries with well known brands Facilitates promotional efforts. Helps foster brand loyalty helping to stabilize market share. Firms may be able to charge a premium for the brand.

53

CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

54

Research problems

Consumers preference about the different branded shoes and clothes

Research methodology :

Exploratory method

SAMPLING PLAN Sample Methods Sample size Primary data Random Simple Sampling 50 Questionnaire

SAMPLE While deciding about the sample of research, it is required from the researchers point to pay attention to these under mentioned points: a) Sample Units: A decision has to be taken concerning a sampling unit before selecting a sample, sampling unit may be a geographical one such as state, district, village Etc. so in this research sampling unit is PATIALA area. b) Source of data: Data required for the study was collected through primary sources i.e.

Market Survey. and the market area is: PATIALA. c) Sampling size: This refers to the no. of items to be selected from the universe to constitute a sample. This is a major problem before the researcher. The size of sample should

55

neither be excessively large not too small, it should be optimum. This size of population must be kept in view for this also limits the sample size .Sample size in this research is 50.

.METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION Actually data is of two kinds which are followinga) Primary Data: Primary data are those, which are collected fresh and for the first time and this happen to be original in character. Primary data Primary data is personally developed data and it gives latest information and offers much greater accuracy and reliability. There are various sources for obtaining primary data i.e., Mail survey, personal interview, Field survey and observation approach etc. The study is dependent on primary data to a maximum extent, which is collected by way of structures personal interview with customers. b) Secondary Data: Secondary data are those data which have already been collected by someone else and which have already been used as per required. Secondary data Secondary data is the published data. It is already available for using and its saves time. The mail source of secondary data are published market surveys, government publications advertising research report and internal source such as sales, sales records orders, customers complaints and other business record etc. the study has also depended on secondary data to little extent, which is collected through internal source. For this survey personal interview method was used for collecting primary data. This survey was conducted by face to face interview customers and found to be best suited to collect the primary data for this project. There are basically two sources to collect secondary data a) Internally: Provided by the company/organization 56

b) Externally: Various publication of central, state and local Government. Books, magazines, newspapers Internet After only keeping in mind one can think about what type of data has to be collected during research as our research is concerned I have to gather primary data for Customer preference. For the purpose of study, both primary and secondary data has been collected. The observational method and survey research method is used to collect the primary data. The survey research method is used to gain insight into the brand awareness of the customers towards clothing and shoe brands. The main research instruments used the required data is a well-structured questionnaire. A detailed questionnaire has been prepared to reflect the opinions of the customers towards the brand awareness and administered to the same. The necessary data has also been collected from official records and other published sources. The collected data is classified, tabulated, analyzed and interpreted. Finally conclusion is draw based on the study and suggestions are offered for improving the brand awareness of various clothes and shoe brands.

SAMPLE DESIGN: For ascertaining the brand awareness towards the clothes and shoes, 50 customers have been randomly selected from THE BERKLEY COLLEGE only.

RESEARCH INSRUMENTS: The instrument that best suits my research is questionnaire which has been made by my own. QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN: As the questionnaire is self administrated one, the survey is kept simple and user friendly. Words used in questionnaire are readily understandable to all respondent. I have made the questionnaire in which questions are according to the research and these are convenient for the respondents.

57

The questionnaire has been designed in two parts as demanded by the research work I am carrying on. First part of the questionnaire contains questions about the first section i.e. branded shoes. Second part of the questionnaire is based on questions about the branded clothes. All the questions are contributing to my research work for understanding it in a better way. Each questionnaire part is containing 10 questions having multiple choice of responses.

CHAPTER 5 DATA INTERPRETATION & ANALYSIS

58

ANALYSIS OF RESPONSES REGARDING BRANDED SHOES

1 : Do you ask for a specific brand by name?

SR.NO. 1 2 3 PARTICULARS YES
NO TOTAL

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 39 5 50

PERCENTAGE 72% 28% 100%

28% 72%

YES NO

INTERPRETATION: The analysis of this query reveals the result that most of the people have their preferences regarding brands, and they often ask for them.

59

2 : Which brand do you generally use for shoes?

SR.NO. 1 2 3 4 5 PARTICULARS NIKE
ADIDAS REEBOK OTHERS

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 12 17 14 7 50

PERCENTAGE 24% 34% 28% 14% 100%

Total

14% 24% 28% 34%

nike adidas reebok others

INTERPRETATION : The research shows that most of the population surveyed

have a strong preference for adidas shoes. There is equal population that use shoes of nike and reebok.

3 : Has any sports shoes advertisement(on TV/in a magazine) made an impact on you?
SR.NO. 1 2 3 4 PARTICULARS NIKE
ADIDAS REEBOK TOTAL

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 12 20 18 50

PERCENTAGE 24% 40% 36% 100%

60

36%

24%

nike adidas reebok

40%

INTERPRETATION : Adidas has an effective advertising tool that influences

customers to a great extent. 4 : Are you satisfied buying this brand?

SR.NO. 1 2 3 PARTICULARS YES
NO TOTAL

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 36 14 50

PERCENTAGE 72% 28% 100%

28%

yes
72%

no

INTERPRETATION: Most of the people buying a specific brand are satisfied with that.

61

5 : Do you buy shoes which are advertised attractively?

SR.NO. 1 2 3 PARTICULARS YES
NO TOTAL

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 35 15 50

PERCENTAGE 70% 30% 100%

30%

yes no

70%

INTERPRETATION: People get awareness about brands from advertisements and are influenced by them.

6 : Do you buy shoes which are advertised and endorsed by celebrities?

SR.NO. 1 2 3 PARTICULARS YES
NO TOTAL

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 28 22 50

PERCENTAGE 56% 44% 100%

62

44% 56%

yes no

INTERPRETATION: Celebrity endorsement helps companies to attract and retain customers. In India, people have great fan following. 7 : Which mode of advertisement is the best form for advertising?
SR.NO. 1 2 3 4 5 PARTICULARS TELEVISION
E-MAILS SMS ROAD HORDINGS

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 17 7 8 18 50

PERCENTAGE 34% 14% 16% 36% 100%

Total

television 36% 34% e-mail sms 14% road hordings

16%

63

INTERPRETATION : People say that most of them are attracted towards the advertisements through road hordings and television.

8 : Which promotion tool do you prefer?

SR.NO. 1 2 3 4 PARTICULARS DISCOUNTS
OFFERS FREEBIES TOTAL

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 25 15 10 50

PERCENTAGE 50% 30% 20% 100

20% 50% 30%

discounts offers freebies

INTERPRETATION: Most of the population surveyed believes that discounts contribute to customer attention, attraction and brand awareness.

64

ANALYSIS OF RESPONSES REGARDING BRANDED CLOTHES 1. Do you buy branded clothes?

SR.NO. 1 2 3 PARTICULARS YES NO TOTAL NO. OF RESPONDENTS 44 6 50 PERCENTAGE 88% 12% 100%

12%
yes

88%

no

65

INTERPRETATION: The research shows that almost all the TBC alumni prefer to bye branded clothes. 2. Which brand you prefer most?
SR.NO. 1 2 3 4 5 PARTICULARS PEPE
LEVIS KOUTONS OTHERS

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 11 12 18 9 50

PERCENTAGE 22% 24% 36% 18% 100%

Total

18%

22%

PEPE LEVIS KOUTONS

36%

24%

OTHERS

INTERPRETATION : Most of people prefer KOUTONS as its a well known

INDIAN brand. 3. How consistent are you to this brand?

SR.NO. 1 2 3 4 5 PARTICULARS 0 1 yr
1 2 yr 2 3 yr More than 3 yrs

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 6 14 20 10 50

PERCENTAGE 12% 28% 40% 20% 100%

Total

66

20%

12% 28%

0 - 1 yr 1 - 2 yr 2 - 3 yr more than 3 yrs

40%

INTERPRETATION : Most of the population surveyed accepted that they are

consistent towards their brand from 2 to 3 years of time. 4. What factors influences you for preferring specific brand?
SR.NO. 1 2 3 4 5 PARTICULARS ADVERTISEMENT
BRAND NAME GOOD WORD OF MOUTH MARKET SHARE

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 9 26 11 4 50

PERCENTAGE 18% 52% 22% 8% 100%

Total

8% 18% 22%

advertiseme nt brand name good word of mouth market share

52%

INTERPRETATION : People get influenced mostly by the brand name.

67

5. Which attribute of the product is important for you?

SR.NO. 1 2 3 4 5 PARTICULARS PRICE
QUALITY DURABILITY STYLE

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 8 19 11 12 50

PERCENTAGE 16% 38% 22% 24% 100%

Total

24%

16%

PRICE QUALITY DURABILIT Y STYLE

22%

38%

INTERPRETATION : Quality of the product is the major concern for people while buying clothes.

6. How often you shift to brands?

SR.NO. 1 2 3 4 PARTICULARS VERY OFTEN
OCCASIONALLY NEVER TOTAL

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 14 20 16 50

PERCENTAGE 28% 40% 32% 100%

68

32%

28%

VERY OFTEN OCCASION ALLY NEVER

40%
INTERPRETATION : People sift to other brands occasionally as offers and discounts are available. 7. What inspires you to buy the particular brand?
SR.NO. 1 2 3 4 PARTICULARS BRAND NAME
SLOGANS BRAND AWARENESS TOTAL

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 25 4 21 50

PERCENTAGE 34% 14% 16% 36%

BRAND NAME

42%

SLOGANS

50%
BRAND AWARENES S

8%

INERPRETATION : People say that they get inspired to bye that brand because of its brand name.

69

8. Does the celebrity endorsement help in brand awareness?

SR.NO. 1 2 3 PARTICULARS YES
NO TOTAL

NO. OF RESPONDENTS 39 11 50

PERCENTAGE 78% 22% 100%

22%
YES NO

78%

INTERPRETATION : Celebrity endorsement help in awaring people as they pay attention to celebrity preferences.

70

FINDINGS

The research tool used as questionnaire has been analysed and I have found some results that are useful for the companies, as well as customers.

80 % of the total customers ask for their specific brand. ADIDAS is most preferred brand for shoes by 35 % customers. 36 % of ALUMNI members of TBC prefer to buy KOUTONS clothes. Customers are preferred to buy product that are economic (30 %), comfortable (28%),
and best quality products (38 %) . Customers of a specific brand are consistent towards the same from one to three years. 25 % of the customers have reported that they get influenced by brand name. 40 % of customers get influenced by ADIDAS advertisement. 72% of customers are satisfied by buying a specific brand. An equal no. of customers around 36 % say that TV and road side advertisements are best advertising tools for advertisements. 40 % of the customers shift to another brand on occasion bases. 25% of customers go for bran due to brand name and brand awareness. 50 %^ of people say that discounts are a tool to prefer. 71

78% of customers believe that celebrity endorsement is helpful in creating brand awareness.

SUGGESTIONS

Nike and Reebok should work on publicity . Companies should focus and work on customer satisfaction and customer retention. Effective advertisement should be done by Nike and ADIDAS. Prices of shoes and clothes should be economic. Companies should provide occasional discounts, freebies and offers. Coupons should be provided as they may act as promotional tool. Celebrity or fan following in India is very often. Offers like one on one free should be introduced .

Television should be used more for advertisement and brand awareness of shoes and
clothes. The product should satisfy the financial and status aspect of the customer. The product quality must be improved Company may go for reposition its brand image.

72

In research we found that all the costumer are accepting the repositioning of kouton to family store

Company must makes strategies for rural market.

CONCLUSION

Fashion in India is at the threshold of a new era. People are becoming mere brand conscious with the increase in income level. Brands and individuals would do well to understand the finer aspects of the scenario, and venture out to capitalize on the opportunities. This research work has been limited to brand awareness of two segments that are major i.e. Shoes and Clothes. The area for research is also limited so we cannot take it an exact calculation, although it is an appropriate knowledge about brand awareness and customers including various aspects that are must in industry. This study reveals various factors that influence and contribute to influence customers regarding the brand awareness of selected companies.

73

BIBLIOGRAPHY Books: Kotler Philip & Keller Kevin. MARKETING MANAGEMENT: Parry, Mark E., STRATEGIC MARKETING MANAGEMENT: Saxena Rajan, MARKETING MANAGEMENT: Kotler Philip, KOTLER ON MARKETING:

Websites:www.koutons.com www.nike.co www.adidas.com www.koutonsindia.com www.levis.co www.scribd.com

74

Personal views and knowledge:I hereby must declare that apart from the content taken from various books, internet journals, other helping material, I have contributed my own experience and knowledge to this research work. Most of the research work has been primary in nature as it has been presented for the first time and is processed information under the supervision of my project guide.

SAMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE 1 Brand Awareness in Clothing brands

QUESTION 1. Do you buy branded clothes? OPTIONS : Yes No QUESTION 2. Which brand you prefer most? OPTIONS : Pepe Levis Koutons Others QUESTION 3. How consistent are you to this brand? OPTIONS : 0 1 year 1 2 years 2 3 years More than 3 years ( ) ( ) ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

QUESTION 4. What factors influences you for preferring specific brand? OPTIONS : Advertisements ( ) Brand name ( ) Good word of mouth ( ) Market share ( ) QUESTION 5. Which attribute of the product is important for you? OPTIONS : Price ( Quality ( Durability ( Style ( QUESTION 6. How often you shift to brands? OPTIONS : Very often Occasionally Never QUESTION 7. What inspires you to buy the particular brand? 75 ) ) ) )

( ) ( ) ( )

OPTIONS

: Brand name Slogans Brand awareness

( ) ( ) ( )

QUESTION 8. Does the celebrity endorsement help in brand awareness? OPTIONS : Yes ( ) No ( )

SAMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE 2 Brand Awareness of shoes brands

QUESTION 1 : Do you ask for a specific brand by name? OPTIONS : YES ( ) NO ( ) QUESTION 2 : Which brand do you generally use for shoes? OPTIONS : NIKE ( ) ADIDAS ( ) REEBOK ( ) OTHERS ( ) QUESTION 3 : Has any sports shoes advertisement(on TV/in a magazine) made an impact on you? OPTIONS : NIKE ( ) ADIDAS ( ) REEBOK ( ) QUESTION 4 : Are you satisfied buying this brand? OPTIONS : YES NO ( ) ( )

QUESTION 5 : Do you buy shoes which are advertised attractively? OPTIONS : YES ( ) NO ( ) QUESTION 6 : Do you buy shoes which are advertised and endorsed by celebrities? OPTIONS : YES ( ) NO ( ) QUESTION 7 : Which mode of advertisement is the best form for advertising? OPTIONS : TELEVISION ( ) E-MAILS ( ) SMS ( ) 76

ROAD HORDINGS

( )

QUESTION 8 : Which promotion tool do you prefer? OPTIONS : DISCOUNT ( ) OFFERS ( ) FREEBIES ( )

77