There are about two hundred words that describe personality characteristics, and these can be used for putting personality into brands. To illustrate how people think in personality terms when making judgments about brands, here are the results of consumer research into how people feel about tow companies. When asked question: “if these companies are people, how would you describe them?” their replies were:
These two companies are actually competitors in a service industry. If you were asked of these two companies you would like to be your fiends, you would probably choose company B, as did 95% of other respondents. It is not surprising that the service level of company B can be better experience for customers than that of company A. it is also easy to conclude that if customers consistently experience these differences between the two companies, then the brand image of company B will be much better than company A.
A further point of interest arising out of this research is that people tend to prefer brands that fit their self-concept. Everyone has views about themselves and how they would like to be seen by others. And they tend to like personalities that are similar to theirs, or to those whom they admire. Thus, creating brands with personalities similar to those of a certain group of consumers will be an effective strategy. The closer the brand personality is to the consumer personality (or one which they admire or aspire to), the greater will be the willingness to buy the brand and deeper the brand loyalty.
The Creation of Brand Personality
Brand personality traits are formed and influenced by any direct or indirect contact that the consumer has with a brand. A brand, unlike a person, cannot think, feel or act. A brand has no objective existence at all; it is simply a collection of perception on the mind of the consumer. Consumers accept the marketing actions to humanize brands. One explanation fort this can be found in the theories of animism, which suggest that there exists need by people to anthropomorphize objects in order to facilitate interaction with the nonmaterial world. Anthropomorphize occurs when human qualities are attributed to non human objects, e.g. brands. Consumers easily assign personality quality to inanimate objects like brands in thinking about the brands as if they are human characters.
In a direct way, personality traits are associated with a brand by the people associated to that brand. One direct way to form and influence brand personality is user imaginary. User imaginary is defined as the set of human characteristics associated with the typical or stereotype user of the brand. Associations with the company employees or CEO and the brand’s product endorsers are also direct ways by which brand personality traits are formed and influenced. The personality traits that of the people associated with a brand are transferred directly to the brand. The theories of animism describe another process mechanism that directly explains the specific ways in which the vitality of the brand can be realized (Fournier, 2004). Spokespersons that are used in advertising can have personalities that fit those of the brand they advertise. Over time, the personalities of the spokesperson are transmitted to the brand. The brand-person associations can also have a more personal nature. Brands can be associated with person who use or used that particular brand, for example a close friend or a family member. Also, brands received as gifts can also be associated with the person from whom the gift was received. These person associations serve to animate the brand as a vital in the minds of the consumers. Obviously, this aspect is much less under the control of the marketers.
Indirectly, the brand personality is created by all the elements of the marketing mix. Betra, Lehman and Singh suggest that the personality of a brand is created over time, by the entire marketing mix of the brand - “its price (high or low, odd or even), retail store location (imaginary associations), product formulation (ingredients, benefits), and product form (solid/liquid. Etc.), packaging details (color, size, material, shape), symbol; used an all phases of the brand communication, sales promotion, and media advertising”.
Another form of animism explains how brand personality is created in a more indirect way. This form of animism involves complete anthropomorphization of the brand object itself. Human qualities of emotionality and thought are transferred to the brand. This is achieved with the help of the marketing actions, especially advertising. For example, the brand character of M&M in the M&M commercials has the capacity to laugh and joke.
One of the advantage of the brand personality is that based on their distinctive personalities, consumers are able to differentiate between brands. Another advantage is that the consumer can interpret the brand’s image in such a way that it is personally more meaningful. Brand personality encourages more active processing on the part of the consumer. Thus, the consumer put more efforts in creating and using the brand personality. A further advantage of brand personality is that life is given to a brand. By vitalizing a brand, another perspective of brand personality can be examined, namely the role of a brand as relationship partner in a consumer-brand relationship. Next we will concentrate on these consumer-brand relationships.
Whether the brand is a product or a company, the company has to decide what personality traits the brand is to have. There are various ways of creating brand personality. One way is to match the brand personality as closely as possible to that of consumers or to the personality that they like. The process will be
- Define the target audience
- Find out what they need, want and like
- Build a consumer personality profile
- Create the product personality to match that profile
This type of approach is favored by companies such as Levi Strauss, who research their target audience fastidiously. For Levis the results is a master brand personality that is:
- Original
- Masculine
- Sexy
- Youthful
- Rebellious
- Individual
- Free
- American
A related byproduct brand personality (for a specific customer group) such as Levi’s 501 jeans is:
- Romantic
- Sexually attractive
- Rebellious physically prowess
- Resourceful
- Independent
- Likes being admired
Both profile appeal mostly to the emotional side of the people’s minds- to their feelings and sensory function. This profiling approach aims to reinforce the self-concept of the consumers and their aspirations. The approach is ideal for brands that adopt a market-niche strategy, and can be extremely successful if a market segment has a degree of global homogeneity, as is the case with Levis.
Non product related brand personalities drivers
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User imaginary – user imaginary can be based on either typical users (people you see using the brand) or idealized users (as portrayed in advertising and else were). User imaginary can be powerful driver of brand personality, in part because the user is already a person and thus the difficulty of conceptualizing the brand personality is reduced. For example Charlie has a feminine, strongly independent brand personality driven by it user imaginary. The upscale personality of Mercedes and the sexy, sophisticated personality of Calvin Klein are similarly influenced by user imaginary.
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Sponsorship – activities such as events sponsored by the brand will influence its personality. Swatch, for example, reinforces its offbeat, youthful personality will targeted sponsorships that have included the Freestyle Ski World Cup in Breckenridge, the first International
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Age – how long a brand has been on the market can affect its personality. Thus new entrants such as Apple, MCI, and Saturn tend to have younger brand personalities than brand such as IBM, AT&T, and Chevrolets, and it as all too common far a major dominate brand to see as strongly and old fashioned, a brand for older people.
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Symbol – a symbol can be powerful influence on brand personality because it can be controlled and can have extremely strong associations. Apples bitten apple, the Marlboro cowboy, the Michelin mans all helps to create and reinforce a personality for their brands.
Why use brand personality
The brand personality construct can help brand strategies by enhancing their understandings of people’s perceptions of and attitude towards the brand, contributing to a differentiating brand identity guiding the communication effort and creating brand equality.
The brand personality metaphor can help a manager gain an in-depth understanding of consumer perceptions and attitudes towards the brand. By asking people to describe a brand personality, feelings and relationship can be identified that often provide more insight than is gained by asking about attribute perceptions.
- Contributing to a differentiating identity
Strategically, a brand personality, as a part of a core or extended identity, can serve as the foundation for meaningful differentiations. Advertising agencies such as Young & Rubicam and Ogilvy & Mather routinely include a brand personality statement as a part of their brand positioning strategy.
- Guiding the communication effort
Tactically the brand personality concept and vocabulary communication the brand identity which richness and texture to those who must implement the identity building effort. Practical decisions need to be made about not only advertising but packaging, promotions, which events to associate with, and the style of person interactions between the customer and the brand.
The brand personality creates brand equity. The self-expression model explains this. The model says that for certain groups of customers; some brands become vehicles to express a part of their self-identity. People express their own or idealized identity in a variety of ways, such as a job choices, attitudes, options, activities and lifestyles. Brand that people like, admire, discuss, buy and use also provide a vehicle for self-expression.
Brand personality of cars
Are you what you drive? That is what are companies seem to be asking and in the same breath trying to convince you about. In other words, are you the Hyundai accent owner who commands immediate respect wherever she goes (including fro the potential father-in-law) or are you the suave executive from the Chevrolet ad who is ever ready to share a moment with loved one? With a plethora of new models in the market, and generic benefits (such as space or fuel efficiency) of a particular car segment hardly a distinguishing factor between car models, marketer are increasingly differentiating on the emotional pay-off a particular car model/brand provides to the customer. This, of course, varies from the segment to segment and also on how long a particular model has been in the market.
For instance, while advertising for entry level or smaller cars tends to focus more on the rational or functional benefits of the vehicles, the differentiations is increasingly on the emotional benefits when it comes to high end cars.
“Generally, it has been seen as one move up the value chain, the differentiation is more on the emotional pay-off. People buy car as an extension of their personality rather than just features. A car, in India, helps build up show off, social esteem value. The advertising would also vary according to the segment which one is targeting,” he says. For instance, the Chevrolet Optra ad (which depicts a young husband driving his wife to see the moon on the occasion of Karvachauth) shows an Optra consumer as someone who believes in family values and indulging loves ones.
“We find that typically profile of an Optra consumer is someone who is in the age group of 35-45years and has a chauffer. He buys a car not only for himself but also for the family and tries to make up, for not being able to spend enough time, by indulging love ones,” points out dutta. The positioning goes well with the companies catch lines of “for a special journey called life”.
High end car maker Skoda auto too, through its advertising, attempts to connect with its consumer on emotional level. “Car is the extension of the personality and our advertising shows the consumer to be youthful, image-conscious and even bit a macho. The campaign jointly made by Skoda’s marketing department and ad agency IB&W not only communicates the quality of the brand but an appreciation for the finer things in life. The target Skoda consumer is a SEC A1, primarily male, businessman or someone in the senior management,” says Shashank vaid, manger (marketing), Skoda Auto India. Surely, image building does come higher in the consumer’s scheme of priorities when buying a new car than ever before.
The importance of brand image has risen sharply in the last few years. At the segment level, the increase in importance is greater for the mid-size cars, indicating the relevance of brand among the more expensive market segments. The manufacturer need to focus more o how consumers perceive them as offering exciting cars and being committed towards them. Contemporariness of model has a big impact on purchase decision. The perception of the car in terms of its performance and design, quality, sales, after sales, cost of ownership, apart from brand image, all impact upon the purchase decision.”
According to Bhatia, as long as advertising for cars is strongly differentiated and sharply positions the model and at the same time satisfies a define need segment, it shall have the capability to break the clutter and creates a unique and compelling reason for consumers to purchase. “One good example of this is Ford Ikon- the josh machine made a tremendous impact on consumers in offering to satisfy a clear need. You can see some more of this with a recently launched premium hatch back as well”.
Interestingly, the strategy marketer follow changes a bit when it comes to addressing the smaller car category with the rational benefits of a brand tending to be the focal point of the campaign. “We have found that typically a buyer for a smaller car (sub Rs 4 lac) looks for aspects such as reliability and fuel efficiency. This changes as we move up since in case the consumer has been with the category for a longer time and hence it is important t to talk of an emotional pay off.
A case in point is the Maruti 800 campaign in which the kids who is playing with a toy Maruti 800 exclaims to his dad (when asked how long will he keep on running the car), “papa ki Kara, petrol khatam hi nahin Honda.” The ad cleverly conveys that the car just keeps going on and on. It ends with the voiceover telling us that Maruti Suzuki is most fuel-efficient car.
However in the small car segment, the rational benefits magic is not always applicable. Take the case of Hyundai Santro, the advertising of which has evolved over the years from initially conveying mainly the functional benefits of the model to connecting with the consumer on an emotional level now. “When we launched the Santro, we started with the positioning if the car being a complete family car which was completely rational positioning. But then two things happened- the product found acceptance in the market and the competition came up with similar product in the market.
Brand image is not driven by good advertising alone but is significantly impacted upon by the cars performance and design, quality, and the cost of ownership. Among the three, product quality has the highest correlation with brand image. Small car buyer seeks capability in advertising, and fuel efficiency is relatively more important to them. Technology, innovation, and good influence premium mid-size buyers. One reality for us in India is that the market is extremely price/value conscious. While making purchases based on above, there is rational side, which does have an impact on the decision on a particular make and model of car. Be it rational or an emotional decision, consumers would have to think as a bevy of new models flood the Indian market.
Objectives of Study
The research objective is a statement, in as precise terminology as possible, of what information is needed. The research objective should be framed so that obtaining the information will ensure that the research purpose is satisfied.
Research objective have three components.
Research question –
The research question specifies the information the decision making needs. The responsibility of the researcher is to make the researcher question as specific and precise as possible. The researcher question asks what specific information is required to achieve the research purpose, or answer the research problem. If the research questions are answered by the research, then the information should aid the decision maker.
Development of hypothesis –
A hypothesis is a possible answer to a question. Development of hypotheses implies generating basically alternative answers to research questions. The research determines which of these alternative answers is correct. It is not always possible to develop hypotheses, but efforts should be made.
Scope or boundaries of the research -
Defining the scope of the research or the research boundaries ensures the desired precision or accuracy of the result.
The researcher’s responsibility is to restate the initial variables associated with the decision problem, that is convert the research problem, in the form of one or more key question formats-
Objectives of the Research
The research objectives for the project undertaken can be defined as follows:
- To determine the demographic variables of the customers of different brands of cars.
- Examine the customer perception about the cars.
- To judge the satisfaction level of car owners of different brands.
- The research tracks responses at following two layers
- Product related parameters
- Dealer related parameters
- To analyze the psychographic variables of the customers of different brand of the cars.
Scope of the study
It is aimed to study the car market and buying behavior of the customer. The project is analyzed the demographic, psychographic and buying characteristics of the customers in buying the car. It includes the detailed study of customers focusing on the various parameters that lead to identifying and understanding the perception of the customer in buying the car brands.
Significance of the study
A brand is a set of expectations and associations evoked from company or product. A brand is how key constituents- customers, employees etc. experiences what you do. Some brands are of such great importance to people, that we speak of them as a part of one’s life and identity, being used to express one. Some would say that these brands have their own personality, the brand perception, which can be defined as the set of human characteristics associated with a given brand.
Because many people interact with brand as though they were other people, it is important to understand what a brand perception consists of, and how its characteristics can be used to affect the relationship between the brands and its users. Knowing and understanding the brand perception gives a good insight into this relationship, and into peoples’ attitudes towards the brand, and is also an important guide to communicating the brand.
Like apparel and lifestyles brands, a car is extension of one’s perception. People buy cars which either matches their personalities or those which provide them opportunities of being perceived as somebody they aspire to be. This becomes significant as consumers move up the value chain from small compact cars to midsize and upwards.
Research Methodology
A research process consists of stages or steps that guide the project from its conception through the final analysis, recommendations and ultimate actions. The research process provides a systematic, planned approach to the research project and ensures that all aspects of the research project are consistent with each other.
Research studies evolve through a series of steps, each representing the answer to a key question.
INTRODUCTION
This chapter aims to understand the research methodology establishing a framework of evaluation and revaluation of primary and secondary research. The techniques and concepts used during primary research in order to arrive at findings; which are also dealt with and lead to a logical deduction towards the analysis and results.
RESEARCH DESIGN
I propose to first conduct a intensive secondary research to understand the full impact and implication of the industry, to review and critique the industry norms and reports, on which certain issues shall be selected, which I feel remain unanswered or liable to change, this shall be further taken up in the next stage of exploratory research. This stage shall help me to restrict and select only the important question and issue, which inhabit growth and segmentation in the industry.
The various tasks that I have undertaken in the research design process are :
- Defining the information need
- Design the exploratory, descriptive and causal research.
RESEARCH PROCESS
The research process has four distinct yet interrelated steps for research analysis
It has a logical and hierarchical ordering:
- Determination of information research problem.
- Development of appropriate research design.
- Execution of research design.
- Communication of results.
Each step is viewed as a separate process that includes a combination of task , step and specific procedure. The steps undertake are logical, objective, systematic, reliable, valid, impersonal and ongoing.
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH
The method I used for exploratory research was
- Primary Data
- Secondary data
PRIMARY DATA
New data gathered to help solve the problem at hand. As compared to secondary data which is previously gathered data. An example is information gathered by a questionnaire. Qualitative or quantitative data that are newly collected in the course of research, Consists of original information that comes from people and includes information gathered from surveys, focus groups, independent observations and test results. Data gathered by the researcher in the act of conducting research. This is contrasted to secondary data which entails the use of data gathered by someone other than the researcher information that is obtained directly from first-hand sources by means of surveys, observation or experimentation.
Primary data is basically collected by getting questionnaire filled by the respondents.
SECONDARY DATA
Information that already exists somewhere, having been collected for another purpose. Sources include census reports, trade publications, and subscription services. Data that have already been collected and published for another research project (other than the one at hand). There are two types of secondary data: internal and external secondary data. Information compiled inside or outside the organization for some purpose other than the current investigation. Data that have already been collected for some purpose other than the current study. Researching information which has already been published. Market information compiled for purposes other than the current research effort; it can be internal data, such as existing sales-tracking information, or it can be research conducted by someone else, such as a market research company or the U.S. government. Published, already available data that comes from pre-existing sets of information, like medical records, vital statistics, prior research studies and archival data.
Secondary source of data used consists of books and websites
My proposal is to first conduct a intensive secondary research to understand the full impact and implication of the industry, to review and critique the industry norms and reports, on which certain issues shall be selected, which I feel remain unanswered or liable to change, this shall be further taken up in the next stage of exploratory research.
DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH
STEPS in the descriptive research:
- Statement of the problem
- Identification of information needed to solve the problem
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Selection or development of instruments for gathering the information
- Identification of target population and determination of sampling Plan.
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Design of procedure for information collection
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Collection of information
- Analysis of information
- Generalizations and/or predictions
DATA COLLECTION
Data collection took place with the help of filling of questionnaires. The questionnaire method has come to the more widely used and economical means of data collection. The common factor in all varieties of the questionnaire method is this reliance on verbal responses to questions, written or oral. I found it essential to make sure the questionnaire was easy to read and understand to all spectrums of people in the sample. It was also important as researcher to respect the samples time and energy hence the questionnaire was designed in such a way, that its administration would not exceed 4-5 mins. These questionnaires were personally administered.
The first hand information was collected by making the people fill the questionnaires. The primary data collected by directly interacting with the people. The respondents were contacted at shopping malls, markets, places that were near to showrooms of the consumer durable products etc. The data was collected by interacting with 200 respondents who filled the questionnaires and gave me the required necessary information. The respondents consisted of house wives, students, business men, professionals etc. the required information was collected by directly interacting with these respondents.
DETERMINATION THE SAMPLE PLAN AND SAMPLE SIZE
TARGET POPULATION
It is a description of the characteristics of that group of people from whom a course is intended. It attempts to describe them as they are rather than as the describer would like them to be. Also called the audience the audience to be served by our project includes key demographic information (i.e.; age, sex etc.).The specific population intended as beneficiaries of a program. This will be either all or a subset of potential users, such as adolescents, women, rural residents, or the residents of a particular geographic area. Topic areas: Governance, Accountability and Evaluation, Operations Management and Leadership. A population to be reached through some action or intervention; may refer to groups with specific demographic or geographic characteristics. The group of people you are trying to reach with a particular strategy or activity. The target population is the population I want to make conclusions about. In an ideal situation, the sampling frames to matches the target population. A specific resource set that is the object or target of investigation. The audience defined in age, background, ability, and preferences, among other things, for which a given course of instruction is intended.
I have selected the sample trough Simple random Sampling
SAMPLE SIZE:
This involves figuring out how many samples one need.
The numbers of samples you need are affected by the following factors:
- Project goals
- How you plan to analyze your data
- How variable your data are or are likely to be
- How precisely you want to measure change or trend
- The number of years over which you want to detect a trend
- How many times a year you will sample each point
- How much money and manpower you have
SAMPLE SIZE
I have targeted 100 people in the age group above 21 years for the purpose of the research. The sample size is influenced by the target population. The target population represents the Delhi regions. . The people were from different professional backgrounds.
The details of our sample are explained in chapter named primary research where the divisions are explained in demographics section.
SAMPLING TECHNIQUE
Simple random sampling technique has been used to select the sample
A simple random sample is a group of subjects (a ) chosen from a larger group (a ). Each subject from the population is chosen and entirely by chance, such that each subject has the same of being chosen at any stage during the sampling process. This process and technique is known as Simple Random Sampling, and should not be confused with .
ERRORS IN THE STUDY
Interviewer error
There is interviewer bias in the questionnaire method. Open-ended questions can be biased by the interviewer’s views or probing, as interviewers are guiding the respondent while the questionnaire is being filled out. The attitudes the interviewer revels to the respondent during the interview can greatly affect their level of interest and willingness to answer openly. As interviewers probing and clarifications maximize respondent understanding and yield complete answers, these advantages are offset by the problems of prestige seeking, social desirability and courtesy biases.
Questionnaire error
The questionnaire designing has to careful so that only required data is concisely reveled and there is no redundant data generated. The questions have to be worded carefully so that the questions are not loaded and does not lead to a bias in the respondents mind
Respondent error
The respondents selected to be interviewed were not always available and willing to co operate also in most cases the respondents were found to not have the knowledge, opinion, attitudes or facts required additionally uninformed response errors and response styles also led to survey error.
Sampling error
We have taken the sample size of 100, which cannot determine the buying behavior of the total population. The sample has been drawn from only National Capital Region.
Research Design
Research design is a conceptual structure within which research is conducted. A research design is the detailed blueprint used to guide a research study towards its objective. It is a series of advanced decision taken together comprising a master plan or a model for conducting the research in consonance with the research objectives. Research design is needed because it facilitates the smooth sailing of the various research operations, thereby making research as efficient as possible yielding maximum information with the minimum effort, time and money.
Limitations of the study
- All the research projects are hindered in their smooth flow by some unforeseen problems. The problems arise in the form of constraints by budget, time and scope of the study. The current project was also faced by certain problem. Some of the problems faced in the course of the research are as follows:
- A strong unwillingness on the part of the owners of various cars, to participate and aid the research.
- The boredom and wavering concentration that set in among the respondents while answering the long questionnaire: thus in turn led to the difficulty of preventing incomplete questionnaires.
- Sampling error: the research include a sample size of 100 customers which is not enough to determine the brand perception of the consumers for buying the cars. Since its not a census survey there is always a chance of error while extrapolating the results of a sample study over the population especially in those researches where the qualitative aspects are concerned. So it’s always doubtful to map the qualitative aspects using a quantitative measure.
- The study was limited to the geographical region of DELHI
Maruti Udyog Limited
Maruti Udyog Limited is the premier car company in India. Maruti Udyog Limited (MUL) was established in Feb 1981. The company entered into collaboration with Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan to manufacture cars. Maruti is the highest volume car manufacturer in Asia, outside Japan and Korea.
Maruti Udyog Limited, the largest Car selling company in India, has many unique Service advantages for the customers. It has bagged the First Position in JD Power Customer Satisfaction Index for the consecutive two years. The company has also ranked highest in the India Sales Satisfaction Study.
1. Estilo
Maruti launched all new Estilo. If you are wondering why I dropped Zen from this car's name then let me explain. Estilo has got Wagon R's engine and chassis and Suzuki MR Wagon's shape. Whatever remains is taken from Zen, well does anything remains actually? Yes, Name! Name is taken from Zen, 'Zen Estilo'. In essence it’s stylish Wagon R, Japan's MR Wagon, combination of the two or anything but Zen. It seems Maruti wants to exploit Zen brand-image hence named this car after Zen.
Zen Estilo has the same engine (1061cc, 64.8ps, 84Nm, 4-cylinder, 16-valve, MPFI F10D Petrol) under the hood that is found in Maruti Wagon R. Absolutely nothing has been changed except for the fact that this engine is much refined and is slightly better at responsiveness and fuel economy. This simply translate into 'Zen Estilo is a bit faster and more fuel economic than Wagon R'. Due to highly good drivability, driving in city would be more fun with Zen Estilo. Electronic Power Steering (not available in LX version) really helps in crowded traffic. Owning and maintaining Zen Estilo won't be a problem, engine is proven reliable and virtually maintenance-proof.
2. Wagon R Duo
At first glance the Maruti WagonR Duo looks quite normal. Well, that is if you think the WagonR's boxy looks are normal to start to start with. Frankly, for a car that has to get around a city, I really don't care, because the Duo is all about LPG, and the fact that it is first factory fitted LPG car in India. Factory-fitted means one major plus, your warranties don't get voided because of the gas fitment.
There is no denying the cars cost advantage, this is the cheapest Maruti vehicle to run, and that in itself is a massive statement. The redesign of the car hasn't just meant a fresh exterior look; it has also meant new interior - rotary controls on the panel and a very neat looking display with an all new Speedo.
The problem is that despite the not insignificant cost savings, you save a rupee a kilometer on LPG over Petrol, which even makes the extra Rs 24000 you have to pay for the car seem worth it, the Duo just wheezes at times. And this is despite two important facts, first LPG has more energy than CNG (that other gas) and because this is a company designed car, Maruti engineers have really played around with the engines tuning.
3. Swift
Competing with the other cars of Maruti, Maruti Swift is gradually making its position in the world of mid-sized family car. Maruti Swift has come up with the special technical specifications of 16 valve 4-cylinder, 1300 cc engine generating power. Maruti swift is equipped with various safety features and well advanced equipments. 3 assist grips, 3 spoke urethane steering wheel, antenna, cabin light (3 position), console box (lower), cup holders (front 2, rear1), front door trim pockets, green tinted glass window, halogen headlamps, headlamp leveling device, heater and manual Air conditioning, OVRM (internally adjusted), rear fog lamps, wind screen wiper 2 speed plus 1 speed intermittent, tailgate opener key type, trip meter (digital display), sun visors (both sides), brake assist , child lock (rear door), high mounted stop lamp, power steering, rear seat belts etc. are the features available in this model. Apart from the features found in other model, striking features of this model are black colored A & B pillars, 12v accessory socket in center console, day and night rear view mirror, door ajar warming lamp, driver's seatbelt warning lamp, tachometer, driver's seat belt warning lamp, vanity mirrors (sun visor co-driver side), rear seat head restraints, fabric accented door trims, central door locking (4 door), front and rear electronic windows, front fog lamps, light off/ key reminder, manual air-conditioning, key not removed warning buzzer, etc
4. Maruti Baleno
This mid size car with its bold and elegant looks along with its smart performance is becoming the part of the dream of many car lovers.
Colors
- Pearl Silver
- Silky Silver
- Superior White
- Midnight Black
- Bean Blue
Along with the features present in Lxi, there are many other extra features available in this model like leather steering cover, automatic climate control, rear spoiler with LED stop lamp, stylish alloy wheels, MP3 music system, silver finish centre garnish, remote keyless entry etc.
has various effective comfort and safety features like tilt adjust power steering, central lock door locking, electric windows, tachometer, trip meter, "key not removed" warning buzzer, AC illumination system, cigarette lighter, ash tray illumination, electrically operated AC louver switches, semi concealed windshield wiper (2 speed plus 2 controlled intermittent), front and rear mud flaps, day/night inside rear view mirror, velour floor carpet, front door armrests and pockets (both sides), rear door child lock, lockable glove box, side impact beams etc.
5. Maruti Esteem
Sophisticated big structured Maruti Suzuki esteem is one of the old car of the Maruti Udyog group. To run this huge car its engine is made of lightweight all-aluminum. This contemporary engine has capacity of 65 bhp at 6000 rpm.
According to *Mileage (Auto India, Nov 2005), Esteem holds the topmost position on mileage among the other category of cars including the small cars.
There are three models of Maruti Suzuki Esteem:
The basic model of Maruti Suzuki Esteem includes various safety features and unique configuration in it. Air conditioned Maruti Suzuki Esteem for the comfort of the owner provides the facilities of cabin heater, front seat back pockets (both sides), front door pockets (both sides), air flow controls, remote operated fuel tank lid and trunk lid, coat hanger hook on grip assistance etc..
Instrument panel of this model includes tachometer and speedometer with sporty dial. Security measurement of this model has headlamp leveling device, collapsible steering column, lockable glove box, child proof rear door locks, halogen headlamps, prismatic day-night inside rear view mirror etc.
This model is more upgraded version of Maruti Suzuki (Lx). Apart from the features that are already in MarutiSuzuki (Lx), there are other few more added features existing in Maruti Suzuki (Lxi). For comfort these models specially have rear view mirror on the left side, power steering and power window (front).
Hyundai Motor
Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) was established in 1996 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of South Korean multi national, Hyundai Motor Company. HMIL is the fastest growing and the second largest car manufacturer in India and presently selling 30 variants of passenger cars in six segments. The Company has set up more than 70 dealer workshops that are equipped with the latest technology, machinery, and international quality press, body and paint shops, across the country, thereby providing a one-stop shop for a Hyundai customer. Hyundai also has a fleet of 78 emergency road service cars that can provide emergency service to all its customers anytime, anywhere.
6. Hyundai Santro
In the field of mid size car, Santro Xing is capturing the market very rapidly. Its design, style, space and other special features has made it one of the highest purchasable cars among any economy class.
It has five variants:
Along with the other features that are present in Santro XK (Non AC), other features present in this model are air conditioner, day and night inside rear view mirror, chrome1 radiator grille etc. Along with the features available in Santro XK, added features in this model are 4 doors CLS, passenger side OVRM, tinted glass, map pocket front door driver side, front door full size arm rest, door trim with fabric insert, hydraulic power steering, power windows (front) etc
7. Getz
Hyundai Motors launched small family car Getz at August 2004. Euro III emission norms fulfilled Car, Getz powered by 1300 cc. engine. Only the petrol version of this car was launched initially.
There are four variants found in this car:
This model has highly advanced features like AC with 4 speed blower, ash tray w/o illumination, center console w/ pen and jug holder, 60:40 rear seat split, vanity mirror passenger side, rear defogger, height adjustable seat belts (front), waist line molding, tilt steering, map pockets, front and rear power windows, rear seat back inclination(4 position), digital clock, rear wiper and washer, front for lamp, body color radiator grille, rear bumper reflectors, rear mud guard etc. Few features to view comfort and safety in mind, this model is being specially equipped with rear wiper and washer, rear defogger, alloy wheels etc. This model has few important features like height adjustable front seat belts, body colored radiator grille, rear bumper reflectors etc.
8. Hyundai Accent
Hyundai Accent was ceremonially launched at Frankfurt International Motors Show on 15 September, 1999. It came in two versions, i.e. Petrol and Diesel Versions in India initially, while in Europe it was introduced only with the Petrol version. Initially Accent came up with the manual transmission which in turn started getting available in automatic transmission. To know about the models of this car, please see this following text:
This model has many distinctive features like 60:40 split folding rear seats, automatic trunk lamps, body colored door handles, bumper with or without molding, door trims and consoles, high mounted stop lamps (HMSL), Mist (one stoke wiper blades), semi cloth upholstery, trip odometer, rear license garnish, waistline molding, wiper (3 no. of speed), cross bar under dash board, crumple zone, dual horn, engine sub frame etc. Features that are striking in this models are tinted glass, remote boot release, split rear seats, tachometer, remote fuel cap release, sun visors with vanity mirror, power telescopic antenna, luxury full cloth upholstery, energy absorbing collapsible steering column, full size wheel cover etc.
9. Verna
The most awaited Verna finally launched in India. Verna can be considered as one of the most shock wave-creating cars in India; within first five days of its launch over 2000 Verna cars had been sold. Competition seems to be in shock.
Comfort levels are quite good, I wasn't expecting them to be like this, and there is marginal refinement over Accent. Suspensions give you a feel, 'yes this car is meant for India', no bumpy rides. Car handles very well too. Interiors are not class, as expected, though they don't give a cheap feeling at all. City is way ahead of Verna in interiors and room. Driving position is good and to make it even better, height-adjustable driver-seat is provided in higher versions. AC is quite effective, cools the cabin quickly. Due to enough power, switching on AC doesn't make any difference in performance.
Exterior design is satisfactory. Its neither great to boast about nor is bad to complaint about. Like all other Hyundai car designs, people have started to criticize Hyundai for design of Verna. After having first glance of Verna, one of Carwale.com colleagues called out, 'Hey, it looks like Baleno from front and Fiesta from behind!'. You can't help it, it’s inevitable with Hyundai. ABS is available as optional across the range. It’s a bit disappointing that Airbags are not provided even as optional. Central Locking is available as standard feature in all the versions and keyless entry in petrol versions except the lowest-end Verna i.
Finally Indian automotive industry is taking good shape. We have enough options in every segment available. From Maruti to Tata to Honda to Volkswagen to BMW to Porsche, every major world car player is interested to sell its cars to Indian people. Everyday we have news about some new launch. Verna is just launched and Ford has just announced launch of 1.6 TDCi (diesel) in two months time, Maruti has confirmed discontinuation of Baleno and arrival of new Baleno early next year and last but not the least Chevrolet is planning diesel Aveo soon.
Tata Motors Limited
Tata Motors Limited is India's largest automobile company, with revenues of Rs. 24,000 crores in 2005-06. Its name comes first in the category of commercial vehicles and the second largest in the passenger vehicles, mid size car and utility vehicle segments. The company is the world's fifth largest medium and heavy commercial vehicle manufacturer.
Over 3.5 million Tata vehicles is moving on Indian roads, since 1954. Its manufacturing plant is located at Jamshedpur, Pune and Luck now
10. Tata Indica V2
Having attributes of three popular cars, Tata Indica is ruling the market. Making of Tata Indica with the concept of main distinguishing features of three popular cars i.e., with the overall structure of Maruti Zen, interior space like ambassador and cost nearly like Maruti 800 was a challenging venture of Tata Motors.
Its fully foldable rear seat has made this car more accommodating for extra luggage. For safe and secure driving and to give proper comfort, side-impact beams, rigid monochrome frame and child safety locks are attached to this car.
Different Tata Indica models are:
With its market catching looks and few striking features have set a trend for the choosy buyers. Its power steering, central locking system, four power windows have not only made this comfort driving car but also give assurance for the safety. To mention more about convenience of driving, HVAC system provides good cooling effect even in a sultry summer days. Door handles, body colored bumpers, ORVM and wheel arch flair are few more advantages that the owner of this car can easily avail.
To assure safer driving along with the elegance and appeal of the car, this model is equipped with body colored bumpers, the wheel arch flairs, internally adjustable OVRM and central locking system. To avoid any inconvenience in operating the window, front windows are power windows. To avoid the scorching heat in a summer days, HVAC system of cooling can soothe anybody inside the car
11. Tata Indigo
Indigo with its market catching features like leather upholstery, beige interiors, LCD screen etc has made its position in the automobile industry.
Indigo is available in Petrol and Diesel models.
It is equipped with various features like manual power steering, manual front and rear windows, grey bumpers, half wheel covers, partial fabric lining on seat, molded roof lining, high mounted stop lamp etc. To mention few of the features present in this model along with the features of rest of the two models, there are available power steering and power windows, rear fog lamps, rub rails on door, full wheel covers, both sides outer rear view mirrors, rear defogger, central locking, audio warning signal for driver seat belt and many more.
12. Indigo Marina
Fully equipped with 32 bit micro processor and 1405 cc MPFI Petrol engine, this variant delivers maximum power of 85 PS @ 5500 rpm and maximum torque of 11kgm @ 3000 rpm.
It has various features like AC system,2 spoke wheel, grey bumpers, chrome-plated grill lip, black door handles, roof rails, partial wheel covers, digital clock, internal antenna, partial fabric seats, anti-submarine type front seats, child safety locks on rear doors, collapsible steering column, side impact beams etc
This model along with the features of Indigo Marina GLE comes with various other features like HVAC system, aluminum gear shift knob, 4 spoke wheel, power steering, body colored bumpers, rub rails on door, full wheel covers, stylish grip and cover for hand brake lever etc.
Chevrolet
Its king like entry happened in India in 1928 with its National Series AB touring. Reliability of this car was proved by its 171 cubic inches, 24.7hp four cylinder engines.
General Motors, parent company of Chevrolet, was the first in setting up assembly plant in India. First office of Chevrolet was located at Mumbai and its assembly plant was in Sewree.
13. Chevrolet Aveo
With the assurance of safety and technologically advanced equipments, Chevrolet Aveo provides complete statement of reliability and efficiency. Safety features like tailor welded blanks, high- strength steel structure, B-pillar, height adjustable safety belt anchors, rear child safety door locks, front safety belt pretension etc really confirm the security of the passenger.
It has four variants:-
It is well equipped with 1.4L DOHC 94 PS, 5 Speed MT, chrome radiator grille, wide 185/60 R14 tyres, pullout type door handle, two tone beige interiors, power steering and power window, central locking, rear defogger with timer, remote trunk lid opener, engine service soon indicator etc. It is well equipped with 1.4L DOHC 94 PS, 5 Speed MT, chrome radiator grille, wide 185/60 R14 tyres, pullout type door handle, two tone beige interiors, power steering and power window, central locking, rear defogger with timer, remote trunk lid opener, engine service soon indicator etc. Its main mentionable features along with the other features which are associated with the rest of the models, are 1.6L DOHC 102 PS, 5 speed MT; double DIN MP3 system with 6 speakers; rear spoiler with CHMSL; chrome coated exterior handles and trunk lid garnish; 14" alloy wheels; electrically adjustable OVRM; wood finish on IP and door trim; car alarm and key less entry system.
14. Optra
With its 1.8 litre engine capacity runs up to 8.1 kmpl inside the city crowd roads and 11.2 kmpl on the highway. Its luxurious and comfortable interior include center console, central armrest, flip down rear armrest, automatic climate control air conditioners, enough legroom space, sunglass holder, mobile phone holding space in the rear door, cup holders etc.
It has various variants:
It is equipped with various comfort and safety features like driver seat height adjuster, plush feel beige fabric, silver finish on control panel and luxurious wood finish on IP and door boards etc. Along with the features present in 1.6 Elite, this is available with tilt steering, remote keyless entry with chirp and trunk opening, AWIS, driver seat lumbar support, front fog lamps, body colored outside mirrors and door handles etc. There are many extra features present in this model along with the features of 1.6 LT Royale like automatic climate control system, all round wood finish including Centre Panel, tilt adjustable front headrests, 15" alloy wheels with ABS and EBD as option at extra cost, rear disc brakes, dual airbag, double DIN audio system with 5 CD changer.
Q1. Why you bought your present car? Please rank from the highest order of preference
- Increase in disposable income
- Better safety at roads
- Family needs
- Increase in family size
- Suits your lifestyle and personality
Interpretation:
As per the analysis shows, increase in disposable income seems to be the most important reason for buying a car. This trend is reflected in the growth of the Per capita Disposable income and consequently the growth of the Indian automobile industry especially in the B and C segment cars. Similarly, the growing family needs like working partners, increasing family size, status, etc. add to the motives of buying a car.
Q2. You decided to buy a car brand because of (rate best 3 factors from 1 to 3 in order of your preference)
- Affordable price
- Technical superiority over competition
- Comfort
- Manufacturer’s image
- Value for money
- Safety
- After sale services
Interpretation:
Indian market is still the hard nut to crack for most of the automobile manufacturers. Though the Indian car industry is among the fastest growing car markets of the world still the Indian psyche is too complex for the manufacturers to understand. The most important reason for buying a car when it comes to B and C segment cars seems to be ‘value for money’. 32% of the respondents suggested that affordable prices are the most important factor while purchasing a car. This is the reason for sticking to a particular segment till the next substantial rise in the personal disposable income. This reason is followed by ‘Value for money’ where the customers look for the best product, best services and best repute all bundled in one with the best deal they can strike. This explains the reason for the stagnant or sudden growth in sale of B and C segment cars just before budget and near occasions like Diwali.
Product Satisfaction Level
Q3. Please rate your existing car in terms of understated Interior Design features on a scale of 1 to 5 where
1 Highly Dissatisfied
2 Dissatisfied
3 Neutral
4 Satisfied
5 Highly Satisfied
Interpretation:
Interiors play a very important role in deciding the sale of a car. More plush, comfortable and exotic the interiors are more are the chances of its being popular among the customers. For this reason manufacturers spend billions of dollars every year on R&D to continuously improve the interiors of their cars. Seats, leg room, dash board, armrests etc are few of the options which count for the interiors. As the analysis show Getz scores substantially high w.r.t. its counterparts on the account of music system installed. Similarly, Indica V2 races far ahead as far as leg room is concerned. However, Wagon R fares badly on this front. Overall, almost all cars get a mixed response in this segment as far as the interiors are concerned.
Interpretation:
As one can see most of the respondents are quite happy with the interiors of their respective cars. However, one striking point observed here are that almost every car fares neutral on the adjustable front seat headset. These cars have more leg room, come with attached music systems (Verna fares the best among all cars on this front) combined with luxury features like TV screens, armrests at the back seat etc.
Q4. Please rate your existing car in terms of understated Safety features on a scale of 1 to 5
Interpretation:
As can be noted Maruti Swift and Indica V2 fight neck to neck on almost every front, with Indica marginally better in features like crossbars under the dashboard and Anti Brake systems. Most of the cars in this segment fare relatively similar and very close to each other on most of the fronts.
Interpretation:
As one can see most of the respondents are quite happy with the safety parameters of their respective cars. However, one striking point observed here are that almost every car fares neutral on the safety parameters.
Q5. Please rate your existing car in terms of following parameters
Interpretation:
The customer choice of the car highly depends upon the performance and maintenance costs of the car. This is the reason why this class of parameter was chosen for this study. And the results show that Maruti’s Wagon R fares the best car in its segment as most fuel efficient car of all. Similarly, Wagon R fares the best on the terms like mileage but it lags behind Hyundai’s Santro on pick up front. So this segment shows a mixed bag of response for the Fuel efficiency and mileage parameter. Indica V2 performs consistently on all the parameters and Getz fares really well on pick up whereas it fares badly on fuel consumption. Considered this condition for Getz it should be seen as a red signal for the manufacturers so that Getz does not end up being like Fiat’s Palio famous as a car for ‘drinking petrol.
Interpretation:
Segment C cars are known as hybrid car segment between the B segments fuel efficiency with the luxury of the D class. Checking the same it seems that most of the cars in this segment are placed much closed to each other with very little difference here and there. Most of the cars are fuel efficient w.r.t their weights and pick ups. Indigo fares as the best car in terms of fuel efficiency. Baleno fares a little bit behind than its counterparts as far as the stability at high speeds and mileage is concerned.
Dealer Service Satisfaction Level
Q1. Please rate your Dealer on the understated parameters on the scale of 1 to 5 where
1 Highly Satisfied
2 Satisfied
3 Neutral
4 Dissatisfied
5 Highly Dissatisfied
Dealers are the middle men between a car manufacturer and its customers. Dealer thus becomes the most important link in joining the company to its customers as he is the person who will sell the product, will deliver it and will keep on providing the after sales services to the customers as and when required. So, it becomes necessary automatically to study dealer as a part of customers’ satisfaction journey with the product called car!
Why Maruti fares so well ahead of its competitors till date and its the largest car company in India with the largest market share in A and B segment is because during the protected regime it build a dealers network so strong that its yet very difficult for most of the competitors to set up a network as large as Maruti. So wherever you go its not difficult to find a Maruti service station and a Maruti dealer. This is how Maruti has maintained relationships with its customers and has been able to convert most of them into a repeat customer. So, dealer network is something of such importance that while studying the customer’s satisfaction profile its almost impossible to ignore it.
Interpretation:
While buying a car, dealers ‘choice play a very important role in deciding the company and model’s choice. So dealers act as influencers on the complete buying behavior of the prospective customers. Among all the listed factors Maruti fares the best among all its counter parts in terms of dealer density which is quite obvious. Also, the cost of service provided by Maruti dealers is the lowest followed by Tata Motors. Similarly, for B and C segment cars Maruti emerges out as the clear winner among the four car companies studied all thanks to the vast, extensive and well managed dealer system.
Q2. How do you rate the brand image of your car?
Very Low Very High
Interpretation:
As per the analysis, Santro is the car whose brand image is most preferred in the market. This is because of the reason, that it’s from the house of Hyundai a South Korean company known for its overall image. On the contrary Maruti Estilo and Aveo share the same platform on the brand image. This can be attributed to the fact that both these cars are relatively new on the block and market takes time to imbibe and give the brand an image. This is established by the fact that Maruti’s Wagon R and Swift are exactly the same as far as the image is concerned.
Interpretation:
As the analysis reveals GM’s Optra fares as the Best Car as far as customers’ perception is concerned about the brand image of the car in the C segment. This is because of the fact that GM itself commands an amazing brand image among its customers. Accent and Verna both Hyundai cars share the same position.
Q3. Will you recommend your car to your friends?
Interpretation:
It seems logical that satisfied customers will someday become loyal customers, in other words there is a positive correlation between customer satisfaction scores and customer buying behavior. If a customer rates the car very high in satisfying his or her needs, the car manufacturer should expect more referrals and this is reflected in the analysis that 73% customers say that they will refer their car to their friends even if they move to other segment or other brand.
Q4. Will you buy your new car in the
- Same segment , same manufacturer
- Same segment, different manufacturer
- Upper segment, same manufacturer
- Upper segment, different manufacturer
Interpretation:
The analysis shows that most people when moving to upper segment will prefer a different manufacturer. And the next striking finding is that the customers will prefer both same and different manufacturers in the B segment cars and there is not much difference in the C segment also. This behavior is complex to understand as this are the customers who have given whopping response for recommending their car to their friends. It’s the reason why brand perception is so difficult to understand.
Demographics
I surveyed around 100 people who belonged to various age groups. The survey of 4 age groups was done. The four age groups were:
- Less than 21 years
- 21 -35 years
- 36-54 years
- More than 55 years
MONTHLY FAMILY INCOME
I surveyed around 200 people who belonged to various monthly family income groups. The survey of 4 income groups was done. The four income groups were:
- Less than 50000
- 50000 - 1,00,000
- 1,00,001 – 2,00,000
- More than 2,00,001
Interpretation:
Above graphs exhibits the income bracket of the sample size, as evident the majority of the sample is in the income bracket of < 50,000 a month income. Though none of the bracket is highly skewed, this enables the study to be wide and not dependent on a set income class, which was a fortunately desirable result of simple random sampling.
Cross Tabulation
- Motive to buy the car*segment car B and C
Interpretation:
According to the result, I found that choice of car depends upon these following factors:
So the choice of car is not driven only by intensive factors such as brand perception but is hugely influenced by extensive factors such as price, service, and models available, financing options etc. also the choice of the car is largely influenced by the manufacture image. This is why Maruti is perceived as a value for money car and Getz emerges out as a winner in the B segment for this criteria. As Getz is from the house of Hyundai known for its technology and great design is far better perceived as a preferred car than other cars. But a word of caution here, this perception may or may not result in a converted sale.
- Recommend the car to your friend*ranking of Brand and company
Interpretation:
The graph shows that people who rank their car high or very high on the brand image are the people who recommend their car to their friend. This is something the car companies should look for as these people may not be the brand loyal but are definitely the people who help a company to reinforce the brand image propagated by the company.
- ranking of Brand and Image*Segment B and C car
Interpretation:
This graph shows that how brand image is useful in making the choice of a car especially in the B and C segment. So, Santro is the car whose brand image is on the top and it’s the most preferred car.
Conclusion
To conclude, the results show that the companies are playing on the peripheral cues to maintain their Total Relationship Management and connect to the customers both present and potential. The companies are operating in a highly aggressive and competitive global market place and this climate has led to the emphasis on quality in all aspects. TQM focuses on integration and coordination as well as the continuous improvement of all activities and processes. Total Relationship Management (TRM) is a very recent marketing strategy and philosophy. It focuses on and is concerned with all integrated internal and external activities within and between the organizations. These two terms are integrated by the manufacturers by building good quality products and building good relationship with dealers and enhancing service levels.
However, when studied from the point of view of a customer there seems to be no major difference among the car brands in a segment as far as performance is concerned. The brand perception is dependant mostly on the peripheral cues depending upon the nature and quality of the service provided along with the pricing, maintenance, availability of spare parts and related issues. So, a question arises here that is this the end of road for the branding of cars? Has the commoditization of cars has started and its time that manufacturers must read the writing on the wall? It seems so! It seems as an undercurrent sentiment is flowing and the perception of the customers is changing according to it. So this might be the reason that despite Verna faring so high on the performance parameters still lags on the account of converted sales.
The study shows that brand perception is something which starts building up before a car is purchased and goes on with its use and is reflected in the recommendations the customer makes to his acquaintances for the same car. Also, its seen that the customer might not be using the car still he holds the perceptions about it. Brand personality of a car is enforced by the sellers in the mindsets of the customers and the customers react to it by forming their perceptions about the car and this reflects in the overall brand image of the car. So brand image and brand personality complement each other and the brand perception aids the building of brand image.
Dealers, as per the study findings, play a very important role in building up the brand perception of the cars. Since dealers are the connecting link between the customers and the manufacturers thus becoming the most important link in joining the company to its customers as he is the person who will sell the product, will deliver it and will keep on providing the after sales services to the customers as and when required.
So, it becomes necessary automatically to study dealer as a part of customers’ satisfaction journey with the product called car! Their proximity to the customers, the service provided by them and the relationship maintained by them with the customers helps the car companies to establish and reinstate the brand personality communicated by them to the customers.
Finally the major point that emerges out of this detailed study is a caution for the car companies. It says that there is no doubt that Indian car market may be growing with a double digit figure still the car companies have a long way to travel to convince their customers about the brand personality of their cars and how it suits the prospective buyers. Simply because it simply is not a guarantee that how so ever good the customer might be holding the brand perception and how so ever good the brand image may be it is not a guarantee that it will convert into sale. Cars just like clothes and accessories suit the style and persona of a person and since all cars will become commodity someday the key to sell and excel in the market will lie with a person who knows how to use the perceptions of the customers to its use and sell the cars ‘coz ultimately only that car survives which sells!
Scope of future study
As the report mentions there are clue in the market that the cars are on a path of becoming commodities just like the fate awaits for any other consumer goods. So what can be the role and scope of brands and their personality in the changes scenario to establish the brand perception of any car in the mind set of a customer present or potential can be one area of study?
On the close lines, another area of study can be the importance of advertisements and promotion schemes on the brand image of any car brand? Are the brands which advertise more have a positively high brand perception or it’s the sales promotion schemes which create the ripples in the mindset of the customers.
ANNEXURE
References:
Sites Visited -
Books consulted -
Building Strong Brands- David A Aaker
Questionnaire
For Customers:
Q1. Why you bought your present car? Please rank from the highest order of preference
- Increase in disposable income
- Better safety at roads
- Family needs
- Increase in family size
- Suits your lifestyle and personality
Q2. You decided to buy a car brand because of (rate best 3 factors from 1 to 3 in order of your preference)
- Affordable price
- Technical superiority over competition
- Comfort
- Manufacturer’s image
- Value for money
- Safety
- After sale services
Product Satisfaction Level
Q3. Please rate your existing car in terms of understated Interior Design features on a scale of 1 to 5 where
1 Highly Dissatisfied
2 Dissatisfied
3 Neutral
4 Satisfied
5 Highly Satisfied
Q4. Please rate your existing car in terms of understated Safety features on a scale of 1 to 5
Q5. Please rate your existing car in terms of following parameters
Dealer Service Satisfaction Level
Q1. Please rate your Dealer on the understated parameters on the scale of 1 to 5 where
1 Highly Satisfied
2 Satisfied
3 Neutral
4 Dissatisfied
5 Highly Dissatisfied
Q2. How do you rate the brand image of your car?
Very Low Very High
Q3. Will you recommend your car to your friends?
Q4. If yes, will you buy your new car in the
- Same segment , same manufacturer
- Same segment, different manufacturer
- Upper segment, same manufacturer
- Upper segment, different manufacturer
Age group:
What is your monthly Family income?
• Less than 50000
• Rs 50,000 –Rs 1, 00,000
•Rs 1, 00,001– Rs 2, 00,000
•More than Rs 2, 00,001
Number of car’s owned:
Present Car (s) owned:
NAME: SEX:
Phone NO:
