Upload
coolberry27
View
76
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
Executive Masters Program in Business Administration (E-MBA)
(Semester II)
Note :- Solve any 4 Case Study
All Case Carry equal Marks.
1
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
CASE I
Sunder Singh
Sunder Singh had studied only up to high school. He was 32-years of age, lived alone in a
rented room, and worked eight-hour shift at one petrol pump, then went to the other one
for another eight-hour shift. He had a girl friend and was planning to marry.
One day when he returned from work, he got a note from his girl friend that she
was getting married to someone else and he need not bother her. This was a terrible
shock to Sunder Singh and he fell apart. He stopped going to work, spent sleepless
nights, and was very depressed. After a month, he was running Iowan his savings and
approached his earlier employers to get back his job, but they would not give him a
second chance. He had to quit his rented room, and sold few things that he had. He
would do some odd jobs at the railway station or the bus terminal.
One day, nearly two years ago, he was very hungry and did not have any money
and saw a young man selling newspapers. He asked him what he was selling and he told
him about Guzara (an independent, non-profit, independent newspaper sold by the
homeless, and economically disadvantaged men and women of this metro city). Sunder
Singh approached the office and started selling the newspaper. He did not make a lot of
money, but was good at saving it. He started saving money for a warm jacket for next
winter.
He was reasonably happy; he had money to buy food, and no longer homeless
and shared a room with two others. One day, with his savings he bought a pair of
second-hand Nike shoes from flea market.
Sunder Singh is not unique among low-income consumers, especially in large
cities, in wanting and buying Nike shoes. Some experts believe that low-income
consumers too want the same products and service that other consumers want.
The working poor are forced to spend a disproportionate percent of their income
on food, housing, utilities, and healthcare. They solely rely on public transportation,
spend very little on entertainment of any kind, and have no security of any kind. Their
fight is mainly day-to-day survival.
QUESTIONS
1. What does the purchase of a product like Nike mean to Sunder Singh?
2
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
Sunder Sing, just escaping homelessness is clearly proud that he was able to save and buy a
pair of Nikes. He could undoubtedly have purchase a different brand that would have met his
physical needs as well for much less money which he does not say why he bought the more
expensive Nikes, a reasonable interpretation is that they serve as a visible symbol that Sunder
Singh is back as a successful. Sunder Singh is not Unique among low-income consumer in
wanting and buying items such as Nike
shoes. As one expert says. “The low income consumer wants the same product and services
other consumer want”. He suggests that marketing efforts reflect those desires. Another ex
pert state.
There’s this stereotype that they don’t have enough money for toothpaste and that’s just not
true.
There has been some significance to them being called lower income, but they do buy things.
The working poor are forced to spend a disproportionate present of theirs income on housing,
utilities and medical care due to lack of insurance. They generally relay on public
transportation, they spend a smaller portion of their relatively small income on meals away
from home and all forms of entertainment such as admission, pets and toys; they spend very
little on their own financial security. However Sunder Singh illustrated they spend the same
percent of their income though a smaller amount on apparel and accessories. Nike is the
number one global sport
s brand in the world. Its famous ‘swoosh’ is instantly
recognizable. For youth Nike is a fashion brand. Sunder Singh, a 32 years single man without
family and cheated by his girl friend; currently a newspaper seller after losing his best &
hours shift job with 2 employer proves that he belongs to economically lower middle class.
Buying from own saving a second hand Nike shoes from flea market shows he loves to have
a fashion like an upper economy class consumers. For him Nike means a fashionable icon.
Sund
er Singh virtually belongs to “believers” of VALS approach to
psychographics segmentation.
2. What does the story say about our society and the impact of marketing on
consumer behavior?
The story says the following about the society:-
3
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
Negative nature of sunder girl friend who marries with other without caring him and leaving
him in destitute.
The positive ethical nature of young man who helps Sunder Singh in getting a livelihood.
The effects of ditching on Sunder Singh by his depression and come back to live a normal
respectful life.
The impact of marketing on consumer behavior is listed below:-
Consumers are now in a way of adapting to modern culture.
Marketing raises the ‘hedonic’ needs of consumer by making them aware of available
products and
services in market.
Change in motivational intensity.
Arousal in motivation of consumer behavior.
Influencing consumers’ personality.
Affecting of change on Brand Personality
4
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
CASE II
Key to Buyers' Minds
Consumer buying research has turned a new leaf in India. The era of demographics
seems to be on the backbench. Now, Marketing Research people are less likely to first
ask you about your age, income, and education etc. Instead, there is a distinct shift
towards inquiries about attitudes, interests, lifestyles, and behaviour - in short towards a
study of consumers' minds called psychographics.
Pathfinders, the marketing research wing of Lintas, occasionally came out with its
highly respected "Study on Nation's Attitudes and Psychographics (P:SNAP). The
first in this series was released in 1987 with an objective to develop a database of
lifestyles and psychographics information on the modem Indian women. The second was
in 1993, and the third in 1998. Pathfinders choose woman for the study because of the
belief that more often than not, in urban areas, it is the woman who makes buying
decision.
The Pathfinders' study involves interviewing over 10,000 women over the entire
country and segmenting them in clusters according to their beliefs, attitudes, lifestyles,
and lastly their demographics profile. The idea is to identify groups of consumers with
similar lifestyles who are likely to behave towards products or services.
For advertisers and advertising agencies, this profile helps enormously. For
example, an advertiser may want to give a westernised touch to a commercial. The
profile of the target customer, as revealed by this study, tells the advertising people the
perimeter within which she/he must stay, otherwise the ad may become an exaggerated
version of westernised India.
For the purpose of this study, Pathfinders divided the Indian women in 8 distinct
cluster of varying values and lifestyles. Figures from two studies are available publicly
and are given below:
Cluster 1987 (%) 1993 (%)
Troubled homebody 15.9 18.3
Tight-fisted traditionalist 14.8 10.0
Contended conservative 7.0 9.3
Archetypal provider 13.0 8.8
Anxious rebel 14.1 15.8
Contemporary housewife 19.2 22.1
5
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
Gregarious hedonist 8.7 6.6
Affluent sophisticate 7.3 9.1
The studies seek to track the macro level changes and movements within these 8
clusters in a period of time.
We note from the table that in 1987, 8.7% of the women could be classified as
"gregarious hedonist" - those who consider their own pleasure to be supreme in life. 'In
1993, this figure fell to 6.6%. The "troubled homebody" segment - those with large
families and low-income, increased from 15.9% in 1987 to 18.3% in 1993.
Information, such as this, is obviously useful to assess the collective mood. That's
why Pathfinders have an impressive list of clients fort heir P:SNAP, which includes
Hindustan Lever, Cadbury, Johnson and Johnson, and Gillette.
SOME PSYCHOGRAPHICS PROFILES OF INDIAN WOMEN
Rama Devi, the Contended Conservative
The lady lives a 'good' life - she is a devoted wife, a dotting mother of two school-going
sons, and a God fearing housewife. She has been living her life by the traditional values
she cherishes - getting up at the crack of dawn, getting the house cleaned up, having the
breakfast of 'Aloo Parathas' ready in time before the children's school-bus honks its horn,
laying down the dress her 'government servant' husband will put on after his bath, and
doing her daily one-hour Puja. She fasts every Monday for the welfare of her family, looks
at the 'freely mixing' and 'sexually liberal' youngsters with deep disdain and cannot
understand the modem young woman' s 19reed' for money, jewellery, and jobs.
Her one abiding interest outside the household is the Ganesh Mandir that she has
visited every Wednesday, ever since she got married. She lacks higher education and
hence has little appreciation for the arts, the literature, and the sciences. Her ample
spare time is spent watching the TV, which is her prime source of entertainment and
information.
Shobha, the Troubled Homebody
Shobha married young to the first person she fell in love with, Prakash. Four children
came quickly before she was quite ready to raise a family. Now, she is unhappy. She is
having trouble in making ends meet on her husband's salary who is employed as clerk in
a private business and is often required to work up to late hours. She is frustrated, as her
desire for an idyllic life has turned sour. She could not get education beyond high school
and hence there are hardly any job opportunities for her. Her husband also keeps on
complaining of the long hours of backbreaking work he has to put in. He consumes
country-made liquor routinely.
6
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
Shobha finds escape in Black and White TV soap operas and films that transport
her into the world of her dreams. She watches TV almost all through the day and her
children roam around in the locality streets and cannot expect any help from their' ever-
grumbling' mother. Purchases are mostly limited to 'essentials' and any discretionary
purchases are postponed till it becomes possible.
Neeru, the Archetypal Provider
Neeru epitomises simplicity. Her life is untangled. It runs on a set timetable with almost
clockwork precision. She works as a primary school teacher in a rural government school
about 50 kilometers from her district town residence. She is married to a social worker in
an NGO whose income is erratic. Her three children, two teenaged sons and l0-year old
daughter are getting school education.
The day begins with the lady getting up before anybody else and finishing the
household chores as fast as she can. There is no room for delay as the State government
'Express' bus, on which she ravels to her school will be at the bus stop across the road
precisely at 8.00 A.M. If she misses that, the next ordinary bus comes at 11.15 A.M, quite
useless as it will reach her school only at 1.00 P.M. The school closes at 2.00 P.M. There
are private Jeeps running sporadically, but the fare is high and Neeru does not believe in
wasting hard earned money. Besides, she travels on husband's 'free pass'. Neeru prides
herself on her monthly savings ofRs.1000 for the last many years. The money will go
toward the wedding of her daughter.
Vandana, the tight-fisted traditionalist
For Vandana, saving money is 'in-born' discipline. When she was young and unmarried,
she remembers her mother was extremely tight-fisted and ran the household in under
Rs.800 per month. It was the necessity of those times as her father retired at a princely
salary of Rs.1800 per month. All through her childhood, she saw deprivation and
hardship. She would not join the annual class picnic in her school days as it meant'
avoidable expenditure'.
Now she is married and mother of two school going children. The husband works
in a bank as a clerk. He has taken all the loans that he could from the bank and invested
the money in real estate. As a result of monthly deductions toward repayment of loans,
his take home salary is now very little. But Vandana can manage. The school dresses are
sewn by her at home, the stationary required comes from a wholesale market, and the
books are second-hand from 'friends', cultivated for the purpose. On birthdays, Vandana
prepares a sweet dish at home and they spend on a film. There is a cow and calf at
home, being kept as a source of revenue and milk. She sells half the milk to a neighbour
and the family consumes the rest. Life in general is hard and frugal. There is a colour TV
7
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
at home, but they disconnected the cable connection ever since the rates went up. Now
they watch Doordarshan only.
Aditi, the Anxious Rebel
Daughter of a Freedom Fighter, Aditi has always fought her values and principles.
People still remember when she walked out of the exam half in a huff as a mark of
protest against mass cheating' sanctioned' by the centre superintendent in a tough
paper. While every body else passed with high marks, Aditi failed.
Even though she repeated the paper, Aditi never learned to swim along the flow.
She always swam against the current. She joined the Communist Party in her college and
gave rousing speeches against the teachers and authorities. This resulted in her getting
very poor marks and left her jobless.
Later, Aditi joined an NGO and now works on social issues. She says she is a
creature of the mind, not materialism. Her favourite dress is a long flowing Kurta, and
slacks. She wears loosened hair and chappals. She reads voraciously. Financially, she is
independent and lives with her parents. Her disdain for the institution of marriage and
contempt for the modern Indian male keep her single and unattached. She will continue-
to be so as she prefers this status, but may adopt a baby later in life.
Reema, the Gregarious Hedonist
Just 19, and Reema is already divorced. Her father is a wealthy businessman. During
Reema's childhood, her father was mostly away in Dubai and Africa, trying to amass a
fortune. That he did but he lost on his chance to be a good father. Both his children
started feeling like' orphans' after their mother got involved with another man.
Reema was ever longing for her family when alone came Harsh, her private high
school tuition teacher. Harsh was all of 22 and very caring. He was tall, handsome, and
very popular in school and many girls had a crush on him. Reema was sixteen then and a
great fan of Harsh. For her, Harsh was a prize catch as he combined the loving qualities
of a father with a mix of being a good teacher. She was soon dazzled and surrendered in
a physical relationship.
Marriage followed. She never understood how Harsh changed overnight from a
caring father figure to a demanding husband. And she could never cope with the six
hours she had to spend in the kitchen everyday. Why should she do the cooking, she
asked Harsh, as it was something that the 'Ayas' did? The reality of a humdrum middle-
class existence hit her hard and she soon walked out of 'the hell'.
8
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
Her father understood her need to recover and made her allowance rather
generous. He bought her a Red Sports Car and got her an admission in a private college.
College is entertainment for her. She attends college only on days when there is
some function like a cultural evening or the sports meet. Now, Reema spends on alcohol,
dresses, parties, and holidays. She consumes a mood elevating drug every evening and
keeps sending SMS messages on her mobile to her friends all through the night. For her,
life means 'buying pleasure endlessly'.
Shruti, the Contemporary Housewife
Shruti is an urbane woman. She is well educated and genteel. She is an officer in a
national bank, and active in her club affairs and community activities. Socialising is an
important part of her life. She is a doer, interested in watching cricket, politics, and
current affairs. Her life is hectic as she has a lot to do for home and office everyday. Still
she often enjoys viewing movies on TV every week.
Shruti shops for Sarees, jewellery, and cosmetics for herself on a regular basis.
However, family needs come before her own needs. Her home is a double income
household and she has one kid. All the modern gadgets are present and the standard of
living is upper middle-class.
Momeeta, the Affluent Sophisticate
Momeeta was born Mamta, but elevated herself to Momeeta after marriage to a business
tycoon. Momeeta is an elegant woman with style. She lives in Mumbai because that is
where she wants to be. She likes the economic and social aspects of big city living and
takes advantage of her' contacts'. She has built up friendship and cultivated the city
bigwigs by inviting them to the numerous parties she throws in her luxurious penthouse.
Momeeta is a self-confident, on-the-go woman, and not a homebody. She is
fashion conscious and clothes herself in the latest designer dresses. Even at 40, she can
carry off a mini with aplomb. She is financial very secure and hence does not shop with
care. She shops for quality, exclusivity, and the brand name, not the price. She
frequently travels abroad, buys expensive gifts for friends, and has an international
understanding on what is "chic" at the moment.
9
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
Three psychographics profiles of Indian women and their food shopping habits:
Type I Type II Type III
Money conscious Careful shopper Gourmet/satisfaction
Food shopping is done on necessity and is postponed as long as possible.
Makes out shopping lists and makes weekly/ monthly purchases.
General liking for food shopping and food related activities.
Minimum amount of money spent. This is enabled through comparative evaluation of many shops, even if it takes more time.
Can purchase larger quantities if there is an incentive like lower prices or a gift scheme. Food budget is flexible.
Collects and files food recipes. Experiments with new food products and methods of cooking. Likes to exhibit her culinary skills to her friends and family.
Operates within the food budget. Does not buy larger quantities to save money.
Checks labelling for price, nutrition and expiry date information
Spends a lot of time in kitchen as preparing food is an enjoyable activity.
Price and immediate outflow of cash is the dominant purchase concern.
Goes for tried and trusted brands even if they cost a little more. This is an important purchase concern.
Food items are bought either based on the past satisfaction from them or for their novelty value. Unknown food items are purchased if they excite the senses. This is the dominant purchase concern.
Who fits in where?
Shobha, Neeru, and Vandana,
Shruti, Aditi, and
Rama Devi
Momeeta (she is a food lover).
(Prof Deepak Khanna, colleague, has developed these profiles based on his perceptions
of certain personality types).
QUESTIONS
1. Explain how the above-mentioned information is likely to benefit a
marketer?
2. Which of the above mentioned types are likely to respond to sales
promotion? Explain.
10
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
3. A manufacturer of personal care products in the premium segment starts
frequent sales promotions. What is likely to be the impact on the above-
mentioned types?
11
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
Case III
Star Airways
Star Airways offered passengers air services within the country and served a territory of
18, 000 sq. miles with an expanding population of over 70 lakh of people who are
potential users of the airline services. The geographic diversity and scattered business
and commercial cities have led to steady increase in the number of people who use air
travel. The clientele includes business people, as well as individuals on non-business
trips, holidays, and leisure trips etc. As a result, the passenger traffic had been increasing
steadily since the firm started operations in 1983. In the last three years, however, the
growth has not been consistent with the growth pattern showed by the company in the
last fifteen years - as against a healthy growth of 13 per cent, the sales have marginally
improved, registering a growth of 6 per cent.
The company's early success was due to the pioneering concepts used by it in the
airline industry, which was dominated by large private and government operators with
little market orientation. The launch of the company's services coincided with a boom in
the aviation sector and reduced government dominance, which opened up the skies for
private operators. Besides this, the company offered a host of innovations in the
customer service functions such as smaller and newer planes, convenient schedules, free
gifts, comfortable seats, exclusive terminals, express baggage-check, and airport-to hotel
transit for its first and business class clients. In turn the fares charged by the company
were premium in the category and almost 15 per cent higher than the industry average.
The company president in the following words justified this move: ''We are selling
entirely on the basis of providing quality experience to our clients. Our services,
ambience, and commitment to safety and time-bound schedule, all surpass the
standards of the industry."
During the first ten years of operations the company faced no direct competition.
The only problems faced by the marketing staff were (a) the price, (2) the need to
convince clients that air service was more efficient than other alternatives, (c) identifying
the customers, and more importantly (d) developing the image of a dependable service.
The consumers, who till now were forced to put up indifferent service offered by large
government operators, did not offer much resistance and were agreeable to try out new
company. Once customers were convinced, retaining them was very easy. Hence the
company enjoyed immense loyalty from its clients with almost 40 per cent of them being
regular users. Sales were handled by the sales division as well as by some independent
sales representatives.
12
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
In early 1990s the company faced direct competition for the first time with a new
company coming up with smaller planes and all other advantages which were previously
associated with Star Airways. The growing business had made the market very lucrative
and hence in the next three years, four major competitors were also vying for the market
share. The company slowly lost to these competitors and could manage to retain only 30
per cent of market share by the end of 1994. All the competitors were engaged in
aggressive promotion and soon started a 'price war' in order to outdo one another. For
the next six months, each of them offered big discounts and gifts (such as TV / audio
systems) with the return ticket on different routes. The most profitable and
commercia1ly viable routes were the major targets of these price related competitions.
The consumer was the ultimate beneficiary and in short time, the companies started
facing losses due to this price-cutting.
Star Airways had so far remained out of this ‘price-war’ and lost its market share
on the competitive routes very rapidly. It was able to retain the clients on other routes,
which were not a part of this intense competition. Unhappy an anxious about this state
of affairs, the company vice president, marketing, developed a marketing plan with
several components. The initial part of the plan consisted of a market research done on
a cross-section of existing clients as well as the clients of competitors and the following
observations were made :
Star Airways was considered a quality-oriented company but many felt that it was
getting stodgy.
The satisfaction with crew and schedules had declined over the last 5 years
amongst regular customers.
The clients felt that the airline was losing its edge over customer service because it
was nonflexible.
The prices offered by competitors are less and they provide only a fraction of
services offered by Star Airways. This was the main reason of clients switching over
to competitors. As many as 70 per cent respondents considered the costs as the
most important factor in deciding on the airline.
Some deciding factors and their relative importance to clients were found to be
following this pattern.
Feature offered by
airline
Importance of feature
as the deciding factor
Rank of feature in decision
making influence
Price 67% 1
13
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
Ambience and food 9% 3
Punctuality 14% 2
Services & convenience 7% 4
Free gifts etc. 3% 5
The second phase of the plan included a massive advertising and promotion plan.
The VP marketing, Anil Saxena, felt that the company needed to advertise it's dedication
to quality and rebuild an image of being a customer-oriented airline. He began
discussions with the advertising agency to launch a campaign in the near future.
After a month, the agency came out with the following recommendations:
The campaign is to be completed in four months time and the budget will be
351akh.
The company would reach 85% of target audience, once in a month by direct mail.
Four times a month a TV commercial will be aired on a business show time. The
audience TRP is consistent and highest in this category of shows.
Star Airways would build the campaign theme around 'quality and customer service
initiatives' .
The direct mail letter would be sent to a database of 85,000 clients in four months.
The letter will contain information on the airline and again stress on the same
theme of' quality and customer service'.
14
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
QUESTIONS
1. What is likely to be the decision process in case of choosing an airline?
All the competitors were engaged in aggressive promotion and soon started a 'price war' in
order to outdo one another. For the next six months, each of them offered big discounts and
gifts (such as TV / audio systems) with the return ticket on different routes. The most
profitable and commercia1ly viable routes were the major targets of these price related
competitions. The consumer was the ultimate beneficiary and in short time, the companies
started facing losses due to this price-cutting.
Star Airways had so far remained out of this ‘price
-
war’ and lost its market share on the competitive
routes very rapidly. It was able to retain the clients on other routes, which were not a part of
this intense competition. Unhappy an anxious about this state of affairs, the company vice
president, marketing, developed a marketing plan with several components. The initial part of
the plan consisted of a market research done on a cross-section of existing clients as well as
the clients of competitors and the following observations were made :
• Star Airways was considered a quality
-oriented company but many felt that it was getting stodgy.
• The satisfaction with crew and schedules had declined ove
r the last 5 years amongst regular customers.
• The clients felt that the airline was losing its edge over customer service because it was
non¬flexible.
• The prices offered by competitors are less and they provide only a fraction of services
offered by
Star Airways. This was the main reason of clients switching over to competitors. As many as
70 per cent respondents considered the costs as the most important factor in deciding on the
airline.
2. Would this plan suggested by the vice president help in convincing the
customers to use Star Airways? Give your reasons.
The VP marketing, Anil Saxena, felt that the company needed to advertise it's dedication to
quality and rebuild an image of being a customer-oriented airline. He began discussions with
15
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
the advertising agency to launch a campaign in the near future. After a month, the agency
came out with the following recommendations:
• The campaign is to be completed in four months time and the budget will be 351akh. • The
company would reach 85% of target
audience, once in a month by direct mail.
• Four times a month a TV commercial will be aired on a business show time. The audience
TRP is
consistent and highest in this category of shows.
• Star Airways would build the campaign theme around 'quality and
customer service initiatives' .
• The direct mail letter would be sent to a database of 85,000 clients in four months. The
letter will
contain information on the airline and again stress on the same theme of' quality and
customer service
16
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
Case IV
Mouse-Rid
One hot May morning, Shobha, general manager of Innotrap India Ltd., entered her office
in Delhi. She paused for a moment to contemplate the quote, which she had framed and
hung on a wall facing her table.
"If a man can make a better mousetrap than his neighbour, the world will make a
beaten path to his door." She vaguely recalled that probably it was Ralph Waldo Emerson
who said this. Perhaps, she wondered, Emerson knew something that she didn't. She had
the better mousetrap - Mouse-Rid - but the world didn't seem all that excited about it.
Shobha had just returned from a Trade Fair in Kolkata. Standing in the trade show
display booth for long hours and answering the same questions hundreds of times had
been tiring. Yet, this show had excited her. The Trade Fair officials held a contest to
select the best new product introduced at the show. Of the more than 150 new products,
her mousetrap had won first place. Two women's magazines had written small articles
about this innovative mousetrap, however, the expected demand for the trap had not
materialised. Shobha hoped that this award might stimulate increased interest and sales.
A group of investors who had obtained rights to market this innovative mousetrap
in India had formed Innotrap India in January 2001. In return for marketing rights, the
group agreed to pay the inventor and patent holder, a retired engineer, a royalty fee for
each trap sold. The group then appointed Shobha as the general manager to develop and
manage Innotrap India Ltd.
The Mouse-Rid, a simple yet clever device, is manufactured by a plastics firm
under contract with Innotrap India Ltd. It consists of a square, plastic tube measuring
about 6 inches long and one and one-half inches- square. The tube bends in the middle
at a 30-degree angle, so that when the front part of the tube rests on a flat surface, the
other end is elevated. The elevated end holds a removable cap into which the user
places bait (piece of bread, or some other titbit). A hinged door is attached to the front
endofthe tube. When the trap is "open", this door rests on two narrow "stills" attached to
the two bottom corners of the door.
The trap works with simple efficiency. A mouse, smelling the bait enters the tube
through the open end. As it moves up the angled bottom toward the bait, its weight
makes the elevated end of the trap drop downward. This elevates the open end, allowing
the hinged door to swing closed, trapping the mouse. Small teeth on the ends of stills
17
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
catch in a groove on the bottom of the trap, locking the door closed. The mouse can be
disposed of live, or it can be left alone for a few hours to suffocate in the trap.
Shobha felt the trap had many advantages for the consumer when compared with
traditional spring-loaded traps or poisons. Consumers can use it safely and easily with no
risk for catching their fingers while loading. It poses no injury or poisoning threat to
children or pets.
Shobha's personal and informal inquiries with acquaintances and friends
suggested that women are the best target market for the Mouse-Rid. Most women stay at
home and take care of household chores and their children. Thus, they want a means of
dealing with the mouse problem that avoids any kind of risks. To reach this market,
Shobha decided to distribute Mouse-Rid through grocery stores, and kitchenware
stores. She personally contacted a supermarket and some departmental stores to
persuade them to carry the product, but they refused saying that they did not sell such
contraptions. She avoided any wholesalers and other middlemen.
The traps were packaged in a simple cardboard, with a suggested retail price
ofRs.150 for a piece. Although this price made Mouse-Rid about five 1;0 six times more
expensive than standard traps, those who bought it showed little price resistance.
To promote the product, Shobha had budgeted approximately Rs. 300,000 toward
advertising in different women's magazines, such as Grah Shobha, and Good
Housekeeping. Shobha was the company's only salesperson, but planed to employ sales
people soon.
Shobha had forecasted Mouse-Rid's first year sales at 2 million units. Through Aril,
however, the company had sold only few thousand units. She wondered if most new
products got to such slow start, or if she was doing something wrong.
Shobha knew that the investor group believed that Innotrap India Ltd. had a
"once-in-a lifetime chance" with its innovative mousetrap. She sensed the group's
impatience. To keep the investors happy, the company needed to sell enough traps to
cover costs and make a profit.
QUESTIONS
18
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
1. Has Shobha identified the best target market for Mouse-Rid? Why or why
not?
Rid due to following reasons: 1.
Being a women herself she should have understood that every women is not educated that
every women will enter a Mall for shopping or to purchase Grocery. 2.
Incorrect Sales Market Decided: The Mouse Rid has been kept in the Malls and grocery
stores for Sales where most of upper class and higher middle class visit, they own their own
houses at locations where the Mouse could barely enter. 3.
There are some objectives of this case study. Such as,
•
Know the history of Trap Ease.
•
Sought outing the problems.
•
To find out target market.
•
Proper segmentation.
•
Re-positioning trap ease product.
•
Defining the trap ease marketing mix
•
Identifying the competitors.
•
Re-arranging the old and new strategies.
Swot Analysis Strength
1. Very innovative and engineered product 2. Highly environmental. 3. Long lasting product
because of re-usability.
Opportunities
1. High potential market. 2. Attractive product. 3. Ease to use product than other. 4. Less
competitors.
19
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
Weakness
1. High price. 2. Less promotion. 3. Not proper segmentation. 4. Product oriented strategies.
5. Lack of marketing people.
Threats
1. Any company that can create mouse traps. 2. Insecticide. I also think that the best target is
women, as mostly women are doing housekeeping. The other consumer target can be vessel-
owners or docks because in ships there are usually problems with mice and rats. Moreover,
docks will buy traps in large amounts improving the sales of the company. The
company’s
positioning is that the Trape-Ease
“traps
mice
easily”.
I think that this positioning is too broad and not catchy. I would rather position it as
“the
Trap-Ease traps mice creating no clean-up
problems”,
or
“traps
mice leaving your hands
clean”
2. Does Shobha have enough needed data on consumer behaviour? What type
of consumer research should Shobha conduct?
3. What type of advertising can influence consumers for this type of product?
20
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
Case V
Golden Glow Soap
Anil Mahajan absent -mindedly ran his finger over the cake of soap before him. He traced
the name 'Golden Glow' embossed on the soap as he inhaled its unmistakable sesame
fragrance. It was a small soap, almost like a bar of gold. There were no frills, no coloured
packaging, and no fancy shape. Just a golden glow and the fragrance of sesame and
Lucida font that quietly stated' Golden Glow'.
Mahajan smiled wanly and clasped the soap in his hands, as if protecting it from
an unseen predator. He was wondering with quiet concern if the 30-year-old brand would
last long. Sensi India, where Mahajan was marketing manager, was taking a long, hard
look at the soap, as it was proving to be a strain on resources.
There were varying stories about how Golden Glow was launched. Some said the
brand was a 'gift' from the departing English parent company. Others claimed that it was
created for the then chairman's British wife, as the Indian climate did not agree with her
skin. They also claimed that the lady also coined the copy "The honest soap that loves
your skin" was also coined by the lady. The line had stuck through three decades. Only
the visuals had changed, with newer models replacing the older ones.
Zeni was basically a speciality products company producing household hygiene,
fabricare, and dental care products. Golden Glow was the only soap in its product mix,
produced and marketed by Sensi. Its reliable quality and value delivery had earned it a
lot of respect in the market. Golden Glow equity was such that Sensi was known as the
Golden Glow Company. Indeed, the brand name Golden Glow denoted purity, reliability,
and gentle skincare.
In 1994, Sensi UK increased its stake in the Indian subsidiary to 51%. Within
months, all of Sensi's products were given a facelift, thanks to the inflow of foreign
capital. New packaging, new fragrances, new formulations and more variants were
introduced.
Only Golden Glow was left untouched. For, although it had a growing skincare
business following some strategic acquisitions in Europe in the early eighties, Sensi UK
was not a soap company. The UK marketing team ran an audit of every brand and
product in the company's portfolio. But when it came to Golden Glow, it faltered. "We
don't know this one," officials at the parent company said.
21
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
"We don't want this one to be touched," Mahajan had said protectively, a
sentiment tliat was endorsed by the managing director, Rajan Sharma. "Golden Glow is
too sacred, we will leave it as it is," he said.
But the UK marketing team was confounded. What was a lone soap doing in the
midst of toilet cleaners and fabric protectors; they wondered, however they somehow
agreed that their proposed revamp strategy would only look at up-gradation, not
tinkering with what wasn't broken.
Indeed, for 30 long years no one had tampered with the Golden Glow brand. And
Mahajan felt there was no reason to start now. Golden Glow, in his view, was a self-
sustaining brand. That was a bit of an understatement because advertising for the brand
was moderate and Sensi India had never used any promotional gimmick for it.
Now, after four years of nurturing the other categories, Sensi UK had decided to
launch its Vio range of skincare products in India. But Golden Glow's presence and profile
was a major roadblock to Vio's success. "It will create dissonance, confuse our skincare
equity and deter the articulation of Vio's credo. It will stand out as a genetic flaw,"
argued the UK marketing head. "You need to do a rethink on Golden Glow."
Mahajan protested. "Why? It has such a strong equity and loyal following. So
much has been invested in it all these years. Why give up all that?"
Rajan, however, had another idea. "Let us then extend the Golden Glow brand."
He said It was the simplest solution. Companies were now investing heavily in creating
new equities for their brands. But in Golden Glow's case, Sensi was already sitting on a
brand with a terrific equity. He felt that extending this equity to other categories, such as
skincare products would be successful.
But Golden Glow needed a new positioning before it could be extended. Till a few
years ago, it had been in premium category, priced at Rs.15. Then new brands with
specific positioning and higher price tags entered the market. This created a level above
Rs.15 soaps and pushed Golden Glow down to the mid-priced range. So Golden Glow's
price was not commensurate with its premium position and image.
Over the years, Golden Glow had become so sacred that Sensi India had been too
scared to do anything to it. As a result, the soap was left with niche category of loyal
users. This category neither shrank or increased, just kept getting older and older, and
with it the brand also kept growing older. For example, when Mahajan's wife had her first
baby at 25, her mother had recommended Golden Glow for her dry skin and also for
22
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
baby's tender skin because it contained sesame oil. That was in 1979. Today, Mahajan's
daughter had turned 21 and was being wooed by Dove, Camay, even Santoor, and
Lifebuoy Gold, with their aggressive advertising. Golden Glow had begun to lose its
image of being contemporary as newer brands came in with newer values.
Today, at 46, Mahajan's wife still used Golden Glow, but when she recommended
Golden Glow to her daughter, she said, "But Golden Glow is a soap for mothers, for older
people."
That was a major problem. The Golden Glow brand had aged, and Sensi India
hadn't even been aware of it. While its equity had grown with its users, its personality
had aged considerably in the last 30 years. "I don't think you can keep the personality
young, unless you keep renewing the brand. The objective now is to widen your equity so
that your image becomes young," continued Rajan. "For instance, if today you were to
personify a Golden Glow user now, it would be a woman of 45 years using the same
brand for many years, who is aver-se to experimenting, very skincare conscious, very
trusting, and very one-dimensional. As you can see, this is not a very competitive
personality. These are the strengths of our Golden Glow, but these are also its
weaknesses," he analysed.
The context had changed. Today, youth demanded brands that stood for freedom
and fearlessness. They demanded bold brands that dared to cure, not just p;eserve.
"Preservation is for old people. Those are the attributes being presented in evolved
markets," said Rajan. To make Golden Glow contemporary, the attributes had to be re-
framed, he felt. "You can't make a young brand trusting caring, loving, without adding
other attributes to it. Today, youth stands for freedom, for laughter, for frankness, for
forthrightness. That's what Close Up, Lifebuoy Gold, Vatika, and other brands propagate.
So, either come clean and say it is for older skin which needs trust and kindness, or
reposition the brand," said Rajan.
Repositioning was also necessary to address another anomaly in Golden Glow's
image: its perceived premium. Sensi India had been unable to do anything about Golden
Glow slipping into the mid-price range following the entry of more expensive brands.
Now, as Rajan mulled over the brand extension plan, Mahajan felt that Golden Glow's
premium positioning was its core equity and that had to be maintained.
"If you are premium priced in the consumer's mind, your extensions are
automatically perceived as premium. So, if you don't present the other products as
premium, the consumer will not see them as extensions of the brand," he said. "For
example, if you are to launch a shampoo which is priced lower than Sunsilk, but higher
23
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
than Nyle and Ayur, then whatever the rationale, the consumer will not accept your
product. "It is not the Golden Glow I know," will be the feeling," he said.
Mahajan felt that since premium positioning was one of Golden Glow's equity
values, it would be very difficult to convince consumers that the brand was being
extended without hanging on to this particular value. "Will they buy your rationale that
the very same values and equity would now be available at a low price? To be in the
premium segment now, you have to price it at Rs 35 or 40, almost on a par with Dove,"
he said. "With Dove retailing at Rs 45, Golden Glow will be perceived as a cheaper
option."
"We can't simply raise the price," said Rajan. "What are we offering for that
increase? You can 't add value because you don't want to tamper with the brand. The
consumers will then ask, "Golden Glow used to be so cheap, what has happened now?
The user will forget that 15 years ago, Rsl0 was expensive, because all her comparisons
would be in today' s context," said Rajan.
"So what's the option?" asked Mahajan. "You don't have to be expensive to be
premium," said Rajan. Golden Glow already has the image of a premium brand, thanks to
its time-tested core values of purity, credibility, and reliability. What we can do is
reinforce the premium through communication and positioning. In fact) we should have
tinkered with Golden Glow long ago. That is what HLL did with Lux. It also launched a
bridge brand, Lux International, in the premium category," said Rajan.
"How could we have done anything to the brand?" asked Mahajan. "The product
had such a strong following. It stood for gold, for sesame oil, for its subtle earthy
perfume. We changed the packaging periodically, but that's all we could do. Remember
the time we brought out a transparent green Golden Glow with the fragrance of lime? It
bombed in the market."
Rajan was not in favour of the premium positioning. It appeared very short
sighted to him, given the bigger plan to extend the brand. "Where are the volumes in the
premium segment? He asked. "For some reason, every manufacturer feels that skincare
can be an indulgence of only the moneyed class. As a result, there is a crowd in the
premium end of the market. Do we want to be yet another player in the segment?"
Fifteen years ago, Golden Glow was perceived as a premium product. But today,
globa1brands like Revlon, Coty, and Oriflame were delivering specific premium
platforms. Golden Glow did not have a global equity. 'Let us revisit the brand and
examine what it stood for 15 years ago and examine the relevance of those attributes in
24
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
today's context," suggested Rajan. "Golden Glow stood for care, consciousness, love,
quality and all that. But today, are these enough to justify a premium position?" he asked
Mahajan. "These attributes are viable in the mid-priced segment." He said.
"The mid-priced brand is the proverbial washer-man's dog," said Mahajan. "You
don't know whether you are at the bottom end of the premium range or at the top-end of
the low-priced range. You end up creating an image of being on the opportunity fence. It
is a mere pricing ploy, with no strategic value."
QUESTIONS
1. Discuss the nature of problem(s) in this case?
2. Suggest the kind of consumer research needed?
3. How should Golden Glow be positioned/ repositioned to bring about the
desired change among consumers? Give your reasons.
25
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
CASE VI
Impact of Retail Promotions on Consumers
Shoppers' Delight, a large retail store, had above-average quality and competitive prices.
It advertised its retail promotions in local newspapers. Its TV advertising was mainly
aimed at building store image and did not address retail promotions. The management
knew it well that they had to advertise their retail promotions more, but they did not feel
comfortable with the effectiveness of present efforts and wanted to better understand
the impact of their present promotions.
To better understand the effectiveness of present efforts, a study of advertising
exposure, interpretation, and purchases was undertaken. Researchers conducted 50 in-
depth interviews with customers of the store's target market to determine the
appropriate product mix, price, ad copy and media for the test. In addition, the store's
image and that of its two competitors were measured.
Based on the research findings, different product lines that would appeal to the
target customers were selected. The retail promotion was run for a full week. Full-page
advertisements were released each day in the two local Hindi newspapers, and also in
one English newspaper that devotes six pages to the coverage of the state.
Each evening, a sample of 100 target market customers were interviewed by
telephone as follows:
1. Target customers were asked if they had read the newspaper that day. This was
done to determine their exposure to advertisement.
2. After a general description of the product lines, the respondents were asked to
recall any related retail advertisements they had seen or read.
3, If the respondents were able to recall, they were asked to describe the ad, the
promoted products, sale prices, and the name of the sponsoring store.
4. If the respondents were accurate in their ad interpretation, they were asked to
express their intentions to purchase.
5. Respondents were also asked for suggestions to be incorporated in future
promotions targeted at this consumer segment.
Immediately after the close of promotion, 500 target market customers were
surveyed to determine what percentage of the target market actually purchased the
26
INDIAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND STUDIES
SUB: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR MAX MARKS: 100
promoted products. It also determined which sources of information influenced them in
their decision to purchase and the amount of their purchase.
Results of the study showed that ad exposure was 75 per cent and ad awareness
level was 68 per cent and was considered as high. Only 43 percent respondents exposed
to and aware of the ad copy could accurately recall important details, such as the name
of the store promoting the retail sale. Just 43 per cent correct interpretation was
considered as low. Of those who could accurately interpret the ad copy, 32 per cent said
they intended to respond by purchasing the advertised· products ' and 68per cent sad
they had no intention to buy. This yields an overall intention to buy of 7 per cent. The
largest area of lost opportunity was due to those who did not accurately interpret the ad
copy.
The post-promotion survey indicated that only 4.2 per cent of the target market
customers made purchases of the promoted products during the promotion period. In
terms of how the buyers learned of the promotion, 46 per cent mentioned newspaper A
(Hindi), 27 per cent newspaper B (Hindi), 8 per cent newspaper (English), and 15 per cent
learned about sale through word-of mouth communication.
The retail promotion was judged as successful in many ways, besides yielding sales
worth
Rs 900,000. However, management was concerned about not achieving a higher
level of ad comprehension, missing a significant sales opportunity: It was believed that a
better ad would have at least 75 per cent correct comprehension among those aware of
the ad. This in turn would almost double sales without any additional cost.
QUESTIONS
1. Why would some consumers have high-involvement levels in learning
about this sales promotion?
2 Is a level of 75 per cent comprehension realistic among those who
become aware of an ad? Why or why not?
3. Do you think such promotions are likely to influence the quality image of
the retail store? Explain.
27