Measurement of Brand Awareness & Brand Perception

A STUDY ON MEASUREMENT OF BRAND AWARENESS and BRAND PERCEPTION WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO “Del Monte” (Field Fresh Foods Pvt Ltd)

Submitted by J.SUNIL KUMAR Reg.No:09951E0056 In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of the Master of Business Administration

Under the supervision of Mr.S.SREEKANTH UGC NET Department of management Studies Institute of Aeronautical Engineering Dundigal (Village), Quthubullapur (Mandal), Hyderabad-500043.

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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this dissertation of my project report entitled “MEASUREMENT OF BRAND AWARENESS AND BRAND PERCEPTION” Submitted towards fulfillment of requirement of Master of Business Administration no part of this research has been submitted earlier, either to University or any other institutes.

DATE: PLACE: (J SUNIL KUMAR)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all I would like to take this opportunity to thank the JNTU HYD for having project as a part of the MBA Curriculum.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to Principal Dr. G.POSHAL for providing me helpful environment in complexity this project and for giving me the fine opportunity to do this project in the esteemed organization.

I gratefully acknowledge to Mr.S.SREEKANTH who has given me the opportunity to learn at deep level to prepare this report and supported me throughout this project with utmost cooperation and patience.

I express my profound sense of gratitude and sincere thanks to the Management of Del Monte (Field Fresh Foods Pvt Ltd) for offering me this project and training in this organization.

An acknowledgement would not be complete without a word of thanks to all our friends for their valuable suggestions.

Place: Date:

J SUNIL KUMAR 09951E0056

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TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER CONTENTS PG. NO.

CHAPTER 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 CHAPTER 2

INTRODUCTION NEED OF THE STUDY SCOPE OF THE STUDY OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY RESEARCH METHODOLOGY LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY REVIEW OF LITERATURE

8-23 24 25 26 27-32 33 34-38

CHAPTER 3

COMPANY PROFILE

39-46

CHAPTER 4

DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATIONS

47-57

CHAPTER 5

DISCUSSION&FINDINGS

58-59

CHAPTER 6

CONCLUSION

60-62

BIBLIOGRAPHY

63

ANNEXURE

64-66

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LIST OF TABLES
S.No Figure 0 1 TABLES Research frame work Main different concepts What is the brand that comes to your mind when we say the word sauce? What makes you to prefer a brand? Do you prefer to purchase sauces/ketchup with well known brand names attached to it? Are you aware of DELMONTE sauces/ketchup? Why do you prefer of it? Which sauces? Ketchup product comes to your mind at the time of purchasing it? Mostly which place you prefer to buy sauces? PG. NO. 29 38 48

2

49

3 4 5

50 51 52

6

53

7

54

8

What makes you to buy product from the following parameters

55

9

Importance of attributes

56

10

Do you think branded products are better than unbranded products?

57

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LIST OF CHARTS

S.No

TABLES What is the brand that comes to your mind when we say the word sauce? What makes you to prefer a brand? Do you prefer to purchase sauces/ketchup with well known brand names attached to it? Are you aware of DELMONTE sauces/ketchup? Why do you prefer of it? Which sauces? Ketchup product comes to your mind at the time of purchasing it? Mostly which place you prefer to buy sauces?

PG. NO.

1

48

2

49

3 4 5

50 51 52

6

53

7

54

8

What makes you to buy product from the following parameters

55

9

Importance of attributes

56

10

Do you think branded products are better than unbranded products?

57

6

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INTRODUCTION
What is marketing? The management process through which goods and services move from concept to the customer. As a practice, it consists in coordination of four elements called 4P's: (1) Identification, selection, and development of a product, (2) Determination of its price, (3) Selection of a distribution channel to reach the customer's place, and (4) Development and implementation of a promotional strategy.

There are many definitions of marketing. The better definitions are focused upon customer orientation and satisfaction of customer needs.

Marketing is the social process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others. .....Kotler. Marketing is the management process that identifies, anticipates and satisfies customer requirements profitably. ......The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). The CIM definition (in common with Barwell's definition of the marketing concept) looks not only at identifying customer needs, but also satisfying them (short-term) and anticipating them in the future (long-term retention). The right product, in the right place, at the right time, at the right price .....Adcock

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An Introduction to Branding The term brand means different things to the different roles of buyer and seller, with buyers generally associating brand with a product or service, and merchants associating brand with identity. Brand can also identify the company behind the specific product — that‘s not just a biscuit, that‘s Britannia biscuit. This use of brand puts a ?face? behind the name, so to speak, even if the ?face? is the result of advertising copy and television commercials. This use of brand also says nothing of quality, just the buyer‘s exposure to the brand‘s PR and media hype. For the typical merchant, branding is a way of taking everything that is good about the company — positive shopping experience, professionalism, superior service, product knowledge, whatever the company decides is important for a customer to believe about the company — and wrapping these characteristics into a package that can be evoked by the brand as signifier. History of branding: Buildings age and become dilapidated Machines wear out People die But what live on are Brands.

What is the origin of branding? The word brand is derived from Old English meaning ?burning stick? (and ultimately from the Indo-European word meaning ?to be hot?). Livestock branding was used by the ancient Egyptians as early as 2700 BC as a theft deterrent, as stolen animals could then be readily identifiable.

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Egyptians ‘Branded’

Around the 10 century merchant marks, formed from simple linear designs, increased in usage. These marks were known as the ?signa mecatorium‘ in Roman-Dutch law. Merchant marks were used to prove ownership of goods that were missing due to shipwrecks, pirates, or other mishaps. They were also useful for the tracking of goods by people who were illiterate.

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The first recorded brands in the Western Hemisphere were the Three Latin Crosses of Hernán Cortéz, who landed in Mexico in 1519. Additionally, brands are easily recognized patterns that are used for identification purposes. Livestock being driven across an open range necessitate an easy method of identification to prevent ownership disputes when the animals were commingled with other stock. Brands were subsequently used in the American west as a promise on part of a seller to ?make good? on defective livestock sold to buyers. Craftsmen in Europe and Japan formed guilds that affixed ?production marks? to their products. These marks were used as a method to insure quality, as defective goods could be traced back to its origin. These marks allowed the guild warden to fine or expel a craftsman from the guild for faulty craftsmanship. Whereas this guild mark was a personal mark the industrial revolution fostered the growth of commerce and the brand mark became a more generalized legal instrument.

As trade grew consumers were less likely to deal directly with the artesian that made the crafts. Special laws were enacted that were related to forgery, counterfeiting and fraud laws. Courts in 10

France, England, Germany and the US prevented the ?passing off? by a third party as being genuine goods of the trademark holder. Today, brands are still protected by trademark. In the US, according to the 1946 trademark law, commonly called the Lanham Act, the fundamental purpose of the trademark is identified as a measure ?to protect the public from deceit, foster fair competition, and…to secure to the business community the advantage of reputation and good will.? In essence brand is used by an organization to identify and distinguish goods sold or manufactured from one individual from that from another. In the earliest form, a brand mark defined quality, a mark which differentiated a quality product from other similar products. Many years ago, in the Soviet Union, when products were sold under a generic name, the factory manufacturing the product had to mark its identity on the packaging. Customers soon realized that a detergent powder produced in one factory was superior to another in quality. Eventually, housewives would turn the packaging around while purchasing to identify the origin of the product and make their choices on the basis of its manufacturing location. The serial number of the factory had become a brand as it is differentiated from other similar detergents, which, according to the state, were supposed to be identical in formulation and in every other way. This is similar to the Nirma story where the brand name was the only differentiator between totally similar products in the Ahemadabad market in the early 1970‘s

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DEFINITION OF KEY WORDS
Several definitions of our key words exist in the literatures and we shall Endeavour to write the once that are suitable. This is just to give the reader a transparent background of the topic we are concentrating on. Brand Kotler et al (2005, p.549) defined a brand as ?a name, term, sign, symbol, design or a combination of these that identifies the makers or seller of the product or services?. According to Kapferer (2004), a brand is a name that has the power to influence a buyer. He went further to say that this influence could be as a result of a set of mental association and relationship built up over time among customers or distributors.

Brand equity Aaker (1991) stated that brand equity can be referred to as ?a set of brand assets and liabilities linked to a brand, its name and symbol that add to or subtract from the value provided by a product or service to a firm and/or to that firm‘s customers?. Brand loyalty Aaker (1991 p.39) defined Brand loyalty as ?the attachment that a customer has to a brand?. It can also be seen as consumer‘s preference to purchase a particular brand in a product class and this could be as a result of the consumer awareness about that particular brand. Brand image Brand image is referred to as consumer perceptions about the brand or how they view it. According to Keller (1993), brand image is also seen as ?a symbolic construct created within the minds of people and consist of all the information and expectations associated with a product or service?. Brand Awareness Keller (2003) stated that Brand awareness can be referred to as the ability of a consumer to distinguish a brand under various conditions. Keller (2003) also noted that brand awareness is built and increased by familiarity with the brand as a result of repeated vulnerability which eventually leads to consumers experience with the brand. Consumer‘s experience of a particular brand could either be by hearing, seeing, or thinking about it and this will help the brand to stick in their memory. 12

Meaning of Branding The American Marketing Association defines a brand as ?A name, term, sign, symbol or design or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group and to differentiate them to those for competitors?. A brand is thus a product or service that‘s adds a Dimension that differentiates it in some way from other products or services designed to satisfy the same need. These differences may be functional, rational, or tangible- relate to product performance of the brand. Branding has been around for centuries as a means to distinguish the goods of one producer to those of another. The earliest signs of branding can be traced to Europe where the medieval guilds required that craftsmen put trademarks on their product to protect themselves and producer against inferior quality substitutes. Also in fine arts branding began with artists signing their works. Brands today play a number of important roles that improve the consumer‘s lives and enhance the financial value of firms. Brands identify the source or maker of the product and allow consumers-either individual or organizations- to assign responsibility to a particular manufacturer or distributor. Consumers may evaluate the identical product differently depending how it is branded. Consumers lean about the brand with its past experience and the marketing program. As consumers lives becomes more complicated, time starved the ability of brand to simplify decision making is invaluable. Brands also perform valuable functions for the firm. First they simplify the product handling and tracing. Brands help to organize inventory and accounting records. The brand name can be protected registered trademarks. The intellectual property rights ensure that the firm can safely invest in the brand and can reap the benefits over a long period of time. Brands can signal a certain level of quality so that satisfied buyers can easily choose the product again. Brand loyalty provides predictability and security of demand for the firm and creates barriers to entry that makes it difficult for other firms to enter the market. This brand loyalty can 13

translate into willingness to pay higher price. In this sense branding can be seen as powerful means to secure a competitive advantage. Brands represent enormously valuable pieces of legal property that can influence consumer‘s behavior. Strong brand results in better earnings and profit performance for firms, which in turn, creates greater value for shareholders. How do you ?BRAND? a product? Although firms provide the impetus to brand creation through marketing programs and other activities, ultimately a brand is something that resides in the mind of the consumers. A brand is a perpetual identity that is rooted in reality but reflects the perceptions and perhaps even the ultimate choice of the consumers. Branding is endowing products and services with the power of brands. To brand a product, it is necessary to teach the consumers ?who? the product-by giving a name. Branding involves creating mental structures and helping consumers organize their knowledge about products and services in a way that clarifies their decision making and in process provides value to the firm Branding can be applied virtually anywhere a consumer has a choice. It is possible to brand:
? ? ? ? ? ?

A physical good (Cadbury‘s Chocolate, Sunsilk shampoo), A service (Kingfisher Airlines, TATA AIG medical insurance), A store (Big Bazaar, BATA stores), A place (The state of Kerala, Pushkar Mela), A person (Amithabh Bachan, Sachin Tendulkar), An organization (UNICEF or BCCI),

Brand is the proprietary visual, emotional, rational, and cultural image that you associate with the company or a product. When you think of Volvo, you think of safety. When you think of Nike, you think of Michael Jordon or ?Just Do It‘. When you think of IBM, you think of ?Big Blue‘. The fact that you remember the brand name and have positive associations with that brand makes your product selection easier and enhances the value and satisfaction you get from product. While Brand X cola or even Pepsi-Cola may win blind taste tests over Coca-Cola, the fact is that more people buy Coke than any other Cola. The fond memories of childhood and refreshment

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That people have when they drink Coke is often more important than a little bit better cola taste. This emotional relationship with brands that make them so powerful.

Purpose of Branding The purpose of branding is to create a powerful and lasting emotional connection with customers and other audiences. A brand is a set of elements or ?brand assets? that in combination create a unique, memorable, unmistakable, and valuable relationship between an organization and its customers. The brand is carried by a set of compelling visual, written and vocal tools to represent the business plan and intentions of an organization. Branding is the voice and image that represents your business plan to the outside world. What your company, products and services stand for should all be captured in your branding strategy, and represented consistently throughout all your brand assets and in your daily marketing activities The brand image that carries this emotional connection consists of the many manageable elements of branding system, including both visual image assets and language assets. The process of managing the brand to the business plan is important not only in ?big change situation? where the brand redefinition is required, but also in the management of routine marketing variables and tactics. This does not have to be a ?ground-up? situation where there are wholesale changes to the business. Rather it is more common that specific changes to the changes to the business plan are incremental and the work of the brand strategist and designer is to interpret these changes and revise the branding strategy and resulting brand assets and define their use in the full range of marketing variables.

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Brand equity: The issue of brand equity emerge as one of the most crucial topics for marketing management in 1990s and its concept and measurement has interested academicians and practitioners for more than one decade. There have been three different perspectives for considering brand equity; the customer- based perspectives, the financial perspectives and combined perspectives. While this study focus on customer based brand equity. In recent years, customer-based brand equity has garnered considerable attention. Operationalization of customer based-brand equity usually fall into two groups: consumer perception and consumer behaviour, e.g. Mahajan Rao, and Srivastava (1991) claimed that customer-based brand equity could be measured by the level of consumer perception. While Farquhar (1990) claimed that brand equity is reflected by the change of consumer attitude while purchasing a product. Later researchers, beside using two approach: consumer perception and consumer behaviour, some combined the two approach and some were related brand equity to other variable as antecedents and consequences of brand equity, e.g. Keller (1993, 2001) mentioned about brand knowledge as combination between brand awareness and brand image, Lassar et al. (1995) evaluate only perceptual dimensions, Blackston (1995) study about the concept of brand meaning which include objective brand (personality characteristic, brand image) and subjective brand (brand attitude), Dyson et al (1996) using brand loyalty and brand attitude, Motameni and Shakroki (1998) proposed concept of global brand equity using brand strength and Prasad and Dev (2000) using brand performance and brand awareness to develop brand equity index. While Aaker‘s (1991, 1996) incorporated the measurement, suggested measure four dimensions of brand equity: brand awareness, brand association perceived quality, and brand loyalty.

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Considering its comprehensiveness, this study based on the concept of brand equity by Aaker (1991, 1996) who established the four dimensions model of consumer based brand equity which the dimensionality has been tested by some researchers: (Cobb Walgren et al, 1995; Yoo & Donthu, 2001; Washburn and Plank, 2002; Pappu et al, 1998, 2005; Atilgan, 2005; and Kim and Kim, 2005). This research would provide manager and researcher a conceptual framework to describe the relationships between the brand equity constructs and a more thorough understanding of consumer behaviour that implies for marketing strategist for making better strategic decision about target market definition and product as well as better tactical decisions about specific marketing-mix actions.

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Brand awareness

Brand awareness can be referred to as the degree of consumers‘ familiarity with a brand. Aaker (1991) and Keller (1993) stated that brand awareness is a vital element of brand equity. According to Rossiter and Percy (1987), brand awareness is the ability of consumers to distinguish a brand amongst other brand. Keller (1993) conceptualized brand awareness as comprising of brand recall and brand recognition. He went further to say that brand recall is the ability of consumers to remember a brand from their mind when the product class is made know. Keller (1993, p. 3) argued that ?brand recognition may be more important to the extent that product decisions are made in the store?. Rossiter et al (1991) noted that brand attitude and intention to purchase a product can only be developed through brand awareness. According to Aaker (1991 p.62), there are three levels of brand awareness: ?

Brand recognition: It is the ability of consumers to identify a certain brand amongst other i.e. ?aided recall?. Aided recall is a situation whereby a person is asked to identify a recognized brand name from a list of brands from the same product class.

?

Brand recall: This is a situation whereby a consumer is expected to name a brand in a product class. It is also referred to as ?unaided recall? as they are not given any clue from the product class.

?

Top of mind: This is referred to as the first brand that a consumer can recall amongst a given class of product.

Many researchers have seen brand awareness as an element that plays a vital role in consumer‘s choice of brand. In Lin and Chang (2003), the result of their study established that brand awareness had the most powerful influence on consumers purchase decision. 18

Hoye and brown (1990) as cited by Lin and Chang (2003) their study examined the importance of brand awareness in consumers decision making process and they found out that brand awareness was a primary factor. Also Jiang (2004) found out in his study that brand recognition influences consumer‘s choice. Hence, in our present study, brand awareness is conceptualized as consisting of brand recognition and top of mind.

Achieving brand awareness Aaker (1991) prescribed some of the following factors as ways to achieve brand awareness: ? Involve a slogan or jingle: a slogan is a visible feature of a brand. There can be a strong link between a slogan and a brand. The slogan and jingle are powerful and can be a great change for a brand. ? ? Be different and memorable: as a result of the similarity between product and their means of communication, product differentiation is important. Symbol exposure: a known symbol will make it easier to recall and memorize a visible illustration of the brand. A logo that is connected to an existing brand or a developed brand will play a vital role in developing and keeping brand awareness. ? ? ? Publicity: one of the most important ways to get publicity and create awareness is through advertisement. Event sponsorship: sponsorship of event can also help to create and maintain awareness. Consider brand extension: one way to increase brand recall is to show the logo or name on the product and make the name popular. Example of this is coca-cola which is more publicized than the key product. ? Using cue: packaging is one of the most significant cues to a brand due to the fact that it is what the purchaser sees when purchasing a product. If the product or brand is not known, the only means of contact to the brand or product is the package. 19

The Role of Brand Awareness

Rossiter and Percy (1987) describe brand awareness as being essential for the communications Process to occur as it precedes all other steps in the process. Without brand awareness occurring, no other communication effects can occur. For a consumer to buy a brand they must first be made aware of it. Brand attitude cannot be formed, and intention to buy cannot occur unless brand awareness has occurred (Rossiter & Percy 1987; Rossiter et al. 1991).In memory theory, brand awareness is positioned as a vital first step in building the ?bundle? of associations which are attached to the brand in memory (Stokes 1985). The brand is conceptualized as a node in memory which allows other information about the brand to be ?anchored? to it (Aaker 1991b). The conceptualization of a network of brand associations in memory with the brand as a central core has been put forward by many others (e.g. Keller 1993; Holden 1993; Holden & Lutz 1992).

Brand Awareness in Decision Making

The above two roles of brand awareness should be well known to marketing managers. The role of brand awareness in decision theory is probably less well known.

Brand awareness and the consideration set

Brand awareness has been hypothesised to play a crucial role in determining the consideration set: the small set of brands which a consumer gives serious attention when making a purchase (Howard & Sheth 1969; Narayana & Markin 1975). The composition of this small set of brands which are considered during decision-making is important. A brand that is not considered cannot be chosen (Baker et al. 1986), and further, the probability of the brand being chosen is a function of the number of other brands in the consideration set, for instance, the probability of a brand 20

being selected from 1, 2, 3, or 4 brands, decreases rapidly from 1.0 to 0.5, 0.33, and 0.25 respectively. In a situation where the consumer is aware of a number of brands which fit the relevant criteria, he or she is unlikely to expend much effort in seeking out information on unfamiliar brands. A brand that has some level of brand awareness is far more likely to be considered, and therefore chosen, than brands which the consumer is unaware of. Additionally, the strength of awareness of the brands within the consideration set can also be significant. Wilson (1981 cited in Woodside & Wilson 1985) confirmed the importance of top-of-mind awareness in a study which found that the higher the position of the brand in the consumer's mind measured by unaided recall, the higher the purchase intention and the higher the relative purchase of the brand. In another study, increases in brand awareness were shown to increase the probability of choice even without any accompanying change in attitude or perceptions (Nedungadi 1990).

Brand awareness as a heuristic

Brand awareness can also affect decisions about brands within the consideration set (Hoyer & Brown 1990; Keller 1993). Consumers may employ a heuristic (decision rule) to buy only familiar, well-established brands (Roselius 1971; Jacoby et al. 1977, both cited in Keller 1993). Consumers do not always spend a great deal of time making purchase decisions. In a study of pre-purchase search for laundry powder, Hoyer (1984) found that the median number of packages examined in-store was 1.2 before a selection was made. Dickson and Sawyer (1986) found that for purchases such as coffee, toothpaste and margarine, the consumer took an average 12 seconds from the time of first looking at the shelf to the time they placed the item in their trolley. In many cases consumers try to minimize the costs of decision making in terms of time spent, and cognitive effort, by employing simple rules of thumb, such as 'buy the brand I've heard of'. This is particularly likely to occur in low involvement situations where a minimum level of brand awareness may be sufficient for choice (Hoyer & Brown 1990; Mackay 1990). In such situations, the consumer may lack the motivation or the ability to judge between brands (Petty & Cacioppo 1986).

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Brand awareness enhances perceived quality

A further way brand awareness may affect choice within the consideration set is by influencing perceived quality. In a consumer choice study by Hoyer and Brown (1990) over 70% of consumers selected a known brand of peanut butter from among a choice of three, even though another brand was 'objectively' better quality (as determined by blind taste tests), and even though they had neither bought or used the brand before. This result is even more surprising considering the subjects were given the opportunity to taste all of the brands. Just being a known brand dramatically affected their evaluation of the brand. Intuitively, this makes sense: a consumer may rationalize that if they have heard of a brand, the company must be spending a fair sum on advertising. If it is spending a lot on advertising, then the company must be reasonably profitable which means that other consumers must be buying the product and they must be satisfied enough with its performance; therefore the product must be of reasonable quality. Stokes (1985) found that for a low involvement product (rice) familiarity had a greater magnitude of effect on the quality perception of a brand than either price or packaging. And further, that familiarity had a significant effect on purchase intention whereas price and package design did not. Perceived quality According to Aaker (1996) and Keller (1993,1998), perceived quality is a core dimension of customers based brand equity as it relates to the willingness to pay a price premium, brand choice and brand purchase intention.

Low and Lamb Jr (2000) referred to perceived quality as the perception of the superiority of a brand when compared to alternative brand. Zeithamal (1998) defined perceived quality as consumer‘s judgment about the whole product superiority or excellence. According to Szymanski and Henard (2001), one of the antecedents of satisfaction is perceived quality. Like brand association, perceived quality provide consumers with value and give them reason to differentiate a brand from another.

Justified by Researchers such as Carman (1990), Parasuraman et al (1985, 1998), perceived quality can said to have a positive effect on customers purchase intention. Although there are 22

inconsistencies on the available empirical evidence for example, Boulding et al (1993) considered service quality as one of the factors leading to purchase intention. In Cronin and Taylor (1992) as cited by Juan Carlos et al (2001) direct effect was not significant whereas there was an indirect effect which rose from satisfaction. Taylor and Baker (1994) speculated that perceived quality liked with satisfaction has an effect on consumers purchase intention. Therefore, perceived quality can be said to be consumer‘s perception of the superiority of a brand which enables them to differentiate a brand from another.

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NEED FOR THE STUDY
The following are the needs to do the research at Del Monte (Field fresh foods pvt ltd). 1. There is no such research work was carried before. 2. The management was in the position to know whether the existing branding methods and promotion schemes used is effective or not. 3. To measure the satisfaction level of the customer using the ketchup/products. 4. To get suggestions from the customer for further improvement in existing branding system. 5. To contribute to the growth of the organization.

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SCOPE OF THE STUDY
Gathering information and theoretical knowledge is a part of study. It become complete when added with practical knowledge as the noted truth comes to sight. Hence one becomes more efficient and effective when a flavor of practical outlook is added to the bosky mind. As the study has got wide relevance is formulating valid information about the organization, it helps in getting a critical look in to the branding/promotional practices of the organization in relation to theoretical knowledge. It gives an idea about the company branding and promotional practices and brand awareness of the products to the future decision- making how to perform successfully and tact fully. As there is saying, practice makes a man perfect and the knowledge. This does not deal with the practical application, is said to be unscientific and unsystematic. More over the branch of management, which deals with the most critical and important factor of production, requires not only theoretic background but also some practical experience to have some knowledge on day-to-day problem solving.

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OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of the study is to determine the brand awareness of Del Monte (Field fresh foods pvt ltd). ? ? To explain the attitude of customer towards brand awareness. To determining the breadth of brand‘s awareness (i.e. the percentage of the population who recognize the brand). ? ? ? ? ? To measure the level of accessibility or "salience" of the brand in the consumer's mind. To know the probability of choice with the company‘s brand during purchase action. To study awareness of brand switch. To determine the most important factor which influencing purchasing decision To offer suggestion to the company & to improve its activities

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

INTRODUCTION:

The first and foremost step in the research process consists of problem identification. One the problem is defined; the next is the research design becomes easier. The research design is the basic framework, which provides guideline for the rest of the research process. The research design specifies the methods of data collection and analysis.

I. Collection of Primary Data: Communication and observation are the two basic means used by me for collecting primary data. Communication involves questioning the respondents to secure the desired information by using data collection instrument called ?Questionnaire‘. The questionnaire used in my study is consisting of closed-end questions and one open ended question.

Closed-end questions: Fixed alternative questions are used in the questionnaire. This consists of

Dichotomous Questions: The respondent is given a choice between only two alternatives.

Multiple-choice Questions: The respondents are given a set of alternatives to answer.

Open-ended question: The customers are asked to give suggestions to improve the service in the form of open-ended Question at the end of the questionnaire.

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II. Collection of Secondary Data:

Internal and external secondary data is collected for the purpose of study. Internal secondary data is collected within the company. This data includes company records, previous research reports and other relevant information.

External secondary data is generated from outside. This data includes books and Internet etc.

III. Sampling Procedure:

Sample Size:

50

Sampling Procedure: Simple random sampling approach has been adopted.

IV. Mode of collecting data: The desired data was collected mainly through primary sources including: ?Observation ?Interviews ?Informal interactions ?Feedback from customers/promoters/supermarket owners ?Company manuals Among the modes of collecting data interaction with the customers and collecting is the most versatile and flexible mode of collecting data.

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Research Framework

Based on literature review and research hypotheses as illustrated in the last chapter, this study develop the conceptual framework of this research as shown in Figure

Model
Brand Awareness H4 H7 H1 Perceived Model Quality H5 Brand Association H9 H8 H3 H6 Brand Loyalty H2

The proposed research framework present the relationship between four construct of customer based brand equity namely Brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality and brand loyalty. Relationships between Brand Awareness and Brand Associations. Aaker (1991, 1996) argued that brand equity is a multidimensional construct, which consists of brand loyalty, Customer based brand awareness, perceived quality, brand loyalty and brand awareness and brand associations. Brand equity occurs when the consumer has a high level of awareness and familiarity with the brand and holds some strong, favourable, and unique brand association memory. Fiske and Taylor (1995) contended that brand associations could be recalled in customer‘s mind as emotional impressions. Brand awareness influences consumer decisions making by affecting 29

the strength of the brand associations in their mind.(Keller,1993,1997). Pitta and Katsanis (1995) also pointed out that there are several dimensions of brand awareness with brand associations. They further indicated that brand associations of the product can be stored in consumer‘s minds after brand awareness of the product are already in their memory. Brand awareness and brand associations were found to be correlated (Atilgan et al 2005; and Pappu et al 2005). Moreover, high levels of brand awareness positively affect the formation of the product‘s brand image (association) (Ramos and Franco, 2005). Esch et al (2006) also found that brand awareness affects brand image (association). These literature review leads to hypotheses H1 H1: Brand Awareness has a positive direct effect to Brand Associations. The Relationship between Brand Awareness, Brand Association and Brand Loyalty Yoo, Donthu and Lee, (2000) researched about brand awareness with brand associations and brand equity. These researchers indicated that brand awareness with brand association has a significant positive effect on brand equity. While brand loyalty can be defined as combination of elements including the degree of customer satisfaction and the positive of brand associations. Thus it can be seen that if customers had higher brand associations and brand awareness, brand loyalty would increase. Similarly in Atilgan‘s (2005) study, the more favourable associations consumers have towards a brand, the more their loyalty and vice versa. These literature review leads to hypotheses H2, H3 H2: Brand Awareness has a positive direct effect to Brand loyalty H3: Brand Association has a positive direct effect to Brand Loyalty The Relationship between brand awareness, brand association and perceived quality. As studied by Aaker (1991), Keller (1993) and Pappu et al (2005), consumer who hold favourable associations towards a brand are also likely to develop favourable perceptions of quality and vice versa. Brand awareness in their study has been defined as consumer‘s ability to 30

recall that a brand is a member of product category. Consumers brand awareness is likely to be high when they have strong associations for the brand and when they perceived the quality of the brand to be high and vice a versa. These literature review leads to hypotheses H4 and H5: H4: Brand Awareness has a positive direct effect to Perceived Quality. H5: Brand Associations has a positive direct effect to Perceived Quality. The Relationship between Perceived Quality and Brand Loyalty. For several studies found that brand loyalty is related perceived quality ( Mc Connel,1968, Shapiro,1970 Szybiloo and Jacoby,1974) as reviewed by Lau and Lee (1999). Atilgan et al. (2005) studied the relationship between the dimensions of brand equity and brand equity itself. They concluded that brand loyalty is the most influence dimension of brand equity. Even their study did not give enough support to the existence of a direct causal relationship between the three dimensions brand awareness, brand association, and perceived quality and brand equity However, observed pair-wise comparison suggested that there is a correlation between brand loyalty, brand awareness, and perceived quality. As a result they suggested that concentrating brand loyalty, should not undervalue the effect of brand awareness and perceived quality to brand loyalty. As Pappu et al‘s study (2005) is envisaged that consumer‘s perception of quality will be associated with their brand loyalty. The more brand loyal a consumer is, the more he or she is likely to perceived the brand as offering superior quality and vice a versa. These literature review leads to hypotheses H6 H6: Perceived Quality has a positive direct effect to Brand Loyalty The Mediating Effect of Perceived Quality Brand awareness has been define as consumer‘s ability to recall that a brand is a member of product category (Aaker, 1991). Consumers brand awareness is likely to be high when they have 31

strong associations for the brand and when they perceived the quality of the brand to be high and vice a versa. Similarly, consumers‘ perception of quality of a brand is likely to be high when they have strong association with the brand and vice versa Pappu et al. (2005). According to Aaker (1991) while brand awareness builds the familiarity liking sight and is a signal of substance/commitment, perceived quality acts as a differentiation tools. These literature review leads to hypotheses H7, H8 H7: Perceive Quality is mediating the relationship between Brand Awareness and Brand Equity. H8: Perceived Quality is mediating the relationship between Brand Association and Brand loyalty. The Mediating Effect of Brand Association. Brand awareness influences consumer decisions making by affecting the strength of the brand associations in their mind.(Keller,1993,1997). Pitta and Katsanis (1995) also indicated that brand associations of the product can be stored in consumer‘s minds after brand awareness of the product are already in their memory. Later Atilgan et al; and Pappu et al (2005) found that brand awareness and brand associations were correlated. These literature review leads to hypotheses H9 H9: Brand Association is mediating the relationship between Brand Awareness and Brand Loyalty.

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Limitations of the study:

? Due to shortage of time we did not meet more respondents ? Most of the customer did not spend more time in the questionnaire. ? The study is based upon small population like 50 sample

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CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW
Theoretical of Branding Brand is the image that consumers have in mind (Aaker, 1991). It is also the unique characteristics that have been developed all the time in order to differentiate actual products from the competitors (Murphy, 1990). In addition, The American Association defines a brand as ?a name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors. ?A brand is thus a product or service that adds dimensions that differentiate it in some way from other products or services designed to satisfy the same need. These differences may be functional, rational, or emotional or intangible related to what the brand represents. Brand concepts must address customer interests and lifestyles. Factors that affect its brand image and brand perception among marketing communication program that implementing to the public to create brand perception, brand characteristic, brand image and brand equity. Brand Perception Brand perception is consumers‘ ability to identify the brand under different conditions, as reflected by their brand recognition or recall performance (Kotler & Lane, 2006). Brand recall refers to consumer‘s ability to retrieve the brand from the memory (Keller, 1993). According to the improvement of measurement for brand equity, consumer-based brand equity was described for four dimensions; brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality, and brand loyalty (Pappu, et al, 2005). Brand awareness was defined as the consumers‘ ability to identify or recognize the brand (Rossiter and Percy, 1987). It refers to the strength of a brand presence in consumer‘s minds. Brand awareness has several levels starting from the less recognition of the brand to dominance (Aaker, 1991). Perceived quality was evaluated and decided by consumers. Perceived quality is another valuation of brand to push the customer to buy products. Brand building has been around for centuries as a means to distinguish the goods of one producer from those of another. The earliest signs of branding in Europe were the medieval guilds‘ requirement that craftspeople put trademarks on their products to protect themselves and 35

consumers against inferior quality. In the fine arts, branding began with artists signing their works. Brands today play a number of important roles that improve consumers‘ lives and enhance the financial value of firms (Kotler & Lane, 2006). Brand awareness and brand perceived quality as the significant factors to create and maintain brand equity. There are positive relationship among brand awareness, perceive quality and brand equity (Aker, 1996, Buzzell & Gate, 1987). The marketing program has effect to improve the perceive quality of brand for different customers. Brand Equity The issue of brand equity has emerged as one of the most crucial topics for marketing management since 1990s( Leuthesser,1988; Keller,1993; Cobb-Walgren, Ruble, & Dontu, 1995: Lassar, Mittal & Sharma, 1995; Aaker, 1996; Dyson, Farr, and Hollis, 1996; Faircloth et al. 2001, Esch et al, 2006; Ramos & Franco et al. 2005. Brand equity has been considered in many context: the value added to the product (Jones, 1986; Lethesser 1988; Farquhar, 1990; Aaker,1991,1996,1999; Keller, 1993,1998, 1999; Kapferer, 1997); value of the firm (Aaker, 1991; Kim & Kim, 2005); value of the customer(Aaker1991; Martensen & Gronholt, 2003); brand preference, purchase intention (Lattin, 1987; Zeithaml 1988; Hardie et al 1993; CobbWagren 1995); brand loyalty, brand awareness perceived quality, brand associations (Aaker, 1991; Keller,1993; Gralpois 1998, Pappu et al, 2005; Atilgan et al, 2005); differential effect of brand knowledge of consumer response to the marketing of brand (Keller,1993); incremental utility (Simon & Sullivan, 1993); consequence of marketing efforts (Ramos & Franco, 2005). There have been three different perspectives for considering brand equity; The customer- based perspectives, the financial perspectives and combined perspectives. While this study focus on the customer based perspectives. Customer- Based Brand Equity. The advantage of conceptualizing brand equity from the Customer- based perspective is that it enables managers to consider specifically how their marketing programs improves the value of their brands in the minds of consumers.

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Within the marketing literature, operationalization of customer based-brand equity usually falls into two groups (Cobb-Walgren et al. (1995); Yoo & Donthu (2001)): consumer perception (brand awareness, brand associations, perceived quality) and consumer behaviour (brand loyalty, willingness to pay a high price). Mahajan, Rao, and Srivastava (1991) claimed that customer-based brand equity could be measured by the level of customer‘s perception. Also operationalized by Lassar et al. (1995) as an enhancement of the perceived utility and desirability that a brand name confers on a product. According to them, costumer- based brand equity indicates only perceptual dimensions, not including behavioral or attitudinal such as loyalty or usage intention, which differs from Aaker‘s (1991) who suggested to measure brand equity including behavioural and attitudinal dimensions. Farquhar (1990) maintained that brand equity is reflected by the change of consumer attitude while purchasing a product. Aaker (1991) incorporated definitions, the four dimensions of brand equity namely brand awareness, brand association perceived quality, and brand loyalty. Customer- Based Brand Equity is defined as ?a set of Brand assets and liabilities linked to a brand, its name and symbol that add to or subtract from the value provided by a product or service to a firm‘s consumers (Aaker, 1991)?. On the other hand, some researcher related the customer based brand equity with other construct, e.g. Farquhar and Ijiri (1991) proposed a model by judging the corporation‘s marketing efforts on its brand directly. While Lassar et al (1995) focused on relationship between customer based and financial/ market based brand equity measurement. Customer-based brand equity in this respect is the driving force for incremental financial gains to the firm.

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Table 0. Main different concepts: Main contributor Mahajan (1991) Farquhar (1990) Rao Measure customer based brand equity by the level of customer‘s perception -Brand equity is reflected by the change of consumer attitude while purchasing a product. Concept

Aaker (1991)

Measuring the four dimensions of brand equity: brand awareness, brand association perceived quality, and brand loyalty.

Keller (1993)

Adopted two basic approaches (direct and indirect) to measure customer- based brand equity emphasizing two constructs: brand awareness and brand image. The indirect approach to identify potential sources of costumer- based brand equities The direct approach focuses on consumer response to different elements of firm‘s marketing program.

Farquhar Ijiri (1991) Lassar 1995 et

& Judging the corporation‘s marketing efforts on its brand directly.

al, Relationship between customer based and financial and market based brand equity measurement. Customer-based brand equity in this respect is the driving force for incremental financial gains to the firm.

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CHAPTER 3 COMPANY PROFILE

Delmonte Nourishes families, Enriches lives Everyday Del Monte Foods is one of the country‘s largest and most well-known producers, distributors and marketers of premium quality, branded pet products and food products for the U.S. retail market, generating approximately $3.7 billion in net sales in fiscal 2010. With a powerful portfolio of brands, Del Monte products are found in eight out of ten U.S. households. Pet food and pet snacks brands include Meow Mix®, Kibbles 'n Bits®, MilkBone®, 9Lives®, Milo’s Kitchen™, Pup-Peroni®, Gravy Train®, Nature’s Recipe®, Canine Carry-Outs® and other brand names. Food product brands include Del

Monte®, Contadina®, S&W®, College Inn® and other brand names. The Company also produces and distributes private label pet products and food products. Bharti & Del Monte tie-up: An Indian business giant and a Philippine conglomerate have come together to create FieldFresh Foods Pvt. Ltd. Field Fresh Foods is a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and Del Monte Pacific Limited to offer Del Monte branded processed food and beverage products in India and fieldfresh branded fresh fruits and vegetables in India and other countries.

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With a range of superior tasting products and the synergy between Bharti‘s dynamism and Del Monte Pacific‘s food business experience, FieldFresh Foods looks forward to becoming the leading and most trusted food company in India. Bharti Enterprises India‘s leading business group, Bharti Enterprises has interests in telecom, agri-business, insurance & retail. With over 100 million customers, Bharti‘s flagship unit, Airtel Ltd., is the country‘s leading private sector provider of telecommunication services.

Del Monte Pacific Limited Del Monte Pacific Limited is listed in the Singapore Stock Exchange and holds a group of companies that caters to today‘s consumer needs for premium quality, healthy food and beverage products. The Del Monte Pacific Group has exclusive rights to the Del Monte brand for processed food and beverage products in the Indian subcontinent and in the Philippines where it enjoys leading market shares for canned pineapple juice and juice drinks, canned pineapple and tropical mixed fruits, tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce and tomato ketchup

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Vision:
To be the most trusted and innovative provider of branded fresh fruits & vegetables and processed food products. In achieving our Vision, we need to build a sustainable and scalable business by: Building brands that ride on the ?Freshness, Wellness & Convenience‘ platforms Focusing on select products and consumer/customer segments which offer higher potential for value-addition Focusing on select markets with a sharper focus on the domestic market Creating high impact on the society at large and our local environment in specific

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Management Team:
Mr. Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Chairman

Mr. Rakesh Bharti Mittal is the Chairman of Bharti Enterprises. An electronics engineer, he has rich experience in managing evolving business operations and environments for over 29 years. He is the Vice Chairman & Managing Director of Bharti Tele-Tech and is the Director in other group companies of Bharti, engaged in telecom services & solutions, BPO, etc.

Mr. Rolando C. Gapud, Director

Mr. Rolando C. Gapud holds a Masters of Science in Industrial Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has over thirty years experience in banking, finance and general management. Having worked as CEO of several Philippine companies, notably Security Bank and Trust Company, Oriental Petroleum and Minerals Corp. and Greenfield Development Corp. He was also the COO of the joint venture operations of Bankers Trust and American Express in the Philippines. He has served in the Boards of various major Philippine companies, including the Development Bank of the Philippines, the development finance arm of the Philippine Government. Mr. Gapud is currently an adviser to the NutriAsia Group of Companies.

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Mr. Joselito D. Campos, Director

Mr. Joselito D. Campos, Jr. holds an MBA from the Cornell University. He is the Chairman and CEO of the NutriAsia Group of Companies, a major food conglomerate in Philippines. He is also the Chairman of Fort Bonifacio Development Corp. and the Vice Chairman of Ayala-Greenfield Development Corp., two major Philippine property developers. He was formerly Chairman and CEO of United Laboratories, Inc. and its regional subsidiaries and affiliates. UniLab is the Philippines‘ largest pharmaceutical company with substantial operations in the Asian region. Mr. Campos is the Honorary Consul in the Philippines for the Republic of Seychelles. He is Chairman of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila and is a Trustee of the Asia Society in the Philippines, the Philippines-China Business Council and the Philippine Business for Social Progress Foundation.

Mr. Luis F. Alejandro, Director

He has over 20 years of experience in consumer product operations and management. He started his career with Procter & Gamble, where he spent 15 years in Brand Management before joining Kraft Foods Philippines Inc. as President and General Manager. Later, he joined Southeast Asia Foods In.c and Heinz UFC Philippines Inc. two leading consumer packaged condiment companies of the NutriAsia Group, as President and Chief Operating Officer. He is an Economics graduate from the Ateneo De Manila University and an MBA from the Asian Institute of Management.

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Mr. Devendra Khanna, Director As Corporate Director – Finance (Telecom & Retail), of Bharti Group, Deven is mainly responsible for corporate planning and business reviews, financial reporting, internal assurance and tax governance for all the businesses of the Bharti group. Deven joined Bharti Airtel in 2004 as the Group Financial Controller and spearheaded financial reporting, business planning & analysis, revenue assurance, taxation, risk controls and compliances and strategic financial projects. Deven has nearly 23 years of experience of which, 17 years was with the Triveni Group. He spearheaded group's public offerings, M&A and corporate restructuring initiatives. Deven is a Commerce graduate from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University and is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Mr. Sanjay Nandrajog, Director

Sanjay Nandrajog joined FieldFresh Foods Pvt. Ltd. as the CEO in November 2007. He has been associated with the Bharti group since January 2003, where he has held several leadership positions in the Airtel Mobility business across both North and South business hubs. His last assignment was as an Executive Director – International Operations and Managed services, responsible for the Seychelles, Channel Islands and Sri Lanka operations. A chemical engineer from IIT Delhi and an alumnus of IIM Calcutta, Sanjay has a rich experience of over 23 years in diverse industries like Telecom, Beverages, Cosmetics, Paints, and Fertilizers and has worked in organizations like PepsiCo, Lakme & ICI in various Sales & Marketing, General Managerial and leadership roles.

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Del Monte Sauces/Ketchups

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DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION
Data analysis and interpretation are necessary ingredients to make the primary data obtained useful for tacking effective strategic moves. The primary data, which has been collected by survey using a structural questionnaire, has been systematically organized, tabulated and edited, so as to properly analyze and achieve the objectives.

1) What is the brand that comes to your mind when we say the word sauce? Table-1: S. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. Brands Delmonte Maggi Heinz Kissan No. of Respondents 8 11 17 14 50 Inference: 34% of the customer‘s opted Heinz when asked about brand that comes to your mind when we say the word sauce based on the quality and brand name, 28% voted for kissan based on the quality and advertisement, 22% opted Maggi based on brand name and quality and 16% of the respondents opted delmonte based on advertisements. The delmonte company should be taken care of quality of sauces and advertisements to be effective that gives brand recognition. CHART – 1
18

% 16 22 34 28 100

Nf Respondents

16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Delmonte Maggi Heinz Kissan Delmonte Maggi Heinz Kissan

Brands

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2) What makes you to prefer a brand? Table-2: S. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Features Quality Packaging Price Brand Advertisements Display Word of mouth Availability No. of Respondents 14 2 5 11 8 3 2 5 50 % 28 4 10 22 16 6 4 10 100

Inference: 14% of the respondents prefer quality, 11% prefer branded products, 8% of the respondents prefers brand through advertisements, 5% of them prefer price, 5% of respondents prefer brand by availability, 3% through display, 2% of the respondents by word of mouth and 2% by packaging. CHART-2
16 14

No OF Respondents

12 10 8 6 4 2 0

quality packagind price brand advertisements display word of mouth availability

Preference Towards Brand

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3. Do you prefer to purchase sauces/ketchup with well known brand names attached to it? Table-3:

S. No. 1. 2. 3.

Features Always Sometimes Never

No. of Respondents 24 17 9 50

% 48 34 18 100

Inference:

48% of respondents always purchase sauces/ketchups with well known brand names, 34% of respondents sometimes purchase sauces/ketchups with brand names and 18% of them never purchases sauces/ketchups with brand names.

CHART-3

Always 48%

Always Sometimes Never

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4. Are you aware of Del Monte sauces/ketchup?

Table-4:

S. No. 1. 2.

Features Yes No

No. of Respondents 18 32 50

% 36 64 100

Inference:

64% of the respondents are unaware of Del Monte sauces/ketchups and 36% of them are aware of Del Monte sauces/ketchups because of recent advertisements and promotion schemes.

CHART-4:

Yes

yes 36%
No 64%

No

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5. Why do you prefer of it?

Table-5: S. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. Features Brand image Flavours Price Taste No. of Respondents 16 10 6 18 50 % 32 20 12 36 100

Inference:

36% of the respondents prefer taste in sauces/ketchups while choosing brand, 32% of them prefer brand image of the products, 20% flavors of the sauces/ketchups, 12% of them prefer reasonable price.

CHART-5:

20 18 16

No Of Respondents

14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Brand image Flavours Price Taste Brand image Flavours Price Taste

Features

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6. Which sauces? Ketchup product comes to your mind at the time of purchasing it? Table-6:

S. No. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Features Delmonte Maggi Heinz Kissan

No. of Respondents 8 11 17 14 50

% 16 22 34 28 100

Inference:

34% of the respondents opt Heinz sauces/ketchups at the time of purchasing, 28% of them opt kissan sauces, 22% magi and 16% delmonte. CHART – 6

18 16 14

Nf Respondents

12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Delmonte Maggi Heinz Kissan Delmonte Maggi Heinz Kissan

Brands

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7. Mostly which place you prefer to buy sauces? Table-7:

S. No. 1. 2. 3. 4.

Features Supermarkets Whole sellers Retailers Nearby stores

No. of Respondents 21 9 7 13 50

% 42 18 14 26 100

Inference:

42% of the respondents buy sauces from super markets, 26% of the respondents buy from nearby stores, 18% of them from whole sellers and 14% of them from retailers.

CHART-7

25

20

No of Respondents

15 Super markets Whloesellers 10 Retailers Nearby stores 5

0 Super markets Whloesellers Retailers Nearby stores

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8. What makes you to buy product from the following parameters? Table-8: S. No. 1. 2. 3. 4. Features Displays Advertisements Sampling Celebrity endorsements 50 100 No. of Respondents 9 21 5 15 % 18 42 10 30

Inference:

42% of the respondents buy products by seeing advertisements, 30% of the respondents buy products because of celebrity endorsements, 18% by seeing display boards, 5% by checking out the samples. CHART-8:

25

20

No of Respondents

15 Displays Advertisements 10 Sampling Celebrity endorsements 5

0 Displays Advertisements Sampling Celebrity endorsements

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9. Importance of attributes

Table-9:

S. No. 1. 2. 3.

Attributes Taste Thickness Colour

No. of Respondents 26 20 4 50

% 52 40 8 100

Inference:

52% of the respondents give importance to taste of the sauces, 40% of the respondents to thickness, and 8% for the color.

CHART-9

Colour

Thickness

Taste

Taste Thickness Colour

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10. Do you think branded products are better than unbranded products?

Table-9:

S. No. 1. 2.

Features Yes No

No. of Respondents 32 18 50

% 64 26 100

Inference:

64% of the respondents think branded products are better than unbranded products, 26% of the respondents don‘t think branded products are better than unbranded products.

CHART-10

No
Yes

Yes
No

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Chapter-5 Discussion & Findings:
? 34% of the customer‘s opted Heinz when asked about brand that comes to your mind when we say the word sauce based on the quality and brand name, 28% voted for kissan based on the quality and advertisement, 22% opted Maggi based on brand name and quality and 16% of the respondents opted delmonte based on advertisements. The delmonte company should be taken care of quality of sauces and advertisements to be effective that gives brand recognition. ? 14% of the respondents prefer quality, 11% prefer branded products, 8% of the respondents prefers brand through advertisements, 5% of them prefer price, 5% of respondents prefer brand by availability, 3% through display, 2% of the respondents by word of mouth and 2% by packaging. ? 48% of respondents always purchase sauces/ketchups with well known brand names, 34% of respondents sometimes purchase sauces/ketchups with brand names and 18% of them never purchases sauces/ketchups with brand names. ? 64% of the respondents are unaware of Del Monte sauces/ketchups and 36% of them are aware of Del Monte sauces/ketchups because of recent advertisements and promotion schemes. ? 36% of the respondents prefer taste in sauces/ketchups while choosing brand, 32% of them prefer brand image of the products, 20% flavors of the sauces/ketchups, 12% of them prefer reasonable price. ? 34% of the respondents opt Heinz sauces/ketchups at the time of purchasing, 28% of them opt kissan sauces, 22% magi and 16% delmonte. ? 42% of the respondents buy sauces from super markets, 26% of the respondents buy from nearby stores, 18% of them from whole sellers and 14% of them from retailers. ? 42% of the respondents buy products by seeing advertisements, 30% of the respondents buy products because of celebrity endorsements, 18% by seeing display boards, 5% by checking out the samples. ? 52% of the respondents give importance to taste of the sauces, 40% of the respondents to thickness, and 8% for the color. ? 64% of the respondents think branded products are better than unbranded products, 26% of the respondents don‘t think branded products are better than unbranded products. 59

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Conclusion & suggestions
From this research we could present some contribution and managerial implication, as well as its suggestion for future research. Contribution and Implications One of the contribution of this research is that the result established that four dimensions model of consumer based brand equity is the distinct dimension/construct consistent with the conceptualization of Aaker‘s (1991, 1996) that was similar to Cobb-Walgren et al. (1995) and Pappu et al (2005), while contrasted with findings of Yoo and Donthu (2001, 2002) and Washburn and Plank (2002) that also based on Aaker‘s conceptualization, but observed only three brand equity dimensions. Another contribution is that this present research enriched the consumer based brand equity measurement by tested and found that there are direct and indirect causal relationships among dimensions of brand equity, while previous studies tested and found associative relationship among dimensions of brand equity. In this study, we found that brand association is the most important variable which affects brand loyalty. We also found that brand awareness affect brand loyalty via brand associations. This has been indicated by Pitta and Katsanis (1995) that brand associations of the product can be stored in consumer‘s minds after brand awareness of the product are already in their memory. Thus brand association is mediate the relationship between brand awareness toward brand loyalty support our hypothesis. We also found that brand association plays as a suppressor in our model that leads to inverse relation between brand awareness and perceived quality, and perceived quality toward brand loyalty that against our hypothesis.

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Suggestions:
Finding shows that brand association becomes a very important dimension to affect brand loyalty. It has implication that manager have to maintain or strengthen their effort upon the Brand association as: to keep their products with good quality, good taste and price, and effective advertisements. Even Del Monte‘s targeting a diverse market ranging from children to elderly people, manager have to be aware about customer‘s characteristic relevant with their age and individual habit. The descriptive statistic of demographic characteristic and information about individual habit of the consumer in this research may could be considered, or become an example for the manager to get information from their customer.

Future research direction Even this research using universal questionnaires, but using different setting might be affecting the result. So, for future research direction it also would interesting to do the research in different setting as cross-national, regional and cultural research, which are necessity that imply to international marketing strategies.

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Bibliography
Aaker DA and Keller, 1992. The Effect of sequential introduction and brand Extensions, Journal of Marketing Research. Aaker, A, David, 1992. The value of Brand Equity, Journal of Business Strategy. Vol 13. Keller Lane, Kevin, 1993. Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Managing Customer-based Brand equity, Journal of Marketing, Jan: 57 Keller Lane, Kevin, 2001. Building Customer-Based Brand Equity. Marketing Management. Lassar, et al, 1995. Measuring customer Based Brand Equity. Journal of Consumer Marketing. Vol 12. C.R.Kothari-Research methodology-2ND Edition. Philip kotler-Marketing management.

Websites: 1. www.wikipedia.org 2. www.delmontefoodsindia.in 3. www.bizresearchpapers.com

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QUSETIONNAIRE FORM OF Del Monte
Name Profession : : Age :

Monthly Income:

1) What is the brand that comes to your mind when we say the word sauce? a) Delmonte b) Maggi c) Heinz d) Kissan

Why......................................................................................................................................... 2) What makes you to prefer a brand? a) Quality e) Displays b) Packaging f) Sampling c) Price d) Brand d) Advertisement h) Availability

g) Word of mouth

3) Your importance towards brand a) Quality b) Quantity c) Price d) other

4) Do you prefer to purchase sauces/ketchup with well known brand names attached to it? a) Always b) Sometimes c) Never

5) Are you aware of Del Monte sauces/ketchup? YES NO

If, yes which sauces of Del Monte do you prefer most? Tomato ketchup 6) Why do you prefer of it? a) Flavours c) Taste b) Price d) Brand image Twango sauces Zingo sauces

7) Which sauces? Ketchup product comes to your mind at the time of purchasing it? a) Delmonte c) Maggi b) Heinz d) Kissan

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8) Mostly which place you prefer to buy sauces? a) Super Markets b) Whole seller c) Retailer d) Nearby store

9) What makes you to buy product from the following parameters Maggi: a) Displays Kissan: a) Displays Delmonte: a) Displays Heinz: a) Displays b) Advertisements c) Sampling d) Celebrity endorsement b) Advertisements c) Sampling d) Celebrity endorsement b) Advertisements c) Sampling d) Celebrity endorsement b) Advertisements c) Sampling d) Celebrity endorsement

10) Importance of attributes Maggi: Taste Kissan: Taste Delmonte: Taste Heinz: Taste Thickness Colour Thickness Colour Thickness Colour Thickness Colour

11). Do you think branded products are better than unbranded products? Yes No

Thank you for your time

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