RESEARCH PROJECT REPORT On A Study of Influence of Brands on Consumer Purchasing Behavior

Submitted in partial fulfillment of MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMININSTRATION Programme MBA- (2007-09) Uttar Pradesh Technical University, Lucknow

SUBMITTED TO Mrs. Vaishali Dhingra FACULTY INCHARGE

SUBMITTED BY Amit Kumar Shukla M.B.A-IV Semester

Roll No. 0701470005 FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES Shri Ram Murti Smarak College of Engineering and Technology.

CERTIFICATE
SHRI RAM MURTI SMARAK COLLEGE OF ENGG. & TECH, BAREILLY

Faculty of Management Science

This is to certify that Mr. Amit Kumar Shukla student of MBA IV semester has completed his Research Project Report titled A Study of Influence of Brands on Consumer Purchasing Behavior assigned by MBA Department under my supervision. It is further certified that he has personally prepared this report that is the result of his personal survey/ observation. It is of the standard expected of MBA student and hence recommended for evaluation.

SUPERVISOR Mrs. Vaishali Dhingra

(The above statement is endorsed) (Prof. S.P.Gupta) Director General

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
No work can be done in isolation and this work was no exception. It required the time and efforts of a number of people without a which this would have been very difficult. I am highly grateful to Mrs. Vaishali Dhingra, the faculty incharge of mine who showed me proper direction and devoted her valuable time for accomplishing my project. I would also like to thank our Director General Dr. S P Gupta who gave me this opportunity to work on this topic.

Amit Kumar Shukla

Contents
Chapter-1 Chapter-2 Chapter-3 Chapter-4 Chapter-5 Chapter-6 Chapter-7 Chapter-8 Chapter-9
Introduction Literature Review Research Methodology Analysis of data & Presentation Conclusion Limitations Suggestions Bibliography Annexure

CHAPTER-1

INTRODUCTION

There are a number of factors which influence consumer purchasing behavior .As a part of my research project I have selected one variable i.e. Branding and its influence consumer purchasing behavior. The decision-making process for consumers is anything but straight forward. There are many factors that can affect this process as a person works through the purchase decision. The number of potential influences on consumer behavior is limitless. However, marketers are well served to understand the key influences. By doing so they may be in a position to tailor their marketing efforts to take advantage of these influences in a way that will satisfy the consumer and the marketer. while making the purchase decision, the consumers is usually influenced by the following factors.

These influences can be broken down into three main categories: Internal, External and Marketing. For the most part the influences are not mutually exclusive. Instead, they are all interconnected and, they together to influence the purchase decisions. For each of the influences that are discussed I will provide a basic description and also suggest its implications. A few implications for each influence are being discussed, although there are many more. work

Factors Influencing PurchasingINTERNAL INFLUENCES:The influences on consumer purchase decisions are many and Ive discussed them on priority basis in my report. I have started by first looking inside to see which are the most important internal factors that affect how we make choices.

1.Perceptual Filter
Perception can be defined as a process of attaining awareness or understanding of sensory information. Perception is how we see ourselves and the world we live in. However, what ends up being stored inside us doesnt always get there in a direct manner. Often our mental makeup results from information that has been consciously or

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subconsciously filtered as we experience it, a process we refer to as a perceptual filter. To us this is our reality, though it does not mean it is an accurate reflection on what is real. Thus, perception is the way we filter stimuli (e.g., someone talking to us, reading a newspaper story) and then make sense out of it.

Perception has several steps.

Exposure sensing a stimuli (e.g. seeing an ad) Attention an effort to recognize the nature of a stimuli (e.g. recognizing

it is an ad)

Awareness assigning meaning to a stimuli (e.g., humorous ad for

particular product)

Retention adding the meaning to ones internal makeup (i.e., product

has fun ads) How these steps are eventually carried out depends on a persons approach to learning. By learning we mean how someone changes what they know, which in turn may affect how they act. There are many theories of learning, a discussion of which is beyond the scope of this tutorial, however, suffice to say that people are likely to learn in different ways. For instance, one person may be able to focus very strongly on a certain advertisement and be able to retain
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the information after being exposed only one time while another person may need to be exposed to the same advertisement many times before he/she even recognizes what it is. Consumers are also more likely to retain information if a person has a strong interest in the stimuli. If a person is in need of new car they are more likely to pay attention to a new advertisement for a car while someone who does not need a car may need to see the advertisement many times before they recognize the brand of automobile.

2.Knowledge
Knowledge is the sum of all information known by a person. It is the facts of the world as he/she knows it and the depth of knowledge is a function of the breadth of worldly experiences and the strength of an individuals long-term memory. Obviously what exists as knowledge to an individual depends on how an individuals perceptual filter makes sense of the information it is exposed to.

3.Attitude
In simple terms attitude refers to what a person feels or believes about something. Additionally, attitude may be reflected in how an individual acts based on his or her beliefs. Once formed, attitudes can be very difficult to change. Thus, if a consumer has a negative attitude toward a particular issue it will take considerable effort to change what they believe to be true.

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4.Personality
An individuals personality relates to perceived personal characteristics that are consistently exhibited, especially when one acts in the presence of others. In most, but not all, cases the behaviors one projects in a situation is similar to the behaviors a person exhibits in another situation. In this way personality is the sum of sensory experiences others get from experiencing a person (i.e., how one talks, reacts). While ones personality is often interpreted by those we interact with, the person has their own vision of their personality, called Self Concept, which may or may not be the same has how others view us.

5.Lifestyle
This influencing factor relates to the way we live through the activities we engage in and interests we express. In simple terms it is what we value out of life. Lifestyle is often determined by how we spend our time and money.

6.Roles
Roles represent the position we feel we hold or others feel we should hold when dealing in a group environment. These positions carry certain responsibilities yet it is important to understand that some of these responsibilities may, in fact, be perceived and not spelled out or even accepted by others. In support of their roles, consumers will make product choices that may vary depending on which role they are assuming. As illustration, a person who is responsible for

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selecting snack food for an office party his boss will attend may choose higher quality products than he would choose when selecting snacks for his family.

7.Motivation
Motivation relates to our desire to achieve a certain outcome. Many internal factors we have already discussed can affect a customers desire to achieve a certain outcome but there are others. For instance, when it comes to making purchase decisions customers motivation could be affected by such issues as financial position (e.g., Can I afford the purchase?), time constraints (e.g., Do I need to make the purchase quickly?), overall value (e.g., Am I getting my moneys worth?), and perceived risk (e.g., What happens if I make a bad decision?).

EXTERNAL INFLUENCES
Consumer purchasing decisions are often affected by factors that are outside of their control but have direct or indirect impact on how we live and what we consume.

1.Culture
Culture represents the behavior, beliefs and, in many cases, the way we act learned by interacting or observing other members of society. In this way much of what we do is shared behavior, passed along from one member of society to another. Yet culture is a broad concept that, while of interest to marketers, is
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not nearly as important as understanding what occurs within smaller groups or Sub-Cultures to which we may also belong. Sub-cultures also have shared values but this occurs within smaller groups. For instance, sub-cultures exist where groups share similar values in terms of ethnicity, religious beliefs, geographic location, special interests and many others.

2. Other Group Membership

In addition to cultural influences, consumers belong to many other groups with which they share certain characteristics and which may influence purchase decisions. Often these groups contain Opinion Leaders or others who have major influence on what the customer purchases. Some of the basic groups we may belong to include:

Social Class represents the social standing one has within a society

based on such factors as income level, education, occupation

Family ones family situation can have a strong effect on how purchase

decisions are made

Reference groups most consumers simultaneously belong to many

other groups with which they associate or, in some cases, feel the need to disassociate

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3. Purchase Situation
A purchase decision can be strongly affected by the situation in which people find themselves. In general, a situation is the circumstances a person faces when making a purchase decision, such as the nature of their physical environment, their emotional state, or time constraints. Not all situations are controllable, in which case a consumer may not follow their normal process for making a purchase decision. For instance, if a person needs a product quickly and a store does not carry the brand they normally purchase, the customer may choose a competitors product.

How Consumers Buy?

So now that we have discussed the factors influencing a consumers decision to purchase, lets examine the process itself. This process is presented in a sequence of 5 steps as shown below.

CONSUMER DECISION MAKING PROCESS:-

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However, whether a consumer will actually carryout each step depends on the type of purchase decision that is faced. For instance, for minor re-purchases the consumer may be quite loyal to the same brand, thus the decision is a routine one (i.e., buy the same product) and little effort is involved in making a purchase decision. In cases of routine, brand loyal purchases consumers may skip several steps in the purchasing process since they know exactly what they want allowing the consumer to move quickly through the steps. But for more complex decisions, such as Major New Purchases, the purchasing process can extend for days, weeks, months or longer. So in presenting these steps marketers should realize that, depending on the circumstances surrounding the purchase, the importance of each step may vary.

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1. Need/Want/Desire is Recognized
In the first step the consumer has determined that for some reason he/she is not satisfied (i.e., consumers perceived actual condition) and wants to improve his/her situation (i.e., consumers perceived desired condition). For instance, internal triggers, such as hunger or thirst, may tell the consumer that food or drink is needed. External factors can also trigger consumers needs. Marketers are particularly good at this through advertising; in-store displays and even the intentional use of scent (e.g., perfume counters). At this stage the decisionmaking process may stall if the consumer is not motivated to continue (see Motivation above). However, if the consumer does have the internal drive to satisfy the need they will continue to the next step.

2. Search for Information

Assuming consumers are motivated to satisfy his or her need, they will next undertake a search for information on possible solutions. The sources used to acquire this information may be as simple as remembering information from past experience (i.e., memory) or the consumer may expend considerable effort to locate information from outside sources (e.g., Internet search, talk with others, etc.). How much effort the consumer directs toward searching depends on such factors as: the importance of satisfying the need, familiarity with available solutions, and the amount of time available to search. To appeal to
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consumers who are at the search stage, marketers should make efforts to ensure consumers can locate information related to their product. For example, for marketers whose customers rely on the Internet for information gathering, attaining high rankings in search engines has become a critical marketing objective.

3. Evaluate Options
Consumers search efforts may result in a set of options from which a choice can be made. It should be noted that there may be two levels to this stage. At level one the consumer may create a set of possible solutions to their needs (i.e., product types) while at level two the consumer may be evaluating particular products (i.e., brands) within each solution. For example, a consumer who needs to replace a television has multiple solutions to choose from such as plasma, LCD and CRT televisions. Within each solution type will be multiple brands from which to choose. Marketers need to understand how consumers evaluate product options and why some products are included while others are not. Most importantly, marketers must determine which criteria consumers are using in their selection of possible options and how each criterion is evaluated. Returning to the television example, marketing tactics will be most effective when the marketer can tailor their efforts by knowing what benefits are most important to consumers when selecting options (e.g., picture quality, brand

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name, screen size, etc.) and then determine the order of importance of each benefit.

4. Purchase
In many cases the solution chosen by the consumer is the same as the product whose evaluation is the highest. However, this may change when it is actually time to make the purchase. The intended purchase may be altered at the time of purchase for many reasons such as: the product is out-of-stock, a competitor offers an incentive at the point-of-purchase (e.g., store salesperson mentions a competitors offer), the customer lacks the necessary funds (e.g., credit card not working), or members of the consumers reference group take a negative view of the purchase (e.g., friend is critical of purchase). Marketers whose product is most desirable to the consumer must make sure that the transaction goes smoothly. For example, Internet retailers have worked hard to prevent consumers from abandoning online purchase (i.e., online shopping carts) by streamlining the checkout process. For marketers whose product is not the consumers selected product, last chance marketing efforts may be worth exploring, such as offering incentives to store personnel to talk up their product at the checkout line.

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5. After-Purchase Evaluation
Once the consumer has made the purchase they are faced with an evaluation of the decision. If the product performs below the consumers expectation then he/she will re-evaluate satisfaction with the decision, which at its extreme may result in the consumer returning the product while in less extreme situations the consumer will retain the purchased item but may take a negative view of the product. Such evaluations are more likely to occur in cases of expensive or highly important purchases. To help ease the concerns consumers have with their purchase evaluation, marketers need to be receptive and even encourage consumer contact. Customer service centers and follow-up market research are useful tools in helping to address purchasers concerns.

Understanding Consumer Behaviour :Consumer behaviour is the study of how people buy, what they buy, when they buy and why they buy. It blends elements from psychology, sociology, socio psychology, anthropology and economics. It attempts to understand the buyer decision-making process, both individually and in groups. It studies characteristics of individual consumers such as demographics, psychographics, and behavioural variables in an attempt to understand people's wants. It also

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tries to assess influences on the consumer from groups such as family, friends, reference groups, and society in general. The study and knowledge of consumer behaviour helps firms and organizations to improve their marketing strategies and product offerings. Following are the important issues that have significant influence on consumer's psyche and their ability to take decisions:

The psychology of how consumers think, feel, reason, and select between different alternatives (e.g., brands, products);

The psychology of how the consumer is influenced by his or her environment (e.g., culture, family, signs, media);

The behaviour of consumers while shopping or making other marketing decisions;

Limitations in consumer knowledge or information processing abilities influence decisions and marketing outcome;

How consumer motivation and decision strategies differ between products that differ in their level of importance or interest that they entail for the consumer; and

How marketers can adapt and improve their marketing campaigns and marketing strategies to more effectively reach the consumer.

Their Age, Religion, Culture, Income, informal group and Referent Group.
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Understanding these issues helps us adapt our strategies by taking the consumer into consideration In the present developing and modern day world, consumerism has dominated all the aspects of life. The life in the society follows the pattern of the capitalist culture where the human values have a different measure, you are known by what you have not by what you are. This naturally leads to the life in a society where everyone wants to have a unique place in the society, by possessing the things which sets them apart from the rest of people in the society. In present society and living way, the Brands not only represent the symbol of the company or product but to a larger extent define the general life of a person. What the person uses can reflect his taste of life, his status in the society, his economic background and many other things. This makes a deep connection between the company and its brand, with the consumer. In this two way relation both are dependent on each other for various different reasons. In todays time customers are very deeply connected to the brands. When they purchase any product like a car, mobile, items of daily need, brand name influence the consumers choice. Some customers purchase the specific branded things just due to the brand name. Customers believe that brand name is a symbol of quality. I found this interesting and wanted to find out whether brand name influences the consumer choice when they go for purchasing any product. I chose to for the specific product because this is one of the products which got
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my attention because of many reasons. Initially the car production was dominated by few companies and one or two countries. With the time, the market started to grow and once considered to be luxurious commodity, cars became a need rather than a choice. This increased the demand and with that many more companies entered the arena to have their share of profit and exploit the growing market. This made the companies to put more efforts and money to creating brand awareness of their product. With the Huge sum of money and effort invested by the companies to create the awareness of their brand in the market, many questions arise; does this really affect the purchasing decision of the customer? Does the brand awareness somehow influence the sale of the product? On the basis of these questions, I formulated my problem as follows: The purpose of this thesis is to create deeper consideration of what influence a brand name can have, when people go for purchasing, choose the products between different brands in automobile industry. Further I want to identify, if there is a connection between brands and the consumer decision making process. I conducted this study based on theories and surveys. I analyzed the result of the survey in order to be able to draw conclusions and find answers to my problem. I came to the conclusion that when consumer purchases a car, brand names influence his choice. Customers choose the well known branded car among other brands which are new or not so known. The study shows that branded cars have a great place in consumer mind, when customers go for purchasing a car, they prefer to purchase a well known branded car. Customers
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do not want to try new or unknown branded cars because they have no much information about the lesser known brand. Usually, people purchase well known branded cars because they might have heard before about brands or they have some information about them from other sources. This makes customer feel more comfortable during the time of decision making as they are not so confident about the knowledge they have gathered about the other brands. The consumers are very conscious about branded and unbranded cars because they have the view that branded cars are more reliable than unbranded car. This study also explains that customers trust the branded cars quality. Before purchasing a car people do not consider the lesser known brand car, as people are very attached to some specific brands. Some people are loyal to specific brands, over time they want to purchase the same branded car because the specific brand has satisfied the customers needs and in turn has gained the trust in the brand name. I feel that the purpose of this study has been fulfilled to some extent. The theory describe that brand name has a power, which attracts the customers towards branded products. The reason is that customer gets special connection with specific brands product and become the loyal with brand.

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The Brand as Influencer:The brand has essentially two opportunities to be included in the critical information search phase as an influencer of the purchase decision. The first opportunity arises when the consumer is made directly aware of the brand, while the second opportunity occurs when other individuals sought by the consumer for their advice have awareness of the brand. While the first opportunity is familiar, straightforward and purposefully sought by brands, the second is relatively unfamiliar, more intricate and usually fortuitously accomplished by brands. Whereas each opportunity individually provides a unique channel of influence on the purchase decision, together they combine to exert reinforcing pressure (either positively or negatively) on the choice among alternatives by the consumer. The probability of a brands message being relied upon as an influencer during the information search phase of minor purchase decisions is relatively high because the perceived risks associated with a wrong decision is relatively low, and the overall duration and intensity of the information search is minimal and straightforward. In some cases the low perceived risk minimizes the requirement for familiarity. For instance, the significance of a decision involving the purchase of a cup of coffee when traveling in an unfamiliar town may be made primarily with input from personal observations of the signage and retail physicality of local coffee shops. In this example, the coffee shops
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insert themselves in the role as the sole influencers as the consumer is searching for information to evaluate the different alternatives. To make consumers directly aware, brands typically employ a strategy that attempts to create awareness, craft positive perceptions and generate response through one or more elements of a marketing mix that will lead to purchase intent, trial and brand-championing post-purchase behavior. Measured by reach and frequency, the intent is to create top-of-mind awareness during the information search phase of a relevant deficit. In contrast to the low perceived risk of insignificant decisions, such as buying a cup of coffee, the level of influence that a brand may be able to exert during the information search phase of a purchase decision that involves a high degree of perceived risk is less assured. To begin with, the consumer may have access to, and demand, multiple sources of influence to gather the required amount of information to adequately populate the alternatives for evaluation, suggesting that the brands message must be capable of competing with the potential clutter of other influencers, both interpersonal and competitive brands, for the consumers mindshare. This intimates that sustained frequency of the brands communication is necessary to maintain a top of mind presence sufficient for the consumer to be aware of the brand during the search for information timeframe one month or one year from now.

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Moreover, the brand must also deliver a message that is perceived as clear, relevant and believable by the consumer to leverage available mindshare for maximum influence during a purchase decision that involves a high perceived risk. This will increase the probability that the brands message will be included as a trusted source of influence in the purchase decision. Central to this concept is increasing the brands familiarity quotient by crafting its message within a contextual familiarity that resonates with the consumer. This can mean imparting more content rather than less, and electing to speak to the consumer using the familiar language of the consumers lexicon as a substitute for relying on obscure industry or homegrown vocabulary. In addition to reaching consumers directly, brands have a second opportunity to influence the purchase decision by reaching the influencers to the consumer. The importance of reaching the influencers to a decision maker is paramount not only because of the influencers positive persuasion in the consumers decision making process, which can serve to reinforce the consumers perceptions, but also because of the negative control that an influencer can command on the consumers decision making process. For instance, when presented with positive word of mouth about a brand from an influencer, a consumer with little brand awareness of his own will likely include the brand for consideration in the alternative evaluation phase. Conversely, when presented with negative word of mouth about a brand from an influencer, a
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consumer with little brand awareness (and therefore limited perceptions) will likely rely on the word of the influencer and bring to a halt any further consideration of the brand. This would imply that brands that enjoy high consumer awareness and positive perceptions are more apt to weather the occasional negative referral by an influencer than brands with limited awareness.2 To reach and influence the influencers requires that the preferences of the influencers and the channels of communication necessary to reach them be understood. This is necessary to ensure that the influencer is equipped to provide information about the brand precisely when queried by the consumer looking for information. It should be noted that, while seemingly the same as the consumer, the influencer can often represent a disparate set of preferences, attitudes and behavior than those of the actual consumer. Therefore the development of unique marketing strategies to communicate successfully with each discrete audience, both consumer and influencer, is compulsory.

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Impact of a Brand on Consumer Purchase Decision:Research studies have proven that known products and names are sold more than unknown ones. Therefore, a known brand or an optimally exposed brand will find more recognition and buyers in the market in comparison to completely unknown or unexposed brand. Recognition of brand and its significance along with the traditional factors plays a very significant role in consumer decision-making process. More or less every consumer has a brand preference and given the affordability and societal norms, each buyer would like to buy and consume one of the highly acceptable, recognizable, and reputed brands.

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The above given model explains the important role that a brand plays in three different stages of consumer's purchase decision making. A consumer start collecting data or information about his favourite brand than he keeps his favourite as one of the alternatives and he evaluate his selected brand against all available options and on finding it suitable or best among all options based upon a qualitative and quantitative evaluation he will ultimately purchase the selected or favourite brand.

The diagram above explains how various traditional factors along with brand preference interact during purchase decision process and finally results into a consumer's final product choice or ultimate purchase.

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BRAND LOYALTY:(Brand Loyalty also Influences the Consumers Purchase Decision) Brand Loyalty is the consumer's conscious or unconscious decision, expressed through intention or behavior, to repurchase a brand continually. It occurs because the consumer perceives that the brand offers the right product features, image, or level of quality at the right price. Consumer behavior is habitual because habits are safe and familiar. In order to create brand loyalty, advertisers must break consumer habits, help them acquire new habits, and reinforce those habits by reminding consumers of the value of their purchase and encourage them to continue purchasing those products in the future. The image surrounding a company's brand is the principal source of its competitive advantage and is therefore a valuable strategic asset. Unfortunately, many companies are not adept at disseminating a strong, clear message that not only distinguishes their brand from the competitors', but distinguishes it in a memorable and positive manner. The challenge for all brands is to avoid the pitfalls of portraying a muddled or negative image, and instead, create a broad brand vision or identity that recognizes a brand as something greater than a set of attributes that can be imitated or surpassed. In fact, a company should view its brand to be not just a product or service, but as an overall brand image that defines a companys philosophies. A brand needs more than identity; it needs a
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personality. Just like a person without attention-grabbing characteristics, a brand with no personality can easily be passed right over. A strong symbol or company logo can also help to generate brand loyalty by making it quickly identifiable. From the design of a new product to the extension of a mature brand, effective marketing strategies depend on a thorough understanding of the motivation, learning, memory, and decision processes that influence what consumers buy Theories of consumer behavior have been repeatedly linked to managerial decisions involving development and launching of new products, segmentation, timing of market entry, and brand management. Subsequently, the issue of brand loyalty has been examined at great length. Branding is by far one of the most important factors influencing an item's success or failure in the marketplace, and can have a dramatic impact on how the "company behind the brand" is perceived by the buying public. In other words, the brand is not just a representation of a company's product; it is a symbol of the company itself, and that is where the core of brand loyalty lies.

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LITERATURE REVIEW

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Branding
The central concern of brand building literature experienced a dramatic shift in the last decade. Branding and the role of brands, as traditionally understood, were subject to constant review and redefinition. A traditional definition of a brand was: the name, associated with one or more items in the product line, which is used to identify the source of character of the item(s) (Kotler 2000, p. 396). The American Marketing Association (AMA) definition of a brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors (p. 404). Within this view, as Keller (2003a) says, technically speaking, the n, whenever a marketer creates a new name, logo, or symbol for a new product, he or she has created a brand (p. 3). He recognizes, however, that brands today are much more than that. As can be seen, according to these definitions brands had a simple and clear function as identifiers. Before the shift in focus towards brand s and the brand building process, brands were just another step in the whole process of marketing to sell products. For a long time, the brand has been treated in an off-hand fashion as a part of the product (Urde 1999, p. 119). Kotler (2000) mentions branding as a major issue in product strategy (p. 404). As the brand was only part of the
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product, the communication strategy worked towards exposing the brand and creating brand image. Aaker and Joachimsthaler (2000) mention that within the traditional branding model the goal was to build brand image ; a tactical element that drives short-term results. Kapferer (1997) mentioned that the brand is a sign -therefore external- whose function is to disclose the hidden qualities of the product which are inaccessible to contact (p. 28). The brand served to identify a product and to distinguish it from the competition.

Literature Review of Brand Building

The challenge today is to create a strong and distinctive image (Kohli and Thakor 1997, p. 208). Concerning the brand management process as related to the function of a brand as an identifier, Acer and Joachmisthaler (2000) discuss the traditional branding model where a brand management team was responsible for creating and coordinating the brands management program. In this situation, the brand manager was not high in the companys hierarchy; his focus was the short-term financial results of single brands and single products in single markets. The basic objective was the coordination with the manufacturing and sales departments in order to solve any problem concerning sales and market share. With this strategy the responsibility of the brand was solely the concern of the marketing department (Davis 2002). In general, most companies thought that focusing on the latest and greatest advertising campaign meant focusing on the

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brand (Davis and Dunn 2002). The model itself was tactical and reactive rather than strategic and visionary (Aaker and Joachimsthaler 2000). The brand was always referred to as a series of tactics and never like strategy (Davis and Dunn 2002).

Brand Personality
The premise that brands have anthropomorphic characteristics that ascribe specific human like personality traits is widely acknowledged in the literature (Schiffman et al, 2001; Aaker et al, 2004). The research on brand personality suggests that consumers select brands that are congruent with their needs and personality characteristics. Brand characteristics tend to be similar with consumers self-concept and personality traits, therefore behavior choices are predictable if marketers identify consumers self-images and brand perceptions. Aakers (1997: 347) definition of brand personality is a collection of isomorphic characteristics with human personality traits. Aaker (1997) developed a reliable and generalised brand personality construct, which has been tested with a number of product categories in the USA. The overall Aaker brand personality inventory structure and conceptualization is original and bears no resemblance to Five Factor Inventory (FFI or the Big Five personality trait model) (Norman, 1963; Goldberg, 1990, 1993; McCrae and Costa, 1997). It is widely accepted that many personality inventories that have been used for research on branding issues have been directly imported from general psychology or have been developed in an ad hoc manner (Kassarjian, 1971; Aaker, 1997), and their
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usefulness are somewhat limited in predicting consumer choices (Plummer, 1985). The Aaker brand personality inventory has been developed to measure brand characteristics only without any connection to consumer personality characteristics. The Aaker brand personality inventory has demonstrated empirically psychometric rigor and therefore it is a valid and reliable instrument. However, the brand personality inventory is not related to any particular personality inventory and there are no direct associations between consumer personality and brand personality (Aaker, Kumar and Day, 2004; Aaker, Garolera and Benet-Martinez, 2001). Freling and Forbes (2005) found that brands with strong personalities are likely to generate positive attitudes with consumers, which are likely to result in evaluations that are more favorable. Strong positive brand personalities are more likely to be associated and contribute more towards the creation of a distinctive brand identity with a clearer market position. Freling and Forbes suggest that brand personality could differentiate and create competitive advantage in the consumers minds for brands that otherwise are indistinguishable from their competitors. Brand equity is more likely to be stronger for brands that are clearly distinguished and differentiated in crowded consumer markets (Lovelock, 1984; Keller, 1993). Effective market segmentation and communication strategies would be possible if brand personality characteristics could be anchored with specific consumer market traits and other individual consumer psychometric characteristics, such
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as, self-concept. Identifying congruity relationships between brand image and consumers self-image would enable marketers to position and promote products more effectively with the appropriate target markets. Identifying more clearly symbolic brand personality meanings, consumer personality

characteristics and the interrelationships between consumer self-image and brand image, would provide an integrated nomothetic approach to understanding the symbolic with the actual consumer needs. Understanding the relationships between brand and consumer personality would prove most invaluable, as personality constructs, are considered stable over a long timer and universally general sable for all individuals and transcend cultural differences (Jung, 1921/1971; McCrae and Costa, 1997). Brand meaning and personality is found to transcend cultural boundaries and therefore coupled with consumer personality characteristics would be a valuable combination for marketing strategy purposes for all kinds of brands globally (Aaker and Schmitt, 2001; Escalas and Batman, 2005).Thus the following hypothesis is proposed.

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OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

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OBJECTIVES:1. The prime objective of the research was to study the factors which influence the buying behavior of consumers with special emphasis on brand as a factor. 2. To study and analyze the impact of brands on consumers buying behavior.

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Scope of the study

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SCOPE OF THE STUDY:The study will further help me as practical knowledge in my future career and research can be used by other as a secondary data. The study may prove to be helpful for the companies which try to influence the consumers by adapting various measures. At least they will have an insight that among the various external & internal factors affecting consumers perception. Branding plays a vital role and hence must be provided due emphasis.

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The new millennium is not just a new beginning; it is a continuation of trends in human behavior that have been following cyclical patterns throughout our country's history. Just because we have entered a new era does not mean we have to start from scratch when it comes to interpreting why certain consumers are loyal to certain brands, and what type of factors influence these allegiances.

Brand Loyalty: - is the consumer's conscious or unconscious decision,

expressed through intention or behavior, to repurchase a brand continually. It occurs because the consumer perceives that the brand offers the right product features, image, or level of quality at the right price. The scope of the research also includes the various factors which induce brand loyalty. Thus the study may provide useful perspectives to the companies which try to use certain parameters to induce brand loyalty among their customers.

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CHAPTER-2

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

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RESEARCH OBJECTIVE:-.
To Study the Influence of Brands on Consumer Purchasing Behavior

RESEARCH METHOD:The Descriptive research method involved in the research work. . PRIMARY

DATA:-

The primary data was collected by using questionnaire tool.

SECNDARY DATA:The Secondary data was collected from the some earlier research works internet and a number of books were referred for the purpose.

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT:Well balanced questionnaire with the closed ended and open ended &multiple choice questions along with questions based on performance rating was prepared & used for collecting data.

SAMPLING METHOD:-

Convenient sampling method was used.

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SAMPLE SIZE:The number of consumers is 100.

AREA OF STUDY:ANALYSIS:-

Bareilly

The important factors and datas collected were

sequentially analyzed by the use of sample statistics and depicted in the form of tables and graphs.

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CHAPTER-3

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DATA COLLECTION&INTERPRETATION

50

Q.1- Are you influenced by the name of the product?

Highly Influenced Influenced Moderate Influenced Less Influenced Not at all Influenced

19%

57%
19%

1%
4%

INTERPRETATION: - In the 100 consumer survey 57 %

(Influenced), 19 %( highly influenced &moderate influenced), 1% less influenced and 4% (are not at all influenced) by the name of the product
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Q.2- Does brand name make the product reliable?

YES

83%

No

17%

INTERPRETATION: - In the 10survey of 100 consumers

survey 83% say (YES) brand name make the product reliable and 17% say that the brand name does not make the product reliable.

Q.3-Do you think that a branded product is of better quality than a non-branded one?
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YES

92%

No

8%

INTERPRETATION:- In the 100 consumer survey 92% say

(YES) branded product is of better quality than a non-branded one and 8% say(NO) that branded product is not have better quality than a non branded one.

Q.4- Do you think that a branded product is more dependable than a non-branded one?
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YES

83%

NO

17%

INTERPRETATION: - In the 100 consumer survey 83% say

(YES) branded product is more dependable than a non- branded one and 17% say (NO) that branded product is not more dependable than a non branded one.

Q.5- Do you think that a branded product is more credible/ trustworthy than a non branded one?
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YES

87%

NO

13%

INTERPRETATION:- In the 100 consumer survey 87% say

(YES) branded product is more credible/trustworthy than a non- branded one and 13% say (NO) that branded product is not credible/trustworthy than a non branded one.

Q-6- Do you think that a branded product is more expensive than anon branded one?

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YES

85%

NO

15%

INTERPRETATION: - In the 100 consumer survey 85% say

(YES) branded product is more expensive than a non- branded one and 15% say (NO) that branded product is not more expensive than a non branded one.

Q-7 Does a brand name provides you a sense of pride?

Very High

16%

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High Moderate Less Very Less

62% 17% 2% 3%

INTERPRETATION: - - In the 100 consumer survey 16%

say (Very high) 62% say (High)17% say (Moderate) 3%(Very less) and 2% say (Less) a brand name provides you a sense of pride.

Q-8 if your preferred/favorite brand is not available, do you postpone/drop your decision?

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YES

43%

NO

57%

INTERPRETATION: - In the 100 consumer survey 43% say

(YES) and 57% say (NO).

Q.9- Are you a brand loyal customers? Do you buy the same brand consecutively for a no. of years?
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YES NO

30% 70%

INTERPRETATION: - In the 100 consumer survey 30% say

(YES) and 70% say (NO).

Q.10- On which basis prefer the brand?

Company

76% 59

Price Quality(functional benefit)

10% 14%

INTERPRETATION:- - In the 100 consumer survey, 14 %

consumer prefer the brand on the basis of company name, 10% prefer the brand on the basis of price of the product and 76% prefer the brand on the basis of quality(functional benefits).

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CHAPTER-5

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FINDINGS

FINDINGS:1. Majority of the consumers said that brand name make the product reliable. 2. Majority of the consumers are influenced by the name of product.
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3. A number of consumers said that branded product have better quality than a non-branded one. 4. Majority of the consumers said that branded product is more dependable than a non-branded one. 5. Almost all (87%) reported that branded product is more credible/ trustworthy than a non branded one. 6. A number of consumers were of the opinion that branded product is more expensive than a non-branded one. 7. Consumers said that brand name provides high sense of pride. 8. A majority number of respondents were of the view that if their favorite brand is not available while shopping, they do not postpone/drop their decision and rather buy the brand which is available. 9. Number of.consumers is not brand loyal customer and also not uses the same brand consecutively for a number of years. 10.A Majority of consumers preferred brand on the basis of Quality.

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CONCLUSION

I came to the conclusion that when consumer purchases a product, brand names influence his choice. Customers choose the well known branded product among other brands which are new or not so known.
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The study shows that branded product have a great place in consumer mind, when customers go for purchasing a product, they prefer to purchase a well known branded product. Customers do not want to try new or unknown branded product because they have no much information about the lesser known brand. Usually, people purchase well known branded product because they might have heard before about brands or they have some information about them from other sources. This makes customer feel more comfortable during the time of decision making as they are not so confident about the knowledge they have gathered about the other brands. The consumers are very conscious about branded and unbranded product because they have the view that branded cars are more reliable than unbranded. product This study also explains that customers trust the branded product quality. Before purchasing a product people do not consider the lesser known brand product, as people are very attached to some specific brands. Some people are not loyal to specific brands, over time they do not want to purchase the same branded .I feel that the purpose of this study has been fulfilled to some extent. The theory describe that brand name has a power, which attracts the customers towards branded products. The reason is that customer gets special connection with specific brands product and become the loyal with brand.

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LIMITATIONS

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LIMITATIONS:1. 2. The information disclosed by the respondent may not be very accurate. At some places I faced difficulty in obtaining the information due to absence of the knowledge about Branding amongst the respondents. 3. This report is only depending on the convenient sampling so it can not reflect the views of whole Bareilly. Thus the findings cannot be generalized. 4. Since the research topic is a comprehensive one which invitees a very brand perspective to the research problem. Time was a major limiting factor.

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SUGGESTIONS

After going through the findings of the research, Im of the opinion that actually brands act as a very strong influencer in shaping the perceptual process of the buyers. Hence, the companies must take due care in building strong brand names and must try to nurture them to get long term benefits. Although there are a number of factors that influence the purchase process of the buyers, branding remain a strong factor.

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70

Bibiliography

BOOKS:1. 2. Kevin Lane Keller (BRANDING) Dr. Philip Kotler (MARKETING MANAGEMENT)

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3. 4. WEBSITES:-

Aaker and Erich jochimsthaler(MARKETING) Jean Noel Katferer (BRANDS)

Unjobs.org/ authors /Kevin lane-keller www.example essays.com/essay_search/kotler_2000 www.kotlermarketing .com www.getcited.org/pub/100452837 catalog.ebay.com (brand-leadership) www.amazon.com/brand-leadership www.brandchannel.com (A_brand_building_literature_review) www.scribd.com/doc. www.emeraldinsight.com www.faculty.ucr.edu www.angmac.07.otago.ac.nz www.doc.toc.com

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ANNEXURE

(QUESTIONAIRE)
Q.1- Are you influenced by the name of the product?
Highly influenced ( ) Influenced ( ) influenced ( ) Not at all influenced ( )
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Moderate influenced ( )

Less

Q.2- Does brand name make the product reliable? YES ( ) NO ( )

Q.3- Do you think that a branded product is of better quality than a non branded one? YES ( ) NO ( ) Q.4- Do you think that a branded product is more dependable than a non branded one? YES ( ) NO ( ) Q.5- Do you think that a branded product is more credible/Trustworthy than a non branded one? YES ( ) NO ( ) Q.6- Do you think that a branded product is more expensive than a non branded one? YES ( ) NO ( ) Q.7- Does a brand name provides you a sense of pride? Very high ( ) High ( ) Moderate ( ) Less ( ) Very less ( )

Q.8- If your preferred/favorite brand is not available, do you postpone/drop your decision? YES ( ) NO ( ) Q.9- Are you a brand loyal customer? Do you buy the same brand consecutively for a no. of years? YES ( ) NO ( ) Q.10- On which basis you prefer the brand?
Company Price Quality (functional benefits)

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