IJMRR/ Nov 2013/ Volume 3/Issue 11/Article No-8/3759-3764
ISSN: 2249-7196
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT RESEARCH
AND REVIEW
BRAND POSITIOING: A STUDY WITH REFERENCE TO NATIONAL BRAND
SOAPS ACROSS THE CUSTOMERS IN TRICHY
Dr.C.K.Muthukumaran*1
1
Assoc. Prof, Dept. of Business Administration, CARE School of Business Management,
Trichy, Tamilnadu (A.P), India.
ABSTRACT
The position of products in the market is determined by contrasting their image with
competing products as well as other products marketed by the same company. This is partly
created by ‘Brand Image’. In other words, one products should be capable of easy
identification by the buyers in the market place. “A brand name is a name, term, sign, symbol
or design, or a combination of these intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or
group of sellers to differentiate them from those of competitors”.” The brand name is
carefully chosen by the manufacturers. Sometimes the brand name is associated with the
name of the company E .g. L.G., SAMSUNG. Some products may have attractive names for
the purpose of differentiation E.g. Fair glow, Rexona. Therefore brand managers have to
develop a logical order of action is developing brand awareness which may ultimately lead to
brand loyalty. Product position refers to a brand’s objective attributes in relation to other
brands. It is a characteristic of physical product and its functional features. Position on the
other hand, refers to a brand subjective attributes in relation to competing products. The
perceived image of the brand belongs not to the product but rather is the property of the
consumer’s perception and in some instances could differ widely from a brand’s true physical
characteristics.
Keywords: Brand positioning, Brand decision, Soaps, National brand, Trichy.
INTRODUCTION
Branding has become a management technique as it involves considerations of alternatives
and choosing the best alternative. The challenge of branding is to develop a deep set of
meanings for the brand. Brand name serves to create identity- to distinguish one product from
another. Identification is essential to competition, for without a means for identification there
is no way of making a choice. A brand identifies the maker or seller of a product. A brand is a
seller’s promise to consistently deliver a specific set of features, benefits and services to
buyers. The best brands convey a warranty of quality.
POSITIONING
Positioning is much broader and more versatile. It gives the brand manager,the advertising
planner the creative person a whole battery of strategies to choose from, to differentiate their
brand in a manner that is both persuasive and sustainable. ’’A product is the way the product
is defined by the consumers on important attributes, the place the product occupies in
*Corresponding Author
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IJMRR/ Nov 2013/ Volume 3/Issue 11/Article No-8/3759-3764
ISSN: 2249-7196
consumers’ minds relating to competing products.” Positioning is the premier decision that
all other decisions of marketing mix flow. Brand positioning is the image or perception in the
minds of the customers that distinguishes it from competitors.
Positioning that consists of two stages
•
The action taken by the marketer to position the brand with the buyer and the
buyer’s perception of how the product is positioned and “positioning maps are a recent
innovation designed to analyze market positions. Based on information obtained from a
representative sample of consumers, they provide a visual means of estimating how
consumers perceive brands in the market place. With these maps as guide, organization can
position new brands.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1. To identify the important attributes of national category of soaps.
2. To determine the purchase and usage of soaps according to demographic characteristics.
3. To identify the quantity of soaps purchased and their brand loyalty.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Hygiene is the study of observance of health rules. Rules such as hand washing, bathing and
the avoidance of eating uncooked meat, practiced from ancient times are critical of
maintenance of personal and public health. Community hygiene is mostly concerned with the
prevention of transmission of communicable diseases, Industrial hygiene deals with the
prevention and treatment of occupational diseases. Soap in simplest terms is cleansing agent.
When fat and alkali are boiled together, we get soap. Several animal or vegetable fats or oils
are used. Animal fats like tallow (beef or mutton) and hardened whale oil are used. Vegetable
fats like coconut, palm kernel, cotton seed, olive, soya and other oils are used. Alkalies like
soda, potash, or ammonia are also used. The process of soap manufacture differs according to
the type of soap. Toilet soaps are now available in the form of tablets of different shapes and
as bottled body wash. Liquid soaps are also widely used for washing hands, especially at
hotels, clinics, airports and other public places. Medicated soaps are used for skin problem;
sulphur soap is used for scabies napthol soaps for psoriasis and soap with carbolic acid for
antiseptic effects. Body soaps are available for our canine friends too.
Manufacturers big or small, manufacture soap because it has become one of the household
items to ensure cleanliness of the body.
Branding Decisions
The following are the branding decisions that a manufacturer keeps in mind while selecting
the brand to his product. Producers and middlemen in earlier days sold their goods directly
out of barrels, bins and cases without any supplier identification. Consumers perceive brand
as an intrinsic part of the product and branding can add value to the product.
Branding Sponsor Decisions – In deciding to brand a product, manufacturer has three
aspects with respect to brand sponsorship. The product may be launched as a manufacture’s
brand or the manufacturer may sell the product to the middlemen who put one private brand
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IJMRR/ Nov 2013/ Volume 3/Issue 11/Article No-8/3759-3764
ISSN: 2249-7196
or the manufacturer may produce some output under its own brand names and some that are
sold under private labels.
Brand Quality Decisions - In developing a brand, the manufacturer has to choose the
quality level and other attributes that will support the brand’s position in the target market.
Quality is one of the marketer’s major positioning tools. Quality stands for the rated ability of
the brand to perform its function.
Family Brand Decision - Manufacturer who brand their product face several choices like
(a) Individual brand names
(b) Blanket family name for all products
(c) Separate family name for all products
(d) Company trade name combined with individual product names
Brand Extension Decision – A brand extension strategy is an effort to use a successful brand
name to launch product modification or new products.
Multiple Brand Decision – Multiple brand strategy consists of the seller’s developing two or
more brands in the same product category.
Brand Repositioning Decision – However well a brand is initially positioned in a market,
the company may have to reposition it later. Repositioning may require changing both the
product and its image or a brand can be repositioned by changing only the product’s image.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Nature of the Study – This is an empirical study which determines the purchase and usage
of soaps. Perception of the respondents forms the primary sources of information.
Scope of the Study - This study is confined to respondents residing at Trichy. It covers the
respondents who are purchasing and soaps at twenty different destinations.
Sources of Data – The primary data for the study relating to purchase pattern of soaps was
obtained through a questionnaire.
METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION
The questionnaire method was adopted to collect data and questionnaire was personally
administered to the respondents of each household.
Sample
A total of 80 questionnaires were distributed and after editing only 70 questionnaires were
complete in all aspects and relevant of the purpose of the study.
The following tables are prepared according to demographic factors.
Table 1
Age class
18-25
26-34
35-44
45-54
55-65
Total
No. of respondents
22
11
17
15
4
70
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Percentage
32
16
24
22
6
100
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Table 2
Sex
Male
Female
Total
Number
35
35
70
Percentage
50
50
100
Table 3
Working status
Working
Non- working
Student
total
Number
32
17
21
70
Percentage
46
24
30
100
An attempt has been made to determine the main attributes that generally influence the
respondents to purchase soaps and also for national category of soaps.
Table 4: Attributes that influence the purchase of soaps
Attributes
Cleanliness
Fragrance
Freshness
Colour
Brand image
Advertisement
Availability
Package
Scores
21
8
11
3
10
7
6
4
Rank
I
III
II
VIII
IV
V
VI
VII
From the above table, it can be seen that cleanliness, freshness and fragrance are primary
attributes that influence the purchase of soaps even though other attributes are given
importance by the marketers.
National Brands- Generally these soaps are manufactured by reputed manufacturers on a
national scale. The presence of glycerine, fatty acids, sandal and other ingredients in these
soaps not only protect the skin but also ensures high standard of personal hygiene.
Table 5: Ranking of important attributes for national brands
Attributes
Availability
Brand Image
Variety
Advertisement
Reasonable price
Colour
Scores
11
14
4
7
28
6
Rank
III
II
VI
IV
I
V
From the above table, it can be observed that reasonable price, brand image and availability
are important attributes for purchase of national brands.
Table 6: Purchase patterns of National brands
Brands
Mysore sandal
Pears
Savlon
Pamolive
Lux
Lifebuoy
Breeze
Dettol
Scores
22
17
1
3
7
11
3
6
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Rank
I
II
VIII
VI
IV
III
VII
V
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From the above table, it can be observed that Mysore sandal is the most popular brand
followed by pears and lifebuoy.
Table 7: Purchasing centers of soaps
Shops
Departmental stores
Provision stores
Local stores
Medical stores
Supermarkets
Other stores
Total
Frequency
22
25
11
4
6
1
70
Percentage
32
36
16
6
8
2
100
Table 8: Units of soaps purchased per month with family status
Quantity
3 to 5
6 to 8
9 to 11
12 to 14
15 and above
Total
Joint family
6
4
7
3
3
22
% age
25
19
31
13
13
100
Nuclear family
17
18
8
3
1
48
% age
35
38
18
6
3
100
FINDINGS
• Reasonable price, brand image and Availability are important attributes for purchase of
these soaps.
• Palmolive and lifebuoy are more preferred with regard to both brand image and
reasonable price.
• Savlon is preferred for brand image but not in terms of reasonable price.
• Lux, Dettol and Breeze are least preferred both in terms of brand image and reasonable
price.
• Pears and Mysore sandal are preferred for reasonable price but not in terms of brand
image.
• Mysore sandal, Pears and Lifebuoy are the most sought after brand in this category.
• Reasonable price and brand image are the two attributes identified for brand positioning.
IMPLICATIONS
• Mysore sandal, pears, Lifebuoy and lux will have assured market among the national
brands.
• Dettol and Breeze can increase the sales through intensive advertisements.
• Savlon can increase a price by adopting a new price strategy.
• Mysore sandal and Pears will continue to have continued demand. The presence of sandal
and glycerine ensures total protection to the skin.
• Breeze , Dettol and Savlon can go in for intensive advertisements to improve their brand
image.
CONCLUSION
Respondents in middle age group and nuclear family are high user of national brands. Joint
family purchase about 9 to 11 units of soaps and the nuclear family purchase 6 to 8 units of
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IJMRR/ Nov 2013/ Volume 3/Issue 11/Article No-8/3759-3764
ISSN: 2249-7196
soaps. Soaps are generally purchased from supermarkets. Respondents use the same brand of
soap for more than five years.
REFERENCES
1. Gavens WD, Woodruff B. Roberts marketing, Addison Wesley Publishing company,
1986.
2. Mandell IM, Rosenberg JL. Marketing prentice hall of India Pvt. Ltd. 1983.
3. NIIR. Modern technology of soaps detergents and toiletries.
4. Kotler P, Armstrong G. Principles of marketing, prentice Hall of India Pvt. Ltd, 1995.
5. Sengupta S. Brand positioning, Tata Mc Graw Hill Book Publishing Company Ltd, 1990.
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