Group Report
Group Report
Group Report
"#oi$e of %opi$
Each group will do a brand audit for a brand selected by the group whose brand strategy is determined by a company or not-for-profit organization #ead&uartered in "anada. his in most cases e!cludes subsidiaries of companies or organizations from outside of "anada. #ou are free to choose ser$ice brands and not-for-profit organizations, including go$ernmental agencies, as your group pro%ect. he choice of &2& products and ser$ices as the focus of your pro%ect is not recommened. 'or the sa(e of simplicity, the term )company* is used in the following for any type of organization to wor( on +including not-for-profit organizations,, and the terms -product- and -product category- are meant to include products, ser$ices, places, ideas etc. mar(eted to a general audience for a profit or not-forprofit. &rand .anagement 1 focuses on the positioning of a brand in one product category and towards one target group. /f you choose a brand that co$ers di$erse product categories +e.g., 0ogers,, you will ha$e to focus on one of their categories +e.g., cellular ser$ices,. 1lso, you should thin(, when choosing your pro%ect, what target group you want to focus on. #ou can always change your target group or e$en focus category during the term, if your analysis yields more interesting perspecti$es there. 2owe$er, you should be able to thin( of one category and one target group for your brand which ma(e for a good pro%ect when you choose your pro%ect.
ip3 0ead the guidelines for the group wor( before you ma(e your decision on the pro%ect. his will help you tremendously in chec(ing the $iability of your choice of pro%ect and plan your wor( schedule in the group. /n your choice of brand, do not necessarily choose a -lo$e- or -hip- brand. 0ather, factor in your interest in and li(elihood of wor(ing in the industry. Do not necessarily choose a -winner- brand. #ou may learn more +and ma(e more meaningful suggestions, for a brand which you percei$e to ha$e potential which is not yet fully e!ploited. he 4roup 5ro%ect 5roposal +455, will gi$e you some guidance regarding the practicality of your topic in terms of a$ailable information sources. 6or( through this 455 and try to find 2 or 3 pertinent sources for all parts of the group wor(.
A' (eport
General Guidelines for (eport
4roup reports ha$e to be handed in as a hard copy by the due date and time +see course outline, in class +if hand-in time is in class, or at 1t(inson 0oom 282 +please chec( opening hours, A)D electronically on the .oodle site + urnitin,.. 9ate handing-in of reports will lower the grade for a report part by 20: of the points for the report part per business day. his means that you don;t recei$e any points for a group report part handed in more than a wee( after due date. 5lease bind the hardcopy of your report such that it stays together. 5lease use $lear *nglis# t#at is to t#e point. E!cept for those technical terms that are part of the theories in &rand .anagement you ha$e to apply, there is no need to use a laboured academic language. #ou can write your report in essa+ st+le or using bullet points etc. < you will not be e$aluated on the beauty of your language but on the =uality of the content. 2owe$er, o o the meaning of what you write must be absolutely clear. you must proofread your report and $#e$k t#e page la+out, as a host of typos and a $ery sloppy layout will negati$ely influence the e$aluation of the =uality of documentation +see below3 -e$aluation criteria-,. 5lease use 1rial 12 pt for regular te!t, 1.> line space, 1.> inch margins on all sides,. 2eadings can be appropriately larger and should be numbered consecuti$ely +1, 1.1., 1.2., 2, ?,. here is no general rule as to how long the report should be. his depends on o o o the style you use +essay style $s. bullet points,, the number and size of tables and figures used, and, of course, on the number of students in the group.
herefore, the estimates for a reasonable length of the indi$idual chapters and sections of the report gi$en below +see -0e=uired "ontents-, refer to the net lengt# +@ te!t only, including tables, but e!cluding chartsAfiguresAwebsite screenshots, and a group size of B. /f you ma(e ample use of short bullet points written in note form and include large tables or many figures from secondary sources in the main te!t, please add 30: to these estimates. &ut again, you will be e$aluated on the =uality of what you write and not on the =uantity +see -E$aluation "riteria-,.
'igures and tables should be easily readable. Ce$er use font sizes smaller than 10 pt for tables or figures. 5lease put indi$idual figures and tables in the main part of your report documents close to te!t referring to the tableAfigure. /t is $ery cumbersome for any reader to always loo( up a figureAtable in an appendi!. Dnly when a tableAfigure is se$eral pages long and would impede the readability of the main part of the report it should be put into an appendi! rather than into the main part of the report.
2a$e page numbers. ,n-%e.t "itations3 1lways cite the sources you use in the te!t, directly where you use them in t#e following form3 , o o o - .... has to be ta(en into account +.iller E Fmith, 2003, p. 33,.- ...is more than 3>: +6orld &an( 0eport on 1fghanistan 200G, p. H>,.- he /.' +200G, p. H>>, reports that ....-
1ll in-te!t citations must include the year of publication. Fpecific citations must be specific regarding page numbersAI09. hat is, when you are citing a specific notion of a publication +as opposed to the o$erall message of a reportAstudy,, you ha$e to include specific page numbersAthe specific I09 containing this specific notion. /n your referen$e se$tions at the end of the two report parts, gi$e a complete list of the full references cited in this report part in the following form. o o o o &oo(s3 1uthor+s,, year, title, publisher, city where published. 1rticles in %ournalsAmagazines3 1uthor+s,, year, title, in3 %ournalAmagazine, pages. 1rticles in boo(s3 1uthor+s,, year, title of the article, in3 Editor+s,, title of the boo(, publisher, place where published, pages. /nternet sources3 1uthor+s,, year when published, title, I09 of the concrete website you are referring to, your access date. 'ailure to adhere to the abo$e guidelines for in-te!t citations and bibliography style will lead to a decrease in the grading of the =uality of documentation part of your report grade +see section )"* for grading criteria,.
5lease start +our report with a title page, containing the a o title +with your topic, e.g., -&rand 1udit of the ... &rand*, followed by )5art 1* or )5art 2*,, o the full names of all group members +please use the offi$ial names as in the uni$ersity files and add in =uotation mar(s any preferred name used in class if different from your official names, o the correct group number +e.g., 11, 12, 13 .., assigned to you by me, o the course number and section, and o the month and year of the submission of the report, followed by an e.e$uti2e summar+ of about one page +for each part of the report,, and the table of the $ontents3
ip3 1n e!ecuti$e summary is not an o$er$iew of the content +e.g., )/n section 2, we will be analyzing ?, in section 3 we will be ?*,, but a crisp summary of what you did and what your results and conclusions +part 1,Arecommendations +part 2,. hin( of a top e!ecuti$e who does not ha$e time to read the whole report.
hereafter, your report must contain the chapters and sections below.
A32 52er2iew and *2aluation of t#e Sour$es 6sed 4Studies, Arti$les, ebsites, ,nter2iews et$3' 41 to 4 pages'
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/n this section you gi$e an o$er$iew of the information base you used for your group report. Ftart with about half a page gi$ing an o$er$iew of your search strategy +how and where you searched for information for your pro%ect,J an o$er$iew of the types of sources you found and used +e.g., )scholarly articles*, )6i(ipedia articles*, )newspaper articles*, )boo(s*, )company websites*, )blogs*, )inter$iews with an e!ecuti$e in ..* etc.,. 'or each t+pe of source +e.g., scholarly articles and boo(sJ not3 each source,, write about 1 paragraph. Describe the most important e!amples of this type of source and what you used it for +e.g., )0egarding the health consciousness of our target group in ? we found a $ery interesting boo( by 0achel 0achmaninoff +2012, on ) rends in 2ealth "onsciousness 1mong "anadian #outh*,. 4i$e your e$aluation of the type of source in general +e.g., )/n general, scholarly articles were not $ery helpful for our pro%ect, as ?.*J )1s there was not much statistical information a$ailable on the target group of ?, our main source of information regarding ? were e!pert inter$iews ?*, and the most important information gathered from this source +e.g., what problems you see with the $alidity of a specific important study you found, gi$en its methodology, purpose, and authorsJ whether the shop owner you inter$iewed was (nowledgeable and trustworthy, what heAshe did not or could not want to tell youJ whether a boo( was helpful for you or not etc.,.
ips for secondary sources3 'or publicly listed companies, there is usually a large amount of information a$ailable on the company website under in$estor relations. 1lso, commercial databases accessible through the #or( library website usually offer in-depth reports on these companies, as do financial analysts of in$estment ban(s and bro(erages. 'or -household- goods as ser$ices such as ban(ing, telecommunications, cars etc., you will fre=uently find, through search engines li(e 4oogle, consumer sur$eys or at least reports on such in the business press +e.g., "anadian &usiness, &usiness 6ee(,, the business part of newspapers and in magazines +li(e .c9eanKs,. 4oogling for your brand or industry plus technical terms li(e -brand image-, -brand e=uity- etc. sometimes yields surprisingly useful studies. #ou may e$en find positioning maps +-positioning map-, -perceptual map- plus your brand or industry, online for these product categories which mostly are from the IF though. #ou may still use them as a starting point on how the positioning dimensions in "anada may loo( li(e. 1nd, for e!cellent reports, do not forget to search for studies and media reports on general reports about the industry and trends in the beha$iour, lifestyle, $alues and life goals of your target customers +e.g., on how student life has changed in recent years and what is important for students these days, if students are your primary target group,.
Each group is e!pected to do &ualitati2e fa$e-to-fa$e inter2iews wit# $onsumers in +our target group, that is, personal inter$iews with predominantly open-ended =uestions where consumers can $oice their opinion and feelings freely. 'or your F6D analysis, you will also find inter$iews with e!perts or managers of -your- brand useful. hese e!pertAe!ecuti$e inter$iews are not e!pected, but add to your grade +and certainly are a great learning e!perience,. he =ualitati$e inter$iews should aim at supplementing and interpreting the secondary sources you find to get a better understanding of the company and the mar(et +e!perts, or in$estigate the emotional aspects of customer-based brand e=uity which fre=uently are not ade=uately co$ered by secondary sources. 4i$e an o$er$iew and e$aluation of these inter$iews as a source for your brand in$entory and future brand strategy..'or =ualitati$e inter$iews with consumers, e!perts, andAor e!ecuti$es you conducted yourself, include, in addition to the abo$e points, a table into your report and presentation that indicates for each inter$iewee the role in which you inter$iewed himAher +e.g., )consumer*, or more specifically, -hea$yAlight user in product category- if this is an important distinction in your sampleJ )e!pert in the industry*, )e!ecuti$e of company #*,J for customers in the category, hisAher customer status +e.g., -loyal customer of brand ...-, -occasional buyer of brand ...- etc, some basic demographics about the inter$iewee +e.g., age, gender, place of residency, position, etc. unless disclosure of such information would interfere with an e!pert;s or e!ecuti$e;s wish to remain anonymous,J the date, start and end time of the inter$iewJ the method of data collection +face-to-face, email communication, paper-andpencil, phone etc.,J for e!perts and e!ecuti$es3 whether sAhe preferred to remain anonymous or whether sAhe ga$e her permission in writing to =uote herAhis statements under hisAher name +consumers .IF remain anonymous,J and include, in an appendi. to t#e report, for each inter$iewee, a transcript of the =uestions and answers in the inter$iew +does not need to be $erbatim, but should gi$e a complete and clear account of what the respondent replied to each =uestionJ can be L
handwritten, if legibleJ note form is o( if the meaning of the =uestions and answers is clear,J you can also hand in the =uestionnaires separately, in an en$elope +or similar, mar(ed with the course number, your group number, pro%ect brand, term and year. Do not in$lude t#e informed $onsent forms signed b+ t#e respondent in +our report3 ,nstead, keep t#em in a se$ure spa$e a$$ording to t#e guidelines in t#e student resear$#er $onfirmation form3 5lease also hand in, with your report, the signed student resear$#er $onfirmation forms +only one per student who conducted inter$iews, not one for each inter$iew that a student conducted,. 2and in these student researcher confirmation form separately in an en$elope +or similar, mar(ed with the course number, your group number, pro%ect brand, term and year. 5lease do not report percentages on your sample. /f one out of fi$e customers of your brand said something, then report -1 out of > customers inter$iewed...- and not -20: of the customers inter$iewed-. Ce$er use percentages for samples smaller than 30, most =uality mar(et research companies would not use percentages for samples smaller than 100.
ip for the use of the =ualitati$e inter$iews in your report3 Mualitati$e inter$iews should aim at supplementing and interpreting the secondary sources you find. Do not rely solely on your e!ploratory inter$iews in your analysis and strategy. D$ergeneralizing the findings from a small non-representati$e sample +e.g., you as( three students and then state3 -1s our inter$iews demonstrate, young consumers nowadays want creati$ely design cell phone-, will considerably hurt your grade. Fimilarly, not supplying any secondary data on the crucial assumptions on trends in consumer needs and wants on which your whole strategy hinges will hurt your grade, unless you clearly and con$incingly e!plain, why these data is not a$ailable or accessible to you, despite a well-designed and <e!ecuted search strategy. /f, for e!ample, your strategy hinges on the assumption that young consumers want cell phones with a uni=ue creati$e design, you may supply a recent sur$ey you found in your secondary research to bolster this assumption, andAor some sales data of creati$ely designed cell phones in "anada +or a mar(et you consider a lead mar(et for cell phones and "anada, andAor an e!pert inter$iew with a cell phone manufacturer or networ(, media reports etc. he =ualitati$e personal inter$iews with the target group then should assist you to interpret this data by understanding the bac(ground and implications of this trend.
Dis$ussion of Missing Sour$es 1t the end of this section discuss what information which would ha$e been important for your pro%ect you could not find at all or in ade=uate =uality, where and how you 8
searched for this information, and why you thin( that this information was not a$ailableAnot a$ailable in ade=uate =uality. 4roups with si! or se$en members should ma(e suggestions for additional primary data collection that would be necessary to do before designing the strategy +one to two paragraphs,.
benefits and life goalsA$alues e!plicitly or implicitly stressed in ad$ertising. +3 to B pages, the de$elopment of the branding +brand name, brand iconography, brand sound, I09s, symbols, pac(aging etc.,, including sub-brands used for brand e!tensions, up to the current state. +1 page, the current people in the company and e!ternal agencies in charge of the brand. +0.> pages, 'or -old- brands, that is, brands which are decades or e$en more than a century old, report only ma%or e$ents and changes in the distant past and become increasingly specific with regards to more recent changes.
ip3 'or publicly listed companies, much of the historical information is typically a$ailable on 6i(ipedia, while recent mergers and ac=uisitions and the related company strategies are typically well described in 1nnual 0eports and 5ress 0eleases from the company website. 1nd yes, you can =uote wi(ipedia throughout the report, particularly where there is no reason to assume that the information there is inade=uate or -manipulated- by the company, its competitors and other sta(eholders.
/f you chose a broad brand li(e 0ogers or 1pple, you ha$e to focus on one product category in later sections of the report. /n this section, howe$er, you still ha$e to report on the complete brand de$elopment and all product categories of the brand. 2owe$er, you only gi$e a rough o$er$iew of other product categories of the brand and the o$erall brand de$elopment, and report on the brand in the chosen product category in greater detail +e.g., when and why the company entered this product category, a detailed report on the products of the brand in this product category etc.,. 1t some point in your report you will also ha$e to analyze the product portfolio, pricing, distribution and ad$ertising of your ma8or $ompetitors. #ou can do so either here +that is, under 3.1, or later in the F6D analysis. /n any e$ent, you will ha$e to write a paragraph about how and why you identified the analyzed competitors as your ma%or competitors. 're=uent mista(es in identifying the rele$ant competition are to focus $ery narrowly on the immediate competitors with a similar product portfolio and similar positioning, rather than analyzing the whole field of competitors in the product category +e.g., %ust other manufacturers of premium athletic shoes rather than also competitors with more affordable athletic shoes,J
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not ta(ing into account indirect competitors satisfying the same customer needs +e.g., entertainment,. his mista(e is particularly common in cases where there is no direct competition pro$iding the same product +e.g., when you are the only cinema in town,.
A3132 "urrent "ustomer-Based Brand *&uit+ 41 to 0 pages' Ise the "&&E-5yramid by Neller +2013, as a framewor( and report on each of its components.
)UD MENTS
$EELIN S
PE"$O"MANCE
P"IMA"Y CHA"ACTE"ISTICS ' SECONDA"Y $EATU"ES P"ODUCT "ELIABILITY( DU"ABILITY ' SE"&ICEABILITY SE"&ICE E$$ECTI&ENESS( E$$ICIENCY ' EMPATHY STYLE AND DESI N P"ICE
USE" P"O$ILES PU"CHASE ' USA E SITUATIONS PE"SONALITY ' &ALUES HISTO"Y( HE"ITA E ' E%PE"IENCES
IMA E"Y
SALIENCE
1G
&ase your analysis on not only on your inter$iews, but on secondary research +internet, uni$ersity library, academic and professional databases accessible through the #or( Ini$ersity library website etc., on the perception of the brand by consumers +in particular image and awareness studies, if not a$ailable, articles in the media or on blogs were %ournalists or e!perts comment on the image or brand awareness of your brand, and
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=ualitati$e inter$iews you conduct with consumers in the target group+s, of the brand +e!pected3 one inter$iew per group member,. 6hen interpreting the material reported in section 3.1., you will also necessarily ha$e to rely on personal opinion +e.g., personal e!periences, assumptions, and feelings,. his is o( and e$en necessary as long as you always ma(e absolutely clear where the facts end and where your opinion begins +indicate the latter by )/n our opinion*, )we belie$e* etc.,. you can reasonably claim that there is no secondary =uantitati$e data a$ailable corroborating or contradicting your personal opinion and that you ha$e some e$idence for your opinion from the e!ploratory inter$iews. your opinion is not contradicted by facts or other opinions stated in your report and does not contradict the brand strategy you suggest later. .a(e sure that your report is internally consistent. you do so cautiously, that is, as long as you do not o$ergeneralize your personal opinion and ac(nowledge that consumer segments different from yours +e.g., older consumers, less educated consumers etc., may ha$e different opinions. &ased on this, analyze the salience of the brand in the consumers; minds, as gi$en by brand recall, brand recognition, and perceptual fluency. consumer associations with the brand as gi$en by the percei$ed brand performance, imagery, %udgments, and feelings. brand resonance with the consumers +loyalty, attachment, community, engagement,. /f necessary and applicable, differentiate between different $onsumer segments and between different product and ser$ice categories the brand engages in. Cote that brands do not necessarily ha$e a consistent image across their target groups or across different categories. /f your brand has an inconsistent image or e!hibits high salience in some, but low salience in other important audiences, this may be an important starting 12
point for the de$elopment of your brand positioning +section 8, and your implementation ideas +section G,.
ip3 he by far most common and most se$ere mista(e is to report on the "&&E pyramid based on what you thin( is -ob%ecti$e facts- +e.g., -the product has good =uality-, -the price is low-, or what the compnay does +- he company ad$ertises itself as trustworthy-, instead of consumer perceptions. 0emember3 he "&&E pyramid is all about customer perception, not ob%ecti$e truth or company actions. 3.1. is the place where you should report on ob%ecti$e things and what the company does. /t is in 3.3 where you establish the lin( between 3.2. and 3.1. 3.2. is to be purely reporting on customer perceptions, based on your secondary sources and your inter$iews.
A3131 Anal+sis of reasons for $urrent "BB* p+ramid 41 to 1 pages' "omment for each sub-dimension of the "&&E pyramid on the following3 in what way the indi$idual branding elements add to or impede brand salience as well as fa$orable and uni=ue associations through their +lac( of, memorability, meaningfulness, li(ability, transferability +if the brand co$ers different product categories,, adaptability, protectability, and ease of use for customers and employees. 1lso comment on the e!tent of consistency of the branding elements +)intergrated branding*,. the +ob%ecti$e, strengths and wea(nesses of the produ$ts themsel$es as well as the role of pri$e and distribution $#annels employed by the brand in building brand associations3 2ow to the relate to customer-perceptions in the "&&EO the role of brand $ommuni$ation3 6hat communication media and campaign +historical or current, you do you thin( is particularly important in e!plainng what part of todayKs "&&E pyramidO how the companies efforts in brand relations#ip building and the design of brand tou$#points create or do not create fa$orable and uni=ue associations and resonance.
size, lifestyle, needs and wants of customer segments, as well as to new technologies and potential new competitors. 'or a long-term strategy it is important to not define your competition too narrowly. 1 +potential, competitor is e$erybody who creates the same customer benefits or sol$es the same customer problems as your brand. identifying the ma%or $ompetitors of the brand and the strengt#s and weaknesses of your brand in comparison to them. Ftrengths and wea(nesses may arise internally +e.g., from corporate culture E history, greater financial or technological capabilities, production facilities E location, sustainably higher employee moti$ation and s(ills, andAor e!ternally +e.g., a large mar(et share and customer base, brand image, awareness, customer trust de$eloped o$er timeJ traditional retailer relations etc.,.
ips3 /n its traditional form from the 1G>0s, strengths and wea(nesses were defined as something )internal to the company*, whereas threats and opportunities were defined as something )e!ternal to the company*. / personally find this distinction inefficient, not to say incorrect, particularly in times where strong brands are built in -ecosystems- in which manufacturer, customers, suppliers, retailers etc. all wor( interconnectedly for mutual benefit and purpose . 0ather, strengths and wea(nesses pertain to something e!istent +which may as well be )e!ternal to the company*, e.g. a large customer base, strong ties with distributors, app de$eloppers etc., while threats and opportunities pertain to potential changes in the future +which may as well be internal to the company, e.g., the threat that (ey engineers lea$e your / start-up,. #ou are free though to distinguish in any other way which ma(es sense as long as you pro$ide proper definitions. Ftrengths are current defensible asset of the company +e.g., organizational abilities, culture facets,, and not a current beha$iour of the company. 2a$ing lower prices than the competition is not a strength, ha$ing a better cost structure +e.g., through economies of scale, enabling to ha$e lower prices sustainably is. 2a$ing one hilarious commercial which went $iral is not a strength, ha$ing an organizational culture which fosters creati$ity and ris( ta(ing which in turn allows you to sustainably produce $iral $ideos is.
1H
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introducing yoursel$es +your group number and full, official names of all group members, in addition to any aliases you go byJ please put all your names on the first slide,J
a $ery brief description of your pro%ect, that is, what company, what brand, what product category +for broad brands,, and what target group, you were wor(ing on.
Do not pro$ide details in this section.4i$e us the big picture necessary to understand the following parts.
B31' :ierar$#i$al ;alue Map of t#e Brand Suggested b+ t#e "ompan+ 4about 1 minutes'
1B
Fhow representati2e samples of t#e brand $ommuni$ation of the past 12 months in "anada $isible to your target audience which you reported in section 3.1. of the report.
ip3 Inless we ha$e few groups presenting and more time per group than 1> minutes, / would recommend to not show $ideos. 0eport their essence with some screenshots in one or two sentences.
'rom this brand communication and the product, pricing and distribution attributes presented earlier, create a :ierar$#i$al ;alue Map showing the ma%or .eans-End "hains which the company suggests to your target group for your brand, that is with what productAser$ice, pricing, distribution and imagery features the brand tries to differentiate itself from the competitionJ the benefits which the brand promises and the life goalsA$alues which the brandKs communication e!plicitly or implicitly +i.e., through choice of ad$ertising tonality, music, people, media, location etc., lin(s to these benefits.
ip3 /f you are not sure about a certain life goalA$alue or there is discussion in the group, state this discussion and what arguments can be made for or against a certain interpretation. ip3 his section is about the proposition of the brand to the customers, that is, what attributes, benefits and life goals the company wants consumers to associate with the brand. /t is not about what you thin( what consumers really belie$e, or what the brand has done in the past. 1lso, this is not only about features, benefits or goalsA$alues which are attracti$e to your target group, but about all features, benefits, goalsA$alues which your target group can percei$e as being stressed by the brand.
/n your 2ierarchical Qalue .ap, indicate 6ith the thic(ness of the arrow, how strongAdominant a lin( from one element to another is in the brandKs positioning strategy. negati$e lin(s +e.g., from -price- to -affordability-,, if any in the brandKs communication, should be indicated by a red line +or a dotted line, if you present or print the handout in blac( and white,. Draw horizontal lines between the different le$els of your analysis or use different colours and symbols +e.g., rectangle, circle, triangle,, to distinguish between attributesAfeatures $s. benefits $s. life goalsA$alues. "omment in your presentation on all lin(s which are not self-e!planatory. 1L
1t the end of this section, comment on how realistic and rele$ant the brandKs suggested 2ierarchical Qalue .ap is for your target group, based on your own secondary research and inter$iews3 Do you thin( that the means-end lin(s are plausible and the benefits and life goals suggested by the company are rele$ant to your target groupO &e cautious in your commentary, ta(ing into account the strength of your sources.
De$elop a dimensional positioning map which shows the current positionAperception of -your- brand and its three to fi$e ma%or competitors in your target group, as per your "&&E pyramid in 1.3.2J the intended positioning of your brand, as per your analysis in &.3. +this shows where the company wants to go with this brand,.
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Example: Current Perception and how the company wants the brand to be perceived
emotional S
S S &rand ' S e!citing young fun sporty4position
Brand A
intended b+ t#e $ompan+'
Brand A
4$urrent $onsumer per$eption' &rand &
9u!ury
S S S S S high =uality prestige )show-off* best in class safety
Brand D practical
S S S S
Brand *
practical con$enience best for families comfortable
/n your presentation, e!plain each of the dimensions before you e!plain the positions of the indi$idual brands. .a(e sure to gi$e (ey-words +attributes, benefits, for each of the endpoints of each dimension +see e!ample,. .a(e sure your dimensions are truly independent from each other and not similar in their meanings.
ip3 /f you can pretty much draw a straight line through the positions of all brands, your dimensions are not independent as the information of your positioning map could be gi$en by %ust one dimension +each brandKs position on a line,.
.a(e sure that your positioning dimensions co$er all the attributes and benefits which you ha$e identified as highly rele$ant to your target group +report, and Aor which are promoted by your brand +&.3,. his may re=uire more than two dimensions. /f you ha$e four dimensions you can use two maps for dimensions 1R2 and 3RH, respecti$ely. 1lternati$ely, for 3 or more dimensions you can also use a table with the dimensions as columns and the brands as rows, indicating each brandKs position in each dimension by using terms li(e -$ery low-, -rather low-, -medium-, -rather high-, -$ery high-.
1G
Ce!t, using your analyses of consumer preferences from your secondary research and your inter$iews +1.3.2., as well as your F6D analysis +1.H,, s of 1.3.2., discuss in how far the companyKs positioning meets NellerKs desirability and deli$erability criteria for your target group3 Desirabilit+ $riteria 4$onsumer perspe$ti2e' 0ele$ant to the target group+s, Distincti$e and superior &elie$able and credible 'easible and profitable "ommunicability DefensibleAdifficult to attac(Asustainable
&ased on this analysis, state whether you concur with the companyKs positioning efforts or thin( that the brand should be positioned differently. /n the latter case, pro$ide your positioning as in the e!ample below.
Brand A
&rand '
Brand A
4$urrent $onsumer per$eption' &rand &
9u!ury
S S S S S high =uality prestige )show-off* best in class safety
Brand D practical
S S S S
Brand *
practical con$enience best for families comfortable
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Cote that the dimensions of your future positioning map may be different from the ones of your current positioning map, for e!ample, when you are creating a totally new benefit +li(e 1pple did with )higher usability* as compared to the highly )tech-sa$y* positioning of most other tech brandsJ or 1udi with )understatement* $s. .ercedes; and &.6;s )show-off* image,, you gi$e e!isting dimensions a new twist +li(e 5epsi did when ma(ing )good old "o(e* loo( %ust )old*, or you address a completely new target group with completely new needs and wants currently not co$ered by any brand. /n this case, draw a new positioning map with your -new dimensions-.
'inish your new brand positioning by defining 5 to 1! brand $ore 2alues<asso$iations the brand should elicit in the target groupKs minds and ma(ing it internally communicable with a )brand mantra*.
his is the more creati$e part of the report. 2owe$er, you are not supposed to de$elop complete new products, draw ads, or design concrete new brand logos etc. +#ou may do so, if you want, though, and if consistent with your strategy and inherently doable, 21
this adds to your grade,. #ou should outline preliminar+ ideas regarding branding, products, and communication which would ta(e the brand towards the positioning suggested by you for your target group. / will not e$aluate your ideas in terms of right or wrong, but in terms of $onsistent or in$onsistent wit# +our suggested positioning. /f you thin( the current branding +communication, product, etc., is fine, say so, and e!plain why it fits the suggested positioning. 4roups of B or more students conclude the presentation with about half a minute in which you e!plain what measures you would apply to ade=uately trac( the success of your brand positioning strategy +e.g., what image items you would trac( with your target group and how you want them to change in what time span, in order to pro$ide e$idence for the effecti$eness of your implementation plan regarding your strategy,.
22
o =ualify for an -e!cellent- or -outstanding- rating in the -information sourcecomponent of your group wor( grades +see section ",, more inter$iews will positi$ely
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contribute to your grade +up to a total ma! of +2 times the number of group members, inter$iews,. 'or inter$iews with consumers, please use the &uestionnaire template a2ailable on t#e $ourse website and adapt it to your pro%ect. #ou will ha$e to adapt section 1 to your product category. 'or the remaining sections, you ha$e to adapt the product attributes, product category and brand names in all =uestions to your pro%ect, but otherwise maintain the original wording of the =uestions. 'or the last section of the =uestionnaire +-future positioning-,, you should add your preliminary ideas for potential brand strategies. 2ere you can and should de$elop your own =uestion wording.
Cote3 he template is not meant to curtail your creati$ity, but to gi$e you the opportunity to practice e!actly those theoretical concepts we discuss in class, and to ma(e life easier for you. 1fter all, this is not a .ar(et 0esearch class, but a &rand .anagement class, and this is where / want you to in$est most of your time and creati$ity. Cote3 6e focus on =ualitati$e face-to-face inter$iews in this course as +a, =ualitati$e research is otherwise not ade=uately co$ered in the .ar(eting course program which is at odds with its tremendous practical importance, especially in designing a future-oriented brand strategyJ +b, will help you best in understanding the theoretical concepts discussed in class. #ou are neither e!pected nor encouraged to do a =uantitati$e sur$ey, that is, a sur$ey with mostly closed-ended =uestions, nor should you do any online sur$ey in the course of this class. /n order to yield meaningful data, such a sur$ey would re=uire a considerable amount of time on your part and coaching from my side not suitable for this course on brand management. &asing your analysis and strategy mostly on a =uic( non-representati$e =uantitati$e sur$ey with a not professionally de$eloped =uestionnaire will mar(edly deteriorate rather than impro$e your grade. 0ather, you should stri$e to find appropriate secondary sources with =uantitati$e sur$eys, e.g., about the current image of the brand, its buyers etc. /f none are a$ailable, please discuss the options with me in a scheduled meeting. ip for the last section of the =uestionnaire3 Infortunately many groups do not ma(e use of this opportunity to test preliminary ideas in this last section or they do so only cursorily, e.g., with barely described ideas to which a $alid feedbac( from respondents is impossible to recei$e. /n$esting some time into this last section, as a group, will help you in your time management +you de$elop and discuss ideas early on,, add to the =uality of your pro%ect wor(, and a$oid grade deductions.
2H
without an e!pert inter$iew, in which case / will recommend your group, in my feedbac( to your 455, to do one. /f you do any, you ha$e to send the =uestionnaire to me for appro$al before you do the inter$iew. 'or the e!pert and management inter$iews, do not use the consumer =uestionnaire template. here is an e.e$uti2e inter2iew sample on the course website, howe$er, it is a sample, not a template. hat means, do not copy it blindly, but adapt it in both the wording and content to what you still need to (now after your research, ta(ing into account the role and (nowledge of the e!pert, ie where sAhe can help you the most with $alid answers. 're=uently, the e!pert inter$iew will contain =uestions regarding anything in section 3.1 of the group report + brand #istor+ and $urrent 49s and branding, you could not find enough about in a thorough secondary research, section3.2, "&&E, in the sense of the per$ei2ed brand awareness and image wit# t#e $ustomers +that is, what the e!pertAmanager thin(s what imageAawareness the brand has with the customers,, and, most importantly section 8 +S 5%, positioning dimensions, 959s<95Ds,, as well as the terminal company goals and the corporate culture, some ideas for future positioning which you want to test for $iability and plausibility from the e!pertKs perspecti$e. Do not as( any =uestions which are ob$iously so sensiti$e that no reasonable managerAe!pert would answer them +e.g., sales, mar(et share or profit data which are not publicly a$ailable, details of future strategy etc.,. /f your initial research shows that you will need an e!pert inter$iew to fill in the blan(s +e.g., for smaller and less-publicized brands,, you should start as soon as possible with your attempts to identify the right person to inter$iew and to as( herAhim for the inter$iew. ypically, it will ta(e you se$eral wee(s to get an appointment for a phone or face-to-face appointment.
2>
1s the focus of the management inter$iews is in many cases the F6D , you can still benefit from inter$iews e$en after the hand-in date for the first part of the group report. /deally, of course, you get an inter$iew appointment before the hand in date of the first part of the report +if your inter$iew co$ers also 3.1 and 3.2,. Fo if you ha$e a chance to do such an inter$iew, as( the e!pertAmanager 1F15 for an appointment, letting them (now until what date you need to do the inter$iew at the latest. /n your re=uest for an inter$iew +by email or any other way of communication,, say who you are, what the inter$iew is for +specify your group pro%ect,, how long it will ta(e +be honestJ the template pro$ided ta(es about 1 hourJ e$en if you shorten, itKs in all li(elihood H0 minutes before you ha$e the ma%or information, and how it will be used3 -All individual information about your company that you give us in this interview and is not available from public
sources will be treated strictly confidential and will not be made available to anybody else than to the instructor and the participants of the course in this term. All your answers and you as an interviewee will remain entirely anonymous, unless you give as permission at the end of the interview to quote you for specified parts of the interview."
/nclude my contact information3 -If you have any questions about the course or this interview, please
contact the course director, Professor trebinger, anytime. !ou can do so by phone at "#$%&'$%(#)), e*tension ')+,), or by sending an e%mail to strebing-yor.u.ca."
1lso, state whether you would or would not, on re=uest of the inter$iewee, share your group report with her at the end of the term. 5lease note that this is only recommended if your group wor( has been graded with &R or better. 6hile inter$iews with consumers ha$e to be done face to face, inter$iews with e!perts can also be by phone or in writing, depending on where the respondent is and what hisAher preferences are. /nter$iews in writing +by emails or email attachment, are only appropriate for a few simple and non-sensiti$e =uestions. 'or personal or phone e!pert and e!ecuti$e inter$iews, there should typically be two members of your group present at the inter$iew. his shows respect and also ma(es it easier to ta(e notes and manage the inter$iew at the same time, which normally is more demanding than a consumer inter$iew.
2B
2L
o 9ogical $onsisten$+ and $on2in$ingness of your positioning strateg+ 49resentation'. 5lease note that it ta(es both con$incing ideas and a consistent line of reasoning throughout your report. Ftrongly inconsistent reports +that is, for e!ample, reports where section T ad$ocates strategy 1, section # ad$ocates strategy & and section U ad$ocates strategy "J or reports where the implementation does not fit the future strategy which in turn does not fit the analysis, will recei$e no more than a "R o$erall, e$en if the indi$idual parts are highly con$incing. 1rri$ing at a consistently de$eloped, elaborated, and implemented strategy for a comple! brand management problem despite the fact that different team members ha$e different $iews on the brand and the mar(et is e!actly what / would li(e you to practice for real life in this group pro%ect. o Appli$abilit+ and $reati2it+ of t#e ideas in your positioning implementation concept +presentation,. Muality of the do$umentation<presentation deli2er+, in particular clarity of structure, =uality of layout, clarity of language and figures, completeness of all forms, documents, handout to be handed it, legibility of slides and charts, few typos in report and on slides, staying in the time budget,. 1ll e$aluations of group wor( will ta(e the size of the group into account. 9lagiarism hroughout your report, do not )copy and paste* whole paragraphs, let alone whole pages from the /nternet or other electronic sources without using =uotation mar(s and citing the appropriate source. his would be considered academic dishonesty with the appropriate conse=uences. 5lease see http3AAwww.yor(u.caAtutorialAacademicVintegrityAplagdef.html for more information. Cote that e$ery report is chec(ed by urnitin for te!t copied from the internet, commercial and academic databases and other student reports handed in. Fimilar, in
your presentation, =uote all sources you ma(e use of.
2G
#ou may =uote some phrases or e$en a paragraph $erbatim when using =uotation mar(s and indicating the source +including pages,. 2owe$er, too many and too long direct =uotes will ha$e negati$e repercussions on your grade. #our tas( is to ma(e information from offline and online sources useful for t#e pro8e$t by sele$ting e!actly those pieces of information that are ne$essar+ to deri$e and discuss your ideas and arguments, summari>ing them with the rig#t degree of detail, and restru$turing them to form a consistent line of thought which is as $lear yet as s#ort +7, as possible. /f you are, based on a prere=uisite wai$er, wor(ing on the same company with the same group as you do in 1D.F H28B &rand .anagement 2, feel free to use shared parts +e.g., for the o$er$iew and e$aluation of sources used, in both reports. #ou may e$en use identical paragraphs or tables in both reports, to the e!tent that they are applicable and rele$ant to the tas(s in both classes. 2owe$er, you may want to ma(e sure that these shared parts are of high =uality, as they will affect your grades in both classes. /f you are wor(ing on the same company as you do in another course +1D.F H28B or any other course, in the same term, but in groups which differ in their members, or want to re-use material from pre$ious courses in which you ha$e been wor(ing on the same company, you may still do so, but you ha$e to =uote the other report +from an earlier term or with different group members in another course in the same term, as a secondary source.
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