| COVER
STORY Mystery
Shoppers : Effective "In Specters"?
- - Vandana Pareek
Mystery
shopping or ghost shopping, the name may give the image of something secretive
or enigmatic. Rather, it is a technique that big brands like Marriott Corporation,
Dell Computers, General Motors, Toyota, Microsoft, Kingfisher Airlines, Marico's
Kaya Clinic, Shoppers' Stop, Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited, etc. employ to
monitor the customer service and efficiency of their employees. This profession
is gaining momentum mainly because these people are paid to observe and complain.
In this article, an attempt is made to analyze the merits and demerits of using
mystery shoppers in evaluating the effectiveness of employees.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
PERSPECTIVES
Brand
Immunity : Myth or Reality?
- - A M Sakkthivel
Brands
are built by spending billions, proving the product/service performance, controlling
the market structure, keeping the competition at bay and enticing the customers
to be loyal. Is it real or just a myth? It is both. It depends on product/service,
the segment/Socio-Economic Classification (SEC) to which a brand offers the value
proposition. This article discusses the immunity that brands enjoy like a virtual
fence that restricts competitors to do any damage. It also throws light on the
ability of certain brands to cut across the distribution value chain for deeper
penetration and reach without diluting the brand value.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
PERSPECTIVES
Ethical
Ads vs. Unethical Ads : Eternal Tussle
- - Anil Chandhok
With
advertisements in India becoming more exaggerated, the public in general, finds
that most of the advertisements are deceptive and false. In India, the customers
are, most of the time, taken for a ride by the manufacturers because a majority
of the customers are illiterate, ignorant or unaware and at the same time, there
is less tendency on the part of the customer to voice his complaint against the
exploiter. Very few customers opt to seek action against the exploiter and take
him to task. Thus, the moral responsibility rests on the business houses to make
advertisements for the mutual benefit of themselves and for the society as a whole.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
COMMUNICATION
How
Communication Tools Can Be Integrated?
- - Angeles Navarro, Elena Delgado and María Sicilia
The
concept of Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is receiving considerable
attention due to the challenges faced by marketers in designing and implementing
their marketing communication programs. However, there is a lack of agreement
on what integration means and how to integrate different communication tools.
Based on the research and discussion existing on the subject of IMC, this article
presents a theoretical framework to better understand the concept, and proposes
two strategies for integration. These strategies are based on two relevant characteristics
of the message contentconsistency and complementaritythat make the different communication
tools complete. Finally, the authors provide some guidelines on the quantitative
and qualitative effects from an IMC perspective.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
COMMUNICATION
Internal
Advertising: An Introduction
- - Sanjit Kumar Roy
Internal
marketing is one of the extensively discussed topics in marketing, but not much
research has been done on the same. Certain concepts like internal advertising
and internal branding have come up in marketing lately. This article gives an
introduction to the concept of internal advertising. It also outlines the effects
of advertising on employees by analyzing two small cases of internal advertising.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
COMMUNICATION
Smile
Your Way Up : Importance of Smile in Personal Branding
- - Samuel B Sekar Smile
blends well with other personality traits to make a person more likable and sellable.
It creates a good impression as well as positive appeal in the minds of people
one wants to impress.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
BRANDING
Brand
Positioning : Mantra for Success
- - Noopur Agrawal and Aditya Prakash Tripathi
Many
a historian has noted that the 19th century was dominated by Britain and the 20th
Century was dominated by the US. There are predictions galore that Asia will call
the shots in the 21st Century. Enterprises, in their drive to stay ahead of competition
in the marketplace and to have a more favorable post-purchase behavior than their
counterparts, strive to retain distinctiveness and quality in their products and
services. Another area of global concern has been rampant counterfeiting and "me-too-products"
which are creating confusion and resulting in reduced sales margins and profits
to the genuine producers.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
BRANDING
Indian
Women in Advertising : Changing Phases
- - Gunjan A Rana
The
involvement of women in today's advertisement is increasing at a very fast pace
irrespective of the product. This article looks at the stereotypical roles in
advertising, particularly focusing on the portrayal of women. The women in our
society have been sex symbols or homemakers who could not have thought of moving
out of the four walls of their homes. This article discusses the changes that
have taken place through so many decades and the current situation of women vis-à-vis
men. Comparing the different phases that women have traveled in the realm of advertising
from the 1950s till date, this article mainly focuses on the reincarnation of
women and the different roles they are playing in the advertisements today.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
BRANDING
Service
Branding Strategies : A Look at Major Retail Chains of Consumer Electronic Goods
- - Kumuda Tripathy This
article on "Service Branding Strategies in Major Retail Chains of Consumer Electronic
Goods in India" highlights the strategies of service branding of major retail
chains selling consumer electronic goods in India. The players being considered
are Sony World, Samsung, Dass Electricals, Plugin, and NeXT. To find out about
the brand strategies of retail consumer electronic goods outlets in India, a study
was conducted in which the managers of the outlets were interviewed and some customers
who walked into the stores were surveyed. The purpose of the study was to find
out how these retail outlets respond to a customer when he/she walks into the
store, and how they build their brand image in the minds of the customers.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
TRENDS
AND INITIATIVES Glocalization
: Consumer Electronics in India
- - A V Bala Krishna
This article captures the glocalization strategies adopted by consumer goods
MNCs in India. Many well-known international brands in the area of consumer electronics
such as LG, Samsung, Nokia and Philips have established themselves in India in
the post-liberalization period. Many of these MNCs recognized India as not being
a homogeneous market, but, a heterogeneous market impacted by various cultural
and language differences. Accordingly, many of them fine-tuned their marketing
mixes and targeted these culturally and regionally diverse markets. In this backdrop,
the article discusses the success factors for these MNCs and how they negotiated
shortfalls during their successful onward journey in India.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
TRENDS
AND INITIATIVES Maruti
Car to Indian Curry : A Glut in Indian Nameplates the World Over
- - Aurobindo Ghosh This
article deals with the varying concepts of the advertising world, which care especially
for the sentimental values of Indians (wherever they may be). The contentment
aspect of the Indian psyche is elaborated through examples, with an analytical
review being done on the advertiser's behavior using the names of Gods, Goddesses,
mortals and places for different purposes, which are now used as brands for boosting
sales. Similarly, a score of Indian names (surnames, monuments, places, cuisines,
materials, etc.) are now used throughout the globe to create a definite Indian
identity. Effect of names of Indian origin, which attract both ethnic and non-ethnic
Indian population, is discussed and also shows how the concept of vegetarianism
as well as value-added services were introduced for the first time in the "West"
with tremendous response.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
CASE
STUDY Starbucks'
: Drive-thru Windows Business Sense vs. Brand Dilemmas
- - Priyanka and Sauvik Dhar
© 2007 IBS Case Development Center, Hyderabad. All
Rights Reserved. | 
