ON

A Study on brand Consciousness

among children and Its Effect on
Family Buying Behavior

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of

the degree of Master of Business Administration

Under supervision of : Submitted by:

Dr. Sanjay Nandal Varsha
(Faculty IMSAR, MDU, Rohtak) MBA 5.10 (B.E)
Roll No.: 1358
Univ. Roll No.:

INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIESAND RESEARCH

(IMSAR)

MAHARSHI DAYANAND UNIVERSITY , ROHTAK

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Getting a report ready requires the work and effort of many people.
I would like to thank all those who have contributed in completing
this report.

First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge Dr. Sanjay

Nandal (IMSAR) for giving me the opportunity to do work on
this project.

(Varsha)
 INDEX

Sr. No. CONTENTS

1. Executive summary

2. Introduction of the study

3. Review of Literature

4. Objective of the study

5. Research methodology

6 Data Analysis & Interpretations

7. findings

8. Suggestions and recommendations

9. Conclusion

10. Limitations

11. Annexure
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Brands work by facilitating and making more effective the consumer's choice
process. Brands have a social and emotional value for the users. They have a
personality and speak for the user. They enhance the perceived utility and
desirability of a product. Brands have the ability to add or subtract the
perceived value of a product. Children today are extremely aware of the
various brands in the market and are conscious of the products they use or
consume. They pick and choose carefully according to their needs, style
preferences, etc. They also exercise a lot of independence in decision -
making and influence the family buying behavior. Today's kids are well
informed, better than their parents. That is why the topic “A Study on Brand
Consciousness among Children and Its Effect on Family Buying
Behavior” has been selected. The main objectives of this project are to study
the level of brand consciousness of electronic goods among children in the
age group of 8 - 16 years, residing in Haryana, To analyses the effect of
brand consciousness among children in the family buying behaviour, To
examine whether unbranded products provide same satisfaction as branded
products and customers' preference for unbranded products. And to offer
valuable suggestions to the marketer that would help in product planning,
product promotion and product pricing.
This research work is based on the exploratory research design .the data has
been collected from primary and secondary sources. The primary data is
collected from question are and secondary data is obtained from magazines,
newspapers and websites. The Universe of this project consists of Children in
the age group of 8 years to 16 years. The Sample size for this project is 50
children and 50 parents.
This project is not free from limitations like small sample size, so the sample
may not be truly representative of the population,
The questionnaires were to be filled independently by the children; only
children from eight years upwards were included in the study. This is
because, they need to read, comprehend and answer the questions. Data
collection was a difficult task. Many questionnaires were distributed, but all
were not returned. Despite of all these limitations an effort has been made to
make this research work more representative.
After analyzing the data it is found that there is a very high degree
of brand awareness among children. To be specific even children as young as
eight year olds had given names of at least three well-known brands.
Children do not enjoy independence in decision
Majority of the parents have said that their children insist for branded items
at some point.
Most of the parents consider their children's opinion
sometimes while purchasing electronic goods. Parents have expressed that
children's suggestions are valuable to them at a moderate level while making
purchases for the family. So it concluded that brand play very vital role in
family while purchasing electronic goods. They don’t mind paying extra for
branded products, as they get value for money. Children also affect in family
buying behavior because children are also very conscious towards brands.
 Chapter 1.

INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT
 Consumer Behavior

Individual Buyer Behavior

As well as being influenced by the outside environment, people also have

their own individual beliefs. It is important that we should know that these
are in order that we can better understand how individuals respond to
marketing efforts. Individuals are different in terms of how they look their
education, their feelings and their responses to marketing efforts. Some will
behave predictably and other less predictably according to an individuals
personality. The individual consumer absorbs information and develops
attitudes and perceptions. In marketing terms, this will affect an individual
need as well as determining how to satisfy them. The task of marketing is to
identify patterns of behavior which are predictable under given conditions,
which will increased the marketer ability to satisfy customer needs, which is
at the very base of marketing. In order to more fully understand this concept
we shall concentrate on five psychological concepts to understand buyer
behavior. These five psychological concepts.
 Factors Affecting Consumer Behavior

1. Social and Cultural Influence

Culture is learned behavior that has been passed down over time, reinforced in our
daily lives through the family unit and through educational and religious
institutions. Cultural influences, therefore, are powerful ones and if a company
does not understand the culture in which a particular market operates, it cannot
hope to develop products and market them successfully in that market.

In some cases, they constitute individual market segments for certain

product areas. Subcultures can also exist within the same racial groups sharing
common nationality. Their bases may be geographical, religious or linguistic
differences and marketers must recognize these differences and should regard them
as providing opportunities rather than posing problems.

2. Specific Social Influences

Social Class
This is the most prominent social influence. Traditionally, one of the chief
determinants of social class was income. Since pay structures have a great deal in
terms of the lower C2, D and E categories moving more towards level previously
enjoyed by the higher A, B and C1 categories over past thirty years or so,
classification of consumers on the basis of lifestyle is becoming more meaningful
today. Income aside, social class is an indicator of life-style and its existence exerts
a strong influence on individual consumer and their behavior.
Reference Groups
This can be described as a group of people whose standards of conduct
mould an individual disposition, beliefs and values. This group can be
small or large. Reference group can range from the immediate family to
individual is unlikely to deviate too far from the behaviors norms laid down
by the members of a club or hobby group. Reference group theory not state
that individualism can not exit within a group but it does suggest that even
rigid independent thinkers will at least be aware of what is considered
normal within a group.
In a small group be the family the advice and opinion of these who
are regarded as knowledge will be highly regarded. Such people are termed
opinion leaders. Extraneous to groups’ influences might also be at the work
in opinion forming, and here there is the existence of opinion leaders who
are outside of the immediate group. The opinion followers take up their
opinions. In the case of a number of products, deliberate direct appeal is
made to the so-called snob appeal. This is done by using marketing of
company’s products acceptable to opinion leaders, or famous personalities
(Who are paid for their endorsement) in the hope that other sectors of the
population will follow them.

The family life cycle traditionally contains six stages, although more
recently different division has been quoted. These divisions are:

 Unmarried––Here, financial commitments and family

responsibilities tend to be low, with disposable income being high. These
younger unmarried consumers tend to be more leisure-oriented and more
fashion conscious. This segment thus comprises a very important market
for many are and innovative products.

 Young newly married couples and no children––This group focuses

its expenditure on that item considered necessary for setting up home.
 Young married couples with children––Outlay here is children
oriented, and there is little surplus cash for luxury items. Although they are
respective to new product ideas. This group sees economy as being the
over-riding factor when making purchases.

 Older married couples still with children at home––Disposable

income will probably have increased, often with both parents working and
children being relatively independent. In some cases children may be
working and the parents are able to be engaging increasingly in leisure
activities often in the form of more than the standards annual holidays.
Consumers durable, including major items of furniture, are often replaced
at this stage. Such purchases are often made with different motivation to the
original motivations of strict functionality and economy that was necessary
at an earlier life cycle stage.

 Older married couples with no children living in the home––Here,

disposable income can be quite high. However, tastes are like to be firmly
rooted reflected in unchanging patterns. Thus marketers will have difficulty
when attempting to change predisposition, soothe best policy will be
through attempts to refine and add value rather than to introduce new
concepts and ideas.

 Older retired couples and single people––At this stage, most

consumer durable have been purchased although occasional replacements
will be required. Purchasing is low and pattern of purchasing is
conservative and predictable. This group of consumers increasing rapidly.
Such people tend to be less reliant solely on the State Pension, many having
subscribed to occupational pension from

 former employers, which boost the state pension. This allows to

leads more active lives and the tourist industry now actively targets this
particular market segment.
 Buyer Decision Process

Purchase of different buying tasks present different levels of

complexity to the purchaser. The AIDA model that is presented in
Figure 2 considers the steps leading to a purchase in the form of a
sequential problem solving process.
Late Dr. E. K. Strong first promoted this classical model in 1925 and
it is still useful today because it is easy to apply as it describes the
activities involved in the buyer process. Products and services vary in
the complexity of decision making involved in their acquisition. The
new shower unit, for instance, is more complicated than the purchase
of a tube of shower gel.
Robinson, Faris, and Wind in 1967 put forward a model that viewed
purchasing as a problem. This is shown in Figure 3 and it describes
the activities involved in the purchasing process.
 An individual needs a particular product. Information will be short

Marketing Inputs Purchase

Consumer Decision
Product
Place Product Choice
Promotion Location Choice
Price Brand Choice
Other Choice

Psychological
Input

Culture
Attitude
Learning
Perception

Problem Recognition

Information Search

Evaluation of Alternatives

Purchase Decisions

Post Purchase Behavior

The Buyer Decision

Model

A variety of sources including family and friends (Called word of

mouth) from advertising, from catalogues, from visits to retail
establishments, and from many other sources. The more complex the
products the greater will tend to be this information search. The task
of marketing is to ensure that the company products receive high
exposure during these information search periods and that the best
point of product is emphasizes during the evaluation of alternatives
phase. This will put the company’s product in the best light prior to
the purchase decision because even then the consumer is still
susceptible to further influences in relating to marketing the correct
choices.

Marketer must also be aware of post purchase behavior because this

can affect repeat business and forward looking companies attach as
much importance to after sales services as they do to making the
initial sales. This reduces the degree of satisfaction (or dissonance) in
the case of genuine complaints. One method that is now predicted for
sales of major items like new motor cars is where companies follow
up a sale by some form of communication by letter or telephone with
their customers. This builds confidence in the mind of the customer in
having made the correct purchasing decision. The terminology that
has been attached to this kind of after sales follow up is customer
care.
 Brand
A brand aims to segment the market in order to differentiate supply and
fulfill the expectations of specific groups of customers. Products cannot
speak for themselves; the brand is what gives them meaning and speaks for
them.
Today, brands are considered to be among the greatest strengths of a
company and the brand image is very important. It is what people
remember, if they remember at all. Brand image is built with the logo,
name, and slogan all consistently speaking about the brand. Strong brands
command premium, they do well during economic slowdown and can be
-extended to new businesses with ease.
Meaning of Brand Consciousness
he researcher would like to state at the outset that, for the purposes of
this study, 'Brand Consciousness' is not to be confused with 'Brand
Awareness'. 'Brand Awareness' simply means being aware of the
various brands, it does not govern. Influence ones way of living,
whereas 'Brand Consciousness' is being conscious of the nature, type
and the manufacturer of the products, used or consumed by an
individual. It is assumed that brand consciousness determines ones
way of living
 CHAPTER-2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
 REVIEW OF LITERATURE
* Dr. M. H. Salim **Mr. Praven Raj D.

The dawn of new century has seen India emerging as one of the largest markets for
commodities and services. Corporate now recognized that its real value lies not in
production and distribution, but out side the business itself i.e., in the minds of potential
buyers. After realizing the fact, they started givingdue consideration for brands and the
equity they create in the market and in the consumer minds. Fewstudies deal with the role
of children in the family buying process. The present study has two dimensions to it, viz,
a) study the level of brand consciousness among children, and b) Its effects on family
buying behaviour.
The researchers also made an attempt to know: what the consumer is actually looking for
in branded products, whether Indian consumers value only branded products or give equal
value for unbranded quality products. In this study a sample of 150 children and 150
parents are taken and data was collected through convenience sampling technique by a
structured questionnaire. This study was conducted in the Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi
districts in Kerala. The responses are presented in the form of statistical tables for clear
and easy comprehension. The researcher on the basis of findings has given valuable
suggestions to the marketer that would help in product planning, product promotion, and
product pricing.
* Director, Allama Iqbal Institute of Management, Trivandrum
The research paper is about the impact of branding on consumer behavior. Brand
knowledge is a very important factor. As the consumer is more aware of the brand and he
has all the knowledge about its price, quality etc., the more he will be attracted towards
that brand. The loyalty level increases with the age. Family is the most influential
reference group. The consumers, who are more social, are affected by their friends like on
Facebook. The consumers who are more status conscious are more status conspicuous than
those who are not status conscious. The next part is of methodology and analysis.
According to the research, all the factors are statistically significant but just gender is the
only variable which is not statistically significant and its value is different from the 0. In
the reliability table, it is calculated that the research validity and reliability is 89.6% which
is great. In the end, it is concluded that the branding impacts the consumer behavior in
relation to the different dependent and independent variables.
 'Brand', 'Brand Name', 'Brand Equity', and ‘Brand Loyalty' are
forces or terms tat affects a business. Product features can be easily
copied; therefore brands are considered a marketer's tool for creating
product differentiation. Brands differentiate products and represent a
promise of value. Brands incite beliefs, evoke emotions, and prompt
behavior.
People buy products, but which products they buy and how they
make a buying decision have a lot to do with how they feel about the
brand. Products are what the company makes, what the customer buys
is a brand. Brands work by facilitating and making more effective the
consumer's choice process. Brands have a social and emotional value
for the users. They have a personality and speak for the user. They
enhance the perceived utility and desirability of a product. Brands
have the ability to add or subtract the perceived value of a product.
Consumers expect to pay lower prices for unbranded products or for
those with low brand equities. On the other hand, they are ready to
pay a premium for their favorite or socially valued brands.
Chapter 3.
 Objective of the study

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. To study the level of brand consciousness of electronic goods among

children in the age group of 8 - 16 years, residing in haryana.
2. To analyse the effect of brand consciousnes~ among children in the
 family buying behavior.
3. To examine whether unbranded products provide same satisfaction as
branded products and customers' preference for unbranded products.
4. To offer valuable suggestions to the marketer that would help in
product planning, product promotion and product pricing.
Chapter 4.
 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design
Type of Research
Method of data collection
Sampling

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

1. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Most of the studies conducted on brand consciousness among
children were done in the U.S. or elsewhere outside India.

Few specific studies on brand consciousness among Indian children

have been conducted so far. Similarly, though much research has
been done into the husband-wife interaction and the family as a
whole in the purchase-decision process, relatively few studies deal
with the role of children in the family buying process. In order to
bridge this gap in this important area of marketing the present study
 was undertaken. The present study has two dimensions to it, vii., a.
To study the level of brand. consciousness among children, and b.
Its effects on family buying behavior.
It is perceived that such a comprehensive study will provide for in-
depth analysis and would complete the results.
.

2. PERIOD OF STUDY

The collection of data began from the month of February 2007 and was
completed in aprail2007. The research report pertains to the year April
2007.

3. PROFILE OF GEOGRAPHICAL AREA OF STUDY

The study was conducted in a few cities of Haryana

Haryana is a state with a population of 16.52 million and
literacy level of 63.91 %. The official language of the state is Hindi,
English, and mother tongue Haryanvi being stat many languages are
spoken here. City houses people of different culture, mostly serving the
different industry. A majority of them belong to the middle class and the
upper middle class. The per capita income for the urban area only is Rs.
28,305 (as per 1998-99 indexes). Their life style exhibits high level of
brand awareness / consciousness.

PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS
This study is based on findings of a survey of 50 children and their
parents spread in Haryana. The children were in the age group of 8 to 16
years. Both 'boys and girls were selected at random within the age group
mentioned, using convenience-sampling method. The children were
mostly from middle class and upper middle class strata of the society.
Further, the respondents being children, items / products used by children
where they may have substantial degree of influence in the buying
process, have been specifically reflected to in the questionnaire, although,
 a few questions do ask about their influence in purchase decision process
of other items used by the family.

IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY

Children today are extremely aware of the various brands in the market and are conscious
of the products they use or consume. They pick and choose carefully according to their
needs, style preferences, etc. They also exercise a lot of independence in decision - making
and influence the family buying behavior. Today's kids are well informed, better than their
parents. This is because virtually from birth today's children are exposed to TV
commercials, banner ads, billboards, logos, and product promotions. Through this study,
the researcher wishes to provide valuable insights to the marketers on the level of brand
consciousness among children and its influence on the family buying behavior. Thus,
enabling them to devise their marketing strategies based on the findings. Further, the
researcher also wishes to study what the consumer is actually looking for in a branded
product, whether Indian consumers value only branded products or give equal value for
unbranded quality products.
3. Collection of Data
The data has been collected from primary and secondary sources.
Primary data was collected using two sets of questionnaires for kids and
their and parents. One administered to the child to study the level of brand
consciousness, and the second administered to the parent to study the
impact on the family buying behaviors. In order to have adequate
representation of children of all ages and gender, the researcher
approached a school in the area and collected data in a structured manner
from third standard students up to tenth standard students.
Secondary data was collected from Previous
Dissertation Research Papers/Marketing Journals/Magazines,
Text Books &. Websites.

Sampling Technique

Universe: Children in the age group of 8 years to 16 years.

Sampling unit: The sampling unit was limited to the Haryana

Sample size: 50 children and 50 parents.

Sampling design: Convenience sampling method without any
stratification to obtain a uniform size of respondents in each age / sex
category.
Chapter 5.

DATA ANALYSIS
 AND
INTERPRETATION

ANALYSIS AND INTERPETATION

As stated earlier, the study is two-dimensional. One aspect is to analyze

the level of brand consciousness among children and the other aspect is to
analyze the effect of brand consciousness in children on the family buying
behavior. In this section some of the responses are presented in the form of
statistical tables for clear and easy comprehension.
AGE WISE DISTRIBUTION OF CHILDREN
 Age Frequency Percent
Valid 8 1 2
9 3 6
10 5 10
11 7 14
12 8 16
13 7 14
14 10 20
15 6 12
16 3 6
Total 50 100.0
 As shown in the table, the respondents were in the age
group of 8-16 years. Most of the children were 14 year old
(20%), followed by 11 and 13 year olds (14%), 12 year olds
(16%), 15 year olds (12 %) and the least were 8 year olds
(2%).
ANALYSIS OF PARENTS AS A
RESPONDENT

Que.1. Do you consider your children's opinion

while purchasing electronic goods?

Always: - 10
Sometime: - 30
Never: - 10

INTERPRETATION

According to the graph parents consider their children's opinion

sometimes while purchasing durable goods mentioned in the table.
About 10 always take into consideration their children's opinion
while making such purchases. An equal percentage of parents 10
have said that they never consider their children's opinion
 Que.2 How much value do you give to your children's
suggestions?

High level: - 12
Medium level: - 31
Not at all: - 7

INTERPRETATION:-

According to the graph 31 of the parents consider their children's opinion

sometimes while purchasing durable goods mentioned in the table. About
12 always take into consideration their children's opinion while making
such purchases. An equal percentage of parents 7 have said that they never
consider their children's opinion.
Que.3 The brand awareness among children is helpful to you up
to what extent?

High level: - 16
Medium level: - 27
Not at all: - 7

INTERPRETATION

It is evident from the graph given above that brand awareness amongst
children is helpful to parents to some extent, as about 76% of respondents
have opted for it. 19% of respondents said it is highly helpful. While only
5% of respondents feel it does not help at all.
Que.4 Do you live in a

Joint Family 35
Nuclear Family 15

INTERPRETATION
Graph show that most of the family lives in the joint family that’s
why suggestion of children does not that much matter because other
member of the family also influence purchasing decision. Graph show
that 35 family lives in joint families and rest lives in nuclear.
ANALYSIS OF CHILDREN AS A RESPONDENT

Que.3 Indicates presence or absence of brand awareness

among respondents.
Absence: - 8
Presence: - 42

INTERPRETATION:-

The sample size is 50, of which 42 respondents are aware of brands.

It is clear from the above table that there is a very high degree of
brand awareness among Children
Que.4 Who takes the final decision to buy electronic products
for your family?
Father 16
Mother 18
You 10
Any Other 6

INTERPRETATION
The table shows that parents play major role in purchasing
electronic products. Children do not enjoy independence in
decision making for all the items listed as most of them have opted
'not for all'. But other members also influence buying decision.
Que.5 Does your Parents' agree with your decision to buy
an electronic product?

Yes: - 18
No: - 32

35
30
25
20 Yes
15 No
10
5
0

INTERPRETATION:-
Parents do not agree with all that the child buys, but approve most
of them. A very negligible percent do not approve of their child's
choice.
Que.6 Does purchasing a particular brand give you a sense
of satisfaction?

Yes: - 33
No: - 17

INTERPRETATION:-
Most of the respondents said that selecting a particular brand gives
them a sense of satisfaction.
Que.7 Reasons for preferring a branded item?

Quality: - 35
Prestige: - 12
Fashion: - 3

INTERPRETATION:-
The most important reason that respondents prefer buying branded
products is for quality. About prefer the brand because it attracts
them and about prefer because of fashion.
Que.8 what are the parameters of your Buying decision?

Popularity: - 7
Price: - 8
Quality: - 26
Durability: - 9

INTERPRETATION:-
All the variables listed in the table help in choosing a brand
constituting of respondents, however, 'quality' is the most
important individual factor that helps in choosing a brand. It is
followed by popularity of the brand. Price is least important factor
according to the respondents. Unbranded products vs. branded
products
Que.9. Depicts respondents' perception of unbranded
products.

Yes: - 35.
No: - 15.

INTERPRETATION:-

35 have expressed that unbranded products provide same

satisfaction as that of branded products. 15 indicated that they do
not qualify the norms of branded products
Chapter 6.
 FINDINGS

Child as respondent
The sample size is 50, of which 48respondents (97%) are aware of
brands. It is clear that there is a very high degree . of brand
awareness among children. To be specific even children as young
as eight year olds had given names of at least three well-known
brands.
Children do not enjoy independence in decision making for all the
items listed in the questionnaire, as most of them (57.2%) have
ticked 'not for all'. But sizeable respondents (39.6%) have said 'yes'
that they decide independently Good Quality' is the foremost
reason for buying a branded item (45.5%), followed by reliability
(15.8%). About 29.7% of respondents feel that all the aspects are
important to them.
81.1 % respondents said they don't mind paying more for a
branded product as they get value for money.
67.6% have expressed that unbranded products provide same
satisfaction as that of branded products. 32% indicated that they
do not qualify the norms of branded products.

Parent as respondent
55.9% of the parents have said that their children insist for
branded items at some point of time, 29.7% of respondents said
'yes they insist' and 14% of respondents said 'no' they do not insist
 or branded items.
65.8% of the parents consider their children's opinion sometimes
while purchasing durable goods mentioned in the table. About
16.7% always take into consideration their children's opinion

While making such purchases. An equal percentage of parents (16.7%)

have said that they never consider their children's opinion.
80.2% parents have expressed that children's suggestions are valuable to
them at a moderate level while making purchases for the family. 12.6%
parents said that their children's suggestions are highly valuable to them
during purchases. A very negligible number of respondents (4.5%) said
their child's suggestion is not at all valuable to them.
Brand awareness amongst children is helpful to parents to some extent, as
about 76% of respondents have opted for it. 19% of respondents said it is
highly helpful. While only 5% of respondents feel it does not help at all.
Findings of Hypotheses Testing
Children's' insistence for branded products and parents' preference for
products is dependent.
There is a significant difference in the motivation for buying branded
items between boys and girls. That is, boys and girls have different
motivating factors for buying branded items.
There is a significant difference in the reasons for buying branded items
amongst the various income groups. Parent's acceptance of child's
suggestions and the gender of child are independent.
There is no significant difference between the satisfaction levels of
branded and unbranded products. That is, unbranded products give same
satisfaction as branded products according to respondents.
Chapter 7.
 CONCLUSION

A brand aims to segment the market in order to differentiate supply and

fulfill the expectations of specific groups of customers. Products cannot
speak for themselves; the brand is what gives them meaning and speaks
for them.
Today, brands are considered to be among the greatest strengths of a
company and the brand image is very important. It is what people
remember, if they remember at all. Brand image is built with the logo,
name, and slogan all consistently speaking about the brand. Strong brands
command premium, they do well during economic slowdown and can be
-extended to new businesses with ease.
Based on the study the major conclusions drawn by the researcher
are set out below:
Quality is an important factor that draws consumers towards branded
products. Branded products are accepted as good quality products.
Children are highly aware and conscious of branded items.
People don't mind paying extra for branded products, as they get value
for money. Media is a key constituent in promoting and influencing a
brand.
A Child's insistence affects family buying behavior.
Spending power among children has increased.
Children have more say in the purchase of products that are less expensive
and are intended for their own use. Boys have a slight edge over girls in
getting parents to agree with them.
Peer pressure works more in boys.

Girls are more conservative and buy mostly when in need of things.
Both boys and girls invariably consult family members in purchase
decisions. Children prefer branded products for items like watches clothes
and shoes.
Although unbranded products sometimes give same satisfaction as
branded products, customers would still prefer to purchase a branded
product.
Chapter 8.
 SUGGESTIONS

Companies need to allocate huge budgets for advertising, promotion and

publicity in order to build a brand image. In the minds of consumers a
better-known brand is considered to be a better brand.
Studies show that children begin to recognize product brands at an early
age. Hence, even if the child does not have use for the product
immediately, the marketing must begin in childhood so as to build the
brand image.
Successful brand building among children can carryover into adulthood. It
ensures brand loyalty.
A child's insistence for branded products (clothes or shoes) is likely to
have more effect on a parent than advertising. The study reveals that
parents' prefer branded products because a child insists for them.
Brand awareness among children is helpful for the parents to a large
extent. They consider their opinion / suggestions while making purchase
decision of durable goods for the family.
Boys and girls have different motivating factors for buying branded
items. This necessitates that the marketer has to reach accordingly to the
different segments. Separate advertising campaign should be initiated for
boys and girls.
Customers associate a branded product with 'good quality'. To successfully
promote a brand and to retain customer loyalty, the marketer must ensure
that quality of the product is maintained at a high level.
More than the brand name or company name, consumers primarily seek
quality in products. They are satisfied with an unbranded product if it is of
good quality.

Marketers of unbranded products must strive to penetrate the market by

improving quality of the product and give wide publicity. If local
marketers deliver the promise of quality they can compete with top
branded products.
The promotion strategy adopted by marketers of unbranded products
should strive to change the' mind set about customers' perception of
quality of unbranded products.

A brand aims to segment the market in order to differentiate supply and

fulfill the expectations of specific groups of customers. Products cannot
speak for themselves; the brand is what gives them meaning and speaks
for them.
Today, brands are considered to be among the greatest strengths of a
company and the brand image is very important. It is what people
remember, if they remember at all. Brand image is built with the logo,
name, and slogan all consistently speaking about the USP of the brand.
Strong brands command premium, they do well during economic
slowdown and can be -extended to new businesses with ease.
Based on the study the major conclusions drawn by the researcher
are set out below:
Quality is an important factor that draws consumers towards branded
products. Branded products are accepted as good quality products.
Children are highly aware and conscious of branded items.
People don't mind paying extra for branded products, as they get value for
money. Media is a key constituent in promoting and influencing a brand.
A Child's insistence affects family buying behavior.
Spending power among children has increased.
Children have more say in the purchase of products that are less expensive
and are intended for their own use. Boys have a slight edge over girls in

Getting parents to agree with them. Peer pressure works more in boys.
Girls are more conservative and buy mostly when in need of things.
Both boys and girls invariably consult family members in purchase
decisions. Children prefer branded products for items like watches clothes
and shoes.
Although unbranded products sometimes give same satisfaction as
branded products, customers would still prefer to purchase a branded
product?
Chapter 9.
 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The universe being large, the study was restricted to children residing in a
few cities of Haryana
The sample size is only 50children and 50 parents, so the sample may not
be truly representative of the population.
The questionnaires were to be filled independently by the children; only
children from eight years upwards were included in the study. This is
because, they need to read, comprehend and answer the questions.
The maximum age limit considered is 16 years; otherwise the scope of the
study would become extremely large.
Data collection was a difficult task. Many questionnaires were
distributed, but all were not returned. Some came back with only either
the child's part or the parent's part filled. Some had not filled all the
answers.
The above limitations serve as impediments for 100% accuracy in
analysis.
 Chapter 10.

ANNEXURE
  Bibliography
 Appendices

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Text books.
.
1. Philip Kotler, 'Marketing Management', Prentice-Hall of India
Private Ltd., New Delhi, Eleventh Edition, 2003
2. Schiffman, 'ConsumerBehaviour
3. Marketing management, T.N Chabra

Journals and Magazines

I. Indian Journal of Marketing, Volume xxxiv, January 2004.

Newspapers

I. The Economic Time~ 'Brand Equity' 26th November 2003.

2. The Economic Times 'Brand Equity' 101h December 2003.
The Economic Times 'Brand Equity' 24th December 2003.

Websites
www.google.com
 www.yahoo.com

Chapter 11.
 QUESTIONNARE FOR KIDS

A Study on Brand Consciousness among Children and Its Effect on

Family Buying Behaviour of electronic goods in haryana

Que.1. Are you aware of some brands of electronic good? If

yes, name a few brands of the same.
YES  NO 
_______________________________________________________
_______
 Que.2. Who takes the final decision to buy an electronic
product for your family?

Father Mother You

Any other
____________________________________
____________________

Que.3. Does your Parents' agree with your decision to buy

an electronic product.
Yes No
_______________________________________________________
_______

Que.4. Does purchasing a particular brand give you a sense

of satisfaction?
Yes No
_______________________________________________________
_______

Que.5. Reasons for preferring a branded item.

Quality Prestige Fashion

________________________________________________
________
 Que.6 What are the parameters of your Buying decision
Popularity Price
Quality

Durability
_______________________________________________________
_______

Que.7. How do perceive unbranded products in terms of:

Good Average Bad
Quality
Durability
Popularity
Overall Satisfaction
_______________________________________________________
_______

QUESTIONNARE FOR PARENTS

A Study on Brand Consciousness Among Children and Its Effect

on Family Buying Behaviour of electronic goods in haryana

Que.1 Classification Data

 Name
 Age
 Qualification
  Income
_______________________________________________________
_______

Que2. Do you live in a

 Joint Family Nuclear Family

_______________________________________________________
_______

Que3. Do you consider your children's opinion while

purchasing electronic goods?

Always Sometime Never

_______________________________________________________
_______

Que4. How much value do you give to your children's

suggestions?

High level Medium level not at

all
_______________________________________________________
_______

Que5. The brand awareness among children is helpful to

you up to what extent?
 High level Medium level not at
all
_______________________________________________________
_______