FOCUS GROUP REPORT-

1. Executive Summary

The main objective of this discussion was to understand how the customers of Unibic cookies
perceive them as a brand. This report summarizes the key findings of the focus group
discussion conducted with 12 students from Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras
who witnessed Unibic Cookies as a prime sponsor in their annual business fest- SAMANVAY
2019. The discussions revealed a general agreement by the students that Unibic cookies does
not rank high in consumer preference due to their lack of advertisement and brand image. As a
by-product, the discussion gave valuable insight to the underlying needs, wishes and hopes of
the respondents with regards to the cookies, giving impetus to adjust the marketing plans and
communication strategy accordingly.

2. Objective

Focus group discussions (FDG) were undertaken to consult the students on (1) the brand
image of Unibic Cookies; (2) the experience with cookies; and (3) to identify possible support
mechanisms in the framework of marketing Unibic cookies better. The student population at
DoMS comprised of some 60% of women and 40% Research Scholars.it also consist of EMBA
students but due to their unavailability in campus, they couldn’t join the FGD. However, it was
seen important to incorporate persons of all these categories into the consultations.

3. Methodology & Participant Profile

3.1. Instrument Development

After analyzing the sales dump data, we saw that there was a decline in the sales of Unibic
cookies in modern trade and we thought it would trace back to the brand image and
awareness of the same. Thus, we decided to conduct a focus group discussion to get insights
about the customer experience about the cookies and findings were really of use. We also got

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an understanding of what consumers want from the brand and what the brand can do to bridge
the gap.

3.2. Site Selection

The FGD was conducted at DoMS 101 as it’s the 1 st year MBA classroom and everyone has
access to it. Moreover, it is spacious and has seating good enough to conduct such
discussions.

3.3. Participant Selection

The process of selecting the respondents was simple. We had in mind that whoever was part
of SAMANVAY 19 was eligible to be a part of the discussion as Unibic Cookies was
SAMANVAY’s official refreshment partner. We provided refreshments as incentives to the
students to be part of the discussion and we finally had 12 respondents ready to be part of
FGD.

4. Demographics

1. Number of Participants- 12

2. Age Range(s)- 22-28

3. Gender- 7 male, 5 female

4. Education- All are students at DoMS, IIT Madras

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5. Discussion-
1. PREAMBLE (10 mins)
 We thanked and welcomed all the participants.
 Talked about the nature of the focus group. We conveyed that this is discussion
is to understand the experience regarding Unibic cookies.
 There is no right or wrong answer.
 We provided refreshments like Juice and Unibic cookies.
 Lastly, we asked them about their concerns or whether they had any question
regarding the discussion.

2. INTRODUCTION & WARM-UP (5 mins)

 The moderator began the opening lines of the discussion after which each of the
participant was asked to introduce themselves (name, background etc)
 They were asked about their likes and dislikes towards Unibic Cookies.

3. USAGE (15 mins)

 How often do you consume Unibic Cookies?
 Why do you prefer Unibic cookies over other brands?

4. EXPERIENCE (20 mins)

 We asked participants about their good experience regarding the Unibic cookies
(why do they buy it, which flavor do they like, why they like it)
 We also discussed the bad experience relating to the cookies (any bad flavor
etc)

5. SUGGESTIONS (20 mins)

 What made the experience bad?
 What could be done to improve it
 Additional features that can be added to make the experience better.

6. CLOSING EXPERIENCE (20 mins)

 Describe the discussion in one word
 What can the manufacturers do?
 Explore and refine
 Thank the respondents and close the session.

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6. Conclusion

The key findings from the discussion was that Unibic does not enjoy a high preference rank
amongst consumers. Consumers feel that its effort to break the walls created by other biscuit
brands are not enough and they should revamp the marketing strategies. Also, the brand has a
huge variety of cookies to offer but not all is easily available in modern trades. The cookies are
at times creates a hole in the pocket and cannot be bought at all times. The image of the brand
confuses the consumers as Indian market are used to biscuits and not cookies.

7. Recommendations
Towards the end of the discussion, we asked the respondents about what they feel that Unibic
cookies can do to improve their brand image and we came to the following recommendations-
 Create relevant advertisements.
 Sampling and give away
 Collaboration with food bloggers
 Efficient supply chain to make the cookies available at the remotest of locations.
 Increase Internet presence.