“BRAND AWARENESS OF MOBILE PHONES

AMONG YOUTH”- A STUDY WITH SPECIAL

REFERENCE TO ARANMULA PANCHAYAT,
PATHANAMTHITTA (DIST)

A project work submitted to

MAHATMA GANDHI UNIVERSITY, KOTTAYAM

DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF COMMERCE

Submitted by

SIJO S. P : Reg. No. 170021064153

VISAK DEV : Reg. No. 170021064157
YADHU KRISHNAN : Reg. No. 170021064158

Under the supervision and guidance of

Prof.GRACE DANIEL
Department of commerce
(SELF FINANCING)

ST. THOMAS COLLEGE, KOZHENCHERRY

MARCH 2020
 ST. THOMAS COLLEGE
KOZHENCHERRY
PIN: 689641, PATHANAMTHITTA
Reaccredited by NAAC with A Grade (3rd cycle)
(Affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam)

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project report entitled ―BRAND AWARENESS OF MOBILE
PHONES AMONG YOUTH‖- A STUDY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO
ARANMULA PANCHAYAT, PATHANAMTHITTA (DIST) submitted to Mahatma
Gandhi University in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the Degree of Bachelor of
Commerce, is a record of original work done by SIJO S. P (Reg. No. 170021064153)
VISAK DEV (Reg. No. 170021064157) YADHU KRISHNAN (Reg. No.
170021064158) during the year 2019 – 2020 in the Department of Commerce, St.Thomas
College, Kozhencherry under my supervision and guidance.

Prof. Dr.T. VARGHESE PANICKER Prof. GRACE DANIEL

Head of the Department Faculty Guide
Department Of Commerce

PLACE: KOZHENCHERRY
DATE :
 DECLARATION

We, SIJO S. P , VISAK DEV, YADHU KRISHNAN , hereby declare that this project work is
done by us, under the supervision and guidance of Prof. GRACE DANIEL, Department of
Commerce, St.Thomas College, kozhencherry in partial fulfilment of the degree of Commerce of
Mahatma Gandhi University, kottayam. We also declare that the report as not been submitted to
any other university or institution for the award of any fellowship, degree or diploma.

Place: KOZHENCHERRY
SIJO S. P

Date: VISAK DEV

YADHU KRISHNAN
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We take this opportunity to extent our sincere gratitude to all those who shared their knowledge
and effort to help in completion on this dissertation.

We indebted to the almighty for the best owing on un-suffered mind and matter alone all paths
and across roads.

We deeply indebted to Prof. GRACE DANIEL, Department of Commerce, St.Thomas

College, kozhencherry for the providing facilities to do our project work.

We wish to express sincere times to Dr. MATHEW P. JOHN, principal St.Thomas College,
Kozhencherry for providing facilities to do our project work.`

The acknowledgement will be incomplete if I fail to our friends who helped us a lot by giving
their support to complete this work.

We also indebted to our parents and above all to the almighty god for making this study possible.

PLACE:KOZHENCHERRY SIJO S. P
DATE : VISAK DEV
YADHU KRISHNAN
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Sl. No Title No.
1-5
1 INTRODUCTION

6-28
2 THEORETICAL REVIEW

29-40
3 PROFILE OF THE INDUSTRY

41-65
4 ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

66-68
5 FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS, CONCLUSION

69-70
6 BIBLIOGRAPHY

71-75
7 APPENDIX
 LIST OF TABLES

SL.
NO TABLE TABLE TITLE PAGE

NO. NO.
1 4.1.1 Gender wise classification of respondents 42

2 4.2.1 Current brand preference of respondents 43

3 4.3.1 Opinion about expectation of performance of current brand 44

4 4.4.1 Level of satisfaction of current brand 45

5 4.5.1 Opinion of respondents towards brand 46

6 4.5.2 Opinion of respondents towards price 47

7 4.5.3 Opinion of respondents towards color 48

8 4.5.4 Opinion of respondents towards design 49

9 4.5.5 Opinion of respondents towards quality 50

10 4.5.6 Opinion of respondents towards features 51

11 4.5.7 Opinion of respondents towards user friendly 52

12 4.6.1 Opinion of respondents if brand is not available 53

13 4.7.1 Opinion of respondents if another brand of same product is 54
available

14 4.8.1 Duration of using current brand 55

15 4.9.1 Respondents opinion of brand in purchase decision 56

16 4.9.2 Respondents opinion of price in purchase decision 57

17 4.9.3 Respondents opinion of color in purchase decision 58

18 4.9.4 Respondents opinion of design in purchase decision 59

19 4.9.5 Respondents opinion of quality in purchase decision 60

20 4.9.6 Respondents opinion of features in purchase decision 61

21 4.9.7 Respondents opinion of user friendly feature in purchase 62

decision

22 4.10.1 Media of advertisement influencing brand 63

23 4.11.1 Table showing brand awareness of respondents 64

24 4.12.1 Ranking of preference on mobile brands 65

 LIST OF CHARTS

SL.NO CHART CHART TITLE PAGE

NO. NO.
1 4.1.1 Gender wise classification of respondents 42

2 4.2.1 Current brand preference of respondents 43

3 4.3.1 Opinion about expectation of performance of 44

current brand

4 4.4.1 Level of satisfaction of current brand 45

5 4.5.1 Opinion of respondents towards brand 46

6 4.5.2 Opinion of respondents towards price 47

7 4.5.3 Opinion of respondents towards color 48

8 4.5.4 Opinion of respondents towards design 49

9 4.5.5 Opinion of respondents towards quality 50

10 4.5.6 Opinion of respondents towards features 51

11 4.5.7 Opinion of respondents towards user friendly 52

12 4.6.1 Opinion of respondents if brand is not 53

available

13 4.7.1 Opinion of respondents if another brand of same 54

product is available

14 4.8.1 Duration of using current brand 55

15 4.9.1 Respondents opinion of brand in purchase 56

decision

16 4.9.2 Respondents opinion of price in purchase 57

decision

17 4.9.3 Respondents opinion of color in purchase 58

decision
18 4.9.4 Respondents opinion of design in purchase 59
decision

19 4.9.5 Respondents opinion of quality in purchase 60

decision

20 4.9.6 Respondents opinion of features in purchase 61

decision
21 4.9.7 Respondents opinion of user friendly feature in 62
purchase decision

22 4.10.1 Media of advertisement influencing brand 63

23 4.11.1 Table showing brand awareness of respondents 64

24 4.12.1 Ranking of preference on mobile brands 65

 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

1
 INTRODUCTION

1.1 INTRODUCTION

A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or other feature that distinguishes an organization or its
product from its rivals in the eyes of the customers, aiming to create a lasting impression. It
indirectly denotes the quality or its standard of the product.

Purchasing cannot proceeds unless a customer first aware of a product category and a brand
within that category. Awareness does not necessarily mean that the customer must be able to
recall a specific brand name, but he or she must be able to recall sufficient distinguishing
features for purchasing to proceed. ―Brand awareness refer to the extent to which customer are
able to recall or recognize a brand‖. It is the level of consumer conciseness of a company. It
measures a potential customer ability to not only recognize a brand image, but to also associate it
with a certain company‘s product or service. I t is the greatest asset of every business.

With the vast amount of products options, having a differentiated message and an audience that
can distinguishes a company‘s brand from its competitors is crucial. It can mean the difference
between success and failure of a company. Entire marketing campaigns can be constructed
around promoting awareness of a brand. Spreading brand awareness is important especially
during a company‘s first few years, when they are trying to make a name for themselves.

When consumers are aware of the product a company offers, they will more likely straight to that
company if they need that product, instead of researching other places they can acquire that
product. Business with strong branding are viewed as accepted by

2
the market. Therefore they are trusted more by the consumers who are looking to purchase new
product.

The present study focuses on the brand awareness in the cell phone industry. The cell phone
industry is the fastest growing sector in the larger communication today. Right now, the internet
is one of the industries attracting use by the largest numbers of people globally. The cell phone
industry is primarily engaged in the manufacturing mobile phones, including mobile phone
handset. As of now, the cell phone industry is totally concentrated on moving forward
technologically. It is one of the fastest moving industries in the world, growing alongside up-
and-coming technologies and innovations, building upon the progress of Smartphone’s and other
phone features and segments made in recent years.

st
Majority of new mobile phones from the 21 century are Smartphone‘s. Thus phones are
basically small computers. Besides calling, they can be used for emails, browsing the internet,
playing music and games, and many other function this computers can perform. Most
Smartphone‘s run a common mobile operating system. This allows developers to makes mobile
apps that work on many different phones without needing to change the codes. Example of
Smartphone‘s includes Apple I Phone (which uses ios software) and Samsung Galaxy series, one
of many phones that use the Android platform made by Google.

Brand awareness is important when launching new products and service, and it drives
consumer‘s decision when differentiating between competing companies. It encourages repeat
purchase and leads to an increase in market share and in central sales. So brand awareness is very
important to businesses.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

A lot of brand of mobile phones are available in the market. In the modern business world, due to
the development of science and technology, many new brands have been introduced in the
market every year. Today, consumers are facing a growing

3
range of choice in different brands of products and service. They are making their choice on the
basis of their perceptions of brand, quality, and value.

In effect, every organization is trying to have unique feature in their brand and market them. If
organization wants to succeed in this space, they need to assess their brand honestly else similar
me-to brands are out there in the market which can destroy their entire marketing efforts.
Therefore, the company has to adopt different strategies to keep their brand in consumer‘s
memory.

The consumer‘s ability to recall or recognize a brand is central to purchasing decision making.
Purchasing cannot proceed unless a consumer is first aware of product category and different
brands with in that category. A strong brand awareness means easy acceptance of new products.

1.3 OBJECTIVES

1. To find out the level of brand awareness.

2. To study the consumer attitude towards the brand.
3. To analyses the factors that influence the brand awareness.
4. To find out the most preferred brand in Smartphone‘s.

1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study is conducted in Aranmula panchayat to analyse the brand awareness of mobile
phone among youth. It also involves understanding the factors influencing the brand awareness,
most preferred brand, consumer attitude, level of brand awareness.

1.5 METHODOLOGY

a) Nature of the study

This study is analytical in nature using primary data.
b) Data requirement
The data required involved the profile of the consumers.

4
 c) Data source
Data were collected from 50 students from Aranmula panchayat.
d) Sample design
Data were collected from 50 respondents.

e) Sampling method
Convenience sampling.

f) Data collection tool

Questionnaire
g) Tool of analysis
Data were analysed by using appropriate tables, percentages and charts.

1.6 LIMITATIONS

1. The study is based on the primary data.

2. Consumers may be biased in their options. So there can be lack of accuracy.
3. The study focused only on a particular area of consumers.
4. The customer may be hesitant to provide necessary information.

1.7 CHAPTER SCHEME

The whole study is reported in five chapters.

1. Chapter 1- Introduction
2. Chapter 2- Theoretical review
3. Chapter 3- Profile of the industry
4. Chapter 4- Analysis and Interpretation
5. Chapter 5- Findings, Suggestions and Conclusion

5
 CHAPETR 2
THEORETICAL REVIEW

6
 THEORETICAL REVIEW

2.1 BRAND

Brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or other features that distinguishes an

organization or product from its rivals in the eyes of the customer. A brand helps an
organization differentiate a product from its competitors. It simplifies the process of
identifying and differentiating products. There are many definitions of a brand. In the
book principles of marketing (Philip Kotler / Garg Amstrong) a brand is defined as a
name, term, sign, symbol (or a combination of these) that identifies the maker or seller of
the product.

2.1.1 OBJECTIVES OF BRANDING

 Identify & image: Establishing an identity for a brand in the market. Measured
with surveys that discover how a brand is viewed by your target market.

 Recognition: The percentage of customers who recognize your brand name and
visual such as logo, packaging, brand color and products.

 Awareness: Brand awareness is the percentages of customers who can recall your
brand.

 Engagement: A measure of how often customers interact with your brand.

 Brand loyalty: The number of customers who regularly purchase your brand.

 Brand advocate: the number of customers who recommend your brand to others.

 Brand equity: The estimated value of your brand.

 Market share: The percentage of your target market that are customers.

 Margins: Revenue margins of a brand driven by factors such as brand identity,
brand awareness, brand legacy and premiumization of products.

7
 2.1.2 IMPORTANCE OF BRANDING

 Creating consumer preference for the product / service behind the brand.
The multitude of choice in every category leads to confusion. One way consumer
deals with these issues is by gravitating towards brand they know and trust. Well-
known brands are considered less risky purchases and provide the peace of mind
that the product will perform as expected.

 Generates increased revenues and market shares. A company can leverage the
power of their brand in many ways, such as entering new segments and
geographical markets, co-branding, gaining new distribution or brand licensing.

 Prevents new competitors from entering the market. A market segments
dominated well – known brand is a serious barrier to entry for most new
competitors. Being the first to create the segment helps tremendously.

 Increases profitability by commanding a higher price. This is one of the
strongest arguments for the importance of branding. Customers are in most cases
willing to pay a premium for an established brand versus a no-name product.

 Helps create a unique and differentiated company image. A brand goes well
beyond the tangible product or service being offered. Emotional attributes could
be the perfect foundation of a strong differentiation strategy.

 Helps the company attract new distribution for its product. A well-known
brand with proven consumer loyalty will have little problems finding distribution
partners, both locally and internationally. Everybody wants to sell a brand that
consumers ask for and provides a high turnover.

 Decreases employee turnover. Strong brand provide a sense of purpose and
direction for employees, who tend to be more loyal to the company

8
 2.1.3 FEATURES OF BRANDING

 Target ability: Branding should be planned according to the target audience.


 Awareness: The percentage of people who are aware of a brand is known as
brand awareness.

 Loyalty: Brand loyalty is the highest achievement or apex of any company. A
customer who buys the product of a particular company extensively is known as a
brand loyalist.

 Consistency: A brand must remain consistent. Small businesses make numerous
promises in commercials and ads about their brands, and consumers expect
companies to continue living up to these promises.

2.1.4 ESSENTIALS OF GOOD BRAND

 Brevity: It should be easy to remember, recognize and pronounce.


 Distinctiveness: Brand name should be unique.

 Adaptable: Brand name should be adaptable to new product.

 Product attributes: Brand name should reflect product attributes and benefits.

 Legal protection: The brand name should be capable of registration for legal
protection and trade mark status.

 Relevant: The brand name should stay relevant. It should deliver the benefits
customer desire.

 Positioning: The brand name should be appropriate for positioning purpose.

2.1.5 ADVANTAGES OF BRAND

 Brand name helps in advertising in an easier way.


 Brand name establishes the permanent identity of the product.

9
  Brand name promotes repurchasing.

 Competition becomes easier with the help of brand loyalty.

 Shopping consumes lesser time as branded products can be easily identified.

 The quality of branded products undoubtedly is better.

 Prices of branded products are fixed by the companies themselves and there are
no frequent changes.

 The branded products own the responsibility for its usefulness.

 It acts a tool which helps firms to create a unique image for their products in the
mind of the customers.

 A strong brand name helps companies to reduce their promotion expenses.

 Branding allows companies to easily introduce new products and expand their
product lines.

 Branded products increases sales volume and market share of a firm.

 Branded goods usually maintain top quality and offer more benefits to the
customers.

2.1.6 BRANDING‘S INFLUENCE ON CONSUMER PURCHASING

BEHAVIOR

 Impact on the consumer learning process.


At its most basic definition, one can define the consumer learning process as
being a time period in which a customer is heavily exposed to the branding
process of a product or service. The branding process can include any aspect of
the promotional strategy; including audio/visual forms of promotion. The
consumer will develop the strong feelings towards a brand. For marketers,
branding has vital effect on the learning process, because it is self-growing. Once
consumers star to purchase product, others will vicariously learn from them.
Victorious learning is when consumers being to copy the behavioural patterns of

10
their peers by making changes in their own lives to reflect what they have ―victoriously‖ learnt.
In searching for a more academic view on consumer learning, one can understand the process as
modifications to a consumer‘s behavioural patterns that are the direct consequence of either past
experiences or information gathered during all aspects of the purchase decision making process.
These modifications are caused by information‘s that has essentially been saved as a set of
meaningful associations in the consumer‘s mind. These about mentioned associations provided
the consumer with link to the brand image of offering in respect to the promotional tools used to
further this brand image. These tools include both physical characteristic of the product as well
as the pricing in policy. All the elements that are retained by the consumer stem from what they
have been exposed to during their individual learning process. This is ultimately, what will shape
their views and attitudes with regards to brands. It has been found that the learning process
discussed above act as a catalyst in creating emotional and evaluating responses. These responses
are embedded in the consumer memories pan, which will be recalled when faced with purchase
decision making in process. Thus, understanding the learning process is the key to marketers
who seeks to efficiently use promotional methods to influence consumers, because the imprints
they create in the mind of consumer will later on the recalled when selecting a product or brand.

 Impact on consumer‘s perception of brands:


Engel defines perception as ―the process whereby stimuli are received and
interpreted by the individual and translated into a response”. At this point, it is

important to note that this process to unique to each individual, as perception is
highly dependent on a consumer‘s individual belief structure.

Perception is crucial in the decision making process. In a market where branding
is used, products are no longer only purchased for their functional characteristics,
but primarily for the social or in some cases, psychological identity they express.

11
Building on these concepts, one can elaborate on these concepts by outlying two determinants
that influence in a consumer perception of brands. These two factors are stimulus discrimination
and stimulus generalization.

Whether a consumer has the ability to ―discriminate‖ between the various methods used to
stimulate a consumer? When a customer is introduced to a brand, whether this is done via
advertising, packaging, word of mouth marketing or any other form of stimuli that affected them
during their decision making process, their levels of awareness of the brand will gradually
increase via their ability to learn. Once their level of brand awareness has increased, their
purchase decision making process will be influenced by their perception of the brand in question.

The perception of brand is crucial to both the marketer and the customer. If one considers that
frequency of purchases varies from consumer to consumer, one can understand that the influence
of perception is vital. By providing relevant information for the consumer market, marketers
enable the creation of symbolic links between the consumer and brand image. Thus, consumers
will have the relevant tools needed to distinguish between the brands on offer and therefore be
persuaded in their selection. In the event that a consumer is a new user with no produce
experience, he or she will not be able to make relevant decision based on the actual product.
Thus the brand image again, becomes vital in directing the consumer to a specific product.

 Impact on consumer‘s attitudes towards brand: An attitude can be considered

to be either positive or negative, depending on the outcome of their learning and
evaluating process.

The evaluation of consumer attitudes towards the brands has quickly become a
major part in conducting marketing research. The development of positive
attitudes towards brand can lead to not only the sustaining of competitive
advantage, but the bettering of the financial health of a company.

12
Branding has been found to be a key in information of positive attitudes towards the produces,
especially those involving low levels of consumer involvement. However, it has been noted that
there are factors that might negate the effects of the formation of positive attitudes. One being
that the effect of positive attitudes that dissipates should the consumer not purchased the product
within a certain time frame. Another factor that might negate the effects of positive attitudes
might be an overtly high pricing policy, which might have contrary effects to the consumers
positive attitudes towards the brand and result in a non-sale.
In considering attitudes towards brands, one must ponder whether these attitudes all remain at a
conscious level, or whether branding that instigate attitudes at a sub- conscious level. Sigmund
Freud‘s theory that individuals are rarely aware of how their own psychology shapes their visual
behavioral patterns which suggests that at an unconscious level, consumer might have beliefs
that shape their attitude towards products. By acknowledging Freud‘s theories, one can conclude
that branding can be used to target sub conscious desires that rest a primal level

2.1.7 TYPES OF BRAND

 Individual brand. When a business enterprise uses different brand for all of its
products, it is called individual brand. For example-all the toilet soaps of
Hindustan unlevered ltd are marked with different brands such as Lifebuoy,
Rexona, Lux, Pears etc.



 Blanket/Family brand. When a manufacturer uses a single brand for all his
products and in all market segments, it is known as family brand. For example,
Bajaj, Modi, Godrej, Philips etc. Use only one brand for all their products
throughout the country.

13
  Umbrella brand. There are industries producing several articles with different

brand names. But each product will carry the name of the company. For example
each of the products of Procter & Gamble contains the words ‗P & G product‘.

 Manufactures brand/National brand. When brand is named after the name of
the manufacturer of the product, it is known as manufacture brand. For example
use of Philips on all the products of Philips company like Philips Radio, Philips
TV, Philips Bulb etc.

 Middlemen‘s or private brand (also called distributors brand; store
brand).Under this type of brand, manufacturer does not use any brand for his
product. Instead, distributors like wholesalers, retailers etc sell the product under
their own brand.

 Competitive brand. When the brand introduced in the market is almost similar
those of competitors such a brand is known as competitive brand. For example,
Arial and Surf Excel, Maruthi and Indica etc.

 Product line brand. When a business firm uses different brands for different
product lines, it is called product line brand.

 Generic brand. Generic brand are defined as products which are named only by

their generic class. A generic brand is a new brand designation in which the
product does not carry either the manufactures national or distributor‘s private

brand. It is labelled with only the generic name to identify the product contents of
the package.

 Multiband. A company will often introduce additional brand in the same product
category. One purpose may be to meet price competition.

 Co-brands. Co-branding is a rising phenomenon in which two or more well-
known brand is combined in an offer. It is a popular brand strategy for IBM,
Apple etc.

 Global brand. A brand with commonly understood set of characteristics,
benefits, and appeal and used worldwide. Some brands like Coca Cola, Pepsi,

14
 McDonalds, etc. have become so popular all over the world that they are regarded
as global brands or universal or international brands.

2.2 BRAND AWARENESS

2.2.1 MEANING AND DEFNITION

Brand awareness is defined as the ―extent to which consumers are familiar with the
distinctive qualities or image of a particular brand of goods or services. “Brand
awareness is the probability that consumers are familiar about the life and availability of
the product. It is the degree to which consumers precisely associate the brand with the
specific product. Brand awareness refers to the extent to which customers are able to
recall or recognize a brand. Brand awareness is a key consideration in consumer
behaviour, advertising management, brand management and strategy development. The
consumers ability to recognize or recall a brand is central to purchasing decision –
making. Purchasing cannot proceed unless a consumer is first aware of a product
category and a brand within that category. Awareness does not necessarily mean that the
consumer must be able to recall a specific brand name, but he or she must be able to
recall sufficient distinguishing features for purchasing to proceed. For instance, if a
consumer asks her friend to buy her some gum in a ―blue pack‖, the friend would be
expected to know which gum to buy, even though neither friend can recall the precise
brand name at the time.

2.2.2 IMPORTANCE OF BRAND AWARENESS

Brand awareness is related to the functions of brand identities in consumer‘s memory and
can be measured by how well the consumers can identify the brand under various
conditions. Brand awareness is also central to understanding the consumer purchase
decision process. Strong brand awareness can be predictor of brand success. It is an
important measure of brand strength or brand equity and is also involved in customer
satisfaction, brand loyalty and the customers brand relationship.

15
Brand awareness is a key indicator of a brand market performance. Every year advertisers invest
substantial sums of money attempting to improve a brands overall awareness levels. Many
marketers regularly monitor brand awareness level, and if they fall below a predetermined
threshold, the advertising and promotional effort is intensified until awareness return to the
desired level. Setting brand awareness objectives is a key decision in marketing planning and
strategy development.

Brand awareness is one of the major brand assets that add value to the product, service or
company. Investment in building brand awareness can lead to sustainable competitive
advantages, thus, leading to long-term value.

2.2.3 TYPES OF BRAND AWARENESS

 Brand recall: Brand recall means the customer associate your name with a
specific product or service. This is important because ensuring your client base
thinks of you before they go to your competitors.

 Brand recognition: When a consumer is able to recognize your brand through
jingles, slogans, or other identifying features besides your name, that‘s brand

recognition in action. This is also known as aided brand recall, and its important
because when it happens it means you are successfully reaching your target
market.

 Visual branding: Visual branding is important because it tells your brands story
while allowing you to stand apart from competitors in your industry-all without a
single written word. This is accomplished through logos, images, design, and
other strictly visual means.

 Top of mind: When you are asked to name a product from a specific category,
which one comes to the top of your mind first? When you think of a certain

16
 product ―off the top your head,‖ that is top –of-mind awareness, and it matters
because it means you are at the forefront of their awareness.

 Brand dominance: Strong brand dominance is evident when consumers can only
recall the name of a single brand in an industry. Being dominant means staying at
the top of your industry, and the position is worth the fight to continually keep
your client base engaged.

2.2.4 STEPS TO BUILDING BRAND AWARENESS

 Identify your audience: While building brands, it is important to understand and

keep it mind who your audience is and what do you want to communicate.

 Defines your brands mission: After identifying the key audience, what must
follow is what is it that your brand stands for is. It means establishing your brand
ideology.

 Know your industry and your peers well: A good study of the industry will not
only give one an insight into what worked well in the past but will also help you
improvise on your brand and make it more cutting edge.

 Differentiate from your peers and establish the X-factor: Once you have
thoroughly studied the industry and peers, you will know exactly what areas to
concentrate and build upon so as to create a clear differentiation.

 Develop a strong voice for your brand: This is one of the most critical aspects.
Creating a strong voice that can represent a brand. This voice must reach the
audience through different channels.

2.2.5 MEASURING BRAND AWARENESS

 Unaided recall test: Where the respondent is presented with a product category
and asked to nominate as many brands as possible. Thus, the unaided recall test
provides the respondent with no clues. Unaided recall test are used to test for
brand recall.

17
  Aided recall test: Where the respondent is prompted with a brand name and
asked whether they have seen it or heard about it. Aided recall tests are used to
test for brand recognition.

 Other brand-effect tests: In addition, to recall test, brand research often employs
a battery of tests, such as brand association tests, brand attitude, brand image,
brand dominance, brand value, brand salience and other measures of brand health.
Although these tests do not explicitly measure brand awareness, they provide
general measures of brand health and often are used in conjunction with brand
recall tests.

2.2.6 FACTORS AFFECTING BRAND AWARENESS

 Brand name: Brand name plays an important role in creating awareness for a
brand. Also whether the name is really meaningful or completely baseless they
both affect brand awareness.

 Advertising: Adverting also helps to crate brand awareness in a big way. Take
any brand name Fevicol, Vicks, Pepsi all have used ads for creating awareness
among their consumers.

 Celebrity: Another important factor affecting brand awareness is the celebrities
endorsing the brand. Whenever you see a celebrity you love endorsing a brand
you tend to propagate the brand.

 Parent company: To a large extent the parent company helps in promoting a
brand. The parent company in many cases is so popular that its brand
automatically become popular and people become aware about the product.

 Sales promotions and offers: Some of the sales promotion activities that
companies carry out help them in a big way to make their target aware of the
brand.

st
 1 Mover advantage: Usually the company that enters a product category first
has good awareness about its brand. Usually people tend to remember the first
player to enter the market.

18
  Public relation: The coverage that the fourth estate and magazine provide a
brand also helps in building awareness about a brand.

 Direct selling: Some of the companies use direct selling as an platform to create
brand awareness.

2.3 FOCUS ON YOUTH MARKET

Companies have practically created a new market by lunching in items like cool ring tones,
games, screen savers, and email alerts. As a result, more and more people under30-age group is
using wireless applications for organizing their lives better. On the other hand, older people had
not spent much time or money on mobile content. The primary reason behind this could be that
most of the content on the ‗wireless web‘ has been and entertainment oriented. Then their bare
other reasons like – the buttons on handset are small and reading the tiny screens can be a strain
on the eyes.

2.4 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Jonathan, Lee, Janghyuk, Lee and Lawrence, Feick, (2001) analysed that moderating role of
switching cost in the customer satisfaction-loyalty link; and to identify customer segment and to
retain them. Thus the purposes of this paper are: to examine the moderating role of switching
cost in the customer satisfaction-loyalty link; and to identify customer segments and then analyse
the heterogeneity in the satisfaction-loyalty link among the different segments. An empirical
example based on the mobile phone service market in France indicates support for the
moderating role of switching costs. Managerial implications of the results are discussed.

Chu-Mei Liu (2002) inferred that Branding is important to manufactures, retailers and
consumers. Brands with higher brand equity have higher sales. The growth of mobile phone
subscriptions is considerably faster in the Philippines. Advertising and promotion are undertaken
through co-operation between the service providers and mobile phone

19
Manufactures. The study tries to find out the effect of the different activities on consumer choice
of mobile phone brands.

Fred Robins, (2003) analysed that the marketing of the next generations of mobile phones. It
begins with comments on the State of the Telecom Industry and draws attention to elements of
technological and products convergence, highlighting the point that while industry convergence
on digital technology is a fact, today‘s mobile telephony market place is nonetheless
characterized by three generations of technology and the
latest generation, 3G, embraces three related but competing standards. The research examines
2G, 2 and a half G and 3G developments around the world and identifies factors relevant to the
marketing of 3G, including recognition of geographical and user diversity and consequent need
for marketers to keep these various user perspectives in mind. However, customer desire for
personalization, including personalized 3G services, are important features of the market place,
as will be the availability of simple, secured payment systems.

Heikki Karjaluoto, Jari Karvonem et al, (2005) had analysed that Mobile phone markets are
one of the most turbulent market environments today due to increased competition and change.
Thus, it is of growing concern to look at consumer buying decision process and cast light on the
factors that finally determine consumer‘s choices between different mobile phone brands. On
this basis, this research deals with consumers‘ choice criteria in mobile phone markets by
studying factors that influence intention to acquire new mobile phone on one hand and factors
that influence on mobile phone change on the other are some general factors that seem to guide
the choice. The two studied show that while technical problems are the basic reason to change
mobile phone among students; price, brand, interface, and properties are the most influential
factors affecting the actual choice between brands.

Serkan Aydin, Gokhan Ozer, Omer Arasil, (2005) had focused on to measure the effects of
customer satisfaction and trust on customer loyalty, and the direct and indirect effect of
―switching cost‖ on customer loyalty. The findings of this study show that the

20
switching cost factor indirectly affects loyalty, and has a moderator effect on both customer
satisfaction and trust.

Kurt Matzler, Sonja Bidmon, Sonja Grabner-Krauter,(2006) explore the relationship among
two personality traits (extra version and openness), hedonic value, brand affect and loyalty. It
argues that individual differences account for differences in the values sought by the consumer
and in the formation of brand affection and loyalty. It was found that extraversion and openness
are positively related to hedonic product value and that the personality traits directly (openness)
and indirectly (extraversion, via hedonic value) influence brand affect which in turn drives
attitudinal and purchase loyalty.

Anne Martensen, (2007) examine tweens‘ (8-12year-olds) satisfaction with and loyalty to their
mobile phones and the relationship between these. The results indicate that tweens are far more
satisfied with their mobile phones than adults are and that the mobile phones fulfill children‘s
expectations to a much higher degree. Still, brands are not able to turn tweens into loyal
customers whom will recommend their mobile phones to friends. Tweens‘ loyalty is lower than
what is experienced for adults and the relationships between satisfaction and loyalty is very
weak.

Jaakko Sinisalo, Jari Salo, Heikki Karjaluoto, Matti Leppaniemi,(2007) states that the
purpose of this study is twofold. First, in order to guarantee a coherent discussion about mobile
customer relationship management (mCRM), this paper presents a conceptualization of mCRM
delineating its unique characteristics. Second, the authors develop the empirically grounded
frame work of the underlying issues in the initiation of mCRM. Researchers have identifies
issues that can be divided into three categories (exogenous, endogenous and mCRM- specific)
the company has to take into account when moving towards mCRM.

The Dream Catches Group (2008) investigated if demographic variables or if telephone

features included on phones students already owned were predictive of young consumers
perceptions of bundled features. In addition, this study set out to determine if there were

21
any significant differences in students‘ perceptions of bundles features across demographic
variables (rural vis-à-vis HBCU, gender, grade level, cellular telephone brand, major, and age).

Shibashish, Chakraborty and Kalyan Sengupta (2008) endeavors to make a detailed study on
important demography variables of customers affecting brand switching of customers. This will
highlight pertinent aspects of prediction of switching proclivity if customers from one service
provider to another.

Ramakrishnan Venkatesakumar, D. Ramkumar and P. Thillai Rajan, (2008)

confirms that brand loyalty and brand switching behavior of the consumers are evergreen issues
of research and strategic importance to the marketers and academic researchers. The current
research aims to address the significance of product attributes in brand switching behavior
through multi-dimensional scaling and results suggest that a set of product attributes trigger the
intention to switch the current brand.

Asta Salmi, Elmira Sharafutdinova, (2008) signifies that the general features (high power
distance, femininity, high uncertainty avoidance) characterizing Russian culture affect preferred
mobile phone design. Long-term values are seen, for example, in family orientation, which
affects the use of mobile phones. Changing cultural and socio-economic features are seen in the
strict division of consumers in to distinct segments. Current aspect of society, such as high level
of street crime, is apparent in the desired features of products. The emerging Russian markets
seem to consist of very different consumer groups and simultaneously represents both old and
new cultural features and norms. Design has become a central tool for affecting product
marketing, and an influential community of designers and a design industry are emerging.

Wafa‘ N. Muhanna; Awatif M. Abu-Al-Sha‘r(2009) aims at investigating Jordanian university

undergraduate and graduate students attitude towards the learning environment where cell
phones are used as learning tool in classrooms. The study comprised two independent variables,
level and gender, as covariates. The findings indicate that

22
undergraduates are more favorable to cell phone environment than graduate students. The study
also reveals that cell phone has more influence on male students than on female students.

Brenda, Mak, Robert Nickerson and Hentri Isaac(2009), investigates the factors affecting the
attitude towards the social acceptance of mobile phones in public places and how this attitude
affects its usage Results of the analysis indicate that the attitude about mobile phone use in
public places depend on country, and age factors. This attitude in turn significantly affects the
usage frequency of mobile phones. In addition, usage frequency also is affected by gender and
work status.

Luca Petruzzellis (2010) referred and concluded that technology nowadays is over come by
customer preference and needs. In particular, the role of brand is to be analyzed with respect to
its influence in shifting customer preferences from the technical performances (tangible
elements) to the emotional / symbolic ones (intangible elements). The researchers had provided n
analysis of the brand attitude and perception tested and viewed through user eyes.

Hanc Kasper, Josee Bloemer, Paul H. Driessen, (2010), has thrown light on how consumers
cope with confusion cost by overload in information and/or choice. The paper invests gates
whether consumers who face different degrees of confusion use different coping strategies
depending upon their decision- making styles. The researchers found that consumers of mobile
phones can be characterized by combinations of decision-making styles and find three clusters
based on decision – making styles: ―price conscious and cautious‖ consumers, ―brand-loyal and
quality-driven‖ consumers, and ―functionalist‖ consumers. Results show significant main effects
of the degree of confusion and decision-making styles on the use of coping strategies as well as a
significant interaction effect of these two.

Arvind Sahay and Nivedita Sharma (2010) focused on brand relationships are indeed
important foe different categories of young consumers; second, to investigate the effect

23
of peer influence, family influence, and brand relationship on switching intentions amongst
young consumers; and third, to look at the impact of price changes on switching intentions in the
context of brand relationships. Researcher‘s results suggest that young consumers develop
relationships on all brand relationships dimensions.

Oyeniyil, Omotayo Joseph – Abioudun, Abolaji Joachi, (2010) emphasis on customer loyalty
and customer switching cost. Switching cost is one of the most discussed contemporary issues in
marketing in attempt to explain consumer behaviour. The present research studied switching cost
and relationships with customer retention, loyalty and satisfaction in the Nigerian
telecommunication market. The study finds that customer satisfaction positively affects customer
retention and that switching cost affects significantly the level of customer retention.

Hande Kimiloglu, V. Aslihan Nasir, Supham Nasir,(2010) aims to discover consumer

segments with different behavioural profiles in the mobile phone market. Pragmatic consumers
are found to give high importance to the functional, Physical and convenience-based attributes of
the product. The abstemious group also gives importance to functionality along with design.
While value-conscious consumers focus strongly on price, the charismatic segment represents
the want-it-all group valuing many attributes such as technological superiority, practicality,
durability, functionality, and design. The study also includes findings and discussions about the
difference these clusters display in terms of their involvement and loyalty styles.

Shakir Hafeez; SAF Hasnu (2010) states that customer satisfaction is a crucial element for the
success of all business. One of the biggest challenges for a market is how to satisfy and retain the
customers. This study is based on Mobilink‘s prepaid customers. The findings suggest that
overall customer satisfaction and customer loyalty is comparatively low among the customers of
Mobilink. The customer loyalty in Pakistan‘s mobile sector is relatively low because it is an
emerging industry, new players are entering in this market and customers are more fascinated to
try the new service

24
providers. However it is expected that when the industry will be well established, the results will
be more comparable to other studies.

Pratompong Srinunan, Mohammad Tsani Annafari, Erik Bohlim,(2011) states that

subscriber characteristics, including age, government officer, self-employed, internet use, central
region, and southern region, are significant in explaining the switching behavior of Thai mobile
subscribers. This study also shows that the largest mobile operators will gain more switching
subscribers than smaller operators. The study shows that the expected impact of implementing
MNP without national mobile roaming regulations would be worse for smaller mobile operators.
The smaller operators need to compete on both price and quality improvement. In the short run,
it would not be possible for the smaller operators to compete with the larger operators due to the
inequality in the quality of network coverage.

Harsha de Silva, (2011) generally shows that adoption of (primarily) mobile telephones has
significant benefits not just to the adopter, but to the at large. In this context, the objectives of
current article is to examine, from a user perspective, the influences ( as well as the interplay of
these influences) on mobile phone adoption by the poor in a selected set of countries in the
emerging Asian region.

Androulidakis ; G. Kandus(2011) correlated the brand of mobile phone to users security

practices, Users show different behavior in any array of characteristics, according to the brand of
mobile phone they are using. As such, there is a characteristic of areas, different for a each
brand, where users are clearly lacking security mind, possibly due to lack of awareness. Such
categorization can help phone manufacture enhance their mobile phone in regards to security,
preferably transparently for users.

Ahmed Alamro, Jennifer Rowley, (2011) explored that there are 11 antecedents of brand
preference; these can be theoretically clustered onto three groups: awareness antecedents
(controlled communication (advertising), and uncontrolled communication (publicity, word of
mouth)); image antecedents (service value attributes(price, quality),
provider attributes (brand personality, country of origin, service (employee + location)), and
corporate status (corporate image, corporate reputation)); and, customer attribute antecedents
25
(satisfaction, perceived risk, and reference group). Multiple regressions showed the contribution
of each of these antecedents to brand preference.

Sany Sanuri Mohd. Mokhtar; Ahmed Audu Maiyaki; Norzaini bt Mohd Noor (2011)
explores the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction on customer loyalty
with regards to mobile phone usage among the postgraduate students of a university in Northern
Malaysia. The results show that both service quality and customer satisfaction significantly
affect the level of customer loyalty of mobile phone users in Malaysia. It was therefore,
recommended that mobile service providers should pay special attention to their service quality
and the factors that drive customer satisfaction.

Tajzadeh Namin A. A; Rahmani Vahid; Tajzadeh Namin Aidin (2012) analysed that the
process of deciding over (choosing) a brand may be influenced by the situation and content. The
findings suggest a significant relationship between variables ―Brand attitude‖, ―Corporate
attitude‖, and ―product (cell phone) choice‖. In addition, no significant relationship was found
between individual decision making processes (independent or mediated) and product choice.

Lynda Andrews, Judy Drennan, Rebekha Russell-Bennett,(2012) examine the nature of

consumer perceptions of the value they derive from the everyday experiential consumption of
mobile phones and how mobile marketing (m-marketing) can potentially enhance these value
perceptions. The findings highlight ways to tailor m-marketing strategies to complement
consumers perceptions of the value offered through their mobile phones.

Ajax Persaud, Irfan Azhar, (2012) concludes that consumers‘ shopping style, brand trust, and
value are key motivations for engaging in mobile marketing through their smart phones. Further
research should focus on specific tactics marketers use to engage

customers beyond marketing messages, that is, how they engage customers in dialogue to build
relationships, encourage purchase and build loyalty. This could reveal how customers really want
to engage in mobile marketing.

26
Rodolfo Martinez Gras; Eva Espinar Ruiz (2012) highlight a new dimension in information
and technology with respect to teenagers in Spain. The main objective of this article is to analyze
the relationship between Information and Communication Technologies and Spanish
adolescents. Specifically, researchers have studied, through qualitative methodology, the
characteristics of teenager‘s access and uses of technological devices. And analyzed the purposes
that motivate the utilization of Information and Communication Technologies, highlighting a
close relationship between technologies and peer communication and entertainment. On the
contrary, there is an under-utilization of all these devices for teaching and learning purposes.

Nasr Azad; Ozhan Karimi; Maryam Safaei (2012) had presented an empirical study to
investigate the effects of different marketing effort on brand equity in mobile industry. The
results show that there is appositive and meaningful relationship between marketing mix efforts
and brand equity. In other words, more advertisement could help better market exposure, which
means customers will have more awareness on market characteristics. Among all mixed efforts,
guarantee influence more on brand equity, which means consumers care more on product
services than other features. Finally, among different characteristics of brand equity, product
exclusiveness plays an important role. In other words, people are interested in having exclusive
product, which is different from others.

Nasr Azad; Maryam Safaei (2012) states that there are many evidence to believe that
customers select their product brand on brand name. Products also maintain their own
characteristics, which makes them differentiable from others. In this paper, researchers have
present an empirical study to determine important factors influencing customers purchasing
intend for cellular phones in capital city of Iran, Tehran. The results of the study show that there
are some positive relationship between exclusive name and quality

27
perceptions, between exclusive name and word of mouth advertisement, between quality
perception and fidelity, between word of advertisement and brand name and between brand name
image and brand name.
Mehran Rezvani; Seyed Hamid Khodadad Hoseini; Mohammad Mehdi Samadzadeh
(2012) Investigates the impact of Word of Mouth(WOM) on Consumer Based Brand Equity
(CBBE) creation. WOM characteristics such as, volume, valence, and source quality are studied
to find how intensely they each affect brand awareness, perceived quality, and brand association.
The results suggested that volume and valence, two elements of WOM, affect CBBE and no
significant relationship between source type and brand equity was see.

28
 CHAPTER 3
PROFILE OF THE INDUSTRY

29
 PROFILE OF THE INDUSTRY

3.1MOBILE PHONE

Nowadays, the mobile phone plays a major role in our lives. The cellular telephone (commonly
―mobile phone‖ or ―cell phone‖) is a long range, portable electronic device used for mobile
communication. In addition to the standard voice function of a telephone, current mobile phones
can support many additional services such as SMS for text messaging, e-mail, packet switching
for access to the internet, and MMS for sending and receiving photos and videos. Most current
mobile phones connect to a cellular network of base station (cell sites), which is in turn
interconnected to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Cellular telephone is also
defined as a type of short wave analogue or digital telecommunication in which a subscriber has
wireless connection from a mobile telephone to a relatively nearby transmitter. The transmitter‘s
span of coverage is called a cell. Generally, a cellular telephone service available in urban areas
an along major highways. As the cellular telephone user moves from one cell or area of coverage
to another, the telephone is effectively passed on to the local cell transmitter. A cellular
telephone is not to be confused with a cordless telephone (which is simply a phone with a very
short wireless connection to a local phone outlet). A newer service similar to cellular is Personal
Communications Service (PCS).

st
A majority of mobile phones in 21 century are Smartphone. A Smart phone is cellular
telephone with an integrated computer and other features not originally associated with
telephones, such as an operating system, web browsing and the ability to run software
applications. The first Smartphone was IBM‘s Simon, which was presented as a concept
device—rather than a consumer device—at the 1992 COMDEX computer trade show. It was
capable of sending emails and faxes, as well as keeping a calendar of events for the user, as
opposed to simply making calls and sending messages.

30
Consumer Smartphone evolved away from Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) around the turn of
st
the 21 century when devices such as the PalmPilot began to include wireless connectivity.
Several manufactures, including Nokia and Hewlett Packard, released devices in 1996 that were
combinations of PDAs and typical cell phones that included early operating systems (OSes) and
web browsing capabilities. Blackberry released its first Smartphone in the mid-2000s, and they
became very popular with consumers and in the enterprise.

In 2007, LG released the Prada and Apple released the iphone, the first Smartphone to feature a
touch screen. HTC released its Dreams Smartphone a year later, which was the first to include
Google‘s Android OS. Other major advancements in the history of Smartphone include Sony‘s
release of the Xperia Z5 Premium phone with a 4K resolution screen in 2015. Networking
advancements in Wi-Fi and LTE have also progressed over the years, improving the connectivity
of Smartphone for faster use.

3.1.2 HISTORY

A handled mobile radio telephone service was envisioned in the early stages of radio
engineering. In 1917, Finnish inventor Eric Tigerstedt filed a patent for a ―pocket-size folding
telephone with a very thin carbon microphone‖. Early predecessors of cellular phones included
analog radio communications from ships and trains. The race to create truly portable telephone
devices began after World War II, with developments taking place in many countries. The
advances in mobile telephony have been traced in successive ―generations‖, starting with the
early zero-generation (0G) services, such as Bell Systems Mobile Telephone Services and its
successor, the improved Mobile Telephone Services. These 0G systems were not cellular,
supported few simultaneous calls, and were very expensive.

The first handheld cellular mobile phone was demonstrated by John F. Mitchell and Martin
Cooper of Motorola in 1973, using a handset weighing 2 kilograms (4.4 ib).

31
The first commercial automated cellular network (1G) analogue was launched in Japan by
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone in 1979. This was followed in 1981 by the simultaneous
launch of the Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) system in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and
Sweden. Several other countries then followed in the early to mid-1980s. These first generation
(1G) systems could support far more simultaneous calls but still used analogue cellular
technology. In 1983, the DynaTAC 8000x was the first commercially available handheld mobile
phone.

In 1991, the second generation (2G) digital cellular technology was launched in Finland by
Radiolinja on the GSM standard. This sparked competition in the sector as the new operators
challenged the incumbent 1G network operators.

Ten years later, in 2001, the third generation (3G) was launched in Japan by NTT DoCoMo on
the WCDMA standard. This was followed by 3.5G, 3G+ OR turbo 3G enhancement based in the
high speed packet access (HDPA) family, allowing UMTS networks to have higher data transfer
speeds and capacity.

By 2009, it had become clear that, at home point, 3G networks would be overwhelmed by the
growth of bandwidth-intensive applications, such as streaming media. Consequently, the industry
began looking to data-optimized fourth-generation technologies, with the promise of speed
improvements up to ten fold over existing 3G technologies. The first two commercially available
technologies build as 4G were the WiMAX standard, offered in North America by Sprint, and
the LTE standard, first offered in Scadinavia by TeliaSonera.

5G technology and term used in research papers and projects to denote the next major phase in
mobile telecommunication standard beyond the 4G/IMT-Advanced standards. The terms 5G is
mot official used on specification or official document yet made public by telecommunication
companies or standardization bodies such as 3GPP, WiMAX forum or ITU-R. New standards
beyond 4G are currently being developed by

32
Standardization bodies, but they are at this time seen as under the 4G umbrella, not for a new
mobile generation.

3.1.3TYPES

Smartphone: Smartphone have a number of distinguishing features. This International

Telecommunication Union measures those with internet connection, which it calls Active
Mobile-Broadband subscriptions (which includes tablets, etc.). In the developed world,
Smartphone have now overtaken the usage of earlier mobile systems. However, in the
developing world, they account for around 50% of mobile telephony.

Features phone: Feature phone is a term typically used as a retronym to describe mobile phones
which are limited in capabilities in contrast to a modern Smartphone. Feature phones typically
provide voice calling text messaging functionality, in addition to basic multimedia and internet
capabilities, and other services offered by the users wireless service provider. A feature phone
has additional function over and above a basic mobile phone which is only capable of voice
calling and text messaging. Feature phones and basic mobile phones tend to use a proprietary,
custom-designed software and user interface. By contrast, smart phones generally use a mobile
operating system that often shares common traits across devices.

Kosher phone: There are orthodox Jewish religious restrictions which, by some interpretations,
standard mobile telephones over steps. To deal with this problem, some rabbinical organizations
have recommended that phones with text-messaging capability not be used by children. Phones
with restricted features are known as kosher phones and have rabbinical approval for use in
Israel and elsewhere by observant Orthodox Jews. Although these phones are intended to prevent
immodesty, some vendors report good sales to adults who prefer the simplicity of devises. Some
phones are approved for use by essential workers (such as health, security and public service
workers) on the Sabbath, even though the use of any electrical device is generally prohibited
during this time.

33
 3.1.4 INFRASTRUCTURE

Mobile phones communicate with cell towers that are placed to give coverage across a telephone
service area which is divided up in to ‗cells‘. Each cell uses a different set of frequencies from
neighboring cells, and will typically be covered by 3 towers placed at different location. The cell
towers are usually interconnected to each other and the phone network and the internet by the
wired connections. Due to bandwidth limitations each cell will have a maximum number of cell
phones it can handle at once. The cells are therefore sized depending on the expected usage
density, and may be much smaller in cities. In that case much lower transmitter powers are used
to avoid broadcasting beyond the cell.

As a phone moves around, a phone wills ―handoff‖ – automatically disconnect and reconnect to
the tower that gives the best receptions.

Additionally, short-range Wi-Fi infrastructure is often used by smart phones as much as possible
as it off lots traffic from cell networks on to local area networks.

3.1.5 HARDWARE

 A CPU, the processor of phones.

 A battery, providing the power source for the phone functions.

 An input mechanism to allow the user to interact with the phone. These are a keypad for
feature phones and touch screens for most Smartphone.

 A display which echoes the users typing, and displays text messages, contracts, and more.

 Speaker for sound.

 SIM cards and R-UIM cards

34
Low end mobile phones are often referred to as feature phones and offer basic telephony.
Handset with more advanced computing ability through thr native software applications are
known as Smartphone.

3.2 MAJOR BRANDS

AsusTek Computer Inc: Is a Taiwan-based multinational computer and phone hardware and
electronics company headquartered in Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. Its products include
desktops, laptops, net books, mobile phones, networking equipment, monitors, Wi-Fi routers,
projectors, and motherboards etc. The company is also an Original Equipment Manufacturer
(OEM).

th
Asus is the world‘s 5 -largest PC vendor by 2017 unit sales. Asus appears in Business Week‘s
―InfoTech 100‖ and ―Asia‘s Top 10 IT Companies‖ rankings, and it ranked first in the IT
Hardware category of the 2008 Taiwan Top 10 Global Brands survey with a total brand value of
$1.3 billion.

Asus has a primary listing on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker code 2357 and a
secondary listing on the London Stock Exchange under a ticker code ASKD.

Lenovo: Lenovo Group Ltd. Or Lenovo PC International, often shortened to Lenovo, is a

Chinese multinational technology company with head quarteres in Beijing, China and
Morrisville, North Carolina, United State. It designs, develops, manufactures, and sells personal
computers, tablet computers, smart phones, electronic storage devices, smart televisions, work
stations, and servers etc. Lenovo was the world‘s largest personal computer vendor by unit sales
from 2013 to 2015. It markets the ThinkPad line of notebook computers, Idea Pad, Yoga and
Legion lines of notebook laptops, and the Idea Centre and Think Centre lines of desktops.

35
Lenovo has operations in more than 60 countries and sells its products in around 160 countries.
Lenovo‘s principal facilities are in Beijing and Morrisville, with research centers in Beijing,
Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Chengdu, Nanjing, and Wuhan in China, Yamato in Kanagawa
Prefecture, Japan and Morrisville in the U.S. It also has a joint venture with NEC, Lenovo NEC
Holdings, which produce personal computers for the Japanese market.

Lenovo was founded in Beijing in November 1984 has Legend and was incorporated in Hong
Kong in 1988. Lenovo acquired IBM‘s personal computer business in 2005 and agreed to
acquire its Intel-based server business in 2014. Lenovo entered the Smartphone market in 2012
and as of 2014 was the largest vendor of Smartphone‘s in Mainland China. In 2014, Lenovo
acquired the mobile phone handset maker Motorola Mobility from Google.

Lenovo is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the Hang Seng China-
Affiliated Corporations Index, often referred to as ‖Red Chips‖.

Redmi: Redmi is a sub brand owned by the Chinese Electronics Company Xiaomi. It was
introduced as a budget smart phone line manufactured by Xiaomi, that was first announced in
July2013. It became a sub brand, separated from Xiaomi, on January, 10, 2019. Redmi phones
used Xiaomi MIUI user interface on top of android. Models can be divided into regular redmi
phones with screens usually up to 5‖. And Redmi note series with displays exceeding 5‖.Only
phone besides these two series is Redmi Pro, first introduced in 2016 with Dual Camera system,
USB-C and unit for Xiaomi devises OLED display. Redmi a have been marketed in several
Asian and European countries. The most significant difference from other Xiaomi smart phones
is that it uses less expensive components and thus is more cost effective. In August 2014, the
wall street journal reported that in the second quarater of the 2014 fiscal year Xiaomi smart
phone shipment rankings in China with a market share of 14%.Redmi sales ware attributed as a
contributing factor towards this gain in shipment rankings.

36
Nokia Corporation: Is a Finnish multinational telecommunication, Information technology, and
consumer electronics company, founded in 1865. Nokia‘s headquarters are in Espoo, in the
greater Helsinki metropolitan area. In 2017, Nokia employed approximately 102000 people
across over 100 countries, did business in more than 130 countries, and reported annual revenues
of around $23 billion. Nokia is a public limited company listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange
th
and New York Stock Exchange. It is the world‘s 415 -largest company measured by 2016
th
revenues according to the Fortune Global 500, having peaked at 85 place in 2009. It is a
component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index.

Sony: Is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Konan, Minato, Tokyo. Its

diversified business includes consumer and professional electronics, gaming, entertainment and
financial services. The company owns the largest music entertainment business in the world, the
largest video game console business and one of the largest video game publishing businesses,
and is one of the leading manufacturers of electronic products for the consumer and professional
markets, and a leading player in the film and television entertainment industry. Sony was ranked
th
97 on the 2018 Fortune Global 500 list.

Samsung: Samsung is a South Korean multinational conglomerate headquartered in Samsung

Town, Seoul. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses; most of them united under the
Samsung brand, and is the largest South Korean chaebol.

Samsung was founded by Lee Byung-chul in 1938 as a trading company. Over the next three
decades, the group diversified in to areas including processing, textiles, Insurance,

37
securities, and retail. Samsung entered the electronics industry in the late 1960s and the
construction and shipbuilding industries in the mid-1970s; these areas would drive I subsequent
growth. Following Lee‘s death in 1987, Samsung was separated in to four business groups-
Samsung Groups, Shinsegae Group, CJ Group, and Hansol Group. Since, 1990, Samsung has
increasingly globalised its activities and electronics; In particular, its mobile phones and
semiconductors have become its most important source of income. As of 2017, Samsung has the
th
6 highest global brand value.

Oppo: Oppo Electronics Corporation, commonly referred to as Oppo, is a Chinese consumer

electronics and mobile communication company, known for its smart phones, Blu-ray players
and other electronic devices. The brand name Oppo was registered in China 2001 and launched
in 2004. Since then, they have expanded to all parts of the world. A leading manufacturer of
Smartphone, Oppo was the top Smartphone brand in China in 2016 and was ranked No. 8
worldwide.

In 2017, Oppo successfully won the bid to sponsor the Indian National Cricket team and has
achieved the right to display their logo on the team‘s kits from 2017 to 2022. Between this period
the Indian national cricket team will pay 250 International matches consisting of 62 tests, 152
ODIs and 45 T20 World Cup in Australia.

Honor: Honor is a sub-brand belonging to networking and telecommunications equipment and

services company Huawei. The Honor series of mobile computing devices include Smartphone,
Tablet computers, and wearable technology.

HTC: HTC Corporation is a Taiwanese consumer electronics company head quartered in

Xindian District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Founded in 1997, HTC began as an original design
manufacturer and original equipment manufacturer, designing and manufacturing laptop
computers.

38
After initially making smart phones based mostly on Windows Mobile, HTC became a co-
founding member of the Open Handset Alliance, a group of manufactures and mobile network
operators dedicated to the development of the Android mobile operating system, The HTC
Dream, marketed by T-mobile in many countries as the T-mobile G1, was the first phone on the
market to run the Android. Although initially successful as a smart phone vendor, competition
from Apple Inc. and Samsung electronics among others diluted its market share, reaching only
702% by April 2015, and the company has experienced consecutive net losses. In 2016, HTC
began to diversify its business beyond smart phones, having partnered with Valve to produce a
virtual reality platform known as HTC Vive. After having collaborated with the company on its
Pixel Smart phones, HTC sold roughly half of its design and research talent, as well as non-
exclusive rights to smart phone-related IP, to Google in 2017 for US$1.1 billion.

iPhone: Is a line of smart phones designed and marketed by Apple Inc. All generation of the
iPhone use Apples iOS mobile operating system software. The first generation iPhone was
released on June 29, 2007, and multiple new hardware iterations with new Ios releases have been
released since.

The user interface is built around the devices multi-touch screens, including a virtual keyboard.
The iPhone has Wi-Fi and connect to cellular networks. An iPhone can shoot video, take photos,
play music, send and receive emails, browse the web, send and receive text messages, follow
GPS navigation etc. As of January 2017, Apple‘s App Store contained more than 2.2 million
applications available for the iPhone .Apple has released eleven generations of iPhone models,
each accompanied by one of the eleven major releases of the iOS operating system. The original
first-generation iPhone was A GSM phone and established design precedents, such as a button
placement that has persisted throughout all releases and a screen size maintained for the next
four iterations.

39
The iPhone 3G added 3G network support, and was followed by the 3GS with improved
hardware, the 4 with a metal chassis, higher display resolution and front- facing camera and the
4S with improved hardware and the voice assistant Siri. The iPhone 5 featured a taller, 4-inch
display and Apple‘s newly introduced Lighting connector. In 2013, Apple released the 5S with
improved hardware and a fingerprint reader, and the lower-cost 5C, a version of the 5 with
colored plastic casings instead of metal. They were followed by the larger iPhone 6, with models
featuring 4.7-and-5.5 inch displays. The iPhone 6S was introduced the following year, which
featured hardware upgrades and support for pressure-sensitive touch inputs, as well as the SE—
which featured hardware from the 6S but the smaller form factor of the 5S. In 2016, Apple
unveiled iPhone 7 and 7 plus, which add water resistance, improved system and graphics
performance, a new rear dual-camera setup on the Plus model, and new color options, while
removing the 3.5 mm headphone jack found on previous models. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus were
released in 2017, adding a glass back and an improved screen and camera. The iPhone X was
released alongside the 8 and 8 Plus, with its highlights being a near bezel-less design, an
improved camera and a new facial recognition system, named Face ID, but having no home
button, and therefore, no Touch ID. In September 2018, Apple again released 3 new iPhone,
which are the iPhone XS, and upgraded version of the since discontinued iPhone X, iPhone XS
Max a larger variant with the series biggest display as of 2018 and iPhone XR, a lower end
version of the iPhone X.

The original iPhone was described as ―revolutionary‖ and a ―game-changer‖ for the mobile
phone industry. Subsequent iteration of the iPhone has also garnered praise. The iPhone is one of
the most widely used smart phones in the world, and its success has been credited with helping
Apple become one of the world‘s most valuable publicly traded companies.

40
 CHAPTER 4
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

41
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
4.1 GENDER WISE CLASSIFICATION OF RESPONDENTS

The following sections presents demographic characteristics of the sample respondents

from whom the primary data is collected through the questionnaire survey .The sample
comprises respondents from both genders .This helps to understand gender-wise attitude
towards brands. The gender ratios of respondents are shown in table 4.1.1.

TABLE 4.1.1

GENDER WISE CLASSIFICATION OF RESPONDENTS

Gender No. of Percentage

respondents
Male 24 49%
Female 26 51%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data

CHART 4.1.1

GENDER WISE CLASSIFICATION OF RESPONDENTS

49% male
51%
female

The table shows that the sample consist 51% female and 49% male to make the sample
of 50 respondents.

42
4.2 CURRENT BRAND OF MOBILE PHONES
TABLE 4.2.1
CURRENT BRAND PREFERENCE OF RESPONDENTS

Brand No. of respondents Percentage

Asus 3 6%
Lenovo 5 9%
Redmi 13 27%
Nokia 2 4%
Sony Ericsson 1 3%
Samsung 9 17%
Oppo 7 15%
Honor 3 6%
HTC 2 4%
I Phone 2 4%
Others 3 5%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data

CHART 4.2.1
CURRENT BRAND PREFERENCE OF RESPONDENTS

Asus
6%
4% 4% Lenovo
6% 9% Redmi
Nokia
15% Sony Ericsson
Others
27% Samsung
Oppo
17% Honor
HTC
4%
5% 3% I Phone

Out of the 50 respondents, Redmi is the most preferred brand with 27 %. Followed by
Samsung (17%) and Oppo (15%). 9% of the respondents preferred Lenovo and 6% of the
respondents preferred by Asus and Honor. 5% of the respondents using other brand and
4% using Nokia, HTC and I Phone. Sony Ericsson is the least preferred brand (3%).

43
4.3 EXPECTATION OF PERFORMANCE

Every customer has expectations about the performance of mobile phones .The
customer‘s holds performance expectations for attributes, features and benefits of
products .This section analysis the opinion of consumers about the performance of
product. The table showing expectation of performance of mobile phone is given below
as table 4.3.1.

TABLE 4.3.1

OPINION ABOUT EXPECTATION OF PERFORMANCE OF CURRENT

BRAND

Opinion Percentage
No. of respondents
Yes 40 79%
No 10 21%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data

CHART 4.3.1

OPINION ABOUT EXPECTATION OF PERFORMANCE OF CURRENT

BRAND

21%

Yes
No

79%

Out of target group, 79% says that the performance of mobile phone is up to their
expectation. 21% says that the performance of mobile phone is not up to their
expectation.

44
4.4 LEVEL OF SATISFACTION OF CURRENT BRAND

Customer satisfaction is a term frequently used in marketing. It is a measure of how

products and services supplied by a company meet customer needs. Here analyses the
level of customer‘s satisfaction of their mobile phones. The table showing the level of
customer‘s satisfaction is given below as table 4.4.1.

TABLE 4.4.1

LEVEL OF SATISFACTION OF CURRENT BRAND

Percentage
Response No. of respondents
Highly satisfied 8 16%
Satisfied 32 64%
Neutral 7 14%
Dissatisfied 2 4%
Highly dissatisfied 1 2%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary Source

CHART 4.4.1

LEVEL OF SATISFACTION OF CURRENT BRAND

4% 2% Highly satisfied
16%
14%
Satisfied

Neutral

Dissatisfied

64%
Highly dissatisfied

Out of the total respondents, 16% are highly satisfied, 64% are satisfied , 14% of the
respondents had neural opinion 4% are dissatisfied and 2% are highly dissatisfied.

45
4.5 SATISFACTION TOWARDS VARIOUS FACTORS

Variety factors that affect customer satisfaction includes product quality, brand, price,
features etc. Customer satisfaction is seen as a proof of delivering a quality product.

TABLE 4.5.1
OPINION OF RESPONDENTS TOWARDS BRAND
Percentage
Opinion No. of respondents
Highly Satisfied 17 34%
Satisfied 25 51%
Neutral 6 12%
Dissatisfied 1 1%
Highly Dissatisfied 1 2%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data
CHART 4.5.1
OPINION OF RESPONDENTS TOWARDS BRAND

1%2% Highly Satisfied

12%
34% Satisfied

Neutral

Highly Dissatisfied
51%
Dissatisfied

Out of 50 respondents 51% Satisfied with current brand 34% highly satisfied. 12% of the
respondents had neutral opinion and 2% of the respondents are highly dissatisfied and
only 1% dissatisfied with current brand. Hence there is highly positive opinion of
respondents towards current brand.

46
 TABLE 4.5.2

OPINION OF RESPONDENTS TOWARDS PRICE

Percentage
Opinions No. of respondents
Highly Satisfied 10 20%
Satisfied 28 56%
Neutral 9 19%
Dissatisfied 1 3%
Highly Dissatisfied 2 3%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data

CHART 4.5.2

OPINION OF RESPONDENTS TOWARDS PRICE

2%
3% Highly Satisfied
20%
19%
Satisfied

Neutral

Highly Dissatisfied

56%
Dissatisfied

Out of 50 respondents 56% Satisfied with price 20% highly satisfied. 19% of the
respondents had neutral opinion and 3% of the respondents are highly dissatisfied and
only 2% dissatisfied with price. Hence there is positive opinion of respondents towards
price.

47
 TABLE 4.5.3

OPINION OF RESPONDENTS TOWARDS COLOUR

Opinion No. of respondents Percentage
Highly Satisfied 18 38%
Satisfied 26 51%
Neutral 5 10%
Dissatisfied 1 1%
Highly Dissatisfied 0 0%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data

CHART 4.5.3
OPINION OF RESPONDENTS TOWARDS COLOUR

0%
1%
10%
Highly Satisfied

38% Satisfied

Neutral

Highly Dissatisfied
51%
Dissatisfied

Out of 50 respondents 51% Satisfied with color 38% highly satisfied. 10% of the
respondents had neutral opinion, no respondent have highly dissatisfied opinion and only
1% dissatisfied with color. Hence there is highly positive opinion of respondents towards
color.

48
 TABLE 4.5.4
OPINION OF RESPONDENTS TOWARDS DESIGN
Percentage
Opinion No. of respondents
Highly Satisfied 16 32%
Satisfied 27 55%
Neutral 5 10%
Dissatisfied 2 3%
Highly Dissatisfied 0 0%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data

CHART 4.5.4
OPINION OF RESPONDENTS TOWARDS DESIGN

3%0%
10% Highly Satisfied

32% Satisfied

Neutral

Dissatisfied

Highly Dissatisfied
55%

Out of 50 respondents 55% Satisfied with design 32% highly satisfied. 10% of the
respondents had neutral opinion and 3% are dissatisfied with color. There is no
respondent with highly dissatisfied opinion. Hence there is highly positive opinion of
respondents towards design.

49
 TABLE 4.5.5

OPINION OF RESPONDENTS TOWARDS QUALITY

Opinion No. of respondents Percentage
Highly Satisfied 10 21%
Satisfied 29 58%
Neutral 8 15%
Dissatisfied 1 2%
Highly Dissatisfied 2 4%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data

CHART 4.5.5
OPINION OF RESPONDENTS TOWARDS QUALITY

2%4%
21% Highly Satisfied
15%
Satisfied

Neutral

Dissatisfied

Highly
Dissatisfied
58%

Out of 50 respondents 58% Satisfied with quality 21% highly satisfied. 15% of the
respondents had neutral opinion, 4% of respondents are highly dissatisfied and 2% are
dissatisfied with quality. Hence there is positive opinion of respondents towards quality.

50
 TABLE 4.5.6

OPINION OF RESPONDENTS TOWARDS FEATURES

Opinion No. of respondents Percentage

Highly Satisfied 9 19%
Satisfied 29 58%
Neutral 8 17%
Dissatisfied 2 3%
Highly Dissatisfied 2 3%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data

CHART 4.5.6

OPINION OF RESPONDENTS TOWARDS FEATURES

3%
3%
19%
17%
Highly Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
Highly Dissatisfied

58%

Out of 50 respondents 58% Satisfied with features 19% highly satisfied. 17% of the
respondents had neutral opinion and 3% respondents had opted for both dissatisfied and
highly dissatisfied about features. Hence there is positive opinion of respondents towards
features.

51
 TABLE 4.5.7

OPINION OF RESPONDENTS TOWARDS USER FRIENDLY

Percentage
Opinion No. of respondents
Highly Satisfied 13 26%
Satisfied 29 61%
Neutral 6 11%
Dissatisfied 1 1%
Highly Dissatisfied 1 1%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data

CHART 4.5.7

OPINION OF RESPONDENTS TOWARDS USER FRIENDLY

1%
11% 1%
Highly Satisfied
26%

Satisfied

Neutral

Dissatisfied

Highly
61% Dissatisfied

Out of 50 respondents 61% Satisfied with user friendly 26% highly satisfied. 11% of the
respondents had neutral opinion. 1% of respondents had opted for both highly dissatisfied
and dissatisfied opinion about user friendliness. Hence there is highly positive opinion of
respondents towards user friendly.

52
4.6 BRAND IS NOT AVAILABLE

TABLE 4.6.1

OPINION OF RESPONDENTS IF BRAND IS NOT AVAILABLE

Opinion No. of respondents Percentage

Postpone your purchase 21 41%

Switch to other brand 29 59%

Total 50 100%

Source: Primary data

CHART 4.6.1

OPINION OF RESPONDENTS IF BRAND IS NOT AVAILABLE

41% Postpone
Switch
59%

Out of the surveyed group, 59% seem to switch to other brands the rest 41% are
postpone their purchase if their preferred brand is not available.

53
4.7 ANOTHER BRAND OF SAME PRODUCT

TABLE 4.7.1

OPINION OF RESPONDENTS IF ANOTHER BRAND OF SAME PRODUCT IS

AVAILABLE

Opinion No. of respondents Percentage

Not at all 10 20%

I may consider 31 62%

Can‘t say 9 18%

Total 50 100%

Source: Primary data

CHART 4.7.1

OPINION OF RESPONDENTS IF ANOTHER BRAND OF SAME PRODUCT IS

AVAILABLE

18% 20%

Not at all

I may consider

Can't say

62%

Out of the target group, 62% says that if there is another brand, they will consider. 18%
says that will not consider and 20% says that not at all consider same product of another
brand.

54
4.8 DURATION
TABLE 4.8.1

DURATION OF USING CURRENT BRAND

Responses No. of respondents percentages

Less than 6 months 21 41%

Less than 4 years 26 52%

More than 4 years 3 7%

Total 50 100%

Source: Primary data

CHART 4.8.1

DURATION OF USING CURRENT BRAND

7%

41% Less than 6 months

Less than 4 years
More than 4 years

52%

Out of target group, 52% of respondents have been using their mobile phone for a time
period of less than 4 years, 41% have been using their mobile phone for a period of less
than 6 months.

55
4.9 FACTOR INFLUENCING PURCHASE DECISION
The following tables representing the factors influencing purchase decision of
respondents.

TABLE 4.9.1
REPONDENTS OPINION OF BRAND IN PURCHASE DECSION
Percentage
Opinion No. of respondents
Extremely Important 30 60%
Very Important 16 32%
Important 3 7%
Somewhat Important 1 1%
Not at all important 0 0%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data
CHART 4.9.1
REPONDENTS OPINION OF BRAND IN PURCHASE DECSION

1% 0% Extremely
7% Important
Very Important

Important
32%
Somewhat
60%
Important

Not at all
important

Out of 50 respondents 32% give very much importance to the brand 60% give extremely
important. 7% of the respondents give important and there is no one with not at all
important opinion and 1% of respondents give some important. Hence there is highly
positive opinion of respondents towards brand in purchase decision.

56
 TABLE 4.9.2

REPONDENTS OPINION OF PRICE IN PURCHASE DECSION

Percentage
Opinion No. of respondents

Extremely Important 26 51%

Very Important 21 43%
Important 2 4%
Somewhat Important 0 0%
Not at all important 1 2%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data

CHART 4.9.2

REPONDENTS OPINION OF PRICE IN PURCHASE DECSION

Not at all important

Somewhat Important

Important

Very Important

Extremely Important

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Out of 50 respondents 43% give very much importance to the price 51% give extremely
important. 4% of the respondents give important and there is no one with not at all
important opinion and 1% of respondents give some important. Hence there is highly
positive opinion of respondents towards price in purchase decision

57
 TABLE 4.9.3

REPONDENTS OPINION OF COLOUR IN PURCHASE DECSION

Opinion No. of respondents Percentage

Extremely Important 16 31%
Very Important 23 47%
Important 9 19%
Somewhat Important 2 3%
Not at all important 0 0%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data

CHART 4.9.3

REPONDENTS OPINION OF COLOUR IN PURCHASE DECSION

3% 0%
Extremely
Important
19% Very Important
31%

Important

Somewhat
Important
Not at all important
47%

Out of 50 respondents 47% gives very much important to the color, 31% give extremely
important. 19% of the respondents give importance and there is no one with not at all
important opinion and 3% of respondents give some important. Hence there is highly
positive opinion of respondents towards color in purchase decision.

58
 TABLE 4.9.4

REPONDENTS OPINION OF DESIGN IN PURCHASE DECSION

Percentage
Opinion No. of respondents

Extremely Important 17 35%

Very Important 28 56%
Important 3 6%
Somewhat Important 1 1%
Not at all important 1 1%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data

CHART 4.9.4

REPONDENTS OPINION OF DESIGN IN PURCHASE DECSION

1%
1%
6%

Extremely Important
35%
Very Important
Important
Somewhat Important
56% Not at all important

Out of 50 respondents 56% gives very much important to the design, 35% gives
extremely important. 6% of the respondents give importance and 1% had opted for both
somewhat important and not at all important. Hence there is highly positive opinion of
respondents towards design in purchase decision.

59
 TABLE 4.9.5

REPONDENTS OPINION OF QUALITY IN PURCHASE DECSION

Opinion No. of respondents Percentage

Extremely Important 35 70%
Very Important 13 27%
Important 1 2%
Somewhat Important 1 1%
Not at all important 0 0%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data

CHART 4.9.5

REPONDENTS OPINION OF QUALITY IN PURCHASE DECSION

2%1%
0%

Extremely
Important
27% Very Important

Important

Somewhat
70% Important
Not at all
important

Out of 50 respondents 27% give very much importance to the quality and 70% give
extremely important. 2% of the respondents give important and there is no one with not at
all important opinion and 1% of respondents give some important. Hence there is highly
positive opinion of respondents towards quality in purchase decision.

60
 TABLE 4.9.6

REPONDENTS OPINION OF FEATURES IN PURCHASE DECSION

Opinion No. of respondents Percentage

Extremely Important 36 73%
Very Important 12 24%
Important 1 2%
Somewhat Important 1 1%
Not at all important 0 0%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data

CHART 4.9.6

REPONDENTS OPINION OF FEATURES IN PURCHASE DECSION

2%
1% 0%

24% Extremely Important

Very Important
Important
73%
Somewhat Important
Not at all important

Out of 50 respondents 24% give very much importance to the features and 73% give
extremely important. 2% of the respondents give important and there is no one with not at
all important opinion and 1% of respondents give some important. Hence there is highly
positive opinion of respondents towards features in purchase decision.

61
 TABLE 4.9.7

REPONDENTS OPINION OF USER FRIENDLY FEATURE IN PURCHASE

DECSION

Percentage
Opinion No. of respondents
Extremely Important 32 64%
Very Important 13 26%
Important 3 6%
Somewhat Important 1 2%
Not at all important 1 2%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data

CHART 4.9.7

REPONDENTS OPINION OF USER FRIENDLY FEATURE IN PURCHASE

2% 2%

6% Extremely Important

Very Important

26% Important

64% Somewhat
Important
Not at all important

Out of 50 respondents 26% gives very much important to the user friendliness, 64% give
extremely important. 6% of respondents give important and 2% opted for both somewhat
important and not at all important. Hence there is highly positive opinion of respondents
towards user friendly in purchase decision.

62
4.10 MEDIA OF ADVERTISEMENT

The main purpose of every advertisement is to communicate the product information to

the public .Various means such as magazine, newspaper, television and internet by which
promotional message are communicated to the public using words, speech and pictures.
The consolidated table showing influence of media of advertisement are given below as
table 4.11.1.

TABLE 4.10.1

MEDIA OF ADVERTISEMENT INFLUENCING BRAND

Type of media No. of respondents Percenage

Outdoor 2 4%
Newspaper 2 4%
Magazine 1 1%
Internet 30 60%
Television 10 20%
Others 5 11%
Total 50 100%
Source: Primary data

CHART 4.10.1

MEDIA OF ADVERTISEMENT INFLUENCING BRAND

4% 4% 1%
11%
Outdoor
Newspaper
20% Magazine
Internet
Television
Others
60%

Out of the target group, 60% of people say that internet is the media which have highly
influence their brand preference.

63
4.11.1 Brand awareness
Brand awareness refers to the extent to which consumers‘ are familiar with the qualities
or image of a particular brand of goods and services. Brand awareness is a key
consideration in consumer behavior, advertising management, brand management and
strategy development .The table representing brand awareness towards the mobile phones
offered by various brands are given below as table 4.12.1.
TABLE 4.11.1
TABLE SHOWING BRAND AWARENESS OF RESPONDENTS
Known Unknown
Brand Percent
No. of respondents Percent No. of respondents
Asus 35 70% 15 30%
Lenovo 41 81% 9 19%
Redmi 47 94% 3 6%
Nokia 43 86% 7 14%
Sony 15 29% 35 71%
Samsung 44 87% 6 13%
Oppo 43 86% 7 14%
Honor 32 64% 18 36%
HTC 25 50% 25 50%
I phone 40 80% 10 20%
Total 50 100% 50 100%
Source: Primary data
CHART 4.11.1
CHART SHOWING BRAND AWARENESS OF RESPONDENTS
100
80
60
40
Known
20
Unknown
0

Out of the target group, Redmi is most aware brand and Sony Ericsson is the least aware
brand.

64
4.12.1 Ranking according to respondents purchase decision
TABLE 4.12.1
RANKING OF PREFERENCE ON MOBILE BRANDS
Brand Composite Index Rank
Asus 477 6
Lenovo 446 8
Redmi 775 1
Nokia 472 7
Sony 390 9
Samsung 355 10
Oppo 669 3
Honor 614 4
HTC 559 5
I phone 744 2
Source: Primary data
CHART 4.12.1
RANKING OF PREFERENCE ON MOBILE BRANDS
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100

0 Asus Lenovo Redmi Nokia Sony Samsung Oppo Honor HTC I Phone

The above table shows the various brand preferred by investors in purchasing mobile
phones. The most preferred brand is Redmi (775), then they preferred I phone (744) and
third consideration given to Oppo (669). Respondents give fourth preference to Honor
(614), fifth preference to HTC(559), sixth preference to Asus (477), seventh preference to
Nokia (472), eighth preference to Lenovo (446), ninth preference to Sony (390) and
respondents give lowest preference to Samsung (355).

65
 CHAPTER 5
FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS,
CONCLUSION

66
 CONCLUSION

5.1 INTRODUCTION

The present study titled ― A STUDY ON BRAND AWARENESS OF MOBILE PHONES

AMONG YOUTH‖ is conducted with the objectives of i) To analyze the level of brand
awareness ii) To examine the consumer attitude towards the brand iii) To analyze the factors that
influence the brand awareness iv) To analyze the most preferred brand in mobile phones. This
chapter presents the findings, suggestions and conclusions of the study.

5.2 FINDINGS OF THE STUDY

The major findings of the study are as follows:

➢ The most used brand is Redmi and the least used brand is Sony Ericsson.

➢ Out of the target group, 79% says that the performance of mobile phone is up to their
expectation.

➢ It was found that 16% of the respondents are highly satisfied with their current mobile
phone.

➢ The study reveals that 52% of respondents have been using their current mobile phone for
a time period of less than 4 years.

➢ Majority of the respondents have highly positive opinion about Brand, Color, Design,
User friendliness and positive opinion in Price, Quality, Features.

➢ It was found that, 59% of respondents say that will switch to another brand.

➢ Majority of the respondents (62%) says that if there is another brand they will consider.

67
.

➢ The study reveals that the respondents have highly positive opinion about factors such as
Brand, Price, Color, Design, Quality, Features, User friendliness.

➢ Among the media of advertisement, Internet is the major mean influence their brand
awareness.

➢ The brand which is more aware among the respondents is Redmi.

5.3 SUGGESTIONS

On the basis of the findings, the following suggestions are made:

❖ More than considering factor and design other factors like brand, price, quality, user
friendliness; should also be given more importance through brand awareness.

❖ Companies need to take care about consumer. This implies that companies have to spend
efforts in creating and communicating consumers the correct attitude behaviour of their
brand.

❖ It is found that among the different medium of advertisement, internet is the major mean
that influence awareness of a brand among the consumers and hence for increasing brand
awareness other means should also be improved.

5.4 CONCLUSION

The present study was conducted to know the level of brand awareness towards smart phones. It
was found that most of the consumers give importance to Brand, Price, Quality, and Features
when making a purchase decision. The Redmi is more aware brand among the respondents.
Internet is the major mean influencing their brand awareness. Most used brand is Redmi.

68
BIBLIOGRAPHY

69
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS REFERRED

 Kompella Karthikeya., The Definitive Book of Branding, SAGE Publications India

Pvt.Ltd., New Delhi,2014.

 Kumar Arun, N meenakshi., Marketing Management, Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd.,
New Delhi, 2006.

 Brassington Frances., Stephen Pettitt, Principles of Marketing, Pitman Publishing,
England,1997.

 Kotler Philip., Kevin Lane Keller., Marketing Management, Pearson Education
(Singapore) Pvt.Ltd., New Delhi, 2006.

WEBSITES

 https://simple.m.wikipedia.org>wiki

 https://trackmaven.com>brand

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org>wiki>brand

 www.learnmarketing.net>brand

 https://www.topper.com>marketing>brand

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org>brand

www.managementparadise.com
 https://en.m.wikipedia.org>wiki>Sony

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org>wiki>Lenovo

https://www.asus.com
 https://en.m.wikipedia.org>wiki>Redmi

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org>wiki>Nokia

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org>wiki>Samsung

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org>wiki>Oppo

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org>wiki>Honor

 https://gadgets.ndtv.com>mobile>htc

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org>wiki>IPhone

70


APPENDIX

71
 QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Name :

2. Gender :

Male Female

3. Age :

4. Which brand of mobile phone are you using?

Asus Samsung

Lenovo Oppo

Redmi Honor

Nokia HTC

Sony Ericsson I phone

5. Is the performance of your mobile phone is up to your expectation?

Yes No

6. State the level of current brand satisfaction?

Highly satisfied

Satisfied

Neutral

Dissatisfied

Highly dissatisfied

72
7. How long have you been using your current mobile?

Less than 6 month

Less than 4 years

More than 4 years

8. How much satisfied are you with the following factors?

Factors Highly Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Dissatisfied

satisfied
Brand
Price
Color
Design
Quality
Features
User friendly

9. If your preferred brand is not available for purchase then what will you does?

Postpone your purchase

Switch to other brand

10. If another brand same product appears in the market in the market will you prefer to stop
buying the brand and buy the new brand?

Not at all

I may consider

Can‘t say

73
11. How important all the following factors in making the purchase decision?

Factors Extremely Very Important Somewhat Not at all

Important Important Important important
Brand
Price
Color
Design
Quality
Features
User friendly

12. Which media of advertisement influence your brand?

Outdoor Internet

Newspaper Television

Magazine Others

13. Are you aware about the following brands?

Asus Samsung

Lenovo Oppo

Redmi Honor

Nokia HTC

Sony Ericsson I phone

Others

74
14. Rank the brand according to you preference on making purchase decision? (1, 2, 3……)

Asus Samsung

Lenovo Oppo

Redmi Honor

Nokia HTC

Sony Ericsson I phone

Others

75
76