EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Apparel are not just the domain of women any longer and Indian men too are increasingly taking to the use of more and more quality apparel and accessories. With consumers coming out of festive or occasional need based buying habits there is a rising demand in the Indian market. The market size is evolving and is getting enlarged and many players are coming out with their entire range of offering. Globalization will certainly increase international labels and products penetration and all professionals shall equip themselves to exploit opportunities offered by this sector. The consumers are the largest economic group in any country and the present day business activities are because of consumers only. Thus, consumers are the pillars of the economy. The consumers are not only the heart of marketing system, but also the controller of marketing functions. But it the modern marketing system consumers sovereignty has become a myth on account of the variety of problems in the process of merchandising. The study of consumer behavior enables marketers to understand and predict consumer behavior in the market place; it also promotes understanding of the role that consumption plays in the lives of individual. This gives me an opportunity to work on with this endeavor focusing on the Consumer behavior and perception of consumers towards apparel and accessories with special reference to LEVIS product line. The primary objective of the study is to understand the consumer behavior and perception of consumer by studying the awareness of the financial products within the consumers and the number of consumers who buys merchandize from LEVIS and its sub-brands under the Inditex flagship.

INTRODUCTION
This study aims in understanding consumer perception of LEVIS brand in the Indian consumers. The behavior that consumers display in searching for, purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products and services that they expect will satisfy their needs. It is essential to understand how people interact with the marketing system. Whatever else we may be in our lives Child, Student, Jogger, Lover, worker, Parent we are all consumers, all of our days. We buy and use goods and services constantly; to eat , to wear, to read, to watch, to play, to travel; to keep us healthy, to makes us wealthy and if not wise, at least better educated. Consumer behavior has changed dramatically in the past decade. Today, consumers can order online many customized products ranging from sneakers to computers. Today, the digital
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revolution of the market place allows much greater customization of products, services and promotional messages than older marketing tools. Consumer have Today A substantial increase in buying power. A Greater variety of available goods & services. A great amount of information about practically anything. A great ease in interacting and placing and receiving orders. An ability to compare notes on products & services.

Consumer behavior is the study of when, why, how, and where people do or do not buy a product. Perception is defined as 'the process by which an individual receives, selects, organizes, and interprets information to create a meaningful picture of the world'. THE SELECTIVE PERCEPTION PROCESS Stage Description Selective exposure consumers select which promotional messages they will expose themselves to. Selective attention consumers select which promotional messages they will pay attention to Selective comprehension consumer interpret messages in line with their beliefs, attitudes, motives and experiences Selective retention consumers remember messages that are more meaningful or important to them The implications of this process help develop an effective promotional strategy, and select which sources of information are more effective for the brand.CV 1. Information evaluation At this time the consumer compares the brands and products that are in their evoked set. How can the marketing organization increase the likelihood that their brand is part of the consumer's evoked (consideration) set? Consumers evaluate alternatives in terms of the functional and psychological benefits that they offer. The marketing organization needs to understand what benefits consumers are seeking and therefore which attributes are most important in terms of making a decision

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2. Purchase decision Once the alternatives have been evaluated, the consumer is ready to make a purchase decision. Sometimes purchase intention does not result in an actual purchase. The marketing organization must facilitate the consumer to act on their purchase intention. The organization can use variety of techniques to achieve this. The provision of credit or payment terms may encourage purchase, or a sales promotion such as the opportunity to receive a premium or enter a competition may provide an incentive to buy now. The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with purchase decision is integration. Once the integration is achieved, the organization can influence the purchase decisions much more easily. 3. Post purchase evaluation It is common for customers to experience concerns after making a purchase decision. This arises from a concept that is known as cognitive dissonance. The customer, having bought a product, may feel that an alternative would have been preferable. In these circumstances that customer will not repurchase immediately, but is likely to switch brands next time. To manage the post-purchase stage, it is the job of the marketing team to persuade the potential customer that the product will satisfy his or her needs. Then after having made a purchase, the customer should be encouraged that he or she has made the right decision. It is not effected by advertisement. FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE CONSUMER BEAHVIOUR Internal influences Consumer behavior is influenced by: demographics, psychographics (lifestyle), personality, motivation, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and feelings. Consumer behavior concern with consumer need consumer actions in the direction of satisfying needs leads to his behavior of every individual depend on thinking. External influences Consumer behavior is influenced by: culture, sub-culture, locality, royalty, ethnicity, family, social class, reference groups, lifestyle, and market mix factors

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Consumer purchases are influenced strongly by or there are four factors.

1. Cultural Factor Cultural factor divided into three sub factors (i) Culture (ii) Sub Culture (iii) Social Class Culture The set of basic values perceptions, wants, and behaviors learned by a member of society from family and other important institutions. Culture is the most basic cause of a persons wants and behavior. Every group or society has a culture, and cultural influences on buying behavior may vary greatly from country to country. Sub Culture A group of people with shared value systems based on common life experiences and situations. Each culture contains smaller sub cultures a group of people with shared value system based on common life experiences and situations. Sub culture includes nationalities, religions, racial group and geographic regions. Many sub culture make up important market segments and marketers often design products. Social Class Almost every society has some form of social structure. Social classes are societys relatively permanent and ordered divisions whose members share similar values, interests and behaviour. 2. Social Factors A consumers behavior also is influenced by social factors, such as the (i) Groups (ii) Family (iii) Roles and status Groups Two or more people who interact to accomplish individual or mutual goals. A persons behavior is influenced by many small groups. Groups that have a direct influence and to which a person belongs are called membership groups. Some are primary groups includes family, friends, neighbors and coworkers. Some are secondary groups, which are more formal and have less regular interaction. These include organizations like religious groups, professional association and trade unions. Family Family members can strongly influence buyer behavior. The family is the most important consumer buying organization society and it has been researched extensively. Marketers are

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interested in the roles, and influence of the husband, wife and children on the purchase of different products and services. Roles and Status A person belongs to many groups, family, clubs, and organizations. The persons position in each group can be defined in terms of both role and status. 3. Personal Factors It includes: Age and life cycle stage (ii) Occupation (iii) Economic situation (iv) Life Style (v) Personality and self concept. Age and Life cycle Stage People change the goods and services they buy over their lifetimes. Tastes in food, clothes, furniture, and recreation are often age related. Buying is also shaped by the stage of the family life cycle. Occupation A persons occupation affects the goods and services bought. Blue collar workers tend to buy more rugged work clothes, whereas white-collar workers buy more business suits. A Co. can even specialize in making products needed by a given occupational group. Thus, computer software companies will design different products for brand managers, accountants, engineers, lawyers, and doctors. Economic situation A persons economic situation will affect product choice Life Style Life Style is a persons Pattern of living, understanding these forces involves measuring consumers major AIO dimensions. i.e. activities (Work, hobbies, shopping, support etc) interest (Food, fashion, family recreation) and opinions (about themselves, Business, Products) Personality and Self concept Each persons distinct personality influences his or her buying behavior. Personality refers to the unique psychological characteristics that lead to relatively consistent and lasting responses to ones own environment. 4. Psychological Factors It includes these Factors.
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i)

Motivation (ii) Perception (iii) Learning (iv) Attitudes

Attitudes
Attitude can be defined as simply and overall evaluation and it usually play a major role in shaping consumer behavior. As represented in Figure, in a contemporary view, attitude is formed in two fundamental ways: the cognitive component beliefs, and the affective component feelings. And these two determinants contribute in different manner towards different attitude object. And then, a persons behavioral intention will depend on her or his attitudes. Consequently, consumers intentions to perform some behavior should increase as their attitudes become more favorable. (Engel, Blackwell & Miniard 1995, p. 364-366).

Beliefs

Feelings

Attitude

Behavioral Intention

Behavior

(Figure: The Relationship among Beliefs, Feeling, Attitude, Behavioral Intention, and Behavior)

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History of Levis
Levi Strauss started the business at the 90 Sacramento Street address in San Francisco. He next moved the location to 62 Sacramento Street then 63 & 65 Sacramento Street. Jacob Davis, a Latvian Jewish immigrant, was a Reno, Nevada tailor who frequently purchased bolts of cloth made from denim from Levi Strauss & Co.'s wholesale house. After one of Davis' customers kept purchasing cloth to reinforce torn pants, he had an idea to use copper rivets to reinforce the points of strain, such as on the pocket corners and at the base of the button fly. Davis did not have the required money to purchase a patent, so he wrote to Strauss suggesting that they go into business together. After Levi accepted Jacob's offer, on May 20, 1873, the two men received U.S. Patent 139,121 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The patented rivet was later incorporated into the company's jean design and advertisements. Contrary to an advertising campaign suggesting that Levi Strauss sold his first jeans to gold miners during the California Gold Rush (which peaked in 1849), the manufacturing of denim overalls only began in the 1870s. The company then created their first pair of Levis 501 Jeans in the 1890s, a style that went on to become the world's best selling item of clothing. photo of an advertising sign for Levi Strauss & Co. painted on a brick wall in Woodland, California LEVI STRAUSS ADVERTISING SIGN Modern jeans began to appear in the 1920s, but sales were largely confined to the working people of the western United States, such as cowboys, lumberjacks, and railroad workers. Levis jeans apparently were first introduced to the East during the dude ranch craze of the 1930s, when vacationing Easterners returned home with tales (and usually examples) of the hard-wearing pants with rivets. Another boost came in World War II, when blue jeans were declared an essential commodity and were sold only to people engaged in defense work. Between the 1950s and 1980s, Levi's jeans became popular among a wide range of youth subcultures, including greasers, mods, rockers, hippies and skinheads. Levi's popular shrink-tofit 501s were sold in a unique sizing arrangement; the indicated size referred to the size of the jeans prior to shrinking, and the shrinkage was substantial. The company still produces these unshrunk, uniquely sized jeans, and they are still Levi's number one selling product. Although popular lore (abetted by company marketing) holds that the original design remains unaltered,
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this is not the case: the crotch rivet and waist cinch were removed during World War II to conform to War Production Board requirements to conserve metal, and was not replaced after the war. Additionally, the back pocket rivets, which had been covered in denim in 1937 due to complaints they scratched furniture, were removed completely in the 1950s.[8] From a company with fifteen salespeople, two plants, and almost no business east of the Mississippi in 1946, the organization grew in thirty years to include a sales force of more than 22,000, with 50 plants and offices in 35 countries Levi Strauss & Co. also known as LS&CO or simply Levi's, is a privately held American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. It was founded in 1853 when Levi Strauss came from Buttenheim, Bavaria, to San Francisco, California to open a west coast branch of his brothers' New York dry goods business. In 1871, a Reno Nevada tailor named Jacob Davis invented the work pants, combining the tough denim from Levi Strauss with the idea to add copper rivets to key stress points. On May 20, 2006, a historic marker sponsored by the Reno Historic Resources Commission was dedicated at 211 N. Virginia Street at the historic location of Jacob Davis' tailor shop. In 1873, Levi Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis received a U.S. patent to make the first riveted men's work pants out of denim: the first blue jeans. The company briefly experimented (in the 1970s) with a public stock listing, but remains owned and controlled by descendants and relatives of Levi Strauss' four nephews. The company's corporate headquarters is located at Levi's Plaza in San Francisco.

ABOUT LEVI'S Invented in 1873, Levi's jeans are the original, authentic jeans. Available in 110 countries across the world, they are the most successful, widely recognized, and often imitated clothing products in the history of apparel. Levi's jeans have captured the attention, imagination, and loyalty of generations of diverse individuals. As the inventor of the category, the Levi's brand continues to define jeanswear with the widest range of products available, from quintessential classics, such as the iconic Levi's 501 Jeans, to favorite fits and styles in the Red Tab line, to truly cutting-edge denim fashion epitomized by Levi's Red.

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ABOUT LEVI'S IN INDIA Levi's entered the Indian market in 1994-95, with the opening of their first store in Bangalore in Jun 1995. Over the last 15 years, Levi's has become the largest and most iconic jeanswear brand in the country, available in approximately 270 exclusive stores, and 500 other points of sale, across more than 200 towns across India. Closely associated with the evolution of jeanswear fashion in India, Levi's has been responsible for some of the most cutting-edge, definitive, jeanswear communication India has seen. Levi's holds the unique distinction of having won the prestigious Images Fashion Award for the "Most Admired Jeanswear Brand of the Year" for six years in a row. With a product range that spans everyday-wear to extremely evolved, fashion-forward products, Levi's has been one of the primary catalysts in accelerating the coming of age of the Indian fashion scene. The Levi's range in India includes the iconic Levis 501 Jeans, Levis Red Tab, and Levis Diva, amongst others.The Levi's brand has big plans for its future in India, and is committed to firmly placing India on the world map in terms of jeanswear consumption and creation.

Introduction of levis jeans

Founded in 1853 by Bavarian immigrant Levi Strauss, Levi Strauss & co. (ls&co.) Is one of the world's largest brand-name apparel marketers with sales in more than 100 countries. There is no other company with a comparable global presence in the jeans and casual pants markets. Our market-leading apparel products are sold under the levis, Dockers and levi Strauss signature brands. In 1873, levi Strauss and Nevada tailor Jacob davis patented the process of putting rivets in pants for strength, and the world's first jeans levi's jeans were born. Today, the levi's trademark is one of the most recognized in the world and is registered in more than 160 countries. Over the years, Levi's jeans have become more popular in particular thanks to its product differentiation. After the release of the 501 product line, Levi's enjoyed the worldwide market
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dominance in the denim jean market. Levi's Strauss sends products in more than 110 countries. An important thing we can notice is that customers think differently according to their geographic situation. Indeed, for an American people, Levi's is considered as an ordinary jean. But in Europe, the brand doesn't represent the same for customers: it represents fashion. Actually, for European consumers, Levi's enables them to reach the American way of life. People who wear a Levi's jean are considered as cool and fashion. Levi's Strauss & Co also maintains its image as an originator of American jeans. THE INVENTION OF THE BLUE JEAN May 20, 1873 marked an historic day: the birth of the blue jean. It was on that day that Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis obtained a U.S. patent on the process of putting rivets in mens work pants for the very first time. Levi Strauss, a Bavarian-born dry goods merchant, came to San Francisco in 1853 at the age of 24 to open a West Coast branch of his brothers New York wholesale dry goods business. Over the next 20 years, he built his business into a very successful operation, making a name for himself not only as a well-respected businessman, but also as a local philanthropist. One of Levis customers was a tailor named Jacob Davis.

Levis Performance
Financials Since levis is a subsidiary of the parent company Inditex, this report includes some financials
about Inditex. According to the Data monitor report from the Market line industry profile of the american apparel retail industry profile (2008); this included charted information on Inditex about revenues and profitability. Their revenues started in 2004 with about $8 million and steadily rose to about $15 million in 2008. Inditexs profit margin started off somewhat low in 2004 at 11.6%, and peaked in 2007 at 13.3%. In 2008, their profit margin is back down at 12.1%.

Threats and Opportunities LEVIS

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Some threats that affect LEVIS include international expansion, geographic scope, and intense competition. LEVIS recognizes that the company needs to have a competitive advantage in order to survive, so they are constructing a second distribution center in America. Also the company is still looking to expand internationally. Expanding in Spain is difficult for the company because of past experience in America. Levis is considering expansion in North America, but is concerned that it is already suffering from retail saturation, less fashion-forward sense, the demand for plus sizes, lots of competition, and not enough demand for the clothing. Some opportunities faced by levis are expansion into other countries such as Europe focused primarily on Italy and scale up its distribution system. If Levis continues to expand it will then help to create a more recognizable brand name to consumers and in turn also help make a higher profit. In the construction of the second distribution center will help the growth of the company.

SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS High quality manpower resources Brand name Vast range of products and accessories Global Image

WEAKNESS Perceived by consumers as High Street Fashion Wear. Price of average products higher than available competition products from local market. OPPORTUNITIES Brand growth through increased consumption depth. Growth in business for branded fashion wear and apparel. THREATS Aggressive price competition from local and other multinational players. Availability of cheap copied designs / similar design apparels in local market. Abrupt change in government policies and taxes.

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Current Marketing Strategy- LEVIS

Levis is considering setting up loyalty programs to create a link with its customers and increase the number of people that visit the stores. Also the company is heavily concentrated on improving its logistics system which is very important to the company in having success in the clothing industry (Euro monitor International, 2009). Levis markets towards the Euro-chic crowd who wants more fashionable clothes with a shorter lead time. Levis produces lower quantities of clothing, therefore the supply of their items are very scarce. levis relies more on location of a retail establishment rather than advertising to attract customers. Only .3 percent of sales are spent on advertising for the company compared to that of its competitors who spend around 3.5 percent. levis is more concerned with finding the exact retail site that best suits the company rather than spending the extra money on luring customers into the store.

Levi Strauss advertising sign Modern jeans began to appear in the 1920s, but sales were largely confined to the working people of the western United States, such as cowboys, lumberjacks, and railroad workers. Levis
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jeans apparently were first introduced to the East during the dude ranch craze of the 1930s, when vacationing Easterners returned home with tales (and usually examples) of the hard-wearing pants with rivets. Another boost came in World War II, when blue jeans were declared an essential commodity and were sold only to people engaged in defense work. Between the 1950s and 1980s, Levi's jeans became popular among a wide range of youth subcultures, including greasers, mods, rockers, hippies and skinheads. Levi's popular shrink-tofit 501s were sold in a unique sizing arrangement; the indicated size referred to the size of the jeans prior to shrinking, and the shrinkage was substantial. The company still produces these unshrunk, uniquely sized jeans, and they are still Levi's number one selling product. Although popular lore (abetted by company marketing) holds that the original design remains unaltered, this is not the case: the crotch rivet and waist cinch were removed during World War II to conform to War Production Board requirements to conserve metal, and was not replaced after the war. Additionally, the back pocket rivets, which had been covered in denim in 1937 due to complaints they scratched furniture, were removed completely in the 1950s.[8] From a company with fifteen salespeople, two plants, and almost no business east of the Mississippi in 1946, the organization grew in thirty years to include a sales force of more than 22,000, with 50 plants and offices in 35 countries Levi Strauss & Co. also known as LS&CO or simply Levi's, is a privately held American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. It was founded in 1853 when Levi Strauss came from Buttenheim, Bavaria, to San Francisco, California to open a west coast branch of his brothers' New York dry goods business. In 1871, a Reno Nevada tailor named Jacob Davis invented the work pants, combining the tough denim from Levi Strauss with the idea to add copper rivets to key stress points. On May 20, 2006, a historic marker sponsored by the Reno Historic Resources Commission was dedicated at 211 N. Virginia Street at the historic location of Jacob Davis' tailor shop. In 1873, Levi Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis received a U.S. patent to make the first riveted men's work pants out of denim: the first blue jeans. The company briefly experimented (in the 1970s) with a public stock listing, but remains owned and controlled by descendants and relatives of Levi Strauss' four nephews. The company's corporate headquarters is located at Levi's Plaza in San Francisco.

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MARKET ENVIRONMENT Like other successful companies, Levis also has realized that the marketing environment presents a never-ending series of opportunities and threats. The major responsibility for identifying significant changes in the macro environment falls to a companys marketers. More than any other group in the company, the marketing managers of Levis are the trend trackers and Opportunity seekers. Many opportunities are found by identifying trends (directions or sequences of events that have some momentum and durability) and mega trends (major social, economic, political and technological changes that have long-lasting influence).Within the rapidly changing global picture, the marketers of Levis are monitoring the following six major Environmental Forces:

SEGMENTATION

Market segmentation is the selection of groups of people who will be most receptive to a product. The most frequent methods of segmenting include demographic variables such as age, sex, race, income, occupation, education, house old status, and geographic location; psychographic variables such as life-style, activities, interests, and opinions; product use patterns; and product benefits. Much segmentation involves combinations of these methods. No matter how segments are defined, however, they are characterized by considerable change over time. The readings in this section exemplify areas of rapid change.

TARGET MARKET STRATEGY Target market strategy adopted by Levis is basically on having long-term relations with their customers and to provide them with better product.

BENEFITS OF SEGMENTATION Levis has got customer oriented approach by segmentation. Company is promoting its products effectively within segments by print media as well as electronic media, e.g. Newspapers, Signboards, Television commercials, Internet, etc. Company is providing their customers with stylish better quality and different product keeping in view its cost.
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THANKS TO ITS DIFFERENT BRANDS, LEVI'S STRAUSS HAS A VERY LARGE TARGET.

A study about the age of respondent shows that 76% of 16-25 and 26- 35 age groups tend to own more than one or two pairs of jeans which is not the case for people above 35 years old. 31%. According to a study, what consumers like more about Levi's jean is its durability. Thanks to what Levi's represent, consumers are willing to pay a jean more expensive that if it was another brand. This is part because Levi's is considered as a love brand for many consumers and as a brand that they trust: since the 60's, Levi's has appeared as a love brand because it reaches the emotional field in the consumer mind. Thanks to that, Levi's consumers are very loyal. The consumer perception has evolved. At the beginning, during the 30's, Levi's jeans were wore by cowboys. Then, after the WWII it was also wore by veterans which made the Levi's jean more popular. At this time, jeans had a casual wear. The jean consumption has changed with the Baby Boom: Levi's tried to have younger consumers. During the 60's and the 70's, jeans represented rebellion for consumers and a new spirit, that's why Levi's needed to change its strategy: at that time, Levi's was more perceived as a Mommy jeans contrarily to other jeans brand. Another solution was to create the Levi's signature which was cheaper and more accessible. Moreover, Levi's has a good reputation among consumers thanks to its values and its social actions. Indeed, Levi's values are integrity, empathy, originality and courage. Levi's wants to be ethics and social responsible in its business. For its social actions, Levi's is very engaged in the fight of HIV: the company wants to improve the access to HIV/AIDS prevention.

CUSTOMERS FEEDBACK AND LEVIS IMAGE

The in-store feedback from consumers is sent back to designers every day. The fashion requests collected by stores leads to the initiation of the productive process, which puts together a supply in agreement with the customers wishes as quickly as possible. This business strategy involves constant relations with the commercial supply and bringing personnel closer to the customer.
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Brand values, images and brand-added value cannot be evidenced directly through levis management, but they can be reflected by customers feedback. For instance, whether levis image is positive or negative for consumers; whether consumers see extra value add to levis; and which values of levis they will choose. With regard to brand image, a good design or a unique product strategy can influence it to be positive as mentioned above. While in 2007, levis launches its first collection of maternity wear. The levis for Mum line went on sale in March in over a hundred stores in the main cities of america and since September it has been available at all establishments of the chain in the world with a wide range of articles. This Mum line promotes a powerful image of levis into the minds of consumers, as it takes consumers demands seriously and seeks to meet mothers needs and feedback. As a result, levis improves its reputation in the fashion industry still further. A levis Brand Identity The Levis brand epitomizes classic American style and effortless cool. Since the invention and patent of riveted clothing by Jacob Davis and company founder Levi Strauss in 1873, Levis jeans have become the most recognizable and imitated clothing in the world capturing the imagination and loyalty of people for generations. And while the patent has long since expired, the Levis brand portfolio continues to evolve through a relentless pioneering and innovative spirit that is unparalleled in the apparel industry.

Core Identity Product thrust: casual and stylish. User profile: casual and professional youth who are aggressively interested in style and trends of fashion and lifestyle. Extended Identity Brand personality: Exciting, provocative, spirited, cool, innovative, and aggressive; and the pursuit of excellence Basis for relationship: Hanging out with a rugged, macho person who goes for the best in clothing, everything else Subbrands: denizen, dockers
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Logo: levis Slogan: "Quality never goes out of style Organizational associations: Connected to and supportive of casuals, innovative Endorsers: Top Hollywood actors-Deniel Radcliffe, Denise Richards,keira knightly, Heritage: Developed jeans in America. Value Proposition Functional benefits: High influence in fashion lifestyle and provide comfort trends. Emotional benefits: The exhilaration of athletic performance excellence; feeling en gaged, active, and style Credibility Makes performance jeans and clothing that are stylish.

BRAND IMAGES AND ADDED VALUE

Positioning and brand values that are chosen can be conveyed to consumers and form an image. Consumers attitudes determine whether the brand image is positive, and whether the bran dadded value is high. So managers should take consumers attitudes into account when they express their brands images and added value. levis is good at collecting consumers feedback, because the in-store feedback is sent back to designers every day. A brand image comprises content and reputation. The content ... refers to the associations a brand name may invoke Some brands call up many associations. Due to the consumers attitudes, they receives a positive image from levis (the content is high quality and modern; the
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reputation is high). Although positive or negative brand images are decided by consumers, design and product strategy have an effect on the creation of brand images. The chic design of levis evokes several associations such as fashionable, beautiful and colorful, and these associations give consumers a good image, while this design with medium price enhances levis image to be stronger and more positive. In addition, the unique product strategy of levis promotes the brand images. Consumers deem the speed of launching a new collection of products of levis is fast. Due to the exact data from the corporation, it produces about 11,000 different products annually, and spends four to five weeks on the process of designing a new product and getting finished products into its stores. If the product life cycle is shortening, consumers preferences will be fulfilled with a greater success. In 2007, This strategy improved levis image in the mind of consumers, strengthening the brand still further.. It takes account of consumers demand, which extends to accomplish mothers needs and feedback, and obtains a high reputation in the fashion industry. However, A brand image gives no insight into the relative value that consumers ascribe to attributes or associations. The concept of brand-added value does take into account the differences in importance between associations. Brand-added value is constituted of perceived performance (perceived quality and perceived material differentiation), psychosocial meaning and brand name awareness, and a high level in any one of these components leads to a high brand-added value. Owing to consumers attitudes, the branding of levis provides them with a guarantee of quality and offers them product satisfaction. What is more, they think levis keeps a high level of quality all the time. These views show that levis is perceived as having high performance levels. As mentioned in the positioning part, levis struggles to convey which social class it belongs to. So psychosocial meaning has not a remarkable effect on levis added value. Awareness of levis name is extremely high; when consumers hear or see this brand name, they are instantly aware that it is a fashion brand, and can differentiate it from other high street brands. In a word, the added value of levis is high. Therefore, a brand with positive images and highly added value can easily become a powerful brand.

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DISTRIBUTION PLACE There is a significant change in market distribution channel of apparel. Distribution places are: Hyper markets Super markets In India there are new markets opening up and maturing fast. There are facilities like Hyper Markets coming up in smaller towns with adequate consumer base. So brands like levis can always find customers in cities like Kolkata, Bangalore, Chenai, Pune for their future expansion.

PRODUCT STRATEGY Levis in India has come up with their entire product line: Levis Woman, Kids, Men, TRF

QUALITY It is easily identifiable that levis has better quality stock, superior design and importantly more affordable when compared to similar retailers who appeal to the same target audience such as: Roger David, Witchery, Susans, Portmans, Sports girl, Forever New, Bardot, and Politix. These Retailers must innovate to regain consumer confidence. Price discounting has lost its glamour it can no longer be reliant upon to generate sale.

PRICE STRATEGY Levis pricing strategy is usually global and standard across globe. The difference in pricing is due to the import and other country specific duties. But yet knowing that LEVIS productions are all in house and in India most of their merchandize are being imported, yet they are able to price their product below their nearest competitions that is Promode, Mango, S Oliver, Forever New, Forever 21 etc.

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PERCEPTUAL MAPPING OF LEVIS BRAND

CONCLUSION Levis is perceived as either an European or Middle East Brand in India and is in the lifestyle and high street segment. The pricing for their product is yet considered to be higher than the similar local label products.

REFERENCE www.commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0416 /headlines05/0416--01.htm>.

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 CIO.com www.cio.com/article/31948/Supply_Chain_Partnersh www.cio.com/article/31948/Supply_Chain_Partnerships_How_ ips_How_ www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_29/b3792068.ht www.levistrauss.com forbusiness.com

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