A REPORT

ON
RE BRANDING AND MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS OF
SONY INDIA

By
Arpit Dadhich
Enroll. No. 09BS0003078
 A REPORT
ON
RE BRANDING AND MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS OF
SONY INDIA

By
Arpit Dadhich
Enroll. No. 09BS0003078

A report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of MBA

program of
The ICFAI University, Dehradun

Submitted to:
Prof. Arun Prasad
IBS Pune
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ICFAI University for having
Management Research Project as a part of the M.B.A. curriculum.

I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to the following individuals who have played a
crucial role in the research for this project till now. Without their active cooperation the
preparation of this interim report could not have been completed within the specified time limit.

Firstly I would like to acknowledge my faculty guide Prof. Arun Prasad who supported
me throughout this project till now with utmost cooperation and patience. I am very much
thankful to him for sparing his precious time for me and for helping me in doing this project.

Last but not the least I would like to thank the staff of IBS Pune for providing me with
all the requirements of this interim report.
 Introduction

The purpose of this interim report is basically to know about branding and about Sony. The
report which has been made so far would cover the basics of branding and how companies
rebrand their products. The report will also see that how through branding they communicate
with the customers. So the first thing which we need to understand is that what is branding.

A brand is the identity of a specific product, service, or business. A brand can take many forms,
including a name, sign, symbol, color combination or slogan. The word brand began simply as a
way to tell one person's cattle from another by means of a hot iron stamp. A legally protected
brand name is called a trademark. The word brand has continued to evolve to encompass identity
- it affects the personality of a product, company or service.

A concept brand is a brand that is associated with an abstract concept, like breast cancer
awareness, rather than a specific product, service, or business. A commodity brand is a brand
associated with a commodity. Got milk? Is an example of a commodity brand.

Brand is the personality that identifies a product, service or company (name, term, sign, symbol,
or design, or combination of them) and how it relates to key constituencies: Customers, Staff,
Partners, and Investors etc.

Some people distinguish the psychological aspect, brand associations like thoughts, feelings,
perceptions, images, experiences, beliefs, attitudes, and so on that become linked to the brand, of
a brand from the experiential aspect.

The experiential aspect consists of the sum of all points of contact with the brand and is known
as the brand experience. The psychological aspect, sometimes referred to as the brand image, is a
symbolic construct created within the minds of people and consists of all the information and
expectations associated with a product or service.

People engaged in branding seek to develop or align the expectations behind the brand
experience, creating the impression that a brand associated with a product or service has certain
qualities or characteristics that make it special or unique. A brand is therefore one of the most
valuable elements in an advertising theme, as it demonstrates what the brand owner is able to
offer in the marketplace. The art of creating and maintaining a brand is called brand
management. Orientation of the whole organization towards its brand is called brand orientation.

Careful brand management seeks to make the product or services relevant to the target audience.
Brands should be seen as more than the difference between the actual cost of a product and its
selling price - they represent the sum of all valuable qualities of a product to the consumer. There
are many intangibles involved in business, intangibles left wholly from the income statement and
balance sheet which determine how a business is perceived. The learned skill of a knowledge
worker, the type of mental working, the type of stitch: all may be without an 'accounting cost' but
for those who truly know the product, for it is these people the company should wish to find and
keep, the difference is incomparable.

A brand which is widely known in the marketplace acquires brand recognition. When brand
recognition builds up to a point where a brand enjoys a critical mass of positive sentiment in the
marketplace, it is said to have achieved brand franchise. One goal in brand recognition is the
identification of a brand without the name of the company present. For example, Disney has
been successful at branding with their particular script font (originally created for Walt Disney's
"signature" logo), which it used in the logo for go.com.

Consumers may look on branding as an important value added aspect of products or services, as
it often serves to denote a certain attractive quality or characteristic (see also brand promise).
From the perspective of brand owners, branded products or services also command higher prices.
Where two products resemble each other, but one of the products has no associated branding
(such as a generic, store-branded product), people may often select the more expensive branded
product on the basis of the quality of the brand or the reputation of the brand owner.

Brand awareness

Brand awareness refers to customers' ability to recall and recognize the brand under different
conditions and link to the brand name, logo, and jingles and so on to certain associations in
memory. It helps the customers to understand to which product or service category the particular
brand belongs and what products and services are sold under the brand name. It also ensures that
customers know which of their needs are satisfied by the brand through its products (Keller).
Brand awareness is of critical importance since customers will not consider your brand if they
are not aware of it.

'Brand love', or love of a brand, is an emerging term encompassing the perceived value of the
brand image. Brand love levels are measured through social media posts about a brand, or tweets
on sites such as Twitter. Becoming a Facebook fan of a particular brand is also a measurement of
the level of 'brand love'.

Brand promise

The marketer and owner of the brand have a vision of what the brand must be and do for the
consumers.

Brand promise is what a particular brand stands for (and has stood for in the past). It has its roots
from the identity that it gains over a period of time. Usually, brand promise is an attribute
common to 'Parent' brands. Herein, the brand may broadly stand for Quality, Performance, Trust,
or False promises. However, the extensions, or the brands under the parent brand umbrella, may
stand individually for a particular trait which it has delivered over the years, for example, 'the
best sparkling teeth', or 'the trusted bank to bank with for centuries', et al.

Global brand

A global brand is one which is perceived to reflect the same set of values around the world.
Global brands transcend their origins and create strong enduring relationships with consumers
across countries and cultures. They are brands sold in international markets. Examples of global
brands include Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Marlboro, Levi's, Shell, etc. These brands are used to
sell the same product across multiple markets and could be considered successful to the extent
that the associated products are easily recognizable by the diverse set of consumers.
Benefits of global branding

In addition to taking advantage of the outstanding growth opportunities, the following drives the
increasing interest in taking brands global:

 Economies of scale (production and distribution)

 Lower marketing costs
 Laying the groundwork for future extensions worldwide
 Maintaining consistent brand imagery
 Quicker identification and integration of innovations (discovered worldwide)
 Preempting international competitors from entering domestic markets or locking you out
of other geographic markets
 Increasing international media reach (especially with the explosion of the Internet) is an
enabler
 Increases in international business and tourism are also enablers

Global brand variables

The following elements may differ from country to country:

 Corporate slogan
 Products and services
 Product names
 Product features
 Positioning
 Marketing mixes (including pricing, distribution, media and advertising execution)

These differences will depend upon:

 Language differences
 Different styles of communication
 Other cultural differences
  Differences in category and brand development
 Different consumption patterns
 Different competitive sets and marketplace conditions
 Different legal and regulatory environments
 Different national approaches to marketing (media, pricing, distribution, etc.)

Local brand

A brand that is sold and marketed (distributed and promoted) in a relatively small and restricted
geographical area. A local brand is a brand that can be found in only one country or region. It
may be called a regional brand if the area encompasses more than one metropolitan market. It
may also be a brand that is developed for a specific national market; however an interesting thing
about local brand is that the local branding is more often done by consumers than by the
producers. Examples of local brands in Sweden are Stomatol, Mijerierna etc.

Ambient brand

An ambient brand is a movement, where the brand is organized around values and social needs
instead of promoting a specific product. It is a virtual space, defined by values and occupied by a
community of likeminded people. Whereas a traditional brand is entirely dependent on products
and their parent corporations, an ambient brand is an independent social movement that
companies can participate in. They are not selling products, they are allowing their company to
participate in a social movement and allow their brand to be identified with this. It exists as a
shared values space where consumers gather, converse and ultimately transact with organizations
that appear to be in alignment with the values associated with that community. Corporations do
not create ambient brands. They must qualify for inclusion within them by demonstrating that
they share the values and will service the interests of their associated communities. The brands
develop organically as a result of emerging social and cultural codes and are materialized
through people’s ability to organize around them through the use of mainly virtual communities
on the web.
After understanding branding we must understand that how Sony uses its brand value for
retaining customers and to increase the same. Before moving on we must first get an idea about
Sony.

Sony Corporation or commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate

corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media
conglomerate with revenue exceeding ¥ 7.730.0 trillion, or US$77.20 billion (FY2010).[3] Sony is
one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, products for the consumer and professional
markets.

Sony Corporation is the electronics business unit and the parent company of the Sony Group,
which is engaged in business through its eight operating segments – Consumer Products &
Devices (CPD), Networked Products & Services (NPS), B2B & Disc Manufacturing (B2B &
Disc), Pictures, Music, Financial Services, Sony Ericsson and All Other. These make Sony one
of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. Sony's principal business
operations include Sony Corporation (Sony Electronics in the U.S.), Sony Pictures
Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Ericsson, and
Sony Financial. As a semiconductor maker, Sony is among the Worldwide Top 20
Semiconductor Sales Leaders.

Products offered by Sony

 Sony has a variety of products ranging from electronic devices, games

 And entertainment. So, briefly Sony products can be categorized in the following
 major product categories:
 i. Television and Projectors.
 ii. Home video.
 iii. Home Audio.
 iv. Home Theatre system.
 v. Digital Photography.
 vi. Hand cam video camera.
 vii. Computer Peripheral.
 viii. Portable Audio.
 ix. Game.
 x. In-Car entertainment.
 xi. Mobile phones.
 xii. Storage and Recording media.
 xiii. Batteries and Charger.
 xiv. Other Accessories.
 9
 A. Television and Projectors
 In the category of television and projector, Sony has further subdivided its
 products in different models, style and performance. In this category we have
 several other sub categories and designs which are:
 i. Bravia LCD TV.
 ii. CRT TV.
 iii. Home theatre projector
 iv. Business Projector.
 v. Public Display Panel.
 As it can be seen above, Sony has tried to cover many areas where the
 need of displaying devices are of great need. For example here we can see that
 Sony has tried to fulfill the demand of displaying devices from the home
 television sets, Office projectors and Public display panels to cover different
 needs and the size of the people in need of those displaying devices.
 B. Home Video
 In this category, Sony has tried to bring in new format so as to dominate the
 market, for example the emerging data storage format called Blue- ray has been
 launched along with the devices which can be used to run such a latest storage
 technology. In these category, Sony has included home video systems and
 accessories which can enable the user to record various favorite TV programs.
 These products include:
 i. Blue-ray disc player.
 ii. DVD player.
 iii. DVD portable player.
 10
 C. Home Audio
 Depending on the customer needs, usage and budgets, Sony has provided
 several home products ranging from small packages to big audio systems. They
 boast on their Hi-Fi which deliver rich music, made richer with preset equalizer
 settings. Among other features which Sony boast to offer are like, multiple disc
 changers which for putting many discs at a go. Also, Some even house additional
 features such as the ability to handle multiple formats, track programming and
 repeat and random play.
 The home audio products categorized by Sony are:
 i. Hi-Fi Systems.
 ii. Home audio accessories. E.g. Digital media port.
 D. Home Theatre System
 Sony has tried to combine the latest video and audio technologies. Sony
 has developed a series of Home Theatre Systems that provides customers with
 an enhanced home theatre experience, eg. Surround sound environment and
 dedicated audio input for connecting portable digital music players.
 In this category, Sony has categorized the products as:
 i. DVD Home Theatre System
 ii. Home Theatre Component System
 iii. Home Theatre System Accessories
 E. Digital Photography
 In terms of digital photography, Sony has produced a variety of imaging
 devices depending on the users and their professions. For example for a casual
 user or girls there are slim camera which can be easy to carry or put on the
 purse. For real photograph enthusiast and professionals there are more
 sophisticated cameras with advanced features like digital SLR camera. And also
 they have produced photo printers and frames.
 The sub-categories in digital photography which Sony offers include:
 i. Digital SLR
 ii. Cybershot Digital Camera
 iii. Digital Photo Printer
 iv. Digital Photo Frame.
 11
 F. Handy Cam Video Camera
 Sony has produced a variety of video camera for home and office use. A
 variety of these handy cam video camera are easy to use as from producing
 family video, documentary filming and developing feature films.
 The subcategories of these hand cam video camera produced by Sony are as
 follows:
 i. Handycam high definition video Camera
 ii. Handycam Standard Definition Video Camera
 iii. Handycam Accessories
 iv. Digital Photo Printer
 v. Digital Photo Frame
 G. Computer and Peripherals
 Combining form, function and the latest in technology, Sony provides a
 range of IT and computing devices. In case of the computer devices Sony has
 produced a variety of laptops with different price ranges and performance to
 meet the demands of the users like home users, students and businessmen.
 The sub-categories of these are:
 i. VAIO laptops and computers
 ii. VAIO accessories
 iii. Business Projectors
 iv. Memory Stick
 H. Portable Audio
 Sony has produced a lot of various varieties of portable audio whose main
 targets are the youth of the new generation.
 The sub-categories of these portable audio produced by Sony are:
 i. Walkman mp3 series
 ii. CD Walkman series
 iii. CD/Radio/Cassette player
 iv. Radio
 v. Voice recorder
 vi. Audio Accessories
 12
 I. Games
 Sony offers games of all genres to match customers gaming preference.
 Also, Sony has produced Powerful consoles which are accompanied with
 compelling games.
 These games produced by Sony includes:
 i. Playstation 3
 ii. Playstation 2
 iii. PSP (Playstation Portable)
 J. Mobile Phones
 With Sony Ericsson, Sony has produced a variety of mobile phones for
 different people, lifestyle, usage, budget and profession. Also a series of mobile
 phone accessories have been produced by Sony so that customer can spruce up
 their mobile phone’s appearance, prevent them from damage, or enhance their
 usage.
 Among the subcategories are:
 i. Phones
 ii. Phone Accessories.
 K. In-Car Entertainment
 Different in-car entertainment products have been produced by Sony.
 Apart from the normal car radio and CD changer devices, Sony has produced
 more entertaining devices to view different media like video and television.
 Among the products subcategorized in this category are as follows:
 i. Xplod CD receiver
 ii. Xplod in car visual
 iii. Xplod Cassette receiver
 iv. Xplod Amplifier
 v. Xplod Speaker/Subwoofer
 13
 L. Storage and Recording Media
 Sony has developed a range of reliable storage and recording media that
 customers can depend on for recording, transferring or storing their information.
 These products ranges from those devices which can be used to store small
 amount of data for transfer and those media to store a large amount of data
 permanently.
 The sub- categories of these products include:
 i. Memory Stick
 ii. USB storage media
 iii. Data storage media
 iv. Video Storage media
 v. Audio media
 vi. Storage media
 vii. Professional media
 M. Battery and Charger
 Sony has a range of batteries that are long-lasting and offer maximum power
  for optimum performance, making sure that the customer will never be left
 hanging during the most crucial time.

Branding of Sony

Sony has always been focused as a high end brand. It’s a company which has always been
involved in continues development and innovation. Sony has aggressively placed its brands in
the market. Sony has taken the following initiatives as per branding and marketing
communications goes.

 Goodwill earned by so many years of work

 Use of celebrities

 Sponsoring sporting events

 Changing its tagline

 Constantly reviving and re branding of certain products

 Sponsoring other events

Goodwill earned by so many years of work

Throughout its history, Sony has demonstrated an ability to capture the imagination and enhance
people’s lives. The company has been at the cutting edge of technology for more than 50 years,
positively impacting the way we live. Further, few companies are as well positioned to drive the
digital age into homes and businesses around the world for the next 50 years and beyond.

Sony innovations have become part of mainstream culture, including: the first magnetic tape and
tape recorder in 1950; the transistor radio in 1955; the world’s first all-transistor TV set in 1960;
the world’s first color video cassette recorder in 1971; the Walkman personal stereo in 1979; the
Compact Disc (CD) in 1982; the first 8mm camcorder in 1985; the MiniDisc (MD) player in
1992; the PlayStation game system in 1995; Digital Mavica camera in 1997; Digital Versatile
Disc (DVD) player in 1998; and the Network Walkman digital music player in 1999.

Today, Sony continues to fuel industry growth with the sales of innovative Sony products, as
well as with the company’s convergence strategy. Examples include: VAIO notebooks that raise
the bar in both form and function; digital cameras that capture pictures on a floppy disk, CD-R or
Memory Stick; a handheld device that lets you store and view photos as well as moving photo;
MiniDisc recorders with a digital PC Link to marry high quality digital audio with downloadable
music; DVD/CD multi-disc changers that playback both audio and video; digital network
recorders that pause, rewind and fast-forward "live" television using a hard-disc drive; and Hi-
Scan flat screen TVs that deliver near HDTV picture quality through Digital Reality Creation
(DRC) circuitry. So in so many years by dedicated service and products to customers Sony has
earned its position of market leader in market.

Use of celebrities
in India Sony has used various celebrities for different products. The celebrities include Kareena
Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, and various others. These endorsees create a visual effect which is
also to an extent cognitive also. In a country like India people relate to celebrities to a great
extent. These advertisements helped Sony in relating its brand to the customers. These
advertisements basically target to the products of Sony but along that they give a message about
the brand as well. Some of the advertisements samples of Sony are presented as under:
Sponsoring sporting events

Sony has always been keen as a sponsor. Recently Sony sponsored this year’s football world
cup.

For the same Sony has signed a partnership program with FIFA. The details of the same are
given under:

Sony Corporation announced the signing of a global partnership program contract with FIFA
(Fédération Internationale de Football Association).The contract will run from 2007 to 2014 with
a contract value (excluding product leases) of US$305 million (approximately ¥33.0 billion*).

Through this program Sony will be able to exercise various rights as an official sponsor of over
40 FIFA events. These include the world’s greatest football event the FIFA World Cup™** (due
to be held in South Africa in 2010 and South America in 2014)*** as well as the FIFA Women’s
World Cup, the FIFA Confederations Cup and the FIFA Interactive World Cup.
As a FIFA Partner, Sony will energetically promote advertising and marketing activities at these
events, utilizing the global strength of its group companies in electronics, entertainment, game
etc.

The agreement signed with FIFA makes Sony a “FIFA Partner”, the highest level of sponsorship
status which is accorded to only six companies. Only one FIFA Partner is chosen for a number of
defined industry or business categories. Sony has been chosen for the “Digital Life” category
which will be established in 2007. “Digital Life” covers a wide variety of business activities
from entertainment to electronics and as a FIFA Partner in this category; Sony will be able to
exercise certain exclusive rights.

Through this partnership contract, Sony has been given a broad array of rights at FIFA events.
Sony will be able to use the partner logo at the FIFA World Cup™ and other FIFA events as well
as having rights to the use of certain FIFA images and archive materials. Other rights will
include advertising boards in stadiums, TV sponsor credits, on-screen IDs**** and preferential
negotiation rights for TV Commercial spots.

As a FIFA Partner, Sony will mobilize its personnel, material and intellectual property resources
and develop new marketing methods to create new value for customers. Sony also hopes to make
a real contribution to the great sport of football around the world through this deep and long-
lasting partnership with FIFA.

The key sectors of the Sony group (including electronics, movies, music and game) will be
involved in our partnership with the world’s most popular sport – football. These activities will
heighten awareness and respect for the Sony brand, and as we deliver dreams and new forms of
enjoyment to customers, will enhance our overall corporate value.
 References

 www.google.in

 www.sony.co.in

 www.yahoo.com

 www.wikipedia.com