Consumer Behaviour – Assignment

TOPIC 1
Congruency between brands and self-image

“A person is believed to buy brands in the product class whose

image is most congruent with his self-image.”
People who have attained a certain level of success, fame, popularity or
glamour in life often try to materialize their image by adopting brands that
are consistent with their image. The reason behind this is that certain
brands succeed in positioning itself to meet the personality traits of the
customers. The brand-image hits the mind of the consumer and the
consumer connects his personality with the brand. For example, the case
of Maruti Suzuki SX4 positioned itself as a masculine car by using the
catch line, “men are back.” Such brand positioning directly hit the men who
are conscious of their manliness. Another successful example which is
worth a mention is TVS Scooty Pep+. TVS Scooty Pep+ positioned itself
as a two-wheeler specially designed for teenage girls by exclaiming, “Why
should boys have all the fun!?”

Congruency of brands and self-image is seen to a large extent in the case

of celebrities. Film stars or sport stars who endorse brands often connect
with the brand they endorse and establish a degreeof congruency with the
brand.

Self-image/product-image congruence models employed in consumer self-

concept studies were identified and criticized for their atheoretical
foundation. These models include the absolute difference, the simple
difference, the difference squared, the Euclidean distance, and the
divisional models. This study is designed to compare the predictive
strength of a theoretically-based congruence model (referred to as the
Interactive model) with those traditional congruence models in relation to
purchase motivation (i.e., product preference and purchase intention). The
results showed that the Interactive congruence model predicted consumers'
purchase motivation only slightly better than the traditional models.

Thus, it can be inferred that:-

 Consumers form their self concepts through psychological development

and social interaction. Because the individual’s self concept has value
to him, he will act to define, protect and further it.
 Products and brands are perceived by consumers as having images or
symbolic meaning.

 Because of their symbolic role, selective possession, display and use of

these good symbols assist an individual in defining and enhancing his
self concept for himself and for others.

 Therefore, the behavior of individuals will be motivated toward furthering

and enhancing their self concept through the consumption of goods as
symbols.

 The brands that will be preferred are those that the consumer perceives
as having images which are most consistent with his self concept.

Congruency between brands and self-image can be explained with the help
of the following two real-life examples:-

(i) Congruency between the brand Raymonds and a successful man

Over the years, the suiting brand, Raymonds, has positioned itself as the
symbol of a ‘complete man’. A man who has been successful in life and
follows his ethics and values in whatever he does, connects to the brand to
the extent that the Raymonds suit completes him.

(ii) Congruency between the brand Tata Salt and the average Indian
consumer

Tata Salt uses the catchline ‘desh ka namak’ which symbolizes patriotism
and nationalism. Hence. the Indian consumer pervasively connects with
the salt brand and hence, establishes a degree of congruency.
 TOPIC 2
Questionnaire on a English Newspaper Daily
1) What is your preferred media for collection of news / information?

a) Newspaper c) Television
b) Radio d) Internet

Majority of people preferred the television. However, people also mentioned that they would
read the newspaper daily early morning. Some people also said they would not feel good when
they could not get newspaper early morning.

50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Newspaper Radio Television Internet

2) Which is your preferred newspaper?

a) The Telegraph c) The Times of India

b) The Economic times d) The Statesman

e) Any other (please specify)

Most people mentioned they preferred The Telegraph. The closest competitor is The Times of
India.

60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

3) Which section would you read first, in the newspaper?

a) Entertainment c) Sports
b) Domestic d) Business e) Others
Most people preferred to read the Entertainment section. Recently, The Telegraph had
increased the pages of T2 to 24 pages. This accentuated the popularity of the section.

45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Entertainment Domestic Sports Business Others
4) Which supplement/add-on do you prefer in The Telegraph?

a) Know-how(Monday) c) Jobs(Tuesday)
b) Telekids(Wednesday) d) Career Graph(Thursday)
c) Personal TT(Saturday) f) Graphiti(Sunday)
People really appreciated the Tuesday edition and the sale is also high on Tuesday because
of jobs. Graphiti is also popular among people.
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
y) y) y) ay
) y) y)
nda sda sda sd r da nda
o e ne r tu
Tu u
Sa Su
(M ( ed Th ( ti(
w bs ph
( T hi
-h
o Jo s(W ra al
T
ap
w kid eg on Gr
o le rr rs
Kn Te Ca Pe

5) What changes would you prefer in the newspaper?

a) Yes b) No

People had various views on newspapers with respect to certain components which they
desire in newspapers, like they wanted newspapers to lay more stress on business news
and news that is more relevant. The business section is quite brief according to them. They
also pointed out the advertisement clutter in newspapers, especially in the T2 section of
The Telegraph. In respect of the coverage of politics news, they mentioned it was quite
satisfactory.
 80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
Yes No

Conclusion
The research undertaken has led to a number of findings. English dailies
have been compelled to strive for viewership amongst readers.

English dailies The Telegraph and The Times of India are at No.3 and No.
4, respectively. The Telegraph has seen a marginal growth of 0.11 per cent
in its AIR at 883,000, while The Times of India has seen a slight dip of 0.18
per cent and its AIR in Q3 stands at 559,000.

Among English dailies in Kolkata, The Telegraph is the most read, followed
by The Times of India, The Statesman, The Economic Times and
Hindustan Times. The Statesman has seen a 3.01 per cent fall in its AIR at
129,000. The Economic Times has recorded an AIR of 95,000, up 1.06 per
cent, while Hindustan Times has seen a 7.89 per cent rise in its AIR at
41,000.