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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT
TITLE:
Study on promotional activities of Harsha
Harsha enterprises belong to Prakash Group of Industries. Prakash group was started by
five members of a family settled in Udupi. The group initially started with its entry into
Timber business and gradually they diversified to different sectors like electric, plastic,
engineering etc. At present Prakash group has successfully been in manufacturing,
trading and retailing.

Name of the company: HARSHA


PROBLEM DEFINATION
Title of project:
Study on promotional activities of Harsha

OBJECTIVES OF STUDY:
i) To know the different medias that Harsha can use for its promotional activities
ii) To know the media through which the consumers were aware about Harsha
iii) To know what measures that Harsha has to take in satisfying its customers
iv) To know why consumers prefer Harsha for shopping

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BENEFITS
Benefit to the company:
With this study, the organization (HARSHA) will be benefited in terms of
learning1) HARSHA can know about the requirement of the promotional activities.
2) Learn more about how to improve their activity.
3) Study the changes in the market conditions.

Benefit to academics:
It will help me in understanding The market for the consumer and electronic goods in Hubli city.
Companies Decision Making Process for selection of media.
Companies choices of service offered to consumers.
To understand how Harsha makes decision while choosing different media for
advertising.
The experience gained during this study will provide as a tool, which

can be

applied in any future undertakings of similar nature.

Findings:

81 people were aware about Harsha with the help of their Family & Friends and
37 got aware from News paper & 32 from Banner

51 people go to Harsha because they get quality products and 37 people say they
go because of discounts and 20 because of the service provided by Harsha
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From the survey on 150 respondents 62 people say they are dissatisfied and 45
people say satisfied from the discounts.

59 people say that they are satisfied with the service what Harsha is giving and 55
people say they are dissatisfied with the service provided by Harsha.

Out of the survey made on 150 people 58 people say they are satisfied by the
price what Harsha charges to the consumers & 53 people say they are dissatisfied
with the price of Harsha.

Out of the survey made on 150 respondents 65 people say they are dissatisfied
with the products range what Harsha is having and 45 people say they are
satisfied with the product range what Harsha is having.

Out of the survey made from 150 respondents 65 people say Harsha has to use
Mobile SMS as a source to communicate about the events and offers and 51
people say they have to show their ads in local cable television and 30 people say
they have to use the source of data base of the customers and should communicate
them about the offers

Recommendations:

Based on the response received from the respondents the following


recommendations are made for the improvement in the functioning and service
conditions of HARSHA.

As most of the respondents are dissatisfied with the discounts provided by Harsha
so Harsha has to look on the discount part of it and should give some more
discounts compare to other players in Hubli.

The difference between satisfied and dissatisfied people in case of service of


Harsha is not more so this shows that Harsha has to provide proper service to their
clients.
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Harsha should also have more of the product range in their outlet as most of the
consumers complain about the non availability of the products so in order to cater
the customers Harsha has to improve its product range.

In order to improve its mileage in conveying the customers regarding the events
carried out at Harsha they can use Mobile SMS as a new mode of communication
as most of the consumers have suggested for. They can also use television as a
mode in giving the advertisements.

ConclusionsThe study helped me gain valuable insights in Harsha and also as to the factors that what
the consumers expect from the Harsha. This project titled Study on promotional
activities of Harsha has been a knowledge gaining experience for me. By interacting
with the respondents. I have been able to understand the activities of Harsha their way
of working and their way of approaching the customers and the importance of
Advertising, i.e. how beneficial is the advertising for any firm to communicate about
their offers and events to the consumers. The results of the survey proved to be
encouraging. The respondents were very positive in providing the information about how
Harsha has to go for promotion and why do they go for Harsha and what measures
Harsha has to take in improving the service to their customers, Though there are many
competitors in the market for this segment, the company HARSHA is doing well by
satisfying its customers by having good relationship with them and. I offer my best
wishes for the same and hope that my work will be of some use for the company
effectiveness.

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Introduction of Advertising
As it becomes more and more difficult to differentiate products by functionality and by
price, branding and imagery becomes a crucial aspect of differentiation. Advertisements
can be considered as the space where meaning is arranged so that transfers of meaning
and the structure between the signifier and the signified can take place. Only in an ad can
the meaning of the cowboy be transferred to Marlboro. Constructing and developing
meaning for images is possible mainly through advertising. The signifier and the signified
are processed in an advertisement and create the image for the brand over time.
Advertising plays a crucial role in creating the image of a brand since it is a direct
communication outlet. Through advertising, the brand generates its structure as well as
content, and builds up consumer behavior those results in the purchase of that particular
brand. Brand image is more dependent on symbolic image value than the reputation of
product attributes. Brand equity, both arbitrary and planned, dissolves rapidly in today's
competitive marketplace and thus requires constant support. Advertising is the key to the
maintenance of the brand image. For effective answer successful branding and
widespread knowledge and acceptance, repeating the brand image is necessary.
Advertising is perhaps the only medium where the fantasy and myth come together to
create the kind of magic symbolism entails. How can you rationally explain why you are
a Nike person rather than a Gucci one? These are questions that should be answered with
an open-minded research objective.

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Advertising's Role in Business, Society


Advertising has always played in immense role in our society. Without advertising, the
average consumer would not be able to be told what to buy. They would have nothing in
their home, because no one told them to buy anything. It has become fact that advertising
affects our daily lives everyday. "In 1915, a person could go entire weeks without
observing an ad. The average adult today sees some three thousand every day". Every
advertisement should be analyzed with great detail,
The consumers need to be entertained by television, newspaper, and internet has launched
a new type of advertising. Advertisers are beginning to use famous entertainers in their
advertisements so that people pay attention to them. Almost every advertisement that is
seen today has somebody that the consumer will recognize. Whether it be a movie star, a
comedian, athlete, or a reality television star, the advertiser will make sure that a
percentage of the viewing audience knows that person. Not only do they attract our
attention with the use of somebody famous, they also attract our trust. By seeing this
person on television all the time and especially if you like this person, you feel
comfortable with the product almost immediately without even knowing what it is or
does.
Everyone thinks that advertising is full of lies, but it's not what you think. The facts
presented in advertising are almost always accurate, not because advertising people are
sticklers but because their ads are very closely regulated. If you make a false claim in a
commercial on network television, the FTC will catch it. Someone always blows the
whistle. The real lie in advertising - some would call it the "art" of advertising - is harder
to detect. What's false in advertising lies in the presentation of situations, values, beliefs,
and cultural norms that form a backdrop for the selling message (Chiat).

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Advertising has come a long way from what it used to be and has a long way to go before
we see anything new. The advertisers have found quite a few niches where they can work
from and still get a large quantity of consumers to purchase their products. With the help

of psychologists, sociologists, and many other doctors that focus on how the human brain
works, it will be extremely difficult to tackle the advertisement industry as we know it
today.
BASICS OF ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS
Advertising and promotions is bringing a service to the attention of potential and current
customers. Advertising and promotions are best carried out by implementing an
advertising and promotions plan. The goals of the plan should depend very much on the
overall goals and strategies of the organization, and the results of the marketing analysis,
including the positioning statement.
The plan usually includes what target markets you want to reach, what features and
benefits you want to convey to them, how you will convey it to them (this is often called
your advertising campaign), who is responsible to carry the various activities in the plan
and how much money is budgeted for this effort. Successful advertising depends very
much on knowing the preferred methods and styles of communications of the target
markets that you want to reach with your ads. A media plan and calendar can be very
useful, which specifies what advertising methods are used and when.
For each service, carefully consider: What target markets are you trying to reach with
your ads? What would you like them to think and perceive about your products (this
should be in terms of benefits to them, not you)? How can you get them to think and
perceive that? What communications media do they see or prefer the most? Consider TV,
radio, newsletters, classifieds, displays/signs, posters, word of mouth, press releases,
direct

mail,

special

events,

brochures,

neighborhood

newsletters,

etc.

What media is most practical for you to use in terms of access and affordability (the

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amount spent on advertising is often based on the revenue expected from the product or
service, that is, the sales forecast)

You can often find out a lot about your customers preferences just by conducting some
basic market research methods. The following closely related links might be useful in
preparation for your planning.

Major Methods of Advertising


Direct mail -- Mail sent directly from you to your customers can be highly customized to
suit their nature and needs. You may want to build a mailing list of your current and
desired customers. Collect addresses from customers by noticing addresses on their
checks, asking them to fill out information cards, etc. Keep the list online and up-to-date.
Mailing lists can quickly become out-of-date. Notice mailings that get returned to you.
This should be used carefully and it can incur substantial cost, you don't want to inundate
your stakeholders with information so make the most of your message.
Magazines -- Magazines ads can get quite expensive. Find out if there's a magazine that
focuses on your particular industry. If there is one, then the magazine can be very useful
because it already focuses on your market and potential customers. Consider placing an
ad or writing a short article for the magazine. Contact a reporter to introduce yourself.
Reporters are often on the look out for new stories and sources from which to collect
quotes.
Newspapers (major) - Almost everyone reads the local, major newspaper(s). You can get
your business in the newspaper by placing ads, writing a letter to the editor or working
with a reporter to get a story written about your business. Advertising can get quite
expensive. Newspaper are often quite useful in giving advice about what and how to
advertise. Know when to advertise -- this depends on the buying habits of your
customers.
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Posters and bulletin boards -- Posters can be very powerful when placed where your
customers will actually notice them. But think of how often you've actually noticed
posters and bulletin boards yourself. Your best bet is to place the posters on bulletin
boards and other places which your customers frequent, and always refresh your posters

With new and colorful posters that will appear new to passers by. Note that some
businesses and municipalities have regulations about the number of size of posters that
can be placed in their areas.
Radio announcements -- A major advantage of radio ads is they are usually cheaper than
television ads, and many people still listen to the radio, for example, when in their cars.
Ads are usually sold on a package basis that considers the number of ads, the length of
ads and when they are put on the air. . A major consideration with radio ads is to get them
announced at the times that your potential customers are listening to the radio.
Television ads -- Many people don't even consider television ads because of the
impression that the ads are very expensive. They are more expensive than most of major
forms of advertising. However, with the increasing number of television networks and
stations, businesses might find good deals for placing commercials or other forms of
advertisements. Television ads usually are priced with similar considerations to radio ads,
that is, the number of ads, the length of ads and when they are put on the air.
Yellow Pages --The Yellow Pages can be very effective advertising if your ads are wellplaced in the directory's categories of services, and the name of your business is
descriptive of your services and/or your ad stands out. The phone company will offer free
advice about placing your ad in the Yellow Pages. They usually have special packages
where you get a business phone line along with a certain number of ads.

How Advertising Works


Advertising is simply a creative form of communication; an intimate
conversation requiring a response, even invoking emotions from time

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to time which engage the consumer in the message. It is a message,
generally persuasive in nature, but not intended to be forceful or
abrupt. Advertising is sometimes considered a positive institution,
creating awareness about products and services, even constitutional
amendments, social issues and the like; while at the same time it is
considered a shameless practice, encouraging consumers to spend
money on goods they otherwise would not if it werent for the
pervasive messages conveyed in
advertisements. In regard to the latter, advertising is a scapegoat for
those who wish not to take responsibility for their actions. Could you
imagine the incredible power of a tool that controls peoples actions,
or better yet their spending habits? Outlined here is how advertising
works.

What is an advertisement?
Is it a free key chain or tee shirt imprinted with a logo? Is it a recommendation from a
valuable and respected source, a free sample of a product, or maybe a coupon? All of
these ideas can represent a brand and create awareness about products and/or services
however; this is not what advertisers do. There is a fine line between advertising and
marketing promotional materials, of which these are examples.
Advertising plays a prominent role in the lives of consumers although they may not be
conscious of how important a role that is. Consumers do not look forward to relaxing in
front of the television in hopes to catch some of their favorite spots. They do not take
their radios to the beach to sit around with friends and listen for exciting, catchy jingles.
In fact, most consumers would admit commercials annoy them. Many consumers flip
through channels during commercial breaks or fast-forward through them in their
previously recorded programming. Besides cutting into their favorite programming,
many consumers believe they are deceitful in nature, although there is no substantial
evidence that subliminal persuasion even exists.
ADVERTISING CREATIVITY
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Creativity is an essential resource to survive in the market and for this reason we always
look for it. Companies entrust their image to advertising agencies to realize ever more
creative, innovative and amazing advertising.
Among advertising agencies, VP Graphic boasts experience and professional
competence. It is an agency which works, thanks to its collaborators, with great passion,
dynamism and efficacy.

Advertising is seduction, art and investment. VP Graphic is based on a simple


philosophy: advertising sells (a product, a brand, an idea) when it has a quality thought
expressed through targeted and original communication strategies.
To advertise does not mean to create an instruction manual to use a product, but to
communicate innovative and clever ideas to increase your income.
Advertising must be funny, clever, unique and exciting, for this reason VP Graphic
Design places the most ambitious and creative minds at your disposal. We want to offer
to you the best advertising, this is our mission.

Media Selection Process


Understanding The Market
To determine which medium we should use to advertise our product we must first
understand our target market. This includes the following:
1.

Knowing who they are. Are they consumers (all consumers, or just select

consumers, Fortune 100, small business, etc. If they are all consumers, or a large part of
the population, we can use mass market medium such as network TV, radio or general
publications (weekly newspaper). If they are Fortune 100 or small business we might use
specific trade publications that target our same markets.

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Their buying process. Is the sale simple (a package of gum that is an instant

decision), or complex--requiring numerous complex presentations and layers of approvals


(educational or government sales).
3.

Who are the final decision makers, along with the primary and secondary

influencers. For a sales force automation decision, the final say may be the VP of Sales.
However, the primary influencers may be the sales people and sales managers (who have
to use it every day), plus the IT department (who has to support it). The secondary
influencers may be the president (who wants more sales), the CFO (who has to finance
it), and the secretary (who has to enter weekly leads).

The percentage weight of influence of each person in the decision chain helps determine
which medium and publications we may target. The VP of Sales may travel. The
Regional Sales Manager may be trying to move up (so Success Magazine may work).
The IT department may need integration support (so CRM magazine may work), etc.
I typically create a matrix showing the key decision and influencers within the market
and have the most market--knowledgeable internal team members (product managers,
sales managers, PR, etc.) come to a consensus as to which percentage weight we should
assign to each group. This process is subjective, but usually yields fairly accurate results-when the numbers come in.
4.

Where they buy. If the target buys from retail, we may use Run of Press ads

(co-op ads with the retailers). If the target buys from VARs or Integrators, we may use
VARBusiness to recruit more VARs (who in turn may use direct response mail to reach
the targets). If they buy on-line--we may run direct response ads with an on-line or 800#
call to action.
5.

How they buy. If the customer buys on terms, our ads may mention financing

options (cars, delayed payment).


6.

What the competition is doing. We might use services such as AdScope to

compile a 12-month history of our competitors campaigns so we can see their media
targets and either apply a blocking campaign, were we match (and counter) a
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competitors campaign, or use a separatist campaign, where we fish in a different pond
entirely (assuming we know the market better than they do--which should be the case).
Or we may choose to do some of both.
7.

What has worked for us in the past (which media and ad format generated the

most revenue?). This is one of the most difficult steps since most companies do not
capture this information. If nothing is in place, then you must extrapolate the data from
whatever sources you have. You must also fix this problem immediately and setup a
complete tracking system--or you will not have the managerial information you need to
determine which medium is working best (TV, Radio, Publications (and which of the
publications is working best)--i.e., are you fishing in the right pond, nor will you know

which ad format and message is working best (do you have the right bait). See the later
section within advertising on Tracking & ROI to see how to set this up.
Understanding your customer and being able to answer each of the previous questions is
the hard part. Finding media that targets our same prospect is actually the easy part.

Selecting The Correct Media


The next step is to determine which medium type (TV, Radio, Display Ads) will reach
your desired targets and generate the greatest ROI. It may be multiple types--if so, you
should put a % weight value on each and consider your budget accordingly.
In the high-tech market (aside from consumer electronics (PlayStations, Dell, etc.)), the
most widely used advertising medium is print. Within the print medium, the most
common for high-tech is trade publications (rather than the general business and
consumer publications like Newsweek, Fortune, Popular Mechanics, Southern Living,
etc.). Trade publications might include PC Magazine (general market), Network
Computing (corporate networking), Video maker (highly vertical video market), Gaming
(obvious), etc.

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The key is to find the right publication (the pond) that contains the most of your preferred
target (type of fish).
Fortunately, there are several publications that can help you determine the demographics
of various media and publications. For example, the Nielson Rating can tell you the
audience demographics and ratings for specific network and cable stations and specific
television shows. Other services like those from IAG Research can measure the
performance of every ad. However, they often only measure recall within the channel, by
brand, and the fit (how well it was integrated into the show). Based on these criteria, they
rate as most effective those ads (brands) that are recalled by the most people. However,
a more important indicator is not the recall scores, but the ads that actually sell and cause
a change in brand preference.

You can find a fairly comprehensive on-line listing of TV, radio, newspapers, on-line, and
trade magazines at Media Post. Registration is free and they even include a free on-line
media scheduling tool.
If you are moving into a new market and dont know the most popular trade publications,
then you will have to use media books (Bacons is again helpful), internet resources, get
help from alliances, and clients (ask what they read), or from a media buying company. If
you are fairly certain of the publications you want to use, you can go to their web site (or
call for a media kit) and get rates, demographics, circulation, frequency, etc.
If you talk to a rep, be cautions not to place too much merit when they say they cater to
your market (Ive had some sales reps try to sell me placement in a publication that was
clearly not aimed at my target). The Editor in Chief understands the publications target
best since he/she must create content to appease that audience. This is one of the reasons
I usually get PRs assistance in the media selection--they know who covers your space by
the type and number of articles produced for your desired target. The PR group also has
the editorial schedule that helps identify the target audience.

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Media Schedule for All Campaigns
Once you have identified your target publications, and have a rough idea of cost (you can
estimate by using the rate card, you can establish a media schedule. This is a chart that
shows which publications you will use, along with the projected run dates. I typically
setup the schedules within a spreadsheet.
When determining the media schedule, you have decided if you will have an ongoing
campaign throughout the year, or if you only have the budget to advertise during the
launch (and perhaps periodically thereafter). The ultimate decision is the ongoing return-I let the ROI determine the continued investment).
I typically get the greatest returns during the launch and diminishing returns thereafter
(and these will require an ongoing promotion to bring a positive direct response return).

If the later returns still meet your minimum ROI requirements, and you have the budget,
then you should continue the investment.
Impressions
With all of my combined campaigns, I typically try to achieve the minimum number of
impressions (exposure to your ads, direct mail, pr, etc.) to get a prospect to buy. It has
been my experience that it typically takes 5-7 impressions before a prospect buys. The
first time they are aware of your product. The second they take note. The third they may
decide to find out more. The fourth they may decide to get it. The 5th time they may
actually write down the phone number or URL and the 6th time on they might actually
call or visit the web site to place the order. If not available on-line, it may take a few
more impressions for them to get out of their chair and go to the store to buy it, or to
remember to get it when in the store.
Different products have different conversion cycles, as do different campaigns.
Sometimes you may have a hot promotion that pulls on the 2nd impression, other times

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nothing works. It is important to measure the response from each promotion (pr, direct
response, ads, etc.) so you know which is creating the greatest impact and positive return.
How To Negotiate - Print Ads
If you do not have an ad agency or a media buying service, and you have a relatively
straight-forward trade publication campaign, you will need to know how to negotiate
your media placements. Even if you do let someone else negotiate your media buying,
you should still know the process and how much you should typically be paying, if
anything, so you can estimate for your budgets. I would highly recommend sending your
designated media buyer (usually the ad manager or Director of Marketing/Marcom) to the
Media Buying Academy. If not, then at least order the videos or tapes (they are similar to
the cost of one seminar and can be re-used to train additional folks). Regardless,
following are a few basic tips to negotiate print ads:

1.

Dont go by the rate card. Buying advertising is like buying a car. As such, there

are multiple terms, options, time frames and sale techniques--of which you need to
counter to negotiate, not just buy your medium. As such, this is not the position for the
timid negotiator, unless you have a tiger behind the person talking to the ad reps that is
making the final decisions.
2.

Negotiate magazine position and page position. As part of your negotiation you

need to try and get within the first third of the magazine, since the readership is higher.
The exception is if you are going for a front or back cover, or wish to have your ad next
to an editorial that is reviewing your product category. You also need to negotiate left or
right hand positioning on the page (right hand ads typically pull more).
3.

Negotiate research. Magazines conduct regular readership campaigns to find out

what their constituents would like to see. Sometimes you can get some of your own
research questions addressed--a cheap way for you to get quantitative research at no
additional cost. They also run advertising awareness research campaigns. You need to
negotiate some coverage in both of these as part of your placement.

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4.

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Negotiate web site adjuncts. Most publications nowadays have a web

component of their printed publication. You want banner ads and coverage for their online constituents also- -especially if they may be adding their on-line readership to their
overall posted circulation.
5.

Negotiate use of their mailing lists. The reason you are selecting a specific trade

publication is because they have already found your desired target audience. You can
often gain access to their list for your direct mail efforts. This saves you the cost of
purchasing lists, and the chances of having the correct targets are very high.
6.

Negotiate free ad space in special editions. Some publications have an annual

special issue--see if you can have this included for free.


7.

Negotiate more color. Some publications charge less for two color than four. Use

the two color rate card and then ask for the extra colors as part of the buy.
8.

Require approval to close. Like I mentioned earlier, if you are not a tiger, or

even if you are, you should let the sales rep know that you dont have the final decision-and then not let them talk directly to the person who does. This is a technique that they

will often use when you make special request...you can turn the table and use the same
approach. I always told my battle hardened ad manager that my initial answer was
always going to be NO. This allowed them to say, my boss says no, and wants...
9.

Negotiate toward the best rate on the rate card, even for a short campaign.

For example, if they have a 24 time rate, but you are only running a 3 month campaign,
you already know what they are willing to go down to (based on volume). This should be
an easy target.
10.

Negotiate an escape clause. If they want a long-term commitment for the better

rates, then ask for an escape clause (ask regardless). This means that you can cancel the
remaining ads if the publication doesnt pull, or if the product slips or is canceled, or if
your budget gets kills (especially during the 4th quarter at a large public company)
without paying a short rate. By the way, one well--respected media buyer said you can
always cancel a campaign. They wont back charge you the higher rate and risk you not

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advertising again. He says the best words are, We wont be able to pay for this. Nobody
wants to get tied up trying to collect the uncollectable.
11.

Base your value on the LPP. Sales reps will try to use cost per thousand (CPM)

to establish value. This helps you to know the potential reach, but the % of the total reach
that matches your profile and their influence within the buying process is the most
important factor. This is why I prefer to use the cost per lead per publication (LPP). This
ratio will cut through all the chaff and tell you immediately if you are fishing in a
stocked pond or if youre not fishing where your buyers swim. When the sales rep brags
about his CPM, counter with your revised % of his circulation that even meets your need.
Then counter than his CPM, based on your actual target, is way to high--and use another
publications rates of CPM/actual target to reduce the price.
12.

Re-negotiate based on CPM rate for the best LPP within your group of

publications. For example, when deciding which pubs to keep and which to drop, you
will do an analysis to get the cost per lead per publication. If theres is borderline, you
can ask them to match the pricing that you need to keep them--or they are out. And then
do the same with your other pubs--those that will give you the revised pricing that will
put them in your keep em pile you keep, those that dont get cut.

13.

Make sure the editorial matches the readership. If the sales rep uses CPM, and

their editorial content for your target is only 10% of the publication, then re-quote the
CPM in those terms and go from there.
14.

Contract for no rate changes. Some contracts say the publication can change the

rate at anytime with a 30 day notice. Include a clause that says your rates are guarantee
during the length of the contract.
15.

Dont always buy on specials but buy what you need, when you need it (but

save the specials to hit them up with them later if you decide to invest in the
publication later).
16.

Dont be embarrassed to make ridiculous request at any stage of the

negotiation. The only way I can afford to buy from you is if your rate is $ ____. The
worse they can say is no--and you may get some terrific deals.

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See if there are any alliance ad deals. When launching Netscape, Microsoft had

a campaign where they subsidized your campaign if your put, Works with Microsoft
Windows prominently within your ad (the ad reps discretion). As a result, we got seven
Ziff Davis publications...for less than 1/2 the price of one! It was nice that our ad rep told
us about these deals--you need to ask. In addition, see if there are affiliate or co-op
programs with Intel, Microsoft and others for publishing compatibility with their
applications. You can also see if you can split the ad cost with an alliance and develop
your campaign jointly (works best for products that require another to work (i.e., a
modem to use AOL, etc.).
18.

Negotiate the payment due terms. Some pubs require money up front, others

allow you to pay afterwards--this is obviously better, or worse, depending on your


budget. For example, I may run out of money for the 4th quarter, so I asked to be billed
the beginning of the first quarter. It is somewhat risky for the pubs if you dont get the
budget...but it may be the only way to fit them in. Other times you may have budget to
spend now, and you can pre-bill, if you get a discount (of course).
19.

Take into account seasonal ad buying. Some publications may offer discounts

during certain times of the year (it helps them solidify their ongoing business if they have
commitments in advance).

20.

Negotiate editorial coverage. Some publications like PC Magazine typically

have a Chinese wall between sales and editorial. However, with other publications it may
be the actual editor in chief that is soliciting ad space (Ive had it happen within multiple
smaller and hungry trade publications). In these cases, you can actually buy press with
your placement. It is not worded as such, but these publications will commit to reviewing
your product (first looks and complete reviews) if you commit to advertise. If they will
do it, we can double our number of impressions by taking advantage of their financial
connections (some editors realize - no ads, no paycheck).
21.

Negotiate spot ads. Sometimes there is a review within the editorial schedule

that covers your category, but it is during a period you are black. You can negotiate that it
is included free, or at least at the previous rate, even if it is disconnected to your regular
campaign.
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere


Negotiate with the VP of Sales, and bypass your local and regional reps. This is

especially important when you want to combine the total number of ads from all of your
divisions. For example, I was targeting a publication that already featured ads from
several of my companies other divisions. I first contacted each of the divisions to find out
their rates (they were different), found the best, and then contacted the VP of Sales to
negotiate a group rate for all our divisions that took into account our joint buying
power.
23.

Consider using a media auction. Some sites like MediaBids will offer services

similar to on-line travel buying. Check it out to see if it works for you.
24.

Deduct the agency fee--as your final negotiation. After everything is done and

negotiated to your best ability, deduct the 15% fee that would usually be paid to an
agency. Why not , they would have negotiated with an agency, and still had to pay the
15%. Theres no reason you shouldnt keep it since you are the acting agency. Ive never
had this denied- -theyve been shocked, but it was never turned down.
There are obviously many more points to negotiate (especially when purchasing radio,
TV, web and other types of medium), but this is a good list to start from.

Advertising Guidelines
Now that you have selected the media, setup a schedule, and purchased your space; it is
time to design an ad that sells product. This section will only review print ads, but some
of the concepts (especially the persuasive format) are still applicable to other ad types.
I categorized ads into two types, those that sell, and those that dont--I dont care for
those that dont. Some ad agencies justify non-selling ads by suggesting that their artsy
designs help build the brand. I say, fine--selling ads also build the brand--in fact, they do
so much quicker (if someone buys your product...poof--theyre branded!). I also run from
agencies that cite the awards theyve won for their ads--I hire them to help me sell
product, not win awards. It is important to note that these ad awards are usually given by
peers who admire the design--even though the ad may not pull a single lead. This is not to

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say that selling ads should not look good, but their primary purpose is to sell--either a
tangible product or intangible company image (brand).

COMPANY PROFILE

INTRODUCTION
Harsha enterprises belong to Prakash Group of Industries. Prakash group was started by
five members of a family settled in Udupi. The group initially started with its entry into
Timber business and gradually they diversified to different sectors like electric, plastic,
engineering etc. At present Prakash group has successfully been in manufacturing,
trading and retailing.

The Prakash Group major areas of operation are:

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Prakash Timber- Manufacturing of products from timber.

Prakash Industries- Comprise of a unit into business of switch boards.

Prakash Engineering company- Wholesale distribution of engineering appliances.

Prakash Electric Co. - Into Wholesale distribution of electric appliances.

Prakash Bakelite and Plastic- Switches and lightening business.

Asha Engineering Co. It is into manufacturing of TV trolleys and is also into


manufacturing of wooden furniture.

Prakash Business Solution This is a division of the group into software and
mainly providing business solution.

ORIGIN OF HARSHA
Harsha is a part of Prakash electric company private Limited. They retail mainly
consumer durables include mainly White goods- TV, Refrigerator, washing Machine, Air
Coolers, Music Systems etc. The home appliances include cookers, mixers, Grinders,
Microwave Ovens, Crockery and cutlery etc. The 9th of March 1987 happens to be the
mile stone day to Prakash electric company as it inaugurated its first retail outlet in Udupi
under the name of HARSHA with a showroom of 2700 sq. ft. area. To date the chain of
outlet has been expanded to five showroom covering different areas of Karnataka state.

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The showroom has been situated in different cities over the years with differing
showroom space.

The following list indicates where and when the showroom has been situated over the
years.
PLACE
Udupi

YEAR OF STARTUP
9th March 1987

AREA
2700 Sq. Ft.

Mangalore

15th May 1992

3500 Sq Ft.

Mangalore
(Super Shop)
Shimoga

29th May 1998

1500 Sq. Ft.

12th October 1998

3500 Sq. Ft.

Hubli

15th May 2001

4000 Sq. Ft.

Puttur

12th July 2003

5000 Sq. Ft.

HARSHA What you dont Get else where


Harsha deals with household consumer durables. The Store provides most
of the household products. They have a wide range of products lines with variety of
branches in each product line. The customers have to do their choice of different brands
which enables them to make comparison among several brands and select the one which
suits them. Within 4000 Sq. Ft. of area the customers can get durables like Mixer,
Grinder, Washing Machine, Refrigerators, Television, Music Systems, Fans, luggage,
Microwave Ovens and Mobile hand sets. Harsha also provides to its customer a variety of
crockery and cutlery, dish washer, jars.
VISION OF HARSHA

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To become Indias respected consumer durable retail outlets.
OBJECTIVE OF HARSHA
To deliver Quality products that gives value for money and excellent service that
satisfies and delights the customer totally.
PRINCIPLES HARSHA PRACTICE

Every individual must be respected.

Every customer should be given the best possible service.


MAXIMS HARSHA FOLLOWS

Give the world the best you have, the best will come back to you.

Before you say I cannot say I will try then give it your best.

If we keep our customers happy, they will keep us in business.

Quality always scores let us keep ours high.

Once our customers, always our customer.

Keep learning new ideas, make work interesting.


ORGANISATION CHART

Managing Director

Board of Directors

Showroom Manager

Commercial
Executive

Material
Sales
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Supervisor

Service
Engineer

Delivery
Section

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Assistant

Assistant

Driver
Counter
Supervisor
Outdoor
Engineer

Indoor
Engineer
Delivery
Boy

A Brief Introduction of function carried by personnel


Managing Director
The function of the Managing Director is to look after all the financial aspects of
the branch at the center and taking decision based on the proposal submitted by different
branches. Making arrangement for payments to the parties and banking accounts are
handled by them.
Marketing
Advertisement
1) Agency
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Preparation of the hoarding, Banners, brochure and others aspects are
handed over to the agency who are engaged in preparing the Banners or hoardings. They
prepare an rough copy and submit it to the marketing department for the approval, the
department analyze it if approved or any changes needed suggesting the agency and
places the order.
2) Press
The advertisement is also given in the local newspaper by the way of
distributing the pamphlet inside the newspaper.
3) Management Information System
4) Broadcasting in Radio and Advertisement in Local Channels
Costing
1)

Feedback from respective Counters

About the Discounts, Offers and Promotional tools are decided based on getting the
feedback from the counters, mailing it to the center at Udupi. The costing department
takes decision on the discounts or offers to be given based on the feedback and taking
care that it does not effect the margin.

2)

Decision about prices:

a. Prices are mailed to the costing at the center quoted by the company.
b. Negotiation on the prices quoted by conducting meeting.
c.

The decided prices are mailed back to the respective branches.

Service
Outdoor Service are Provided
1) Companies People

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The calls made by the customer are registered by the outlet recording the problem
faced by the customer on use of the product. The branch registers the problem and
contacts the company, provide information about the problem.
2) Showroom Personnel
Human Resource Development
Recruitment
Training
1) In House training
2) Outside house Training
Deputation
Salary- Provident fund
These function are handled by the HRD Department
Materials
Stock
Inventory

Categories in Products
1) TV
Portable
a) Doom
b) Flat
Economy
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20 inches doom
21 inches doom and flat
25 inches flat
29 inches doom and flat
29 and above wide screen
Projection
43 to 54 inches
Plasma
32 to 57 inches
Simi Flat
29 to 54
2) Fridge
Direct cool (Single Door)
Frost Free (Double Door)

3) Washing Machine
Automatic
Simi Automatic
Automatic
1)

Front Loading

2)

Top Loading
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4) Microwave Oven
Solo Grill
Micro Wave and Grill
Micro Grill and convection
5) Audio
Low Ended
Walkman and Stereo
VCD and DVD (Stand Alone)
Mini Micro Systems
High Ended
1)

Home Theater

2)

Mini System.

6) Mobiles
1) Black and White
2) Color Display
3) Video Camera Mobile

7) Grinders
1)

Regular

2)

Tilting

3)

Table Top

8) Mixers
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1)

Only Mixer

2)

Juicer, Mixer Grinder

3)

Food Processor

Events carried out at HARSHA


Some major events in more advertisement and sales promotion activity are carried
out in Harsha are as follows.

Harshotsava

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This is the anniversary celebration carried out at various branches every year
during which the existing and potential customers are invited and special arrangements
are made through attractive schemes and discounts besides the shopping activity other
entertainment activities are organized through various contests and games. This event is
conducted for six days.
Monsoon Magic
This is an effort to move items like refrigerators and coolers etc for instance
during summer time there is more demand for these and hence to boost up the sales the
company provides special offers and discounts especially in the month of May.
Deepavali Bazzar
This is the special promotional effort of the company during Deepavali festival.
Happy Times
This includes the Christmas and New year time and here again the company
coupled by good discounts provides attractive schemes.
Apart from the above

Exchange Offer

Loan Mela

Stalls and Exhibitions

How this unit is different form others:


What you do not get elsewhere is found in Harsha Harsha is into retailing activity of
consumer durables like TV, refrigerators, washing machines, air coolers, etc. and major
home appliances like cookers, mixers, grinders, microwave oven, crockery cutlery etc.
Harsha provides some exchange offers to provide the customer a good service.

There is a wide range of products available in Harsha.


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Readability.

There are many choices of all different companies and different brands.

The main thing is Harsha provides equal liberty to all range of products.

Initial and proper guidance will be provided to customers.

There is a friendly atmosphere in this unit.

There are four Counters in Harsha. They are :


1.

First Counter : It includes cookers, mixers, hot box, other crockery items, etc
(Prashanth K)

2.

Second counter :It includes mobiles, calculators, Wall clocks, iron box, fans etc.
(Arvind P)

3.

Third Counter :It includes music systems, televisions, radio and VCDs, etc.
(Arun K. B.)

4.

Fourth Counter :It includes fridge, washing machines, and air coolers.
(Prashanth Amin)

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Pricing Policy of the Harsha:


Harsha policies are proactive with respect to the corporate level. That is the ethics, values
are same across the branches and the entire corporate culture can be reflected from a
single branch. However as far as the pricing policy is concerned the company adopts
more of reactive policy that is the price and discount is market driven as per the local
market condition. This can be justified on the account of the fact that there are numerous
dealers present in the local market for instance in Hubli there are more than 26 players
like Kandkurs, GTL, Vaman Home Appliances, Om Appliances, etc. so these act as major
determinants to set up the price. Another major determinant of pricing policy is the
customer perception and anticipation which certainly varies across the geographical
region as the living standard, acceptance level, priorities and spending pattern will vary
throughout.
Any decisions relating to increase or decrease in prices in Harsha is decided by
the Head office, i.e. Prakash Electric Pvt. Ltd. Co. It will provide minimum discounts on
routine days.
Harsha Prices its products at three forms, i.e.:
1.

Fixed discount on the Product :


This is the discount which is fixed and is specified by the head office. This part in

fact constant across the branches.


2.

Regular Day Discount :


This is basically the market driven part of the discount which is an against the

local market conditions.


3.

Festival or Seasonal Discount:


This is special discount or offers which are given during festivals like Diwali,

Christmas, etc.
Other than cash discounts Harsha also offers certain attractive gifts, etc. The
choice is left up to the customer as to whether or not he or she is interested in cash
discount, gifts or combination of both.
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Quality policy:
1.

Give the world the best you have and the best will come back to you.

2.

Before you say I cannot say I will try, then give it your best.

3.

If we keep out customers happy, they will keep us in business.

4.

Quality always scores, lets keep ours high.

5.

Once our customers; always our customers.

6.

Keep learning new ideas, make work interesting.

7.

Every businessman is a customer of some other businessman, so treat the

customers the way you are treated.


The satisfaction of customers is considered as one of the main keys in the bunch of keys
used by the consumer durable retail company to succeed. As the durable product is
purchased as a symbol of prestige for some and for some others it is a self-entertainment
means. The performance of the product to be prescribed level of standard will bring
satisfaction to the customers, and they will feel the value for their money. The consumer
durable retail outlet has to be effective in providing value for money for its customers. It
is important for a retail outlet to know the satisfaction of its customers.

Recruitment Policy in Harsha:


Ninety five percent (95%) of people are recruited from their mother town, i.e.
Udupi. Fist advertisements for job offers are given in local newspapers in Udupi. The
selections are done on the basis of qualification and experience. All the workers working
here are either graduates, diploma holders or MBAs in HRD. Each worker is given
minimum 1 month training and maximum 1 year training on job. Length of the training
period is based on the performance of the candidate. After the training period the
candidate is appointed in any of the Harsha branches.

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Training is also given by various companies for which Harsha is the dealer, i.e. through
company service executives. Special training is given particularly on technical aspects.
There is also a special Human Resource Development Training by M. R. Madhav, who is
a famous HRD consultant. He will visit once in a year to different companies like
Prakash Electric Company.
There are around 21 workers in Harsha Unit. Each worker will be provided by the
compensation and there is no commission basis. Each worker will be entertained by many
benefits like ESI i.e. Employees State Insurance and bonus. Bonus will be given to the
workers once in a year i.e. during Diwali. Quantitative targets are fixed counterwise as
well as productwise. Each counter is controlled by different supervisors. The product
evaluation is mainly done objectively i.e. quantitatively supported by some degree of
subjective evaluation, there is however no reward and no penalty system in case the sales
person crosses the target or Is below the target.

Functional Departments of the Organization


Purchase and Distribution Department:
The material manager does the procurement of various products centrally at
Udupi Central Warehouse. He is provided feedback from various branches by their
respective showroom manager and the material manager who in turn are given
information regarding the requirement of various products, models, etc.
Based on the meeting between the branch officers and top level management
monthly planning for procurement and sales is done branchwise. The branch material
manager sends weekly indent to the Central Warehouse as per the requirement and
likewise the material is dispatched from Udupi to various branches. The company has

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vehicles for the transportation purpose. At local level the delivery is done by customer
which aims at a very prompt and safe delivery at a reasonable. In case of Hubli, for local
delivery they charge about Rs. 75 and to Dharwad and all they charge about Rs. 150.
They can also procure the product of any model form the other branch in case it is
not available at Central Warehouse or if extra is available in some other showroom.
In case the distributors are located locally then the material manager can procure
it from the local distributor, the billing is however done in the name of Central
Warehouse, as in the case of Hubli, the material manager purchases the products of
Kenstar, Videocon, Onida from the local company branches.
Since the branch offices of these are located at Hubli these company products are
also transported to Central Warehouse if they are required and are sent in the same
vehicle which comes to delivery the products to the Hubli branch. The products of
companies like Samsung, Philips, Whirlpool, etc. the billing again is done in the name of
Central Warehouse.
Prakash Electrical is the distributor for various companies like Kenstar, Maharaja,
Johnson, Prestige, etc. it is also the dealer for the products of the Prakash Engineering
Company which also markets the products of Asha Industries. Prakash Bakelite and other
company products belonging to Prakash Group of Industries.

Stories Department and inventory management


As during the monthly meeting the decision is taken with respect to the purchase
and sales, similarly that time only the planning with regards to stock and inventory is also
done. Usually it is seen that a stock for a minimum of 30 days is kept in the godown if a
showroom and the level of stock is based on the demand anticipation of various branches
for instance during the anniversary celebrations, i.e. Harshotsava time the branch where it
is celebrated naturally is allotted with more stock than others where there is ordinary
routine days. Similarly the demand also depends on the season. In summer season, the
demand for fan, cooler fridge will increase. So there will be more stock of these products
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kept as against winter when the demand for these is quite sleek. The material manager
controls the entire stores management.

Personnel Department
It is obvious that for the sound functioning of any organization prime policies is
required besides other strengths i.e. every organization must have a proper human
resource policy. Similarly, it is the case with Harsha wherein it is seen that there is
streamline or rather uniformity with respect to its policies across the branches.
The recruitment process is unbiased and quite transparent and a minimum
qualification is required for any post, for instance a graduate is required for sales
executive post. After personal interview. The eligible candidates are subjected to a
written or rather screening test. After the recruitment of eligible candidates, the recruited
candidates are usually placed in old showrooms like Udupi and Mangalore for the
purpose of training, so that they can get acquainted with the corporate culture.

Advertisement and Sales promotion at Harsha


The advertisement activities are carried out at showroom level or rather local
level. Local level means there is a limit of Rs. 1000 spent by Harsha at the time of special
offers for the purpose of advertisement. It is more than Rs. 10000, the head office will
bear the expenses, i.e. Central Office has an advertising agency named percept India Ltd.
Located in Bangalore. The advertisements for various branches are designed by the
Percept India Ltd. & Spring Art Work implement on the designs framed by the Percept
India.
For advertisement Harsha uses different medias like newspapers, banners,
hoardings, cables, so that they can compete with their competitors and bring more
awareness about Harsha in the customer.

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Medias used by Harsha for advertisement purposes are :


News paper :
Samyukta Karnataka, Vijaya Karnataka, Udayavani, Times of India, etc.

Hoadings :
This comprises of one of the major medium for the advertisements, there are nearly 45
hoadings in and around Hubli of Harsha and at present there is stiff competition between
local players like Vaman, Kandkur and Harsha with respect to hoading advertisements.
The advertisement activities are intensified during festivals like Diwali and Christmas
and during anniversary time i.e. at the time of Harshotsava because Harsha offers some
special discount at that time and they want to attract more customers.

Terms and Conditions:


Goods once sold will not be taken back.
Prices are inclusive of sales tax and other stationery levies.
Subject to Udupi Jurisdiction.

Stock Levels :
Minimum Stock level

65 Lakhs

Maximum Stock level

120 Lakhs

Average Stock level

85 Lakhs

Minimum delivery period

2.3 days

Maximum delivery period

1 month
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Average delivery period

15 days

Advertisement Budget:
The advertisement budget is allocated to the branches by the Central office i.e. Udupi in
consent with the feedback provided by the branches. On the average 2 % of the sales
revenue is allotted for the advertisement. Hubli branch being relatively new was allotted a
higher advertisement budget which amounts to nearly 5.7 lakhs. The advertisement spent
during Harshotsava was to the extent of 25-30 lakhs by three branches i.e. Udupi,
Mangalore, and Shimoga. As per Hubli is concerned they will spend more amount to give
advertisement in cable and newspapers.
Various celebrities are used for the advertisement. These include actress Vinaya
Prasad and Ruchita Prasad. The inauguration ceremony was conducted in the presence of
several big shots of Hubli like M. R. Sankeshwar (M. P), M. R. Satish Shetty, Oscar

Ferandes (Ex M. P) and other known people were also invited specially those belonging
to South canara side.
During major events like Harshotsava, Happy times, Monsoon Magic, Deepawali,
the advertisement and sales promotion activities are more.

Harshotsava:
This is the anniversary celebration carried out at various branches once in a year and
during this the existing and the potential customers are invited and special arrangements
are made during this celebration. This includes attractive schemes and discounts. Besides.
This, the shopping activity is meshed with the element of fun by means of organizing
various contests, games, etc. for the customers.
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Monsoon Magic:
This is an effort to move the items like fridge, air coolers, etc. for instance during summer
time there is more demand and for these items and hence to boost up the sales, the
company provided special offers and discount specially in the month of May.

Deepavali Bazaar :
This is the special promotional efforts of the company during Diwali.

Happy times:
This includes the Christmas and New Year time and here again the company provides a
good discount and attractive schemes.
Apart from the above mentioned time there are also other facilities like exchange
offer, which helps the customer to get a new item in exchange if the old item and the
main thing is they provide exchange offers to those who have not purchased the item
form that unit.

Project Investment and other overheads


The unit invests to tally 10 crores per year. Detailed list of overheads incurred per
month are as follows:
Rent

1,00,000 p.m

Electricity Bill13,000 p.m

(approx)

Phone Bill

(approx)

5,000 p.m

Refreshment 18,000 p.m


Food 15,000 p.m
Postage, Printing and Stationery

1,00,000 p.m

2,51,000 P.m

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INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT


TITLE:
Study on promotional activities of Harsha
Harsha enterprises belong to Prakash Group of Industries. Prakash group was started by
five members of a family settled in Udupi. The group initially started with its entry into
Timber business and gradually they diversified to different sectors like electric, plastic,
engineering etc. At present Prakash group has successfully been in manufacturing,
trading and retailing.

Name of the company:

HARSHA

PROBLEM DEFINATION:
Title of project:

Study on promotional activities of Harsha

OBJECTIVES OF STUDY:
i) To know the different medias that Harsha can use for its promotional activities
ii) To know the media through which the consumers were aware about Harsha
iii) To know what measures that Harsha has to take in satisfying its customers
iv) To know why consumers prefer Harsha for shopping

BENEFITS
Benefit to the company:
With this study, the organization (HARSHA) will be benefited in terms of learning-

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1) HARSHA can know about the requirement of the promotional activities.
2) Learn more about how to improve their activity.
3) Study the changes in the market conditions.

Benefit to academics:
1.

It will help me in understanding-

2.

The market for the consumer and electronic goods in Hubli city.

3.

Companies Decision Making Process for selection of media.

4.

Companies choices of service offered to consumers.

5.

To understand how Harsha makes decision while choosing different media for

advertising.
The experience gained during this study will provide as a tool, which

can be applied

in any future undertakings of similar nature.


SCOPE OF STUDY:
Only Hubli city of Karnataka is covered for this project.
A time frame of only 16 weeks
A survey was conducted only to 150 Respondents.

METODOLOGY
Sample of 150 respondents are considered for the research. A well-designed questionnaire
is administered to the respondents along with personal interviews for collecting
information in line with the objectives.

TYPE OF RESEARCH:
Descriptive Research.

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DATA COLLECTION METHOD:


Primary data:
A personal interview method with help of a questionnaire has been used for
collecting primary data.

Secondary data:
Company website.
Company Documents.

DATA COLLECTION METHOD:


Primary data:
Primary data are the data that are collected to help solve a problem or taken advantage of
an opportunity on which decision must be taken. The main method of collecting primary
data is survey method, there are different types of survey techniques for example personal
interview, mail survey, Internet survey and telephone survey.
For this project a personal interview method with the help of a questionnaire has been
used for collecting primary data so as to

To know how the consumers were aware about Harsha

To know the factors they look in for the service provided by Harsha

To give the possible suggestions and recommendations.

Secondary data:
Secondary data are data that were developed for some purpose other then helping to solve
the problem at hand. After identifying and defining the research problem and determining
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specific information required solving the problem, the researchers task is to look for the
type and sources of data, which may yield the desired results. Secondary data in this
research references made by the researcher with the other published sources. The present
research will not be complete without the complete reference to the relevant secondary
data.

The sources of secondary data including the following


Internet
www.google.com
www.wikipedia,com
Various reference text books
Marketing- Lamb, Hair, Mc Daniel
Principles of marketing- Kotler
Information from company personnel
Prashanr (Branch Manager)
Deepak (Sales Executive)
SAMPLING UNIT
Individuals

SAMPLE SIZE:
In the present study, 150 samples are taken for understanding the Study on
promotional activities of Harsha.

SAMPLING METHOD:
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The method used for survey was Non-Probability, Convenience Sampling method.

Rationale:
The purpose of the study is to find out How Harsha has to go about the promotional
activities in order to get more mileage in making the consumers aware about its events
and also the measures what Harsha can take in improving its promotional activities
Hence the study has been entitled as Study on promotional activities of

Harsha
In conducting the study prominent numbers of individuals have been interviewed through
a structured questionnaire. By the way of personnel interview, The study was conducted
over a period of Four months and the information gathered as per the requirement of the
company. The information was tabulated and then the validity of data was checked and
analyzed

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RESULTS and FINDINGS


Keeping in view of the objectives, the data so collected from various
sources and were analyzed with the help of appropriate techniques. The
results of the study are presented as below

1) How did you come to know about Harsha?


a) News Paper
c) Family & Friends
1)

How did you come to know about Harsha?


Frequency Percent

News
Paper
Banner
Family &
Friends
Total

b) Banner

37

24.7

Valid
Percent
24.7

32
81

21.3
54.0

21.3
54.0

150

100.0

100.0

Cumulative
Percent
24.7
46.0
100.0

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1) How did you come to know about Harsha?


100

80

81

60

40
37

Frequency

32
20

0
New s Paper

Banner

Family & Friends

1) How did you come to know about Harsha?

Inference:
From the above result we find that out of the survey made on 150 samples 81
people were aware about Harsha with the help of their Family & Friends and 37 got
aware from News paper & 32 from Banner

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4) Why do you go to Harsha for Shopping?


a) Events carried out at Harsha
c) Service

b) Discounts
d) Others

4) Why do you go to Harsha for Shopping?


Frequency Percent
Events
carried
out at
Harsha
Discounts
Service
Others
Quality
Product
Brand
Image
Total

Valid Cumulative
Percent Percent
10.0
10.0

15

10.0

37
20
4
51

24.7
13.3
2.7
34.0

24.7
13.3
2.7
34.0

34.7
48.0
50.7
84.7

23

15.3

15.3

100.0

150

100.0

100.0

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4) Why do you go to Harsha for Shopping?


60

50

51

40
37
30

23

Frequency

20

20
15

10

0
Events carried out a
Discounts

Service

Quality Product
Others

Brand image

4) Why do you go to Harsha for Shopping?

Inference:
From the above result we find that 51 people go to Harsha because they get
quality products and 37 people say they go because of discounts and 20 because of the
service provided by Harsha .this shows that most of the people go to Harsha because they
get quality products in Harsha

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5)

Mark your satisfaction level for the following features.


Highly
Satisfied

Features

Satisfied

Neutral

Dissatisfied

Highly
Dissatisfied

Discounts
Service
Price
Product Range

5)

A Discount
Frequency Percent
Highly
Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
Highly
Dissatisfied
Total

Valid Cumulative
Percent
Percent
4.7
4.7

4.7

45
33
62
3

30.0
22.0
41.3
2.0

30.0
22.0
41.3
2.0

150

100.0

100.0

34.7
56.7
98.0
100.0

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5) A Discount
70
60

62

50
45

40

Frequency

30

33

20
10
7

Highly satisfied

Neutral
Satisfied

Highly Dissatisfied
Dissatisfied

5) A Discount

Inference:
From the above result we find that in case of discounts provided by Harsha most
of the people are dissatisfied from the survey on 150 respondents 62 people say they are
dissatisfied and 45 people say satisfied from the discounts. This shows that Harsha has to
think on improving the discounts what they give to consumers.

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5) B Service
Frequency Percent
Highly
Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
Total

20

13.3

59
16
55
150

39.3
10.7
36.7
100.0

Valid Cumulative
Percent
Percent
13.3
13.3
39.3
10.7
36.7
100.0

52.7
63.3
100.0

5) B Service
70
60
59
55

50
40
30

Frequency

20

20
16

10
0
Highly satisfied

Satisfied

Neutral

Dissatisfied

5) B Service

Inference:
From the above result we find that 59 people say that they are satisfied with the
service what Harsha is giving and 55 people say they are dissatisfied with the service
provided by Harsha this shows that there is no much difference between satisfied people
and dissatisfied people so Harsha has to look on improving the service provided by them.

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5) C Price
Frequency Percent
Highly
Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
Highly
Dissatisfied
Total

Valid Cumulative
Percent
Percent
4.0
4.0

4.0

58
32
53
1

38.7
21.3
35.3
.7

38.7
21.3
35.3
.7

150

100.0

100.0

42.7
64.0
99.3
100.0

5) C Price
70
60
58
53

50
40

Frequency

30

32

20
10
6

Highly satisfied

Neutral
Satisfied

Highly Dissatisfied
Dissatisfied

5) C Price

Inference:
From the above result we find that out of the survey made on 150 people 58
people say they are satisfied by the price what Harsha charges to the consumers & 53
people say they are dissatisfied with the price of Harsha.

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5) D Product Range
Frequency Percent
Highly
Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
Highly
Dissatisfied
Total

Valid Cumulative
Percent
Percent
12.7
12.7

19

12.7

45
6
65
15

30.0
4.0
43.3
10.0

30.0
4.0
43.3
10.0

150

100.0

100.0

42.7
46.7
90.0
100.0

5) D Product Range
70
65

60
50
45

40

Frequency

30
20
19
15

10
6

0
Highly satisfied

Neutral
Satisfied

Highly Dissatisfied
Dissatisfied

5) D Product Range

Inference:
From the above result we find that out of the survey made on 150 respondents 65
people say they are dissatisfied with the products range what Harsha is having and 45
people say they are satisfied with the product range what Harsha is having. This shows
that there are more dissatisfied people from Harsha

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7) According to you what should be the other media / media vehicle through which
Harsha has to do the promotion activity?

a) Television
c) Radio

b) Mobile SMS
d) Customer Data Base

7) According to you what should be the other media / media vehicle through which
Harsha has to do the promotion activity?
Frequency Percent Valid Cumulative
Percent
Percent
Television
51
34.0
34.0
34.0
Mobile SMS
65
43.3
43.3
77.3
Radio
4
2.7
2.7
80.0
Customer
30
20.0
20.0
100.0
Data Base
Total
150
100.0 100.0

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which other media Harsha has to choose


70
65

60

50

51

40

30

30

Frequency

20

10
4

0
Television

Mobile SMS

Radio

Customer Data Base

Inference:
From the above result we find that out of the survey made from 150 respondents
65 people say Harsha has to use Mobile SMS as a source to communicate about the
events and offers and 51 people say they have to show their ads in local cable television
and 30 people say they have to use the source of data base of the customers and should
communicate them about the offers

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6). ). Rank the following parameters when you choose Harsha Consumers and Electronics
(Rank1 for most important parameter and Rank 2 for Important 3 for Neutral,
4 Least Important, 5 Never consider,).

No.
1
2
3
4
5
6

Parameter

Rank

Price
Quality
Availability of Products
Warranty Offered by the company
Brand Name
After sales Service

Price
Frequency Percent
Very
Important
Importan
t
Neutral
Least
Important
Never
Consider
Total

Valid Cumulative
Percent
Percent
36.7
36.7

55

36.7

21

14.0

14.0

50.7

16
26

10.7
17.3

10.7
17.3

61.3
78.7

32

21.3

21.3

100.0

150

100.0

100.0

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Price
60
55

50

40

30

32
26

Frequency

20

21
16

10
0
very important

Netrual
important

Never Consider
List important

Price

Inference:
From the above result we find that 55 people give more importance for price and
21 people consider it important and 32 people donot consider price when the go for
Harsha for shopping.

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Quality
Frequency Percent
Very
Important
Important
Netrual
Total

67

44.7

65
18
150

43.3
12.0
100.0

Valid Cumulative
Percent
Percent
44.7
44.7
43.3
12.0
100.0

88.0
100.0

Quality
Netrual
12.0%

very important
44.7%

important
43.3%

Inference:
From the above result we find that 45% people give very importance to quality
and 44% consider it important

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Availability of Products
Frequency Percent
Very
Important
Importan
t
Neutral
Least
Important
Never
Consider
Total

Valid Cumulative
Percent
Percent
24.7
24.7

37

24.7

44

29.3

29.3

54.0

28
18

18.7
12.0

18.7
12.0

72.7
84.7

23

15.3

15.3

100.0

150

100.0

100.0

50

44
40
37
30
28
23

20

Count

18
10
very important

Netrual
important

Never Consider
List important

Aveilability of Products

Inference:
From the above result we find that 44 people give importance for availability of
products and 37 people give more importance.
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Warranty
Frequency Percent
Very
Important
Important
Netrual
Least
Important
Never
Consider
Total

Valid Cumulative
Percent
Percent
34.7
34.7

52

34.7

48
10
21

32.0
6.7
14.0

32.0
6.7
14.0

66.7
73.3
87.3

19

12.7

12.7

100.0

150

100.0

100.0

Warrenty
Never Consider
12.7%
very important
List important

34.7%

14.0%

Netrual
6.7%

important
32.0%

Inference:

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From the above result we find that 35% people give more importance for
warranty and 32% people give importance for warranty and 14% people give least
importance for warrenty

Brand Name
Frequency Percent
Very
Important
Important
Neutral
Least
Important
Never
Consider
Total

Valid Cumulative
Percent
Percent
19.3
19.3

29

19.3

34
25
24

22.7
16.7
16.0

22.7
16.7
16.0

42.0
58.7
74.7

38

25.3

25.3

100.0

150

100.0

100.0

40
38

34

30
29

25

Count

24
20
very important

Netrual
important

Never Consider
List important

Brand Name

Inference:
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From the above result we find that 38 people never consider for brand name when
they go for purchasing of products and 34 people say brand name is important for them
at the time of purchase

After sales service


Frequency Percent
Very
Important
Important
Neutral
Least
Important
Never
Consider
Total

Valid Cumulative
Percent
Percent
47.3
47.3

71

47.3

39
20
11

26.0
13.3
7.3

26.0
13.3
7.3

73.3
86.7
94.0

6.0

6.0

100.0

150

100.0

100.0

After sales service


Never Consider
6.0%
List important
7.3%
Netrual
13.3%

very important
47.3%

important
26.0%

Inference:

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From the above result we find that 47% people give very importance for after
sales service and 26% people give importance for service this analysis shows that people
give more importance for the service provided by the company

Findings:
81 people were aware about Harsha with the help of their Family & Friends and
37 got aware from News paper & 32 from Banner

51 people go to Harsha because they get quality products and 37 people say they
go because of discounts and 20 because of the service provided by Harsha

From the survey on 150 respondents 62 people say they are dissatisfied and 45
people say satisfied from the discounts.

59 people say that they are satisfied with the service what Harsha is giving and 55
people say they are dissatisfied with the service provided by Harsha.

Out of the survey made on 150 people 58 people say they are satisfied by the
price what Harsha charges to the consumers & 53 people say they are dissatisfied
with the price of Harsha.

Out of the survey made on 150 respondents 65 people say they are dissatisfied
with the products range what Harsha is having and 45 people say they are
satisfied with the product range what Harsha is having.

Out of the survey made from 150 respondents 65 people say Harsha has to use
Mobile SMS as a source to communicate about the events and offers and 51
people say they have to show their ads in local cable television and 30 people say
they have to use the source of data base of the customers and should communicate
them about the offers

we find that 55 people give more importance for price and


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21 people consider it important and 32 people donot consider price when the go
for Harsha for shopping.

we find that 45% people give very importance to quality and 44% consider it
important

we find that 44 people give importance for availability of products and 37 people
give more importance.

we find that 35% people give more importance for warranty and 32% people give
importance for warranty and 14% people give least importance for warrenty

we find that 38 people never consider for brand name when they go for
purchasing of products and 34 people say brand name is important for them at the
time of purchase

we find that 47% people give very importance for after sales service and 26%
people give importance for service this analysis shows that people give more
importance for the service provided by the company

Recommendations:
Based on the response received from the respondents the following
recommendations are made for the improvement in the functioning and service
conditions of HARSHA.

As most of the respondents are dissatisfied with the discounts provided by Harsha
so Harsha has to look on the discount part of it and should give some more
discounts compare to other players in Hubli.

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The difference between satisfied and dissatisfied people in case of service of


Harsha is not more so this shows that Harsha has to provide proper service to their
clients.

Harsha should also have more of the product range in their outlet as most of the
consumers complain about the non availability of the products so in order to cater
the customers Harsha has to improve its product range.

In order to improve its mileage in conveying the customers regarding the events
carried out at Harsha they can use Mobile SMS as a new mode of communication
as most of the consumers have suggested for. They can also use television as a
mode in giving the advertisements

LIMITATIONS
1.

The survey was restricted to Hubli city.

2.

The period for the research was not enough to study in depth.

3.

Where the sample size was limited, i.e. 150 respondents.

4.

Analysis of the data generated from questionnaire is done on the assumption that
the respondents have divulged correct information that may not be so with all
respondents

ConclusionsThe study helped me gain valuable insights in Harsha and also as to the factors that what
the consumers expect from the Harsha. This project titled Study on promotional
activities of Harsha has been a knowledge gaining experience for me. By interacting
with the respondents. I have been able to understand the activities of Harsha their way
of working and their way of approaching the customers and the importance of
Advertising, i.e. how beneficial is the advertising for any firm to communicate about
their offers and events to the consumers. The results of the survey proved to be
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encouraging. The respondents were very positive in providing the information about how
Harsha has to go for promotion and why do they go for Harsha and what measures
Harsha has to take in improving the service to their customers, Though there are many
competitors in the market for this segment, the company HARSHA is doing well by
satisfying its customers by having good relationship with them and. I offer my best
wishes for the same and hope that my work will be of some use for the company
effectiveness.

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