Question Bank

FT-304 M PRODUCT & BRAND MANAGEMENT

Unit 1: Introduction to Product:
Product focused organization
Market focused organization
The Adaptation & Diffusion of new product development
Seven stages of PLC
Managerial Application of PLC
New Product Development Models
New Product Development Process

Question Bank:
1. Define product. Suggest and explain a system for classifying products.
2. What is a product? Classify products based on various criteria.
3. What do you mean by the term Product?
4. What is meant by generic product, core product expected product and augmented
product.
5. Define a product also discuss its components and types.
6. In which way understanding of product classification helps in marketing?
Discuss.
7. Explain the importance of product classification from marketing point of view.
8. Differentiate between consumer products and industrial products
9. Describe the product classification of consumer products.
10. Discuss the role of product manager in the fast changing marketing environment
of today.
11. Product line decisions are crucial and vital in an enterprise. Discuss the factors
influencing the product line decision.
12. Discuss the pricing options available for a new product. Suggest pricing method
in the following situations and explain the reasons.
a) Introducing a line of economy range of mens footwear (shoes)
b) Breakfast cereals

c) Compact discs (storage devices)

13. Discuss the concept of product life cycle (PLC). Comment on PLC as an aid to
new product development planning strategies.
14. Explain the concept of product management along with its importance.
15. How does product management differ from general marketing management in
terms of scope of responsibility, nature of decision making and time horizon?.
16. What do you mean by product management? Why it is needed also discuss its
various aspects.
17. What is the relationship between product management and marketing
management? Explain.
18. Explain the relationship between competition management and product
management.
19. Discuss the scope and significance of product management function in todays
dynamic marketing environment.
20. With the help of suitable examples explain the factors that can be responsible for
the failure of a new product.
21. Discuss briefly the various sources of new product ideas you are familiar with.
Using attribute analysis how would you generate new product idea for premium
ink pen?
22. Briefly explain the major concept generation methods available to the Indian
marketer.
23. What do you understand by the term Product Launch? Discuss and evaluate the
recent launch of Swift, the new passenger car from Maruti Udyog Ltd.
24. Explain the various interpretation of the term new product giving suitable
examples.
b) Taking the example of educational toys, discuss how you can generate new
product ideas using Attribute analysis Focus groups
25. What are the steps you will undertake to test market the following new products
scheduled for launch
a. 100 c.c. diesel motorcycle
b. Improved premium toilet soap

26. Discuss the steps involved in the economic analysis of a new product concept.
How would you estimate first time sales for a home appliance introduced for the
first time in India?
27. As a product manager, you have received about 5 new product ideas in your
processed food division. What are the processes that can be used to screen these
ideas and select the best one? Which process would you like to use and why?

28. (a) What are the major bottle necks in new product development?
(b) With the help of appropriate examples, explain the reasons for product failure.

29. For a mature product category like cooking oil, how would you use PLC to plan
the future of your product.
30. With respect to any new product idea of your choice, explain the process of
concept development and testing. What is the significance of this stage in new
product development process?
31. Discuss product focused V/s market focused organizations.
32. (a) The failure rate of new product is high. Do you agree? Give reasons.
(b) Discuss the role of research and development department in developing a new
product.
33. What are the advantages & disadvantages of product focused organization &
market focused organization?
34. Argue the case that new product development models are useless as guides for
new product development managers.
35. Summarize the evolution of new product development models. What factors have
encouraged this evolution?
36. What are the various internal and external sources of new product ideas available
to a company?
37. What are the limitations of screening?
38. Describe the differences between testing concepts and screening ideas.
39. What different objectives does Concept Testing meet?

40. What are the various purposes of product testing in NPD?

41. What are the limitations of test marketing?
42. Discuss the factors to be taken into account when deciding whether or not to
launch a new product.
43. Comment on the Management of Product Strategy over the Product Life
Cycle.
44. Explain benefits of branding to:
(a) Company
(b) Customers
45. Briefly explain the concept of product life cycle. What in your view, is the stage in
which following products are in Indian market? Based on your answer suggest
appropriate promotion and distribution strategies for them.

Cell Phones

Battery operated Tooth brushes

Direct to Home (DTH) transmission services for T.V.

Unit 2 : Product Elimination:

The Importance, Reasons & Scope of Product Deletion
Identification & Evaluation of Deletion Products
Implementing the Deletion Decision

Questions:

1. Why is the product deletion important to the health of the company?

2. Explain the reasons why deletion is often neglected activity?
3. Explain the main stages in the product deletion decision
4. Compare and contrast the various reasons why products are deleted.
5. Explain product deletion process
6. Explain poor performance triggers in product deletion
7. What are the strategic triggers in product deletion?
8. Explain operational triggers in product deletion.
9. Explain External triggers in product deletion.
10. Explain Overlap and combination of triggers.
11. Explain how deletion candidates come to the attention of the management
12. What is the role of minimum standards in the recognition of deletion candidates?
13. What are the main ways to analyze a product suffering from shrinking profits?
14. As a marketing manager what steps would you like to take while eliminating
product?
15. What are the main ways to revitalize a product suffering from low sales volume?
16. What will be the effect of the deletion on middlemen and customers?
17. How seasonality of demand affects product elimination?
18. Explain with suitable examples:

Drop immediately

Phase out immediately

Run out(Harvest/Milk)

Sell Out

19. What are the main reasons for keeping a failing product in the range?

20. Explain how analysis of deletion candidates is done.

21. What are all the internal evaluation factors for evaluation of deletion candidates?
22. How the deletions of a product affect the company image?
23. How the deletions of a product affect the customer /trade relations?
24. What are all the External evaluation factors for evaluation of deletion candidates?
25. What difficulties are encountered while implementing the product deletion
decision?
26. Explain why drop immediately is an option preferred in fast moving consumer
goods.
27. What is the difference between phase out immediately and phase out slowly?
28. What consumer related factors might legitimately delay the deletion of a product?
29. What are the various options available for phasing out an old product in favor of
its replacement?

Unit 3: Introduction to Brand:

Brand
Brand Reflection
Commodities Vs brands
Brand Name
STRATEGIC BRAND MANAGEMENT PROCESS
Hofstele Model for understanding Core Value of Brand
Brand Significance
1. State about the brand Hierarchy
2. Explain brand identity
3. Define Brand? Write about the branding levels
4. Illustrate the brand decision making process
5. Write about Brand Personality
6. Write about the creation of Brand
7. State in detail how can be the Brands managed
8. Define brand loyalty and write about the loyalty levels of the customer with
respect to brands
9. Discuss in detail the relationship between brand and product
10. explain in detail the branding concept in marketing
11. Explain the characteristics of a good brand name with illustrations.
12. Explain the different types of branding strategies with suitable
examples. Service product ; Consumer product; Industrial Product
13. Explain the brand positioning strategies with suitable examples.
14. What are the differences among a local, a national, an international
and a global brand?
15. How can buyer attitudes about a brands country of origin affect the buying
decision?
16. Discuss the strategies used for online brand promotions.
17. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of celebrity endorsement
for a brand use an example.
18. What is Brand Management? What are your favourite brands and why?
19. Suggest measures to retain brand loyalty and customer loyalty.

20. Identify a fading brand. What suggestions can you offer to revitalize its brand
equity? Apply the different approaches and which strategies would seem to work
best.
21. What are the advantages of branding?
22. Define co-branding.
23. What is brand positioning?
24. What is brand equity?
25. Distinguish between a branded product and a commodity.
26. What is USP?
27. Are brand name and trade mark synonyms?
28. Give any four examples for numerical branding.
29. How brand image can be increased for a service brand?
30. Write short note on brand audit.
31. Define brand extension.
32. Explain the different types of brand extension strategies used by brand managers.
33. Identify five established global brands. Explain the reasons for the global success
of the brands you choose.
34. Explain the different methods used to calculate brand equity.
35. Discuss the role of brand managers in a FMCG company of your
choice.
36. (a) Comment upon the significance of branding for consumer products in todays
competitive marketing environment.
(b) For a new brand of shaving cream to be introduced by your company, explain
the brand name selection process that can be followed.

37. People prefer to purchase brand in place of product. Justify your answer with
suitable examples.

38. Explain the concept of Commodities Vs Brands

39. Discuss the factors which contribute to the success and failure of Brand in market
place by picking one example each of FMCG and Consumer electronics.
40. A brand is much more than a product. Explain.
41. Most of the foreign brands introduced in India have failed. briefly discuss
possible reasons.
42. Write short notes :
(a) Product Life Cycle
(b) Brand Recall
43. Company X has a dominant share in the Indian sauce market and also owns a
successful brand in the category. Research showed the company that there was a
need for a sauce with a unique taste which could be taken with Indian as well as
western snack foods. The company introduced Tom Imli, a tomato sauce with
tamarind and tangy spices. The product is targeted bat children in the age group of
8-14 years.
i) In this situation, what are the products which you think would compete with
this new product?
ii) Suggest a suitable positioning basis for this new product.
iii) Give your comment on the name Tom Imli. If you were asked to suggest an
alternate brand name, what would you suggest and why?
iv) Discuss the importance of packaging for above product.

44. Short Answers:

1.
Rules for branding
2.
Branding decisions
3. Loyalty life cycle
4. levels of branding
5. brand personality perspectives
6. changes in brand identity
7. brand portfolio
8. levels of brand management
9. value additions in branding
10. customer loyalty
11. Brand equity.
12. Brand extension.

44. Discuss the Strategic Brand Management Process.

45. Pick a category basically dominated by two main Brands. Evaluate the
positioning of each brand. Who are their target markets? Have they defined their
positioning correctly? How might it be improved?

46. What are the characteristics that a good brand name should possess? Based on
these characteristics develop a brand name for packaged fruit juice containing
mixed fruit and tomato juice.

Unit 4: Brand Equity AND IMAGE AND PERSONALITY :

i. Criteria of choosing Brand Elements
ii. Concept & Principle of Brand equity
iii. MEASURING BRAND EQUITY

QUALITATIVE

QUANTITATIVE

BRAND IMAGE

BRAND PERSONALITY

1. Discuss the positioning of brands and perspectives of brand positions

2. Describe in detail the brand image
3. Define Brand Equity and write about the methods of measuring Brand Equity
4. Brand is the most enduring asset of Organization. Elaborate this statement with
reference to Brand Equity.
5. Branding adds to the cost of an item. Explain
6. Discuss various methods to measure Brand Equity.
7. Explain the various issues involved in managing brand equity.
8. Brand loyalty is an asset. Discuss
9. What do you mean by brand image and personality?
10. Explain different methods of measuring Brand Equity in detail.
11. Explain the role of communication strategy in Brand personality.
12. With the help of a Brands example employ projective techniques to attempt to
identify sources of its Brand equity. Which measures work best and why?

13. Explain in detail various Qualitative Techniques to measure Brand equity.

Highlight pros and cons of each. Which is the most suitable technique and why?

14. Explain in detail various Quantitative Techniques to measure Brand equity.

Highlight pros and cons of each. Which is the most suitable technique and why?

15. How is Brand image and Brand personality interrelated?

16. How can you build a brands image? Discuss with suitable examples.
17. What are the various criteria for choosing Brand Elements?
18. What are the different brand elements?
19. What things should be kept in mind while selecting brand name?
20. Highlight the importance of following elements in building a Brand:

Brand symbol
Brand Logo
Packaging
Slogans

Unit 5: Various CONCEPTS associated with Brand:

Brand Positioning

BRAND DIFFERENTIATION

COBRANDING

CEEBERITY ENDORSEMENT

Brand Building

Brand Extension

Brand Valuation

1. Discuss in detail the concept of brand extensions.

2. Explain the concept and process of Brand building?
3. Celebrity endorsement is a guarantee of success. Comment
4. Comment on Aamir Khan as a celebrity endorsing for Incredible India. How
has he managed to create an image for the nation?
5. Why brand positioning & brand building is necessary? Illustrate your answer
with suitable example.
6. A leading firm in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector found through
researchers that there is vast potential in the branded flour (atta) market that
could be tapped. On the basis of this company decides to enter the market.
Discuss the process of designing the positioning strategy for the product.
7. Differentiate the following brands:
i. Idea V/s Vodafone
ii. Colgate V/s Close up
8. What are the desirable qualities of Brand Name ? Elaborate with suitable
examples.
10. Discuss Brand Building Process for the following Brands :
(1) Ideal Cellular
(2) ITC
(3) Airtel
(4) Tata Salt

11.Co-branding includes strategic alliance. Is it true ? Discuss various types of Cobranding in detail.

21. Write short notes :

(a) Online Branding
(b) Ingredient Branding
22. What kind of role does consumer play in building a brand? Substantiate your
answer with illustration.
23. As a brand manager of a leading holiday resort firm with all India operations,
what brand name you would suggest for honeymoon package targeted for newly
married urban couples.
24. What are the reasons for brand extension?
25. Discuss the bases for brand extension with suitable examples.
26. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Brand Extension.
27. What are the types of Brand extension?
28. Write short notes on:
i) Celebrity Endorsement
ii) Fear appeal
iii) Humor appeal
29. Discuss the factors that make companies pursue product line extension.

30. Discuss Brand Building Process for the following Brands :

Symphony Water Cooler

Tata Salt

23. A leading consumer durable company wants to extend its brand in

the packaged food business. Analyze success of the Brand.

24. What is brand differentiation? What are various differentiation strategies?

25. Discuss Brand Valuation in detail.

26. What are the various pros and cons of Brand Extension? Discuss with egs.

27. What is Cobranding? What are its types? Explain with examples.

28. Write a note on Ingredient Branding. How successful is this strategy in your opinion?
29. What are the various problems associated with Celebrity endorsement?

30. The Boeing Company makes a number of different types of aircraft for the
commercial airline industry, for example, the 727, 747, 757, 767, 777, and now
the 787 jet models. Is there any way for Boeing to adopt an Ingredient Branding
strategy with jets? How? What would be the Pros and Cons?
31. Are there some Indian Brands which have a global image and are they successful
in using their image effectively.

32. Discuss the Brand extensions of following Brands in terms of their success or
failure in the market and reasons for the same. Also highlight the type of the
extension.

Maggi

Park avenue

Nike

33. What things should be kept in mind by a company while planning a Brand
Extension

34. What are the various challenges and opportunities faced nowadays while Building
Brands?

35. Discuss the factors which pursue a company to take Brand extension.

36. What do you understand by Positioning? What are the key considerations while
designing positioning strategy for a product? Discuss the alternative bases for
positioning that you can apply for:

A toothpaste

Cornflakes

37. Explain the concept and Process of brand building.

UNIT 6: MANAGING BRANDS ON TIMES:

BRAND REPOSITIONING

ADJUSTMENT TO BRAND PORTFOLIO

BRAND ARCHITECTURE

Q1) Explain the concept of product architecture and its implication for product design,
taking suitable examples.
Q2) Discuss Brand Building Process for the following Brands :
(a) Symphony Water Cooler
(b) Tata Salt
Q.3) Managing a brand involves Management of Brand Identity, Personality and other
related factors.
Q4. Products increase customer choice, brands simplify it. Elaborate this
statement in context to Brand Positioning.

Q5. Discuss need for Brand Repositioning. Elaborate various ways in which
repositioning can be done.

Q6. Rebranding is aimed at giving new identity to Brand. Analyse this statement with
suitable examples.
Q7. What is Revitalization and explain various methods implemented in revitalizing
brands
Q8. Pick up a brand of your choice and characterize its Brand portfolio and Brand
Hierarchy. Also suggest some ways to improve companys branding strategies?

Q9. Explain the concept and significance of Brand architecture with examples.

Q10. Identify a fading Brand. What suggestions can you offer to revitalize its brand
equity?

Q11. Explain the following strategies:

Brand Revitalization

Reinforcing the Brands

Adjusting the Brand portfolio.

Q12. Does Brand repositioning always works? Comment.

Q. Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end of the case.
THE PREMIUM DILEMMA
Vinod Tahil's mind was a riot. For the first time in many years, the marketing
manager of white goods manufacturer Electra India was questioning the marketing
theories he had always believed in. Was he right in wanting to abandon the super
premium route to brand building, or was he, in fact, trapped in the classical middleclass mindset which made him averse to premium Product ?
The previous sunday, Tahil had had a long discussion on the issue with Gautam
Sarin, his squash partner and marketing head of Plimsoll Watches. Tahil had walked
into the squash court right after a stiff debate with his CEO, Arun Raja, over Electra's
plans to launch a super premium, multifacility refrigerator from its intemational
stable, the Eva 755.
In Eva 755 was a state-of-the-art multi-door fridge, with lots of features and plenty
of storage space. It had two zero-degree compartments, an ice crusher, a dispenser
for chiled water, a built-in deodorizer and an alarm that went off if the door was not
shut properly. The price : a cool Rs 1 lakh.
The previous year, the company had launched its three-and four-door refrigerators.
It followed that up with a 7.5 kg fully automatic washing machine, Ergo,which also
carried a premium price tag. This, in fact, was Electra's strategy. If preferred to
enter with its premium range rather than follow with mass. market route, CEO Raja
wanted to build brands first. Volumes would be a natural consequence, he said.
But Tahil had his doubts whether Eva would cut much ice with the customer. In a
market which was skewed in favour oI the value-for-money double-door refrigerator,
the multi-door refrigerator seemed very ambitious to him. It was unlikely to build
much saliency for Electra, he felt.
To begin with, the very idea of a large-sized refrigerator seemed irrelevant in the
Indian context. In the West, convenience stores were fast being replaced by
supermarket chains. As a parallel behaviour pattern, consumers there were using
refrigerator not just for preserving foodstuffs, but also for long-term storage.
In India, however, the neighbourhood grocer had gained in strength and
supermarkets had not become the norm yet. For the same reason, the Westem
pattern of long-term storage could not be replicated here. "India is a tropical country
and there are lots of vendors for fresh vegetables and fruit. So, who needs vast
storage facilities in India ?" he asked.
Raja was convinced that there was a clear consumer segment which sought premium
and super premium products. "There are 3.8 million households in the A1 and A2
socio-economic classes. It's not the 150-million middle class but this super premium,
super label conscious segment that I want to target. The self-employed and highsalaried people in this segment are virtually indifferent to high prices," said Raja.
Tahil would not buy the argument. "The so-called high-income group that you refer
to comprises largely nuclear families. That means that these families consume less

food than joint families do. There may be 3.8 million such families, but they are
dispersed all over the country. A rich farmer from Gurgaon, who has a high
disposable agricultural income and heads a family of 14, is the one who actually
needs this product. But you have no means of getting your product to him."
An entry through a premium segment would entail lower distribution costs, but only
if a mass product already existed. "If you have a mass product, you could piggyback
on its distribution network and get your premium product to the rich farmer in
Gurgaon," said Tahil. "In its absence, reaching out to the dispersed consumer will be
prohibitively costly. Also, it will be difficult to get the required volumes."
Raja had other plans. He wanted to enter the super premium segment so that Eva
could be Electra's image leader. "Why did Titan launch Tanishq ? Certainly not for
volumes." he argued. "The premium range has a positive rub-off on the medium
range. If a company launches a super premium product, its image becomes so
overwhelming that the consumer does not question the price or the quality of its
other product." he said.
"That 'image leader' angle is a double-edged sword," countered Tahil. "If the super
premium product fails to make a mark in three years' time, its image as well as the
company's image will take a beating."
Raja cited the example of BPL. "When it entered the refrigerator market, BPL was
aware it was taking on the might of Videocon, a sturdy, reliable, home grown brand.
To gain a quantum leap over Videcon's image perception, BPL first launched the
three door refrigerator. Its launch stoked the interest of consumers,who gushed and
gawked and went home and told their neighbours about it. So, the next time
someone wanted to buy a basic 165-litre refrigerator, he first checked out a BPL
fridge. Soon after that, BPL launched its home entertainment system, another super
premium product. No one questioned the price or whether the product would be
successful because they all knew that there were buyers for the quality that BPL had
to offer. Thereafter, every offering from BPL was viewed with respect," he said.
Brand building, Tahil felt, worked when it ran parallelto volume building. "The middle
class is very aware and iscontinuously upgrading its information. It will want toknow
how many Indians are buying Electra and we need to answer that with some
volumes," he said.
In such a scenario, the launch of Eva appeared to bea wasteful exercise. "The
premium you can charge on aproduct must have a meaningful price to
quality/valueratio," argued Tahil. "Price is no longer the deciding factor, it is value
instead. As we go along you'll find consumers are less likely to compare prices than
they didin the past," declared Raja.
Tahil disagreed with Raja on the significance of price. "Price will always be a key
factor in the purchase decision.The people you are targeting for Eva watch the
market, evaluate products and are very aware. They may buy a pair of Reebok shoes
for Rs. 2,000, but a refrigerator for Rs. 1 lakh ? That's going too far," he said.
Raja left after coffee, but Tahil carried hisdisagreement to the squash court. "Raja is
trapped in amythical view of the Indian middle class," he said to Sarin."All around us

lie the debris of companies whichoverestimated the middle class' willingness to pay
forglobal brands. Yet he believes that Eva has potential," he said.
Sarin felt Tahil was underestimating the market. "Inthe wake of liberalization, there
was a lot of brouhaha -over the relevance of some of the products entering India.
People asked, 'Who needs KFC ? Who needs Reebok ?'But we must realize that the
consumers aspired for anything global. Now they are asking for particular fearures
and design improvement, he said.
"Who are these consumers ?" asked Tahil. "Theglorious middle class ?"
"Tahil, in durables you have to benchmarkdifferently. When you are selling potato
chips or cornflakes, you are looking at one set of consumer behaviourpatterns. But in
durables, which can replace manual tasks,the consumer is seeking higher value
delivery. Within this,there is also a segment which is indifferent to high prices the
self-employed and the high-flying executive. Theyhave access to soft loans and hefty
perk. Money is noobject for thern. They are eating out twice a week, buying shoes
worth Rs. 2,000 and paying Rs. 1 lakh for healthclub memberships.
Questions :
(a) Critically evaluate the price band being suggested forEva. Do you agree with
Rajan's assessment of the targeted consumer or with Tahil's ? Justify you answer.
(b) What in your view are the target customers for this kind of product ? What is the
brand positioning that you would suggest for Eva in view of the target market
identified by you ?