MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE GURGAON

Post Graduate Program in Management (2020)

Mid Term Examination (Term V)

Elective Course – Brand Management

Faculty: Prof. Dr. Avinash Kapoor

Question1: What do you think about the social contract that was signed as a condition of sale
between Grims and Wicks? To what extent does it affect the brand Identity and brand equity of the
White Dog?
Answer 1: The social contract which was signed as a condition of sale was very much important as it
helped maintaining the brand identity and brand value of the restaurant.
Wicks was very much ahead of her time and she acted very smart to ensure that the brand she
established was in good hands.
The picture identifies how crucial the social contract was and what were the Balance Factors

How does it Affect the Brand Identity and Brand Equity?

 • Customer Satisfaction: The social contract ensured that the customer was given the first
priority and was taken care of. The customer was told how, when and where the ingredients
were coming from for the customer. Customers are looking for a unique dining experience
where they are assured that the ingredients used are of the highest quality and come from a
local farmer or supplier. Customers usually leave the restaurant feeling good about helping
the local community and making some small contribution to social and environmental
justice.
• Involvement: The brand was actively involved in giving the kind of experience the customer
wanted when it came to the restaurant. Two factors on which the brand was playing was the
food and the experience. The restaurant made sure that the dining experience is very
cherishing with high involvement which would result in customers coming back again and
again
• Perceived Value: The three locations of the brand were catering to 2 different kind of
customers. The initial location was for every customer ranging from a Professor to a student.
Everyone was welcome whereas in the second place, the customers were bit upscale. The
founder was cognizant of this fact and therefore, it was allowed to diversify even though she
did not want to in the first place
• Commitment: Here, the commitment was to support the local farmers and buy the produce
which was locally produced. Brand commitment differentiates your business from the rest.
Actions will only take you so far. In order for your business to stand out and be remembered
you need to find a recognizable logo and color scheme. Once you pick these items it’s
equally important that you stick with them

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Question 2 Can an advertising campaign enhance or damage the White Dog brand identity? What
are the core brand associations and meaning narratives associated with the brand? Discuss how
Management can nurture the White Dog’s Brand Identity

Answer 2: On analysing the case, we realize that YES, a marketing campaign with proper
communication would help brand strengthen its communication and would convert a larget
proportion of untapped consumer as the consumers are not aware of the sustainable proposition of
the brand.

On analysing the exhibit 2, we realised that for customers, a lot of the factors are important which
account for approximately 50% of the overall customers. A lot of these customers are untapped so
communicating using these messages would help generate larger customer base.

Analysing the table below:

Advertising helps a business to earn profits by enabling more people to know about the products
and services and thus resulting in more sales. ... Advertisements help the consumers to make
decisions regarding which product and service to buy. With the help of advertisements, a consumer
gets the best possible options
 Factors % All these factors account for approximately 50%
Employee Treatment 48% of the total consumers. All these messages
Source 34% should be communicated to the end user to tap
Environment Friendly 33%
Animal Treatment 31%
Advertising Practice 27%
Food Transparency 27%
Stance on issues 27%
Local Outreach 22%
US Outreach 18%
Charity 17%
Gobal Outreach 13%
Employee Voluntary Practices 9%

Why is Brand Resonance Important?

Brand resonance is characterized by strong resonance between the consumer and the brand. It
benefit from increased number of loyalty and decreased vulnerability to competitive marketing
actions.
Stages of brand development: Identity-> Meaning->Response->Relationship

Brand Associations of the White Dog

• Sustainability: Sustainable initiatives being carried out include: buy Fairtrade coffee and
sugar; sustainably harvested fish; humanely raised meats; and organic ingredients
• Availability: The White Dog Café is rated a 4-star restaurant, has over 100 employees, and
made up to $5 million in annual sales before selling in 2009. After opening two more
branches in neighboring suburbs, a normal weekend will bring in about 3,000 customers
• Commitment to local produced: White Dog Café is very passionate and involved in the
community. An important condition of the restaurant is to support local farmers and suppliers
within 50 miles. It is also in the social contract that if it were to be sold, it has to be sold to a
local person with local ties
• Customers: Customers are looking for a unique dining experience where they are assured
that the ingredients used are of the highest quality and come from a local farmer or supplier.
Customers usually leave the restaurant feeling good about helping the local community and
making some small contribution to social and environmental justice.
• Economic Trends: At the time Grims opened the two suburban locations, the US economy
was steadily improving, and incomes were rising (from around $20 thousand median
household income in the original location, and over $100 thousand median household
income in the suburb locations) which allowed customers to pay for more sophisticated
tastes