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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 applied in any future undertakings of similar nature. can be
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.
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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. 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.
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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.
Introduction of Advertising
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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.
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
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What media is most practical for you to use in terms of access and affordability (the amount spent on advertising is often based on the revenue expected from the product or service, that is, the sales forecast)
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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.
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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.
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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 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.
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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.
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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 (coop 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 online 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 competitors campaign, or use a separatist campaign, where we fish in a different
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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. The key is to find the right publication (the pond) that contains the most of your preferred target (type of fish).
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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. 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
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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 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.
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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. 4. Negotiate web site adjuncts. Most publications nowadays have a web component of their printed publication. You want banner ads and coverage for their on-line
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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 advertising again. He says the best words are, We
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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).
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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. 17. 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
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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. 22. 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
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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 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,
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere engineering etc. At present Prakash group has successfully been in manufacturing, trading
and retailing.
The Prakash Group major areas of operation are: 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,
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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. 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 Mangalore Mangalore (Super Shop) Shimoga Hubli Puttur YEAR OF STARTUP 9th March 1987 15th May 1992 29 May 1998 12th October 1998 15 May 2001 12 July 2003
th th th
AREA 2700 Sq. Ft. 3500 Sq Ft. 1500 Sq. Ft. 3500 Sq. Ft. 4000 Sq. Ft. 5000 Sq. Ft.
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Managing Director
Board of Directors
Showroom Manager
Commercial Executive
Material Executive
Sales Supervisor
Service Engineer
Delivery Section
Assistant
Driver
Delivery Boy
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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 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.
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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 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
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Categories in Products 1) TV Portable a) Doom b) Flat Economy 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)
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3) Washing Machine Automatic Simi Automatic Automatic 1) Front Loading 2) Top Loading 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
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7) Grinders 1) Regular 2) Tilting 3) Table Top 8) Mixers 1) Only Mixer 2) Juicer, Mixer Grinder 3) Food Processor
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Events carried out at HARSHA Some major events in more advertisement and sales promotion activity are carried out in Harsha are as follows.
Harshotsava 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
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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.
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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.
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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.
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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.
Stock Levels :
Minimum Stock level Maximum Stock level Average Stock level Minimum delivery period Maximum delivery period Average delivery period 65 Lakhs 120 Lakhs 85 Lakhs 2.3 days 1 month 15 days
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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.
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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 learning1) HARSHA can know about the requirement of the promotional activities.
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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 understanding2. 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 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. can be applied
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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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere A personal interview method with help of a questionnaire has been used for collecting
primary data.
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 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
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere research will not be complete without the complete reference to the relevant secondary
data.
SAMPLE SIZE:
In the present study, 150 samples are taken for understanding the Study on promotional activities of Harsha.
SAMPLING METHOD:
The method used for survey was Non-Probability, Convenience Sampling method.
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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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1) How did you come to know about Harsha? a) News Paper c) Family & Friends 1) b) Banner
How did you come to know about Harsha? Frequency Percent Valid Percent 24.7 21.3 54.0 100.0 Cumulative Percent 24.7 46.0 100.0
37 32 81 150
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80
81
60
40 37 32
Frequency
20
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 15 10.0 Valid Cumulative Percent Percent 10.0 10.0
37 20 4 51 23 150
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51
40 37 30
20
23 20 15
Frequency
10 0
4 Events carried out a Discounts Service Others Quality Product Brand image
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. Features Discounts Service Price Product Range Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied
5) A Discount Frequency Percent Highly Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied Total 7 45 33 62 3 150 4.7 30.0 22.0 41.3 2.0 100.0 Valid Cumulative Percent Percent 4.7 4.7 30.0 22.0 41.3 2.0 100.0 34.7 56.7 98.0 100.0
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5) A Discount
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 7 Highly satisfied Satisfied Neutral Highly Dissatisfied Dissatisfied 45 62
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Frequency
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 59 16 55 150 13.3 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 50 40 30 20 55
Frequency
20 16
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 6 58 32 53 1 150 4.0 38.7 21.3 35.3 .7 100.0 Valid Cumulative Percent Percent 4.0 4.0 38.7 21.3 35.3 .7 100.0 42.7 64.0 99.3 100.0
5) C Price
70 60 58 50 40 30 20 10 0 6 Highly satisfied Satisfied Neutral Highly Dissatisfied Dissatisfied 32 53
Frequency
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
70 60 50 40 30 20 19 10 0 Highly satisfied Satisfied 6 Neutral Highly Dissatisfied Dissatisfied 15 45 65
Frequency
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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a) Television c) Radio
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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60
50
51
40
30
30
20
Frequency
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 Price Quality Availability of Products Warranty Offered by the company Brand Name After sales Service
Rank
Price Frequency Percent Very Important Important Neutral Least Important Never Consider Total 55 21 16 26 32 150 36.7 14.0 10.7 17.3 21.3 100.0 Valid Cumulative Percent Percent 36.7 36.7 14.0 10.7 17.3 21.3 100.0 50.7 61.3 78.7 100.0
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Price
60 55 50
40
32
Frequency
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 65 18 150 44.7 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%
important 43.3%
Inference:
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Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere From the above result we find that 45% people give very importance to quality and
44% consider it important
Availability of Products Frequency Percent Very Important Important Neutral Least Important Never Consider Total 37 44 28 18 23 150 24.7 29.3 18.7 12.0 15.3 100.0 Valid Cumulative Percent Percent 24.7 24.7 29.3 18.7 12.0 15.3 100.0 54.0 72.7 84.7 100.0
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44 40 37 30 28 23 18
20
Count
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.
Warranty Frequency Percent Very Important Important Netrual Least Important Never Consider Total 52 48 10 21 19 150 34.7 32.0 6.7 14.0 12.7 100.0 Valid Cumulative Percent Percent 34.7 34.7 32.0 6.7 14.0 12.7 100.0 66.7 73.3 87.3 100.0
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Warrenty
Never Consider 12.7% very important List important 14.0% 34.7%
Netrual 6.7%
important 32.0%
Inference: 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 29 34 25 24 38 150 19.3 22.7 16.7 16.0 25.3 100.0 Valid Cumulative Percent Percent 19.3 19.3 22.7 16.7 16.0 25.3 100.0 42.0 58.7 74.7 100.0
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40 38
34
30 29
25 24
Count
Brand Name
Inference: 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 71 39 20 11 9 150 47.3 26.0 13.3 7.3 6.0 100.0 Valid Cumulative Percent Percent 47.3 47.3 26.0 13.3 7.3 6.0 100.0 73.3 86.7 94.0 100.0
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important 26.0%
Inference: 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.
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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 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
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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.
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.
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4.
Harsha What You Dont Get Elsewhere 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 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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