FASHION BRAND MANAGEMENT

STUDY & ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER PERCEPTION

SUBMITTED TO- Dr. NIVEDITA SHARMA,
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
SUBMITTED BY:
KISLAY GAUR
MONALISHA SAHOO
NIHARIKA LALL
SHIVANGI SINGH

Abstract: Customer perception refers to the process by which a customer selects,

organizes, and interprets information/stimuli inputs to create a meaningful picture of
the brand or the product.
In simpler terms, it is how a customer see's a particular brand with whatever he or
she has been able to understand by watching the products, its promotions, feedback
etc. It is the image of that particular brand in the mind of the customer.
Consumer perceptions can determine the success or failure of a business. For
example, if a certain restaurant has a reputation as being the best pizza place in
town, the general consumer perception in the town might be that you should to go
the restaurant if you want a good pizza. This sentiment could strongly influence the
pizza shop's ability to make profit. On the other hand, if consumers have negative
views about company it could seriously hamper revenue success. For instance, if a
hardware store becomes known for cheap, shoddy products, consumers might avoid
purchasing its goods unless they cannot afford higher quality goods
Objective: To specify variables for customer perspective and analyse how four
different customers interact with the brand based on the relationship on the brand
ladder.
Introduction
Brand Ladder: Multiple qualities of the brand can influence consumer decision
making. Brand Ladder refers to the various benefit levels which a brand provides to it
consumers. Over the lifecycle of a brand, marketers project a brand so as to gain
customer loyalty.
Brand ladder consists of 4 levels (W.r.t brand):
Identify Awareness of the brand
Functionality The range of operations performed by a brand.
Liking Whether the brand provides a sense of security and purpose to the end
customers.
Relationship Strong connect unaffected by external stimuli.
A brand over its lifecycle is required to travel through these levels in order to gain a
loyal customer base. Some of the most successful brands have been existing for
decades because they have been able to successfully pass through the 4 levels.

Customer perception Variables:

Price

Comfort

Quality

Quantity

Peer & family

influence

Durability

Advertise
ment

Availability

Brand recall

Product details:

Product category: Sanitary napkin

Product type: Utilitarian

Brand: Not defined, takes customer preference into account

Why sanitary pad?

If you are a woman who grew up in India, you know what period shaming means.
One fine day you suddenly realise that your cycle is a couple of days early. You
whisper to your friend and ask for a sanitary napkin, which you then hide among the
folds of your clothes while simultaneously checking your pant/skirt for red stains.
Talks of sanitary napkin are a taboo or menstrual cycle for that matter. As a country,
we say we are now more liberal and radical. But we seldom follow what we preach.
Quite the contrary, NIFT does not pay lip services to taboos. Trend in NIFT has
always been divergent from the rest of the Country. We come across multitude of
people speaking different tongues, exhibiting different sexuality, practicing all kinds
of fashion. People come out of the closet without any inkling of worry. People dress
upside down, inside out. Why? Because in NIFT, we live and let live.
tudy of consumer perception of sanitary napkin in such a socially uplifting
environment will not only be befitting, it will also encourage in depth conversation
with the interviewee.
No bars on brandWomen have deep, emotional connect and incomprehensible rationale behind
choosing a particular brand of sanitary napkin for monthly rituals. Putting bars on the
choice of brands for this study would insinuate restricting target audience to
converse about something they do not feel for. Also not every sanitary napkin brand
is as famous as its competitors. We might come across no or limited number of
evangeline of these less famous brands. This would restrict multitude of consumer
insights. Focus is to keep the audience pouring their brains out, not stopping them.

Rather, not restricting the brand would provide scope for analysing different horizon
of perception. It would encourage comparison of different brands.
Research Methodology:
This study is geographically limited to Raebareli, a small city in the east of Uttar
Pradesh. This exploratory study used interview technique to understand consumer
perception of 4 female Niftians based on the relationship on the brand ladder. As
most people residing at NIFT are conversant with English, it was used as the
medium of communication. Each interviews spanned for 15- 20 minutes on an
average.
Analysis:
Interviewee: Gauri Chaddha
Brand- Whisper
Variables
Price
Quality
Quantity
Durability
Availability
Comfort
Peer & Family influence
Advertisement
Brand recall

Effects
No effect because Stayfree is also of the same price
Definitely a major factor that drives decision
No effect
Definitely a major factor driving decision
Non- availability leads to forced usage of Stayfree
Definitely a major factor driving decision
Family influence strong but concludes that at the end of
the Whisper is the best in the market as of now
No effect
Minimal

Overview: She has developed certain level of liking towards Whisper. She feels
uncomfortable if the brand is unavailable but settles because of emergency. But
being a rational user, she might switch to a better brand if it comes to market. As of
now, she is all for Whisper.
Brand Ladder: Liking

Interviewee: Ketaki
Brand- Whisper
Variables
Price

Effects
No effect because Stayfree is also of the same price

Quantity
Durability
Availability
Comfort
Peer & Family influence
Advertisement
Brand recall

No effect
Definitely a major factor driving decision
Non- availability leads to forced usage of Stayfree
Definitely a major factor driving decision
Family influence strong but concludes that at the end of
the Whisper is the best in the market as of now
Tampons ads - Life changing effect; Sanitary Napkin- No
effect
No effect

Overview: She never really liked the concept of sanitary napkin, always hated it. She
had to go along with napkins, because she had limited awareness of other product
types. She uses whisper because it is comparatively better than any other brand.
She is all for hygiene, cleanliness and sensory feeling of the napkin. She became
aware of tampon and has been using it since 4 months. To her, Tampon is Love.
Brand Ladder: Identify Major

Minor

Functionality

Interviewee: Apoorva
Brand- Whisper
Variables
Price
Quality
Quantity
Durability
Availability
Comfort
Peer & Family influence
Advertisement
Brand recall

Effects
No effect
Definitely a major factor that drives decision
No effect
Definitely a major factor driving decision
Had effect in settling with the current brand
Definitely a major factor driving decision
Minimal
No effect
Strong effect

Overview: The First brand she used was, Stayfree. It was used by her mother and
was recommended to her. When she started buying pads for herself, thought of
experimentation led to usage of Whisper. She is very much satisfied with Whisper
and is oblivious to any other brand existence.

Brand Ladder: Relationship

Interviewee: Jagpreet
Brand- Stayfree
Variables
Price
Quality
Quantity
Durability
Availability
Comfort
Peer & Family influence
Advertisement
Brand recall

Effects
No effect
Definitely a major factor that drives decision
No effect
Definitely a major factor driving decision
No effect. Whatever pad is available should be able to
solve the basic purpose.
Definitely a major factor driving decision
Sisters had strong influence in spreading awareness
about the brand.
No effect
Minimal

Overview: She is free to experiment with the brands as long as they solve the basic
purpose of providing durability and comfort. Not really devoted to any particular
brands, buts find Stayfree to be atop other brands when it comes to functionality.
Brand Ladder: Functionality

Annexure:
Interview between Kislay Gaur and Apoorva Joshi ( FD 03)
K: how do you feel when you are on your periods?
A: irritating, frustration, not comfortable and you are distracted all the time
K: which brand do you prefer in sanitary pads?
A: whisper ultra-choice
K: why this brand?
A: comfortable, size is good, and its thin from the rest of the brands
K: Are you comfortable with the shape of the sanitary pads?
A: its perfect
K: there are so many brands available in the market which would you prefer if your
brand is not available?
A: Stayfree and I have extra stock of whisper.
K: is there a difference between the durability of Stayfree and whisper
A: no idea but I change 3 times a day, because of the hygiene factor.
K: who purchase the product for you?
A: earlier I used to go with mom to buy but now I buy it myself.
K: any disappointment from your brands?
A: no
K: any problem with the alternative brand?
A: no
FINISH

Interview of Jagpreet by Shivangi Singh (LD 05)

S: When you got your first period?
J: At the age of 14

S: Were you aware of the periods at that time?

J: Yes, I have 3 elder sisters they had informed me about it.
S: What was your feeling when you had your first periods?
J: I was calm as I was already talking to my sisters about it so it was normal for me.
S: Who got your first pad?
J: Sisters
S: Which brand?
J: Whisper, green
S: Have you been using the same brand?
J: No I have shifted to Stayfree because it is much softer.
S: When did you realize that Stay free is better than whisper?
J: I feel much comfortable with Stayfree in every sense.
S: Is there any price issue?
J: No, considering the quality I am getting, price is not an issue.
S: Any incident when you felt that the brand (whisper) is not good?
J: I had rashes, so thats when I decide to switch to Stayfree.
S: Have you tried any other brand?
J: I have tried sofy and I found it reasonable and soft.
S: How many pads you use in a day?
J: 4- 5 on 2nd and 3rd day, longer pads, other days I go for cheaper and smaller
S: Is your pad durable enough for 2nd and 3rd day?
J: Yes
S: When you dont get the brand which you use, which other brand would you
prefer?
J: I want the product to be comfortable, soft and thin, be it any brand.
S: How did you get to know about the brands, that these brands are available in the
market?
J: From my sisters.

S: Any incident when your brand has disappointed you?

J: No.
S: Who used to buy the pads for you?
J: Earlier my sisters used to buy it for me but now I buy it for myself.
FINISH

Interview of Ketaki Gharotkar ( LD 03 ) by Niharika Lall

N: when did you get your first periods and how did you dealt with that?
K: when I was 11, I was not aware about it for the first month but in the next month
my mom asked me if I am on periods by seing the stains on my clothes, so that is
when I came to know about my periods.
N: your first pad must be given to you by mother, which brand was that?
K: Stayfree
N: are you still using the same Brand?
K: no, I have changed a lot over time but I dont use sanitary pads now I use
tampons
N: which brand did you use for sanitary pads?
K: Stayfree, then kotex for a while, whisper for normal flow and the whisper ultranight.
N: is there any incident when your product has disappointed you?
K: irritation and rashes with Stayfree and when I used kotex, it was not working as it
supposed to, then I changed to whisper as the as I have heavy flow the other brands
were not able to hold that flow.
N: Is price the factor in choosing the brand?
K: no, money is secondary, comfort and health is more important.
N: how many pads you change in a day?
K: on 1st and 2nd day I use 3 pads, and on 3rd and 4th day I use 2 pads
N: when did you chose to use tampons?

K: as soon as I found them in the market, I dont like pads, I feel uncomfortable,
irritation in pads and I have been using tampons for 4 5 months and I am very
comfortable with tampons now.
N: if tampon is not available which sanitary pads brand would you prefer?
K: I would go for whisper as I used it for long and I am comfortable with it.
N: You prefer Whisper for its quality?
K: yes
N: how did you get to know about tampons?
K: from articles, Hollywood movies and then I researched more about it and found it
to be more relevant which suits me, thats when I started using tampons.
FINISH

Interview of Gauri Chaddha by Monalisha Sahoo (AD 3)

M: since when did you start using sanitary pads?
G: when I was in class 5.
M: were you aware about periods before you had it?
G: We were informed in school about it, so I was well aware about it.
M: did they inform you about the brands of sanitary pads?
G: we had session in school conducted by whisper where they informed us about
how to use it and other information about the product.
M: how did it feel when you first used it?
G: very weird and a part of me was not ready to accept that I have to deal with this
for the rest of my life.
M: Did you feel safe after using pad?
G: yes I did feel safe but in starting I was a little conscious about it.
M: which brand did you use when you had you first period?
G: whisper and I am still using it.
M: why did you use whisper?

G: my mom gave me this when I used it for the first time and I found it comfortable
and slim.
M: did you try any other brand that made you feel safer?
G: I have tried Stayfree but I did not find it that good.
M: What made you try Stayfree?
G: Unavailability of Whisper
M: So its a forced usage?
G: Yes. I never stop looking for whisper.
M: do you think your mothers influence was much more in deciding which brand you
were using?
G: I had no idea about other brands so what my mom said I followed.
M: what all brands do you know in sanitary pads?
G: Whisper and Stayfree
M: what are the things in whisper that conquer over Stayfree?
G: size of Stayfree was not comfortable as compared to whisper.
M: do think using a wings pad is better than using a non-wings pad, do you think
wings solve the purpose?
G: Yes it does solve the purpose of making the pad stay in its position and avoids
rashes.
M: how often do you buy sanitary pads?
G: once in two months.
M: do you buy it yourself or anyone else buys it for you?
G: earlier my mother used to buy it, now I buy it myself.
M: does being in Raebareli affect your buying decision?
G: not much.
M: does it have any effect on flow during menstrual cycle?
G: no
M: for how many hours do you use a single pad?

G: 5 6 hours
M: do you find any disadvantage in whisper?
G: Stayfree smells better while whisper does not have that strong odour.
M: do you change pads according to the flow?
G: I use same brand throughout.
M: do you remember any particular ad?
G: yes, whisper ad, which has #like girl on YouTube.
M: do you remember any Stayfree ad?
G: no
M: any incident when whisper disappointed you?
G: when I was warming up for an athletic event at that time I got my shorts stained
may be because of heavy flow and the pad was not capable of holding that flow.
M: Did you blame the brand for it?
G: No because it was an unexpected heavy flow. The pad had nothing to do .
M: do you think you will continue with this brand?
G: its fine with this brand but if any other brand comes up with better functionality I
would be happy to try it.
M: has price ever been an issue in buying pads?
G: no, because prices are almost similar.
M: so if I ask you if you are in love with whisper or you like whisper what would be
the answer?
G: I like whisper but I dont have brand loyalty as such if any other brand comes up
with better functionality I will be using it.

References:
Http://www.mbaskool.com/business-concepts/marketing-and-strategy-terms/7192brand-ladder.html
Http://www.thebetterindia.com/69291/happy-to-bleed-haikus-period-taboos-shaming/
Http://www.mbaskool.com/business-concepts/marketing-and-strategy-terms/7192brand-ladder.html