Impact of Country of Origin and Customer Involvement on Brand Preference – Discriminant Modeling in Indian Credit Card Business

--Tapan K Panda

The paper provides insights into factors driving customer preference in the financial services industry. In particular, it aims at understanding the role of Country of Origin (COO) (and also customer involvement) in brand choice behavior of Indian customers in selecting credit card services from banks. The parameters which are considered in this empirical research are customer involvement, COO and brand choice behavior. Through statistical analysis of consumer responses, the researcher established a relationship among these three parameters.

© 2016 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

A Study on Selection of Most Preferred Brands

--Gaurav Gupta and Vikas Singla

This paper identifies the brands most preferred by customers in selected product and service categories. This was done in two steps. In the first step, 300 respondents in the age category of 18-25 years were asked to list down the products or services they frequently use. Based on this, 38 products/services across seven categories were identified for further study. In the second step, 500 respondents in the same age group were asked to reveal their most preferred brand in each of the selected product categories. Some of the product categories were car, shampoo, health supplement, electronic items, etc. The top two brands used by the respondents in each category were identified. As the data collected was nominal, a Run test (a nonparametric test to check for randomness in the data) was applied to find out the most preferred brand out of two shortlisted brands in each product category. Maruti in cars, Colgate in oral care, Coke in soft drinks, Dettol in hand wash, Nike in sportswear, Samsung in mobile phones and Airtel among mobile service providers were identified as the most preferred brands in their respective categories.

© 2016 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

Luxury and the Precariat: An Unusual Pairing?

--Rachel Sussman-Wander Kaplan

The paper focuses on the precariat, a class of people who live with a sense of precarity. A precariat, popular in the post-Fordist era, is a person who lacks steady employment, lacks security of a pension, and other benefits. The precariat, in the work place, is often referred to as a freelancer, a part-time employee or an adjunct. The precariat has influenced the way several corporations market luxury to customers. For example, companies rent luxury goods for short-term rentals to those seeking a luxury experience with a small price tag. The precariat is a mainstay in the post-Fordist era and will be a force in the post-modern economy. The paper seeks to understand the precariat and the role of the precariat with regard to luxury marketing.

© 2016 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

Political Branding: The New-Age Mantra for Political Leaders and Parties

--Amit Kumar, Somesh Dhamija and Aruna Dhamija

Branding as a phenomenon has effected many a change in the contemporary world. There is hardly any aspect of modern society which is untouched by it. The varied manifestations of branding have found resonance in most aspects of day-to-day life. Politics is one such arena which has come under the influence of branding. In a democracy, elections necessitate making informed choices with regard to the political parties and leaders. In this regard, the branding angle associated with a political outfit or leader can make a difference, as to who gets our nod and who does not. This paper makes an attempt towards exploring the impact of branding in politics, and how politics and branding go together in collectively influencing the choices made by the electorate in selecting a particular party or leader over others.

© 2016 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

Impact of Brand Equity on Purchase Intention of Home Appliances

--S Lakshmi and V Kavida

The inclination to buy a product—whether now or later—is referred to as purchase intention. The paper analyzes the impact of brand equity on purchase intention in the context of purchasing home appliances. Data was obtained from 650 respondents in Chennai, who were identified through a stratified random sampling. The methods used for analysis were—mean, standard deviation and multiple regression. The most important finding is that four of the five dimensions of brand equity, i.e., brand association, perceived quality, brand trust and brand loyalty, significantly influence purchase intent in the case of home appliances. In particular, perceived quality and brand loyalty have the strongest influence.

© 2016 IUP. All Rights Reserved.