Working Title: Brand packaging: How relevant is it to the customer - Dissertation Example

?Marketing Dissertation Research Proposal Academic Year 12 …………………………………………………………………. Number:……………………… Supervisor:…………………………………………………………….. Working Title: The Relevance of Brand Packaging to Coca Cola’s Marketing Strategy………………….. 1: Introduction/ Justification The concept of branding and packaging are considered as the most significant constructs in the field of marketing. The term "branding" pertains to the description of the product's name and design. It serves as the factor that adds distinction to other products in the market, which differentiates it among competition (Vargo & Lusch, 2004). On the other hand, "packaging" is marketing instrument that is utilized to reflect the personality that the brand intends to project. In that regard, one can note that the packaging is used to appeal consumers, as a means to sell the product through the collaboration of fonts, colours, logo and descriptions (Kotler & Armstrong, 2007; de Chernatony, 2006). In the field of marketing, the goal is to sell the product through formulating various strategies. The most effective means of achieving sales is through optimizing the product's brand and packaging, as these are the facets of the product that the consumers see and identify with. It is then important to note that in advertisements and promotional materials, the brand and packaging must present a cohesive image (Cretu & Brodie, 2007; Dobele, Toleman, & Beverland, 2005). A successful marketing campaign can be determined when consumers are able to recognize the product because of its brand, and for being able to identify the packaging itself, which serves as an additional factor for them to make a purchase (Mizik & Jacobson, 2009). However, the context of brand packaging is not stagnant. Along with the changes in the marketing environment comprising the needs and desires of the consumer and trend modifications, brand packaging evolves with it. This poses a challenge to companies in modifying their packaging while being able to maintain their brand's identity (Vargo & Lusch, 2004). The present research is being conducted on the context of brand packaging on the bottling corporation, particularly the Coca Cola Company, in regards to the relevance of its products' packaging with its customers. The researcher then aims to identify the measures, strategies and frameworks exerted and utilized by Coca Cola in regard to the presentation of its line products' packaging, as well as the changes they have applied due to shifts in consumer demand and trends in society. In essence, the objective of this proposal is to identify the evolution of the Coca Cola Company’s packaging based on the strategies and techniques they have applied, in line with its relevance to its consumers. 2: Critical Literature Review/ Academic Foundation 2.1 Introduction At present, the market has been saturated with a lot of companies who sell their business through disseminating marketing messages. Due to the overpopulated expanse of the marketing sector, it has become a challenge for most companies to get their message through to their target market. Such a scenario is prevalent in the beverage industry, as known between the rivalry between Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola. To conquer such barriers, what most companies do is to build up on their branding strategies. The philosophy behind corporate branding aims to establish the name of the company, with a stature that is both divergent and trustworthy among existing and new stakeholders. It also assists in forming strong bonds or connections with the aforementioned groups, as well as to represent the benefits consumers can gain through exemplifying the value-bound structure within the organization (Brown, 2005). 2.2 Brand Identity Brand identity comprises of a crucial factor referred to as familiarity, mainly among the market, which are the consumers and stakeholders in general. It is familiarity in the form of how well the customers are knowledgeable and their degree of usage of the company's products and services (Woonbong & Roger, 2008). It is crucial for a company to establish awareness of the firm's trust mark. In the marketing business, awareness is the key. It is the first and most critical level of introducing a product or a service to the market. If no one is aware that such a product exists, then the possibilities of it being catered to a certain market is implausible (Kotler & Armstrong, 2007; Papasolomou & Vrontis, 2006). In choosing a brand, it is important that it must be distinct and easy to remember. Since a brand constitutes the product's personality, it must also present the objective of the company. In communicating a brand to a public, marketing personnel makes use of taglines, slogans, and logos, as a means to support visual imagery through the incorporation of a unique set of designs (Cretu & Brodie, 2007). The packaging is then formulated to appeal to the consumers, technically to catch their attention. Companies choose specific fonts, shapes and colours for their product's logo and packaging in order to be in accordance with the "look and feel" that they are trying to exemplify (Greg, 2006). The brand is the personality of the product and the packaging is what consumers see on the market shelf while on the course of purchasing goods. It is important to note that in spite of an appealing product brand, if the packaging of the item itself is not attractive, consumers would not be enjoined to purchase the product. With that in mind, the context of branding and packaging are the most efficient means of driving a sale (Verhoef & Leeflang, 2009). In formulating strategies for selling, marketers clearly define the product's brand and packaging as this is the key factor that would help them sell the product as it reflects the image of the company, as well as the segmented consumer group that the brand is trying to identify with. In the process of sales, promotions and advertisements must present a cohesive brand when presenting the product to the market. Through this approach, customers would be able to remember the brand. Effective marketing campaigns can be determined when consumers are able to identify the product based on its packaging and brand, instead of the actual features it presents (Vargo & Lusch, 2004; Gordon, Carrigan, & Hastings, 2011). In essence, a brand is considered as a set of illustrations and thoughts that aim to symbolize a product, which focuses mainly on the graphic verbal characteristics and tangible signs that comprise of slogans, logos, labels, titles and design formats that embody what the company stands for, mainly the product or the service being offered (Matzler, Pichler, Fuller & Mooradian, 2011). Brand recognition and feedback from consumers can be generated through the acquisition of the peoples' experiences in regards to an explicit product that ranges from its usage up to the effects of advertising and marketing campaigns (Smith & French, 2009). 2.3 Product Brand A brand is considered as a guarantee to the consumer of better quality or performance as compared to a product's generic counterpart, in regards to both the physical and technical aspects. When companies market a branded product, their statements ensure qualities that cannot be acquired through using generic or alternative brands (Brown, 2005; Breivik & Thorbjornsen, 2008). In most cases, brands are illustrated to depict an individual’s preferred lifestyle. Product branding caters to products alone, whereas corporate branding is the strategy of utilizing the name of the company to represent a certain product or service. Products are manufactured in warehouses and factories, but brands are what consumers are after (Chandon, Hutchinson, Bradlow, & Young, 2009). A brand is not just an aesthetic addition to a product, but it is considered as a figurative representation of the entire information that can be associated to the product itself, and the firm that introduced it to the market. It plays the role of forming bonds and anticipation in the products that had been produced (Freling, Crosno, & Henard, 2010). It does not limit itself to the words or the symbols, but it also includes the basic aspects such as the color, font, shape, line, style, and rhythm that are supposed to convey a message that upon seeing a particular tint of red or hearing a beat of a drum, a particular brand would flash in one's mind (Florence, Guizani, & Merunka, 2009). That is an example of a strong product branding. If it can be retained by a common consumer and can easily be identified even by a child, then the product branding strategy implemented had been effective. These symbols do not only represent the product, but it can also represent an idea, a personality, or even a lifestyle. Through brands, trust can be forged between a product and a consumer (Kotler & Armstrong, 2007; Montana, Guzman, & Isa, 2007). 2.4 Visual Attention Visual attention is considered as a window which exists in a conceptualized world and which tends to improve the speed of the processing events in the brain and also reduces the threshold. The visual attention of a human is also considered as an observable motor movement of the eyes and the head. The visual attention is the most important tool and often the only way customers can get information about the product (de Chernatony, 2006). The research tends to emphasize on the importance of visual attention in marketing a specific product or brand as a means to appeal to consumers' attention. The visual attention is the most important tool and often the only way customers can get information about the product. The market research has really disregarded the difference visual attention can make towards the marketing of the brand. The consumers gather new data, as well as incorporate the information from their stimuli where the pre-existing knowledge of the product is also necessary. The consumers also imagine about the events that are related to the stimulus. The consumers then make the arguments and counter-arguments in terms of the position they have to take through the stimulus (Petty and Cacioppo 1986; Payne, Bettman and Johnson 1993). The conceptual analyses engage the consumers into the perceptual analyses, i.e. what perceptions they have related to the product and its packaging (Greenwald and Leavitt, 1984), when they tend to devote their attention to the stimulus. This perceptual analysis will lead the consumers to examine the sensory features of the stimulus, which can be different indicators, such as colour, shape, or the size of the product (Papasolomou & Vrontis, 2006). In that regard, it is important to identify the package design of a specific brand, as this would determine the product's appeal to the consumers. The present study aims to identify the correlation between the brand and its packaging to consumers. Since each product in the market houses its own brands, the researcher chooses to focus on the Coca Cola Company, as they have released a wide range of beverage products which have gone through numerous changes in terms of packaging while still being able to maintain the brand. 3: Research Questions 1. What is the role of brand packaging in marketing? 2. Does brand influence consumer behaviour in regards to its packaging? 3. What is the role and importance of brand packaging in Coca Cola's business? The research questions will be tested based on the following null hypotheses: 1. There is no significant relationship between product value and brand packaging, in terms of visual appeal. 2. There is no significant relationship in the use of images in brand packaging between familiar and unfamiliar brands, with respect to the consumers' attitudes towards the packaging. 3. There is no significant relationship between the success of Coca Cola's business and its brand packaging. 4: Research Design This research undertakes a descriptive case study research design, to address the objectives of the research. Descriptive research explores the current experience of the subject matter at hand. In the same manner, the use of the descriptive research approach also enables the researcher to discuss the topic at hand in an in-depth manner (Dooley, 2010). It explores the experience of interest without introducing any interference that may alter these variables. Moreover, the current study also focuses on a single topic: Coca Cola's brand packaging. The researchers opted to choose a qualitative approach in conducting the study, focusing on both observational and subjective objectives. This type of approach works on the assumption that facts and data gathered through primary and secondary sources are a mixture of factual and subjective information, and are best understood by being collated and analyzed according to their individual parts, which would then be useful in correlating the information to further substantiate the data that supports the study (Neuman, 2002). The factual aspect would be culled from the strategies, techniques and frameworks applied by Coca Cola in their brand packaging measures, whereas the subjective aspect is in regards with the brand packaging's influence to the company's consumers. It is considered subjective as each individual has his or her own preference, which varies and cannot simply be generalized. In order to obtain relevant information and primary data for this study, the researcher would use the following methods: A) Interview The primary research method would be through Interviews. An interview is simply defined as that research technique where the respondents are questioned orally. It is considered very advantageous, especially when dealing with topics that is comprehensive and requires elaboration. In the aspect of identifying the strategies, techniques and frameworks used by Coca Cola in establishing its brand and its packaging, the researcher would interview relevant marketing managers of the Coca Cola company. As a means to determine the influence of the brand's packaging towards its consumers, marketing analysts would also be interviewed. The topics would delve on the measures applied by Coca Cola, in relation to brand value and loyalty. The present study would then make use of two research protocols: for Coca Cola's marketing managers and marketing analysts. The three important types of interview are structured interviews, semi-structured interviews, and unstructured interviews. Structured interviews consist of closed-ended questions, where the structure of the questions, responses and the interview itself is decided prior to the interview. The interviewer has more control over the responses, and can lead the interview into the direction they want. However, the responses received are limited. Semi-structured interviews consist of closed and/or open-ended questions, allowing the interviewer to have some control over the responses and the interview (Lewis, 2003). However, open-ended questions allow the interviewee to express themselves and encourage them to present their views and opinions. Unstructured interviews consist of open-ended questions that do not restrict the interviewee’s responses, therefore collecting a wide range of information. This type of interview is more flexible in-terms of the questions being asked and their ordering, all depending upon the interviewees responses. This is necessary, as it allows gaining a deeper understanding of the participants’ views about the impact of packaging on consumers. B) Survey Questionnaire As a means to identify the effect of Coca Cola's brand packaging to its consumers, the researcher would make use of a structured survey questionnaire which would be provided to various individuals through random sampling, which is a mixture of those who like and do not like to purchase Coca Cola products. In order to analyze the psychological and behavioral reasons for purchase decisions, the author will collect primary data through the distribution of questionnaires. However it is very important to note that questionnaires should reach the right people, which allow an appropriate amount of information to be collected. Sampling The sampling process of the interview protocols would be based on a specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. For the marketing managers of Coca Cola, the inclusion criteria are as follows: (1) have worked as a marketing manager for Coca Cola for 2-4 years; and (2) is currently a manager (or higher position) concerning the marketing aspect of Coca Cola. The exclusion criteria are as follows: (1) resigned or retired marketing manager of Coca Cola; and (2) did not exceed two years of being a marketing manager in Coca Cola. As for the marketing analysts, the following inclusion criteria would be used: (1) has sufficient knowledge of the value of brand packaging in line with marketing; and (2) aware of Coca Cola's brand packaging. The exclusion criterion is that the marketing analyst should not or have been employed or connected to the Coca Cola Company to avoid bias, as the analyst would provide an independent perspective of the study. Lastly, the inclusion criteria for the survey respondents are as follows: (1) 18 to 45 years old; (2) have drank Coke or other competing brand; and (3) purchases soft drinks in a grocery, shopping mall, etc. 5: Conclusion The purpose of the study is to emphasize the significance of brand packaging as a means to appeal to consumers, highlighting the fact that brand packaging does not solely present visual imagery, but reflects the brand's personality as well. At present, the prevalent practice in advertising is to market products based on its respective brands and packaging, which is associated with the function of the product. The researcher aims to identify the role of packaging in terms of brand recognition as a means to enjoin customer satisfaction through the concept of sales and brand loyalty. The study would be conducted through the use of interviews and survey questionnaire research methods, as a means to gather data from the following sample: marketing managers of Coca Cola; marketing analysts; and consumers. In essence, the objective of the study is to identify the relationship between Coca Cola’s brand packaging and its consumers, as a means to determine the latter’s contribution to the success of Coca Cola, on a marketing perspective. Final word count: 2897 6: References (excluded from word count) 6.1: Academic 6.2: Supporting Breivik, E. & Thorbjornsen, H. 2008. Consumer brand relationships: an investigation of two alternative models. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36(4). Brown, S. 2005. Science, serendipity and the contemporary marketing condition. European Journal of Marketing, 39(11-12). Chandon, P., Hutchinson, J.W., Bradlow, E. & Young, S.H. 2009. Does In-Store Marketing Work? Effects of the Number and Position of Shelf Facings on Brand Attention and Evaluation at the Point of Purchase. Journal of Marketing, 73(6). Cretu, A. & Brodie, R. 2007. The influence of brand image and company reputation where manufacturers market to small firms: A customer value perspective. Industrial Marketing Management In Project Marketing and the Marketing of Solutions, 36(2). de Chernatony, L. 2006. From Brand Vision to Brand Evaluation: The strategic process of growing and strengthening brands. Dobele, A., Toleman, D. & Beverland, M. 2005. Controlled infection! Spreading the brand message through viral marketing. Business Horizons, 48(2). Dooley, D., 2000. Social Research Methods (4th ed). Prentice Hall. Florence, P.V., Guizani, H. & Merunka, D. 2009. The impact of brand personality and sales promotions on brand equity. Journal of Business Research. Freling, T., Crosno, J. & Henard, D. 2010. Brand personality appeal: conceptualization and empirical validation. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 3. Gordon, R., Carrigan, M. & Hastings, G. 2011. A framework for sustainable marketing. Marketing Theory, 11(2). Greenwald, A. G. and C. Leavitt, 1984. Audience Involvement in Advertising: Four Levels. Greg, K. 2006. From destination brand to location brand. The Journal of Brand Management, 13(4-5). Keller, K.L. 1993. "Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Managing Customer-Based Brand Equity. Kotler, P. & Armstrong, G. 2007. Principles of Marketing. 12th Edition. Lewis, J. 2003. Design Issues in Ritchie J and Lewis J (Eds) (2003) Qualitative Research Practice: A Guide for Social Science Students and Researchers. SAGE, London. Matzler, K., Pichler, E., Fuller, J., & Mooradian, T. 2011. Personality, personbrand fit, and brand community: An investigation of individuals, brands, and brand communities. Journal of Marketing Management. Mizik, N. & Jacobson, R. 2009. Valuing Branded Businesses. Journal of Marketing, 73(6). Montana, J., Guzman, F. & Isa, M. 2007. Branding and design management: a brand design management model. Journal of Marketing Management, 23, (9-10). Neuman, W.L., 2002. Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, 5th ed. New Jersey: Allyn & Bacon. Papasolomou, I. & Vrontis, D. 2006. Using internal marketing to ignite the corporate brand: The case of the UK retail bank industry. The Journal of Brand Management, 14(1-2). Payne, J. W., J. R. Bettman and E. J. Johnson, 1993. The Adaptive Decision Maker. Petty, R. E. and J. T. Cacioppo, 1986. Communication and Persuasion, New York: Springer Smith, G. & French, A. 2009. The political brand: A consumer perspective. Marketing Theory, 9(2). Vargo, S. & Lusch, R. 2004. Evolving to a New Dominant Logic for Marketing. Journal of Marketing, 68(1). Verhoef, P. & Leeflang, P. 2009. Understanding the Marketing Department's Influence Within the Firm. Journal of Marketing, 73(2). Woonbong, N. & Roger, M. 2008. Brand power revisited: measuring brand equity in cyber-space. Journal of Product and Brand Management, 14(1). 7: Appendix (excluded from word count) (Conceputal Framework) – Importance of Brand Packaging in Brand Identity (Keller, 1993) PROJECT MANAGMENT GANTT CHART NOTTINGHAMTRENTUNIVERSITY NottinghamBusinessSchool Name of student REGIS PHIRI Student registration number T2090916 Programme of study BUSINESS MANAGMENT & MARKETING Module name and code MARKETING DISSERTATION BUS131136 Working title of research project BRAND PACKAGING: HOW RELEVANT IS IT TO THE CUSTOMER Carrying out the research necessary for completing your dissertation or projectmay raise some ethical issues. a. This document sets out the ethics guidelines and parameters you must respect when conducting your research. Please explain in the table below how you will seek to ensure your research respects these guidelines and parameters. You must then sign it andget your supervisor or Module Leader to co-sign it. b. If the nature of your research means you cannot in good faith work within these guidelines then you will have to apply for ethics approval from NBS Research Ethics Committee, using Form NBS/Ethics04. If you need help or advice, please contact either your supervisor or Module Leader. Things you must do 1. If you are planning to do research involving organisations, you must obtain the permission from an appropriate manager before you start research in any organisation. If you are doing the research in your own organisation it would be sensible to ask your line manager in the first instance. In other organisations, you do not work for,it is advisable to approach the line manager who has responsibility for the people you wish to involve in your research. These initial contacts will be able to tell you if you need permission from any other authority within the organisation. 2. If the research is to be done in any NHS organisation you mayneed ethical approval from an appropriate Local Research Ethics Committee (LREC). The contact details for LRECs can be found on the website >http://www.nres.npsa.nhs.uk/ Read More