Major Project Report On

CUSTOMER PERCEPTION TOWARDS MID-SEGMENT CARS AND IMPACT OF BRAND AMBASSADOR ON THEIR SALE

Submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of

MASTERS IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION SUBMITTED BY ;

Vinayak Verma

TABLE OF CONTENTS
S.NO CONTENT
Acknowledgment Certificate

PAGE NO

1.

Introduction About Maruti Udyog Tata Motors Hyndai motors Ford Motors

2. 3. 4.

Automobile Loans Overview about Brand Ambassador Imprtance of Brand Ambassador

5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Research methodology Data Analysis and Findings Suggestions and Recommendations Conclusion SWOT Analysis Limitations Bibliography Questionnaire

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The research on Customers perception towards mid segment cars and

impact of brand ambassador on their sale has been given to me as part of the
curriculum in 2-Years Masters Degree in Business Administration. I have tried my best to present this information as clearly as possible using basic terms that I hope will be comprehended by the widest spectrum of researchers, analysts and students for further studies. I have completed this study under the able guidance and supervision of Pr.TARANDEEP KAUR I will be failed in my duty if I do not acknowledge the esteemed scholarly guidance, assistance and knowledge. I have received from them towards fruitful and timely completion of this work. Mere acknowledgement may not redeem the debt I owe to my parents for their direct/indirect support during the entire course of this project.

Date:

Compiled Vinayak verma MBA 4th Semest

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that M BA Mr. VINAYAK VERMA has completed his project report title Customer

Perception towards Mid-Segment Cars and Impact of Brand Ambassador on their Sale under my supervision. To the best of my knowledge and belief this
is his original work and this, wholly or partially, has not been submitted for any degree of this or any other University.

HISTORY OF AUTOMOBILES

Automobile

Karl Benz's "Velo" model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race An automobile (also motor car or simply car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods.However, the term is far from precise. As of 2002, there were 590 million passenger cars worldwide (roughly one car for every eleven people). History

SOME IMPORTANT DATES

1928 :- The first imported car was seen on the Indian roads 1942 :- Hindustan motors incorporated 1944 :- premier automobile started. 1948 :- first car manufactured in India 1953 :- the government of India decreed that only those firms, which have a manufacturing programmer should be allowed. 1970-80 :- Not much change was witnessed during this period. The major factor affecting the industry was the MRTP Act (Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act) and FERA(Foreign Exchange Regulation act). 1991 :- Under the government new national industrial policy the License Raj was dispended with and the automobile industry expanded freely. 1992 :- with the wind of liberalization sweeping the Indian car market many multinationals like Daewoo, Mercedes s-benz came into the Indian car market. 1998 :- The honable supreme court passed the order directing all the car manufacturers to comply with Euro1 by 1st may 1999 in national capital region(NCR) of Delhi region.

ABOUT MARUTI UDYOG LIMITED Background Maruti Udyog Limited (MUL) was established in Feb 1981 through an Act of Parliament, as a Government company with Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan holding 26 per cent stake. It was entrusted the task of achieving the following:

Modernization of the Indian Automobile Industry. Production of vehicles in large volumes Production of fuel efficient vehicles.

Suzuki was an obvious choice because of its unparalled expertise in small cars. The Joint Venture agreement was signed between Government of India and Suzuki Motor Company (now Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan) in Oct 1982. The company went into production in a record time of 13 months and the first car was rolled out from Maruti Udyog Limited Gudgeon in December, 1983.

First Customer

Mr. Harpal Singh, Marutis first customer, proudly received the keys of the Maruti 800 car from the Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi on December 14, 1983.

Car Market Scenario When Maruti began operations in 1983, there were only two other car companies in India and the total size of the Indian passenger car market was a measly 40,000 units per year. From the start, Maruti caught the imagination of Indian car customers and launched four new models, including a hatchback, a mini multipurpose van, an entry sedan and a SUV, over the next decade. Each of these models was an instant draw with the Indian consumers. Suzuki Motor Corporation increased its stake on two occasions (26>> 40 >> 50 >> controlling stake and brought it to 50 per cent in the mid 1990s (and to 54% with privatization in 2002).

Market Share Till date, over 6 million (60,00,000) Maruti cars have rolled out from its manufacturing facilities. At the end of 2007-08, Maruti had a market share of about 59 per cent of the Indian passenger car market. The company sold 7,92,167 vehicles in 2007-08 including exports of about 53000 units,which is a record in itself.

MARUTI-DZIRE:

Maruti Swift Dzire is the new entry level sedan from Indian automaker Maruti Suzuki. Launched on March 26 2008, Maruti DZire is based on the popular Maruti Swift platform. The DZire replaces Maruti Suzukis popular entry level sedan, Maruti Suzuki Esteem, production of which was discontinued in late 2007. Maruti Suzuki has introduced DZire only in the Indian market. DZire is a result of an indigenous project started in 2005 to design a three-box notchback version of the Swift. Some changes have been made to the cars overall styling to seamlessly integrate the boot. The wheelbase remains the same. The car weighs about 30-35 Kgs more than the Swift hatchback. Few modifications in the rear suspension have been done to cope with the additional weight of the boot and improve the ride quality for the rear passengers. Adjustments in the rear seat inclination have been made to improve the rear seat comfort and legroom. The car is pitted against the other entry level sedans in the Indian market, such as the Mahindra Renault Logan and the Tata Indigo. This car is notorious for production delays. It was announced too early before adequate production capacities were added. As the price of the car was very attractive compared to competitions with similar features, it had a very healthy order book initially. However delivery delays and dealer black marketing affected initial sales and very few are seen on road even months after the car was announced. Its believed Maruti has stopped taking new orders since Aug 2008.
Non Metallic Price

Variant Swift desire ldi Swift desire zdi Swift desire vdi Swift desire lxi Swift desire zxi Swift desire vXi

Metallic Price

550662.56 676427.65
594861.83 467780.02 601855.72 510658.02

550662.56
676427.65 594861.83 467780.02 601855.72 510658.02

Technical Specifications of Swift Dzire Overview

Model Body Type Number Of Doors Seating Capacity Fuel Capacity

Swift Dzire

5 5 43 liters

Dimensions
Length Width Height Wheelbase Ground Clearance Minimum Turning Radius

4160 mm 1690 mm 1530 mm 2390 mm 170 mm 4.7 m

Weight 1010 1035 1025 - Vxi 1090 - Ldi Lxi Zxi 1105 1115 Zdi Vdi

Kerb Weight

Engine
Type Number Of Cylinders Displacement

MPI petrol/in-line/SOHC Multijet/DDis/DOHC Diesel variant 4 1298 1248 cc (diesel) cc

Gasoline

(petrol)

Transmission

5 speed manual, with synchromesh in all gears, one reverse (petrol) 5 speed manual, with synchromesh in all gears, one reverse (diesel) 87 bhp @ 75 bhp @ 4000 rpm (diesel) 113 Nm @ 6000 rpm (petrol)

Max. Power Max. Torque

4500

rpm

(petrol)

190 Nm @ 2000 rpm (diesel) Suspension

Front Suspension Rear Suspension

MacPherson strut and coil spring Torsion beam and coil spring

Brake
Front Rear Steering Type Tyre Size

Ventilated Disc Drum Rack & Pinion 165/80 R 14 185/70 R 14 (Zxi, Zdi) (Lxi, Vxi, Ldi, Vdi)

Last Updated on : January 16, 2009

TATA MOTORS

The year 2003 was extremely significant for Tata Motors, and not just because the company changed its name. The high point of an eventful 12-month period was the trailblazing debut on European roads of the City Rover, an improved version of the Indica. The year also saw Tata Motors reaching the 3-million milestone in vehicles produced. On July 29, 2003, the birth anniversary of founder chairman J. R. D. Tata, the company changed its name from Tata Engineering to Tata Motors. The new name reflects the companys core business of designing, manufacturing and marketing automobiles. Less than a month later, in August 2003, Tata Motors produced its 3-millionth vehicle, reaching a landmark that exemplifies the companys ambition and progress. The red-letter day of the year was September 16, 2003, when Tata Motors rolled out the first City Rover to be shipped to MG Rover, the renowned British automobile company. Speaking a few months prior to the event, V. Sumantran, who heads the passenger car division at Tata Motors, said: "This is perhaps the first time that an Indian-engineered automobile is going back overseas, and will actually be used by an upscal

Tata Indigo

Tata Indigo, India's first sedan, is adorned with state-of the-art features that offer not only total comfort and luxury, but international safety as well. Indigo comes equipped with a 1405 cc engine that generates 85bhp. Very competitively priced, Tata Indigo offers great value for money. It is available in petrol and diesel options. Tata Indigo comes with a number of India-specific features. Keeping in mind Indian users, and their general bodily structure, the Indigo's front seats have been given additional lumbar and thigh support for more comfort during long distance drives. Indigo has longer wheel-base and has 14-inch wheels compared to the 13inch wheels that is the standard in most of the C-segment cars. The Indigo is built on a steel monocoque frame that has passed European standards of full frontal and offset frontal crash tests as well as endurance safety tests. It has also been fitted with a fire-preventing inertia switch, which minimises fuel leakage during an accident. Other safety features include rear safety belts, collapsible steering wheel, side-impact beams and crumple zones.

MODEL Indigo gls Indigo glx Indigo ls

PRICE Rs 466,730 Rs 499,957 Rs 497,777

Indigo

Rs 540,888

Specifications of Tata Indigo

Engines - BS II Petrol Diesel Engines - BS III Petrol Diesel Suspension Front Rear Steering Type Turning Radius Brakes Type Front Rear Tyres & Wheels Type Size Seating Front Rear Capacity Fuel Tank Trunk Capacity Weight Kerb Weight (kg) Gross Vehicle Weight (kg) Dimensions Width 1620 mm 1070 1490 42 litres 450 litres 2 persons 3 persons Radial Tube 175/65 R 14 Vacuum assisted dual circuit, diagonal split hydraulic brakes through tandem master cylinder Disc brake Drum brake Rack and pinion type with collapsible steering column. Power assistance available in all models except GLE. 5.0 m Independent McPherson strut with anti-roll bar Independent 3-link McPherson strut with anti-roll bar 1405 cc MPFI Petrol Engine with 32-Bit Microprocessor. Max. Power - 85 PS @ 5500 rpm Max. Torque - 11 kgm @ 3000 rpm Turbo-charged 1405 cc Indirect Injection Engine with Intercooler Max. Power - 70 PS @ 4500 rpm Max. Torque - 13.5 kgm @ 2500 rpm 1405 cc MPFI Petrol Engine with 16-Bit Microprocessor. Max. Power - 85 PS @ 6000 rpm Max. Torque - 11 kgm @ 3000 rpm Turbo-charged 1405 cc Indirect Injection Engine Max. Power - 62 PS @ 4500 rpm Max. Torque - 12.5 kgm @ 2500 rpm

HYUNDAI MOTORS

COMPANY PROFILE
Hyundai Motor India is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company, Korea.The Korean company set up its subsidiary in India in 1996 with a state-ofthe-art plant in Irrungattukottai, near Chennai, constructed at a total cost of $614 million. The companys debut car in India, the Hyundai Santro, was designed and developed keeping Indian road conditions in mind, and the companys factory at Irrungattukottai is planned to be the only global manufacturing base. The factory has an installed capacity to manufacture 1,20,000 cars per annum.

In order to make India the global manufacturing hub of the Santro, Hyundai Motor plans to shift the production base of the car from South Korea to India in the last quarter of 2003 and base the Hyundai Motor groups exports from India. Between 2003 and 2006 the company will invest $300 million in its Indian operations. It will increase the assembly line as well as the capacity from the present level of 1.2 lakh to 1.5 lakh units in the next fiscal and to 2 lakh units between mid-2003 and 2006. Hyundai is looking at exports of 40,000 units, mostly to Europe, from India. Hyundai Motors is also planning to shift certain research and development (R&D) facilities from Korea and while basic R& D functions will remain in Korea, India will become the R&D hub in specific areas such as engine, body design or transmission, taking advantage of the available technology skill in India. The planned capital infusion will also be used to expand capacities and fund product launches, including the premium hatchback Getz and the multi-purpose vehicle Carens. While the Getz is likely to priced between Rs 4.5-5.5 lakh, the Carens is expected to be introduced with a price tag of about Rs 10 lakh. The firm is also exploring the feasibility of rolling out another sports utility vehicle Santa-Fe. The company recorded combined sales of 93,244 units during the financial year 2001-02. For 2002-2003 the company has set itself a target of selling 1.03 lakh cars. The companys newest launch in India is the Accent Viva and the company proposes to increase the manufacturing capacity of the Accent from the present 400 units a month to 600 units a month to meet the rising demand. Hyundai Motor India has targeted to achieve revenues of $1.2 billion by 2004-05, and also become the production hub for small cars. It has attained the distinction of being the second largest and fastest growing car manufacturer in India, having more than 260 service outlets across the country. Hyundai Motor Company has a presence in 168 nations with a combined sale of close to 3 million units. The company is likely to emerge as one of the top five auto giants in the world in the future.

HYUNDI ACCENT:

Style and glamour may have eluded the Hyundai Accent, but since its 1995 introduction, this economy car has quietly established itself as one of the betterbuilt, better-performing choices at the bottom end of the new car market. . Hyundai Accent is a mid-sized sedan that offers facilities of a luxury sedan. Its extensive range of technologically advanced engines pack a lot more thrill into the driving. It is available both in the petrol. The dynamically tuned all-wheel, Independent suspension gives the Accent surprising athleticism on the road, round the corners and on the trickiest of surfaces. Accent conforms to the global safety norms and have state-of-the art safety features such as reinforced steel sections in the front and back, dual sideimpact bars on all doors, large crumple zones in front and rear, anti-lock braking system, collapsible steering column and anti-submarine seats.

MODELS executive

PRICE

Rs.5,23,409

Technical Specifications
Dimensions and Weights Overall Length (mm) Overall Width (mm) Overall Height (mm) Wheel Base (mm) Ground Clearance (mm) Front Track (mm) Rear Track (mm) No of Doors Fuel Economy Mileage Highway (km/liter) Mileage City (km/liter) Mileage Overall (km/liter) Capacities Seating Capacity (person) Fuel Tank Capacity (liter) Performance Maximum Speed 0-100kmph 1/4 Mile Engine Engine Type/Model Displacement cc Power (PS@rpm) Torque (Nm@rpm) Valve Mechanism Bore (mm) Stroke (mm) Compression Ratio No of Cylinders (cylinder) Cylinder Configuration Valves per Cylender (value) Fuel Type Fuel System Transmission Transmission Type Gears/Speeds Manual 5 Gears Km/Hour seconds seconds 5 45 4250 1670 1370 2440 172 1435 1425 4

1495 95 PS @ 5500 rpm 125 Nm @ 3500 rpm

:1 4

Petrol

Clutch Type Final Reduction Gear Ratio Suspensions Front Suspension Rear Suspension

Mac pherson strut with coil spring & stabilizer bar Dual link with coil spring & anti roll bar

Steering Steering Type Power Assisted Minimum Turning Radius (meter) Brakes Front Brakes Rear Brakes

Power assisted rack & pinion Standard

Ventilated Disc Self adjusting drums Wheels and Tyres

Wheel Type Wheel Size Tyres 13 Inch 175/70 R 13

FORD MOTORS

The Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is an American multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on worldwide vehicle sales, following Toyota, General Motors, and Volkswagen. Based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, the automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake in Mazda of Japan and Aston Martin of England. Ford's former UK subsidiaries Jaguar and Land Rover were sold to Tata Motors of India in March 2008. In 2007, Ford fell from the second-ranked automaker to the third-ranked automaker in US sales for the first time in 56 years, behind General Motors and Toyota. Based on 2007 global sales, Ford fell to the fourth-ranked spot behind Volkswagen. Ford is the seventh-ranked overall American-based company in the 2007 Fortune 500 list, based on global revenues in 2007 of $172.5 billion.[3] In 2007, Ford produced 6.553 million automobiles and employed about 245,000 employees at around 100 plants and facilities worldwide.[1] Also in 2007, Ford received more initial quality survey awards from J. D. Power and Associates than any other automaker. Five of Ford's vehicles ranked at the top of their categories[4] and fourteen vehicles ranked in the top three.[5] Ford introduced methods for large-scale manufacturing of cars and large-scale management of an industrial workforce using elaborately engineered manufacturing sequences typified

by moving assembly lines. Henry Ford's methods came to be known around the world as Fordism by 1914.

FORD FIESTA:

Ford India has just launched the Fiesta in petrol and diesel versions. Stylish Fiesta can mark the turnaround of Ford in India . And if you are willing to buy either of Hyundais Accent, Hondas City, Chevrolets Optra, Marutis Baleno and Toyotas Corolla just hang on. First Read this Carwale Review and then decide.

Ford India had done 7 years and though they are leading world class car manufacturers, they are yet to make their due mark in India . Therefore, the occasion to launch Fiesta in India saw its best preparation and inauguration by none other than Mr. Bill Ford, Jr. (Global Chairman and CEO). Moreover, Fiesta is the first ford car launched in India , which is brand new one. Its previous entrants were either phased out models or were existing in other global markets. So we read and heard Fiesta since September and then finally got a ride in October end. Here is our experience and review of this New Feast from Ford- Fiesta. The new Sedan Fiesta follows Ikon, Mondeo, Endeavour and Fusion. The first thing Fiesat counts plus on other models is that its been specifically engineered for Indian market. We found Fiesta with a very stylish exterior and it has gone upmarket with posh interiors and lots of standard equipment. Fiesta is undoubtedly an engaging drivers car and it once again proves the unique handling capacity by Ford engineering. The Fiesta project was undeatken by engineers from India , UK , Germany and Australia . Its feature rich and its colour variants are impressive. Its available in colours of Flare, Platinum, Moon Dust Silver, Paprika Red, Panther Black, Vitro, Diamond White, Jewel Violet. Overall, the car has a luxury and sporting looks. Behind the Wheels The first Fiesta impressions are marked by sound ergonomics, effective seat and wheel adjustment and an acceptable level of quality.

Comfort Fiesta has more spacious interiors than its predecessors and has a taller body shape. Head and legroom in front are comfortable and so is the sitting at the back sheets. Additionally, the entry and exit is more convenient in the front. Though we realise that it was not equally comfortable for an adult to enter and exit in rear doors. As we took the test, the AC chilled the car to comfort levels in around 2O seconds. The independent McPherson struts up front and semi-independent twist beam at the rear have proved good. The cabin noise has considerably reduced when compared to Ikon or even Mondeo. Even then, I think its not as low as in Corolla and Optra. Equipments Ornamental fog lamps, bumper, body coloured mirror, large radiator and bumper grilles make Fiesta very stylish. The 1.6 petrol or the diesel version can get equipped with ABS & electronic brake force distribution for around Rs. 25000. Other safety features are tailored for Indian conditions. Its Empty to destination metre fitted on the dashboard is another unique feature. As the car moves, keeping the burn rate into account, this metre constantly displays how many more kilometres the car can go with the amount of fuel in the tank. Fiesat is available with two Power trains:

Duratorq 1.4 litre TDCi diesel (Turbo Direct Common Rail diesel injection Duratec petrol 1.6 litre

technology)

TDCi is being introduced in any model for the first time in India . And Ford's patented 'Dura' technologies offer advanced combustion technology and surprisingly Duratorq 1.4 TDCi engine weighed mere 98kg. This light wieght powerplant makes the handling superior, and low internal friction makes it better. On Mumbai roads, we easily touched 80 Kmph and realized that we are hardly using any substance of the Fiesta. On fifth gear it moves ahead with full zest and on express highway it goes well beyond 150 Kmph in around 12 seconds. In city traffic, steering was convenient and does not require much effort. And well appreciate that gear shifting was considerably reduced, mainly because the engine produces high torque at low rpm. Our verdict is that Fiestas diesel engine, a 1.4 CRDI (common rail direct injection), is the most driveable in class available on the Indian roads. The proprietary TDCi Duratorq engine is a high pressure common rail system- along with a tiny pilot injection system which injects diesel giving a small early burn that smoothes the big bang. Though it makes the driving a pleasure, the economy offered is Ok. On highways it offers 12kmpl and in city one may get around 7 or 8 kmpl. We have yet to get economy figures from various customers to see whether it can outperform the others in its class, as Ford Dealers claimed.

Body

3 Box 4 Door Sedan

Brakes

Front Rear
Dimension & weight

Ventilated Discs Self Adjusting Drums

Front Track Fuel Tank capacity Ground Clearance Kerb weight Overall Height Overall Length Overall Width Rear track Wheelbase
Engine

1474 mm 45 Litres 168 mm 1110 kgs 1468 mm 4282 mm 1686 mm 1444 mm 2486 mm

Compression ratio Displacement Fuel System No. cylinders / arrangement / Valves

Performance

9.75:1 1388 cc SEFI 4 cylinder in line, 16 vallve DOHC

Max. Power Max. Torque

Steering

82/6000 ps/rpm 127/4000 Nm/rpm

Min. Turning Radius

Suspension

4.9 m

Front

MODELS
Rear
Ford Fiesta TDCi Ford Fiesta TDCi ABS Ford Fiesta TDCi Ford Fiesta 1.4 EXi 1.4 SXi 1.4 ZXi 1.6 EXi

Independent Mcpherson struts with offset coil spring / twin tube damper units and lower L-arms with optimised bushes mounted on separate cross-member with stabiliser PRICE bar.Dual-path body mounts. Rs. 7,34,133 Semi-independent heavy duty twistRs. 8,39,939low package height coil beam with spring and separate twin tube Rs. 7,79,933 dampers. Dual-path body mounts
Rs. 6,51,140 Rs. 7,47,477

Transmission

Transmission Type

Ford Fiesta 1.6 S Ford Fiesta 1.6 SXi ABS Ford Fiesta 1.6 ZXi

5 speed manual

Rs. 7,42,238 Rs. 6,84,320

Tyres & Wheels

Tyres Wheel size

175/65 R 14" steel

OVERVIEW
Gain an unfair competitive advantage in sales and distribution channels. Your sales channels touch potential customers at their most vulnerable moment in the buying cycle -- the moment when they seek advice at the point-ofpurchase. Most have a good idea of what they need, but are uncertain of which brand will provide it. Incidentally, this holds true for about 80 out of every 100 shoppers, including those influenced by advertising. Most customers seeking word-of-mouth advice, follow it. Consequently, if a sales person has little knowledge of your brand and cannot offer good advice, the prospect will likely ring someone elses cash register. That is how successful brands gain an unfair advantage. Work with strategy to expand the reach of their product and brand knowledge in sales channels, and creating effective BRAND AMBASSADORS. In now days, each and every automobile company appointing

actors/actresses or sportspersons as their role ambassadors for promoting sales promotion of the company.

INTRODUCTION ABOUT BRAND Everyone knows what a "brand" is -- it is your company's product or service, combined with a unique positioning and key company equities, that fills a need for consumers. Having a strong brand is vital to your company's success. But what exactly is a "brand ambassador"? At first thought, you might consider it to be the owner of the company or the board of directors; these people are considered the ones who have the greatest interest in seeing the company and its products survive and grow. While this is certainly true, a brand ambassador is much more than that. One very proper description of a brand ambassador I heard recently caught my attention: "a diplomat; a representative of an organization, institution or corporation that best portrays the product or service." Once you consider this definition, the scope of your brand's ambassadors spreads and grows into a variety of audiences, each with enormous potential for influencing others and ensuring your brands' success. Lets explore some of your key ambassador groups. With strong leadership at the top of an organization, your product or service will be given the attention and resources it deserves to succeed. Your company's senior managers direct the various components necessary for developing and marketing your product. They also provide the high-level attitude of belief and commitment to success necessary to motivate employees to back the company's products. Senior managers must continually teach, coach and engage their employees, encouraging them to believe in the company and take an active part in the

process of building and marketing products/services with unique characteristics that fill consumers' needs. Without the focus and commitment of senior management, a product, no matter how good it looks on paper, is doomed to failure. All employees, regardless of function or title, are key ambassadors for your company's products and services. Members of sales, marketing, engineering and product development are key representatives of the company. And so are receptionists, administrative assistants and the maintenance staff. Once motivated by senior management to believe in the company and its products/services, employees can utilize their network of friends and colleagues to grow the company's circle of influence. Your customers are the key to your success in more ways than you might think. By buying your product again and again, they are providing the revenue you need to stay alive. But they also are living, breathing examples of consumers who used your product or service to fill a need. They are your key ambassadors. A testimonial from your customers is potentially worth more than the largest advertising budget in the world; this type of third-party endorsement provides you with the unique advantage of having others do your marketing for you. So what is necessary for your brand ambassadors to succeed? To make sure your brand ambassadors are the key to your success, it is important to arm them with the knowledge necessary to spread the word about your products and services. Your company's influencers and representatives should have a strong working knowledge of your products and should be able to discuss your products as they relate to needs in the marketplace. They should also have success in experiencing or using your product, either firsthand or by

watching someone else. And finally, they must be able to speak passionately about your company and share their belief with others. You might feel overwhelmed by the notion of building your circle of brand ambassadors. But it's easier than you might think:

You've already got a strong product or service. Now, make sure you have product literature or other sales collateral that quickly and concisely describes the key features and benefits or your company and its products.

Motivate your employees to assume their role as representatives of your company. Give them the motivation and, if necessary, incentives to spread the word to friends and colleagues.

Tap your satisfied customers. Find those customers who are thrilled with their experience. Get them to provide you with an endorsement or testimonial you can use with customer prospects and in your marketing and communications materials and arm them with the tools necessary to spread their success stories with others.

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR AND MARKETING STRATEGY The study of consumers helps firms and organizations improve their marketing strategies by understanding issues such as how

The psychology of how consumers think, feel, reason, and select between different alternatives (e.g., brands, products); The psychology of how the consumer is influenced by his or her environment (e.g., culture, family, signs, media); The behavior of consumers while shopping or making other marketing decisions; Limitations in consumer knowledge or information processing abilities influence decisions and marketing outcome; How consumer motivation and decision strategies differ between products that differ in their level of importance or interest that they entail for the consumer; and

How marketers can adapt and improve their marketing campaigns and marketing strategies to more effectively reach the consumer.

Understanding these issues helps us adapt our strategies by taking the consumer into consideration. For example, by understanding that a number of different messages compete for our potential customers attention, we learn that to be effective, advertisements must usually be repeated extensively. We also learn that consumers will sometimes be persuaded more by logical arguments, but at other times will be persuaded more by emotional or symbolic appeals. By understanding the consumer, we will be able to make a more informed decision as to which strategy to employ.

One "official" definition of consumer behavior is "The study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society." Although it is not necessary to memorize this definition, it brings up some useful points:

Behavior occurs either for the individual, or in the context of a group (e.g., friends influence what kinds of clothes a person wears) or an organization (people on the job make decisions as to which products the firm should use).

Consumer behavior involves the use and disposal of products as well as the study of how they are purchased. Product use is often of great interest to the marketer, because this may influence how a product is best positioned or how we can encourage increased consumption. Since many environmental problems result from product disposal (e.g., motor oil being sent into sewage systems to save the recycling fee, or garbage piling up at landfills) this is also an area of interest.

Consumer behavior involves services and ideas as well as tangible products.

The impact of consumer behavior on society is also of relevance. For example, aggressive marketing of high fat foods, or aggressive marketing of easy credit, may have serious repercussions for the national health and economy.

IMPORTANCE OF BRAND AMBASSADOR By focusing primarily on the development of "soft skills," Brand Ambassador shows its participants the value of empathy, honesty and humanity in helping them to become trusted advisors to both internal and external customers. Through role play and acting exercises, participants learn how to reach out, connect, motivate and inspire other people. In the end, Brand Ambassador created a workforce spirit within Avis that increased customer satisfaction to over 90%, cut staff turnover by 10% and catapulted Avis to the number 1 rental car company in South Africa, Norway and Sweden. The purpose of this seminar is to:

Build a community of excellence between company employees to drive exceptional acts of customer service

Renew corporate values and commitment by both veteran and new employees

Develop interpersonal communication skills that enable participants to represent the corporation and its values both internally and externally

Each Brand Ambassador program is co-developed and co-delivered by Corporate Scenes, the Olin School of Business and the client as a 2.5 day seminar. The client's values and goals are the focal point of every workshop. The proprietary development model is scalable and flexible, and can accommodate virtually any organization form 2 to 500,000 people across the globe. Working with the client, we identify issues and indicators during the program development

phase that will be formally measured by the client once the program is complete to show both quantitative and qualitative indicators of success. Brand Ambassador uses facilitated discussions, exercises based in acting and theater, frameworks and functional tools to deliver its messages. The Olin School of Business offers Brand Ambassador in both open-enrollment and corporationspecific versions. Table A provides a snapshot of the program structure and content.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
NEED OF THE STUDY Everyone knows what a "brand" is -- it is your company's product or service, combined with a unique positioning and key company equities, that fills a need for consumers. Having a strong brand is vital to your company's success. But what exactly is a "brand ambassador"? At first thought, you might consider it to be the owner of the company or the board of directors; these people are considered the ones who have the greatest interest in seeing the company and its products survive and grow. The role of a brand ambassador in the automobile sector is to provide strength to the incoming products whether these are small cars, mid-segment cars or luxury cars. SCOPE OF THE STUDY Main objective or the scope of the study of this project is to know the perception of customer towards mid-segment cars of different companies in to the market like MARUTI, HYUNDAI, FORD and TATA MOTORS and impact of brand ambassador on their sale in the chandigarh region .

RESERCH DESIEGN After research objectives the second stage of research calls for developing the most efficient plan for gathering the needed information. Designing a research plan includes decisions on data sources, research approaches, research instrument & sampling plan.

PRIMARY DATA The primary data is the data gathered for a specific purpose or specific research report. I have collected primary data with the help of questionnaires from the owners of Maruti Dzire, Hyundai Accent, Ford Fiesta and Tata Indigo.

SECONDARY DATA The secondary data is the data, which already exists & was collected for some other purpose. The secondary data 1 have used in my research report is basically collected from the business magazines, journals & websites of different automobiles companies.

RESEARCH APPROACH Primary data can be collected in four ways: Observation. Focus groups, Surveys & Experiments. My approach to the research is survey based, as it is best suited to know customer preferences & practices...

SAMPLING DEDIGN The first step in developing any sample design is to clearly define the set of objects, as my study is exploratory, the sampling design includes three decisions i.e. Sampling unit, Sample size & Sampling procedure.

SAMPLING UNIT In this research report the sampling unit includes the data collection of consumers.

SAMPLING SIZE The sample size of my research is 100 consumer. Large samples give more reliable results that is why I tried my best to cover more respondents of Chandigarh city.

Sample Size 100 Sample Unit users (consumer) Area of Survey Chandigarh.

Data Availability: Data has been collected from the owners of Maruti Dzire, Hyundai Accent, Ford Fiesta and TATA Indigo.

QUESTIONNAIRE

Name: _______________________________ Age:_________________________________ Occupation:___________________________ Income:______________________________ Q 1. Which car comes to your mind when you think to buy a car? (a) Ford Fiesta (b) Tata Indigo (c) Maruti dzire (d) Hyundai Accent executive Q 2. Which companys car do you have? (a) Ford (b) Maruti (c) Tata (d) Hyundai

Q 2. If you intended to buy a car on what sources of information you will rely upon? (a) Friends/Relatives (b) Dealers suggestions (c) Advertisement

Q 3. Which of the following features will influence you more while purchasing car? (a) Colour/Design (b) Price (c) Brand name (d) After sale services (e) Status symbol

Q 4. Who in your family influence your final car purchase decision? (a) Yourself (b) Your spouse (c) Your parents (d) Your children

Q 5. What is the outstanding quality of car? (a) Comfort (b) Status (c) Mileage (d) Any other (looks,brand etc)

Q 7. Does company provides you better after sale services? (a) Yes (b) No

Q 8. Are you satisfied with your car? (a) Yes (b) No

Q 9. Would you like to switch over to any other car in future? (a) Yes (b) No

Q 10. If yes than what would be the reasons? (a) Price (b) Mileage (c) Just for change (d) Look or Style

Q 11. Does advertisement of a new car model initiates your buying decision? (a) Yes (b) No

Q 12. Which advertisement do you find more influencing? (a) Ads in TV (b) Ads in magazines (c) Ads in newspapers

Q 13. According to you what is the role of brand ambassador in a company? (a) To promote the product (b) To attract the customer (c) To increase the sale of the company

Q 14. Do you think that the quality of services improves with the inclusion of brand ambassador of the company? (a) Much (b) Very much (c) No improvement

Q 15. Trend for setting a brand ambassador is increasing now days as companies start believe in window dressing? (a) Yes (b) No

Q 16. Do the happening in life of a brand ambassador affect the sale of the company product ? (a) Much (b) Very much (c) Not necessary

Q 17. Can brand ambassador interfere regarding the quality of the product? (a) Yes (b) No . THANKS