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Transcript of Swansea MAD
i
“A study on brand development and evaluating marketing strategies adopted by Swansea
Music Arts and Dance”
ANURAAG ABRAHAM PETER
C1468260
BST 560
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Cardiff Business School
Under the supervision of
Supervisor: Dr. Neil Wellard
Date of Submission: September 11, 2015
Project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Business
Administration in Cardiff University
ii
DECELARATION STATEMENTS:
This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being
currently submitted in candidature for any degree.
Signed………………………………………
Date…………………………………………
STATEMENT 1
This work is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. Where
correction services have been used, the extent and nature of the correction is clearly marked in
a footnote(s).
Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references. A bibliography is
appended.
Signed………………………………………
Date…………………………………………
STATEMENT 2
I hereby give consent for my work, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-
library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations.
Signed………………………………………
Date…………………………………………
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Firstly, I would like to thank God for giving me the opportunity to undertake and complete this
project.
Secondly, I would like to thank Dr. Neil Wellard for his relentless support and guidance in
helping me complete this dissertation project. This project would not have been made possible
without his valuable direction and feedback.
Thirdly, I would like to thank Mr. Alex Hicks for giving me the opportunity to undertake a live
project with Swansea MAD and for his continuous support and encouragement in trying to
fulfil the objectives of the project.
Finally I would like to thank the management of Swansea MAD without which this project
would not have been possible to complete.
Thank You.
Anuraag
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ABSTRACT
The research project was conducted in association with Swansea MAD through a live project.
The Company came forward with a project to analyse its business models and evaluate its
marketing strategies. Brand development is a very wide concept and there are multiple
techniques and literature which are available. For the purpose of this study, brand awareness
and customer satisfaction levels were evaluated. These two concepts were evaluated as before
establishing a brand development strategy the researcher felt that the brand awareness and
customer satisfaction levels needed to be gauged. Developing brand development strategies
was a tricky proposition as Swansea MAD is in the third sector. The strategies developed for
the corporate scenario cannot be applied here at all instances as there as societal and third sector
requirements that need to be fulfilled.
For this purpose a survey was created to gauge both these concepts. Seven clients were
surveyed to gauge satisfaction levels and 114 people were surveyed in Swansea. Quantitative
tools were used to analyse the data. From the analysis it was realised that Swansea MAD has a
very good reputation in the eyes of those who have heard about the company. The customer
satisfaction levels and performance on projects have been found to be very high and there is a
high probability that once somebody gets associated with Swansea MAD they would continue
to use their service. The only deficiency lies in the fact that people are unaware of the company.
The brand has an appalling low awareness among the public in Swansea. The survey was
conducted on a 3 mile radius in and around the company. When surveying people just across
of where the company is located, people were still unaware that there existed a company like
this.
To mitigate these issues concrete recommendations have been suggested in order that brand
awareness could be elevated and various brand development strategies can been endorsed. An
important aspect is the question regarding the brand perception in the eyes of the public.
Whether the company wants to be known for his quality of services or as a skills development
centre for underprivileged and unemployed.
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CONTENTS PAGE:
1. Introduction ………………………………………………………….... 1
1.1 Research Objective ……………………………………….. 1
1.2 Research Approach………………………………………... 1
1.3 Limitations of the Project…………………………………. 1
1.4 Scope of the project ………………………………………. 2
2. Literature Review …………………………………………………….. 3
2.1 Introduction ………………………………………………. 3
2.2 Brand Definition ………………………………………….. 3
2.3 Determinants of a successful brand……………………….. 4
2.4 Brand Strength Index ……………………………………… 5
2.5 Brand Loyalty ……………………………………………… 5
2.6 Brand Evaluation …………………………………………… 6
2.7 Corporate Societal Marketing ……………………………… 8
2.8 Why Brands Fail? .................................................................... 11
3. Methodology …………………………………………………………… 13
3.1 Research Aim ……………………………………………… 13
3.2 Refining Scope ……………………………………………… 13
3.3 Primary Research …………………………………………… 13
3.4 Analysis of Data …………………………………………….. 14
3.5 Secondary data ………………………………………………. 14
3.6 Limitations of Research Methodology ……………………….. 14
3.7 Ethical Considerations ………………………………………… 14
4. Findings and Analysis …………………………………………………… 15
4.1 Brand Awareness …………………………………………… 15
4.2 Interest in the products and Services ………………………… 15
4.3 Familiarity with Swansea MAD ……………………………… 16
4.4 Assessing the medium through which people have heard about Swansea
MAD …………………………………………………… 16
4.5 Brand Perception ………………………………………… 18
4.6 Experience or expectation with Swansea MAD …………… 18
4.7 Pricing ………………………………………………………… 19
4.8 Recommendation to others …………………………………… 21
4.9 Demographic information of the respondents ……………… 21
4.10 Assessing Customer Satisfaction Levels ……………… 22
4.11 Awareness through which medium ……………………… 23
4.12 Brand Perception ……………………………………… 23
4.13 Association with the company ………………………… 24
4.14 Customer satisfaction Levels …………………………… 24
4.15 Evaluation on performance ……………………………… 25
4.16 Word of Mouth …………………………………………… 26
4.17 Recommendations from the clients on how the service
could be bettered ……………………………………………… 28
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4.18 Part of the service that was most appreciated or done really well 29
4.19 Competitive Scenario ………………………………… 29
4.20 Swot Analysis of the company …………………………… 31
5. Recommendations …………………………………………………… 33
5.1 Brand Perception …………………………………………… 33
5.2 Brand loyalty ……………………………………………… 33
5.3 Brand Awareness ………………………………………… 34
5.4 Staffing issues …………………………………………… 34
5.5 Potential clients …………………………………………… 34
5.6 Pricing Strategy ……………………………………………… 35
6. Conclusions ……………………………………………………………… 36
7. Reflective Essay ………………………………………………………… 37
8. References ……………………………………………………………… 39
9. Appendix ……………………………………………………………………………. 1
9.1 Cross Tabular Information regarding Price for each service and
Demographic factors …………………………………………………….. I
9.2 First Questionnaire …………………………………………… LV
9.3 Second Questionnaire ………………………………………………… LIX
9.4 Ethics Form and Consent Forms …………………………………… LXIII
9.5 Project Brief: Swansea MAD project Brief……………………… LXVIII
vii
List of Tables:
Table.1: Brand strength index Source: (Perrier 1997)
Table. 2: Comments on betterment of service
Table. 3: Comments on work done best
Table. 4: Competitive Scenario for Swansea MAD
Table. 5: Swot analysis of the company
List of Figures:
Figure.1: Determinants of Successful Brands Source: (de Pelsmacker et al. 2007)
Figure.2: Differentiation in brand loyalty Source: (de Pelsmacker, 2007)
Figure.3: Flowchart of Brand evaluation Source: de Chernatony, 2006
Figure.4: Brand awareness amongst general public of Swansea
Figure.5: Interest in company’s products
Figure.6: Familiarity with Swansea MAD
Figure.7: Mediums of Awareness and Cross tabulation between income level and awarenes
through social media.
Figure.8: Cross Tabulation between Occupation and Awareness through Other means.
Figure.9: Cross Tabulation between Gender and Awareness through word of mouth.
Figure.10: Cross Tabulation between Age and Awareness through Website
Figure.11: Cross Tabulation between Area of Residence and Awareness through Email
Figure.12: Perception of the company
Figure.13: Expectation from Swansea MAD
Figure.14: Pie diagrams represent people’s price choices
Figure.15: Cross Tabulations between prices for different services and different
demographic factors
Figure.16: Probability of Recommendation
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Figure. 17: Demographic information of respondents
Figure. 18: Information regarding location of respondents
Figure. 19: Demographics of the company
Figure. 20: Mediums through which the customers have heard about MAD
Figure. 21: Brand perception
Figure. 22: Cross Tabulation between Brand Perception and years of association
Figure. 23: Years of Association with the company
Figure. 24: Customer satisfaction levels
Figure. 25: Performance evaluation
Figure. 26: Recommendation evaluated
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CHAPTER 1- Introduction
The Cardiff Business school MBA project has been undertaken through a live business project
in alliance with Swansea Music Arts and Dance.
Swansea Music, Arts and Dance (Swansea MAD) is an established multimedia and training
company based in Swansea offering a mix of multimedia and training services throughout the
Swansea area and slightly beyond.
Established in 2008 as a CIC and fully operational since 2010, is halfway through Big Lottery
funding of its flagship project, I Am News, a community media and journalism project. This
funding provides the monies needed to support the CIC until Sept. 2016, at which time the CIC
must be part or fully sustainable. To achieve these necessitates a major rethinking of the
company’s business models and effectiveness of its current marketing strategies needed to be
evaluated. It was with in this regard that Swansea Music and Dance had approached Cardiff
Business School with a MBA project brief.
After being selected to undertake the project, an initial analysis was undertaken to validate the
project brief (Appendix 5 )into a useful and most appropriate project for Swansea Music, Arts
and Dance within the framework of the MBA requirements. The analysis revealed that further
improvement or fine tuning of its branding and marketing strategies needed to be executed in
a way that were effective in creating brand awareness and brand development. After constant
conversation with Swansea Music, Arts and Dance and academic supervisor this was the area
that the business project would focus.
The project analysis the present brand development strategies of Swansea MAD through
primary research and makes recommendations and strategies with the application to Swansea
Music Arts and Dance. For the purpose of this study the research objectives have been
narrowed done.
1.1 Research Objectives:
1. Describing theories on effective brand development and its importance to the third
sector.
2. Analysing the brand awareness of Swansea MAD in the Swansea area.
3. Analysing customer satisfaction levels of the clients of Swansea MAD.
4. Making recommendations and suggestions on how the marketing and brand
development strategies can be improved.
1.2 Research Approach:
The research approach follows an inductive approach through collection of primary data and
using quantitative tools to analyse the data. The survey strategy was used to gather the primary
data and in particular questionnaire tool was utilised.
2
1.3 Limitations of the project:
The limitations of the project includes time which is a major constrain in ascertaining the best
possible outcome towards the problem. Another limitation was the difficulty in attaining
responses due to all the respondents needing to be from Swansea. The travel up and down from
Cardiff was a barrier for me as and when required. So it was limited just a few visits due to the
cost involved in travelling.
1.4 Scope of the project:
The scope of the project is limited to the area of Swansea and multimedia and training
companies in Swansea. Addressing the clients of Swansea MAD and to the general public in
Swansea.
3
Chapter 2: Literature Review:
The literature review sheds light on existing theories and establishments which are relevant to
the research objectives. It tries to display how a powerful brand can be created and the possible
steps that could be involved in the process.
2.1 Introduction:
There are almost ten thousand new companies or organisations trying to enter the charity sector
each year in England and Wales alone (Hankinson 2000). One of the ways that non-profit
organisations are trying to respond is to adopt branding techniques which are developed for the
corporate scenario and it has been argued that brand orientation has helped voluntary
organisation to advance trust amongst key stakeholder communities (Tapp 1996; Ritchie et al.
1998). Some argue that it has strengthened brand awareness amongst target customers
(Hankinson 2000) and build loyalty amongst its support groups (Ritchie et al. 1998), other
academics and practitioners say that the strategies adopted for the corporate arena have made
the third sector or charity sector too commercialised (Sternberg 1998; Salamon 1999).
There has been very little scholarly articles dedicated to the enrichment and strategic
development of brands in the charity sector in either the UK or the USA which has resulted in
a greater complication of brands in the charity sector compared to typical commercial brands
(Hankinson 2000), difficulties in encouraging the internal shareholders to the concepts in
branding (Grounds and Harkness 1998) and sometimes being dissolute (Sargeant 1999).
2.2 Brand Definition:
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a ‘‘ name, term, sign, symbol or
design, or a combination of these, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or
group of sellers, and to differentiate them from those of the competitors’’.
4
2.3 Determinants of a successful brand:
Figure.1: Determinants of Successful Brands Source: (de Pelsmacker et al. 2007)
1. Brands that are successful need to have a differentiation. Consumers need to clearly
distinguish them from having exclusive benefits and how they are different from their
competitors (Doyle 2000)
2. Brands that need to be on the top need to clearly position themselves on quality and
adding some extra value (Green et. al 1995)
3. Continuous innovation is the need of the hour, it needs to be able to answer the dynamic
consumer needs and try to stay ahead of competition ( Tellis and Golder 1996)
4. For a company to gain a prominent position it needs the support and commitment of its
management and employees ( de Chernatony 2006)
5. Brands cannot become effective without long term, consistent support for
communication, continuous awareness of the brand exceptionality and the brand
staying true to cause and ethics (de Pelsmacker et al. 2007)
Successful brand
Innovation
Differentiation
Management and
employee support
Long – term
integrated
communication
support
Good quality
Added Value
5
2.4 Brand strength index:
Table.1: Brand strength index Source: (Perrier 1997)
Factor Relative importance (%)
Leadership 25
Internationality 25
Stability 15
Market 10
Trend 10
Support 10
Protection 5
An important facet of the brand evaluation system is the brand strength score as argued by
Perrier in his book, Brand Valuation. The most significant criteria being leadership and
internationality accounting for 25% each. A leading brand cultivates into a more steady and
valued asset. Brands that beat the odds in other countries are considered more stronger and
vigorous compare to others. Customer loyalty accounting for 15% is the second most important
index. Strong brands can be defined by large customer base or following. Brands being
supported consistently with huge marketing investments, displaying a higher continuity and
are present in the markets where branding is considered central are assumed to be more valued.
Lastly, the value of a well-protected brand is considered more secure (Perrier 1997)
2.5 Brand loyalty:
The real asset of the company is actually brand loyalty and not the brand itself (Perrier 1997).
A strong brand is one where the maximum of its customers are contented and loyal buyers
(Pelsmacker 2007). Contended customers would not only come back to your brand but will be
proactive in promotion of your brand and act as brand ambassadors (Pelsmacker 2007).
Endeavouring for customer loyalty is a cost saving strategy and even research shows that the
cost in attracting new clients can be as much as six times greater than what is spend in retaining
those existing clients (Dekimpe et al. 1997).
6
The pyramid below demonstrates how different levels of loyalty can be differentiated:
Figure.2: Differentiation in brand loyalty Source: (de Pelsmacker, 2007)
A very important method in retaining loyal clients and enticing guaranteed buyers is in the
portrayal of marketing services to be offered in the form of an experience and not just a product
and a brand community is a very good example where it is a community specialised, exceeding
geographical boundaries and based on an organized set of social relationships among the
consumers of the brand (Muniz and O’Guinn 2001). It is has been proven that clients who feel
that they have a belongingness to a brand community would also remain loyal to the brand in
the future, besides the experiences met would increase the word-of-mouth which could lead to
other customers also purchasing the brand (McAlexander et al. 2002)
2.6 Brand Evaluation:
There are diverse literature written on modes of assessing brands for example brands could be
evaluated considering its financial value (Perrier 1997; Haigh and Knowles 2004; Kapferer
2004), if we consider the brand equity (Aaker 1996; Ambler 2003) and even through
assessment through brand report cards (Keller 2000).
Committed
Buyer
Likes the brand- considers it a friend
Satisfied buyer with switching costs
Switchers/price sensitive- indifferent-
no brand loyalty
Satisfied/habitual buyer who has no
reason to change
7
Figure.3: Flowchart of Brand evaluation Source: de Chernatony, 2006
(de Chernatony et al.1998) suggests that success of a brand depends on measuring a mixture
of dimensions mainly based on a business based norms and customer based norms.(de
Chernatony 2006) suggests that there needs to be a more poised perception delivering on what
is internal to the organisation and what is external.
Under each dimension mentioned above there are internal and external issues which need to
analysed and addressed, examples of internal and external dimensions in the case of brand
vision would be robust leadership and principles compared to focussing on the projected future
of the brand. Organisational culture addresses issues like how does the value of the organisation
sustain the ethos of what the brand stands for. Brand objectives evaluate issues of awareness
of the brand’s long term and short term objectives among its staff. Brand essence addresses
how effective is the perception of the customer in terms what it has promised and finally
Brand Vision
Organizational Culture
Brand Objectives
Audit Brandsphere
Brand Essence
Internal Implementation
Brand Resourcing
Brand Evaluation
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implementation and brand resourcing reinforces issues like strength of the brand’s relationship
with the external stakeholders of the business (de Chernatony, 2006).
2.7 Corporate Societal Marketing:
I would like to provide some focus on how the brand equity can be developed through a
corporate societal marketing approach. As Swansea MAD is a third sector organisation and is
hugely involved in the development of the local community in Swansea (Music Art Dance
Swansea, 2015).
The use of corporate societal social marketing (CSM) has appeared on an increase due to its
vast acceptance of various programmes of CSM (Varadarajan and Menon 1988; Drumwright
1996; File and Prince 1998). Corporate social marketing has been defined as covering or
initiating marketing strategies that should encompass at least one non –economic strategy that
relates to welfare to the society and utilisation of the companies resources or any of its partners
(Drumwright and Murphy 2001, p. 164). An important factor for the rise of CSM is the
consciousness regarding the customer’s perception about the company and the role it plays in
the society which is crucial to the brands strength and equity (Hoeffler and Keller 2002). An
example can be seen in the 1999 Cone/Roper Cause- Related Trends Report which discovered
that among residents of U.S (1) 80% had a more positive image about the companies that
encouraged cause they supported (2) almost two –third suggested that they were likely to
switch brands to those related to a good cause. (3) three- quarters approved that programmes
associated with causes was just a business practice (Hoeffler and Keller 2002)
Corporate social marketing can satisfy several objectives like differentiating themselves with
the customers through a boosted corporate image (Lichtenstein 2000, p.4) and “differentiating
among competition by creating an emotional, may be spiritual bond with the consumers”
(Meyer 1999, p.29). Other benefits include (1) Enhancing the image of your company in the
eyes of the public (2) Boosting the morale of your employees (3) Drawing customers focus on
a particular product or service (4) impact on sales (5) enhance goodwill of the brand that could
help offset a bad publicity or dent in reputation due to any unforeseen event or circumstance
(Dawar and Pillutla 2000)
(McQueen 1991) defines brand equity as the variance between the worth the customer
perceives of the brand and the worth of the particular product or service without any sort of
branding. To get a better perspective of how to build brand equity numerous theories and
models have been designed (Farquhar 1989; Aaker and Joachimshaler 2000). It has explored
that most of the theoretical approaches revolves around understanding the effectiveness of
branding strategies with respect to customer awareness of the brand and how this awareness
affects the attitude of the consumer (Keller 2001).
Enhancing a brand is the aim of every business and (Hoeffler and Keller 2002) highlight six
steps to enhance equity of the brand:
9
1. Building brand awareness:
Brand awareness implies the ability of the customer to recollect and distinguish the
characteristics of the brand which can lead to substantial competitive advantage (Percy and
Rossiter 1997). (Van Reijmersdal 2009) suggests that brand awareness should inculcate a
feeling of familiarity among customers which involves feeling of knowing without the
necessity of the precise details.
2. Enhancing Brand Image:
Brand awareness can be the first significant step in building the brands equity but for a
lot of customers the image of the brand and what it stands for is more important
(Zaltman and Higie 1995; Fournier 1998). For the brand to have a better equity it is
crucial that the brand has robust, constructive and distinctive associations (Keller 1993).
Two such categories of associations are (1) User profiles (2) Brand personality
User Profiles- A type of brand imagery association would be someone who uses the
brand which may result in an outline or mental frame of what the brand stands for and
CSM helps in developing this positive image of the brand which may even transform
the behaviour of the customer ((Hoeffler and Keller 2002)
Brand personality- Brands often exemplify personality traits and ideals to people and
one that is commonly cited is sincerity (Aaker 1997, 1999).
3. Establishing Brand Credibility:
Brand credibility has been explained by (Keller and Aaker 1992) as the degree to which
the brand is viewed as credible in three main sectors: 1) Expertise which translates how
the brand competes with its competitors. 2) Trustworthiness which translates into being
reliable and upholding customers benefits in mind. 3) Likability exemplifying the
brands popularity as being exciting and fun being around.
4. Evoking brand feelings:
When it comes to brand feelings (Kahle et. al 1988) have discovered two groups of feelings
which are precisely applicable to CSM which are (a) Social Approval- This occurs when the
brand functions in a way that clients have positive mind set regarding the approval of others
on their involvement and indulgence with the brand (Graeff 1996).
(b) Self Respect- This occurs when the brand functions in a way that the consumers having a
feeling of accomplishment with their association with the brand and CSM programs initiate
this feeling that they are doing what is right and should feel proud about it ( Pringle and
Thompson 1999).
10
5. Brand Community:
The concept that communities develop around consumption has been dated back to the civil
war which was been argued by (Boorstin 1973). These consumption groups are people who
share feelings of common interest, who have a mutual well- being among themselves and are
focussed on the consumption of a shared item (Boorstin 1973).
These consumption groups or communities have been discussed as consumption sub- cultures
(Shouten & McAlexander 1995), even as brand clubs (Langer, 1997) and in the recent past as
brand communities (Muniz & O’Guinn, 2001). Muniz and O’Guinn (2001) defined the brand
community as ‘‘a specialized, non-geographically bound community, based on a structured set
of social relationships among admirers of a brand’’. Few notable examples explained by him
of brands which have highly devoted communities are Harley Davidson, Jeep and Apple
consumers.
Services or products that are reinforced by these brand communities have been linked with
greater levels of customer identification and participation (Muniz & O’Guinn, 2001) and higher
levels of loyalty from customers (Lemon et. al 2001). It has also been argued that companies
who actively manage their brand communities have resulted in greater levels of market share,
heighted sales and even increased commitment from the part of the customer’s (Hoeffler &
Keller, 2002; McAlexander et al., 2002).
Muniz and O’Guinn (2001) have identified three avenues that help to the development and
enhancement of a brand community: consciousness of kind, shared rituals and traditions and a
sense of moral responsibility.
a. Consciousness of Kind (Identification):
It represents a bond or connection that gets created between the customer and the brand even
with those individuals who may or may not by separated by distance, the connection may be
defined to be in relation to who is “out” to rather who is “in, ” and members often in competition
with other brand communities (Shouten and McAlexander, 1995).
(Underwood et al. 2001) argue that some customers develop relationships with brands that
grows outside the functional utility of what that brand exhibits, to create an emotional and
passionate attachment. Underwood (2001) even further went on to add that consumption on
brands further enhances one’s own identity.
b. Shared rituals and traditions:
These are rooted in symbols or events that are organised, festivities and activities which remain
exclusive to the brand and explain the attributes of what the brand represents (Hassay and
Peloza 2009). These shared rituals and traditions have a requirement for behavioural
involvement from the members of that community (McAlexander et al. 2002). (Bhattacharya
et al. 1995) explain that there exists different levels of participation and identification within
the supporters of the community. There are those which are given a higher status because of
11
the time, money, effort and dedication that they put in towards the community (Hassay and
Peloza 2009).
c. Moral Responsibility (Perceived sense of community):
For a new member to have a sense of community or attachment to the brand and its cause, it is
important that the member be first attracted and gets accustomed to the routines and customs
of the community (Hassay and Peloza 2009). It has been analysed that loyalty can be enriched
by social interactions among the members of the brand community which has been argued by
(Oliver 1999) who also states that the greatest loyalty may emerge when the customer
experiences an amalgamation of product, personal and social phenomena’s. (Kelley et al. 1999)
proposes that it is the social aspects and discusses the significance of “community relations”
enhancing the relational ties between the brand and the customers.
Another important concept to the brand community phenomena is Brand Commitment.
(Morgan and Hunt 1994) have recognised commitment as an important reinforcing factor on
significant levels of marketing to make the customer stay and form a partnership with the brand.
(Fullerton 2003) has found that commitment has a positive effect on behavioural loyalty.
(Iwasaki and Havitz 2004) say that psychological commitment has a positive impact on
behavioural loyalty. (Gruen et al. 2000) explains that commitment has a positive influence on
the relationship between members in an association. The projected relationship between
commitment and behavioural loyalty has been well supported by (Morgan & Hunt, 1994;
Gruen et al. 2000; Fullerton 2003).
6. Eliciting Brand Engagement: The strongest case of loyalty is when the customers devote
their efforts towards the brand outside the purchase and utilisation of a service. Example being
customers joining a club, sharing their experiences and building relationships among users of
the brand (Stark 1999).
2.8 Why Brands Fail?
In Matt Haig’s book of Brand Failures he describes seven deadly sins of how brand fail to
impress or face harsh competition.
1. Brand Amnesia: Older brands like older people, memory is a significant issue. Similar
can be the case for a brand who if forgets what it stands for can run into trouble in the
future. An evident case of brand amnesia occurs when an established brand tries to
create a fundamentally new identity for itself deviating from its original strategy.
2. Brand Ego: This happens when the brand thinks too highly about itself with regards to
importance and the abilities it possess. An example being when a brand tries to enter a
market thinking its achievements in other products or markets will have similar
accomplishments in new markets.
3. Brand Megalomania: Egotism could lead to megalomania when a brand wants to enter
into every product category possible.
12
4. Brand Deception: Brands try to cover up or conceal the genuinity of their products
through deceptive or aggressive marketing. In some instances it may even lead to
absolute lies.
5. Brand fatigue: This occurs when companies or businesses loose interest or as they say
gets bored with their one’s brand. This is seen with products that have been stagnant or
have not moved an inch for several years. When fatigue sets in, creativity is hampered
which affects sales directly.
6. Brand Paranoia: Brand Paranoia is the opposite to brand ego and this usually occurs
when a brand faces increased competition. Indications include reinvention of the brand
over a six month period, copying strategies adopted by competitors and filing of
lawsuits against competitors in the market.
7. Brand Irrelevance: If a market rapidly evolves the brands need to constantly reinvent
themselves and prevent themselves from the risk of being obsolete or invalid. They
have to endure to stay ahead of competition and find out new and improved ways to
attract customers constantly (Haig, 2005).
13
Chapter 3: Methodology:
The chapter explain the project’s research design which is descripto- explanatory in nature
following an inductive process. It is conducted using quantitative approaches.
3.1 Research Aim:
1. To understand the brand awareness of Swansea MAD in the Swansea Area.
2. To understand the customer satisfaction levels of clients who have worked with
Swansea MAD.
3. Designing a SWOT analysis of Swansea MAD
3.2 Refining Scope:
The initial project was proposed by Swansea Music Arts and Dance (Appendix 5). The scope
of the research has been limited to general public in Swansea with regards to brand awareness
and understanding the present customer satisfaction clients of Swansea Music Arts and Dance.
A general observation was conducted in and around the company premises analysing the
perception and image the brands projects and informal discussions were conducted with the
employees of the company. This observation was not a focus of the research but was essential
in understanding the present business climate of the company and the brand perception of the
employees that work in the organisation.
The research philosophy used here is interpretivism and using an inductive approach. Even
though an inductive approach has been adopted, quantitative methods are used to analyse the
data. An inductive approach has been used as it offers greater flexibility in allowing changes
to research methods as greater advancement in the project is made (Saunders et al. 2009)
The research strategy that has been adopted is the survey method. The survey strategy has been
used as to collect quantitative data. Quantitative tools also to be used to make analysis. The
data collected through this method can be used to highlight possible causal relationships
between variables and produce representations of this data (Saunders et al. 2009).
3.3 Primary Research:
Primary research was undertaken to analyse the brand awareness of the company. Online
Survey was created for this purpose and questionnaire was used. The survey was created using
google forms and it was created for the general public in Swansea. I had requested that the
survey be circulated by the company on forums they use like Facebook and Twitter pages and
through other avenues. An effort was made on my part also circulate the survey through sources
I knew. The data collection period started from July 5th to July 19th. During the initial stages of
data collection there were hardly any responses that were recorded. After a week or so the
responses recorded were less than five and that is when I realised that I had to go to Swansea
physically and conduct the surveys. The areas chosen were within a 3 mile radius of where
Swansea MAD is located. During a space of two days I could collect 114 samples with the help
14
of my friend. There was a definitive trend that suggested that further samples would ascertain
the same kind of outcomes.
The second survey was created to understand the customer satisfaction levels of customers who
have worked with Swansea MAD. Seven clients were only introduced by the company for this
purpose. All the clients had only used one service of Swansea MAD which made it easier to
make a proper analysis.
3.4 Analysis of Data:
As the survey approach was adopted quantitative methods of analysis were used. Statistical
Package for Social Science (SPSS) was utilised to do cross tabulation between different
variables and even correlation sometimes. Google form analytical tools were also used for the
formulation of graphs and tables. The analysis tries to focus on decoding what the data collected
means and make suitable conclusions accordingly.
3.5 Secondary Data:
A competitor scenario needed to be done for the companies with similar profile of services to
Swansea MAD according to the public’s opinion of what a music, arts and dance company
means. Information was taken from company website to gain a better understanding.
3.6 Limitations of Research Methodology:
1. Convenient sampling- The survey method has a less range compared to other strategies used.
The general public in the Swansea area in and around a radius of 3 miles were only surveyed.
Only 114 samples were collected from the public and only seven clients were interviewed.
Swansea MAD being a very small company could propose only seven clients which is not a
substantial number to make a definitive and conclusive argument.
2. Ineffective validity of responses- The survey to ascertain the brand awareness of the
company was focussed on whether the respondents have heard about the company and
importantly what do they know about the company. Interestingly majority of the respondents
have not even heard about Swansea MAD and the rest have heard about them but never used
their services. The majority of the questionnaire concentrated on aspects about Music, Arts and
Dance industry and regarding the company which left only few respondents actually answering
the whole questionnaire.
3.7 Ethical Considerations:
The research has been conducted to gain a better comprehension of the research objectives and
questions. It was based on honest and fair opinions of general public and clients of Swansea
MAD. The respondents were assured that their responses were kept confidential and would
contribute to only research purposes. The participants were instructed the purpose of this
research and were also reminded that their participation in this study was voluntary and they
could withdraw from the study at any point in time they choose.
15
Chapter 4: Finding and Analysis
4.1 Brand Awareness:
Figure.4: Brand awareness amongst general public of Swansea
As the company has coined itself as a multimedia and training company the purpose of this
question was to find out what the general public in Swansea understood by this term. The other
objective of this question was too understand the awareness regarding companies in the similar
field. Clearly out of the 114 people surveyed, 79 did not have any answer to say or did not
know any company who operated in the music, arts and dance field. Maximum respondents
mentioned names of theatres & cinemas and mentioned Swansea University. Only a handful
mentioned media schools and stage schools which was really relevant. This clearly shows the
lack of awareness of what the term “multimedia and training company” stands for and
institutions in the similar field.
4.2 Interest in the products and services:
Figure.5: Interest in company’s products
16
The objective of this question was to ascertain the level of interests into the products and
services that Swansea Mad are presently offering. Only 11% of the people showed no interests
in any of the services provided while there seems to be a keen interest in all the services of the
company. This shows that there is a market for the service but it just needs to be marketed and
positioned properly to encourage and attract people towards using the services. People are busy
with their jobs and their own lives but they do like to take time out from their busy schedules
to spent time on their hobbies and passions they have. If the company could arrange training
sessions and courses in such a way that would attract and be flexible to people needs from all
age groups then the company could be on a path to generate a lot of income.
4.3 Familiarity with Swansea MAD:
This was a decisive moment in the research as the rest
of the questionnaire focused on whether people were
familiar with the company and its characteristics.
Almost 73% of the people replied that they have never
heard of them which emphasis the branding and
marketing gaps in the techniques adopted by Swansea
MAD. The survey was collected within a three mile
radius of where the company was located. Even when
I asked stores in the same line as that of the company,
people were unaware of such a company. This was
really appalling to find out that the brand awareness
of the company was so poor. People walking passed
the company also could not recognise that there
existed a company with such a name. Brand
awareness is everything in today’s world and with such low rates of awareness no company
can attract potential customers.
4.4 Assessing the medium through which people have heard about Swansea MAD:
For this purpose cross tabulation was conducted between the demographic factors and different
mediums of marketing. There are 30 graphs which have been created. I have just highlighted
few graphs here and the others would be attached in the appendix.
ached in the appendix.
Figure.6: Familiarity with
Swansea MAD
Figure.7: Mediums of Awareness and Cross tabulation between income level and
awarenes through social media.
17
Figure.8: Cross Tabulation between
Occupation and Awareness through
Other means.
Figure.9: Cross Tabulation between
Gender and Awareness through
word of mouth.
Figure.10: Cross Tabulation
between Age and Awareness
through Website
Figure.11: Cross Tabulation
between Area of Residence and
Awareness through Email
18
The objective of this question was to analyse the modes of marketing that have been effective
in communicating the brand. The company advocates word of mouth as their most effective
tool which has now been proved by the survey as well. Different cross tabulations reveal how
demographic factors have an impact on the awareness of the brand. For example the
occupation, age of a person and location could have a bearing on the awareness of the company.
Women may have more knowledge of a subject though email than Men. The age of a person
could determine the awareness of particular subjects than people in a different age groups. Here
others have a significant share of 23% which reveals that traditional ways of marketing were
not effective here. Few answers included that the person has passed by the company, has seen
posters etc. The right message needs to be delivered across the right mediums.
4.5 Brand Perception:
Figure.12: Perception of the company
The participants were asked to give their one best opinion of what they thought about the
company. Brand perception is one of the most important aspects with regards to brand
evaluation. As Swansea Mad is involved in the local development in the Swansea area, 45 %
of the respondents think of them as a skills development centre for different services. Only a
few of them think of them as a top quality multimedia company which is what they want to
strive to be. The company needs to decide what perception it wants to project in front of the
public. People’s perception can only be changed through aggressive marketing. As part of its
lottery funding, it provides employment and training sessions to lesser privileged people in
Swansea.
4.6 Experience or expectation with Swansea MAD
Only one person I surveyed was found to have used a service of the company. At the end of
data collection I realised that the clients of Swansea MAD may or may not be the general public
in Swansea. The present clients are charities, bands and small to medium size companies and
very few individuals who are clients. The objective of this survey was to analyse the awareness
19
of the brand because there is no exclusivity to who can use the services and anyone could be
their potential customer in the future.
As I got only response, I started asking people who have heard about Swansea MAD regarding
what their experience would be if they ever used the services. A fair share of people said they
would have a pleasant experience from what they have heard from others and would definitely
consider them if there ever arises an occasion.
Figure.13: Expectation from Swansea MAD
4.7 Pricing:
The pricing factors reveal important data for the company to base their pricing strategies. These
are rates people are willing to pay on an hourly basis. The analysis indicates that the people are
willing to pay a significant amount to what the companies’ perception is. To gather a better
understanding, cross tabulations have been created between demographic factors and prices
willing to be paid for each service. People are very selective about pricing but are willing to
pay for premium quality service. These graphs reveal how the occupation, gender, age, income
have an impact on prices. A 24 year old working professional would be willing to pay more
for a service than a 22 year old student or a 60 year old pensioner. There are again almost 24
bar chats where few are displayed below and the rest is attached in the appendix.
20
Figure.14: Pie diagrams represent people’s price choices
Figure.15: Cross Tabulations between prices
for different services and different demographic
factors
21
4.8 Recommendation to others:
Out of the 31 people who said they knew about the company, 93% of the respondents said they
never recommended the company because they have never used any of the services. Most of
the respondents said they have heard about what Swansea MAD through their friends and
expressed that all of them shared pleasant experiences with them. If they were ever to utilise
any of those services they would definitely go with MAD.
4.9 Demographic information of the respondents:
Figure.16: Probability of Recommendation
Figure. 17: Demographic
information of respondents
22
4.11 Assessing Customer Satisfaction Levels:
Seven clients were surveyed. The objective of this survey was to analyse whether customer
satisfaction could possibly translate into brand loyalty.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Area of Residence
Figure. 18: Information regarding location of
respondents
Figure. 19: Demographics of the company
23
4.12 Awareness through which medium:
Again the medium which stands out is word
of mouth. The awareness of the brand is
limited to word of mouth. The thought of a
company in the sector only comes up when
there exists a need. So positive and
favourable recommendations are critical for
the company unless it tries aggressive
marketing strategies to attract new clients.
4.13 Brand Perception:
For this question only one
option was allowed to be
chosen and the clients said
they found it hard to choose
one best answer. Many of
them wanted to choose more
than one. There seems to be a
difference in perception from
what the public perceives of
the company.
Here top quality multimedia & training company and voluntary organisation share the top
spots. This reveals that after working with the company there is a remarkable change in the
attitude and perception. Top quality multimedia and training company is what the company
strives to be known as and they are doing a really good job on every project they undertake.
For the purpose of having a better understanding a cross tabulation has been created between
number of years the clients have been working with the company and their perception with
time.
Interestingly the bar chart highlights that as time progresses the perception shifts again from a
top quality media company to a skills development centre after 2 years. Now this a sample of
only seven so a definitive conclusion cannot be made plus there is only one company that has
been using their services between 2-3 years now. This change in perceptions could prove vital
in determining future assignments.
Figure. 20: Mediums through which the customers have heard about MAD
Figure. 21: Brand perception
24
4.14 Association with the company:
All the clients surveyed are basing their experiences on using only one service of the company
i.e. video service. Average longevity of the association could not be analysed but at least one
company seems to have carried on to go work with for more than two which is quite significant,
considering the fact that the company has been in operation for only seven years or so.
4.15 Customer satisfaction Levels:
The clients were asked to rate their experience from strongly agree to strongly disagree and 6
out 7 rated their experience as excellent which is remarkable. I have calculated the correlation
between customer satisfaction and likelihood of completing another project which is 64.5%. A
60% plus likelihood shows a strong score highlighting the satisfaction on projects.
Figure. 22: Cross Tabulation between Brand Perception and years of association
Figure. 23: Years of Association with the company
25
The clients were asked to rate the satisfaction levels again from strongly agree to strongly
disagree on different factors as described in the chart above. This was with regards to the
company representatives they worked with. I have tried to scale the experience on a barometer
from 1 to 10 and express the results accordingly. This shows on every project undertaken what
would be the possible satisfaction level score from 1 to 10 on these different factors. The results
are very positive with an overall project satisfaction of more than 9 and an average score of
more than 7.5 on the other factors. This shows that the clients are pretty happy with the people
they work on projects with and the importance should be getting more and more projects.
4.16 Evaluation on performance:
If you complete a project with Swansea MAD, there is a 96.4% likelihood to pursue another
project. This a very high probability that not only shows brands excellence on projects,
satisfaction levels and also trust on expecting continued excellence on future projects.
Figure. 24: Customer satisfaction levels
26
6/7 said they had an exceptional experience worth more than what they paid for which suggests
there could be a chance of increasing prices slightly to leverage on the excellent customer
experience. Being in the third sector there is a tricky proposition but if appropriately measured
and proper market evaluation is done there could perhaps be an increase of prices to generate
greater revenue.
4.17 Word of mouth:
As Swansea MAD operates heavily through word of mouth, a 96% probability of further
recommendation suggests that they are doing everything to fulfil the customers’ expectations
and even more. Even on a call with few of the clients they had only positives to share about the
experience about the company.
Figure. 25: Performance evaluation
27
While calculating correlation, a staggering 91% has been discovered. This shows that customer
experience increases the likelihood for recommendation also increases.
From the survey I can understand that Swansea MAD are exceptional with the quality of service
they provide. Their customers are happy and the output derived surpasses their expectations.
The problem lies with the reach that word of mouth has. Unless the customer approaches and
utilises the services of the company they would not be able to assess the exceptionality of
service provided.
Figure. 26: Recommendation evaluated
28
4.18 Recommendations from the clients on how the service could be bettered:
“More resources could probably
help like staff etc.”
2/7 said they could not think of anything
of how the experience could be bettered.
“Product was great and 90% of the
staff were great to work with and
very pleasant. Unfortunately at the
time there was one worker who we
found rude and shouldn't have
access to their social media pages
but we did not let that affect us.
Enjoyed working with Dave and
Dylan”.
“Exceptional value done.
Office and location needs to be
upgraded “.
“Not always open to public. Better reception was needed.
Somebody needed to speak to customers when they come
in”.
From the above suggestions one can infer that the service and experience provided is
exceptional. An Improvement in terms of the service provided need not be required but the
external environment definitely needs to as well. On my visit to the company premises I could
see that the company is highly under staffed but this is due to the lack of funds presently
available to hire full time employees and the general appeal or ambience of the place is pretty
poor which is now been confirmed by the clients. The ambience of the place needs to be
improved tremendously if the company needs to make it attractive. The ambience needs to be
in line with other music, arts and dance school in the city and do justice to the attributes its
stands for.
Table. 2: Comments on betterment of service
29
4.19 Part of the service that was most appreciated or done really well:
“service delivery and engagement in the project “ “Good communication, great
product”
“Flexibility of staff as
well as expertise to
achieve target outcome”
“Lovely friendly enthusiastic people doing a professional
job”
“Editing and filming was magnificent”. “Personal involvement in the service.
Specifically getting involved in editing and
telling them what I wanted. Pleased with the
results that we obtained”.
“Partnership, listening to our needs and working towards an agreed final outcome”.
4.20 Competitive Scenario:
“The Mark Jermin School is a talent agency which was established in 1996. It is
a stage school and is involved in providing professional training in film,
television, theatre and commercial work. It is known for its training in the
performing arts arena for children and young adults. It also provides lessons in
inspiring young people and enhancing their confidence in different life
experiences” ( The Mark Jermin school 2015)
“Groundswell Dance Company which has been established in 2000. It is
primarily involved in different dance styles and contemporary choreography.
Dance is used here as a means of personality development and a symbol of
creative expression” (Groundswell Dance Company 2012).
“The Sir Harry Secombe Trust was established in 2002. The objective was to
provide quality training in musical theatre and development in the performing
arts. They are involved in the executing huge stage productions during the year
offered to very young individuals in Swansea area” ( The Sir Harry Secombe
Trust 2015)
“Taliesin Arts Centre is in a joint venture with Swansea University, hosting a
number of performances from dance to drama to music. It was established in 1984
Table. 3: Comments on work done best
Table. 4: Competitive Scenario for Swansea MAD
30
The survey began with asking people what came to their mind when it comes to a music, arts
and dance school and they have given various answers. The companies that were repeated and
share similar profiles to the company have been narrowed down. They are the ones that are
mentioned above.
From the above analysis it can be understood that 6/7 are stage schools are performance
oriented schools and only one would be considered as a direct competitor for Swansea MAD.
There are numerous companies which are direct competitors to Swansea MAD and which have
been established for a long time. To shed a better light a SWOT analysis would be helpful.
SWOT analysis can be made from the above analysis and even from reports that the company
has provided.
and since then providing excellence in production. It is mainly focused on acting”
( Taliesin Arts Centre 2015)
“Telesgop is also a multimedia and training company with a similar profile to
Swansea MAD but with a bigger brand profile and customer base. They are
adequately staffed and affiliations to big brands like BBC, Animal Planet and
many more” ( Telesgop 2014)
“The performance factory is an award winning stage school with branches all
across south of Wales. School was founded in 2006. It is involved in giving young
people excellent opportunities to perform, building confidence and offerings
through their talent agency” ( The Performance Factory 2015)
31
4.21 Swot Analysis of the company:
STRENGTHS WEAKNESS
The customer satisfaction levels on
projects they undertake are very high
which shows the brand excellence in
work they perform.
They is a high probability that once
someone is associated with the company
there is a high likelihood that they would
complete another project with them.
The brand reputation of the company is
quite high as it is highly recommended by
clients to others.
Swansea MAD are one of the few
companies who offer different services
under one roof.
The brand awareness of the company is
really poor. Stores in the same block or
same line are not aware that there exists
such a company.
The potential clients for the company are
mostly limited to word of mouth which
has a limited reach.
The present clients of the company are
bands, charities and small to medium
sized organisation.
The company is still young compare to
other competitors in the market and so
needs to adopt aggressive marketing
strategies to increase brand awareness
and trust.
Swansea MAD is highly understaffed
and the brand perception and reception
needs to be enhanced significantly.
OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
There exist a huge customer base if the
company chooses to target. The services
of the company may or may not be
applicable to individuals but there is a
huge scope.
The customer experience on projects is
remarkable but needs to translate into
attracting a larger customer base.
Clients say they found the services of an
exceptional value, worth more than what
they have paid for which suggests that the
company can increase their prices based
on rand trust and reliability.
There exists several competitors in the
market who are well established and
enjoy greater market share.
Music, arts and dance sector is a very
volatile market. It is not a tangible
product where continuous demand can be
boosted and sales targets can be projected
and determined.
Swansea MAD being in the third sector
has to act and function to fulfil the
obligations and requirements of being in
the charity sector which could sometimes
perturb performance of Swansea MAD in
terms of pricing, exclusivity etc.
Table. 5: Swot analysis of the company
32
The objective of the analysis was to assess different factors like the Brand strength Index and
the customer loyalty which could eventually lead to brand loyalty. Doing an evaluation of the
brand and assessing the equity of the brand in terms of the brand awareness and perception in
the minds of the public and of the clients. Tring to understand the brand feelings the customers
possess and developing concepts to build a healthy brand community and eliciting possible
brand engagement techniques.
33
Chapter 5: Recommendations
The company has stated that their marketing budget is very low and so recommendations need
to be made keeping this in mind.
5.1 Brand Perception:
The first set of recommendations would come from my personal observation from visiting the
office and evaluating the working environment:
The company doesn’t have a banner or board which is quite large or visible like the
other companies which are on that block. The poster just mentions MAD which is quite
generic and the name Swansea MAD needs to be imprinted wide and bold on the front.
When I surveyed people whether they knew Swansea MAD, nobody really knew. This
could be the fact that the name itself isn’t projected on the company front.
The reception or ambience of the place needs to be improved immensely. When I first
walked in the place looked very shabby and haphazard. There was always a word of
caution regarding leaving things in the front as cases of theft have been identified. This
insecurity is not the feeling the customers want to know when they enter an office. The
first impression of when somebody walking is crucial. The place needs to have a vibe
or a thrilling buzz that would entice people who enter the office.
If possible somebody needs to be positioned in the front to welcome people who visit
the office. This was a recommendation even suggested by a client.
The company needs to decide what kind of brand image it wants to portray. A top
quality multimedia and training company or a skills development centre. This is a tricky
proposition for a company in the third sector but it needs to establish this first so as to
undertake all its endeavours accordingly and establish certain code of conducts and
professionalism.
5.2 Brand loyalty:
A brand community strategy could be a strategy that could fit with the business model.
Swansea MAD is hugely involved in the community development by providing
vocational training courses and other personality development classes so starting a
community of passionate followers could increase brand awareness and brand
reputation. Even a community consisting of students from school and university.
Appointing brand ambassadors in schools and institutions, creating a buzz among these
age groups regarding the brand. Organising events and functions in these institutions.
Analysing the after sale service provided. The company needs to constantly get updates
from clients on how the experience was and how it could have been bettered. Even
sending gentle reminders that they are remembered and that they care about them could
be crucial. Sending out a video or a picture could enhance likability.
As the company is heavily reliant on word of mouth a reward system could be a viable
option to those customers who give reference. Rewards could be in any form and not
in terms of monetary basis.
34
5.3 Brand Awareness:
The company needs to heavily network by attending different events in and around
Swansea and make it presence known in the market.
Simple marketing tools of handing print outs and setting up bill boards across prominent
locations could make a difference.
Making a viral video of some cause or issue in the Swansea area. Exhibiting the quality
of the services provided.
To conduct a promotional activity specifically in the Quadrant Mall which is in the City
Centre. This could be done without any cost also. This information was passed unto me
while I was conducting my research in the mall and they have even given me the centre
manger details to contact.
A live campaign on radio specifically the Swansea Radio could hugely increase the
brands reputation as well. A conversation with one of the participants has even pointed
out a name of a RJ to speak to and who would most importantly do it cost free.
Getting association with universities requesting the media team to cover a project with
company or write about what the company is doing in their university publications and
periodicals. To cover the societal impact that the company is contributing.
The social media following of the company on sites like twitter, face book needs to
substantially increase. They need to encourage the engagement of public in their
endeavours.
Online presence needs to be maximized through press release marketing, setting up
Vimeo and Metcafe accounts which the company presently do not operate in.
Joining hands with university media and music departments and getting associated with
them. Creating a partnership with these institutions could be significant in getting
exposure and projects.
Using company encrypted brand merchandises like key chains, bags, pens, mugs etc.
could have a lasting impression while doing promotional activities as well as souvenirs
for clients to have a lasting memory.
5.4 Staffing issues:
Hiring inters to solve staffing problems on a rotational basis. Offering internship
programmes to university students or anyone interested to work with the company.
5.5 Potential clients:
The clients of the company are primarily bands, small to medium size organisations
and different third sector organisations but there could be a shift to capturing the general
public by offering music and instrumental training on a larger scale. They seem to be
doing this but on a smaller scale. Widening the range of customers would be a valuable
option in order to increase revenue. Hiring professional artists and musicians on a
contract basis based on availability of work could be an option.
35
Corporate houses are a huge source of income once connected. There always exists a
need to create videos and promotional events that could give the company a lot of
coverage.
5.6 Pricing Strategy:
There needs to be a re-evaluation of pricing strategies as the clients think that the price
may be undervalued.
Even from the survey it can be inferred that the customers are willing to pay a good
price for high quality services.
36
Chapter 6 Conclusions:
The project focuses on brand development strategies and its application to Swansea MAD. The
term band development itself has a very large scope but I have tried to narrow it down to two
main objectives which I thought were crucial for the company to gain some competitive
advantage. There is a vastness of literature on brand development strategies but literature that
was relevant to the sector has been evaluated and suggested. The brand awareness of the
company was analysed in the Swansea area and it was realised that it has a poor awareness
among the public. The survey was conducted in a proximity of three miles around the company.
Even while speaking to people in stores on the same side of where the company is located and
to people who work with theatres and other stage schools said they were unaware of such a
company. This was really shocking to realise how a company could exhibit such high levels of
anonymity. The only marketing strategy which company seems to bank on is word of mouth
but it has a limited reach. The company seems to share a commendable reputation in the eyes
of the public who have actually heard of them but cannot translate this opportunity into being
a probable client which could mean that the services are not for everyone or it has just not been
positioned in such a manner. The recommendations suggested could help the company
overcome some of these problems.
The people are not even familiar with what the concept of Multimedia and Training Company
actually means! When asked this question there arose such a diversity of answers that were so
far from what it should have intended to answer. There were few who gave some relevant
answers regarding stage schools, performance schools and even one direct competitor was
mentioned but none of them gave the mentioned Swansea MAD.
Another such survey was designed to gauge the customer satisfaction levels from the clients of
the company. It was really interesting to understand that the customer satisfaction level projects
on projects are quite high. There is high degree of satisfaction on the performance on projects
and even with the company service representatives they work with. Once somebody gets
associated with Swansea MAD there is a very high probability that they would undertake
another project with them and definitive recommendation to another. The only problem that
stems up is with the external factors like staffing issues, an upgrade to the ambience and
reception which were most prominent from the feedback.
Further research to enhance the study could be to analyse the pricing strategy for companies
like Swansea MAD who are in the third sector and so cannot set their prices competitively high
enough that customers turn to someone else. Some clients expressed that they got an
exceptional value worth more than what they paid for which suggests that there is a scope for
re-evaluation of the current pricing strategies. A pricing strategy analysis would be really
helpful in increasing revenue and in turn their profits.
In conclusion, the business project tried to meet the research objectives with the best possible
outcomes and further suggesting research study that could stimulate better portfolio for the
company. I hope that the work I have put in aids Swansea MAD to become a more powerful
brand than what it is today.
37
Chapter 7: REFLECTIVE ESSAY
The specialisation that I have chosen was in the consulting and HR area but as I got selected
for a live project it is now in the marketing area. Since I did not take marketing as my
specialisation in my third semester it was initially difficult to get back to the marketing
terminologies and concepts but as I did my undergraduate degree in business and the learning
from the first two semesters enabled me to gather a better understanding of what the project
required of me. The management consulting class was particularly helpful as I tried to analyse
the project from a consultant’s point of view. The inputs learnt from that course was beneficial
in analysing the company and its make a wholesome evaluation. The strategic management
module also posed valuable insights which were helpful into creating strategic developments
for the projects.
Knowing the theoretical frameworks of marketing and applying it was a whole different
proposition. I firstly tried to analyse the company and the project through the existing
marketing frameworks which were familiar to me. As time progressed I tried to research on
literature and articles on different strategies that were relevant to my topic and create a thread
on how I could tackle the objectives of the project. The supervisor has helped me immensely
to get a strategic direction to choose the most appropriate approach and to recognise the scope
of what could be covered within the project phase. Once a thread was created the project
objectives and research questions were established.
The business plan project has given me valuable experience in marketing as I was the head of
marketing for the project. The business plan was well received and appreciated by the panel
and supervisor as well. The experience gained from that was valuable in staging a platform for
the dissertation. Even in the management consulting module there was a group consulting
project in association with a charity where I was handed the responsibility of marketing
consultant. The knowledge and expertise gained with working with a company was remarkable
and priceless. The inputs were important in realising and augmentation of different business
ideas and strategies and making a comparative study of what is relevant and most effective.
The market to win stimulation and integrated case study report were vital in enhancing the
critical and analytical skills and to devise a winning formulae to crack any situation. The
integrate case study report in particular with specific regards to preparing an executive
summary and presentation slides to shareholders build a good platform to do a project of this
magnanimity.
As the project carried on I could realise that there were so many aspects to which I had no idea
about and needed to enhance my understanding on. A marketing topic is not like math or
science where there exists a cause and effect relationship definitively and principles have
already been established. What works in a particular industry or company may not necessarily
work for another, so it was initially hard for me in trying to analyse where I should put my
focus on as there is a vastness of information. An example was on writing on brand
development strategies in general but I later realised that the third sector or charity sector is a
38
totally different market in comparison to the corporate scenario and so had to find information
which was relevant and applicable accordingly. The company being located in the Swansea
area was kind of a disadvantage for me as I couldn’t travel all the time as and even I wanted
but it was also a learning process in working with whatever resources you have.
The dissertation project has enabled me to enhance key skills in critically analysing literature
or data and applying it to relevant spheres. The dissertation has been more productive with the
live project undertaken. It has allowed me to think outside the box, analyse real time business
scenarios and making recommendations that could affect the working of a business. The
dissertation has increased my scope of knowledge regarding the dissertation topic in question
but there is such a vastness of information that only what is relevant could be scoped out. The
project has also taught me lessons in time management, bringing focus and making the best use
of available resources.
It is my desire to become a consultant in the marketing and strategy area in the future and so
this dissertation has significantly added to the expertise and skills required to become one.
Especially the live project has given me practical exposure which I could say has been one of
the highlights of my MBA. Working with a real company and interacting with a company has
been amazing. The project has allowed me to gain some valuable work experience in the UK
and something that I can add on my CV. The realisation that my recommendations and strategic
directions could help build a better profile and achieve objectives for the company has been
challenging and demanding. Different trial and error methods tried out, enhancing my MS
Office skills, utilising different analytical software’s and writing a report of this magnitude will
help me in my future corporate endeavours in making reports and making relevant
presentations.
If I would be given a chance of doing the dissertation again I would try to collect primary data
from more respondents and from various other locations in Swansea. It would have been
preferable to visit different charities and medium size organisations to assess the brand
awareness of the company amongst them as their present clients more or less are in this sector.
The quality of the literature and analysis could have been made better by researching the latest
of articles and developments in the particular field of my topic. It would also have helped if I
had started a little earlier. It took a couple of days to understand how I should go about
undertaking the project and how to balance the live project as well was a quite a tricky
proposition.
39
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I
Chapter 9: Appendix-
9.1 Cross Tabular Information regarding Price for each service and demographic factors-
XXXV
9.2 Cross tabulations between assessing familiarity through different mediums with and
demographic factors:
LXVIII
9.5 Project Brief: Swansea MAD project Brief-
Swansea MAD objectives for the project are:
1. Fine tune our current marketing initiatives: email, social media, affiliate, word or mouth –
looking at process and content and other relevant areas
2. Using our marketing plan as a base investigate other types of marketing would be most
effective for our business and have the most impact in terms of revenue generation
3. Research market segmentation and buyer persona – who are our best customers and where
are they?
4. Develop ways to tell our brands story that communicates an overt benefit for the customer
and prove it, with the emphasis on our dramatic difference to our competitors.
5. Examine our pricing strategy in terms of our competitors
6. Specific guidance on marketing our products/services to Public, Private and 3rd Sector.
7. Recommendations and drafting of content on branding and marketing for the Active
Inclusion and Love Project funding applications.
8. Organise the above into actionable steps with examples if needed.