A Report of Acer

genus genus genus genus genus genus genus genus genus genus Acer India (Pvt) Ltd. pic An Internship Project Re look on involve of dishonor sensation of Acer in Bangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore JANANI SESHADRI In partial fulfillment of the Masters Program in Business Administration, Ohio University, Athens, USA OHIO University rescuer College Academy for Man long timement Education delivery boy College Campus Hosur Road, Bangalore-29 May14th, 2007 DECLARATION I Janani Seshadri here by decl atomic subjugate 18 that the project entitled Study on the consciousness of the brandmark Acer at Acer India Pvt. Ltd. , is an cowcatcher and genuine do carried out under the guidance of Mr.Darryl Gray from march 12th to April 25th 2007 in partial fulfillment for the Ohio University christ college academy for c are education. I declare that the report submitted by me is a bonafide break away of my own effort and it has non been submitted to other university or published any time befo re. function Bangalore Date 03-07-2007 Janani Seshadri ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Thanks to God for showering his blessings and for granting me the chance and ability to successfully complete the summer internship program I had taken up.I wish to utter my deepest gratitude to genus Acer INDIA Pvt. Ltd. , head office Bangalore for giving me this valuable opportunity in doing my internship amongst them in their esteemed organization. I would corresponding to extend my special give thanks and gratitude to Mr. Rajendran superior general manager merchandise for giving me this opportunity. Also I would like to sincerely thank Mr. S. Raghu marketing projects and Mr. Darryl Gray marketing programmes for their genuine alimentation, valuable advice and sincere comments which helped me a contend to accomplish this project.This internship would not be complete without the support and guidance of our Director Mr. Shivprakash. I also want to express my gratitude to the official referees and the pr oject coordinators Dr. Amalendu Jyotishi and Mr. Girish (Ohio University Christ College) whose valuable comments and valid criticism helped me in refining my project from the draft stage to this final report. I also want to express my thanks to Prof. Venkatesh Bhagwat (Ohio University Christ College) for assisting me in the data compilation and abstract which helped me a lot in fine tuning my report.I chamberpotnot forget the assistance and encouragement that make this work possible towards the end. My special thanks to my co-student and dear friend Mr. B. Venkata Ramana who supported me without my Internship project with his valuable suggestions and ideas which helped me to approach my project wisely and accomplish it successfully without which I could come not completed my work efficiently and effectively. His consistent help kept me motivated without the internship period. Last but not the least, my endless thanks and gratitude goes to my parents Mr.S. N. Seshadri and Mrs. S asikala Seshadri who has stood by my side, encouraged and given me moral support at all points of time. I would also like to thank my brother Mr. Koushik Ram for all his support and advice. Thank You EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Marketing is an activity present in all companies where marketing strategies determine the outcome of the carrefours and the company itself. To test to see if marketing is successful, it is necessary to mea positive(predicate) where the company was and where it is without delay.This can be carried out with tracking studies monitoring the market position and changes to the brand image over time or, for peculiar(prenominal) campaigns, measuring pre- and post- withalt to see what has changed. This is project report is a market survey study to check the Brand awareness of Acer and thereby regard out the measures that can be implemented to lift the current take of awareness. This study is based on the data collected from the (customers) pile regarding their awareness of the PC vendors in the market today then zeroing it into the brand Acer.The means of collecting data were through personal interviews, distributing the questionnaire, and online survey questionnaire. Also observation during the interviews helped a lot in the analysis. To facilitate the analysis of the study I concentrated in two different particles which were based on the pointgraphic segmentation (occupation-Students, working compose and SME) and geographic segmentation (places-Coimbatore, Chennai and Bangalore). Acer stands number four behind dingle. The visibility and awareness for the brand Acer among nation is reasonable. almost 20% of the spate take over not hear almost Acer.Moreover on an average or so 55% of the segmented flock perceive Acer to be a internal brand in collaboration with Wipro India (Wipro Acer). The perceptions on few product parameters were also measured which resulted in a advanced quality, sportsmanlike or average service, and good aff ordable determine, fair death penalty and good features. Though Acer has the highest network of retail outlets less number of heap has actually viewed them. Comparatively HP has more(prenominal) number of visits. Lenovo though cosmos a tonic entrant in the market has already made its place. in that location is a tuff competition being faced by Acer with Lenovo. on the whole these things finally zero into average awareness of the brand and the awareness which is already there is also through raillery of mouth, so this may lead to negative or positive lengthiness of the brand. The data (300 s plentifuls) was compiled in SPSS and analyzed with respect to the two categories of segments. Acer is number unity in Europe and other countries globally. Considering the primary data available Acer India is one of the youngest players in India. It has performed very well in the recent years (2001 to 2006). In the past five years it faced a tremendous steady growth rate of slightly 49 % in India. in that respectfore though the awareness amongst people was not all that good Acer still lies in the area where if prompt and good advertising strategies were formulated and implemented the awareness forget lift to a great extent. handicapLE OF CONTENTS ? PREFACE7 ? ABOUT THE COMPANY 1. Back ground Acer India8 2. Growing with time milestones9 3. Product portfolio and come upon features11 ? visit ? RESEARCH DESIGN METHADOLOGY17 1. look for task17 2. Research tool17 3. Research nature17 4. Research scope17 5. Analysis19 6. Findings53 ? CONCLUSION63 ? SUGGESTIONS / RECOMMENDATIONS64 ? APPENDIX65 PREFACETHE BRAND increasingly is becoming the key source of differentiation that guides customer bribe choice. It is the focal point well-nigh which an organization defines how it will uniquely deliver the value to the customer for a profit-effectively embodying the heart and soul of that organization. The brands promise is delivered through its products and services, and co nsumer communication- the innate consumer relationship and experience. The act of creating public awareness of a specific brand in order to maximize its recognition, successful brand awareness strategies should define a companys uniqueness and secure it apart from competitors.Quite simply, if potential customers do not know about a company, they will not purchase from it. Therefore, one of the leading(prenominal) goals of any business should be to build brand awareness, although in as cost-effective manner as possible. Consumers tend to make purchasing decisions based on peer barrackations and direct experience, as well as traditional advertising methods. This is why it is necessary to build brand awareness strategies out by lend trust among consumers. This trust must be achieved through credibility, rather than just a catchy advertising campaign.Promotional marketing involving a one-to-one contribution is proving increasingly effective at building trust and acquiring impert inent customers. Brand building begins with awareness. Consumers start must be aware that there are different brands for the product they want to buy fifty-fifty before making a purchase decision, for which visibility is very important to create awareness. BACKGROUND ACER INDIA Acer India was incorporated in September 9, 1999 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Acer Inc. , the worlds No. 4 PC brand.Acers mission in India is to translate the groups goal in making computer technology easier to use and more affordable-to everyone in this country. In shot span, Acer has managed to bridge the gap amid product launches worldwide and in India and also offer fresh technology without any gunstock backlog. Headquartered in Bangalore, today Acer India has offices in twelve cities including Ahemedabed, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur,New Delhi, Pune, Secunderabed and has its uniload facility in Pondicherry. I has now a customer base of over 180,000 in India.There are over 125 human resource team in India comes with over 700 man-year of IT experience, geared to listen and provide to the IT user in India the very stovepipe in sales & marketing support, after-sales support backed up with infrastructure to bring fresh technology to India. GROWING WITH TIME The history of ACER starts from a long way back making its steps of success in every step it takes. 1976-1983 Commercializing microprocessor technology Acer is founded under the name Multitech Designs Taiwans first mass-produced compute for export.Becomes the first company to promote 16-bit PC products in Taiwan 1984-1994 Build brand awareness and globalize Acer Peripherals, now known as BenQ corp. , and Multiventure Investments Inc. established Acer beat IBM with 32 bit PCs Acer Inc. launches IPO Acer creates the worlds first 3865x 33 chip tack Acer introduces the worlds first dual Intel Pentium PC Acre introduces Chip Up technology, the worlds first 386-to-486 single chip CPU upgrade ances tor 1994-2004 Transform from manufacturing to services Acer introduces the worlds first dual Intel Pentium PCAspire Park, acers multifunctional high-tech intelligence park inaugurated Acer launches Aspire, the multimedia PC, creating a new bench marks for home computers Acer re-engineers its OEM unit to create Wiston Crop. , an independent design and IT manufacturing company Acer reveals a new generation of e-business MegaMicro e-Enabling Services Acer notebook computer ranked first in Western Europe. 2004 Acer wins awards in all product categories AC 713 rated the best performance Monitors Altos G 520 Server gets Digit Best Buy Gold Award Veriton 7600 rated the Editors Choice TravelMate 292 LCi rated Best Performance NotebookKEY SUCCESES IN 2005/2006 2005 Worlds no. 4 total PC and notebook brand, with highest growth rates among the binding five. No. 3 for total PCs in EMEA. No. 1 notebook in EMEA. No. 1 notebook across 13 European countries France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. No. 3 notebook in Asia Pacific, with highest growth rate among top ten. No. 1 notebook in Thailand, Malaysia and Inthroughsia. No. 1 for total PCs in Taiwan. Enjoyed highest growth rates among the top-10 vendors for total PCs and notebooks in the U. S No. liquid crystal display monitors worldwide. No. 3 notebook worldwide 2006 Worlds no. 4 total PC and notebook brand, with highest growth rate. No. 3 for total desktops WW No. 1 notebook in Europe and ASEAN block PRODUCT SUITE Powered To Perform Few IT companies offer the breadth and depth of products that the Acer Group does. Acer is the scarce PC vendor in India that has a product for each market segment-be it a large corporates, the SME, SOHO or even the quoin office enterprises. The product line includes a broad array of personal computing products segmented under the desktop, laptop and server categories.Acer India Pvt. Ltd. has a bulky product portfolio. The four main product categories are as fol subalterns 1) backgrounds 2) Notebooks There are many more sub- dual-lane products under each different product mixing. Those are as follows DESKTOPS In the desktop segment, Acers product range spans the SOHO segment, corner office, manageable desktops, SMEs, STPI etc. this makes Acer the totally PC confederacy that offers such a wide range. Most other companies have products that are not distinct, and overlap each of these segments. Acer Aspire series Desktops construct to issue to a growing guide in the home segment.Acers continuing commitment to bring technology closer to our customers has resulted in a heart and soul technology that is now integrated into our entire product range. Acers Empowering Technology presents users with friendly and intuitive interface by presenting a single key and following a simple 123 process, gives fast and easy access to cutting-edge hardware and software solutions. Veri ton Series Ideal for enterprises large or small, Veriton PCs are built for peak performance, with security features, proven system reliability, and contraption whirl that amplify productivity and perfect business sense.The current desktops range are as downstairs with a wide variety of product line. ASPIRE V820 The fastest dual core DT from Acer, the Aspire V820 is powered by a latest Intel Pentium D 820 (2. 8 GHz) is configured with 256 MB RAM for powerful performance features a DVD/CD-R/W combo drive comes fitted with a 80 GB SATA HDD for ample storage space connects to a rear of functional speakers for the multimedia experience offers a 56 Kbps fax/modem port and a 10/ coke Mbps Ethernet port for flexible connectivity and, displays vide a 17 cathode-ray tube monitor for comfortable viewing. COMMERCIAL MODELS Acer Power (945GZ)The Acer Power 945GZ offers users high end features like Gigabit local area network and PCI Express X16 technology at value for money prices. Acer Power M8 Acer becomes the first in India to commercially launch the new Socket AM2 based AMD products offering the power of DDR-II SDRAM on AMD platform. Acer Power 335 Acer Power 335 is the Entry direct product for customers looking for Value machine with complete conditions Notebooks Acer was among the first to build notebooks with Intel Centrino mobile technology, liberating users to work witj wireless environments, offering wireless mobility for the new age road warrior.Acers laptops have revolutionary features that offer an staggering battery life, thermal management- more than nay other laptop offering. Acer TravelMate Series A range of the worlds most award wining notebooks, Acer TravelMate is designed to empower enterprises SMB and SOHO users with the ultimate in mobile computing performance. Available at every possible price point, and offering unmatched value through innovations like Disc Anti-Shock Protection System, Smart Card Security, and high-speed wireless capability t o name a few.Acer Ferrari Series This is the result of the victorious union with Scuderia Ferrari the Ferrari series of notebooks sport the patented Ferrari-Black& Red color, and offers sheer performance thats truly worthy of Ferraris passion and Acers technology. The various types of products in the notebook series are showcased below. TravelMate 2420 Series Rich entertainment with long lasting mobility Driven by an Centrino 1. 7GHz Processor, 14. 1 unspecific Screen XGA TFT Screen, 6-cell battery and wireless 802. 1b/g connectivity for long lasting mobility, the TravelMate 2428NWXCi is extremely rich in features. This trendy notebook is packed with Centrino Mobile technology, dual-channel memory, 60 GB huge storage- giving users everything they need for work and play for unrivalled value KEYFEATURES Pure portability- Weighing just 1. 40 kgs and measuring the surface of an A4 notepad, the TravelMate 3000 is easy to take from one meeting to another Centrino with 915 Chip orde r- The TravelMate 3000 adopts the new generation of Intel Centrino mobile technology- Sonoma Platform (915 hipset) Phenomenal battery power- Another first in the industry, Acer has bundled two batteries with the TravelMate 3000, delivering full-day performance for on-the-go users. Acer GridVista, an innovative software utility, boosts convenience and efficiency. Especially useful for making the most of 12. 1 WXGA wide-aspect LCDs, Acer GridVista automatically re surfaces open application windows to fit the screen, simultaneously SERVERS In the server category, Acer dominates the compliance and mid level space, which actually constitutes 90% of the total server market.Acer offers everything from basic data storage to full fledged enterprise solutions. Acer Altos Series Commercial users and enterprises derive unmatched value from Altos Servers and storage solutions. These ranges of servers accentuate reliability and manageability features, along with unrivalled flexibility in terms of implementation. For business applications that demand high performance, high availability and more flexibility, Acer Altos rack-mounted servers provide the ultimate solution. Under this type of product there are a large number of differentiated products. Some of which are as given below KEY FEATURES Scalability and Performance Provide excellent performance and scalability beyond 40TB in a exceedingly cost-effective SATA-based package for small companies. Consolidation Reduce the number of storage systems, maximize storage utilization, improve storage administrators productivity, and lower management costs. Application QoS chip in cache to specific applications and volumes to enhance performance. Configuration Flexibility Dedicate to specific mission-critical applications, deploy as part of a first SAN in small enterprises, or integrate into a tiered storage infrastructure for rchive, backup, or tape replacement in larger companies. Peripherals Acer Handheld PDAs These suppo rt a variety of mobile platforms and operating systems, giving customers easy access to their critical data. Streamlined and fashionable, Acer handhelds are available in two standard and wireless models for both work-related and personal tasks any time, any place. Acer Displays Acer offers a rainbow-spectrum of devices that suit all kinds of working environments and user needs, including TFT and LCD monitors, optical drives, projectors and multi-function drives. Acer ProjectorsAcers projectors bring you an dumfounding investment to satisfy all home entertainment and business needs. There are three different peripherals the Acer India Pvt. Ltd. is focusing on. They are the LCD monitors, the CRT monitors and the projectors. Some of them are explained below LCD monitors Acer AL900 Series LCD Monitor Benefits 5001 contrast ratio For strikingly vivid images Wide viewing angle Allows more enjoyment for more people Quick response time Offers dynamic graphics and advanced animated games VESA wall raise Allows easy mounting Kensington lock Secures your monitor from theft Built-in speakers For freedom from bulky boxes Auto- master Gives full-screen display Auto-adjustment Provides self-adjusting screen settings True color support Renders picture-pure viewing PROJECTORS There is a wide product range in projectors section which comprises of 1) Acer PD115 2) Acer XD 1150 3) Acer XD 1170D 4) Acer XD 1270D 5) Acer PD113 6) Acer PD725 7) Acer PD523 8) Acer PD523 All these have a common display system working with called the DLP system, and also all these products have the capacity of displaying 16. 7 million colors.They mainly vary in their computer compatibility, video compatibility, projection lens, projection screen coat (diagonal), projection distance, lamp life etc. RESEARCH DESIGN METHODOLOGY Research task Study the brand awareness of Acer India in the cities Bangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore focusing on the segments students, SMEs and working in dite. Research nature This project is a complete market query. Market look into is the only function that relates or links the organization to its market and in turn to its customers by first studying the consumer behavior which then helps in seemly planning accordingly.This is the valid information which allows the organization to identify and define the market related opportunities and problems. This information allows for the generation, refinement and evaluation of marketing activities. Regular market research and thorough study of the consumer behavior towards a companys products permits the organization to be on par with the changing consumer attitude towards their products. It thus facilitates monitoring the marketing performance and improved understanding of marketing as a business process. Research scopeThe scope of this market research can be divided into two major divisions which include Demographic segmentation In demographic segmentation, the market is divided into g roups on the basis of variables such as age, family life cycle, gender, income, occupation, education, religion, race, generation, caseity and neighborly class. Here the survey was taken by dividing the groups on the basis of age and occupation. The three main segment groups were college students, working profile (first and guerrilla job people) and the minor(ip) and Medium Enterprises (taking 40, 40 and 20 respectively).The age factor was also set to be between18 to 40 and throughout the survey care was taken about the age limit. The data was collected from college students belonging to professional, agricultural, textile and arts background. To name a few the different colleges include PSG tech, Kumara guru college of technology, Alliance business academy, Indian Institute of intend Management, Ohio University Christ college, Loyola college, Crescent Engineering college, Agricultural university( Coimbatore).This variety was chosen so as to find out if any new market segment or untapped market can be spotted. The working profiled people also includes professionals from companies like Accenture, Oracle, Travel Guru, Roots, Pricol, Numeric power systems and so on Geographic segmentation Geographic segmentation calls for dividing the market into different geographical units such as nations, states, regions, countries, cities or neighborhoods. The survey was carried on in three different cities namely Bangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore.This was done in the intension of collecting information from two first tier cities where a large population already uses laptops and desktops. This was done to study the variation in the behavior and attitudes of these people and their inclination towards branded PC vendors. The choice of the two tier city Coimbatore was to study the perception of the laptops and desktops and their usage in the peoples mind. Also the perception of the different brands was noted with the main concentration on Acer products. This was done with the intention to explore the potential market there and their requirements.Research tool The research instrument used was a structured questionnaire covering the areas that lead to the solution of the objective. This includes measures like Acers market penetration, its visibility in comparison with other brands, awareness to their advertisements and promotions, the customer media habits, their perception towards Acer etc. Data compilation and analysis methodology The sample coat of three c was integrated and compiled in software called Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS).This is comprehensive statistical software that includes the capabilities for data analysis, data management and programming which enables the analysts in generating decision making information quickly using powerful statistics. ANALYSIS BASIC ATTITUDES AWARENESS CHECK 1) Channel through which Acer was first heard geographically The means through which people came to know about Acer for the first time wa s noted. This helps in reengineering the channel that can be adopted to come in market. pic (Sample sizing 100 per city) TAB 1 Parameters/ Friends/relatives/ TV Newspaper magazine Internet Segments Associates Coimbatore 33% 11% 9% 9 % 10% Chennai 27. 3% 11. 1% 18. 2% 7. 1% 9. 1% Bangalore 27. % 13. 1% 17. 2% 19. 2% 8. 1% Demographically pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 2 Parameters/ Friends/relatives/ TV Newspaper Magazine Internet Segments Associates Students 33. 1% 16. 1% 12. 1% 12. 1% 8. % SME 21. 4% 7. 1% 19. 6% 14. 3% 10. 7% working profile 30. 0% 9. 2% 15% 10% 9. 2% BRAND VISIBILITY CHECK geographically knowingness of a brand can be created only when it is made visible to the people and especially to the potential customers. The three segments considered here shows varied visibility of the brand Acer. pic (Sample size 100 per city) TAB 3 NO Visibility Low visibility Average visibility trusty visibility Very good visibility Coimbatore 36% (36) 19% (19 ) 20% (20) 18% 18) 7% (7) Chennai 34. 7% (34) 17. 3% (17) 23. 5% 17. 3%(17) 7. 1% (7) (23) Bangalore 12. % (12) 30. 1% (28) 21. 5% (20) 30. 1% (28) 5. 4% (5) Demographically pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 4 Parameters/ No Low Average Good visibility Very good visibility Places visibility Visibility Visibility STUDENTS 32. 8% 15. 6% 23. % 20. 5% 7. 4% SME 27. 5% 23. 5% 19. 6% 23. 5% 5. 9% WORKING PROFILE PEOPLE 24. 2% 27. 5% 20% 22. 5% 5. 8% ADVERTISING AWARENESSgeographically pic (Sample size 100 each) Awareness towards Acers promotional activities pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 5 Parameters/ Places Seen Acer advertisements Seen Acer Promotions Coimbatore 51% 9% Chennai 53. 5% 16. 2% Bangalore 62. 6% 33. % The advertisements and promotional activities which come under the bottom line projects were checked if it contributed to the awareness. The Acer advertisements were detect by most of the people in all the three cities. just still on an average almost 50% of the crowd has not seen Acer advertisements which create a lot of gap for the brand in range people completely. The promotions which Acer conducts were also not noticed much by the people. On an average more than 70 to 80% of the people do not have any idea of the promotional activities done by ACER. DemographicallyAwareness towards Acer advertisements and promotional activities pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Awareness of promotional activities pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 6 Parameters/ occupation Seen Acer advertisements Seen Acer Promotions Students 63. 7% 22. 6% SME 44. 6% 12. 5% running(a) profile 53. % 20. 0% THE MEDIA HABITS Geographically pic (Sample size 100 each) Demographically TAB 7 Parameters/ occupation MEDIATV MEDIA NEWSPAPER Students 65. 3% 50. 8% SME 46. 3% 42. % running(a) profile 61. 7% 65% pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Media habitsnewspaper Geographically pic (Sample size 100 each) Demographically pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Media habitsMagazine Demographically pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) pic (Sample size 100)TAB 8 Parameters/ occupation MEDIAMagazine MEDIA Internet Students 37. 9% 15. 3% SME 21. 4% 16. 1% Working profile 45. 8% 33. 3% Media habits cyberspace Geographically pic Demographically pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) 4) Visibility check through the number of visits to the retail outlets Geographically This check is mainly done to measure the visibility by the oftenness of visit to Acer retail outlets. The brand HP has the highest hit for the customer visit to retail outlets. Very less number of people has visited the Acer malls (the retail outlets) in all the three places. On an average much less than 10% of the sample have visited the Acer malls, which is very less to the 40% visit rate to the HP retail outlets. pic (Sample size 100 each) pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Purchasing decision evaluating the product Geographically Since the awareness rate differs betwe en different cities the purchasing decision and the evaluation of the products may also vary. Before the purchase decision occurs there is a stage called the evaluation stage where people compare and examine the products of the brand they are aware off which finally leads to the procurement of the product. pic (Sample size 100) TAB 9 Parameters/ Word of Comparing Media Checking Seeing demo Places Mouth Specifications Offer Coimbatore 32% 71% 28% 22% 32% Chennai 25% 62% 27% 22% 32% Bangalore 38% 52% 26% 22% 28% Means That Facilitate the Purchasing Decision Demographic Segmentation Demographically pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Purchasing decision can be influenced by a lot of factors which can totally change the buying pattern itself. When analyzed here on the basis of the demographic segments the inferences and major findings were as follows STUDENTS 35. 5% through equivalence specifications 12. 1% ledger of mouth & checking specification. 5. 6% checking offer & chec king specification. 5. 6% checking & media. SME 10. 7% Checking specification& comparing specifications 10. 7% comparing specification 8. 9% formulate of mouth 8. 9% word of mouth & checking specification 8. 9% word of mouth and checking offer WORKING PROFILE 20% comparing specification 12. 5% checking offer & checking specifications. 11. 7% checking specification & media 9. 2% word mouth & checking specifications BRAND PERCEPTION Geographically pic (Sample size 100) TAB 10 Parameters/ Places Acer sensed as an MNC brand Coimbatore 62% Chennai 67% Bangalore 71% Demographically pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 11 Parameters/ Acer perceived as an Segments MNC brand Students 42. % SME 17% Working people 40. 7% Rating the parameters concerned with the products of Acer Geographically Some parameters linked with the product of Acer were also asked to rank like quality, price, service, features and performance. Rating quality pic (Sample size 100) TAB 12 Parame ters/ Poor sportsmanlike Good Very good small Place Coimbatore 3. 1% 19. 4% 35. 7% 15. 3% 10. 2% Chennai 1% 11. 2% 43. 9% 18. 4% 12. % Bangalore 4. 3% 23. 7% 47. 3% 14% 4. 3% Demographically Rating quality TAB 13 Parameters/ Poor white Good Very good Excellent Segments Students 4. 1% 22% 42. 3% 13% 8. % SME 2. 0% 18% 38. 0% 22% 8. 0% Working profile 2. 5% 13. 6% 44. 1% 16. 1% 9. 3% pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) On an average all the three segments smelling that the qualities of Acer products are good. This comes somewhat 41. 5% of the population. Rating service pic (Sample size 100) TAB 14 Parameters/ Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent Places Coimbatore 7. 1% 25. 5% 36. 7% 13. 3% 1% Chennai 3. 1% 26. 5% 39. 8% 16. 3% 1% Bangalore 2. 2% 32. 2% 33. 3% 25. 6% O% Rating Acers serviceDemographically TAB 15 Parameters/ Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent Segments Students 5. 0% 33. 1% 35. 5% 16. 5% 0% SME 4. 0% 46% 30% 20% 0% Working profile 4. % 33. 4% 27. 3% 18. 8% 1. 7% pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Rating price Geographically TAB 16 Parameters / Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent Place Coimbatore 2% 17. 3% 35. 7% 26. 5% 2. 0% Chennai 2. % 12. 4% 32. 0% 33. 0% 8. 2% Bangalore 4. 3% 9. 7% 28% 36. 6% 15. 1% pic (Sample size 100) Rating price Demographically Tab 17 Parameters/ Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent Segments Students 1. % 14. 6% 39. 8% 28. 5% 5. 7% SME 4. 1% 16. 3% 22. 4% 34. 7% 12. 2% Working profile 3. 4% 10. 2% 28% 33. 9% 10. 2% pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) RATING PERFORMANCE Geographically pic (Sample size 100) TAB 18 Parameters / Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent Place Coimbatore 2. 0% 10. 2% 33. 7% 29. 6% 8. 2% Chennai 2. 0% 7. 1% 37. 8% 34. 7% 5. 1% Bangalore 3. 3% 30. 4% 22. 8% 34. 8% 2. % Rating performance Demographically TAB 19 Parameters/ Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent Segments Students 3. 3% 16. 3% 39% 28. 5% 3. 3% SME 4. 0% 12. 0% 26. 0% 38. 0% 8% Working profile 0. % 17. 1% 26. 5% 35. 0% 6. 0% pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) RATING FEATURES Geographically pic (Sample size 100) TAB 20 Parameters / Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent Place Coimbatore 2. 0% 10. 2% 38. 8% 21. 4% 11. 2% Chennai 1. % 3. 1% 41. 8% 29. 6% 11. 2% Bangalore 5. 4% 20. 7% 30. 4% 28. 3% 8. 7% RATING THE FEATURES Demographically TAB 21 Parameters/ Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent Segments Students 3. 3% 13. % 45. 5% 22. 8% 4. 9% SME 2. 0% 10% 22. 0% 36% 18% Working profile 2. 6% 10. 3% 34. 2% 25. 6% 12. 8% pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) DEGREE TO WHICH ACER PRODUCTS ARE RECOMMENDED Geographically pic (Sample size 100 each) TAB 22 Parameters/ Def. not Not sure Probably not Would belike Would def. Places Coimbatore 1% 38% 10% 42% 9% Chennai 2% 38. 4% 8. 1% 42. 4% 9. 1% Bangalore 6. 1% 19. 2% 7. 1% 51. 5% 16. 3% Demographically TAB 23 Parameters/ Would def. not Not sure Probably not Probably would Def. would Segments Students 4% 36. 3% 10. 5% 45. 2% 4. 0% SME 1. 8% 23. 3% 3. 6% 53. 6% 17. 9% Working profile 2. 5% 32. % 8. 3% 40. 8% 15. 8% pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) On an average 46. 5% of the people would probably recommend Acer products to his/ her friends/ associates or relatives. About 30. 7% of the people on average are not sure if they would recommend and around 12. 55% of the people would definitely recommend. Demographicallyconsideration set for Acer desktops Frequency of people having Acer in their consideration set STUDENTS 31. 5% were sure that duration making decisions they would consider the Acer products. SME Around 50% of the people would consider Acer while making purchase decisions Working profile About 41. 7% of the people would consider Acer during purchase decisions. pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Acer notebooks in the consideration set Geographically pic (Sample size 100 each) TAB 24 Parameters/ Places Acer desktops Acer notebooks Coimbatore 35% 56% C hennai 36. % 55. 6% Bangalore 46. 5% 52. 5% Demographically pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) STUDENTS 47. 6% were sure that while making decisions they would consider the Acer notebooks. SME Around 58. 9% of the people would consider Acer notebooks while making purchase decisions Working profile About 59. 2% of the people would consider Acer notebooks during purchase decisions. Preference setAcer desktops GeographicallyAcers share in the pick set of the people TAB 25 Parameter/ First perceptiveness piece preference Third preference Places Coimbatore 10% 30% 60% Chennai 9. 4% 28. 1% 62. 5% Bangalore 17. % 41. 2% 41. 2% pic (Sample size 100 each) TAB 26 Demographically Parameter/ First preference Second preference Third preference Places Students 60. 6% 33. 3% 6. 1% SME 46. 2% 38. 55 15. 4% Working profile 48. 8% 34. 1% 17. 1% pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Preference for notebooks Geographically pic (Sample size 100 each) TAB 27 Parameters/ First preferen ce Second preference Third preference Places Coimbatore 10. % 57. 9% 31. 6% Chennai 12% 36. 0% 52% Bangalore 27. 3% 29. 5% 43. 2% DemographicallyAcer notebooks in preference set pic (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 28 Parameter/ First preference Second preference Third preference Places students 52. 8% 30. 6% 16. 7% SME 45. 5% 36. 4% 18. 2% Working profile 39. 4% 44. % 20. 9% FINDINGS The general attitudes and awareness of the brand Acer is analyzed Channel through which Acer was first heard of Geographically People came to know about Acer products and brand to a greater extent from friends/ relatives / associates which contributes to about 30% in each city on an average. Newspaper awareness contributed to around 14. 8% and magazine contribution was around 12%. Demographically Students came to know about Acer through friends /relatives / associates which contributed about 33. 1%. About 12. % each through newspaper and magazine. Nearly 17. 8 % of the people have no t heard of Acer. SME came to know about Acer through friends / relatives and associates to about 21. 4%. Newspaper contributed to about 19. 6% and magazine to about 14. 3% to the awareness of Acer for the first time. 25% of the people have not heard about Acer. Working profile about 30% contribution was due to friends / relatives / associates. 15% contribution by newspaper. About 23. 7% of the people have not heard of Acer. Brand visibility Index Geographically The visibility index from the analysis is Coimbatore 2. 41 Chennai 2. Bangalore 2. 65 This indicated that Acer as a brand lies between low and average visibility zone. Demographically The visibility index is Students 2. 54 SME 3. 45 Working profile 2. 58 This indicates that Acer has low visibility for the student and working profile segment. It has average visibility in the SME segment Awareness towards Acer advertisements and promotional activities Geographically On an average 55. 6% of the people have seen Acer a dvertisements taking all the three cities in to consideration. Acer promotional activities were not noticed in a very negligible pattern. Coimbatore only 9% of the people have noticed an Acer promotion. Chennai around 16. 2% have seen Acer promotions Bangalore about 34. 3% of the people have noticed Acer promotional activities. Demographically Acer advertisements Students 63. 7% has noticed Acer advertisements SME 44. 6% has noticed Acer advertisements Working profile 53. 3% has noticed Acer advertisements Acer promotions Students 22. 6% has noticed Acer promotions SME 12. 5% has noticed Acers promotional activities Working profile 20. 0% has noticed Acers promotional activitiesNumber of visits to Acer retail outlets (in the past six months) Geographically Coimbatore On the whole HP has the highest count of about 44% Visit to Acer retail outlet is 1% Chennai Again HP being the highest with about 33. 3% of visit About 6% of the people visited Acer retail outlets Bangalore HP with 21. 2% is again the highest hit. About 19. 2% visit to Acer retail outlets. Demographically Students On the whole HP has the highest count of about 44% Visit to Acer retail outlet is 1% SME Again HP being the highest with about 33. % of visit About 6% of the people visited Acer retail outlets Working profile HP with 21. 2% is again the highest hit. About 19. 2% visit to Acer retail outlets. Measures that people undertake before their purchase decisionevaluating the product Geographically Coimbatore 71% purchases occur by comparing specifications 50% purchases also happen by comparing specification and checking offers 32% word of mouth Chennai 62% purchases occur by comparing specification. 45% purchases through comparing specification and checking offers. 27% through media 32% seeing demoBangalore 52% comparing specification 38% word of mouth 30% comparing specification and checking offers 26% through media Demographically Students 35. 5% of t he purchases through comparing specifications 12. 1% through word of mouth 5. 6% each through checking offer and comparing specifications SME 10. 7% of purchase through comparing specification and checking Offer 10. 7% only comparing specification 9% each through word of mouth & checking offer, word of mouth & Checking specification and checking specification and seeing demo. Working profile 20% of the purchase through comparing specification 12. 5% through checking offer & comparing specification 11. 7% checking specification & media BRAND PERCEPTION CHECK apprehension linked with the brand name Acer is still perceived to be in collaboration with Wipro. So it is giving a perception of a national brand amongst most people. Geographically Coimbatore only 62% of the people are aware that Acer is an MNC Chennai 67% had the awareness Bangalore 71% of the people knew that Acer is an MNC. Demographically Students only 42. 5% perceive Acer as an MNC SME only 17% of the SME percei ve Acer as an MNC Working profile 40. 7% perceive Acer as an MNC. Perception on the product parameters An index is got from the analysis which gives the quality index in the three different cities. This is done on a scale of 1 to 5 indicating where the parameter actually lies. Quality Geographically Coimbatore 2. 56 Chennai 2. 84 Bangalore 2. 65 From the above data it is sluttish that Acer quality vice it lies in the fair zone but far towards good. Demographically Students 1. 9 SME 2. 8 Working profile 2. 72 Students perceive Acers quality to be fair. both(prenominal) SME and working profile perceive Acers quality to be good. Service Geographically Coimbatore 2. 22 Chennai 2. 41 Bangalore 2. 42 From the above data it is clear that Acer quality vice it lies in the lower fair zone. Demographically Students 2. 43 SME 2. 38 Working profile 2. 05 The weighted average shows that the service of Acer perceived by the three different segments is invariably fair. Price. Geogr aphically Coimbatore 2. 55 Chennai 2. 87 Bangalore 3. 06 From the above data it is clear that Acer quality vice it lies in the fair zone in Coimbatore and far towards good in Chennai.In Bangalore price vice perception for Acer is good Demographically Students 2. 9 SME 2. 69 Working profile 2. 9 The data above shows that the price of Acer products is perceived to be good invariably in all three segments. Performance Geographically Coimbatore 2. 77 Chennai 2. 88 Bangalore 2. 60 From the above data it is clear that Acer quality vice it lies in between the fair and good zone. Demographically Students 2. 82 SME 2. 98 Working profile 2. 86 The data shows that the performance of Acer products is perceived to be in between fair and good but more inclined towards good. Features Geographically Coimbatore 2. 75 Chennai 3. 01 Bangalore 2. 71 From the above data it is clear that in Coimbatore and Bangalore Acer quality vice it lies in between the fair and good zone. In Chennai it lies in the good zone. Demographically Students 2. 829 SME 3. 22 Working profile 2. 92 The data shows indicates that students and working profile perceive the features of Acer products to be in between fair and good. The SMEs perceive the features of Acer products to be good. Degree to which Acer products are recommended GeographicallyTaking the weighted average mean into consideration and rating the different parameters on the scale of 1 to 5 people feel that Coimbatore 3. 2 Chennai 3. 15 Bangalore 3. 49 The respondents feel that they would probably not recommend Acer products to their friends / relatives / associates. Demographically Students 3. 05 SME 3. 625 Working profile 3. 35 Students and working profile people feel that they would probably not recommend Acer to their known ones. SMEs response lies in between probably not to probably would and more inclined towards probably would.Checking if Acer desktops falls in the consideration set and in the preference se t Geographically Coimbatore 35% people considers Acer desktops while they are considering buying one. But when it narrows down to the preference set out of the 100 respondents only 30 respondents preferred Acer desktops and their preference level in the scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 5. This represents somewhere between third and secant preference. Chennai 36. 4% of the people have Acer desktops in their consideration set when they are to buy desktops. But it comes to the preference set the response is 1. 68 in the scale of 1 to 3. That is it somewhere between third and arcminute preference. Bangalore 46. 5% of the people consider Acer desktops when they plan for a purchase but their preference level in a scale of 1 to 3 is 0. 629. That is even below third preference. Or could be taken as a few people prefer Acer desktops as their third preference. Demographically Students 31. 5% of the people feel that they would consider Acer desktops when they go for a purchase. Out of which whe n it comes to the preference set only 33 responses were there. In the scale of 1 to 3 it lays around 1. 5 which indicates their preference lies between third and second preference. SME Around 50% of the respondents would consider Acer desktops while they decide a purchase. In the preference set only 13 responses where there and their preference lies between third and second preference more inclined towards second preference. Working profile About 41. 7% would consider Acer desktops when they go for a purchase. Out of the consideration set only 41 responses preferred Acer desktops. Their preference lies between third and second preference (1. 68) in the scale of 1 to 3.Checking if Acer laptops falls in the consideration set and in the preference set Coimbatore 56% people considers Acer laptops while they are considering buying one. But when it narrows down to the preference set out of the 100 respondents only 19 respondents preferred Acer laptops and their preference level in t he scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 789. This represents somewhere between third and second preference. Chennai 55. 6% of the people have Acer desktops in their consideration set when they are to buy laptops. But it comes to the preference set the response is 1. 6 in the scale of 1 to 3.That is it somewhere between third and second preference. Bangalore 52. 5% of the people consider Acer laptops when they plan for a purchase but their preference level in a scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 8. That is even below third preference. Or could be taken as a few people prefer Acer desktops as their third preference The preference fro an Acer laptop, on the whole is between third and second preference and more towards third preference. That for Acer laptop is also between third and second preference but inclined more towards second preference. Demographically Students 47. % of the people have Acer notebooks in their consideration set out of which only 36 people have it in their preference set and their rank ing for preference in the scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 638. this indicates that their preference lies between third and second preference inclined towards second preference. SME 58. 9% of the respondents say that they would consider Acer products but their preference level in the scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 7, heading towards second preference. Working Profile 59. 2% have Acer in their consideration set and their preference level in the scale of 1 to 3 it lies at 2. 1 indicating that working profile people have Acer notebooks as their second preference. CONCLUSION The awareness of the brand Acer is average which is due to the low visibility of the brand to the customers. There is not enough advertisement and promotional activities that is undertaken to boost the brand. There must be a lot of investment made make the brand more visible. This will help the brand to build itself strong. The channel through Acer became aware to many people is through word of mouth. But to some extent even throug h internet and newspaper. There must be another research conducted to check if the word of mouth propagation is ctually causing a positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement. There are about 20% of the people who have not heard of Acer. The amount of advertisements and promotions that we undertake is also comparatively low and it is not being noticed much. This is in turn affecting the visibility of the brand compared to the other brands that really mettle a great amount of advertisements even being a new entrant in the market. This also is leading to the relatively low number of visits to the Acer retail outlets though having the highest network. Acer is also being perceived still as a national brand which is in collaboration with Wipro.People are not sure if Acer is an Indian or a foreign brand, which actually creates a wrong vibration in the purchase decision mountain range of the customers. SUGGESTIONS / RECOMMENDATIONS First thing that we need to do is change that percep tion and project ourselves as an MNC with the Indian emotions filled in it. We need to target our customer segment properly and advertise our product and brand We must focus on the other means of throwing light on the band like TV commercials, internet banners and magazine printed ads because the amount of people with media habits as TV, newspaper, internet is really huge. Acer has to be made awareness first regionally and then nationally. Tying up with educational institutions will increase the awareness and also the leads. Acer needs to redefine its target segment as to which is potential. The segment suggested is SMEs and college students. Acer needs to set its target properly and focus Advertisements to hit them especially the TV commercials. Designing gift offers and vouchers with the product also will help a lot to redact the attention of the customers. Online banner Advertisements can be designed and can be displayed on the widely used sites especially in messengers lik e Yahoo and Google talk. Popup inviting users to infix in online survey can be designed and implemented so that the perception of the people can be known periodically. Huge hoardings with the endorsed celebrity can be designed and put o places where are forced to see such as in the signals, near direction boards, outside famous malls, on road dividers etc. Service and support is one factor which has to be worked out properly. Providing good incentives and schemes to the dealers as Acer in India will help a lot as it is still a push product. Sponsoring for big events like the filmy events which happen and also sport. APPENDIX Dear RespondentI am a student of Ohio University, Christ College carrying out a research project titled brand awareness and consumer perception of the branded PC vendors. I gather up you to kindly fill in this questionnaire. All the information provided by you will be strictly confidential and will be used only for faculty member purposes. Please put a ti ck mark or circle the bullets where ever necessary. 1. Do you own a Personal Computer / Notebook? Desktop Yes If yes, which brand? ____________ No Notebook Yes If yes, which brand? ____________ No 2. Which brand would you prefer to buy while buying a desktop or notebook? (HP, Lenovo, Acer, Dell Inc. Toshiba) 2. (a) Desktop ( rate your preference) Rank 1 2 3 Brand Reason 2. (b) Notebook ( rate your preference) Rank 1 2 3 Brand Reason