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A STUDY ON THE CUSTOMER BRAND AWARENESS ON DUROFLEX MATTRESS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO HOSUR CITY

The project report submitted to the Anna University of Technology, Coimbatore in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree ofMASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Submitted by

ROSHAN RAJURegister No: 108001602042

Under The Guidance of

Mr. C. Prasannakumaran M.B.A., M. Phil.,Assistant ProfessorDEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIESCMS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERINGNAMAKKAL 637 003

June 2012

DECLARATION

DECLARATION

I ROSHAN RAJU, hereby declare that the main project report entitledCUSTOMER BRAND AWARENESS ON DUROFLEX MATTRESS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE IN HOSUR CITY. Submitted to the Anna university Coimbatore in partial fulfillment of requirement for the award of degree MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION is a record of original and independent research work done by me during January 2011 to March 2011 under the supervision and guidance of Assistant Professor,Mr. C. Prasannakumaran M.B.A., M. Phil.,and the report has not formed the basis for the reward of any other Degree, Diploma, Fellowship or any other similar titles or prizes and that the work has not been published in any popular journal or magazine.

Place:Roshan RajuDate: Register No: 108001602042

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is my privilege and great pleasure to express my sincere and heart full thanks to Thiru C.MUTHUSAMY Founder and Chairman of C.M.S Educational Institutions, Namakkal, for giving opportunity to study in this prestigious institutions.

I extend my thanks to the Principal Dr. K. SATHIYASEKAR CMS College of Engineering, Namakkal for providing me an opportunity to undertake the project.

I extend my thanks to the Head of the Department Mr. K.G. Senthil Kumar, MBA, M.Phil, (Ph.D.), C.M.S College of Engineering, Namakkal for his encouragement and valuable guidance throughout the study.

I express my sincere thanks toAssistant Professor Mr. C. Prasannakumaran M.B.A., M. Phil., for his valuable guidance, advice, encouragement and creative suggestions in preparation of this work.

I am indebted to Company secretary Mrs. Solly Mathew for all her support, encouragement and valuable guidance throughout the project.

Finally I express my sincere thanks towards my parents, friends and others for this encouragement and support.

ROSHAN RAJU

CERTIFICATE

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the report of main project entitledCUSTOMER BRAND AWARENESS ON DUROFLEX MATTRESS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCEIN HOSUR is a record of the work done by Mr. ROSHAN RAJU (Register No: 108001602042) in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of Degree of Master of Business Administration of Anna University of Technology during the academic year 2010-2012.

Project SupervisorHead of the Department

CONTENT

SI. No:CONTENTSPAGE NO:

List of tables

List of charts

1Introduction and design of study1

1.1 Background of the Problem and Organizational Profile2

1.2 Statement of the Problem9

1.3 Project Objectives10

1.4 Scope of the Study10

1.5 Operational Definitions11

1.6 Limitations12

1.7 Chapter Scheme 12

2Review of literature13

3Research methodology17

3.1 Research Design17

3.2 Data Source17

3.3 Geographical Area18

3.4 Sampling Design18

3.5 Research Instrument18

3.6 Questionnaire Design18

3.7 Statistical Analysis 18

4Data analysis and interpretation20

5Summary of finding, suggestions and conclusion50

6Bibliography 53

7Appendix

CONTENTS

Rate this paPaRate this paPLIST OF TABLESTABLE NO.TITLE OF TABLE

PAGE NO.

4.1.1Table showing age of Respondents20

4.1.2Table showing gender of Respondents21

4.1.3Table showing marital status22

4.1.4Table showing qualification of Respondents23

4.1.5Table showing occupation of respondents24

4.1.6Table showing the brand recall25

4.1.7Table Showing how familiarity of the brand name Duroflex26

4.1.8Table Showing brand that respondents own at present27

4.1.9Table Showing length of using the present brand of mattress28

4.1.10Table Showing source of information about the currently using brand.30

4.1.11Table Showing satisfaction of the current brand.31

4.1.12Table Showing effectiveness of various media.32

4.1.13Table Showing Respondents awareness of promotional activities of Duroflex33

4.1.14Table Showing Respondents visit to the exhibitions of Duroflex.35

4.1.15Table Showing essential for brand awareness.36

4.1.16Table Showing Respondents opinion on buying mattress.38

4.1.17Table showing idea of purchasing new mattress40

4.1.18Table Showing Respondents brand preference.41

4.1.19Table showing how often heard about the brands through advertisement42

4.1.20Table showing advertisement for Duroflex in the media.43

4.1.21Table showing factors influence purchase decision.44

4.1.22

chi-square test of familiarity of the brand and currently using brand45

4.1.23chi-square test of satisfaction of brand, idea about mattress46

4.1.24chi-square test between gender and familiarity of the brand duroflex47

4.1.25chi-square test of educational qualification and source of information 48

4.1.26chi-square test of age and selection of media for advertisements49

LIST OF CHARTSCHART NO.TITLE OF CHARTPAGE NO.

4.1.1Chart Showing age of Respondents20

4.1.2Chart showing gender of Respondents21

4.1.3Chart showing marital status22

4.1.4Chart showing Educational Qualification23

4.1.5Chart showing occupation24

4.1.6Chart showing Brand recall.25

4.1.7Chart showing familiarity of the brand name Duroflex.26

4.1.8Chart showing Brand that the respondents own at present.27

4.1.9Chart showing length of using the present brand of mattress29

4.1.10Chart showing source of information about the currently using brand.30

4.1.11Chart showing satisfaction of the current brand.31

4.1.12Chart showing effectiveness of various media.32

4.1.13Chart showing Respondents awareness of promotional activities of Duroflex34

4.1.14Chart showing Respondents visit to the exhibition35

4.1.15Chart showing very essential for brand awareness.37

4.1.16Chart Showing Respondents opinion on buying mattress.39

4.1.17chart Showing idea of purchasing a new mattress40

4.1.18Chart Showing Respondents brand preference.41

CERTIFICATE

AWARENESS ON DUROFLEX MATTRESS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCEIN HOSUR is a record of the work done by Mr. ROSHAN RAJU (Register No: 108001602042) in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of Degree of Master of Business Administration of Anna University of Technology during the academic year 2010-2012.

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1. INTRODUCTIONThe word brand when used as a noun, can refer to a company name, or a unique identifier such as a logo or trade mark.In a time before fences were used in ranching to keep ones cattle separate from other peoples cattle, ranch owners branded, or marked, their cattle so they could later identify their herd as their own.The concept of branding also developed through the practices of craftsmen who wanted to place a mark or identifier on their work without detracting from the beauty of the piece. These craftsmen used their initials, a symbol, or another unique mark to identify their work and they usually put these marks in a low visibility place on the product.Not too long afterwards, high quality cattle and art became identifiable in consumers minds by particular symbols and marks. Consumers would actually seek out certain marks because they had associated those marks in their minds with tastier beef, higher quality pottery or furniture, sophisticated artwork, and the overall better products .If the producer differentiated their product as superior in the mind of the consumer, then that producers mark or brand came to represent superiority.Todays modern concept of branding grew out of the consumer packaged goods industry and the process of branding has come to include much, much more than just creating a way to identify a product or company.Branding today is used to create emotional attachment to products and companies. Branding efforts to create a feeling of involvement, a sense of higher quality, and an aura of intangible qualities that surround the brand name, mark, or symbol.Brand awareness is vitally important for all brands but high brand awareness without an understanding of what sets you apart from the competition does you virtually no good. Many marketers experience confusion on this point. Brand awareness is consists of both recognition, which is the ability of consumers to confirm that they have previously been exposed the brand, and brand recall, which reflects the ability of consumers to name your brand when given the product category, category need, or some other similar cue.A strong brand influences the buying decision and shapes the ownership experience and it creates trust and emotional attachment to the product or company. 1.1BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM AND ORGANISATIONAL PROFILEINDUSTRY PROFILEMattresses are an integral part of our lives. A good mattress ensures sound sleep which is one of the basic necessities of human beings. People are slowly and steadily realizing the importance of investing in good quality mattresses. The top mattress brands in India produce a number of different types of mattresses that suit the requirements of the people.

With the growth in income levels of the people the need for a comfortable lifestyle is increasing. To satisfy this requirement most of the top mattress brands in India are constantly at logger heads with each other. There are as many as four major mattress brands that constantly competing with each other for the top slot. Top Bed/Mattress Brands in India Kurlon Sleep well Restolex Springwell Duroflex Cello DupondTypes of Mattress in India Coir Mattresses Foam mattress Latex mattress Visoelastic mattress Waterbed mattress FutonsKurlon ranks the chart as far as top mattress brands in India are concerned. Reputed for their comfortable range of mattresses Kurlon mattresses are the most widely sold ones in the market. Kurlon Limited has changed the face of the comfort industry in India. Known as the pioneers of the rubberized coir industry in the country Kurlon holds a major part of the market share of the Indian comfort industry.

Sleepwell is another top mattress brand in India. Reputed for providing state of the art mattresses Sleepwell is a flagship company of the Sheela Group. There quality sleeping solutions that are at par with international standards have been greatly appreciated by the Indianmasses.

Another major player in the comfort industry is Springwell. Considered as one of the top mattress brands in India, Springwell is the pioneer of Spring mattress technology in the country. The company has a long and loyal customer base. Known for its host of comfort providing mattresses specially the sleeper friendly ones this company is also rated as a top mattress brand in India.There are currently over 500 mattress manufacturers in the USA and perhaps a hundred more in Canada. While many of these represent the many subsidiaries, hidden and otherwise, of the larger mattress manufacturers, hundreds of them are also independent local and regional private companies that are owned by people who love producing mattresses and have amazing value. They know their stuff and genuinely care about the products and the value they produce.I have been fortunate to have had extended conversations with dozens of them and it is an understatement to say I was amazed at how willing they were as a group to share their knowledge and information about their mattresses, their business, and the industry as a whole with me. I came to quickly understand that if every mattress in the stores was made by manufacturers such as these, then not only would higher quality mattresses cost much less, but it would also be so much easier to know what was in your mattress and make a purchase that was perfect for your circumstances.As I became more and more intrigued by what I was discovering, my conversations continued. I also quickly discovered that some of these manufacturers were struggling and that many of them had gone out of business since the last census ... not because of poor quality design, construction, service, or value ... or even from a worsening economy ... but because more and more their value was not being recognized as they were being overwhelmed by larger companies who began to dominate the information flow and the floor space of the largest retailers with misleading information and lesser quality materials promoted as being better than they were. Many of these had been in business for several generations and had passed their knowledge on to each succeeding generation who in turn refined it and "brought it up to date". Sadly, some of these are already gone.In a similar way, specialty retailers, sleep shops, and other outlets that focused on value, quality and service were (and are) are being driven out of business by the information flow and dominance of lesser quality, overpriced mattresses that many consumers have come to believe represent their best choices. I have had dozens of conversations with many of these as well and they too are struggling as a group against the misinformation and false claims that have become the norm. When they truly offer something better ... it is often considered as being "just another claim" in an industry where stories have become more important than genuine information and consumers have become jaded because they truly don't know where to turn.Consumers who do not have a reliable source of information or frame of reference to determine which claims or stories are true and which are not, will often just take the "safe" approach of going to a chain store and buying a mattress "on sale" which they believe represents good value ... even though it rarely is. More often than not they are buying the story rather than the mattress. These hundreds of quality retail outlets are also in many cases privately owned and run by "mattress people" who love what they do and truly do their best to educate their customers and offer mattresses that represent real value even though they are being lost in the maze or the haze of the overall direction of the industry. I have seen countless examples of consumers who live in a large city who don't even know that the best retail outlets and manufacturers in their own city even exist.The larger manufacturers, also called "name brands" or "S" companies because the names of so many of them happen to start with an "S", and the chain stores and larger retail outlets with which they have a completely co-dependent relationship, call these local and regional manufacturers "off brands" and in this segment of the industry this is considered to be a derogatory term. It is equivalent of saying "stay away" and a not so subtle way of influencing consumers not to consider them as an option through comparative shopping. The only comparisons they were and are comfortable with are with other mattresses made by subsidiaries of the same companies using the same materials and going by a different name with different ticking (covers) so they look like a different and "unique" mattress.These mattresses are "differentiated" (a common industry term) by different stories or endorsements rather than by real differences in construction, quality or materials. Since all of these "comparisons" are similarly overpriced, and more and more consumers dont where else to look for value, or would even have the ability to recognize it if they did, mattresses in general are rising in price and becoming lower in quality. If you look at many of the larger manufacturer websites, you will even see the emphasis on "differentiation" and the stories they conveniently provide to do it. You will rarely find useful information about the materials they use or their methods of construction.The introduction of one sided mattresses under the guise of "greater convenience" was a major example of this to the point where some consumers actually believe that one sided mattresses are superior to two sided constructions. These lesser quality one sided mattresses quickly became as expensive as their two sided counterparts people were used to buying. The widespread use of low quality polyfoam, memory foam, and airbeds, are a few more examples of "changes" in the industry that have certainly had some benefits but the exaggerated claims attached to them, and the prices that go with these exaggerated claims, have further added to the perception that price and quality go hand in hand. There are many other examples of the industry's ongoing search for ways to use lesser quality materials to produce lower priced mattresses that sell for higher prices while at the same time convincing consumers through a story or endorsement that their deficiencies are either "normal" or desirable.More and more of the kind of accurate and specific information that is truly needed will appear on this website over time however I also realized that in spite of my focus on finding out the truth, that I was developing a "bias" and a "favorite" brand along the way that actually had a name. This brand was called "off brand" and was made in very high quality and with exceptionally high value by hundreds of manufacturers and sold by thousands of independent specialty stores and sleep shops around the country.

1.1 COMPANY PROFILEBRIEF HISTORY OF THE COMPANY A delegation sponsored by coir board went to Europe in the year 1953 with a specified goal of establishing more advanced industries in the coir sector. The delegation gave maximum importance for setting up rubberized coir factories in India. They have reasoned that as both coir and rubber are available in India it will be ideal to set up the factories in India for exporting finished products to Europe and other countries. The coir board gave concerns for importing and setting up units .At that time all the machinerys were imported from abroad. The main suppliers of machinery were Austria and Germany. Today the technology for making the machinery is available in India.Duroflex coir industries (P) Limited has developed new technologies and machinery for the manufacture of rubberized coir products. The machines have much greater output and more efficient than imported machines.Late Mr. P.C Mathew promoted Duroflex coir industries (P) Limited in 1963 at Hosur, Tamil Nadu with a view to use agro based inputs for manufacture of its products. In 1963, an enterprising, young entrepreneur, armed with a degree in mechanical engineering from the Banaras Hindu University set out to build a mechanized, rubberized coir plant. And completely changed the way mattresses were made .His vision led to the creation of a range of sleep products that were much more comfortable, durable and easier to maintain than those that were previously available.The success of Duroflex and its products was nurtured and expanded by his son, the late Mr.P.Chandy Mathew, a chemical engineer from IIT, madras and a business graduate from IIM, Ahmadabad, his son Mr. George L Mathew bachelor of economics from Loyola college and a law major from madras law college and a team of professional and hardworking executives and employees. It is their vision and commitment that continues to drive us at Duroflex todayThe rubberized fiber industry originated in Europe around 1953 with rubberized horsehair and rubberized dog hair. This was later on adapted to coir fiber. The industry originated in India by 1963. The founders of Duroflex have pioneered the manufacture of the rubberized coir products in small factory in alleppey. From its humble and Hyderabad and an extensive marketing organization with company sales office/ depots and over 1500 stockiest all over India.Duroflex (P) Ltd, Hosur is one of the three manufacturing units of the group and leading manufacturer of rubberized products in India. Main products of the company are rubberized coir mattress, which are bought by domestic households, hospitals and bulk users. Company also manufactures industrial products of rubberized coir for packaging, Air filtration, bus and railway seats and carpet underlay. Manufacturing of polyurethane foam for use at Hosur unit, natural rubber latex foam alleppey for own use and export were also started in 1991.Duroflex also has an associate concern, which makes specialized machines for the rubberized coir industry. Duroflex products are known for consistent and standard quality and the company gives the priority to apply strict quality control in its operations. These are applied to procurement and processing of raw materials, manufacturing of finished products and testing them to rigorous at standards. Company is primarily engaged in manufacturing and marketing of mattress to consumer. Company has also given importance to product and process development, development of plant and machinery, engineering and introduction of new products.Company is engaged in export of its products to Europe, Middle East and Far East through its subsidiary company Duroflex exports (p) Ltd. company undertakes research and development activity in its areas of activity and has recently started a separate unit to make eco-friendly boards out of coir and jute fiber as an alternative to plywood.To survive competition in the customer driven market, Duroflex (p) Ltd, Hosur has established a quality management system at Hyderabad and alleppey units. The objective of the company is to supply rubberized coir products, which meet to ever increasing demands of the customer at competitive price by continued process improvements and by the application of state-of-the-art-technologiesThe coir industry is one of the most ancient traditional industries in Tamilnadu. Extending from south to the extreme north of the Tamilnadu, the industry has deep rooted in the economical, social and political field especially on the costal belt of Tamilnadu .In the matter of the foreign exchange this industry is at its peak. Availability of coconut husk in abundance, facilities for routing the husk in the back waters throughout the costal belt and availability of man power are some of the factors that contributed to the flourishing of the industry in the Tamilnadu. Extraction of the fiber from rooted husk, spinning of fiber in to coir and even weaving of mats and matting started as a cottage industry in the past. The establishment of the first coir weaving factory at Alappuzha in 1854 by Mr.James Darrah marked the beginning of modern coir industry in India. As the products enjoyed a very good market in Europe, several foreign companies established their manufacturing in units in Tamilnadu which had the advantage of plentiful availability of raw materials, natural facilities for rotting husks and cheap water transportation of the place with European tradesmen.

Departmentation means, dividing the large and complex organisation in to smaller flexible administration units. It was the organisation wide division of the work and to various manageable units or departments. It shows the horizontal differentiation as in an organisation. It was a method of arranging of the activities to facilitate the accomplishment of the organizational objectives.The company has laid down detailed and well- defined policies and procedures, which each department has to follow during its different operations. Under ISO, all the procedures are highly standardized and separate manuals are issued to all departments. This is issued and controlled by various head of departments.Duroflex has the following departments

Production Marketing Personnel and administration Finance& accounts Research& development

1.2STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Mattress industry is a very volatile one. In India it is at the growth stage, where new outlets emerge very often. There is a high degree of competition among the companies within the industry to stand out from the rest and to be the best of the country. People within Kannur city limits lead busy lifestyles and often seek for convenience. Therefore, the frequency of visiting supermarkets would be high.

Brand awareness is one of the major tactics used by retailers to attract customers to the stores. It will stimulate them to choose the most liked store, spend more time in it, and examine the products and eventually resulting in a purchase. This study is focused on identifying the impact of brand awareness on customer intentions would therefore be carried out with the research problems of Whether brand awareness play an vital role to the sales of the particular brand.

1.3OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDYThe objectives of the research are as follows1.To find out the brand awareness of Duroflex mattress.2.To find out the major attribute of Duroflex mattress for catching the customers.3.To find out the relationship between age group and awareness of message in the advertisement of Duroflex mattress.5.To estimate the presence of different mattresses brands.6.To ascertain the buying behavior of customers

1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY1. This study is conducted to find the brand awareness of the product. 2. The brand awareness study will help the company in taking decisions regarding the promotional campaigns, advertisement, strategies and positioning strategies to build more brand awareness among the consumers to compete with big giants in mattress industry.3. The task of this study is to deliver a central idea about the company and the offering to the target market. The company discovers different needs and groups in the market place and introduces the product which satisfies these needs.4. This study helps to find the targets and their needs that it can satisfy in a superior way.5. It is also helpful to find the position of offering, whether the target recognizes the distinctive offering and image.

1.5 OPERATIONAL DEFENITIONSBrand awareness is an important way of promoting commodity-related products. This is because for these products, there are very few factors that differentiate one product from its competitors. Therefore, the product that maintains the highest brand awareness compared to its competitors will usually get the most sales.The likelihood that consumers recognize the existence and availability of a companys product or service Creating brand awareness is one of the key steps in promoting a product.Brand awareness is the primary goal of advertising in the early months or years of a products introduction.Brand awareness is the first critical condition for achieving brand success. In the absence of awareness, the brand runs the risk of not getting an opportunity to take part in the consumer decision process.The proportion of target customers that recall a brand. Realization by a consumer of the existence and availability of a particular product. Brand awareness is a common measure of marketing communications effectiveness. Unaided awareness is spontaneous; aided or prompted awareness is when the name is recognized among others that are listed or identified.To some branding might not feel like tangible aspect of running a business. It cannot be seen like a product on the shelf, or counted like a cash drawer at the end of the night. But, braining is the reason people pay three times more for a product at one store over another.Brand awareness studies help the boost and sales and sponsorship by illustrating the relationship between the aggressive marketing campaigns and high brand awareness. Using third party to collect this information adds credibility to the data.Each brand awareness study is designed with the individual clients specific needs in mind. Whether you need to survey readers, visitors, attendees, or all three, reader can put together a research plan that meets your objectives and helps you succeed. Our custom research solutions are designed to meet the specialized research requirements of every client; however, most of our customized studies include similar consideration1.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY1. The study was based on the assumption that the respondents will always be truthful and correct. 2. Some of the respondents were less co-operative.3. The study was confined to city of Hosur, so the results may notbe applicable for otherarea.4. Due to the time constraint the sample size is restricted to 150.

1.7 CHAPTER SCHEME

1. The first chapter gives a clear idea about the study. It includes the objectives, scope and limitation of the study. The chapter also includes main categories such as industry profile and company profile. 2. The second chapter is review of literature, which includes some authors reviews and concepts about brand awareness.3. The third chapter is Research methodology which includes, research design, the period of the study and the purpose of the study about the various sources, type of data used in the study it also explains various analytical tools used for the study. 4. The fourth chapter is Analysis and Interpretation about the topic. The tools used for analysis are percentage analysis, chi-square and weighted average 5. The fifth chapter includes the Findings which derived from the analysis of the primary data. The chapter explains suggestions to improve brand awareness.

CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.REVIEW OF LITERATURE

1. Emma MacDonald and Byron sharp(1996), has done a research titled Management perception of the importance of brand awareness as an indication of advertising effectiveness. This study help to despite marketing theory which proposes that high brand awareness can be a very valuable Asset to a firm, our finding is that the concept is frequently dismissed by managers asunimportant and certainly not worthy of monitoring. The authors' interpretation is that amongst a great many managers, gaining brand awareness is regarded as a once-off battle which must be fought, and once it is won, it can be forgotten. Brand awareness as an indication of advertising effectiveness .While brand awareness offers a great deal of potential value to the marketing manager, thedifficulty lies in its measurement. Managers' lack of interest is partially justified by theinsensitivity of existing measures of brand awareness.

2. Maria Johansson (1999)has done a research titled Social media and brand awareness in the fast moving consumer goods sector. This study aims to understand the role of social media for the creation of brand awareness. The specific area of fast moving goods sector within business to consumer market was chosen. Thewhole approach of this study has been exploratory and descriptive.The most important message that comes across from the interview with the company in the case study, is that great challenge that the respondents see, is for the company to find the right balance between providing contents of great interest for the audience, while at the same time respecting what kind of information the company can really go out with it is about being relevant in social media and in allother channels of communication. This means a constant need for learning and developing new knowledge, for measuring and follows up.

3. GeoffreyJallehss, Robert J Donovan, Billie Giles- corti (2003) and C.D Arcy J Holman, Australian health promotion foundation, has done a research titled Sponsorship impact on brand awareness and brand attitudes. The aim of the study is to this article presents the results of a study designed to evaluate sponsorship effectiveness in terms of its two main communication objectives: brand awareness and brand attitude. Two health and four commercial sponsorships were evaluated at two major sporting events. Overall, the data suggest that sponsorship can influence both brand awareness and brand attitude, and that the health sponsorships had more impact than the commercial sponsors studied. These and other data confirm the potential usefulness for greater use of sponsorship in social marketing campaigns. Sponsorship is a rapidly growing tool in both commercial and social marketing areas, in Australia and overseas. Australian health promotion foundations distribute substantial funds to arts, sports, and racing organizations for the opportunity to have these organizations events sponsored by health promoting organizations. However, in spite of substantial commercial and health expenditures, there has been little published systematic evaluation of sponsorship. Recent years have seen far more attention to this area.

4 Haemoon ,lowa state university (2002) conducted a research title on Brand awareness and price on customer value and behavioral intentions. The author introduces a comprehensive customer value framework and tests an extended value model with lodging products. The extended value model in this study newly incorporates the concepts of brand awareness, as compared to brand or product class, and price fairness. Based on Baron and Kennys guideline for mediation analysis, this study found the traditional customer value process to be useful for lodging research and marketing. In addition, brand awareness and price fairness concepts were found to play significant roles in the customer value process. The article includes discussions on both managerial and research implications

5 Subhani, Dr.Muhammad Imtiaz and Osman, Ms.Amber Iqra University Research Centre (IURC), Iqra university ( 2009) conducted a research titled on a study on the association between brand awareness of consumer on the packaged milk industry in Pakistan. Brand awareness remains fundamental to consumer life as the interaction initiation point tothe brands. This paper put forwards the relationship of brand awareness on consumer/brandloyalty in the packaged milk brands in the urban Pakistan. There is evidence of brandawareness and consumer/brand loyalty on brand equity. The approach takes into accountsources of brand equitybrand awareness, consumer/brand loyalty, and image (perceptions /associations) on the sample of consumer households. This paper suggests that in Pakistanamong the packaged milk brands there is no relationship between brand awareness andconsumer/brand loyalty. In addition, testing relationship by setting perceptions as themediating variable between brand awareness and consumer/brand loyalty results the same.For practicing managers and marketers it is important to note that there is a need to updatetheir understanding of the nature and role of brand awareness on convenience products whichhas random switch purchase behavior and low-involvement. In the current era, marketers mustdevelop branding strategies for commodity-products such as milk packaged brands byinvesting and strengthening its supply chain system, to create and increase brand awarenessfor the milk brands in-turn to build consumer/brand loyalty than trying to directly buildconsumer/brand loyalty by heavy spending on promotional tools.

6 Bernard J. Jansen, Mimi Zhang, Ying Zhang (2001) college of information sciences and technology, University, Pennsylvania state university, has done a research titled The effect of brand Awareness on the Evaluation of Search Engine results .In this paper we investigate the effect of search engine brand (i.e., identifying name that distinguishes a product from its competitors) on evaluation of systemperformance. Our research is motivated by the large amount of search traffic directed to less than a handful of Web search engines, even though many are of equal technical quality with similar interfaces. We conducted a laboratory experiment with 32 participants measuring the effect of four search engine brands while controlling for the quality of search engine results. Based on average relevance ratings, there was a 25% difference between the most highly rated search engine and thelowest, even though search engine results were identical in both content and presentation. We discussimplications for search engine marketing and the design of empirical studies measuring search engine quality. Searching engine interfaces contain branding elements, such as symbols, logos, and names. A brand is the intangible sum of an organizations attributes, which can include an organizations name, history, reputation, and advertisement. A brand is also identifying symbol sign, name, or mark that distinguishes an organization or a product from its competitors. Therefore, good branding can results in loyal customers. However, the effect of branding on technology design has not been well acknowledged, a CHI 2001 panel on branding being an exception . Park, Harada, and Igarashi report that the users perceptions of a products brand affect their perceptions of mental demand. While there may be some recognition that branding is important in the marketing of product, there has been little research in to the brand effect on the evaluation of system performance. In this research, we measure the effect of brand perception on user perception of the performance of Web search engines.

7Brown, Steven p,Hoyer, Wayne D (1999),University of Chicago,conducted the research title are The effects of brand awareness on choice for a common, repeat purchase product. Results of a controlled experiment on the role of brand awareness in the consumer choice process showed that brand awareness was a dominant choice heuristic among awareness-group subjects. Subjects with no brand awareness tended to sample more brands and selected the high-quality brand on the final choice significantly more often than those with brand awareness. Thus, when quality differences exist among competing brands, consumers may "pay a price" for employing simple choice heuristics such as brand awareness in the interest of economizing time and effort. However, building brand awareness is a viable strategy for advertising aimed at increasing brand-choice probabilities.8. Amaranth and vijayudu,Research scholar(2007), Department of management studies tirupati, Sri venkedeswara university, has done a research title Brand awareness in rural area-a case study of east moving consumer goods in chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh. The purpose of this study is to examine the brand awareness in rural area and to study the interest of consumers in branded products of east moving consumer goods (FMCG).The brand awareness is showing increasing tendency everywhere and chitoor district is not an exception to it. To examine the validity of this general statement that is being discussed day in and day out by the researcher, market manager, producers, consumers, advertisers.A case study of brand awareness in rural area of fast moving consumer goods in chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh is taken up.9Beth cianfrone, Gregg Bennet, Ron Siderss, Yosuke Tsuji (2011), University of Florida, USA,conducted the research title on Virtual advertising and Brand awareness. The purpose of this study was to analyse the effectiveness of virtual advertising on consumer memory of brand sponsorship. More specifically, we sought to compare the capacity of consumers to identify brand sponsors virtually inserted within a televised sporting event to their ability to remember conventional television commercial sponsors. A 40-minute segment of a televised broadcast of a Southeastern Conference (SEC) football game, complete with television commercials and virtual advertisements, was the means of study used to assess the effectiveness of the different forms of advertising in terms of brand sponsorship identification. The findings suggest differences between spectator identification of virtual ads and television commercials on consumer memory.CHAPTER 3

Research methodology

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research methodologyResearch methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It describes the research procedure, which has been used in the research.Research methodology is the backbone of any research. Established of a sound research plan and design is an inevitable part of a good research. It means the way one researcher selects his sample and sample size,methods of data collection, various tools used for studying and analyzing the problem with certain objectives and goals in view.3.1 Research DesignThe study is a descriptive one, descriptive research studies are those studies, which are concerned with describing the characteristics of a particular individual, or a group. The main aim behind the study was to identify the brand awareness of Duroflex mattress.Through the study collect the opinion about the customers of general public. The respondent is personally contacted and the data are collected through schedules.3.2 Data sourceThe data source refers to the source from which the data are collected for conducting the study. Data are two types; primary data and secondary data.Primary dataThe primary data are those data which are being collected by the researcher for the first time. They are the information received directly from the respondents. In this study primary data was collected among the customers of general public with help of Questionnaire and interview schedule.Secondary dataSecondary data are those data which have been already collected by someone else. They include published, unpublished document .They are internet, magazines etc.

3.3 Geographical AreaThe research study was conducted in the Hosur city.3.4 Sampling DesignA. Sampling TechniqueNon- probability sampling technique has been used for this study. Under Non-probability sampling technique Convenience Sampling is adopted where the samples are selected based on their convenient accessibility and proximity.B. Sample SizeSample size denotes the number of sample selected for the study. Since covering the entire population for the study was not feasible, this study was carried out among a sample of 150 customers in the Hosur city.3.5Research instrumentQuestionnaires (personal, administered)3.6Questionnaire DesignA well structured questionnaire was used for this study. The type of questions used in the questionnaire was multiple choice and Dichotomous questions.3.7 Statistical AnalysisThe data drawn from the various sources were subjected to statistical treatment using the appropriate tables. Simple Percentage Method Weighted Average Method Ranking by weighted average method Chi-square method

1) Percentage Method:Percentage refers to a kind of ratio. Percentage is used to compare the relative terms, the distribution of two or more series of data. Percentage are used describe the relationship. Since percentage everything to a common base and thereby meaningful comparison can be made.Percentage of Respondents = No. of Respondents /Total Respondents X 100

2) Weighted Average Method:Weighted average is also called as mean. It is the most common and widely used to measure central tendency. Weighted average of a series is the figure by dividing the total value of the various terms by their number. The researchers uses weighted average for the rating the brand opinion and agree level with regard to common attributes.Weighted average,

wx = Total weighted, w = No. of respondents

3) Chi square

This is a non-parametric test for testing hypothesis Chi-square test at determining whether there is any significant relationship exit among the group of data. It is a statistical measure used in the context of sampling analysis for comparing a variance to a theoretical variance.

Chi-Square, =

Where, O=Observed frequency, E=Expected frequency

CHAPTER 4

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

4.DATA ANALYSIS& INTERPRATATION4.1 CLASSIFICATION BASED ON AGE OF THE RESPONDENTSTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the respondents age status such as below 20%, 20-30 years, 30-40 years, 40-50 years and above 50. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage method.Table No. 4.1: Age of respondentsS. No.AgeFrequency of ResponsesPercentage of Respondents (%)Cumulative Percentage

1. Below 20 years2919.419.4

2. 20 years- 30 years3523.442.8

3. 30 years-40 years392668.8

4. 40 years-50 years2516.685.4

5. Above 50 years2214.6100

Total150100

Source: Survey DataInference:From table 4.1 shows that the Age in Below 20 are 19.4% , 23.4 % are in the age of 20-30, 26% of age of respondents are 30-40, and 16.6 are in the age of 40-50, 14.6 are in the age of Above 50.This show that majority of the customers are in the age of 30-40.4.1 Chart showing age of Respondents

4.2 CLASSIFICATION BASED ON GENDER OF THE RESPONDENTSTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the respondents gender status such as Male and Female. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage methodTable No. 4.2: Gender of the RespondentsS. No.GenderFrequency of ResponsesPercentage of Respondents (%)Cumulative Percentage

1.Male9563.363.3

2.Female5536.7100

Total150100

Source: Survey DataInference:From table4.2 the majority of the respondents are the male 63.3% and the rest of them is female36.7%Chart No. 4.2: Gender of the Respondents.

4.3 CLASSIFICATION BASED ON MARITAL STATUSTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the respondents marital status such as Single, Married. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage method.Table No. 4.3: Marital statusS. No.Marital statusFrequency of ResponsesPercentage of Respondents (%)Cumulative Percentage

1.Single4026.626.6

2.Married11073.4100

Total150100

Source: Survey DataInference:From table 4.3 shows that the majority of the respondents are married 73.4% and the rest of them are single 26.6Chart No. 4.3: Marital status

4.4 CLASSIFICATION BASED ON EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION Textual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the respondents educational status such as Schooling, Illiterate, under graduation and Post graduation. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage method.

Table No. 4.4: Educational Qualification of the RespondentsS. No.Educational QualificationFrequency of ResponsesPercentage of Respondents (%)Cumulative Percentage

1. Illiterate85.35.3

2. Schooling7046.651.9

3. U.G422879.9

4. P.G1711.591.4

5. Others138.6100

Total150100

Source: Survey DataInference: From table 4.4 shows that the 46.6% respondents are schooling and 28% of them are UG and the 11.5% are PG and others are 8.6% and the remaining of them are illiterate 5.3%Chart No. 4.4: Educational Qualification of the Respondents

4.5CLASSIFICATION BASED ON OCCUPATION OF THE RESPONDENTSTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the respondents occupation such as Business, student, employee and others category. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage method.

Table No. 4.5: Occupation of the RespondentsS. No.OccupationFrequency of ResponsesPercentage of Respondents (%)Cumulative Percentage

1. Business662222

2. Student1023456

3. Employee9230.6786.67

4. Others4013.33100

Total150100

Source: Survey DataInference: From table 4.5 shows that the 32% of them are employees and 26% of them are others and the 20% of respondents are students and the rest of them are professional and business.Chart No. 4.5: Occupation of the Respondents

4.6BRAND RECALL BY THE RESPONDENTSTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the respondents first company think of mattress such as Duroflex, coir on, sleep well and others category. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage method.Table No. 4.6: Brand recallS. No.OpinionFrequency of ResponsesPercentage of Respondents (%)Cumulative Percentage

1. Duroflex724848

2. Coir on1711.459.4

3. Sleep well181271.4

4. Sunidra1610.682

5. Rubco12890

6. Other1510100

Total150100

Source: Survey DataInference: From table 4.6 shows that 48% of the respondents are familiar Duroflex and Sleep well earn the second position in the market and the coir on comes to them are third position of the market and sunidra 10% and rubco comes 8% and the rest of them are 10%.4.4 Chart No. 4.6: brand recall

4.7 FAMILIARITY OFTHE BRAND NAME DUROFLEXTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the respondents familiarity of the brand Duroflex such as Never heard of it, cant able to recall, Heard of it but not bought, Heard and bought it..For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage method.Table No. 4.7: Familiarity of thebrand name DuroflexS. No.OpinionFrequency of ResponsesPercentage of Respondents (%)Cumulative Percentage

1. Never heard of it422828

2. Cant able to recall3724.652.6

3. Heard of it but not bought2919.472

4. Heard and bought it4228100

Total150100

Inference: From table 4.7 shows that 28% of the respondents are familiar with the brand of Duroflex and 19.4 of them are heard of the brand but not bought it and 24.6% cannot able to recall the brand and the rest of them are not heard of itChart No. 4.7: Familiarity of thebrand name Duroflex.

4.8 BRAND THAT THE RESPONDENTS OWN AT PRESENTTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the brand that the respondents own at present such as Duroflex, coir on, sleep well, sunidra, Rubco and other local brands.. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage method.Table No. 4.8: Brand that the respondents own at presentS. No.OpinionFrequency of ResponsesPercentage of Respondents (%)Cumulative Percentage

1. Duroflex755050

2. Coir on1711.461.4

3. Sleep well1912.674

4. Sunidra181286

5. Rubco12894

6. Other96100

Total150100

Source: Survey DataInference: From table 4.8 shows that the current market scenario 50% of respondents are using the Duroflex and 12.6% are using the Sleep Well and 11.4% are coir on and 12% are using the sunidra and Rubco and rest of them are other local brands.

4.8Chart showing brand that the respondents own at present

4.9 LENGTH OFUSINGTHE PRESENT BRAND OF MATTRESS

Textual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the respondents using year of current mattress. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage method.

Table No. 4.9: Length of using the present brand of mattress.S. No.OpinionFrequency of ResponsesPercentage of Respondents (%)Cumulative Percentage

1. Less than 1 year3523.423.4

2. 1-3 year362447.4

3. 3-5 year241663.4

4. 5-7 year302083.4

5. Greater than 7 year2516.6100

Total150100

Source: Survey Data

Inference: From table 4.9 shows that the 24% of respondents are using 1 to 3 years and 23.4% less than 1 years and 20% 5to 7 years and 16% are 3 to 5 years and the remaining 16.6% are greater than 7 years.

Chart no. 4.9: Length of using the brand of mattress.

4.10 SOURCE OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE CURRENTLY USING BRANDTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the respondents where did get the information about current mattress such as Advertisement, Friends, Self decision, Shops, Relatives.. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage method.

Table No. 4.10: Source of information about the currently using brandS. No.OccupationFrequency of ResponsesPercentage of Respondents (%)Cumulative Percentage

1. Advertisement3724.624.6

2. Friends3624.549.1

3. Self decision2916.966

4. Shops292086

5. Relatives1914100

Total150100

Source: Survey DataInference: From table 4.10 shows that the majority of the respondents get the awareness of the brand from the advertisement 24.6% and 24.5% are get from friends and 20% from shops and the 16.9% from self decision and the rest of them are from relatives.Chart No. 4.10: Source of information about the currently using brand.

4.11SATISACTION OF THE CURRENT BRANDTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the respondents satisfaction level such asHighly satisfied, satisfied , Neutral, Dissatisfied, Highly dissatisfied. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage method.Table No. 4.11: Satisfaction of the current brandS. No.OpinionFrequency of ResponsesPercentage of Respondents (%)Cumulative Percentage

1. Highly satisfied3221.321.3

2. Satisfied332243.3

3. Neutral2818.661.9

4. Dissatisfied3422.684.5

5. Highly dissatisfied2315.5100

Total150100

Source: Survey DataInference:From table 4.11 shows that 21.3% are Highly satisfied and the 22% are satisfied and 18.6% are Neutral and 22.6% are dissatisfied and the rest of them are highly di satisfied4.11 SATISACTION OF THE CURRENT BRANDChart No. 4.11: Satisfaction of the current brand

4.12EFFECTIVENESS OF VARIOUS MEDIATextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the respondents idea about which media is effective in communicating message to the potential such as T.V, Internet, Newspaper and others category. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage method.Table No. 4.12: Effectiveness of various mediaS. No.OpinionFrequency of ResponsesPercentage of Respondents (%)Cumulative Percentage

1. T.V483232

2. Internet4026.658.6

3. Pamphlets2818.677.2

4. Newspaper2013.490.6

5. Other149.4100

Total150100

Source: Survey Data Inference: From table 4.12 shows that 32% of respondents are watching television and 26.6% are from internet and 18.6% are pamphlets and 13.4% are from news paper and the rest of them are get the informations from other MediasChart No. 4.12: Effectiveness of various media

4.13RESPONDENTS AWARENESS OF PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES OF DUROFLEXTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the respondents idea about the promotional activities of Duroflex such as Trade show, Rebate, Exhibition, Coupons, Gifts . For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage method.Table No. 4.13: Respondents awareness of promotional activities of DuroflexS.NoOpinionYesNo

1Trade show86(58%)64(42)

2Rebate44(29.4%)106(70.6)

3Exhibition82(54.6%)68(45.4)

4Coupons77(51.4%)73(48.6)

5Gifts91(60.6%)59(39.4)

Inference: From table 4.13 shows that 58% 0f them are aware of trade shows rest of them are not aware about the tradeshow and 70% of them are not aware about rebate and rest of them are aware of the rebate and 54% of them are aware of exhibitions and rest of them are not aware of the exhibitions and the 51% of them are aware of coupons and the rest of them are not aware of coupons and 60% of them are from gifts.

Chart No. 4.13: Respondents awareness of promotional activities of Duroflex

4.14 RESPONDENTS VISIT TO THE EXHIBITIONS OF DUROFLEXTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the visitors of exhibitions in Duroflex. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage method.

Table No. 4.14: Respondents visit to the exhibitions of Duroflex.S. No.OpinionFrequency of ResponsesPercentage of Respondents (%)Cumulative Percentage

1.Yes8254.654.6

2.No6845.4100

Total150100

Source: Survey DataInference:From table 4.14 shows that 54.6% of respondents are visited the exhibitions and the rest of them are not visited

Table No. 4.14: Respondents visit to the exhibitions of Duroflex

4.15 ESSENTIAL FOR BRAND AWARENESSTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out which should be more essential for creating brand awareness of Duroflex such as good message in the advertisements, creative tanges to recognize , catching slogans and others category. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage method.Table No. 4.15: Essential for brand awareness.S.NoCreators of the brand AwarenessYesNo

1Good message in the Advertisement84(56%)66(44%)

2Creative images to Recognize44(29.4%)106(70.6%)

3Catchy slogans and Taglines90(60%)60(40%)

4Direct marketing74(49.4%)76(50.6%)

5Tele marketing66(44%)84(56%)

Inference: From table 4.15 shows that 56% of the respondents are saying yes to the good message in advertisement and creative images are 70.6 recommended no, catching slogans and taglines 60% respondents are recommended yes, Direct marketing option says yes 50.6%, and 56% of respondents are recommended no.Chart No. 4.15: Essential for brand awareness.

4.16 RESPONDENTS OPINIONON BUYING MATTRESSTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the respondents which factor should be motivate to purchase the mattress such as by having awareness about particular brand, by the pressure of sales man, by random manner and others category. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage method.Table No. 4.16: Respondents opinion on buying mattress.S. No.OPINIONFrequency of ResponsesPercentage of Respondents (%)Cumulative Percentage

1. By having awareness about a particular brand664444

2. By the pressure of salesman2013.457.4

3. By the ideas of my family members2214.672

4. By the attractive appearance of the brand3422.694.6

5. By random manner85.4100

Total150100

Source: Survey DataInference: From table 4.16 shows that 44% of them are by having awareness about particular brand and 22.6% them are attractive appearance of the brand and 14.6% are by the ideas of family members and the rest of them are pressure of salesman and by random manner.Chart No. 4.16: Respondents opinion on buying mattress.

4.17 RESPONDENTS IDEA OF PURCHASING NEW MATTRESSTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the respondents idea about purchasing a new mattress. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage methodTable No. 4.17: Respondents idea of purchasing new mattress.S. No.OpinionFrequency of ResponsesPercentage of Respondents (%)Cumulative Percentage

1.Yes12281.381.3

2.No2818.7100

Total150100

Inference: From table 4.17 shows that majority of them have idea of purchasing a new mattress of 81% and the rest of them are not aware purchasing new mattress.Chart No. 4.17 Respondents idea of purchasing a new mattress

4.18 RESPONDENTS BRAND PREFERENCETextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the respondents preferred brand such as Duroflex, sunidra, coir on, sleep well, and others category. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with percentage method.

Table No. 4.18: Respondents brand preference.S. No.OpinionFrequency of ResponsesPercentage of Respondents (%)

1. Duroflex6654

2. Coir on2016.3

3. Sleep well2016.3

4. Rixo119

5. Sunidra54.4

Total122100

Source: Survey DataInference:From table 4.18 shows that majority of them have brand preferred Durolex 57.3%, 13.3 of them are Rixo,and coir on and sleep well are 10 %, rest of them are Sunidra 9.4 %Chart No. 4.18: Respondents brand preference.

4.19WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHOWINGHOW OFTEN HEARD ABOUT THE BRAND THROUGH ADVERTISEMENTTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the how often heard the brand through advertisement. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with weighted average method.

Table No. 4.19: Weighted Average Showing how often heard about brand through advertisements

FactorsWeighted scoreWeighted Average

Rubco38425.6

Sleep well37525

Duroflex61240.8

Rixo388.525.9

Coir on36624.4

Sunidras385.525.7

Inference:It is inferred that Duroflex is most heard brand in the market through advertisements. Respondents are happy to say about the brand Duroflex is most moving brand in the market.

4.20WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHOWING THE ADVERTISEMENTS OF DUROFLEXTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the how often come across the brand through advertisement. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with weighted average method.

Table No. 4.20: Weighted Average showing advertisements of DuroflexMediaWeighted scoreAverage

T.V50433.6

News paper495.933.06

Magazine49833.2

Hoardings45330.2

Inference:It is inferred that Duroflex is most heard from the television advertisement and secondly through newspapers.

4.21RANKING THE ATTRIBUTES THAT INFLUENCE THE PURCHASE DECISIONTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to rank the several attributes that influence the purchasedecisions of the respondents. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation using weighted average method.Table No. 4.21: Ranking of the Attributes that Influence the purchase decisionS. No.FactorsWeighted ScoreRank

1. Advertisement24.23

2. Quality23.44

3. Store personnel272

4. Affordable price23.25

5. Durability27.41

Inference:It is inferred that durability is the factors for customers purchase decision and second factor are store personnel.

4.22 CHI-SQUARE TEST OF INDEPENDENCE BETWEEN FAMILIARITY OF THE BRAND DUROFLEX AND CURRENTLY USING BRANDTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the relationship betweenfamiliarity of the brand and currently using brand. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with chi-square test.H0 = There is no significant relationship betweenfamiliarity of the brand Duroflex and currently using brand.H1 = There is significant relationship betweenfamiliarity of the brand Duroflex and currently using brand.Table No. 4.22 chi-square test of independence between familiarity of the brand Duroflex and currently using brandValueDfAsymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square61.325a15.000

Likelihood Ratio62.65615.000

Linear-by-Linear Association28.1641.000

N of Valid Cases150

Calculated Chi-Square value = 61.325 Degrees of freedom = 15 Table Value = 25Inference:Since the calculated value is greater than the table value,the null hypothesis is rejected. This illustrates that there is a significant relationship between familiarity of the brand Duroflex and currently using brand.

4.23 CHI-SQUARE TEST OF INDEPENDENCE BETWEEN SATISFACTION OF THE BRAND AND IDEA ABOUT PURCHASING MATTRESSTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the relationship betweensatisfaction of the brand and source of information. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with chi-square test.H0 = There is no significant relationship betweensatisfaction of the brand and idea about purchasing mattressH1 = There is significant relationship betweensatisfaction of the brand and idea about purchasing mattress.Table No. 4.23 chi-square test of independence between satisfaction of the brand and idea about purchasing mattressValueDfAsymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square24.664a16.076

Likelihood Ratio26.37116.049

Linear-by-Linear Association6.3001.012

N of Valid Cases150

Calculated Chi-Square value = 24.664 Degrees of freedom = 20 Table Value = 31.4Inference: Since the calculated value is less than the table value, null hypothesis is accepted. This illustrates that there is no significant relationship between satisfaction of the brand and source of information.

4.24 CHI-SQUARE TEST OF INDEPENDENCE BETWEEN GENDER AND FAMILIARITY OF THE BRAND DUROFLEXTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the relationship between gender andfamiliarity of the brand. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with chi-square test.H0 = There is no significant relationship between gender andfamiliarity of the brand Duroflex.H1 = There is significant relationship between gender andfamiliarity of the brand Duroflex.Table No. 4.24 chi-square test of independence between Gender and familiarity of the brand DuroflexValueDfAsymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square4.956a3.175

Likelihood Ratio4.9123.178

Linear-by-Linear Association1.6991.192

N of Valid Cases150

Calculated Chi-Square value = 4.956 Degrees of freedom = 3 Table Value = 7.81Inference: Since the calculated value is less than the table value, the null hypothesis is accepted. This illustrates that there is no significant relationship betweengender and familiarity of the brand Duroflex.

4.25 CHI-SQUARE TEST OF INDEPENDENCE BETWEEN EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION AND SOURCE OF INFORMATION ABOUT DUROFLEXTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the relationship between educational qualification and source of information. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation H0 = There is no significant relationship between educational qualification and source of information about DuroflexH1 = There is significant relationship between educational qualification and source of information about DuroflexTable No. 4.25 chi-square test of independence between educational qualification and source of information about DuroflexValueDfAsymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square13.637a20.848

Likelihood Ratio15.48920.748

Linear-by-Linear Association1.6161.204

N of Valid Cases150

Calculated Chi-Square value = 13.637 Degrees of freedom = 20 Table Value = 31.4Inference: Since thecalculated value is less than the table value, the null hypothesis is accepted. This illustrates that there is no significant relationship betweeneducational qualification and source of information about Duroflex.4.26 CHI-SQUARE TEST OF INDEPENDENCE BETWEEN AGE AND SELECTION OF MEDIA FOR ADVERTISEMENTSTextual Discussion:The researcher needs to find out the relationship between age and effectiveness of media. For this purpose, data are to be analyzed and presented in the calculation with chi-square test.H0 = There is no significant relationship between age and selection of media for advertisements.H1 = There is significant relationship between age and selection of media for advertisementsTable No. 4.26 chi-square test of independence between age and selection of media for advertisementsValueDfAsymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square24.925a20.204

Likelihood Ratio24.45220.223

Linear-by-Linear Association1.3921.238

N of Valid Cases150

Calculated Chi-Square value = 24.925 Degrees of freedom = 20 Table Value = 31.4Inference:Since thecalculated value is less than the table value,the null hypothesis is accepted. This illustrates that there is no significant relationship between age and selection of media.

CHAPTER 5

FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

5.1FINDINGS

1. Most of the customers recommended that Television are the effective media for communicating message to the potential customers.2. Majority of the respondents are familiar with the brand name Duroflex3. Many respondents are using Duroflex mattress from 1-3 year4. Majority of them using the Duoflex mattress5. Most of the customers get the information about the brand from the advertisements6. Most of them recommended Duroflex is the first company that comes thinks of mattress.7. 33% of the customers are satisfied the features of the brand.8. Most of the respondents are aware of tradeshow.9. Most of the customers always seen the advertisement in the News paper10. Majority of the customers are visited exhibitions of the Duroflex mattress.11. Most of the customers suggested to improve the advertisements in the proper way.12. 44% of the respondents are buy the mattress by having the awareness about particular brand.13. 81.3% of the respondents have the idea of purchasing a new mattress.14. Majority of the customers are by having awareness about a particular brand.15. Educational qualification and source of information play an important role to sales of the Duroflex.16. There is a significant relationship between familiarity of the brand Duroflex and currently using brand.

5.2 SUGGESTION

1. Company can increase the advertisements in various media.2. Company can conduct to more trade shows and exhibitions.3. To provide more offerings to the customers will help to increase the sale of the product.4. Providing Boards and Flex to the retailers, there in front of the shop will help the customers to know about the product. 5. The company needs to concentrate on maintaining the cordial relationship between dealers and suppliers. 6 Company can be given much care in order to offer regular replacement so that dealers with the ready to more shelves space to Duroflex.7 Company may introduce new catching slogans and taglines to the advertisement.8 Company sales persons should monitor the merchandising work creativity and display level of Duroflex product in the outlet.9 Company may reduce the price of the mattress; it helps to increase the sales of the brand.10 Company can provide more offers to customers.11 Company may improve the supply and distribution.12 Company can introduce modern advertisements.

5.3 CONCLUSION

Indian mattress industry is a potentially growing segment with a constant and regular increase in number of players and turn over. Duroflex is a renowned company with a strong goodwill, high reputation and a large number of satisfied and loyal consumers. It is a well established company and has already made its mark in the consumer durable industry.The study helped to determine the brand awareness, market presents and market leadership of different mattresses brands including playing in the market.Also the study tried to find out the factors affecting consumers buying behavior in Hosur city.The position of Duroflex with respect to market presence and sales where ascertained from the collected data. The study also helps to determine the consumers preference for various brands. The research yielded many findings which will be auxiliary in research structuring marketing activities for Duroflex in Hosur city. The inferences and interpretations drawn from the analysis of data where used to arrive the recommendations which were the ultimate objective of the project. Finally these recommendations were put forward to the company as a means enhance the sales of the Duroflex.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Derry Law, Christina Wong, Joanne Yip, (2012) "How does visual merchandising affect consumer affective response?: An intimate apparel experience", European Journal of Marketing, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Vol. 46 Iss: 1/2, pp.112 - 1332. Hausman, A. (2000). A multi-method investigation of consumer motivations in impulse buying behavior. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 17, 403-019.3. Helena M. De Klerk, Stephan Lubbe, (2008) "Female consumers' evaluation of apparel quality: exploring the importance of aesthetics", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Vol. 12 Iss: 1, pp.36 504. Kenhove, P., V., Wulf, K. D., and Walter, V. (1999). The impact of task definition on store- attributes saliencies and store choice. Journal of Retailing, Vol. 75 No. 1, 125-37.5. Kotler, P. (1974). Atmospherics as a marketing tool. Journal of Retailing, Vol.49, 48-64.6. Mattson, B.E. (1982). Situational influences on store choice. Journal of Retailing, Vol.58, No. 3, 46-58.7. Schiffmen, L.G., Kanuk, L.K. (2000). Consumer Behaviour. India: Pearson Education Inc. 8. Shona Kerfoot, Barry Davies, Philippa Ward, (2003) "Visual merchandising and the creation of discernible retail brands", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, MCB UP Ltd., Vol. 31 Iss: 3, pp.143 1529. SwapnaPradhan (2009). Retail Management Text and Cases, 3rd Edition, Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi.10. Wanninayake, W. M. C. B. & Randiwela, P. 2007, The Impact of Visual Merchandising on Consumer Store Choice Decisions in Sri Lankan Supermarkets, In: 7th Global Conference on Business & Economics, Rome 13-14 October 2007.

WEBLIOGRAPHY

1. www.duroflexindia.com2. www.indiamarkets.com3. www.gseek.com4. www.brandawareness.com

ANNEXUREA STUDY ON CUSTOMER BRAND AWARENESS RUBCO MATTRESS WITH REFERENCE TO KANNUR QUESTIONNAIREName:Age (In years): Below 2020-30 30-40 40-50 above 50 Gender:MaleFemaleMarital status:SingleMarriedEducational qualification:IlliterateSchoolingUG PG OthersOccupation: Business Student Professional Employee others1. What is the first company that comes which is think of mattress?DuroflexCoir-onSleep wellSunidraRubco other2. How familiar are you with the brand name Rubco? Never heard of it Cant able to recall Heard of it but not bought Heard and bought it3. Please specify the brand you own at present? Duroflex Coir-on Sleep well Sunidra Rubco other 4. How long you been using your current mattress brand?Less than 1 year1-3year 3-5 year 5 -7year Greater than 7 year5. From where did you get the information about your currently using brand? Advertisement FriendsSelf decision Shops Relatives6. How satisfied are you with the features of the brand that you own at present?Highly satisfied Satisfied NeutralD issatisfied Highly dissatisfied

7. How often you heard about the following brands through advertisements?BrandsMostlyvery oftenSometimesOftenNever

Rubco

Sleep well

Duroflex

Rixo

Coir on

Sunidra

8. Rank the following Factors that influence you to make purchase decision?FactorsRank

Advertisement

Quality

Store Personnel

Affordable price

Durability

9.give your perception regarding the following the factors in Rubco?9. According to you which media is effective in communicating message to the potential customers?factorsVery goodgoodAveragepoorVery poor

advertisement

quality

Store personal

price

durability

TVInternetpamphlets News paper other10. Are you aware of the promotional activities of the duroflex?S. No.Promotional activitiesYesNo

1Trade show

2Rebate

3Exhibition

4Coupons

5Gifts

11. How often you come across advertisements for duroflex mattress in the following media?S NoMediaAlwaysOftenSometimesRarelyNever

1T V

2News paper

3Magazine

4Hoardings

12. Have you visited the exhibitions of duroflex?YesNo13. Which of the following do you think is very essential for creating brand awareness about duroflex?S.No.Creators of brand awarenessYesNo

1Good message in advertisement

2Creative images to recognize

3Catching slogans and taglines

4Direct marketing

5Tele marketing

14. You buy mattressBy having awareness about a particular brandBy the pressure of salesmanBy the ideas of my family membersBy the attractive appearance of the brandBy random manner15. Do you any idea of purchasing a new mattress?YesNoIf yes which brand you preferred?DuroflexCoir on Sleep wellRixoSunidra16. Any suggestions to improve the brand awareness of rubco?