i

“A study on brand development and evaluating marketing strategies adopted by Swansea

Music Arts and Dance”

ANURAAG ABRAHAM PETER

C1468260

BST 560

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Cardiff Business School

Under the supervision of

Supervisor: Dr. Neil Wellard

Date of Submission: September 11, 2015

Project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Business

Administration in Cardiff University

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DECELARATION STATEMENTS:

This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being

currently submitted in candidature for any degree.

Signed………………………………………

Date…………………………………………

STATEMENT 1

This work is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. Where

correction services have been used, the extent and nature of the correction is clearly marked in

a footnote(s).

Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references. A bibliography is

appended.

Signed………………………………………

Date…………………………………………

STATEMENT 2

I hereby give consent for my work, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-

library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations.

Signed………………………………………

Date…………………………………………

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Firstly, I would like to thank God for giving me the opportunity to undertake and complete this

project.

Secondly, I would like to thank Dr. Neil Wellard for his relentless support and guidance in

helping me complete this dissertation project. This project would not have been made possible

without his valuable direction and feedback.

Thirdly, I would like to thank Mr. Alex Hicks for giving me the opportunity to undertake a live

project with Swansea MAD and for his continuous support and encouragement in trying to

fulfil the objectives of the project.

Finally I would like to thank the management of Swansea MAD without which this project

would not have been possible to complete.

Thank You.

Anuraag

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ABSTRACT

The research project was conducted in association with Swansea MAD through a live project.

The Company came forward with a project to analyse its business models and evaluate its

marketing strategies. Brand development is a very wide concept and there are multiple

techniques and literature which are available. For the purpose of this study, brand awareness

and customer satisfaction levels were evaluated. These two concepts were evaluated as before

establishing a brand development strategy the researcher felt that the brand awareness and

customer satisfaction levels needed to be gauged. Developing brand development strategies

was a tricky proposition as Swansea MAD is in the third sector. The strategies developed for

the corporate scenario cannot be applied here at all instances as there as societal and third sector

requirements that need to be fulfilled.

For this purpose a survey was created to gauge both these concepts. Seven clients were

surveyed to gauge satisfaction levels and 114 people were surveyed in Swansea. Quantitative

tools were used to analyse the data. From the analysis it was realised that Swansea MAD has a

very good reputation in the eyes of those who have heard about the company. The customer

satisfaction levels and performance on projects have been found to be very high and there is a

high probability that once somebody gets associated with Swansea MAD they would continue

to use their service. The only deficiency lies in the fact that people are unaware of the company.

The brand has an appalling low awareness among the public in Swansea. The survey was

conducted on a 3 mile radius in and around the company. When surveying people just across

of where the company is located, people were still unaware that there existed a company like

this.

To mitigate these issues concrete recommendations have been suggested in order that brand

awareness could be elevated and various brand development strategies can been endorsed. An

important aspect is the question regarding the brand perception in the eyes of the public.

Whether the company wants to be known for his quality of services or as a skills development

centre for underprivileged and unemployed.

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CONTENTS PAGE:

1. Introduction ………………………………………………………….... 1

1.1 Research Objective ……………………………………….. 1

1.2 Research Approach………………………………………... 1

1.3 Limitations of the Project…………………………………. 1

1.4 Scope of the project ………………………………………. 2

2. Literature Review …………………………………………………….. 3

2.1 Introduction ………………………………………………. 3

2.2 Brand Definition ………………………………………….. 3

2.3 Determinants of a successful brand……………………….. 4

2.4 Brand Strength Index ……………………………………… 5

2.5 Brand Loyalty ……………………………………………… 5

2.6 Brand Evaluation …………………………………………… 6

2.7 Corporate Societal Marketing ……………………………… 8

2.8 Why Brands Fail? .................................................................... 11

3. Methodology …………………………………………………………… 13

3.1 Research Aim ……………………………………………… 13

3.2 Refining Scope ……………………………………………… 13

3.3 Primary Research …………………………………………… 13

3.4 Analysis of Data …………………………………………….. 14

3.5 Secondary data ………………………………………………. 14

3.6 Limitations of Research Methodology ……………………….. 14

3.7 Ethical Considerations ………………………………………… 14

4. Findings and Analysis …………………………………………………… 15

4.1 Brand Awareness …………………………………………… 15

4.2 Interest in the products and Services ………………………… 15

4.3 Familiarity with Swansea MAD ……………………………… 16

4.4 Assessing the medium through which people have heard about Swansea

MAD …………………………………………………… 16

4.5 Brand Perception ………………………………………… 18

4.6 Experience or expectation with Swansea MAD …………… 18

4.7 Pricing ………………………………………………………… 19

4.8 Recommendation to others …………………………………… 21

4.9 Demographic information of the respondents ……………… 21

4.10 Assessing Customer Satisfaction Levels ……………… 22

4.11 Awareness through which medium ……………………… 23

4.12 Brand Perception ……………………………………… 23

4.13 Association with the company ………………………… 24

4.14 Customer satisfaction Levels …………………………… 24

4.15 Evaluation on performance ……………………………… 25

4.16 Word of Mouth …………………………………………… 26

4.17 Recommendations from the clients on how the service

could be bettered ……………………………………………… 28

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4.18 Part of the service that was most appreciated or done really well 29

4.19 Competitive Scenario ………………………………… 29

4.20 Swot Analysis of the company …………………………… 31

5. Recommendations …………………………………………………… 33

5.1 Brand Perception …………………………………………… 33

5.2 Brand loyalty ……………………………………………… 33

5.3 Brand Awareness ………………………………………… 34

5.4 Staffing issues …………………………………………… 34

5.5 Potential clients …………………………………………… 34

5.6 Pricing Strategy ……………………………………………… 35

6. Conclusions ……………………………………………………………… 36

7. Reflective Essay ………………………………………………………… 37

8. References ……………………………………………………………… 39

9. Appendix ……………………………………………………………………………. 1

9.1 Cross Tabular Information regarding Price for each service and

Demographic factors …………………………………………………….. I

9.2 First Questionnaire …………………………………………… LV

9.3 Second Questionnaire ………………………………………………… LIX

9.4 Ethics Form and Consent Forms …………………………………… LXIII

9.5 Project Brief: Swansea MAD project Brief……………………… LXVIII

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List of Tables:

Table.1: Brand strength index Source: (Perrier 1997)

Table. 2: Comments on betterment of service

Table. 3: Comments on work done best

Table. 4: Competitive Scenario for Swansea MAD

Table. 5: Swot analysis of the company

List of Figures:

Figure.1: Determinants of Successful Brands Source: (de Pelsmacker et al. 2007)

Figure.2: Differentiation in brand loyalty Source: (de Pelsmacker, 2007)

Figure.3: Flowchart of Brand evaluation Source: de Chernatony, 2006

Figure.4: Brand awareness amongst general public of Swansea

Figure.5: Interest in company’s products

Figure.6: Familiarity with Swansea MAD

Figure.7: Mediums of Awareness and Cross tabulation between income level and awarenes

through social media.

Figure.8: Cross Tabulation between Occupation and Awareness through Other means.

Figure.9: Cross Tabulation between Gender and Awareness through word of mouth.

Figure.10: Cross Tabulation between Age and Awareness through Website

Figure.11: Cross Tabulation between Area of Residence and Awareness through Email

Figure.12: Perception of the company

Figure.13: Expectation from Swansea MAD

Figure.14: Pie diagrams represent people’s price choices

Figure.15: Cross Tabulations between prices for different services and different

demographic factors

Figure.16: Probability of Recommendation

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Figure. 17: Demographic information of respondents

Figure. 18: Information regarding location of respondents

Figure. 19: Demographics of the company

Figure. 20: Mediums through which the customers have heard about MAD

Figure. 21: Brand perception

Figure. 22: Cross Tabulation between Brand Perception and years of association

Figure. 23: Years of Association with the company

Figure. 24: Customer satisfaction levels

Figure. 25: Performance evaluation

Figure. 26: Recommendation evaluated

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CHAPTER 1- Introduction

The Cardiff Business school MBA project has been undertaken through a live business project

in alliance with Swansea Music Arts and Dance.

Swansea Music, Arts and Dance (Swansea MAD) is an established multimedia and training

company based in Swansea offering a mix of multimedia and training services throughout the

Swansea area and slightly beyond.

Established in 2008 as a CIC and fully operational since 2010, is halfway through Big Lottery

funding of its flagship project, I Am News, a community media and journalism project. This

funding provides the monies needed to support the CIC until Sept. 2016, at which time the CIC

must be part or fully sustainable. To achieve these necessitates a major rethinking of the

company’s business models and effectiveness of its current marketing strategies needed to be

evaluated. It was with in this regard that Swansea Music and Dance had approached Cardiff

Business School with a MBA project brief.

After being selected to undertake the project, an initial analysis was undertaken to validate the

project brief (Appendix 5 )into a useful and most appropriate project for Swansea Music, Arts

and Dance within the framework of the MBA requirements. The analysis revealed that further

improvement or fine tuning of its branding and marketing strategies needed to be executed in

a way that were effective in creating brand awareness and brand development. After constant

conversation with Swansea Music, Arts and Dance and academic supervisor this was the area

that the business project would focus.

The project analysis the present brand development strategies of Swansea MAD through

primary research and makes recommendations and strategies with the application to Swansea

Music Arts and Dance. For the purpose of this study the research objectives have been

narrowed done.

1.1 Research Objectives:

1. Describing theories on effective brand development and its importance to the third

sector.

2. Analysing the brand awareness of Swansea MAD in the Swansea area.

3. Analysing customer satisfaction levels of the clients of Swansea MAD.

4. Making recommendations and suggestions on how the marketing and brand

development strategies can be improved.

1.2 Research Approach:

The research approach follows an inductive approach through collection of primary data and

using quantitative tools to analyse the data. The survey strategy was used to gather the primary

data and in particular questionnaire tool was utilised.

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1.3 Limitations of the project:

The limitations of the project includes time which is a major constrain in ascertaining the best

possible outcome towards the problem. Another limitation was the difficulty in attaining

responses due to all the respondents needing to be from Swansea. The travel up and down from

Cardiff was a barrier for me as and when required. So it was limited just a few visits due to the

cost involved in travelling.

1.4 Scope of the project:

The scope of the project is limited to the area of Swansea and multimedia and training

companies in Swansea. Addressing the clients of Swansea MAD and to the general public in

Swansea.

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Chapter 2: Literature Review:

The literature review sheds light on existing theories and establishments which are relevant to

the research objectives. It tries to display how a powerful brand can be created and the possible

steps that could be involved in the process.

2.1 Introduction:

There are almost ten thousand new companies or organisations trying to enter the charity sector

each year in England and Wales alone (Hankinson 2000). One of the ways that non-profit

organisations are trying to respond is to adopt branding techniques which are developed for the

corporate scenario and it has been argued that brand orientation has helped voluntary

organisation to advance trust amongst key stakeholder communities (Tapp 1996; Ritchie et al.

1998). Some argue that it has strengthened brand awareness amongst target customers

(Hankinson 2000) and build loyalty amongst its support groups (Ritchie et al. 1998), other

academics and practitioners say that the strategies adopted for the corporate arena have made

the third sector or charity sector too commercialised (Sternberg 1998; Salamon 1999).

There has been very little scholarly articles dedicated to the enrichment and strategic

development of brands in the charity sector in either the UK or the USA which has resulted in

a greater complication of brands in the charity sector compared to typical commercial brands

(Hankinson 2000), difficulties in encouraging the internal shareholders to the concepts in

branding (Grounds and Harkness 1998) and sometimes being dissolute (Sargeant 1999).

2.2 Brand Definition:

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a ‘‘ name, term, sign, symbol or

design, or a combination of these, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or

group of sellers, and to differentiate them from those of the competitors’’.

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2.3 Determinants of a successful brand:

Figure.1: Determinants of Successful Brands Source: (de Pelsmacker et al. 2007)

1. Brands that are successful need to have a differentiation. Consumers need to clearly

distinguish them from having exclusive benefits and how they are different from their

competitors (Doyle 2000)

2. Brands that need to be on the top need to clearly position themselves on quality and

adding some extra value (Green et. al 1995)

3. Continuous innovation is the need of the hour, it needs to be able to answer the dynamic

consumer needs and try to stay ahead of competition ( Tellis and Golder 1996)

4. For a company to gain a prominent position it needs the support and commitment of its

management and employees ( de Chernatony 2006)

5. Brands cannot become effective without long term, consistent support for

communication, continuous awareness of the brand exceptionality and the brand

staying true to cause and ethics (de Pelsmacker et al. 2007)

Successful brand

Innovation

Differentiation

Management and

employee support

Long – term

integrated

communication

support

Good quality

Added Value

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2.4 Brand strength index:

Table.1: Brand strength index Source: (Perrier 1997)

Factor Relative importance (%)

Leadership 25

Internationality 25

Stability 15

Market 10

Trend 10

Support 10

Protection 5

An important facet of the brand evaluation system is the brand strength score as argued by

Perrier in his book, Brand Valuation. The most significant criteria being leadership and

internationality accounting for 25% each. A leading brand cultivates into a more steady and

valued asset. Brands that beat the odds in other countries are considered more stronger and

vigorous compare to others. Customer loyalty accounting for 15% is the second most important

index. Strong brands can be defined by large customer base or following. Brands being

supported consistently with huge marketing investments, displaying a higher continuity and

are present in the markets where branding is considered central are assumed to be more valued.

Lastly, the value of a well-protected brand is considered more secure (Perrier 1997)

2.5 Brand loyalty:

The real asset of the company is actually brand loyalty and not the brand itself (Perrier 1997).

A strong brand is one where the maximum of its customers are contented and loyal buyers

(Pelsmacker 2007). Contended customers would not only come back to your brand but will be

proactive in promotion of your brand and act as brand ambassadors (Pelsmacker 2007).

Endeavouring for customer loyalty is a cost saving strategy and even research shows that the

cost in attracting new clients can be as much as six times greater than what is spend in retaining

those existing clients (Dekimpe et al. 1997).

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The pyramid below demonstrates how different levels of loyalty can be differentiated:

Figure.2: Differentiation in brand loyalty Source: (de Pelsmacker, 2007)

A very important method in retaining loyal clients and enticing guaranteed buyers is in the

portrayal of marketing services to be offered in the form of an experience and not just a product

and a brand community is a very good example where it is a community specialised, exceeding

geographical boundaries and based on an organized set of social relationships among the

consumers of the brand (Muniz and O’Guinn 2001). It is has been proven that clients who feel

that they have a belongingness to a brand community would also remain loyal to the brand in

the future, besides the experiences met would increase the word-of-mouth which could lead to

other customers also purchasing the brand (McAlexander et al. 2002)

2.6 Brand Evaluation:

There are diverse literature written on modes of assessing brands for example brands could be

evaluated considering its financial value (Perrier 1997; Haigh and Knowles 2004; Kapferer

2004), if we consider the brand equity (Aaker 1996; Ambler 2003) and even through

assessment through brand report cards (Keller 2000).

Committed

Buyer

Likes the brand- considers it a friend

Satisfied buyer with switching costs

Switchers/price sensitive- indifferent-

no brand loyalty

Satisfied/habitual buyer who has no

reason to change

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Figure.3: Flowchart of Brand evaluation Source: de Chernatony, 2006

(de Chernatony et al.1998) suggests that success of a brand depends on measuring a mixture

of dimensions mainly based on a business based norms and customer based norms.(de

Chernatony 2006) suggests that there needs to be a more poised perception delivering on what

is internal to the organisation and what is external.

Under each dimension mentioned above there are internal and external issues which need to

analysed and addressed, examples of internal and external dimensions in the case of brand

vision would be robust leadership and principles compared to focussing on the projected future

of the brand. Organisational culture addresses issues like how does the value of the organisation

sustain the ethos of what the brand stands for. Brand objectives evaluate issues of awareness

of the brand’s long term and short term objectives among its staff. Brand essence addresses

how effective is the perception of the customer in terms what it has promised and finally

Brand Vision

Organizational Culture

Brand Objectives

Audit Brandsphere

Brand Essence

Internal Implementation

Brand Resourcing

Brand Evaluation

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implementation and brand resourcing reinforces issues like strength of the brand’s relationship

with the external stakeholders of the business (de Chernatony, 2006).

2.7 Corporate Societal Marketing:

I would like to provide some focus on how the brand equity can be developed through a

corporate societal marketing approach. As Swansea MAD is a third sector organisation and is

hugely involved in the development of the local community in Swansea (Music Art Dance

Swansea, 2015).

The use of corporate societal social marketing (CSM) has appeared on an increase due to its

vast acceptance of various programmes of CSM (Varadarajan and Menon 1988; Drumwright

1996; File and Prince 1998). Corporate social marketing has been defined as covering or

initiating marketing strategies that should encompass at least one non –economic strategy that

relates to welfare to the society and utilisation of the companies resources or any of its partners

(Drumwright and Murphy 2001, p. 164). An important factor for the rise of CSM is the

consciousness regarding the customer’s perception about the company and the role it plays in

the society which is crucial to the brands strength and equity (Hoeffler and Keller 2002). An

example can be seen in the 1999 Cone/Roper Cause- Related Trends Report which discovered

that among residents of U.S (1) 80% had a more positive image about the companies that

encouraged cause they supported (2) almost two –third suggested that they were likely to

switch brands to those related to a good cause. (3) three- quarters approved that programmes

associated with causes was just a business practice (Hoeffler and Keller 2002)

Corporate social marketing can satisfy several objectives like differentiating themselves with

the customers through a boosted corporate image (Lichtenstein 2000, p.4) and “differentiating

among competition by creating an emotional, may be spiritual bond with the consumers”

(Meyer 1999, p.29). Other benefits include (1) Enhancing the image of your company in the

eyes of the public (2) Boosting the morale of your employees (3) Drawing customers focus on

a particular product or service (4) impact on sales (5) enhance goodwill of the brand that could

help offset a bad publicity or dent in reputation due to any unforeseen event or circumstance

(Dawar and Pillutla 2000)

(McQueen 1991) defines brand equity as the variance between the worth the customer

perceives of the brand and the worth of the particular product or service without any sort of

branding. To get a better perspective of how to build brand equity numerous theories and

models have been designed (Farquhar 1989; Aaker and Joachimshaler 2000). It has explored

that most of the theoretical approaches revolves around understanding the effectiveness of

branding strategies with respect to customer awareness of the brand and how this awareness

affects the attitude of the consumer (Keller 2001).

Enhancing a brand is the aim of every business and (Hoeffler and Keller 2002) highlight six

steps to enhance equity of the brand:

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1. Building brand awareness:

Brand awareness implies the ability of the customer to recollect and distinguish the

characteristics of the brand which can lead to substantial competitive advantage (Percy and

Rossiter 1997). (Van Reijmersdal 2009) suggests that brand awareness should inculcate a

feeling of familiarity among customers which involves feeling of knowing without the

necessity of the precise details.

2. Enhancing Brand Image:

Brand awareness can be the first significant step in building the brands equity but for a

lot of customers the image of the brand and what it stands for is more important

(Zaltman and Higie 1995; Fournier 1998). For the brand to have a better equity it is

crucial that the brand has robust, constructive and distinctive associations (Keller 1993).

Two such categories of associations are (1) User profiles (2) Brand personality

User Profiles- A type of brand imagery association would be someone who uses the

brand which may result in an outline or mental frame of what the brand stands for and

CSM helps in developing this positive image of the brand which may even transform

the behaviour of the customer ((Hoeffler and Keller 2002)

Brand personality- Brands often exemplify personality traits and ideals to people and

one that is commonly cited is sincerity (Aaker 1997, 1999).

3. Establishing Brand Credibility:

Brand credibility has been explained by (Keller and Aaker 1992) as the degree to which

the brand is viewed as credible in three main sectors: 1) Expertise which translates how

the brand competes with its competitors. 2) Trustworthiness which translates into being

reliable and upholding customers benefits in mind. 3) Likability exemplifying the

brands popularity as being exciting and fun being around.

4. Evoking brand feelings:

When it comes to brand feelings (Kahle et. al 1988) have discovered two groups of feelings

which are precisely applicable to CSM which are (a) Social Approval- This occurs when the

brand functions in a way that clients have positive mind set regarding the approval of others

on their involvement and indulgence with the brand (Graeff 1996).

(b) Self Respect- This occurs when the brand functions in a way that the consumers having a

feeling of accomplishment with their association with the brand and CSM programs initiate

this feeling that they are doing what is right and should feel proud about it ( Pringle and

Thompson 1999).

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5. Brand Community:

The concept that communities develop around consumption has been dated back to the civil

war which was been argued by (Boorstin 1973). These consumption groups are people who

share feelings of common interest, who have a mutual well- being among themselves and are

focussed on the consumption of a shared item (Boorstin 1973).

These consumption groups or communities have been discussed as consumption sub- cultures

(Shouten & McAlexander 1995), even as brand clubs (Langer, 1997) and in the recent past as

brand communities (Muniz & O’Guinn, 2001). Muniz and O’Guinn (2001) defined the brand

community as ‘‘a specialized, non-geographically bound community, based on a structured set

of social relationships among admirers of a brand’’. Few notable examples explained by him

of brands which have highly devoted communities are Harley Davidson, Jeep and Apple

consumers.

Services or products that are reinforced by these brand communities have been linked with

greater levels of customer identification and participation (Muniz & O’Guinn, 2001) and higher

levels of loyalty from customers (Lemon et. al 2001). It has also been argued that companies

who actively manage their brand communities have resulted in greater levels of market share,

heighted sales and even increased commitment from the part of the customer’s (Hoeffler &

Keller, 2002; McAlexander et al., 2002).

Muniz and O’Guinn (2001) have identified three avenues that help to the development and

enhancement of a brand community: consciousness of kind, shared rituals and traditions and a

sense of moral responsibility.

a. Consciousness of Kind (Identification):

It represents a bond or connection that gets created between the customer and the brand even

with those individuals who may or may not by separated by distance, the connection may be

defined to be in relation to who is “out” to rather who is “in, ” and members often in competition

with other brand communities (Shouten and McAlexander, 1995).

(Underwood et al. 2001) argue that some customers develop relationships with brands that

grows outside the functional utility of what that brand exhibits, to create an emotional and

passionate attachment. Underwood (2001) even further went on to add that consumption on

brands further enhances one’s own identity.

b. Shared rituals and traditions:

These are rooted in symbols or events that are organised, festivities and activities which remain

exclusive to the brand and explain the attributes of what the brand represents (Hassay and

Peloza 2009). These shared rituals and traditions have a requirement for behavioural

involvement from the members of that community (McAlexander et al. 2002). (Bhattacharya

et al. 1995) explain that there exists different levels of participation and identification within

the supporters of the community. There are those which are given a higher status because of

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the time, money, effort and dedication that they put in towards the community (Hassay and

Peloza 2009).

c. Moral Responsibility (Perceived sense of community):

For a new member to have a sense of community or attachment to the brand and its cause, it is

important that the member be first attracted and gets accustomed to the routines and customs

of the community (Hassay and Peloza 2009). It has been analysed that loyalty can be enriched

by social interactions among the members of the brand community which has been argued by

(Oliver 1999) who also states that the greatest loyalty may emerge when the customer

experiences an amalgamation of product, personal and social phenomena’s. (Kelley et al. 1999)

proposes that it is the social aspects and discusses the significance of “community relations”

enhancing the relational ties between the brand and the customers.

Another important concept to the brand community phenomena is Brand Commitment.

(Morgan and Hunt 1994) have recognised commitment as an important reinforcing factor on

significant levels of marketing to make the customer stay and form a partnership with the brand.

(Fullerton 2003) has found that commitment has a positive effect on behavioural loyalty.

(Iwasaki and Havitz 2004) say that psychological commitment has a positive impact on

behavioural loyalty. (Gruen et al. 2000) explains that commitment has a positive influence on

the relationship between members in an association. The projected relationship between

commitment and behavioural loyalty has been well supported by (Morgan & Hunt, 1994;

Gruen et al. 2000; Fullerton 2003).

6. Eliciting Brand Engagement: The strongest case of loyalty is when the customers devote

their efforts towards the brand outside the purchase and utilisation of a service. Example being

customers joining a club, sharing their experiences and building relationships among users of

the brand (Stark 1999).

2.8 Why Brands Fail?

In Matt Haig’s book of Brand Failures he describes seven deadly sins of how brand fail to

impress or face harsh competition.

1. Brand Amnesia: Older brands like older people, memory is a significant issue. Similar

can be the case for a brand who if forgets what it stands for can run into trouble in the

future. An evident case of brand amnesia occurs when an established brand tries to

create a fundamentally new identity for itself deviating from its original strategy.

2. Brand Ego: This happens when the brand thinks too highly about itself with regards to

importance and the abilities it possess. An example being when a brand tries to enter a

market thinking its achievements in other products or markets will have similar

accomplishments in new markets.

3. Brand Megalomania: Egotism could lead to megalomania when a brand wants to enter

into every product category possible.

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4. Brand Deception: Brands try to cover up or conceal the genuinity of their products

through deceptive or aggressive marketing. In some instances it may even lead to

absolute lies.

5. Brand fatigue: This occurs when companies or businesses loose interest or as they say

gets bored with their one’s brand. This is seen with products that have been stagnant or

have not moved an inch for several years. When fatigue sets in, creativity is hampered

which affects sales directly.

6. Brand Paranoia: Brand Paranoia is the opposite to brand ego and this usually occurs

when a brand faces increased competition. Indications include reinvention of the brand

over a six month period, copying strategies adopted by competitors and filing of

lawsuits against competitors in the market.

7. Brand Irrelevance: If a market rapidly evolves the brands need to constantly reinvent

themselves and prevent themselves from the risk of being obsolete or invalid. They

have to endure to stay ahead of competition and find out new and improved ways to

attract customers constantly (Haig, 2005).

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Chapter 3: Methodology:

The chapter explain the project’s research design which is descripto- explanatory in nature

following an inductive process. It is conducted using quantitative approaches.

3.1 Research Aim:

1. To understand the brand awareness of Swansea MAD in the Swansea Area.

2. To understand the customer satisfaction levels of clients who have worked with

Swansea MAD.

3. Designing a SWOT analysis of Swansea MAD

3.2 Refining Scope:

The initial project was proposed by Swansea Music Arts and Dance (Appendix 5). The scope

of the research has been limited to general public in Swansea with regards to brand awareness

and understanding the present customer satisfaction clients of Swansea Music Arts and Dance.

A general observation was conducted in and around the company premises analysing the

perception and image the brands projects and informal discussions were conducted with the

employees of the company. This observation was not a focus of the research but was essential

in understanding the present business climate of the company and the brand perception of the

employees that work in the organisation.

The research philosophy used here is interpretivism and using an inductive approach. Even

though an inductive approach has been adopted, quantitative methods are used to analyse the

data. An inductive approach has been used as it offers greater flexibility in allowing changes

to research methods as greater advancement in the project is made (Saunders et al. 2009)

The research strategy that has been adopted is the survey method. The survey strategy has been

used as to collect quantitative data. Quantitative tools also to be used to make analysis. The

data collected through this method can be used to highlight possible causal relationships

between variables and produce representations of this data (Saunders et al. 2009).

3.3 Primary Research:

Primary research was undertaken to analyse the brand awareness of the company. Online

Survey was created for this purpose and questionnaire was used. The survey was created using

google forms and it was created for the general public in Swansea. I had requested that the

survey be circulated by the company on forums they use like Facebook and Twitter pages and

through other avenues. An effort was made on my part also circulate the survey through sources

I knew. The data collection period started from July 5th to July 19th. During the initial stages of

data collection there were hardly any responses that were recorded. After a week or so the

responses recorded were less than five and that is when I realised that I had to go to Swansea

physically and conduct the surveys. The areas chosen were within a 3 mile radius of where

Swansea MAD is located. During a space of two days I could collect 114 samples with the help

14

of my friend. There was a definitive trend that suggested that further samples would ascertain

the same kind of outcomes.

The second survey was created to understand the customer satisfaction levels of customers who

have worked with Swansea MAD. Seven clients were only introduced by the company for this

purpose. All the clients had only used one service of Swansea MAD which made it easier to

make a proper analysis.

3.4 Analysis of Data:

As the survey approach was adopted quantitative methods of analysis were used. Statistical

Package for Social Science (SPSS) was utilised to do cross tabulation between different

variables and even correlation sometimes. Google form analytical tools were also used for the

formulation of graphs and tables. The analysis tries to focus on decoding what the data collected

means and make suitable conclusions accordingly.

3.5 Secondary Data:

A competitor scenario needed to be done for the companies with similar profile of services to

Swansea MAD according to the public’s opinion of what a music, arts and dance company

means. Information was taken from company website to gain a better understanding.

3.6 Limitations of Research Methodology:

1. Convenient sampling- The survey method has a less range compared to other strategies used.

The general public in the Swansea area in and around a radius of 3 miles were only surveyed.

Only 114 samples were collected from the public and only seven clients were interviewed.

Swansea MAD being a very small company could propose only seven clients which is not a

substantial number to make a definitive and conclusive argument.

2. Ineffective validity of responses- The survey to ascertain the brand awareness of the

company was focussed on whether the respondents have heard about the company and

importantly what do they know about the company. Interestingly majority of the respondents

have not even heard about Swansea MAD and the rest have heard about them but never used

their services. The majority of the questionnaire concentrated on aspects about Music, Arts and

Dance industry and regarding the company which left only few respondents actually answering

the whole questionnaire.

3.7 Ethical Considerations:

The research has been conducted to gain a better comprehension of the research objectives and

questions. It was based on honest and fair opinions of general public and clients of Swansea

MAD. The respondents were assured that their responses were kept confidential and would

contribute to only research purposes. The participants were instructed the purpose of this

research and were also reminded that their participation in this study was voluntary and they

could withdraw from the study at any point in time they choose.

15

Chapter 4: Finding and Analysis

4.1 Brand Awareness:

Figure.4: Brand awareness amongst general public of Swansea

As the company has coined itself as a multimedia and training company the purpose of this

question was to find out what the general public in Swansea understood by this term. The other

objective of this question was too understand the awareness regarding companies in the similar

field. Clearly out of the 114 people surveyed, 79 did not have any answer to say or did not

know any company who operated in the music, arts and dance field. Maximum respondents

mentioned names of theatres & cinemas and mentioned Swansea University. Only a handful

mentioned media schools and stage schools which was really relevant. This clearly shows the

lack of awareness of what the term “multimedia and training company” stands for and

institutions in the similar field.

4.2 Interest in the products and services:

Figure.5: Interest in company’s products

16

The objective of this question was to ascertain the level of interests into the products and

services that Swansea Mad are presently offering. Only 11% of the people showed no interests

in any of the services provided while there seems to be a keen interest in all the services of the

company. This shows that there is a market for the service but it just needs to be marketed and

positioned properly to encourage and attract people towards using the services. People are busy

with their jobs and their own lives but they do like to take time out from their busy schedules

to spent time on their hobbies and passions they have. If the company could arrange training

sessions and courses in such a way that would attract and be flexible to people needs from all

age groups then the company could be on a path to generate a lot of income.

4.3 Familiarity with Swansea MAD:

This was a decisive moment in the research as the rest

of the questionnaire focused on whether people were

familiar with the company and its characteristics.

Almost 73% of the people replied that they have never

heard of them which emphasis the branding and

marketing gaps in the techniques adopted by Swansea

MAD. The survey was collected within a three mile

radius of where the company was located. Even when

I asked stores in the same line as that of the company,

people were unaware of such a company. This was

really appalling to find out that the brand awareness

of the company was so poor. People walking passed

the company also could not recognise that there

existed a company with such a name. Brand

awareness is everything in today’s world and with such low rates of awareness no company

can attract potential customers.

4.4 Assessing the medium through which people have heard about Swansea MAD:

For this purpose cross tabulation was conducted between the demographic factors and different

mediums of marketing. There are 30 graphs which have been created. I have just highlighted

few graphs here and the others would be attached in the appendix.

ached in the appendix.

Figure.6: Familiarity with

Swansea MAD

Figure.7: Mediums of Awareness and Cross tabulation between income level and

awarenes through social media.

17

Figure.8: Cross Tabulation between

Occupation and Awareness through

Other means.

Figure.9: Cross Tabulation between

Gender and Awareness through

word of mouth.

Figure.10: Cross Tabulation

between Age and Awareness

through Website

Figure.11: Cross Tabulation

between Area of Residence and

Awareness through Email

18

The objective of this question was to analyse the modes of marketing that have been effective

in communicating the brand. The company advocates word of mouth as their most effective

tool which has now been proved by the survey as well. Different cross tabulations reveal how

demographic factors have an impact on the awareness of the brand. For example the

occupation, age of a person and location could have a bearing on the awareness of the company.

Women may have more knowledge of a subject though email than Men. The age of a person

could determine the awareness of particular subjects than people in a different age groups. Here

others have a significant share of 23% which reveals that traditional ways of marketing were

not effective here. Few answers included that the person has passed by the company, has seen

posters etc. The right message needs to be delivered across the right mediums.

4.5 Brand Perception:

Figure.12: Perception of the company

The participants were asked to give their one best opinion of what they thought about the

company. Brand perception is one of the most important aspects with regards to brand

evaluation. As Swansea Mad is involved in the local development in the Swansea area, 45 %

of the respondents think of them as a skills development centre for different services. Only a

few of them think of them as a top quality multimedia company which is what they want to

strive to be. The company needs to decide what perception it wants to project in front of the

public. People’s perception can only be changed through aggressive marketing. As part of its

lottery funding, it provides employment and training sessions to lesser privileged people in

Swansea.

4.6 Experience or expectation with Swansea MAD

Only one person I surveyed was found to have used a service of the company. At the end of

data collection I realised that the clients of Swansea MAD may or may not be the general public

in Swansea. The present clients are charities, bands and small to medium size companies and

very few individuals who are clients. The objective of this survey was to analyse the awareness

19

of the brand because there is no exclusivity to who can use the services and anyone could be

their potential customer in the future.

As I got only response, I started asking people who have heard about Swansea MAD regarding

what their experience would be if they ever used the services. A fair share of people said they

would have a pleasant experience from what they have heard from others and would definitely

consider them if there ever arises an occasion.

Figure.13: Expectation from Swansea MAD

4.7 Pricing:

The pricing factors reveal important data for the company to base their pricing strategies. These

are rates people are willing to pay on an hourly basis. The analysis indicates that the people are

willing to pay a significant amount to what the companies’ perception is. To gather a better

understanding, cross tabulations have been created between demographic factors and prices

willing to be paid for each service. People are very selective about pricing but are willing to

pay for premium quality service. These graphs reveal how the occupation, gender, age, income

have an impact on prices. A 24 year old working professional would be willing to pay more

for a service than a 22 year old student or a 60 year old pensioner. There are again almost 24

bar chats where few are displayed below and the rest is attached in the appendix.

20

Figure.14: Pie diagrams represent people’s price choices

Figure.15: Cross Tabulations between prices

for different services and different demographic

factors

21

4.8 Recommendation to others:

Out of the 31 people who said they knew about the company, 93% of the respondents said they

never recommended the company because they have never used any of the services. Most of

the respondents said they have heard about what Swansea MAD through their friends and

expressed that all of them shared pleasant experiences with them. If they were ever to utilise

any of those services they would definitely go with MAD.

4.9 Demographic information of the respondents:

Figure.16: Probability of Recommendation

Figure. 17: Demographic

information of respondents

22

4.11 Assessing Customer Satisfaction Levels:

Seven clients were surveyed. The objective of this survey was to analyse whether customer

satisfaction could possibly translate into brand loyalty.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Area of Residence

Figure. 18: Information regarding location of

respondents

Figure. 19: Demographics of the company

23

4.12 Awareness through which medium:

Again the medium which stands out is word

of mouth. The awareness of the brand is

limited to word of mouth. The thought of a

company in the sector only comes up when

there exists a need. So positive and

favourable recommendations are critical for

the company unless it tries aggressive

marketing strategies to attract new clients.

4.13 Brand Perception:

For this question only one

option was allowed to be

chosen and the clients said

they found it hard to choose

one best answer. Many of

them wanted to choose more

than one. There seems to be a

difference in perception from

what the public perceives of

the company.

Here top quality multimedia & training company and voluntary organisation share the top

spots. This reveals that after working with the company there is a remarkable change in the

attitude and perception. Top quality multimedia and training company is what the company

strives to be known as and they are doing a really good job on every project they undertake.

For the purpose of having a better understanding a cross tabulation has been created between

number of years the clients have been working with the company and their perception with

time.

Interestingly the bar chart highlights that as time progresses the perception shifts again from a

top quality media company to a skills development centre after 2 years. Now this a sample of

only seven so a definitive conclusion cannot be made plus there is only one company that has

been using their services between 2-3 years now. This change in perceptions could prove vital

in determining future assignments.

Figure. 20: Mediums through which the customers have heard about MAD

Figure. 21: Brand perception

24

4.14 Association with the company:

All the clients surveyed are basing their experiences on using only one service of the company

i.e. video service. Average longevity of the association could not be analysed but at least one

company seems to have carried on to go work with for more than two which is quite significant,

considering the fact that the company has been in operation for only seven years or so.

4.15 Customer satisfaction Levels:

The clients were asked to rate their experience from strongly agree to strongly disagree and 6

out 7 rated their experience as excellent which is remarkable. I have calculated the correlation

between customer satisfaction and likelihood of completing another project which is 64.5%. A

60% plus likelihood shows a strong score highlighting the satisfaction on projects.

Figure. 22: Cross Tabulation between Brand Perception and years of association

Figure. 23: Years of Association with the company

25

The clients were asked to rate the satisfaction levels again from strongly agree to strongly

disagree on different factors as described in the chart above. This was with regards to the

company representatives they worked with. I have tried to scale the experience on a barometer

from 1 to 10 and express the results accordingly. This shows on every project undertaken what

would be the possible satisfaction level score from 1 to 10 on these different factors. The results

are very positive with an overall project satisfaction of more than 9 and an average score of

more than 7.5 on the other factors. This shows that the clients are pretty happy with the people

they work on projects with and the importance should be getting more and more projects.

4.16 Evaluation on performance:

If you complete a project with Swansea MAD, there is a 96.4% likelihood to pursue another

project. This a very high probability that not only shows brands excellence on projects,

satisfaction levels and also trust on expecting continued excellence on future projects.

Figure. 24: Customer satisfaction levels

26

6/7 said they had an exceptional experience worth more than what they paid for which suggests

there could be a chance of increasing prices slightly to leverage on the excellent customer

experience. Being in the third sector there is a tricky proposition but if appropriately measured

and proper market evaluation is done there could perhaps be an increase of prices to generate

greater revenue.

4.17 Word of mouth:

As Swansea MAD operates heavily through word of mouth, a 96% probability of further

recommendation suggests that they are doing everything to fulfil the customers’ expectations

and even more. Even on a call with few of the clients they had only positives to share about the

experience about the company.

Figure. 25: Performance evaluation

27

While calculating correlation, a staggering 91% has been discovered. This shows that customer

experience increases the likelihood for recommendation also increases.

From the survey I can understand that Swansea MAD are exceptional with the quality of service

they provide. Their customers are happy and the output derived surpasses their expectations.

The problem lies with the reach that word of mouth has. Unless the customer approaches and

utilises the services of the company they would not be able to assess the exceptionality of

service provided.

Figure. 26: Recommendation evaluated

28

4.18 Recommendations from the clients on how the service could be bettered:

“More resources could probably

help like staff etc.”

2/7 said they could not think of anything

of how the experience could be bettered.

“Product was great and 90% of the

staff were great to work with and

very pleasant. Unfortunately at the

time there was one worker who we

found rude and shouldn't have

access to their social media pages

but we did not let that affect us.

Enjoyed working with Dave and

Dylan”.

“Exceptional value done.

Office and location needs to be

upgraded “.

“Not always open to public. Better reception was needed.

Somebody needed to speak to customers when they come

in”.

From the above suggestions one can infer that the service and experience provided is

exceptional. An Improvement in terms of the service provided need not be required but the

external environment definitely needs to as well. On my visit to the company premises I could

see that the company is highly under staffed but this is due to the lack of funds presently

available to hire full time employees and the general appeal or ambience of the place is pretty

poor which is now been confirmed by the clients. The ambience of the place needs to be

improved tremendously if the company needs to make it attractive. The ambience needs to be

in line with other music, arts and dance school in the city and do justice to the attributes its

stands for.

Table. 2: Comments on betterment of service

29

4.19 Part of the service that was most appreciated or done really well:

“service delivery and engagement in the project “ “Good communication, great

product”

“Flexibility of staff as

well as expertise to

achieve target outcome”

“Lovely friendly enthusiastic people doing a professional

job”

“Editing and filming was magnificent”. “Personal involvement in the service.

Specifically getting involved in editing and

telling them what I wanted. Pleased with the

results that we obtained”.

“Partnership, listening to our needs and working towards an agreed final outcome”.

4.20 Competitive Scenario:

“The Mark Jermin School is a talent agency which was established in 1996. It is

a stage school and is involved in providing professional training in film,

television, theatre and commercial work. It is known for its training in the

performing arts arena for children and young adults. It also provides lessons in

inspiring young people and enhancing their confidence in different life

experiences” ( The Mark Jermin school 2015)

“Groundswell Dance Company which has been established in 2000. It is

primarily involved in different dance styles and contemporary choreography.

Dance is used here as a means of personality development and a symbol of

creative expression” (Groundswell Dance Company 2012).

“The Sir Harry Secombe Trust was established in 2002. The objective was to

provide quality training in musical theatre and development in the performing

arts. They are involved in the executing huge stage productions during the year

offered to very young individuals in Swansea area” ( The Sir Harry Secombe

Trust 2015)

“Taliesin Arts Centre is in a joint venture with Swansea University, hosting a

number of performances from dance to drama to music. It was established in 1984

Table. 3: Comments on work done best

Table. 4: Competitive Scenario for Swansea MAD

30

The survey began with asking people what came to their mind when it comes to a music, arts

and dance school and they have given various answers. The companies that were repeated and

share similar profiles to the company have been narrowed down. They are the ones that are

mentioned above.

From the above analysis it can be understood that 6/7 are stage schools are performance

oriented schools and only one would be considered as a direct competitor for Swansea MAD.

There are numerous companies which are direct competitors to Swansea MAD and which have

been established for a long time. To shed a better light a SWOT analysis would be helpful.

SWOT analysis can be made from the above analysis and even from reports that the company

has provided.

and since then providing excellence in production. It is mainly focused on acting”

( Taliesin Arts Centre 2015)

“Telesgop is also a multimedia and training company with a similar profile to

Swansea MAD but with a bigger brand profile and customer base. They are

adequately staffed and affiliations to big brands like BBC, Animal Planet and

many more” ( Telesgop 2014)

“The performance factory is an award winning stage school with branches all

across south of Wales. School was founded in 2006. It is involved in giving young

people excellent opportunities to perform, building confidence and offerings

through their talent agency” ( The Performance Factory 2015)

31

4.21 Swot Analysis of the company:

STRENGTHS WEAKNESS

The customer satisfaction levels on

projects they undertake are very high

which shows the brand excellence in

work they perform.

They is a high probability that once

someone is associated with the company

there is a high likelihood that they would

complete another project with them.

The brand reputation of the company is

quite high as it is highly recommended by

clients to others.

Swansea MAD are one of the few

companies who offer different services

under one roof.

The brand awareness of the company is

really poor. Stores in the same block or

same line are not aware that there exists

such a company.

The potential clients for the company are

mostly limited to word of mouth which

has a limited reach.

The present clients of the company are

bands, charities and small to medium

sized organisation.

The company is still young compare to

other competitors in the market and so

needs to adopt aggressive marketing

strategies to increase brand awareness

and trust.

Swansea MAD is highly understaffed

and the brand perception and reception

needs to be enhanced significantly.

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

There exist a huge customer base if the

company chooses to target. The services

of the company may or may not be

applicable to individuals but there is a

huge scope.

The customer experience on projects is

remarkable but needs to translate into

attracting a larger customer base.

Clients say they found the services of an

exceptional value, worth more than what

they have paid for which suggests that the

company can increase their prices based

on rand trust and reliability.

There exists several competitors in the

market who are well established and

enjoy greater market share.

Music, arts and dance sector is a very

volatile market. It is not a tangible

product where continuous demand can be

boosted and sales targets can be projected

and determined.

Swansea MAD being in the third sector

has to act and function to fulfil the

obligations and requirements of being in

the charity sector which could sometimes

perturb performance of Swansea MAD in

terms of pricing, exclusivity etc.

Table. 5: Swot analysis of the company

32

The objective of the analysis was to assess different factors like the Brand strength Index and

the customer loyalty which could eventually lead to brand loyalty. Doing an evaluation of the

brand and assessing the equity of the brand in terms of the brand awareness and perception in

the minds of the public and of the clients. Tring to understand the brand feelings the customers

possess and developing concepts to build a healthy brand community and eliciting possible

brand engagement techniques.

33

Chapter 5: Recommendations

The company has stated that their marketing budget is very low and so recommendations need

to be made keeping this in mind.

5.1 Brand Perception:

The first set of recommendations would come from my personal observation from visiting the

office and evaluating the working environment:

The company doesn’t have a banner or board which is quite large or visible like the

other companies which are on that block. The poster just mentions MAD which is quite

generic and the name Swansea MAD needs to be imprinted wide and bold on the front.

When I surveyed people whether they knew Swansea MAD, nobody really knew. This

could be the fact that the name itself isn’t projected on the company front.

The reception or ambience of the place needs to be improved immensely. When I first

walked in the place looked very shabby and haphazard. There was always a word of

caution regarding leaving things in the front as cases of theft have been identified. This

insecurity is not the feeling the customers want to know when they enter an office. The

first impression of when somebody walking is crucial. The place needs to have a vibe

or a thrilling buzz that would entice people who enter the office.

If possible somebody needs to be positioned in the front to welcome people who visit

the office. This was a recommendation even suggested by a client.

The company needs to decide what kind of brand image it wants to portray. A top

quality multimedia and training company or a skills development centre. This is a tricky

proposition for a company in the third sector but it needs to establish this first so as to

undertake all its endeavours accordingly and establish certain code of conducts and

professionalism.

5.2 Brand loyalty:

A brand community strategy could be a strategy that could fit with the business model.

Swansea MAD is hugely involved in the community development by providing

vocational training courses and other personality development classes so starting a

community of passionate followers could increase brand awareness and brand

reputation. Even a community consisting of students from school and university.

Appointing brand ambassadors in schools and institutions, creating a buzz among these

age groups regarding the brand. Organising events and functions in these institutions.

Analysing the after sale service provided. The company needs to constantly get updates

from clients on how the experience was and how it could have been bettered. Even

sending gentle reminders that they are remembered and that they care about them could

be crucial. Sending out a video or a picture could enhance likability.

As the company is heavily reliant on word of mouth a reward system could be a viable

option to those customers who give reference. Rewards could be in any form and not

in terms of monetary basis.

34

5.3 Brand Awareness:

The company needs to heavily network by attending different events in and around

Swansea and make it presence known in the market.

Simple marketing tools of handing print outs and setting up bill boards across prominent

locations could make a difference.

Making a viral video of some cause or issue in the Swansea area. Exhibiting the quality

of the services provided.

To conduct a promotional activity specifically in the Quadrant Mall which is in the City

Centre. This could be done without any cost also. This information was passed unto me

while I was conducting my research in the mall and they have even given me the centre

manger details to contact.

A live campaign on radio specifically the Swansea Radio could hugely increase the

brands reputation as well. A conversation with one of the participants has even pointed

out a name of a RJ to speak to and who would most importantly do it cost free.

Getting association with universities requesting the media team to cover a project with

company or write about what the company is doing in their university publications and

periodicals. To cover the societal impact that the company is contributing.

The social media following of the company on sites like twitter, face book needs to

substantially increase. They need to encourage the engagement of public in their

endeavours.

Online presence needs to be maximized through press release marketing, setting up

Vimeo and Metcafe accounts which the company presently do not operate in.

Joining hands with university media and music departments and getting associated with

them. Creating a partnership with these institutions could be significant in getting

exposure and projects.

Using company encrypted brand merchandises like key chains, bags, pens, mugs etc.

could have a lasting impression while doing promotional activities as well as souvenirs

for clients to have a lasting memory.

5.4 Staffing issues:

Hiring inters to solve staffing problems on a rotational basis. Offering internship

programmes to university students or anyone interested to work with the company.

5.5 Potential clients:

The clients of the company are primarily bands, small to medium size organisations

and different third sector organisations but there could be a shift to capturing the general

public by offering music and instrumental training on a larger scale. They seem to be

doing this but on a smaller scale. Widening the range of customers would be a valuable

option in order to increase revenue. Hiring professional artists and musicians on a

contract basis based on availability of work could be an option.

35

Corporate houses are a huge source of income once connected. There always exists a

need to create videos and promotional events that could give the company a lot of

coverage.

5.6 Pricing Strategy:

There needs to be a re-evaluation of pricing strategies as the clients think that the price

may be undervalued.

Even from the survey it can be inferred that the customers are willing to pay a good

price for high quality services.

36

Chapter 6 Conclusions:

The project focuses on brand development strategies and its application to Swansea MAD. The

term band development itself has a very large scope but I have tried to narrow it down to two

main objectives which I thought were crucial for the company to gain some competitive

advantage. There is a vastness of literature on brand development strategies but literature that

was relevant to the sector has been evaluated and suggested. The brand awareness of the

company was analysed in the Swansea area and it was realised that it has a poor awareness

among the public. The survey was conducted in a proximity of three miles around the company.

Even while speaking to people in stores on the same side of where the company is located and

to people who work with theatres and other stage schools said they were unaware of such a

company. This was really shocking to realise how a company could exhibit such high levels of

anonymity. The only marketing strategy which company seems to bank on is word of mouth

but it has a limited reach. The company seems to share a commendable reputation in the eyes

of the public who have actually heard of them but cannot translate this opportunity into being

a probable client which could mean that the services are not for everyone or it has just not been

positioned in such a manner. The recommendations suggested could help the company

overcome some of these problems.

The people are not even familiar with what the concept of Multimedia and Training Company

actually means! When asked this question there arose such a diversity of answers that were so

far from what it should have intended to answer. There were few who gave some relevant

answers regarding stage schools, performance schools and even one direct competitor was

mentioned but none of them gave the mentioned Swansea MAD.

Another such survey was designed to gauge the customer satisfaction levels from the clients of

the company. It was really interesting to understand that the customer satisfaction level projects

on projects are quite high. There is high degree of satisfaction on the performance on projects

and even with the company service representatives they work with. Once somebody gets

associated with Swansea MAD there is a very high probability that they would undertake

another project with them and definitive recommendation to another. The only problem that

stems up is with the external factors like staffing issues, an upgrade to the ambience and

reception which were most prominent from the feedback.

Further research to enhance the study could be to analyse the pricing strategy for companies

like Swansea MAD who are in the third sector and so cannot set their prices competitively high

enough that customers turn to someone else. Some clients expressed that they got an

exceptional value worth more than what they paid for which suggests that there is a scope for

re-evaluation of the current pricing strategies. A pricing strategy analysis would be really

helpful in increasing revenue and in turn their profits.

In conclusion, the business project tried to meet the research objectives with the best possible

outcomes and further suggesting research study that could stimulate better portfolio for the

company. I hope that the work I have put in aids Swansea MAD to become a more powerful

brand than what it is today.

37

Chapter 7: REFLECTIVE ESSAY

The specialisation that I have chosen was in the consulting and HR area but as I got selected

for a live project it is now in the marketing area. Since I did not take marketing as my

specialisation in my third semester it was initially difficult to get back to the marketing

terminologies and concepts but as I did my undergraduate degree in business and the learning

from the first two semesters enabled me to gather a better understanding of what the project

required of me. The management consulting class was particularly helpful as I tried to analyse

the project from a consultant’s point of view. The inputs learnt from that course was beneficial

in analysing the company and its make a wholesome evaluation. The strategic management

module also posed valuable insights which were helpful into creating strategic developments

for the projects.

Knowing the theoretical frameworks of marketing and applying it was a whole different

proposition. I firstly tried to analyse the company and the project through the existing

marketing frameworks which were familiar to me. As time progressed I tried to research on

literature and articles on different strategies that were relevant to my topic and create a thread

on how I could tackle the objectives of the project. The supervisor has helped me immensely

to get a strategic direction to choose the most appropriate approach and to recognise the scope

of what could be covered within the project phase. Once a thread was created the project

objectives and research questions were established.

The business plan project has given me valuable experience in marketing as I was the head of

marketing for the project. The business plan was well received and appreciated by the panel

and supervisor as well. The experience gained from that was valuable in staging a platform for

the dissertation. Even in the management consulting module there was a group consulting

project in association with a charity where I was handed the responsibility of marketing

consultant. The knowledge and expertise gained with working with a company was remarkable

and priceless. The inputs were important in realising and augmentation of different business

ideas and strategies and making a comparative study of what is relevant and most effective.

The market to win stimulation and integrated case study report were vital in enhancing the

critical and analytical skills and to devise a winning formulae to crack any situation. The

integrate case study report in particular with specific regards to preparing an executive

summary and presentation slides to shareholders build a good platform to do a project of this

magnanimity.

As the project carried on I could realise that there were so many aspects to which I had no idea

about and needed to enhance my understanding on. A marketing topic is not like math or

science where there exists a cause and effect relationship definitively and principles have

already been established. What works in a particular industry or company may not necessarily

work for another, so it was initially hard for me in trying to analyse where I should put my

focus on as there is a vastness of information. An example was on writing on brand

development strategies in general but I later realised that the third sector or charity sector is a

38

totally different market in comparison to the corporate scenario and so had to find information

which was relevant and applicable accordingly. The company being located in the Swansea

area was kind of a disadvantage for me as I couldn’t travel all the time as and even I wanted

but it was also a learning process in working with whatever resources you have.

The dissertation project has enabled me to enhance key skills in critically analysing literature

or data and applying it to relevant spheres. The dissertation has been more productive with the

live project undertaken. It has allowed me to think outside the box, analyse real time business

scenarios and making recommendations that could affect the working of a business. The

dissertation has increased my scope of knowledge regarding the dissertation topic in question

but there is such a vastness of information that only what is relevant could be scoped out. The

project has also taught me lessons in time management, bringing focus and making the best use

of available resources.

It is my desire to become a consultant in the marketing and strategy area in the future and so

this dissertation has significantly added to the expertise and skills required to become one.

Especially the live project has given me practical exposure which I could say has been one of

the highlights of my MBA. Working with a real company and interacting with a company has

been amazing. The project has allowed me to gain some valuable work experience in the UK

and something that I can add on my CV. The realisation that my recommendations and strategic

directions could help build a better profile and achieve objectives for the company has been

challenging and demanding. Different trial and error methods tried out, enhancing my MS

Office skills, utilising different analytical software’s and writing a report of this magnitude will

help me in my future corporate endeavours in making reports and making relevant

presentations.

If I would be given a chance of doing the dissertation again I would try to collect primary data

from more respondents and from various other locations in Swansea. It would have been

preferable to visit different charities and medium size organisations to assess the brand

awareness of the company amongst them as their present clients more or less are in this sector.

The quality of the literature and analysis could have been made better by researching the latest

of articles and developments in the particular field of my topic. It would also have helped if I

had started a little earlier. It took a couple of days to understand how I should go about

undertaking the project and how to balance the live project as well was a quite a tricky

proposition.

39

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Chapter 9: Appendix-

9.1 Cross Tabular Information regarding Price for each service and demographic factors-

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9.5 Project Brief: Swansea MAD project Brief-

Swansea MAD objectives for the project are:

1. Fine tune our current marketing initiatives: email, social media, affiliate, word or mouth –

looking at process and content and other relevant areas

2. Using our marketing plan as a base investigate other types of marketing would be most

effective for our business and have the most impact in terms of revenue generation

3. Research market segmentation and buyer persona – who are our best customers and where

are they?

4. Develop ways to tell our brands story that communicates an overt benefit for the customer

and prove it, with the emphasis on our dramatic difference to our competitors.

5. Examine our pricing strategy in terms of our competitors

6. Specific guidance on marketing our products/services to Public, Private and 3rd Sector.

7. Recommendations and drafting of content on branding and marketing for the Active

Inclusion and Love Project funding applications.

8. Organise the above into actionable steps with examples if needed.