The Effects Of Traumatic Brain Injuries On The Brain And...

Introduction Traumatic brain injuries are one of the leading causes for damage in the brain and lesions (TBI) (Wheeler, Nickerson, Long Silver, 2014). Two types of injuries that occur following brain damage are open and closed head injuries. Open head injuries are often fatal and occur in such cases as when objects such as bullets penetrate the head of the victim. Closed head injuries result from blows to the head in situations such as car accidents or sports injuries. TBIs normally evolve in two forms: primary damage which occurs upon the impact of the cause and secondary brain damage which is progressive over the time of the trauma. Research has indicated that TBI greatly affects both cognitive and executive functions resulting in memory loss and reasoning problems. They encounter difficulties in solving problems, making proper judgments and decision-making. Underlying causes from TBI are what result in several writing deficits. Expressive writing is one of the major writing disorders that are caused by TBIs (Wheeler, Nickerson, Long Silver, 2014). Research has shown that the general TBI population suffers from this and it is notable in school children because they engage in activities that are affected by this particular disorder. Those who suffer from TBI are subjected to a multitude of writing issues in both aspects of expressive writing: higher order skills and lower order skills. Higher order skills affect sequencing, planning, and organization of writing whileShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Traumatic Brain Injuries On Children899 Words   |  4 Pages Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are the one of the leading causes of cognitive impairments in children (Ryan, p. 86). In any given year, the United States will have about 475,000 cases of TBI in people under 14 years old (Lewis, p. 348). 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Studies show that DAI is a result of traumatic acceleration/deceleration, and ninety percent of patients with severe DAI never regain consciousness, while those who do survive often face significant impairs. This injury is extensive and isRead MoreThe Between Ptsd And Tbi992 Words   |  4 Pagesthe effects of brain damage and the consequences or effects of PTSD, the level of damage and mitigative roles to combat the situation. Findings The effects of war are often very lessen, some factions wanting to downplay those effects in order to support your efforts and others wanting to inflate them in order to support peace. There is a disagreement in terms of persistent post concussive symptoms that are reported by Iraq combat veteran who have had repeated episodes of mild traumatic brain injuryRead More The Role of the Lesion Method in the Understanding of Healthy Brain Functions1578 Words   |  7 Pagesbetween brain and behaviour has been of great phenomenon in the field of neuropsychology yet a compound one. Studying the effects of brain functions on human behaviour requires us to operate with methods that allow us to dissect different aspects of mental functions. This paper therefore addresses one of the ways of assessing brain functions in human and non-human animals; the lesion method (in Banich, 2004). The basic concept of the lesion method is to determine a correlation between a lesion in aRead MoreThe Effects Of Concussions On The Brain1164 Words   |  5 Pages[ABSTRACT] Concussions are complex cerebral injuries that result in a series of metabolic events within the brain. The changes are seen in the fragile neuronal homeostatic balances where changes in the elevations of glutamate and potassium have been identified. The effects of concussions have also been seen in the functioning of the brain rather than in the structure of the brain itself. Being identified as mild traumatic brain injuries, occurring due to a bump or jolt to head or neck, concussionsRead MoreFunctions and Structure of Neuroanatomy Essay1547 Words   |  7 PagesEssay The frontal lobe is an executive brain area that merges information from other brain systems into a meaningful plan of action. The frontal lobes help individuals anticipate behavior, make critical judgments, survey situations, and organize ideas. The frontal lobes are crucial for thinking because they help process information to make decisions about the future. The frontal lobes do not carry out this process independently of other structures in the brain. It is through the connection with other

A Statement Of The State Of Nature - 2003 Words

Research Paper Proposal 1. A statement of the question and of your overriding thesis, and its significance. Evaluate Hobbes’s argument that the state of nature is a state of war. Hobbs conclusion that the state of nature is a state of war is not definitive, rather, the state of nature is a balance between war and peace due to the dynamic and different nature of individuals. The significance of the question is such that it helps to shed light onto human morality, and as a basis from which to derive morality. It is also significant because it helps understand the dynamic processes that help shape human beings and their interactions among them in the absence of a governmental entity. A further reason it is important is because human†¦show more content†¦What is meant by â€Å"a state of war†? What are the laws of nature? What are the main objections to Hobbes evaluation of human nature? Is there merit to the proposition that the state of nature is a state of war? What are the main arguments supporting Hobbes view of human nature and what are their strengths/weaknesses? What are the main arguments which refute Hobbes view of human nature? Whom presents these arguments? How does Hobbes view of human nature differ from other human nature theories (Locke, Rousseau)? Is there a medium in regards to human nature between two or more of the theories? b) To answer these questions I will first consult Thomas Hobbes book the Leviathan. Specifically the most relevant chapters are 12, 13 and 14, but I will also draw form other chapters as I write. I also plan to use the book ‘A Broad View to Social and Political Thought: From Plato to Nietzsche’ to address the views of John Locke (pp. 498-503, 523-545) and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (pp. 622-672), as well as Rousseau’s ‘Discourse on the Origin of Inequality’. Secondary literature I plan to consult will be articles found in the Stanford Philosophy Encyclopaedia, as well as anything relevant that I can find on JSTOR and Project Muse. Secondary literature will also be found using the University library as well as google scholar. Search words include: state of nature, state of war, laws of nature, natural rights, social contract, Rousseau human nature, Locke

The Background of DAY Free Essays

string(60) " know what bohemian style is and they are interested in it\." Background of DAY Background Our brand is a renowned international Danish-owned clothing company founded in 1997 by Keld Mikkelsen and Malene Birger, headquartered in Odense and at Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. Our profit in 2006 was up to 13 million and has been expanding in recent years. Moreover, we hold two fashion shows in Copenhagen fashion week every year. We will write a custom essay sample on The Background of DAY or any similar topic only for you Order Now Products Our brand’s products can be classified into three main lines, which are male, female and home decor. Designet tilhorer hojeste kvalitet med etnisk inspireret broderi og udsmykning. The design of which belongs to the highest quality with a distinct Scandinavian style inspired by the true craftsmanship of Asian tailoring, the meeting of art and craft – embroidery, prints, patterns, edging and trimming. Our unique design includes modern, individual, bohemian and international styles with inspiration from the colonial period in the Far East, vintage flea market treasures and the glamour of the twenties and thirties. Retail format Our brand was originally a local retailer selling private labels but is now expanding into a global multichannel retailer. In less than 15 years of existence, our company has opened around 40 self-named boutiques. In total, 800 retailers in 25 different countries, such as Sweden , England and Germany, are currently selling our collections, out of which 60 can be found in France. Target market The target groups are women and men aged 25-40 with high income. Our new line 2nd DAY, on the other hand, is aimed at a slightly younger target market than the main range. The market segment is mainly Scandinavia, but is now expanding to other parts of Northern Europe. Konceptet bag tojet er, at tilbyde festtoj til hverdagen til den modebevidste kvinde og herre. The concept behind our clothes is to offer evening wear to everyday life for the fashion-conscious women and men. Background of Hong Kong The main focus of our brand is in the Northern Europe, but the fact is that it is also suitable for the Asian market. We think that DAY can do that, by choosing Hong Kong as a starting point. Hong Kong, as a metropolitan, contains elements which fit the attitude and concept of our brand. Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, located on the southern coast of China. This location provides a good connection for the linkage of international companies to China. Besides, Hong Kong is one of the most famous international financial centres of the world with stable economic situation and is a developed city where the citizens can enjoy good quality of lives. These characteristics effectively help our brand to build its image in Asia as a brand new market. Hong Kong was a colony of Britain, and now it becomes the SAR of China. Therefore, the concept of â€Å"East meets West† is rather familiar in Hong Kong. We can find both British architectures and Chinese markets in Wan Chai. We can also enjoy both steak and congee at Cha Chaan Tengs. This kind of fusion matches the concept of our brand, combining local with global, as we create our design by mixing Asian embroideries and Western contemporary cutting together, making pieces of daily couture. We believe that the fusion concept can arouse a pretty large market for Hong Kong people and they can adapt to our brand easily. The location of Hong Kong is also perfect for us to enter a larger market. Through Hong Kong, our products can be sold to China and other Asian cities. This is rather important as the interest of Danish fashion for Chinese companies is now rapidly growing. For instance, the Copenhagen Fashion Week this year attracted 50 Chinese buyers, media and producers like Vogue China, showing that a number of Chinese companies are giving a big recognition to Danish fashion. Now, there are approximately 30 Danish companies and 4000 retail stores operating in China, and the export level of the Danish fashion industry has increased its earnings by 11. 4%. Thus it is no doubt a suitable time for us to enter the Asian market for Danish fashion companie. However, the Chinese may not be able to digest this new style so fast. Hong Kong is a good indicator though. If this style is suitable for Hong Kong people, the products can be promoted to the Mainland more easily. After that, the promotion of our brand in China would be much more effective. More than that, Hong Kong is much more developed than the Mainland in terms of transportation. It would be easier to transport products to various places in Asia through Hong Kong. Apart from that, logistic costs can be minimized. The economic position of Hong Kong is another point which stands out. Hong Kong is a renowned financial and trading city, and the policies of Hong Kong suit these characteristics. Noticing the economic freedom, low tax rates, stabilized currency and complete law of Hong Kong, many companies are willing to have their business there. We could accomplish this as well. In addition, the economic situation fits our target. The annual GNP of Hong Kong is about US$45000, which tells us that Hong Kong citizens are generally rich, with a large purchasing power. Since our target market mainly focuses on high income customers, we believe that our brand can generate a large market in Hong Kong. Apart from that, our brand also matches the taste of Hong Kong citizens. As a metropolitan, the information flow of Hong Kong is rapid, and citizens can receive information directly. As a result, many citizens are familiar with fashion. They know how to mix and match and they notice good foreign brands. This attracts more and more fashion brands to enter Hong Kong. Recently, another Danish top brand Bruuns Bazaar has had their business in Hong Kong because of the market potential of Hong Kong. Currently, a number of citizens know what bohemian style is and they are interested in it. You read "The Background of DAY" in category "Papers" Having so few bohemian boutiques in Hong Kong, this would be a great opportunity for us to be the leader of this style in Hong Kong. Moreover, Hong Kong people generally like dressing casually, and that is why the simple cutting of HM and Zara satisfies what they want. This can also be accomplished by us. The earth tone we are using is popular in Hong Kong, too. Therefore, we are sure that we can satisfy Hong Kong people’s specialized taste. The last point is related to our founder, Keld Mikkelsen. Before founding DAY, he had studied Asian tailoring and culture for over a decade in Hong Kong. He is familiar with the characteristics of Hong Kong. If our brand is open in Hong Kong, it would be not only meaningful but also useful to develop a large business with Mikkelsen’s knowledge. To develop our brand as a global business, a start in Asia is essential. There are significant cities in Asia like Singapore, Bangkok and Tokyo. However, from the perspectives of economy, physical location and social culture, Hong Kong is the best choice to promote our brand globally. Starting our business in Hong Kong would bring us to a new and more successful chapter of DAY. Mission statement, goals, objectives Mission statement To drive bohemian style into Asia and to be the leader of bohemian style in Asia by providing mass appeal but creative and unique merchandise offering superior value to customer. Through the inspirational key look and iconic design, we are committed to provide our customers with the ultimate creative design. Goals We aim at making Hong Kong citizens become interested in our unique design with bohemian style, bear in mind that DAY is a well known brand name in Hong Kong and make purchase in our shops. In addition, we will introduce our home collection into Hong Kong market within a few years. Objectives Our objective is a 40% increase in traffic in the first half month, following by a 90% increase in transactions from the first month of trading to the sixth. In the first year, we will open a flagship store. It is the first step for our brand to enter Hong Kong market and to make a great profit. Then we will open a branch store each year. With our existing non-transactional brand site already attracting 2000 visitors a day, we are tasked with increasing this number, as well as growing our 14,000 database. We have to ensure that most Hong Kong citizens aged 25-40 will recognize our brand in five years. Outside Hong Kong, we will have our self-named boutiques in ten other Asian cities within five years. SWOT analysis Strengths The first competitive advantage of our company is the experience of opening retail stores in foreign countries. We have got over 40 self-named boutiques all around Europe and 800 retailers in 25 different countries. We also have over 15 years experience of running our stores and maintaining our reputation in the market. Secondly, our unique style, bohemian style, is rarely found in Hong Kong and this is beneficial for us to enter the market. Even if the style is similar, our target customer may be different as we focus on high income customers. This would avoid direct competition with those brands having similar style as ours. For instance, in the recent spring / summer, the sub-brand of i. , b+ab, has opened a line of bohemian style clothing. However, it would not become a great competitor of our brand due to the difference in price range and customer group. b+ab targets at a younger customer group (20+) while our brand targets at a maturer customer group (30+). In addition to that, the casual style would be easier accepted by this group of customer. Furthermore, our popularity in foreign are a has built up a good image to Hong Kong. As the information flow of Hong Kong is rapid, some of the customers may already know our brand even we do not have any stores in Hong Kong. Apart from that, our high-end product strategy has kept the quality assurance of our brand and we hold two fashion shows in Copenhagen fashion week every year in order to increase our publicity. Lastly, the low inventory of each item has led to lower carrying cost and would not tide up the cash flow. The small quantity of each design has also created a sense of scarcity. We can let the customers differentiate themselves from the others with our design. Weaknesses One of the weaknesses of our brand is the location of our production factories. As they are far away from Hong Kong, the running cycle will be slowed down, which is a serious problem for a fast fashion company. Moreover, the far-away-distribution centre will cause longer lead time and high transportation cost. In addition, as the assortment of our business concentrates mainly on one specific type, Bohemian style, if Hong Kong customers do not have interest in this style, possibly there will be no market in Hong Kong. What is more, as our brand is mainly for high class customers, the customer range is narrow, and so opening chain stores in Hong Kong can be quite risky. Unlike those fast fashion brands with medium price range, it is far more difficult for high class customers to have impulse purchasing. As buying high-priced clothes is only a hedonic need, customers may have to think twice before buying the clothes, and their desire to buy the products may be lowered after considering the price and the use of the clothes. Opportunities The opportunities of our brand include the market potential in Hong Kong. Since Hong Kong customers tend to buy new clothes regularly, they are willing to accept and explode new things. Generally, they welcome new brands to enter Hong Kong market. In addition, bohemian style is quite a new style to Hong Kong. Compared with the sporty and normal casual style which has already existed in Hong Kong, it is rare to have such a retailer store selling bohemian style clothing only. The unique style may attract customers to make a visit or even make a purchase in our store. Moreover, we notice that Japanese has recently become interested in bohemian style, and quite a number of Hong Kong customers tend to follow Japanese fashion. Since Hong Kong customers today can get fashion information from different media like newspapers, television, radio, magazines, direct mail, Internet and so forth, with so many Japanese magazines reporting the latest wearing trend in their own country, which can be easily bought in Hong Kong, Hong Kong customers can access Japanese information and follow the trend easily. Threats Talking about the threats we may face, lacking experience would be one of them. As this is our first time to open a store in an Asian country, opening a flagship store in Hong Kong would be rather experimental. Operating a store in Hong Kong may not be the same as operating our own local store. The second threat is the difficulty in finding a location for the flagship store in Hong Kong, which is a crowded place and in which the rent of a store is high. As the main purpose of opening the first store in Hong Kong is to promote our brand to the public and let Hong Kong customers concern about our design, the location of the store ought to have heavy traffic of high class customers, for example, a fashion centre. However, the rent of a store in a fashion centre is always high due to the designated atmosphere and the erfect facilities. Besides, there are too many intertype competitions and so it can be difficult to enter and stay in the market. Although bohemian style is a new style to Hong Kong, there are many other fashion brands with different kinds of style with the same price range and customer group as ours. Economic recession of Hong Kong will be another threat. As the unemployment rate has been quite high, our target group may not accept the price. In 2008, Hong Kong’s economy has fallen into recession for the first time in five years, and the territory’s gross domestic product has contracted 0. % on a seasonally adjusted basis, after a 1. 4% fall between April and June. In 2009, according to official records, Hong Kong’s economy has left a year-long recession, recording a growth of 3. 3% in the second quarter ended in June. The figures, which were seasonally adjusted, were higher than forecast by economists. As a result, the government has increased its growth predictions for 2009. Even though the economy of Hong Kong is improving, concern still exists as the purchasing power of Hong Kong customers has decreased. Retail market strategies Retail format Being a multichannel retailer, we allow customers to make their purchase at our self-named boutique, pop-up store or on the Internet. Later on, in order to let people concern more about our brand, we will also run collection shops in Hong Kong. Besides, we plan to create a Chinese version on our website so as to make Chinese customers’ purchase even more convenient, and the products would be sent to the customers’ homes directly or they can take the products personally from our store. Target market Our main target customers include high income Asian and European women and men who are fond of trendy and casual fashion and are aged 25 to 40. Their expense on clothing would be approximately $5,000 to $10,000 per month. Retail Mix Location For our first specialty store in Hong Kong, we would choose a fashion centre as our store location. Being a newly developed brand in Hong Kong, it is too risky for us to locate our first store in freestanding sites, central business district or main streets, where we are responsible for all the operation and promotion. It is also quite difficult to attract customers for their initial visit as our brand is not widely known by Hong Kong customers. Renting a store in a fashion centre, on the contrary, is much securer. Being controlled by the mall developer, common facilities like outdoor signage, parking area, parking lot light and security are provided in the shopping centre. Advertising and special events to attract consumers are also available, and operating costs can be shared with others. Apart from that, shopping centres can usually draw a large number of customers due to the wide range of product offerings, easy access, lower crime rate, and last but not least the clean and comfortable shopping environment. Our ideal fashion centres include Elements in Kowloon and Landmark in Central. Being composed mainly of upscale apparel shops, boutiques, and gift shops carrying selected fashions or unique merchandise of high quality and price, the two fashion centres successfully attract a wide range of high income and fashion-conscious local customers and tourists. Other upscale apparel shops located there may be our competitors, but we would consider them as complementary shops as we are selling completely different types of clothes. We have our own unique style. For the most significant advantage of these two malls, we would say it is the convenience brought by the public transport as both Elements and Landmark are located very close to the MTR station. In such a small city with such a dense population and so many buildings like Hong Kong, we understand that finding a store can be difficult and each foot of a store in a fashion centre can cost us a lot. Yet, we would keep paying attention to the arrangement and changes of our chosen fashion centres and properly transfer our cash flow and properties to ensure we are well-prepared for renting a store in Hong Kong. Merchandise assortment For our product categories, we aim at providing a deep assortment of simple and basic clothing. In each category, quite a number of styles would be provided in order to satisfy the customers, and there will not be big differences between the products sold in Hong Kong and our original merchandise assortment. In order to meet our customers’ needs, we will provide a wide size range of clothing from XS to XL. A wide variety of colour will be provided, too. On the other hand, only women’s and men’s wear would be sold first. As it is quite rare for Hong Kong people to buy furniture or something else in shops held by a fashion brand, we are afraid that it may be risky if we introduce our home collection at the same time we launch our first store in Hong Kong. As for the decoration of our store, items from our home collection will be used, and we will think about operating the line as well at a later stage if we notice that customers also show their interest in those items. Pricing The price range of our products is now high, and this can be also applied to Hong Kong because of the favourable economic condition of Hong Kong. The economic condition creates a lot of high income consumers to purchase goods of high prices. Therefore the adjustment of pricing will not be large. Besides, the low inventory adds value of the products. As each kind of our products is only available in a limited amount, higher price can even be achieved in Hong Kong. However, the pricing will be set lower in the first two months, about a 10% off sale, in order to attract more consumers, who always love to purchase cheaper goods. Notice that our products in Hong Kong are sold at a lower price than the initial one, they would be pleased to make a purchase and our company can gain positive images. Eventually, our company can earn long-run profits. Generally, big sales will not occur, and this can be explained by our physical location. For example, one of our chosen locations Elements has a lot of specialty stores selling luxurious and expensive products. If we offer large discounts, our products would  be  much cheaper than those of other boutiques and shops for high income consumers, and as a result we will not be favourable in this high price market competition. Another point is that when we have only one flagship store but without any outlet stores or discount stores, steady pricing, instead of offering big sales such as 70% off, which can be offered in Denmark, would be more appropriate. Yet, seasonal discount is still acceptable. We can offer about 25% off sales at the end of the seasons. On the other hand, we offer VIP systems. Inside our VIP room, there are two types of products. One is our normal products sold at a 20% discount. Another is the exclusive and limited products available only in our VIP room and sold at a price about 15% higher than our normal products, aiming at showing the special identity of the VIP members. What is more, a free home decor style reusable bag would be given to each of our VIP members as a gift after his or her purchase. Promotion In order to bring more traffic to our store, we would like promote ourselves in three aspects, which are advertising, sales promotion and public relations. 1) Advertising We would like to have institutional advertising to promote the reputation of our company by taking a series of promotion photos which can represent the style of our brand. The photos would express the relaxing and leisure feeling of bohemian lifestyle. As Hong Kong people are generally stressful and busy, photos with relaxing and comfortable feeling would be attractive and conspicuous. On the other hand, newspapers, magazines, Internet, transit advertising and outdoor advertising would be our ideal advertising media. We would like to have one to two full page advertisement on newspapers and magazines. We would choose the South China Morning Post to be the first newspaper we have our advertisement on since it is one of the most famous English newspapers in Hong Kong and their target readers are similar to our target customers. As for magazines, Hong Kong fashion magazines like Jessica and Cosmopolitan would be our choices as quite a lot of our target customers would like reading these kinds of magazines. Moreover, we would add a Chinese version to our online shop and our advertising page on Facebook in order to attract and provide convenience to the Asian market. This kind of advertisement would be less expensive but more effective than the others as we have already set up the basic program. Furthermore, transit and outdoor advertising are two effective forms of advertising to attract traffic as most people can read the advertisement when they pass by. Our advertisement would be set up on the wall of the fashion centre where our store locates, and bus-body advertisement would also be our choice as buses would run around the central business district and let people know about our brand. 2) Sales promotion In order to promote our brand, holding special events would be effective, too. For instance, we can have catwalk shows in our shop and exhibitions in different shopping malls. The exhibitions would show our new clothing of the coming season in the display area of the shopping malls, so as to provide opportunities for people to appreciate our products. Moreover, we would like to hold a seasonal discount before the coming of the next season. This can help clear the dead stock in the store effectively. Besides, we would like to set up a pop-up store for a month. The pop-up store would possibly look like a home and would be decorated in the style of our home collection, showing our comfortable and leisure bohemian style. This can let our customers view our products comfortably. One of the most suitable locations for setting up our pop-up store is Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong as the visitors of Festival Walk are quite similar to our target customers. It is also easy to access and has an ideal exhibition area in the middle of the mall. What is more, people who are attracted by our pop-up store can easily travel to our store as Festival Walk and one of our chosen locations Elements are quite nearby. Moreover, we would set up a VIP system. When customers shop for a certain amount of money, they can join our VIP. VIP members of our store can enter our VIP room and make their purchase freely and comfortably with a 10% discount. In addition to that, each of them can get a free home decor style reusable bag as a gift for packing his or her goods. This can please the customers with an exquisite packing and also help us promote our home collection line. Apart from that, letters would be sent to inform the customers of our latest news and products, and well-designed cards would also be sent on their birthdays and at some special festivals, aiming at maintaining the firm connection between our customers and our brand. ) Public relations As for the public relations, we would donate parts of our profits to Red Cross as our company has joined the Red Cross Club. This can help improve our image and more importantly support charitable foundations. For instance, we can donate 5% income of a set of product to Red Cross. We can also hold some events from which benefits would be donated to Red Cross. One exa mple is that when a customer donates his or her old pair of jeans, he or she can get a 15% off discount when he or she buys a new pair of jeans from our store, and the old jeans collected would be donate to Red Cross. Customer service In order to increase the brand loyalty of our currently existing customers and to encourage them to make their next visit, customer service is an integral part to operate our brand. As customers’ trust can be destroyed at once by a major service problem, we would like to avoid this by providing return policies, pre-order service, delivery service, and more importantly, strengthening our personal service. 1) Personal service We believe in the friendly face of retailing. Our highly professional, responsible and trustworthy staff would warmly greet our customers with courtesy. They are good at answering queries and solving problems, too. Besides, they are able to offer reassurance whenever it is needed, turn complainants into brand champions, and more importantly, actively offer assistance in selecting fashion merchandise. For example, they cross-sell related products, follow up abandoned carts, track order progress, keep a trained eye out for suspicious activities, and provide weekly activity reports. We perform promises to customers and the degree of trendy  apparels with different colors for mix and match. 2) Return policies We offer product exchange and return policies and money back guarantees. Refunds or gift cards would also be given to customers if they change their mind in respect of their purchase, as long as the items are returned within 2 days of purchase with the original receipt, original tags and original bags attached. Gift cards, sale items and samples are excluded from this policy. Customers may choose the refund by exchange to bonus point for next time purchase. 3) Pre-order Apart from return policies, pre-order service is also provided. Before making purchase, customers can take notice on our leaflet showing detailed information of each product. As they may not be able to find a suitable size of clothing for themselves, they can pre-order a specific size of clothing. Pre-order items will be arrived within two to three weeks, and customers are welcome to settle the payment within one day after placing an order. We will arrange the reservation for our customers as soon as possible, and inform customers by email before shipping and once the pre-order has been arrived at Hong Kong. 4) Delivery In order to encourage customers to buy and to provide them with convenience, free delivery service is offered on orders $5000 or over. The delivery will be made the next day after the customers settle the payment. Store design and display Similar to our local store in Denmark, simple and warm tone with yellow lighting would be the main layout of our flagship store in Hong Kong in order to provide customers with warm feeling. The display window would be plain in colour and our latest design would be shown there. In order to provide customers with home feeling, clothes racks instead of dummies would be used. For instance, a whole set of clothing can be displayed with a big whiteboard card as the background, and with the model’s face being drawn on the card. Inside our store, a VIP room exclusive for our VIP members would be built. We plan to set up the room on the second floor of the store and there would be luxurious and comfortable sofas for customer. Furniture from our home collection will possibly used to decorate the room, aiming at promoting our home collection products. Relaxing and slow background music will be used in our store. As for the wallpaper of our store, unobvious floral print will be chosen as it is widely used in home decoration. In short, we will follow the general style of Europe’s housing as our store layout. Roberto Cavalli – our existing competitor Type of products clothes, accessories, eyewear, shoes, jewels, perfumes, watches, underwear, bags Target Market high income group middle age -25-40 years old Style The main color is the series of earth tone color, blue, black and white. The exaggerate pattern are always used in their design. l  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retailer distribution cha nnels Boutiques (2067-2069,IFC Mall, Central[+852 22347621]) online store Mission| To provide women with timelessly dramatic pieces that flatter the female form. | Types of products| Mainly clothes, accessories, eyewear, shoes, jewels, perfumes, watches, underwear and bags are sold. Style| The main color of the series is earth tone color, blue, black and white, and exaggerate patterns are always used in their design. | Retailer format| Both boutiques and online shops are available. | Target market| High income customers aged 25 to 40 are their main target group. | Pricing| Most products are sold at a high price and VIP is offered. VIP can enjoy special discounts, fashion shows and parties organized by Roberto Cavalli. | Store Display| The store display of Roberto Cavalli is clean, modern and simple. White is usually used in the store color, while the lighting is direct and white. With mannequins standing behind the window, the layout is no different from many boutiques. | Promotion| As a worldwide famous brand, Roberto Cavalli puts a large amount of effort on promotion. Each season, campaigns are shot and put in large billboards outside specialty centers. These campaigns are also posted on famous fashion magazines like Elle and Vogue. Besides, under publicity, Elle often reports news of Roberto Cavalli. The target customers of Roberto Cavalli are powerful women, therefore they often organize big shows and welcoming celebrities stand on red carpets, and generate promotion with publicity. What is more, Roberto Cavalli had a crossover with H;M to organize campaigns in 2007. | Customer Service| Generally, the service approach of Roberto Cavalli is expressive. The staff care about customers’ choice of clothing. They also offer the best size of clothing for the customers. Besides, Roberto Cavalli provides customers with care service, allowing customers to ask questions about their shopping experience by e-mail. | Type of products clothes, accessories, eyewear, shoes, jewels, perfumes, watches, underwear, bags Target Market high income group middle age -25-40 years old Style The main color is the series of earth tone color, blue, black and white. The exaggerate pattern are always used in their design. l  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retailer distribution channels Boutiques (2067-2069,IFC Mall, Central[+852 22347621]) online store (http://store. robertocavalli. com/navigation. asp? tskay Comparison with Roberto Cavalli The style between DAY and Roberto Cavalli is slightly different. However, as both are high-end fashion brands, some strategies are similar. For example, pricing, location and customer service strategies are relatively standard aiming at attracting the same kind of customers. Yet, our emphasis is mainly n merchandise assortment, promotion and store display to create sustainable differential advantages. In terms of the style of merchandise, DAY is presenting its specific style. As the wild, sexy style is quite common in the Hong Kong market, Roberto Cavalli can hardly provide a unique image for customers. On the contrary, the bohemian s tyle of DAY cannot be easily found in Hong Kong, especially the high-end bohemian fashion items. Therefore, it is quite hard to copy the style of DAY, and this can definitely attract a certain amount of customers. In addition, DAY’s products are more suitable for the Hong Kong citizens. Although Roberto Cavalli is also selling expensive clothing with earth tone colour, the style is more dramatic and exaggerated. The dramatic style had once been fashionable in Hong Kong in the 80s, but this trend is now fading. Hong Kong people are going back to basic, simple and relaxing clothing style. As DAY is doing the mixing of Western and Eastern styles, our products do not contrast a lot, but instead have a harmonic look. The style DAY runs is the style Hong Kong people currently want and it would last for a period of time. This creates an advantage in selling the appropriate products to the right market. As for the promotion strategy, Roberto Cavalli is very good at promoting its brand, but we have a different approach that can create a specific image of DAY. The campaigns of Roberto Cavalli are international, sexy and passionate. Yet, to develop in Asia countries, a mild advertising package would be more approachable to the customers. Considering the stressful lifestyle of Hong Kong people, the promotional photos of DAY Hong Kong express leisure bohemian lifestyle to comfort the customers. What is more, Day offers a Chinese version online shop, facilitating more Chinese consumers and Asian tourists to purchase our products. Although DAY’s target market is high income consumers, using the close and considerate promotion strategy can help us create a different image of our high-end products, and differentiate from other high-end brands like Roberto Cavalli. Talking about the store display, DAY can have a more appealing store display. Roberto Cavalli’s store display is just too simple, just like many other specialty stores. However, Day is presenting a home feeling store display. Using warm lighting and floral-printed wallpaper to comfort our customers, the environment we provide is more attractive than Roberto Cavalli does. In fact, DAY is not simply selling fashion merchandises, it is selling lifestyle. The store display and the promotion strategy are to create relaxing bohemian lifestyle to the customers. However, Roberto Cavalli is just presenting luxurious clothing and does not give a strong impact to the customers. As a matter of fact, all kinds of lifestyle are related to fashion as trend does affect lifestyle. To conclude, it is more appropriate to say that DAY is a high-end brand with our own personality, but not only a luxurious brand. Future prospects We can foresee that DAY can achieve a great success in Hong Kong. Noticing that Scandinavian fashion has been introduced to Hong Kong in recent years, and many Hong Kong citizens are quite fond of this kind of fashion, we believe that Hong Kong has a large market potential for DAY, and this potential can last for a long time. While HM is currently the leader of Scandinavian fashion for the general public, we trust that DAY can be the leader for the high income group. In the future, we would have the following goals and objectives, in an attempt to further consolidate our business in Hong Kong. Our first goal is to introduce DAY’s lifestyle to Hong Kong citizens. Consumers purchase products only if the brand is highly recognized. To achieve this, the lifestyle of DAY should be introduced further. The simplistic lifestyle we present is what Hong Kong people are looking for. Being busy and stressful all the time, they do need a city escape. The campaigns we are currently doing can show what city escape is about. Therefore, promoting this point can advance the sales of DAY. Moreover, we would like to introduce our home collection to the customers within a few years so as to earn more profits and complete the image of DAY as a brand. To facilitate the development of our home collection, our store would mainly be plain in colour and decorated with products from our home collection. Home decor style gifts would also be given in order to provide customers with a comfortable and relaxing home feeling of DAY. Another goal is to enlarge our business by opening more shops. Our plan is to open a branch store in Hong Kong each year. Another objective of this goal is to develop our business into Asian countries. As globalization continues and imitation happens globally, we cannot focus on one location only. Being one of the fashion centres in Asia, we believe that Hong Kong can influence other Asian cities. From the starting point Hong Kong, the leader of DAY Asia, we will have our retail shops in ten other Asian cities within five years, to achieve DAY as a global brand. We hope that DAY can create bigger and bigger business. As a result, we propose that DAY should have its business Hong Kong. We hope the proposal can help continue the DAY story. Reference www. day. dk/ http://us. fashionmag. com/ http://www. tifdb. com/ www. wikepedia. org/ http://www. modeshanghai. net/ Fourthly, our high-end product strategy has kept the quality assurance of our brand. Fifthly, we have organized fashion shows regularly in order to increase our publicity. We hold two fashion shows in Copenhagen fashion week every year, spring/summer and fall winter. Sixthly, the low inventory of each item has led to lower carrying cost and would not tide up cash flow. The small quantity of each design has created a sense of scarcity. We can let the customers to differentiate themselves from the others with our design. Our aim is to carry out everyday contemporary glamor_____ Weakness One of the weaknesses of our brand is the location of our production factories. As it is far away from Hong Kong, the place we shot, it will slow down the running cycle, which is a serious problem of fast fashion industry. Moreover, the far-away-distribution centre will cause longer lead time. Secondly, as the assortment of our business has concentrated in one specific type(i. e Bohemian style), if Hong Kong customers do not have interest in this style, there will be no market in Hong Kong. Thirdly, as the brand is for high class customers, the customer range is narrow, so there will be risks on opening chain stores. Unlike the fast fashion brand which has medium price range, it is far more difficult for high-class customer to have impulse purchasing. As buying high priced clothes is only a hedonic need, customers will have to think twice before buying the clothes. The customer will be less desire to buy the product after considering the price and the need of the clothes. * Factories set in foreign countries * - far away in Hong Kong, shipment and transportation cost is high * - Slow down the running cycle (fast fashion) * -Long lead time (distribution centre) assortment concentrate in one specific type * - if Hong Kong customers do not accept/ favor on this style, there will be no market in Hong Kong. * As the brand is for high class customers, the customer range is narrow, so there will be risks on opening chain store. * Opportunities The opportunities of the brand included the market potential in Hong Kong, as Hong Kong customers tends to buy new clothes regularly, they are willing to accept a nd explode new things. They welcome new brand to enter Hong Kong market. Secondly, Bohemian style is a new style to Hong Kong. Compared with the sporty and normal casual style which have already existed in Hong Kong, there is rare to have such a retailer store selling Bohemian style clothing only. The unique style will interest the customers to make a visit or even a purchase in our store. Thirdly, as Japanese started the interest in Bohemian style recently, Hong Kong customers tends to follow the Japanese style. Nowadays Hong Kong customers can get the fashion information from different media like newspaper, television, radio, magazines, direct mail and Internet, etc. There are many Japanese magazine reporting the latest wearing trend in their own country, and these magazine can be easily bought in Hong Kong. In other words, Hong Kong can easily access the Japanese information and follow the trend. Threats Talking about the threats which would be faced, lacking experience will be one of them. This is our first time to open a store in Asian country so the flat ship store in Hong Kong would be rather experimental. The method and operation of a store may have slightly different compared with our own local store. The second threat is the difficulties in finding a location for the flat ship store in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a crowded place and the rent of a store is high. As the main purpose of opening the first store in Hong Kong is to promote our brand to the public and let Hong Kong customers concern about our design, the location of the store ought to have a heavy traffic of high-class customers, for example, fashion centre. However, the rent of fashion centre is always high due to the designated atmosphere and the perfect facilities. Thirdly, there are too many intertype competitions so it is difficult to enter and stay in the market. Though Bohemian style is a new style to Hong Kong, there are still different style of the brand appear in Hong Kong, In short, there are many fashion brand with many kinds of style according to the same price range and customer group. Economic recession of Hong Kong will be another threat, as the unemployment rate is high, our target group may not accept the price. In 2008, Hong Kong’s economy has fallen into recession for the first time in five years amid a global economic slowdown the third quarter, the territory’s gross domestic product contracted 0. 5% on a seasonally adjusted basis, after a 1. 4% fall between April and June. The government’s economist, Helen Chan, said domestic demand faltered significantly in October, while exports fell to the lowest level since 2002. What;s more, in 2009, according to official records, Hong Kong’s economy has left a year-long recession, recording a growth of 3. 3% in the second quarter ended in June. The figures, which were seasonally adjusted, were higher than forecast by economists. As a result, the government has increased its growth predictions for 2009. Though there’s improvement in the economy of Hong Kong, concern is still existed as the purchasing power of Hong Kong customers is decreased. How to cite The Background of DAY, Papers

Brand Audit South India Bank free essay sample

Through this study an analysis is made on Branding strategies by South Indian Bank, this refers to the communication that is being sent by South India Bank about its product, services and other such attributes and what is being received by the costumers. Banks are coming up with new strategies to market themselves, gone are the days when Banks were an unattractive lot and one stepped foot in a bank as a last resort for financial assistance. Now new strategies are being used by Banks for retaining their customers as well as acquiring new ones. This is where the importance of Brand Management comes in. PORPORTION OF ADVERTISEMENT (EMPLOYEE ) SPONSORSHIP EVENTS (CUSTOMER ) SPONSORSHIP EVENTS (EMPLOYEE) BILLBOARDS (CUSTOMER) BILLBOARDS (EMPLOYEE) SOCIAL MEDIA (CUSOMER OPINION) SOCIAL MEDIA (EMPLOYEE OPINION) CUSTOMER YEARS IN BANK NUMBER OF TRANSCATION ONLINE BANKING MOBILE BANKING PERSONAL LOANS WELCOME 22 29 29 30 31 31 32 35 36 36 37 37 38 5 1,22 1. 23 1. 24 1. 25 1. 26 1. 27 VALUE EMPLOYEE SIB FIRST PREFERNCE CELEBRATEES INDIVIDUALS TEAM SUCCESS ONLINE BANK MOBILE BANKING DATABASE MANAGEMENT 39 39 40 40 41 42 6 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 7 1. INTRODUCTION Brand: â€Å"A Brand is a complex symbol. It is the intangible sum of a product? s attributes, its name, packaging and price, its history, reputation, and the way it? s advertised. A brand is also defined by consumer? s impression of people who use it, as well as their own experience†- David Ogilvy A brand is a Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one sellers good or service as distinct from those of other sellers. Brands are distinguished and this is protected by trademarks or service mark from authorized agencies. Brands are often expressed in the form of Logos, graphic representations, slogan etc. Good and powerful brands drive success in any competitive markets and help achieve company various difficult feats. Proper branding results in higher sales of not only one product, but on other products associated with that brand. Some people distinguish the psychological aspect, brand associations like thoughts, feelings, perceptions, images, experiences, beliefs, attitudes, and so on that become linked to the brand, of a brand from the experiential aspect. Brand Management: Brand management is the application of marketing techniques to a specific product, product line, or brand. It refers to all the strategies that are used for maintaining a particular image of the brand. It involves managing both tangible and intangible characteristic of Brand. In terms of service brands this includes customers? satisfaction, and intangible refers to emotional bonding or connection to the Brand. The success and failure depends on similarity between what is conveyed by the company to what is received by the customers. Branding is based on external experience and internal experience. External experience includes Name, Logo, advertising, Brand Identity and product and services. Internal experience includes Customer relation, brand values, training, quality, staff motivation, technology etc. 1. 1. The Banking Sector The Banking industry plays a dynamic role in the economic development of a country. The growth story of an economy depends on the robustness of its banking industry. Banks act as 8 the store as well as the power house of the country? s wealth. They accept deposits from individuals and corporate and lends to the businesses. They use the deposits collected for productive purposes which help in the capital formation in the country. Today, the Indian Banking System is known the world over for its robustness. The Reserve Bank of India is the central/apex Bank which regulates the functioning of all banks operating within the country. The banking system, largely, comprises of scheduled banks (banks that are listed under the Second Schedule of the RBI Act, 1934). Unscheduled banks form a very small component (function in the form of Local Area Bank). Scheduled banks are further classified into commercial and cooperative banks, with the basic difference in their holding pattern. Cooperative banks are cooperative credit institutions that are registered under the Cooperative Societies Act and work according to the cooperative principles of mutual assistance. Banking with the passing time has gain more importance as human civilization evolved, starting with just a place where to store ones money and for transfer of it. Now banks have developed to different horizons. Indian Banking because of its strict regulation from the Reserve Bank of India has always maintained a world class banking model which was clearly visible in the recession of 2008. A great leap in banking sector in India happened with the revolution in the IT sector which helped in great technological advancements such as online banking, database management, core banking etc. 1. 1. Profile of the Company South Indian Bank Limited (SIB) is a private sector bank headquartered at Thrissur in Kerala, India. The bank was founded in the year 1929. It is headed by Dr VA Joseph, Managing Director CEO of the bank. South Indian Bank has 705 branches spread across more than 26 states and union territories in India. It has set up 683 ATMs all over India. History: One of the earliest banks in South India, â€Å"South Indian Bank came into being during the Swadeshi movement. The establishment of the bank was the fulfilment of the dreams of a group of enterprising men who joined together at Thrissur, a major town (now known as the Cultural Capital of Kerala), in the erstwhile State of Cochin to provide for the people a safe, efficient and service oriented repository of savings of the community on one 9 hand and to free the business community from the clutches of greedy money lenders on the other by providing need based credit at reasonable rates of interest. . 1. 2. Products And Services Personal Banking-Under this bank offers wide range of personal banking products and services such as deposit, saving, loans, internet banking, mobile banking, demat services, credit card, debit card, etc. The bank offers mutual funds products of various funds houses such as ICICI Prudential AMC, Franklin Templeton, TATA Mutual Fund, Sundaram BNP Pariba s, UTI Mutual Funds, Reliance Mutual Funds, HSBC Investments, HDFC Mutual Fund, Fidelity Fund Management, Principal Mutual Funds, Fortis Investments, Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company and DSP BlackRock Mutual Funds. NRI banking- SIB also caters its banking products and services to NRI customers such as deposit, car loans, remittances, investment schemes, insurance are amongst others. Corporate banking- It provides wide range of products and services to corporates. SIB offers working capital finance, project finance, structured finance etc. 1. 2. PURPOSE objective OF THE STUDY †¢The purpose of the study is to analyze the brand value of South Indian Bank stakeholders which include its customers and employees. †¢Through this analysis the weak points in branding strategy will be covered to create a better Brand image of South Indian Bank. Brand Management study is to evaluate whether the South Indian Bank as a brand with its different aspects and qualities stands different from other names. What distinguishing aspects of SIB make it different from others? This includes name, logo, slogan, services, marketing strategies etc. 1. 3. Limitation Of The Study †¢Number of employees covered in the survey is very less because of the difficulty to access them; in the survey employees from only two branches were used. †¢The less number of sample might give a less accurate and imprecise data. 10 Chapter II RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 11 2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY In general, research can be termed as an inquiry in to the nature of, the reason for, and the consequences of any particular set of circumstances. It is the process of finding solution for the problem after a thorough study and analysis of the situational factors. It tries to solve a complex and complicated problem through use of various tools and techniques. These tools and techniques try to bring out a logical, accurate and scientific solution to the problem. Research methodology is simply a plan of action for a research which explains in detail how data is to be collected, analyses and interpreted. . 1. Research Design Research design is the basic framework, which provides guidelines for the research process. It is a map or blue print according to which the research is to be concluded. Research design ensures that the study will be relevant to the problem and employs economical procedure. The type of research design used in this study is Descriptive Research. Descriptive research is concerned with the research studies with a focus on the portrayal of the characteristics of a group of individuals or a situation. It includes surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds of analysis. The main objective of this descriptive study is to gather knowledge and to find the state of affairs, as it exists at present. 2. 1. 1. Research Instrument A descriptive questionnaire was used to question the awareness, preferences and thoughts of the customers and employees about the Corporate Branding Strategy of South Indian Bank in. The data used in this study is both primary and secondary. 2. 2. Data Collection ? Primary data has been collected through questionnaires prepared for the stakeholders of South Indian Bank, in this case both customers and employees. Secondary data collection includes proprietary databases and search engines. These sources include company websites and reports, books, trade journals, magazines, white papers, Industry Portals, government sources. 12 2. 3. Sampling All the items under consideration on any field of inquiry constitute a „universe? or population?. Sampling is the process of selecting a sufficient number of elements from the population so that a study of sample and on understanding of its properties or characteristics would make it possible for us to generalize such properties or characteristics to the population elements. 2. . 1. Sampling Technique There are various types of sampling techniques classified under probability and nonprobability. In this research, we used convenience sampling which is a deliberate or nonprobability sampling. i. e. , when population elements are selected for inclusion on the ease of access, it can be called convenience sampling. 2. 3. 2. Sample Size The sample size is that of 58 with customers and 15 with employees, making a total sample size of 73. 2. 4. Area Of The Study Employee data has been collected from two branches of South India Bank in Bangalore, Indira Nagar Branch and Cantonment Branch. For customers both data has been collected from these branches as well from other parts, through the accumulation of an online form. It has been made sure that a particular region is not targeted when it comes to collecting data. 2. 5. Analysis Technique The analysis techniques used in this study are ? Charts representing the spread on various variables 13 CHAPTER III FINDINGS AND INTERPRETATION 14 The result of the study will be explained in the following chapters 3. 1 Marketing strategies by THE Ad agency All the current marketing communications are handled by an independent ad agency Jelitta publicity situated in Thrissur, Kerala. The ad agency was appointed in the year 1994 since then it is exclusively handling all marketing operations except for one year when it was handled by another ad agency FCB Ulka. Through these years the ad agency worked along closely with the SIB management and has contributed towards this brand building effort. The role of agency has included providing 360 degree marketing communication solutions for the bank. Above the line, Below the Line activities, events, PR are all handled by Jelitta. Customer service experience: The whole new approach comes in south Indian bank with its shift to 100 % core (centralized online real-time environment) banking, and banks approach targeting the huge NRI market. The bank needed more visibility and was going to be known as a next generation banker rather than an old generation banker. Technology based products were introduced and the NRI customer base in the Middle East were targeted in large scale. Media mix: Earlier print ads were used more as a medium, but down the years the agency has shifted more towards electronic media and outdoor activities. Now print ads are being more used to communicate the financial achievements, awards accolades, financial notifications like publishing balance sheet other financial results where as electronic media (predominantly TV Radio) is used for visibility, products services communication etc. Outdoor media has also been used simultaneously with the TV campaigns to get more impact and events PR activities are used to create better brand profile. Promotional events: They form the main tool used by SIB for the past several years. One such event was when 80 years of SIB was celebrated by conferring awards to globally acclaimed personalities for their life- time achievement. Dr. K. M. Cherian, the eminent Cardiologist, Mr. Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the film Director, Dr. Verghese Kurien, „the milk man of India? , the music- maestro Padma Bhushan Dr. K. J. Yesudas and Mr. M. A. Yusuff Ali, the prominent NRI. Public Relations: Every result announcement is followed by a press meet in Kochi and interviews one to one interactions are arranged with the press people. Entertainment programmes were organised in every major city in South India for SIB customers. Several 15 CSR activities like sponsoring a whole village in Kerala was done 2 years back. All the product launches are carried out with much fanfare and every new branch inauguration is organised with huge promotional activities. Right from designing a product to its end marketing communication, the agency has an important role in SIB. Ad agency interface: Marketing (Ad evaluation): South Indian bank has used well known personalities such as Mamootty, ZarinaWahab, M. Balamuralikrishnan in their ads with each being well known in their respective fields. The strategy is to use them as a means of reaching different line of customers. While using a brand ambassador it should be considered that the ambassadors suits the image of the bank. A bank which stands for trust and support should keep that in mind 3. 2 Services capes (External Experience) All the physical evidence of South Indian Bank has been evaluated based on the response from customers and employees 3. 3 NAME Bank for South Indians Completely Agree Completely Agree 7% 2% Disagree 23% Undecided 25% Agree 43% Fig 1. 1 Bank for South Indians When asked whether they think that South Indian Bank is a bank for South Indians, a majority of 43% believed it to be so. 16 South Indian Bank was formed in the year 1929 in Thrissur the cultural capital of Kerala, the name derived from being a bank from south India, the name gives the bank a restriction to its idea of spreading its reach all over India. India is a multi-ethnic society being basically categorised into North India and South India. When someone from North India hears of South India Bank the first impression itself goes that it is a bank for south Indians. Here is an evaluation of South Indian Bank brand name based on the standard criteria a brand name should follow. a. Uniqueness: South Indian Bank has a very unique name which easily distinguishes it from other brands b. Pronunciation and Spelling: South Indian Bank has an easily pronounced name which has a short abbreviation of SIB, but this is often confused with the more known SBI, which stands for State Bank of India the oldest commercial bank in Indian subcontinent. South Indian Bank is easily spelled as well because there aren? t any complicated words in it. . Legal Protectability: South Indian Bank has a name which can be legally protected. Having a very unique name to it ensures that other companies cannot take the same name. d. Related to product and service: The name South Indian Bank clearly states that it is involved in banking sector. e. Easily related with: The name South Indian Bank gives it a limitation of being associated as a South Indian Ban 3. 3. 1 Suggestion The b ank should consider in changing its name, the name forms a major constraint for the bank to associate itself with north Indian customers. A proper promotion strategy can be used to convey the change in name and in the long run it will help the bank. 3. 3. 2 Logo It is graphic mark or emblem which is commonly used by enterprises, organisations, and individuals with the purpose of creating public recognition. Logos are either purely graphic or are composed of the name of the organisation and in some cases both. 17 Cant say 4% Logo (Customer Opinion) No 3% Never Noticed 20% Yes 73% Fig 1. 2 Logo When asked about whether the customers like the logo of South Indian Bank, out of the 56 customers, 73 % found the Logo to their liking. South India Bank changed its logo in the year 2007. In the erstwhile logo of the Bank, the unique picture was that of a coconut tree. The fronds of the coconut palm form the basic theme of the new logo. The sharp ends of the fronds are smoothened, thickened and twisted to form a „S? denoting South Indian Bank. Thus the new logo has the continuity from their erstwhile logo. It can also be seen as two hands clinging to a strong pillar in the middle. The pillar is SIB institution; the upper hand represents SIB customers and the lower hand symbolizes SIB staff members. S† also projects a Safe, Solid, Smart, Strong, Secular, Shining, Schooled, Seasoned, Successful and Straightforward Bank. (Source: South Indian Bank website). 3. 3. 3. Evaluation of the logo: Simple: South Indian Bank has a very simple logo with not too many complications, though without reading the details such as what the logo stands for, it is hard to understand the true meaning behind the logo. Effectivenes s: The new logo being adopted only in 2007, need more aggressive marketing for the logo to reach wide coverage. Colour: The new logo is that of cardinal red. Cardinal red forms one of the three primary colours, the important feature of colour red is that it stands out easily from other colours. 18 Cardinal red is often denoted as symbolic of faith an attribute which is very important for a banking institution. Other attributes include that of energy, creativity, warmth and love. 3. 3. 4 Suggestion The Bank should continue with the logo, because of it likability among the customers. Changing the Logo periodically leads to a lot of confusion among the stakeholders. Worldwide companies try to maintain their logo, which is rarely changed except for times of total restructuring. South Indian Bank should maintain and increase the visibility of the logo to such effect that just looking at the logo all aspects and details of South India Bank should be realised. 3. 4 Slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. Slogans vary from the written and the visual to the chanted and the vulgar. Their simple rhetorical nature usually leaves little room for etail, and a chanted slogan may serve more as social expression of unified purpose, than as communication to an intended audience. Your Perfect banking partner 5% Good people to bank with 5% Sales Pure banking and nothing else 4% Experience next generation banking 86% Fig 1. 3 Slogan Awareness When asked about slogan of South Indian Bank along with some well-known slogans of other Banks a clear ma jority of 86% were able to identify SIB slogan. 19 Your perfect banking partner Good people to bank with Pure banking and nothing else Experience next generation banking Fig 1. 4 Slogan Employee Awareness When asked to identify the slogan all the 15 employees were able to mark the correct option. From both the cases it can be seen that the slogan is well recognised among both the customers and the employees. This helps South Indian Bank in brand recognition. The current slogan of South Indian Bank is â€Å"Experience Next Generation Banking† which signifies the bank? s current vision of making the bank technologically advance such that the services are easily accessible for the customers and easily usable by the employees. Through years the slogan has kept on changing. ? ? ? ? ? The South Indian Bank Ltd. In Step With Progress Growing To Serve You Everywhere Your Interest Above Everything Else A Bank For All Seasons Blending Tradition with Technology 3. 4. 1. Suggestions The present slogan is clearly recognised among the customers and the employees, they are able to distinguish the slogan from other. A slogan should clearly reflect the company? s commitment and intentions. The current slogan presents the Bank? s commitment towards embracing and using technological advancement to form next generation banking. . 5 Analysis of SIB’s Brand Ambassadorship Mammootty became the brand ambassador of South Indian Bank in the year 2007. Though several reasons came up for discussion as brand ambassador, the decision to take Mammootty 20 was unanimous. Decision to take Mammootty had obvious reasons. He was very popular among the target audience of SIB. The new logo of SIB was also launched along with his in troduction and the brand ambassador increased the visibility of the brand and clicked well with the NRI sector too. Mamootty an iconic Indian film actor with three national awards and other accolades is a well-known personality all over India, he is widely recognised among the target customers of South Indian Bank. His image is easily able to connect well with both old generation and new generation, he is known as a custodian of technology products and has a clean image regarding his public persona. Brand Ambassador (Customer Opinion) Mohanlal Don’t know 14% Rajnikanth 0% 4% Amitabh Bachan 0% Mamootty 82% Fig 1. Brand Ambassador (Customer) When asked about who the brand ambassador of South Indian Bank is, a clear majority of 82% mentioned Mammootty as the brand ambassador. Brand Ambassador 0% 0% 0% Amitabh Bachan Mohanlal Mammooty Rajnikanth 100% Fig 1. 6 Brand Ambassador (Employee) 21 Completely Disagree 6% Reflects Values Completely Agree 7% Disagree 14% Undecided 18% Agree 55% Fig 1. 7 Rightly reflects the values It was asked whether Mammootty is the right ambassador for South Indian ban k, 55 % agreed to it. This is a clear reflection of the Brand Ambassadors wide recognition. Various such ads with Mammootty have been made in an attempt to create a more personal and emotional bonding between the customers and Bank. 4. 5. 1. Suggestions Here yet again a small constraint comes to any ambitious strategy of spreading bank? s reach to North India, where Mammootty even with his Pan India recognition fails in identifying with a North India customer. Here South Indian Bank can use dual brand ambassador strategy; one such example is in the case of Muthoot Finance where in Kerala Malayalam moviestar Mohanlal is portrayed for the ads, whereas in north India for the same ads Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar is portrayed. Here both are famous in their respective regions thus they can relate more to the target customers. The lagging part of the ads of South Indian Bank has often been the lack of quality ads with few exceptions and the numbers of ads are less compared to other competitors. The telecasting of these ads should be made during primetime when more people are watching television. The best strategy here is that of telecasting the ad when there are more chances for the customers to view the ad. Showing more humorous and exciting ads there are more chances of the ad getting good coverage. 22 3. Advertisements Advertisements (Customer Opinion) Never 0% Always 4% Rarely 21% Sometimes 25% Very often 50% Fig 1. 8 Advertisements (Customer) When asked about how often they see advertisements from South India Bank, 50% of them replied with very often. Very often is a good sign that the companies advertisements are reaching the customers. But the target here should be â€Å"always†, which clearly reflects the effective advertising strategy. Very Dissatisfied 0% Advertisements (Employee Opinion) Dissatisfied 6% Very Satisfied 27% Average 40% Satisfied 27% Fig 1. 9 Advertisements (Employee) 3 When asked about their satisfaction level over the advertisements of South Indian Bank, a majority of 40% found it average while 27% found satisfied and another 27% were very dissatisified. 3. 6. 1. Evaluation of SIB ADS Ad on International ATM ad starring M. Balamuralikrishnan 24 ? ? ? ? ? ? M. Balamuralikrishnan a world renowned classical musician who hails from Andhra Pradesh and a very familiar face in South India. Portrayed as himself, he receives an invite to go to America, where later in the ad he is being given a global ATM card by his son for easy usage in America. The ad has a more personal touch to it with some good background score, along with a good cast of supporting actors. No audio conversation used in the ad Being an 80 year old bank the banks approach during this time period was to show its attachment to traditions. Here again one can see the Bank? s approach of targeting NRI customers. 3. 6. 2 Gold Insurance and Mahila Account AD starring Zarina Wahab ZarinaWahab is an Indian actress and former model is a well-recognised face in India especially in North India, has also represented South Indian Bank in their ads. The idea behind casting her is to reach the north Indian customers. 25 26 ? ? ? In this particular ad she is shown as a housemaker who comes to the market wearing her full array of gold jewellery This causes concern for her friend who is worried about the safety while wearing gold, This is when ZarinaWahab informs her about the gold insurance being provided by South Indian Bank along with benefits of Mahila account in the end a clever mention of junior account by the bank is made. ? ? The ad through one small story line represents three products of South Indian Bank. The language used is Hindi. Here again the ad serves it purpose of informing customers about the services of South Indian Bank. 3. 6. 3 NRI Account Ad: Starring Mammootty Mamootty has acted in many south Indian bank ads with this AD being one noticeable one. 27 28 ? ? ? ? ? ? Shown as South Indian bank manager who gets a call from one of the bank? s NRI customers from Dubai After which Mamootty is shown visiting the customers aging parents Mammootty gives assurance to parents to inform him whenever they need him followed by some scenes of Mamootty? social interactions with the parents In the end the son returns and Mamootty leaves with the message that south Indian bank would always be with its customers The ad is well supported by its cast and the message is clearly shown. One of the better ads from South Indian Bank 29 3. 7 Sponsorship Events Sponsorship Events (Customer Opinion) Never Always 4% 7% Rarely 39% Very often 32% Sometimes 18% Fig 1. 10 Sponsorship Events (Customers) Whe n asked how often customers hear about sponsorship events from South Indian Bank 39% replied with rarely whereas 32% replied with very often. There is not much difference between those who see it rarely and those who see it very often, this is probably because the coverage of a particular sponsorship event is not same in all areas. This is the case where a certain target area is focused upon. Sponsorship Events (Employee Opinion) Very Dissatisfied Very satisfied 0% Dissatisfied 7% 6% Satisfied 20% Average 67% Fig 1. 11 Sponsorship Events (Employee) 30 When asked to respond their satisfaction level about sponsorship events by South Indian Bank, 67% found it average, while 20% were satisfied with it. This shows how communication is well maintained within the organisation, thus employees are aware of the various events being conducted. One aspect where South Indian Bank needs improvement, though South Indian Bank is contributing to sponsorships, with the recent example of Grand Kerala Shopping festival which was yet again a strategy by the bank to target NRI customer market. Sponsorship events loses its purpose if coverage is not enough. But it is clearly not enough more such sponsorship should be given by the Bank. 3. 8. Billboards Billboards (Customer opinion) Always Never 7% 9% Rarely 33% Very often 27% Sometimes 24% Fig 1. 12 Billboards (Customer) When the question of how often the customers see Billboards of South Indian Bank, 33% replied with rarely whereas 27% as very often. Here there is a small difference between rarely and very often, which shows how a certain particular target areas are focused which leads to a certain group witnessing more of it. 31 Very Dissatisfied 0% Billboards (Employees Opinion) Dissatisfied 20% Very satisfied 0% Satisfied 40% Average 40% Fig 1. 13 Billboards (Employee) When asked the same question about the billboards to the employees a majority found it both average and satisfied. Billboards are one of the oldest and still an effective means of marketing. More contribution should be made to placing such billboards in highways and main metro cities this helps in easy coverage of the Brand. 3. 9. Social Media Evaluation Social Media (Customer Opinion) Always 7% Never 10% Very often 22% Rarely 35% Sometimes 26% Fig 1. 14 Social Media (Customer Opinion) 32 When asked about the visibility of South India Bank in various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc†¦ 36% responded with rarely whereas 25 % responded with sometimes. No 7% Social Media (Employees Opinion) No Opinion 0% Yes 93% Fig 1. 15 Social Media (Employee Opinion) When asked to the employees if they would like to see South Indian Bank more active in Social Media a clear majority of 93% responded with yes. This shows that the present level of presence in social media is not to the satisfaction of the employees. Social media is growing at a very fast pace with new mediums coming up day by day through which companies can communicate about their products and increase their visibility in this ever competing corporate world. Having a slogan which clearly states the bank? s commitment to embracing technology SIB should make their presence felt in social media. Here an evaluation is made on South Indian Banks involvement or usage of social media, analysis of South Indian bank? s Facebook, twitter, orkut pages, Linkedin is done. Youngsters like to spend most of their time in social media websites and companies can get the attention of these target customers through regular updates about the product and services and thus spreading awareness among the target customers. Facebook page 🙠 Things to remember: Like on a Facebook Page, in an advertisement, or on content off of Facebook, one is making a connection. A story about ones like will appear on one? s Wall (Wall / timeline- shows what all activities one does in Facebook) and may also 33 appear in one? s news feed. One may be displayed on the Page you connected to, in advertisements about that Page, or in social plugins next to the content you like. Facebook Pages you like may post updates to your news feed or send you messages. Your connection to the page may also be shared with apps on the Facebook Platform) source: Facebook. From the company perspective the morelikes leads to more visibility and thus more awareness about the company? s product and services. SEARCH RESULTS: Three for South Indian Bank were found in Facebook. LIKES: The first page shows the details of South Indian Bank, the source being Wikipedia, the page has 1608 likes and 22 talking about the page. UPDATES: The second page was created in March 2012 it is an incomplete page without any cover photo. There are no updates about any kind of services or info in the page. The page has 13 likes and 1 talking about it. BRAND AMBASSADOR – HIGHEST VISIBILITY the third page is he more active one having cover image of brand ambassador Mammootty along with his signature saying â€Å"My Card My Bank†. The profile image is that of South India Bank with its logo. South Indian Bank started the FB page in September 17, 2010. The page has 256 likes and 5 talking about the page. The page has updates about its services including youth plus, pay mate, puregold etc. It also posted links of the bank receiving awards such as best bank in asset quality among all private sector banks in India, the best â€Å"Asian Banking Web Site† award from the Charlton Media Group, â€Å"Best Bank† in the old generation banks? ategory „fe India? s Best Bank Awards? and others. There is also a link to Wikipedia giving details about South Indian Bank. QUERIES AND SUGGESTIONS were found posted in the timeline of the FB page by customers, but without any reply to them from South India Bank. Twitter: (Twitter is an online social networking service and micro blogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, known as tweets. Twitter has an option of following where twitter account holders can follow the company activities. 34 Twitter is a means of reaching out to the target audience. By tweeting (when you post an update) company? s product and services are communicated directly to the customers. If a company wants to launch a new product it can be made aware to the customers and thus valuable feedback can be gained. Promotion of the upcoming events by South India Bank can also be made through twitter. South India Bank has a twitter account but there haven? t been any tweets or updates from the Bank. The twitter page has 7 followers. Competitors such as federal bank and ICICI Bank have a well maintained twitter account with regular tweets and updates about their services. Federal Bank has 849 tweets 49 following and 221 followers, ICICI bank has 8,894 tweets, 3,556 followers, 5,436 followers much higher and active than South Indian Bank. Dated 15-6-2012 Orkut: Orkut some years ago used to be the most popular social media website in India, slowly and gradually it has lost its attractiveness with less and less people joining or maintaining an Orkut account. South India Bank has an Orkut page which has around 896 members, the page has the last update on March 16, 2012. Going through the website I ound that there had been regular updates earlier, with regular interaction with members, and equal amounts of feedback. But with less usage of orkut among members the updates and discussions have diminished. Linkedin:It is a professional social networking website. It is mainly used for professional networking. One purpose of the site is to allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people with whom they have some level of relationship, calle d Connections. Users can invite anyone (whether a site user or not) to become a connection. Source: Wikipedia Here companies make their presence felt with regular updates about their employees and their profile. This includes new recruits, interns etc. This gives a very good transparency among the connections, with better profile of the employee leads to goodwill in the community. South Indian Bank? s Linked In page consists of 318 employees and 888 followers (those who are regularly updated about company? s activities) Date; 15-06-2012 Competitors such as Federal Bank have 690 employees and 916 followers, HDFC has 20,376 employees and 31,364 followers, ICICI Bank has 23,040 employees and 40,729 followers. Date; 15-06-2012. 5 Other notable sites where south Indian bank can make its presence felt is google+, BIGADDA, Ibibo. 3. 10. Suggestion As clearly seen from the survey majority of the customers have not seen much activities of South India Bank in social media websites. A bank which has a slogan of â€Å"Experience next generation banking† should keep this in mind as wide usage of internet as a means of providing services is part of next generation banking. In comparison with competitors such as Federal Bank, HDFC bank, ICICI bank who have dedicated teams to contributing into social media websites, South India Bank does not have such presence in this field. It is high time that South India Bank contribute more into Social media, which can help the Bank in targeting youth market in India which has high potential. For the study it has been made sure that the right sample size is chosen. Customer years in the Bank 10 years 20% 14% 5-10 years 27% 1-5 years 39% Fig 1. 16 Customer Years in the Bank Here it can be seen that the majority of the customers that is 39% in the survey have been customers with South Indian Bank between 1 to 5 years and 27% have been customers between 5 to 10 years and thus the right sample to take for the study. 6 Number of transaction with the bank gt; 6 times a week 9% none 12% 3-6 times a week 25% 1-3 times a week 54% Fig 1. 17 Number of transaction with the bank The majority of customers in the survey make 1-3 times a week transaction with the bank. For any brand it? s all about delivery of the promise which is being given out by all the branding strategies. When the company does its marketing communication a com mitment is being made to the customers about the goodness and wellbeing of the product. Very Dissatisfied 4% Dont know about the service 10% Dissatisfied 2% Online Banking Very Satisfied 10% Satisfied 26% Average 48% Fig 1. 18 Online Banking 37 Asked about how satisfied the customers are about Online Banking 50% found it as average, while another 25% found it satisfied. Dont know about the service 13% Very Dissatisfied 0% Dissatisfied 2% Mobile Banking Very Satisfied 8% Satisfied 19% Average 58% Fig 1. 19 Mobile Banking When asked how satisfied the customers are about Mobile banking 58% felt it was average. Dont know about the service Very Dissatisfied 11% 0% Personal Loan Very Satisfied 3% Dissatisfied 4% Average 18% Satisfied 64% Fig 1. 0 Personal Loan When asked how satisfied the customers are about Personal Loan 64% felt it was satisfied. Suggestions One can see that level of satisfaction is average in terms of technological services whereas service such as personal loans is to the satisfaction of the customers. Thus the Bank really should put some more effort in services which are technologically aided. With the bank? s 38 commitment to next gener ation banking, customers expect the same from the bank, if this is not delivered it would lead to a reduction of brand value 3. 10 Internal Experience 3. 10. Customer Relation The relationship between the customer and the company helps in bridging the gap between the two. Better this relationship is the better the chances of the company surviving in the long run. South Indian Bank being in the service sector must really put a lot of effort into maintaining a healthy customer relationship. Never 2% Welcomed Rarely 9% Always 21% Sometimes 23% Very often 45% Fig 1. 21 Welcomed When asked whether the customers felt welcomed in the Bank, a majority of 45 % responded that they felt so very often, whereas another 21% felt so always. This clearly shows the good customer relationship maintained by the employees which makes the customers more welcomed. Customer relationship forms the tangible part of service brands. This shows that South Indian Bank is putting its strategies right when it comes to maintaining a healthy relationship. 3. 10. 2 Staff Motivation Employees form the driving force of any organisation. Any kind of branding of the company starts with the employees, who carry it and reciprocate it in their interaction while providing services. 39 Completely Disagree 0% Values Employee opinion Completely Agree 0% Disagree 20% Undecided 13% Agree 67% Fig. 1. 22 Values Employee Opinion To the question whether South Indian Bank values employee opinion, the employees responded with 67 % agreeing to it whereas 20% disagreeing to it. This shows the bank? s commitment to its employees. South Indian Bank first preference No Opinion 0% No 7% Yes 93% Fig . 1. 23 South Indian Bank first Preference When asked to employees if South Indian Bank is their most preferred bank for employment, a clear majority of 93% responded as yes, this reflects a good working environment and culture in South Indian Bank which makes the employees favour the bank. 40 Completely Disagree 0% Celebrates individual and team success Disagree 0% Completely Agree 20% Undecided 33% Agree 47% Fig. 1. 24 Celebrates Individual and team success A question was asked to the employees on whether South Indian Bank celebrates individual and team success to which 47 % agree with 33% undecided on it and 20 % completely agreeing to it. Here again the Bank? s commitment to its employees is clearly visible. 3. 11Technology Technology is growing at a very fast pace. With the difference between companies often based on how well they use the technology. In terms of bank currently database management forms on of the most important aspect. South India Bank adopted 100% core banking in the year 2007 making service implementation faster. Very Dissatisfied 7% Online Banking Very satisfied 13% Dissatisfied 13% Satisfied 13% Average 54% Fig 1. 25 Online Banking 41 When asked to rank the satisfaction level 54 % of the employees found the services as average. Very Dissatisfied 0% Mobile Banking Very satisfied 14% Dissatisfied 0% Average 13% Satisfied 73% Fig. 1. 26 Mobile Banking When asked about their opinion regarding mobile banking services provided by the Bank a clear majority, 73 % of employees felt satisfied with the services. 42 Dissatisfied 0% Database Mangement Very Dissatisfied 0% Very satisfied 20% Average 53% Satisfied 27% 1. 27 Database Management When asked about their satisfaction level regarding the database management by South Indian Bank, 53% felt it was average whereas 27 % felt that satisfied with it.. 3. 12 Brand Identity Prism Brand Identity Prism: In 1992 Jean-Noel Kapferer developed the Brand Identity Prism, which charts the brand identity along a constructed source and constructed receiver axis, with externalization on the one side and internalization on the other. On the externalization side brand identity consists of physical facet, relationship and reflected consumer. On the internalization side brand identity consists of personality, culture (values) and self-image or â€Å"consumer mentalisation. In this respect Kapferer positions brand personality as one factor within brand identity. Source:Wikipedia. Brand Personality: This refers to association of human personality traits to a brand to achieve differentiation. This can include many human traits such as, trustworthy, conservative, openminded etc†¦ such differentiation is achieved through continuous marketing of the brand, it gets complicated if a common strategy is not used, this may lead to confusion and no solid image of the brand. This includes character and attitude. 43 Brand Culture: Symbolizes the place of the brands origin and what values it stands for. This forms one of the most important part which helps in differentiating between brands. Self Image: Is what the consumer thinks of himself/herself while using the brand. This can be the internal mirror of customer as user of brand. Brand Physique: it forms the basis of the brand. It can be described as the outline of the brand. The physical aspects are included in this. This is what the brand does. Relationship: This stands for the relationship between the customers and the company. This helps in aiding and creating of the culture. Reflection: Is all about the consumer? s perception for what the brand stands for. It stands for customers? view of the brand. Physique Personality Brand Identity Prism Relationship Culture South Indian Bank Reflection Self Image 44 3. 13 Brand Identity Prism for South Indian Bank Physique: Banking Personality: Trustworthy, friendly, conservative Relationship: Trust and welcoming Culture: Importance to human values Reflection: Supportive and open Self Image: Sense of honesty 3. 14 Web Diagram Bank for South Indians Social Media Brand Ambassador 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Online Services External Customer Internal Customer Mobile Banking Most Preferred Bank Advertisements Slogan Billboards Sponsorship Events Here an effort is made to find the difference between what the external customers and internal customers (employees) have opinion about South Indian Bank. This analysis is based on the common question asked to both the customer and the employees. The figures are based on percentage as the sample size of Customers and Employees differ. The weightage is given 45 to the customers? opinion based on which the same response from the employee is compared. The questions asked were based on ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Brand Ambassador Slogan Online banking Mobile Banking Most preferred Bank Advertisements Sponsorship Events Billboards Social Media South Indian Bank a bank for South Indians Here one can see a close similarity for the Brand Ambassador, Slogan, online services, mobile banking, and most preferred bank, this shows that what the opinion of external customers and internal customers does not differ much. There is a significant difference in the opinion when it comes to social media exposure of the Bank, and on the opinion if the Bank is for South Indians. When it comes to experiencing Social media the difference in opinion is wide showing that it is not uniform. Having a Bank which has a clear stereotyping name of South Indian Bank, bank should focus on avoiding on creation of such an image, thus here what the external customers perceive of the bank is different from the internal customers. Here the Bank should focus on bridging the gap in order to avoid any complications. 46 CHAPTER IV FINDING CONCLUSION 47 Conclusions and Suggestions South Indian Bank is clearly headed the right way in many aspects such as customer relationship, employee satisfaction etc. But there are certain areas where the Bank must clearly rethink its strategies. With all the good services that the Bank provides there is a limitation as to how much this acts as a marketing strategy. This may help in retaining the customers but when it comes to attaining new ones, a more aggressive marketing strategy must be adopted. With the presence of more than 80 years in the banking field the Bank has enough experience to be the top bank in the country. A rethinking of the marketing strategies should be considered by the Bank. Some suggestions have been given in this study, such as more presence in social media websites, activeness in internet banking and healthy recruitment from all parts of India to avoid any mark of being called a bank for only South Indians. 48 BIBLIOGRAPHY http://www. southindianbank. com http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Brand http://www. slideshare. net/Sarvajeet/brand-management-process-building-big-brandspresentation http://www. managementstudyguide. com/brand-management. htm