SX4 BRAND AUDIT 1

Brand Audit

By:Abhishek Rajput

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 3

Company Profile

• Started out in 1982 in Gurgaon, Haryana• Marked their presence in Indian automobile

industry with launch of Maruti 800• Today it makes 1.5 million family cars every year• A team of over 12500 dedicated and passionate

professionals that turned out 14 cars with over 150 variants.

• 1421 sales outlets across 1097 cities• 3060 service stations across 1454 cities

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 410/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 5

Brand Inventory

• Brand Name: Maruti Suzuki• Sub-Brand: SX4• Tagline: ”Men are back”• Slogan: Count on Us

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 6

Maruti SX4 Overview• Launched back in 2007, the Maruti SX4 was an instant

success but lost its charm soon• The company introduced the 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine

powered version in 2011 • The dynamic dimensions, design and styling made SX4 one

of the tallest sedans in this segment.• The build quality is certainly is on upper hand when

compared to cars like Linea, Vento etc.• On fuel efficiency front, its diesel variant proves a better

performer than its older petrol option. It offers a mileage of 15kmpl in city and 21.5kmpl on highways.

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 7

Brand Positioning

POP • Spacious• Fuel efficient• Feature Packed• Powerful • Modern

POD• Sporty• Touch screen display• Service network• Design• Cost of ownership

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 8

SX4 Product Strategy

• Focus was on catering the needs of almost all the segments of people

• Compete with Honda in same segment by pricing 1 lakh lesser

• Launched models in all variants such as petrol, diesel & CNG.

• Luxurious interiors and high end on convenience.

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 9

SX4 PROMOTION STRATEGY

• Came in the market with the tagline, “Men are back”

• Promotion was more of through:1. ROAD SHOWS2. RADIO3. PRINT MEDIA(less preferred )• Sales have always on basis of its brand image as

most reliable brand an less on promotion basis.

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 10

Brand Identity Prism

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 11

CBBE MODEL

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 12

BRAND SALIENCE

• Marketing through various advertisement media

• Depth of Brand Awareness One of the old and experienced brand People’s Car-The Maruti Suzuki Brand• Breadth of Brand Awareness First Car, Family Car Sporty design luxurious sedan10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 13

Performance and Imagery

Performance• Increased power output• Improved fuel efficiency• Lower Emission• Friction Reduction• Low maintenance• Improved spark plug life• Larger boot space

Imagery• Family Car• Best for middle and upper

middle class• Sporty Car• Luxury sedan

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 14

Judgement

• Four Dimensions1. Brand Quality2. Brand Credibility3. Brand Consideration4. Brand Superiority

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 15

Feeling

• One of the oldest brand in India- warmth-Trust• Sporty design, premium sedan- Excitement• First car- Family car- Feeling of Self respect• Maruti Suzuki Brand- Social appeal

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 16

Resonance

• Loyality• Attachment

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 17

Brand Identity Trap• SX4 falls in Brand Position Trap

• Brand position is about communicating the part of identity which tells the customer what brand value proposition is vis-à-vis the competition.

• SX4 may have be an excellent product of Maruti Suzuki with high superiority but if its not communicated effectively to target audience then its not worth the efforts.

• It fails to impress the demands of the people of the country who wants style and performance both. It has launched itself in category of sedan for upper middle class.

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 18

Health Check of SX4

• SX4 enjoys top of the mind brand awareness but loses on sub-brand level to honda city

• Purchase considerations were random on loyalty basis rather than on promotion or product basis

• Highly preferred car by most of the owners of SX4 for family outings.

• Considered to be highly reliable but not so high on design & style

• Scores high on security and warmth aspect but has a lower hand in context to self respect factor.

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 19

Brand Growth Assessment

• Always launched their cars as sub-brands• A steep decline in sales of sub-brand SX4 and lost

popularity to other cars in same segment• Need to reinforce the brand with strong

endorsement• Maruti Suzuki as a brand is not known for

premium cars• Need not follow the maruti suzuki style in terms

of communications and ads.10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 20

Brand Hierarchy

• The GoodEasy to communicate to the target consumers

with the branding hierarchy of Maruti SuzukiRefreshing elegant and contemporary design

with a wide and stable stanceFirst model in the Maruti Suzuki stable with high

end touch-screen audio navigationThe mid-size car in a new facia with fresh

interiors and convenience features10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 21

• The BadMight be perceived to be in the same class of

cars as the CIAZ or DZIREAs a sub-brand, the SX4 has limited in terms of

launching brand extensionName does not correlates with the product

attributesVariant under same name would confuse

customers10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 22

Y & R BRAND VALUATION

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 23

Brand strength

• The relationship between a brand’s differentiation and relevance factors is the yardstick for a brand’s growth potential: the Brand Strength.

• A “relevant differentiation” is the vital prerequisite for dynamic and successful brand building.

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 24

Brand Stature

• Esteem and knowledge indicate the involvement with a brand: the Brand Stature. It is the decisive gauge of the goodwill which a brand enjoys.

• Properly managing these relationships is the key to successful brand building and to retention of brand value.

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 25

Differentiation

• Does not score very high on differentiation as the attributes offered are comparable to others in its segment

• The looks of the car are standard and not easily distinguishable

• It can be confused with others in the segment

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 26

Relevance

• It is again low on relevance• It caters to a segment and target audience

with many other options.• The segment that it belongs to is highly

competitive and SX4 is not catering to any specific need of the target audience, be it performance or status that is associated in owning a car.

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 27

Esteem

• The positioning of the product is such that one does not invoke esteem in the buyer.

• It is seen more as a functional car.• The brand association is weak and recall of the

brand is low which again adds to the low esteem the target audience has of the vehicle.

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 28

Knowledge

• The knowledge of the attributes offered by the product is low in the customers mind as compared to its competitors though it ranks high on certain attributes

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 29

Recommendations

• Reach of advertisement should be increased• A better name that associates with the car

attributes(like Ford’s Eco-sport)• Digital campaigning of the SX4 new variant with

help of buzz generation• Maruti should analyse the market and relaunch it

in best segment suitable to overcome competition’s pricing strategy

• Differentiate the product either in luxury or sport

10/29/2015

SX4 BRAND AUDIT 30

THANK YOU

10/29/2015