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Strategic Marketing

Consumer Ethics while buying Counterfeit Products

Task Assignment 1

Presentation Date(s): 08 & 10th April, 2013 [In class]

Last date to email 07 April, 2013 [11:59 PM]

Deliverables Email me the (1) Power point file and (2) Data file containing thenarrative of each interview

Group Strength 5 people at most

Rationale:

The growth of original brands is exponential and reaching to a maximum of $2 trillion by2010. Despite this growth, it estimated that these brands lose billions because of counterfeit

products with a market size of $600 billion (Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau, 2008), and

signals a huge struggle to be made by original products worldwide. The consumers

acknowledge that buying and trading in counterfeits is a criminal act, despite that the social

acceptance of counterfeit products have risen.

Interestingly, the growth in both types of products (counterfeits and original) is on the rise in

Asian region. The consumers living in Asia positively react to offers made by counterfeit

products, consider buying a counterfeit relatively less risky, and do not see counterfeits as

unfair to the original brand. Is that assumption true? If true, how it can affect the original

product and service brands? Is there a need to devise a strategy which can minimize the

likelihood of counterfeit products?

To study the consumers beliefs about counterfeit products, you are required to conduct a

Qualitative assessment of the motivations behind consumers willingness to buy counterfeit

brands (in any category)? In this regard, you are required to firstly select a product category

(Garments, Watch, Perfumes, etc. for which you think consumers usually buy counterfeits)

and then seek answers to the following questions;

- What are the Personal, social, and situational motives behind buying counterfeit

products? Category? [In that product]

- Who are the referents in buying the counterfeit products?

- How the results and findings can harm the original products?

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- What competitive strategies would you recommend to CMO (Chief Marketing

Officer) in order to combat with the counterfeits, in your selected product categories?

Methodology:

- Select a sample of 20 consumers whom you think consume counterfeits.

- Interview these people, personally, and record their responses (video, audio, notebook

etc.)

- Conduct an analysis to frame your hypothesis.

Academic Misconduct:

Every presentation will start with an oath that the assignment is completely a personal effort.

Note: It is your own responsibility to check that your selected product category has not been

analysed by any other group, from the two sections. Otherwise, assignments of both the

groups will be cancelled.

Theory of the Assignment: Theory of Reasoned Action (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980).

Grading Assumptions:

- An application of TRA (theory of reasoned action) has been vigilant.

- The students well understand the TRA.

Learning outcome:

- An Understanding of the application of TRA while studying consumer beliefs and motives

towards counterfeit products in Pakistan.

- Understanding the consumer motives behind counterfeits and learning to devise a competitive

strategy based on findings of the study.

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- An understanding of Qualitative Research Methods in Marketing.