brand personality
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Brand Personality Assessment of the brand FastrackTRANSCRIPT
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Kathmandu University School of Management Report on Brand Personality Assessment
Submitted to,
Asst. Prof. Rupesh K Shrestha
Submitted by,
Amit Pathak
14325, MBA 4th
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I. Introduction
Fastrack is a brand of watches from the house of Titan Industries Ltd which is the market leader
in the watches category in India. Fastrack was launched in 1998 as a sub-brand of Titan. It was
spun off as an independent brand of watches targeting the urban youth in 2005. Since then, it has
infiltrated the lives of Indias youth with designs that were refreshingly different and affordable.
During that time, Fastrack also jumped headlong into the sunglasses business and in the last 4
years has quickly notched up the title of being the largest sunglasses brand in the country.
Fastrack has now pushed past the horizons into newer areas bags, belts, wallets and wrist bands
as part of its mission to offer the youth everything they need to be cool! The brand entered the
market saturated with International designer labels and has carved a niche for itself in the youth
accessories market (Watches and Sunglasses) with design that are refreshingly different casual,
electric and fun with prices that dont burn a hole through the pockets. Targeted at Generation
Next, the brand captures the essence and philosophy of days fun loving, free spirited youth
through the new positioning encapsulated in a tongue in cheek colloquial phrase How many
you have? Fastrack is positioned as the ultimate fashion accessory for the youth variety,
multiplicity and constant excitement being the order of the day. The brand revealed a new logo
signifying the spirit of bonding among todays youth.
II. Brand Personality
a. What does it means?
Brand personality can be defined as the set of human characteristics associated with a given
brand. Therefore it includes such characteristics as gender, age, socioeconomic class, as well as
such classic human personality traits as warmth, concern, and sentimentality. Brand Personalities
are more emotion than logic-driven because they reflect the feelings people have about brands,
and the way those brands transmit feelings back to them. It is not the personality of the target
audience, it is the personality that is most likely to draw their attention, interest them, and
encourage them to take action and buy the brand.
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b. Why it matters
Personality plays a vital role in who we are and what we do. It also affects how passionate you or
I are working as an employee for a company. However, if any external factors influence us, our
performance as an employee might be affected. This brings us to brand personality. There is a
strong link between personality has a strong link with a brand. Just like an individual has
particular traits, a businesss external representation of its internal vision, mission, and value are
represented through brand personality. People buy products from brands they connect with, and
the process of connection is done on a few levels:
Does the product functionality fulfill the need?
Is it the right price?
Does it have the right image and personality?
People are still influenced even when they claim brand is not important to them, and dont care if
its not trendy or the one to have. We can take an example of Skoda cars, once joked about in the
long distant past, but now making cars that win awards.
Fastrack are creating a brand personality that is stylish: trendy, dependable gadget if we only talk
about watched that are just as good as their rivals like Timex, Sonata but with smaller price tags.
Personality is no less important in this case as people like the Trendy, Stylish, Rough and youth
based personality that Fastrack promote. Theyve also made the watches(brand) a lot targeting
the corporate people.
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c. Brand Association:
III. Methodology
The tools and measures used for assessing the brand personality of Fastrack are mentioned
below:
A. Aakers Brand Personality Scale (1997)
B. Projective Technique
C. ZMET
D. Fourniers Typology
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A. Aakers Brand Personality Scale (1997)
Recent researches on brand personality have majorly used Aakers Brand Personality Scale,
while; some researchers have developed scales for the purpose of their specific study. Owing to
doubts on the reliability and validity of available scales, some researchers argue that if
unequivocal results are to emerge, consumer behavior researchers must develop their own
definitions and design their own instruments to measure the personality variables that go into the
purchase decision. For the purpose of this study, a questionnaire on Brand Personality of
Fastrack Watch was constructed
For this purpose of this study, a questionnaire on brand personality based on Aakers scale was
done. The items of the questionnaire were based on the five core brand personality factors-
Sincerity, Competence, Excitement, Sophistication and Ruggedness, as indicated by Aaker. The
questionnaire included a reverse-coded question to check response biases and get accurate
ratings. A 5-point Likertscale ranging from Not at all Descriptive to Extremly Descriptive
was used. A sample of 60 was selected based on random sampling and data was collected.
Exclusionary criteria for sample were: age more than 19 and less than 35 years. The following
table indicates the demographics of the sample:
Brand Fastrack
Number of Respondant 60
Gender Male and Female
Occupation Students
Table: Characteristics of Respondents
The five core dimensions measured fifteen facets as follows:
1. Competent Corporate, Success, Confident
2. Exciting Spirited, Coolness, Youth
3. Ruggedness Outdoorsy, Western, Down to Earth
4. Sincerity Family Oriented, Original, Friendly
5. Sophistication Glamorous, Good Looking, Feminine
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IV. Findings
Brand Personality Dimensions developed by Aaker characterize a brands personality on five
factors. The scores of Fastrack brand on each factor are represented by the graph below.
From the graph, none of the dimension of the brand personality is dominating. Every
dimension is almost on the same pitch.
A. Factors and Facet Comparisons:
i. Competence:
3.32 3.53 3.49
3.16 3.23
1
5
Competent Exciting Rugdness Sincere Sophisticated
Aakar's Five Dimension
Mean
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In terms of competency, among various facets, it can be said that, Fact like Confident and
Success are on the higher side of the mean. Whereas another fact called Corporate belongs to
the low side of the mean. So, according to the numbers, Fastrack is not the brand for those
who are into corporate level but still Fastrack brand associates with success and confidence.
ii. Exciting:
3.45
3.30
3.25
3.21
3.34
2.86
3.55
3.30
3.61
1.00 5.00
Reliability
Hardworking
Secure
Intellegence
Technical
Corporate
Success
Leader
Confident Competent - Fastrack
Mean
3.41
3.77
3.54
3.21
3.79
3.89
3.64
3.41
3.39
3.21
3.57
1.00 5.00
Daring
Trendy
Exciting
Spirited
Coolness
Youth
Imaginative
Uniqueness
Uodated
Independence
Modern
Exciting - Fastrack
Mean
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In terms of Exciting, various facets like Youth, Coolness, and Trendy are higher on number
which can be said that Fastrack as a brand is more youth oriented who loves to be fashioned and
trendy. Remaining all the facets lies on the same terrain.
iii. Rugged:
Fastrack brand scores high in the facet Western and Outdoorsy whereas in Down to Earth
facet, it scores low compared to other facets. But there is not so high fluctuation the facets of
Ruggdness. So Fastrack is the brand more toward a masculine and it is tough as well. Whereas
we cant even say that the brand is doesnt fall under Down to earth facet.
iv. Sincerity:
3.61
3.57
3.70
3.43
3.48
3.14
1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50
Outdoorsy
Masculinity
Western
Tough
Ruggedness
Down to Earth
Rugged - Fastrack
Mean
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In terms of Sincerity, Facets like Friendly, Original and wholesome are on the higher side. These
all facets are more suited to young generation. And the value of mean is lower in Family oriented
and small town.
v. Sophisticated:
2.66
2.73
3.21
3.20
3.36
3.18
3.50
3.43
2.71
3.66
1.00 5.00
Family Oriented
Small Town
Honest
Sincere
Real
Wholesome
Orignal
Cheerful
Sentimental
Friendly
Sincere - Fastrack
Mean
3.18
3.39
3.68
3.34
2.59
3.20
1.00 5.00
UpperClass
Glamorous
Good Looking
Charming
Feminine
Smooth
Sophisticated - Fastrack
Mean
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In Sophisticated section, Good lookings mean is on the higher side. It can be clearly assumed
that Fastrack brand is more focused on Look and design, and its rough look which attracts youth.
And similarly facet like Charming and Glamorous is also carrying the good number. Whereas
this brand is not suited more on Feminine side as the mean value clearly shows it and is lower.
vi. Gender Comparision:
Out of 60 respondents, 28 were the number of female respondents and remaining 32 were the
male respondents. As per the response from the survey, from the mean value it can be said that
there is not much domination among both. So Fastrack is the brand which is preferable for both
sexes.
B. Projective Technique
In this technique, 60 respondents were asked to project their feelings and thoughts onto other
things Animal, Fabric, Music, Sports etc For example: If Fastrack was an animal, which animal
would it be? Then those 60 respondents were asked to explain their answers. This 'why' question
is the important part of using projective techniques, as the projective techniques are designed to
release the sub-conscious though rather than to be, in themselves, revealings. For example, if a
0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00
Competent
Exciting
Rugged
Sincere
Sophisticated
Female
Male
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Fastrack was seen as a Leopard, the explanation may be that the respondent sees it as fast, eye
catching. During the data gathering, top 4 common answers were picked.
I. Findings
i. An Animal
According to the survey done, out of 60, 21 respondent associated brand with Leopard, 10
associated with Tiger, 9 associated with Lion, 11 associated with monkey and whereas 9
were mixed numbers of animals.
ii. A Fabric
Activity
Running 14
Clubbing 20
Cycling 5
Racing 10
Others 11
Total 60
Leopard 35%
Tigers 17%
Lion 15%
Monkey 18%
Others 15%
Animal
Running 23%
Clubbing 34%
Cycling 8%
Racing 17%
Others 18%
Activity
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As per the Survey, out of 60 maximum respondents, 14 respondents associated the brand
Fastrack with Running, 20 respondent associated brand with Running, 10 respondent associated
it with Racing, 5 respondent associated it with cycling whereas remaining 11 respondent had the
mixed activity association with the brand.
iii. A Fabric
Fabric
Cotton 17
Jeans 12
Silk 12
Leather 13
Others 6
Total 60
According to the survey done, out of 60 respondent, 17 associated Fastrack with Cotton, 12-12
respondents associated Fastrack with Silk and Jeans respectively, 13 respondents associated it
with Leather whereas 6 has mixed thought about the fabric to associate with Fastrack,
Cotton 28%
Jeans 20% Silk
20%
Leather 22%
Others 10%
Fabric
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iv. A Cologne or Perfume
Cologne or
Perfume
Axe 21
Fog 9
Setwet 11
Nike 7
Others 12
Total 60
As per the response of 60 respondents, 21 respondent associated the brand with Axe, 9
respondent associated Fastrack with Fogg, 11 respondents associated Fastrack with Setwet, 7
respondents associated Fastrack with Nike and whereas 12 respondents have the mixed
associated of the brand with the perfumes.
v. A Car:
Car
Scorpio 13
Ferrari 17
Lamborghini 11
Gypsy 8
Others 11
Total 60
Axe 35%
Fogg 15%
Setwet 18%
Nike 12%
Others 20%
Cologne or Perfume
Scorpio 22%
Ferrari 28%
Lamborghini 18%
Gypsy 14%
Others 18%
Car
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As per the survey done, out of 60 respondents 17 is the highest number of respondents who
associated Fastrack with Ferrari, 13 respondents associated Fastrack with Scorpio, 11
respondents associated the brand with Lamborghini, 8 respondents associated the brand with
Gypsy whereas 11 respondents have mixed thoughts on the brand association with the car.
vi. An Occupation:
Occupation
Sportsman 19
DJ 14
Travel Agent 9
Marketing
Manager 8
Others 10
Total 60
As per the survey, out of 60 respondent 19 respondent associated the brand with Sportsman, 14
respondents associated Fastrack with DJ, 9 associated it with Travel Agent, 8 respondents
associated it with Marketing Manager, whereas 10 respondents have different thoughts to
associate Fastrack with Occupations.
Sportsman 32%
DJ 23%
Travel Agent 15%
Marketing Manager
13%
Others 17%
Occupation
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vii. Sports:
Sports
Cricket 18
Car/Bike
Racing 13
Cycling 9
Running 9
Others 11
Total 60
As per the survey, out of 60 respondent 18 respondents associated Fastrack with Cricket, 13
respondent associated Fastrack with Racing, 9-9 respondents associated the brand with Cycling
and running respectively and remaining 11 respondents have different perception on the brand
association with Sports.
viii. TV Series:
TV Series
Roadies 16
Man Vs Wild 8
Friends 8
Game of
Thrones 14
Others 10
Total 56
Cricket 30%
Car/Bike Racing
22%
Cycling 15%
Running 15%
Others 18%
Sports
Roadies 29%
Man Vs Wild 14% Friends
14%
Game of Thrones
25%
Others 18%
TV Series
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sAccording to the survey done from 60 respondents, 16 respondents associated the brand with
Roadies, 14 respondents associated the brand with Game of Thrones, 8-8 respondents associated
the brand with Man Vs Wild and Friends respectively whereas 10 respondents have mix feelings
about the brand association with TV Series.
ix. Music:
Music
Pop 14
Club Music 17
Rock 10
Rap 10
Metal 9
Total 60
As per the survey, out of 60 respondent 17 respondents associated Fastrack with Club Music, 14
respondents associated Fastrack with Pop Music, 10-10 respondents associated the brand with
Rap and Rock music respectively whereas 9 respondents associated Fastrack with Metals.
II. Analysis:
As per the survey, these are the following brand association done with various things and have
the maximum response:
Pop 23%
Club Music 28%
Rock 17%
Rap 17%
Metal 15%
Music
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Features Brand Association
Animal Leopard
Activity Clubbing
Fabric Cotton
Cologne or Perfume Axe
Car Ferrari
Occupation Sportsman
Sports Cricket
TV Series Roadies
Music Club Music
Animal: Highest number of respondents associated leopard with Fastrack brand. The
reason is because they perceive the brand very eye catching because of its features and
also its a wild animal and they prefer to live out without any restriction. They perceive
the brand as outdoorsy.
Activity: According to the responses, association with Clubbing. Among the activities is
made. This is because youth generation loves to party and during the party and clubbing
everyone wants to look cool, trendy and stylish. So Fastrack is perceived as trendy and
stylish.
Fabric: According to the response, highest number of respondents associated cotton with
the brand. This is because Cotton is perceived as a cool fabric during the summer, and
also it is the fabric which is not preferred everytime. Fastrack is also something which is
not preferred during the formal parties, and meetings.
Cologne or Perfume: The association of Fastrack is made with Axe as per the maximum
responses by the respondents. This is because Axe brand is widely perceived as youth
brand to attract the ladies. So Fastrack is perceived as youthful and attractive.
Car: The association of the brand is done with Ferrari which has been responded by the
maximum respondents. This is because of Ferrari is perceived as very stylish and racing
car. And Fastrack brand products are perceived racing gadgets.
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Occupation: According to the survey, Sportsman is the occupation which has been
associated by the maximum number of respondents. This is because Fastrack is perceived
as sporty brand because of its outlook and appearance.
Sports: The association of cricket is made with the brand as per the maximum responses
by the respondent. This is because and also in the promotion Ad of Fastrack, Virat Kohli,
Famous Indian Cricketer was appeared for quite a long time and he was the brand
ambassador of Fastrack brand too.
TV Series: According to the survey, Roadies TV series has been associated with the
brand as per the maximum respondents. This is because the show is based on young
generation who is very passionate to do something, accept challenges which are
perceived as tough and strong and that is the reason Fastrack is associated with Roadies
because of the tough and strong attributes and youth based show.
Music: The association of Club music is done with the brand Fastrack by the maximum
respondents because Club music is based on todays young generation and the club music
is loud and freaky and is trendy and famous among the youth. Fastrack is perceived as a
brand for those who love to party.
C. Zaltmans ZMET Technique:
There were the few questions asked to few of my friends which are mentioned below:
Describe your any experience with Fastrack in pictures.
What are your thoughts and feelings about Fastrack? Tell them in image,
Describe a landscape in image that you can relate with Fastrack.
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Few of my classmates were asked 3 above mentioned questions. The reason to do this is that this
may have something to do with his perception of the brand, about how he interprets the world. It
was very surprising to know the answer of those questions asked by visualizing the collage.
These were the following opinion received from them when I asked them about the mentioned
things in the collage:
Attributes Opinions
Clubbing Style, Youth, Fashionable, Enjoyment, Trendy
Leopard Rough, Fast, Eye Catching
Ferrari Sporty, Fast, Race, Stylish, Design
Axe Youth, Seductive, Attractive
Roadies Rough, Youth, Strong, Adventurous
Cotton Most preferred, Cool
Club Music Club, Youth, Loud, Fun, Enjoy
Sportsman Sporty look, appearance
Cricket Virat Kohli, Young, Sporty
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D. Relationship with the brand according to Fourniers Typology
There is always a reason behind doing a term paper on a certain brand, most of the times the
reason is loyalty, trust and love. Well I also share a wonderful relation with Fastrack. According
to Fourniers typology, I share an attachment, engagement and brand community relation with
the brand.
Brand Attachment: My personal attachment with this brand Fastrack is 5 years long. I
am very passionate about wrist watch with adorable and stylish look. And Fastrack is
something which suits my personality. The factors that define my attachment are further
classified as:
o Affection: while I was pursuing my bachelors degree in Mumbai, the brand had
just launched itself. I really was amazed to see the advertising strategy of the
brand. Little did I know about advertising strategy or the target market it was
referring to, but as a youth I knew those ads were meant to target audiences like
me. After some months of watching the extraordinary ads on TV, I finally thought
of buying the brand. I wasnt very much into online shopping but this time I
thought of trying something new, the watch and online shopping. So with the
pocket money I had saved by myself I ordered for a big watch online. I was
delivered exactly 24 hours later, and I couldnt be happier. I got my value for
money. This watch and this brand have a special affection for me because I
bought the brand on my own pocket money and it was my first time online
shopping.
o Passionate: there are very few things on earth I am passionate about, among
those few things wrist watch is one. Not only am I attached to wristwatches I can
proudly say that I am equally passionate Fastrack, my passion is another
attachment with the brand. My passion creates a different relation with the brand.
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o Connection: Also I have a connection with the brand due to some reasons. After I
finished my graduation and started a job, with my first salary I gifted my brother a
watch of the same brand. Fastrack somewhat connects me with my brother also.
The happiness in my brothers face is something which I can never forget of,
thanks to Fastrack. My brother loved the wristwatch. So I share a sense of
connection as well with this brand.
Brand Community: Personally I have no sense of attachment to anyone belonging to the
community of Fastrack brand. But I have a cousin who is also the follower of the
Fastrack brand. He is the one to whom I have a sense of affiliation regarding the brand.
Brand Engagement: I have somewhat a strong attachment with the Brand Fastrack. In
terms of watch, Fastrack is th first preferable brand for me. I have a kind of personality
which is counterparts with all the mentioned attributes of this brand.
Insight
From the survey that has been done, it is quite well known that Fastrack has been somewhat
successful to communicate the brand personality it has. But it is very important for any brand to
be consistent in communicating the right brand personality. Brand power is very crucial.
However for a brand like Fastrack to remain competent in the market, with communicating the
actual brand personality is essential. The surveys hows that there is very little gap or no gap at
all between the actual personality of Fastrack and the perceived personality of Fastrack. But this
does not mean the brand has saturated and there is no further moving at all.
Today most of the luxurious items have become a need for every human being. Many years ago,
a watch was something that showed time, but today it is a necessity a matter of prestige and
luxury. The trends are changing very soon. New designs, colors, analog, digital, leather band,
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rubber band change too often. In this fast moving industry it is not only important to adapt to
change, but equally important to be consistent in communication the right brand image. There
are very few but some areas on which fast track can work so as to build and enhance the brand
equity of Fastrack, which are mentioned below:
1. Improve the brand power: Surveys like this can be very helpful in improving the brand
power, focus on the weaker points and remain consistent in the stronger points. By
marketing surveys, the brand can find out various ways to improve brand power.
2. Try to establish a relation with the target audience through mass media marketing.
Fastrack used above the line promotions a lot sometime before, but today we hardly see
any celebrity endorsements. Cricketers, movie stars, entrepreneurs can be used as a
medium to establish an attachment towards the brand. Eg. Some people get attached to
the brand if their idol or favorite people endorse it.
3. There is no substitute for a strong brand reputation, spend more time, money and brains
to cater t the need of the target customers, provide them value for money, consistency and
assurance. So as to stand ut with a distinctive brand image.
4. Create buyer or target market stories to promote. Use stories relevant to buyers, which
reinforce the value of the brand.
5. Try to remain consistent as a brand. The brand personality, image should not change
since this creates a sense of chaos and misleads the target market.
Conclusion:
The survey done to know the brand personality assessment of Fastrack brand and the results
which we get proves the fact that the target people perceive all those attributes which the brand
tried to portray. While the respondent were asked to response on certain things like animal,
Sports, Music etc, it came out as a result that Fastrack has positioned its brand image as an
youth, trendy, stylish, rough and fashioned which exactly Fastrack tried to plunk its brand image
and they have been successful enough in doing that. Overall result from this study, there is no
sense of doubt that Fastrack is well defined Brand Personality.
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