study on promotional activities of harsha project report

Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT

TITLE:

“Study on promotional activities of Harsha”

Harsha enterprises belong to Prakash Group of Industries. Prakash group was started by

five members of a family settled in Udupi. The group initially started with its entry into

Timber business and gradually they diversified to different sectors like electric, plastic,

engineering etc. At present Prakash group has successfully been in manufacturing,

trading and retailing.

Name of the company: HARSHA

PROBLEM DEFINATION Title of project:

“Study on promotional activities of Harsha”

OBJECTIVES OF STUDY:

i) To know the different medias that Harsha can use for its promotional activities

ii) To know the media through which the consumers were aware about Harsha

iii) To know what measures that Harsha has to take in satisfying its customers

iv) To know why consumers prefer Harsha for shopping

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BENEFITS

Benefit to the company:

With this study, the organization (HARSHA) will be benefited in terms of learning-

1) HARSHA can know about the requirement of the promotional activities.

2) Learn more about how to improve their activity.

3) Study the changes in the market conditions.

Benefit to academics:

It will help me in understanding-

The market for the consumer and electronic goods in Hubli city.

Companies Decision Making Process for selection of media.

Companies’ choices of service offered to consumers.

To understand how Harsha makes decision while choosing different media for

advertising.

The experience gained during this study will provide as a tool, which can be

applied in any future undertakings of similar nature.

Findings:

81 people were aware about Harsha with the help of their Family & Friends and

37 got aware from News paper & 32 from Banner

51 people go to Harsha because they get quality products and 37 people say they

go because of discounts and 20 because of the service provided by Harsha

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere” From the survey on 150 respondents 62 people say they are dissatisfied and 45

people say satisfied from the discounts.

59 people say that they are satisfied with the service what Harsha is giving and 55

people say they are dissatisfied with the service provided by Harsha.

Out of the survey made on 150 people 58 people say they are satisfied by the

price what Harsha charges to the consumers & 53 people say they are dissatisfied

with the price of Harsha.

Out of the survey made on 150 respondents 65 people say they are dissatisfied

with the products range what Harsha is having and 45 people say they are

satisfied with the product range what Harsha is having.

Out of the survey made from 150 respondents 65 people say Harsha has to use

Mobile SMS as a source to communicate about the events and offers and 51

people say they have to show their ads in local cable television and 30 people say

they have to use the source of data base of the customers and should communicate

them about the offers

Recommendations:

Based on the response received from the respondents the following

recommendations are made for the improvement in the functioning and service

conditions of HARSHA.

As most of the respondents are dissatisfied with the discounts provided by Harsha

so Harsha has to look on the discount part of it and should give some more

discounts compare to other players in Hubli.

The difference between satisfied and dissatisfied people in case of service of

Harsha is not more so this shows that Harsha has to provide proper service to their

clients.

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere” Harsha should also have more of the product range in their outlet as most of the

consumers complain about the non availability of the products so in order to cater

the customers Harsha has to improve its product range.

In order to improve its mileage in conveying the customers regarding the events

carried out at Harsha they can use Mobile SMS as a new mode of communication

as most of the consumers have suggested for. They can also use television as a

mode in giving the advertisements.

Conclusions-

The study helped me gain valuable insights in Harsha and also as to the factors that what

the consumers expect from the Harsha. This project titled “Study on promotional

activities of Harsha” has been a knowledge gaining experience for me. By interacting

with the respondents. I have been able to understand the activities of Harsha their way

of working and their way of approaching the customers and the importance of

Advertising, i.e. how beneficial is the advertising for any firm to communicate about

their offers and events to the consumers. The results of the survey proved to be

encouraging. The respondents were very positive in providing the information about how

Harsha has to go for promotion and why do they go for Harsha and what measures

Harsha has to take in improving the service to their customers, Though there are many

competitors in the market for this segment, the company HARSHA is doing well by

satisfying its customers by having good relationship with them and. I offer my best

wishes for the same and hope that my work will be of some use for the company

effectiveness.

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Introduction of Advertising

As it becomes more and more difficult to differentiate products by functionality and by

price, branding and imagery becomes a crucial aspect of differentiation. Advertisements

can be considered as the space where meaning is arranged so that transfers of meaning

and the structure between the signifier and the signified can take place. Only in an ad can

the meaning of the cowboy be transferred to Marlboro. Constructing and developing

meaning for images is possible mainly through advertising. The signifier and the

signified are processed in an advertisement and create the image for the brand over time.

Advertising plays a crucial role in creating the image of a brand since it is a direct

communication outlet. Through advertising, the brand generates its structure as well as

content, and builds up consumer behavior those results in the purchase of that particular

brand. Brand image is more dependent on symbolic image value than the reputation of

product attributes. Brand equity, both arbitrary and planned, dissolves rapidly in today's

competitive marketplace and thus requires constant support. Advertising is the key to the

maintenance of the brand image. For effective answer successful branding and

widespread knowledge and acceptance, repeating the brand image is necessary.

Advertising is perhaps the only medium where the fantasy and myth come together to

create the kind of magic symbolism entails. How can you rationally explain why you are

a Nike person rather than a Gucci one? These are questions that should be answered with

an open-minded research objective.

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Advertising's Role in Business, Society

Advertising has always played in immense role in our society. Without advertising, the

average consumer would not be able to be told what to buy. They would have nothing in

their home, because no one told them to buy anything. It has become fact that advertising

affects our daily lives everyday. "In 1915, a person could go entire weeks without

observing an ad. The average adult today sees some three thousand every day". Every

advertisement should be analyzed with great detail,

The consumers need to be entertained by television, newspaper, and internet has launched

a new type of advertising. Advertisers are beginning to use famous entertainers in their

advertisements so that people pay attention to them. Almost every advertisement that is

seen today has somebody that the consumer will recognize. Whether it be a movie star, a

comedian, athlete, or a reality television star, the advertiser will make sure that a

percentage of the viewing audience knows that person. Not only do they attract our

attention with the use of somebody famous, they also attract our trust. By seeing this

person on television all the time and especially if you like this person, you feel

comfortable with the product almost immediately without even knowing what it is or

does.

Everyone thinks that advertising is full of lies, but it's not what you think. The facts

presented in advertising are almost always accurate, not because advertising people are

sticklers but because their ads are very closely regulated. If you make a false claim in a

commercial on network television, the FTC will catch it. Someone always blows the

whistle. The real lie in advertising - some would call it the "art" of advertising - is harder

to detect. What's false in advertising lies in the presentation of situations, values, beliefs,

and cultural norms that form a backdrop for the selling message” (Chiat).

Advertising has come a long way from what it used to be and has a long way to go before

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”we see anything new. The advertisers have found quite a few niches where they can work

from and still get a large quantity of consumers to purchase their products. With the help

of psychologists, sociologists, and many other doctors that focus on how the human brain

works, it will be extremely difficult to tackle the advertisement industry as we know it

today.

BASICS OF ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS

Advertising and promotions is bringing a service to the attention of potential and current

customers. Advertising and promotions are best carried out by implementing an

advertising and promotions plan. The goals of the plan should depend very much on the

overall goals and strategies of the organization, and the results of the marketing analysis,

including the positioning statement.

The plan usually includes what target markets you want to reach, what features and

benefits you want to convey to them, how you will convey it to them (this is often called

your advertising campaign), who is responsible to carry the various activities in the plan

and how much money is budgeted for this effort. Successful advertising depends very

much on knowing the preferred methods and styles of communications of the target

markets that you want to reach with your ads. A media plan and calendar can be very

useful, which specifies what advertising methods are used and when.

For each service, carefully consider: What target markets are you trying to reach with

your ads? What would you like them to think and perceive about your products (this

should be in terms of benefits to them, not you)? How can you get them to think and

perceive that? What communications media do they see or prefer the most? Consider TV,

radio, newsletters, classifieds, displays/signs, posters, word of mouth, press releases,

direct mail, special events, brochures, neighborhood newsletters, etc.

What media is most practical for you to use in terms of access and affordability (the

amount spent on advertising is often based on the revenue expected from the product or

service, that is, the sales forecast)

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You can often find out a lot about your customers preferences just by conducting some

basic market research methods. The following closely related links might be useful in

preparation for your planning.

Major Methods of Advertising

Direct mail -- Mail sent directly from you to your customers can be highly customized to

suit their nature and needs. You may want to build a mailing list of your current and

desired customers. Collect addresses from customers by noticing addresses on their

checks, asking them to fill out information cards, etc. Keep the list online and up-to-date.

Mailing lists can quickly become out-of-date. Notice mailings that get returned to you.

This should be used carefully and it can incur substantial cost, you don't want to inundate

your stakeholders with information so make the most of your message.

Magazines -- Magazines ads can get quite expensive. Find out if there's a magazine that

focuses on your particular industry. If there is one, then the magazine can be very useful

because it already focuses on your market and potential customers. Consider placing an

ad or writing a short article for the magazine. Contact a reporter to introduce yourself.

Reporters are often on the look out for new stories and sources from which to collect

quotes.

Newspapers (major) - Almost everyone reads the local, major newspaper(s). You can

get your business in the newspaper by placing ads, writing a letter to the editor or

working with a reporter to get a story written about your business. Advertising can get

quite expensive. Newspaper are often quite useful in giving advice about what and how

to advertise. Know when to advertise -- this depends on the buying habits of your

customers.

Posters and bulletin boards -- Posters can be very powerful when placed where your

customers will actually notice them. But think of how often you've actually noticed

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”posters and bulletin boards yourself. Your best bet is to place the posters on bulletin

boards and other places which your customers frequent, and always refresh your posters

With new and colorful posters that will appear new to passers by. Note that some

businesses and municipalities have regulations about the number of size of posters that

can be placed in their areas.

Radio announcements -- A major advantage of radio ads is they are usually cheaper

than television ads, and many people still listen to the radio, for example, when in their

cars. Ads are usually sold on a package basis that considers the number of ads, the length

of ads and when they are put on the air. . A major consideration with radio ads is to get

them announced at the times that your potential customers are listening to the radio.

Television ads -- Many people don't even consider television ads because of the

impression that the ads are very expensive. They are more expensive than most of major

forms of advertising. However, with the increasing number of television networks and

stations, businesses might find good deals for placing commercials or other forms of

advertisements. Television ads usually are priced with similar considerations to radio ads,

that is, the number of ads, the length of ads and when they are put on the air.

Yellow Pages --The Yellow Pages can be very effective advertising if your ads are well-

placed in the directory's categories of services, and the name of your business is

descriptive of your services and/or your ad stands out. The phone company will offer free

advice about placing your ad in the Yellow Pages. They usually have special packages

where you get a business phone line along with a certain number of ads.

How Advertising Works

Advertising is simply a creative form of communication; an intimate

conversation requiring a response, even invoking emotions from time

to time which engage the consumer in the message. It is a message,

generally persuasive in nature, but not intended to be forceful or

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”abrupt. Advertising is sometimes considered a positive institution,

creating awareness about products and services, even constitutional

amendments, social issues and the like; while at the same time it is

considered a shameless practice, encouraging consumers to spend

money on goods they otherwise would not if it weren’t for the

pervasive messages conveyed in

advertisements. In regard to the latter, advertising is a scapegoat for

those who wish not to take responsibility for their actions. Could you

imagine the incredible power of a tool that controls people’s actions,

or better yet their spending habits? Outlined here is how advertising

works.

What is an advertisement?

Is it a free key chain or tee shirt imprinted with a logo? Is it a recommendation from a

valuable and respected source, a free sample of a product, or maybe a coupon? All of

these ideas can represent a brand and create awareness about products and/or services

however; this is not what advertisers do. There is a fine line between advertising and

marketing promotional materials, of which these are examples.

Advertising plays a prominent role in the lives of consumers although they may not be

conscious of how important a role that is. Consumers do not look forward to relaxing in

front of the television in hopes to catch some of their favorite spots. They do not take

their radios to the beach to sit around with friends and listen for exciting, catchy jingles.

In fact, most consumers would admit commercials annoy them. Many consumers flip

through channels during commercial breaks or fast-forward through them in their

previously recorded programming. Besides cutting into their favorite programming,

many consumers believe they are deceitful in nature, although there is no substantial

evidence that subliminal persuasion even exists.

ADVERTISING CREATIVITY

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”Creativity is an essential resource to survive in the market and for this reason we always

look for it. Companies entrust their image to advertising agencies to realize ever more

creative, innovative and amazing advertising.

Among advertising agencies, VP Graphic boasts experience and professional

competence. It is an agency which works, thanks to its collaborators, with great passion,

dynamism and efficacy.

Advertising is seduction, art and investment. VP Graphic is based on a simple

philosophy: advertising sells (a product, a brand, an idea) when it has a quality thought

expressed through targeted and original communication strategies.

To advertise does not mean to create an instruction manual to use a product, but to

communicate innovative and clever ideas to increase your income.

Advertising must be funny, clever, unique and exciting, for this reason VP Graphic

Design places the most ambitious and creative minds at your disposal. We want to offer

to you the best advertising, this is our mission.

Media Selection Process

Understanding The Market

To determine which medium we should use to advertise our product we must first

understand our target market. This includes the following:

1. Knowing who they are. Are they consumers (all consumers, or just select

consumers, Fortune 100, small business, etc. If they are all consumers, or a large part of

the population, we can use mass market medium such as network TV, radio or general

publications (weekly newspaper). If they are Fortune 100 or small business we might use

specific trade publications that target our same markets.

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”2. Their buying process. Is the sale simple (a package of gum that is an instant

decision), or complex--requiring numerous complex presentations and layers of approvals

(educational or government sales).

3. Who are the final decision makers, along with the primary and secondary

influencers. For a sales force automation decision, the final say may be the VP of Sales.

However, the primary influencers may be the sales people and sales managers (who have

to use it every day), plus the IT department (who has to support it). The secondary

influencers may be the president (who wants more sales), the CFO (who has to finance

it), and the secretary (who has to enter weekly leads).

The percentage weight of influence of each person in the decision chain helps determine

which medium and publications we may target. The VP of Sales may travel. The

Regional Sales Manager may be trying to move up (so Success Magazine may work).

The IT department may need integration support (so CRM magazine may work), etc.

I typically create a matrix showing the key decision and influencers within the market

and have the most market--knowledgeable internal team members (product managers,

sales managers, PR, etc.) come to a consensus as to which percentage weight we should

assign to each group. This process is subjective, but usually yields fairly accurate

results--when the numbers come in.

4. Where they buy. If the target buys from retail, we may use “Run of Press” ads

(co-op ads with the retailers). If the target buys from VARs or Integrators, we may use

VARBusiness to recruit more VARs (who in turn may use direct response mail to reach

the targets). If they buy on-line--we may run direct response ads with an on-line or 800#

call to action.

5. How they buy. If the customer buys on terms, our ads may mention financing

options (cars, delayed payment).

6. What the competition is doing. We might use services such as AdScope to

compile a 12-month history of our competitor’s campaigns so we can see their media

targets and either apply a blocking campaign, were we match (and counter) a

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”competitor’s campaign, or use a separatist campaign, where we fish in a different pond

entirely (assuming we know the market better than they do--which should be the case).

Or we may choose to do some of both.

7. What has worked for us in the past (which media and ad format generated the

most revenue?). This is one of the most difficult steps since most companies do not

capture this information. If nothing is in place, then you must extrapolate the data from

whatever sources you have. You must also fix this problem immediately and setup a

complete tracking system--or you will not have the managerial information you need to

determine which medium is working best (TV, Radio, Publications (and which of the

publications is working best)--i.e., are you fishing in the right pond, nor will you know

which ad format and message is working best (do you have the right bait). See the later

section within advertising on Tracking & ROI to see how to set this up.

Understanding your customer and being able to answer each of the previous questions is

the hard part. Finding media that targets our same prospect is actually the easy part.

Selecting The Correct Media

The next step is to determine which medium type (TV, Radio, Display Ads) will reach

your desired targets and generate the greatest ROI. It may be multiple types--if so, you

should put a % weight value on each and consider your budget accordingly.

In the high-tech market (aside from consumer electronics (PlayStations, Dell, etc.)), the

most widely used advertising medium is print. Within the print medium, the most

common for high-tech is trade publications (rather than the general business and

consumer publications like Newsweek, Fortune, Popular Mechanics, Southern Living,

etc.). Trade publications might include PC Magazine (general market), Network

Computing (corporate networking), Video maker (highly vertical video market), Gaming

(obvious), etc.

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”The key is to find the right publication (the pond) that contains the most of your preferred

target (type of fish).

Fortunately, there are several publications that can help you determine the demographics

of various media and publications. For example, the Nielson Rating can tell you the

audience demographics and ratings for specific network and cable stations and specific

television shows. Other services like those from IAG Research can measure the

performance of every ad. However, they often only measure recall within the channel, by

brand, and the fit (how well it was integrated into the show). Based on these criteria, they

rate as “most effective” those ads (brands) that are recalled by the most people. However,

a more important indicator is not the recall scores, but the ads that actually sell and cause

a change in brand preference.

You can find a fairly comprehensive on-line listing of TV, radio, newspapers, on-line,

and trade magazines at Media Post. Registration is free and they even include a free on-

line media scheduling tool.

If you are moving into a new market and don’t know the most popular trade publications,

then you will have to use media books (Bacon’s is again helpful), internet resources, get

help from alliances, and clients (ask what they read), or from a media buying company. If

you are fairly certain of the publications you want to use, you can go to their web site (or

call for a media kit) and get rates, demographics, circulation, frequency, etc.

If you talk to a rep, be cautions not to place too much merit when they say they cater to

your market (I’ve had some sales reps try to sell me placement in a publication that was

clearly not aimed at my target). The Editor in Chief understands the publication’s target

best since he/she must create content to appease that audience. This is one of the reason’s

I usually get PRs assistance in the media selection--they know who covers your space by

the type and number of articles produced for your desired target. The PR group also has

the editorial schedule that helps identify the target audience.

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”Media Schedule for All Campaigns

Once you have identified your target publications, and have a rough idea of cost (you can

estimate by using the rate card, you can establish a media schedule. This is a chart that

shows which publications you will use, along with the projected run dates. I typically

setup the schedules within a spreadsheet.

When determining the media schedule, you have decided if you will have an ongoing

campaign throughout the year, or if you only have the budget to advertise during the

launch (and perhaps periodically thereafter). The ultimate decision is the ongoing return--

I let the ROI determine the continued investment).

I typically get the greatest returns during the launch and diminishing returns thereafter

(and these will require an ongoing promotion to bring a positive direct response return).

If the later returns still meet your minimum ROI requirements, and you have the budget,

then you should continue the investment.

Impressions

With all of my combined campaigns, I typically try to achieve the minimum number of

“impressions” (exposure to your ads, direct mail, pr, etc.) to get a prospect to buy. It has

been my experience that it typically takes 5-7 impressions before a prospect buys. The

first time they are aware of your product. The second they take note. The third they may

decide to find out more. The fourth they may decide to get it. The 5th time they may

actually write down the phone number or URL and the 6th time on they might actually

call or visit the web site to place the order. If not available on-line, it may take a few

more impressions for them to get out of their chair and go to the store to buy it, or to

remember to get it when in the store.

Different products have different conversion cycles, as do different campaigns.

Sometimes you may have a hot promotion that pulls on the 2nd impression, other times

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”nothing works. It is important to measure the response from each promotion (pr, direct

response, ads, etc.) so you know which is creating the greatest impact and positive return.

How To Negotiate - Print Ads

If you do not have an ad agency or a media buying service, and you have a relatively

straight-forward trade publication campaign, you will need to know how to negotiate

your media placements. Even if you do let someone else negotiate your media buying,

you should still know the process and how much you should typically be paying, if

anything, so you can estimate for your budgets. I would highly recommend sending your

designated media buyer (usually the ad manager or Director of Marketing/Marcom) to the

Media Buying Academy. If not, then at least order the videos or tapes (they are similar to

the cost of one seminar and can be re-used to train additional folks). Regardless,

following are a few basic tips to negotiate print ads:

1. Don’t go by the rate card. Buying advertising is like buying a car. As such, there

are multiple terms, options, time frames and sale techniques--of which you need to

counter to negotiate, not just “buy” your medium. As such, this is not the position for the

timid negotiator, unless you have a tiger behind the person talking to the ad reps that is

making the final decisions.

2. Negotiate magazine position and page position. As part of your negotiation you

need to try and get within the first third of the magazine, since the readership is higher.

The exception is if you are going for a front or back cover, or wish to have your ad next

to an editorial that is reviewing your product category. You also need to negotiate left or

right hand positioning on the page (right hand ads typically pull more).

3. Negotiate research. Magazines conduct regular readership campaigns to find out

what their constituents would like to see. Sometimes you can get some of your own

research questions addressed--a cheap way for you to get quantitative research at no

additional cost. They also run advertising awareness research campaigns. You need to

negotiate some coverage in both of these as part of your placement.

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”4. Negotiate web site adjuncts. Most publications nowadays have a web

component of their printed publication. You want banner ads and coverage for their on-

line constituents also- -especially if they may be adding their on-line readership to their

overall posted circulation.

5. Negotiate use of their mailing lists. The reason you are selecting a specific trade

publication is because they have already found your desired target audience. You can

often gain access to their list for your direct mail efforts. This saves you the cost of

purchasing lists, and the chances of having the correct targets are very high.

6. Negotiate free ad space in special editions. Some publications have an annual

special issue--see if you can have this included for free.

7. Negotiate more color. Some publications charge less for two color than four. Use

the two color rate card and then ask for the extra colors as part of the buy.

8. Require approval to close. Like I mentioned earlier, if you are not a tiger, or

even if you are, you should let the sales rep know that you don’t have the final decision--

and then not let them talk directly to the person who does. This is a technique that they

will often use when you make special request...you can turn the table and use the same

approach. I always told my “battle hardened” ad manager that my initial answer was

always going to be NO. This allowed them to say, my boss says no, and wants...

9. Negotiate toward the best rate on the rate card, even for a short campaign.

For example, if they have a 24 time rate, but you are only running a 3 month campaign,

you already know what they are willing to go down to (based on volume). This should be

an easy target.

10. Negotiate an escape clause. If they want a long-term commitment for the better

rates, then ask for an escape clause (ask regardless). This means that you can cancel the

remaining ads if the publication doesn’t pull, or if the product slips or is canceled, or if

your budget gets kills (especially during the 4th quarter at a large public company)

without paying a short rate. By the way, one well--respected media buyer said you can

always cancel a campaign. They won’t back charge you the higher rate and risk you not

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”advertising again. He says the best words are, “We won’t be able to pay for this.”

Nobody wants to get tied up trying to collect the uncollectable.

11. Base your value on the LPP. Sales reps will try to use cost per thousand (CPM)

to establish value. This helps you to know the potential reach, but the % of the total reach

that matches your profile and their influence within the buying process is the most

important factor. This is why I prefer to use the cost per lead per publication (LPP). This

ratio will cut through all the chaff and tell you immediately if you are “fishing in a

stocked pond” or if you’re not fishing where your buyers swim. When the sales rep brags

about his CPM, counter with your revised % of his circulation that even meets your need.

Then counter than his CPM, based on your actual target, is way to high--and use another

publications rates of CPM/actual target to reduce the price.

12. Re-negotiate based on CPM rate for the best LPP within your group of

publications. For example, when deciding which pubs to keep and which to drop, you

will do an analysis to get the cost per lead per publication. If there’s is borderline, you

can ask them to match the pricing that you need to keep them--or they are out. And then

do the same with your other pubs--those that will give you the revised pricing that will

put them in your “keep ‘em” pile you keep, those that don’t get cut.

13. Make sure the editorial matches the readership. If the sales rep uses CPM, and

their editorial content for your target is only 10% of the publication, then re-quote the

CPM in those terms and go from there.

14. Contract for no rate changes. Some contracts say the publication can change the

rate at anytime with a 30 day notice. Include a clause that says your rates are guarantee

during the length of the contract.

15. Don’t always buy on “specials” but buy what you need, when you need it (but

save the “specials” to hit them up with them later if you decide to invest in the

publication later).

16. Don’t be embarrassed to make ridiculous request at any stage of the

negotiation. The only way I can afford to buy from you is if your rate is $ ____. The

worse they can say is no--and you may get some terrific deals.

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”17. See if there are any alliance ad deals. When launching Netscape, Microsoft had

a campaign where they subsidized your campaign if your put, “Works with Microsoft

Windows” prominently within your ad (the ad reps discretion). As a result, we got seven

Ziff Davis publications...for less than 1/2 the price of one! It was nice that our ad rep told

us about these deals--you need to ask. In addition, see if there are affiliate or co-op

programs with Intel, Microsoft and others for publishing compatibility with their

applications. You can also see if you can split the ad cost with an alliance and develop

your campaign jointly (works best for products that require another to work (i.e., a

modem to use AOL, etc.).

18. Negotiate the payment due terms. Some pubs require money up front, others

allow you to pay afterwards--this is obviously better, or worse, depending on your

budget. For example, I may run out of money for the 4th quarter, so I asked to be billed

the beginning of the first quarter. It is somewhat risky for the pubs if you don’t get the

budget...but it may be the only way to fit them in. Other times you may have budget to

spend now, and you can pre-bill, if you get a discount (of course).

19. Take into account seasonal ad buying. Some publications may offer discounts

during certain times of the year (it helps them solidify their ongoing business if they have

commitments in advance).

20. Negotiate editorial coverage. Some publications like PC Magazine typically

have a Chinese wall between sales and editorial. However, with other publications it may

be the actual editor in chief that is soliciting ad space (I’ve had it happen within multiple

smaller and hungry trade publications). In these cases, you can actually “buy press” with

your placement. It is not worded as such, but these publications will commit to reviewing

your product (first looks and complete reviews) if you commit to advertise. If they will

do it, we can double our number of impressions by taking advantage of their “financial

connections” (some editors realize - no ads, no paycheck).

21. Negotiate “spot” ads. Sometimes there is a review within the editorial schedule

that covers your category, but it is during a period you are black. You can negotiate that it

is included free, or at least at the previous rate, even if it is disconnected to your regular

campaign.

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”22. Negotiate with the VP of Sales, and bypass your local and regional reps. This is

especially important when you want to combine the total number of ads from all of your

divisions. For example, I was targeting a publication that already featured ads from

several of my companies other divisions. I first contacted each of the divisions to find out

their rates (they were different), found the best, and then contacted the VP of Sales to

negotiate a “group” rate for all our divisions that took into account our joint buying

power.

23. Consider using a media auction. Some sites like MediaBids will offer services

similar to on-line travel buying. Check it out to see if it works for you.

24. Deduct the agency fee--as your final negotiation. After everything is done and

negotiated to your best ability, deduct the 15% fee that would usually be paid to an

agency. Why not , they would have negotiated with an agency, and still had to pay the

15%. There’s no reason you shouldn’t keep it since you are the acting agency. I’ve never

had this denied- -they’ve been shocked, but it was never turned down.

There are obviously many more points to negotiate (especially when purchasing radio,

TV, web and other types of medium), but this is a good list to start from.

Advertising Guidelines

Now that you have selected the media, setup a schedule, and purchased your space; it is

time to design an ad that sells product. This section will only review print ads, but some

of the concepts (especially the persuasive format) are still applicable to other ad types.

I categorized ads into two types, those that sell, and those that don’t--I don’t care for

those that don’t. Some ad agencies justify non-selling ads by suggesting that their artsy

designs help build the brand. I say, fine--selling ads also build the brand--in fact, they do

so much quicker (if someone buys your product...poof--they’re branded!). I also run from

agencies that cite the awards they’ve won for their ads--I hire them to help me sell

product, not win awards. It is important to note that these ad awards are usually given by

peers who admire the design--even though the ad may not pull a single lead. This is not to

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http://www.mediabids.com/

Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”say that selling ads should not look good, but their primary purpose is to sell--either a

tangible product or intangible company image (brand).

COMPANY PROFILE

INTRODUCTION






The Prakash Group major areas of operation are:

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere” Prakash Timber- Manufacturing of products from timber.

Prakash Industries- Comprise of a unit into business of switch boards.

Prakash Engineering company- Wholesale distribution of engineering appliances.

Prakash Electric Co. - Into Wholesale distribution of electric appliances.

Prakash Bakelite and Plastic- Switches and lightening business.

Asha Engineering Co. – It is into manufacturing of TV trolleys and is also into

manufacturing of wooden furniture.

Prakash Business Solution – This is a division of the group into software and

mainly providing business solution.

ORIGIN OF HARSHA

Harsha is a part of Prakash electric company private Limited. They retail mainly

consumer durables include mainly White goods- TV, Refrigerator, washing Machine, Air

Coolers, Music Systems etc. The home appliances include cookers, mixers, Grinders,

Microwave Ovens, Crockery and cutlery etc. The 9 th of March 1987 happens to be the

mile stone day to Prakash electric company as it inaugurated its first retail outlet in Udupi

under the name of “HARSHA” with a showroom of 2700 sq. ft. area. To date the chain of

outlet has been expanded to five showroom covering different areas of Karnataka state.

The showroom has been situated in different cities over the years with differing

showroom space.

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The following list indicates where and when the showroom has been situated over the years.

HARSHA “What you don’t Get else where”

Harsha deals with household consumer durables. The Store provides most

of the household products. They have a wide range of products lines with variety of

branches in each product line. The customers have to do their choice of different brands

which enables them to make comparison among several brands and select the one which

suits them. Within 4000 Sq. Ft. of area the customers can get durables like Mixer,

Grinder, Washing Machine, Refrigerators, Television, Music Systems, Fans, luggage,

Microwave Ovens and Mobile hand sets. Harsha also provides to its customer a variety of

crockery and cutlery, dish washer, jars.

VISION OF HARSHA

To become India’s respected consumer durable retail outlets.

OBJECTIVE OF HARSHA

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PLACE YEAR OF STARTUP AREA

Udupi 9th March 1987 2700 Sq. Ft.

Mangalore 15th May 1992 3500 Sq Ft.

Mangalore (Super Shop)

29th May 1998 1500 Sq. Ft.

Shimoga 12th October 1998 3500 Sq. Ft.

Hubli 15th May 2001 4000 Sq. Ft.

Puttur 12th July 2003 5000 Sq. Ft.

23


To deliver Quality products that gives value for money and excellent service that

satisfies and delights the customer totally.

PRINCIPLES HARSHA PRACTICE

Every individual must be respected.

Every customer should be given the best possible service.

MAXIMS HARSHA FOLLOWS

Give the world the best you have, the best will come back to you.

Before you say “I cannot” say “I will try” then give it your best.

If we keep our customers happy, they will keep us in business.

Quality always scores let us keep ours high.

Once our customers, always our customer.

Keep learning new ideas, make work interesting.

ORGANISATION CHART

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Managing Director

Board of Directors

Showroom Manager

Commercial Executive

Material Executive

Sales Supervisor

Service Engineer

Delivery Section


A Brief Introduction of function carried by personnel

Managing Director

The function of the Managing Director is to look after all the financial aspects of

the branch at the center and taking decision based on the proposal submitted by different

branches. Making arrangement for payments to the parties and banking accounts are

handled by them.

Marketing

Advertisement 1) Agency

Preparation of the hoarding, Banners, brochure and others aspects are

handed over to the agency who are engaged in preparing the Banners or hoardings. They

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Assistant Assistant

Counter Supervisor

Indoor Engineer

Outdoor Engineer

Driver

Delivery Boy

Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”prepare an rough copy and submit it to the marketing department for the approval, the

department analyze it if approved or any changes needed suggesting the agency and

places the order.

2) PressThe advertisement is also given in the local newspaper by the way of

distributing the pamphlet inside the newspaper.

3) Management Information System

4) Broadcasting in Radio and Advertisement in Local Channels

Costing

1) Feedback from respective Counters

About the Discounts, Offers and Promotional tools are decided based on getting the

feedback from the counters, mailing it to the center at Udupi. The costing department

takes decision on the discounts or offers to be given based on the feedback and taking

care that it does not effect the margin.

2) Decision about prices:

a. Prices are mailed to the costing at the center quoted by the company.

b. Negotiation on the prices quoted by conducting meeting.

c. The decided prices are mailed back to the respective branches.

Service

Outdoor Service are Provided

1) Companies People

The calls made by the customer are registered by the outlet recording the problem

faced by the customer on use of the product. The branch registers the problem and

contacts the company, provide information about the problem.

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”2) Showroom Personnel

Human Resource Development

Recruitment

Training

1) In House training

2) Outside house Training

Deputation

Salary- Provident fund

These function are handled by the HRD Department

Materials

Stock

Inventory

Categories in Products

1) TV

Portable

a) Doom

b) Flat

Economy

20 inches doom

21 inches doom and flat

25 inches flat

29 inches doom and flat

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”29 and above wide screen

Projection

43 to 54 inches

Plasma

32 to 57 inches

Simi Flat

29 to 54

2) Fridge

Direct cool (Single Door)

Frost Free (Double Door)

3) Washing Machine

Automatic

Simi Automatic

Automatic

1) Front Loading

2) Top Loading

4) Microwave Oven

Solo Grill

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere” Micro Wave and Grill

Micro Grill and convection

5) Audio

Low Ended

Walkman and Stereo

VCD and DVD (Stand Alone)

Mini Micro Systems

High Ended

1) Home Theater

2) Mini System.

6) Mobiles

1) Black and White

2) Color Display

3) Video Camera Mobile

7) Grinders

1) Regular

2) Tilting

3) Table Top

8) Mixers

1) Only Mixer

2) Juicer, Mixer Grinder

3) Food Processor

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Events carried out at HARSHA

Some major events in more advertisement and sales promotion activity are carried

out in Harsha are as follows.

Harshotsava

This is the anniversary celebration carried out at various branches every year

during which the existing and potential customers are invited and special arrangements

are made through attractive schemes and discounts besides the shopping activity other

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”entertainment activities are organized through various contests and games. This event is

conducted for six days.

Monsoon Magic

This is an effort to move items like refrigerators and coolers etc for instance

during summer time there is more demand for these and hence to boost up the sales the

company provides special offers and discounts especially in the month of May.

Deepavali BazzarThis is the special promotional effort of the company during Deepavali festival.

Happy Times

This includes the Christmas and New year time and here again the company

coupled by good discounts provides attractive schemes.

Apart from the above

Exchange Offer

Loan Mela

Stalls and Exhibitions

How this unit is different form others:

“What you do not get elsewhere is found in Harsha” Harsha is into retailing activity of

consumer durables like TV, refrigerators, washing machines, air coolers, etc. and major

home appliances like cookers, mixers, grinders, microwave oven, crockery cutlery etc.

Harsha provides some exchange offers to provide the customer a good service.

There is a wide range of products available in Harsha.

Readability.

There are many choices of all different companies and different brands.

The main thing is Harsha provides equal liberty to all range of products.

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere” Initial and proper guidance will be provided to customers.

There is a friendly atmosphere in this unit.

There are four Counters in Harsha. They are :

1. First Counter : It includes cookers, mixers, hot box, other crockery items, etc

(Prashanth K)

2. Second counter :It includes mobiles, calculators, Wall clocks, iron box, fans etc.

(Arvind P)

3. Third Counter :It includes music systems, televisions, radio and VCDs, etc.

(Arun K. B.)

4. Fourth Counter :It includes fridge, washing machines, and air coolers.

(Prashanth Amin)

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Pricing Policy of the Harsha:

Harsha policies are proactive with respect to the corporate level. That is the ethics, values

are same across the branches and the entire corporate culture can be reflected from a

single branch. However as far as the pricing policy is concerned the company adopts

more of reactive policy that is the price and discount is market driven as per the local

market condition. This can be justified on the account of the fact that there are numerous

dealers present in the local market for instance in Hubli there are more than 26 players

like Kandkurs, GTL, Vaman Home Appliances, Om Appliances, etc. so these act as

major determinants to set up the price. Another major determinant of pricing policy is the

customer perception and anticipation which certainly varies across the geographical

region as the living standard, acceptance level, priorities and spending pattern will vary

throughout.

Any decisions relating to increase or decrease in prices in Harsha is decided by

the Head office, i.e. Prakash Electric Pvt. Ltd. Co. It will provide minimum discounts on

routine days.

Harsha Prices its products at three forms, i.e.:

1. Fixed discount on the Product :

This is the discount which is fixed and is specified by the head office. This part in

fact constant across the branches.

2. Regular Day Discount :

This is basically the market driven part of the discount which is an against the

local market conditions.

3. Festival or Seasonal Discount:

This is special discount or offers which are given during festivals like Diwali,

Christmas, etc.

Other than cash discounts Harsha also offers certain attractive gifts, etc. The

choice is left up to the customer as to whether or not he or she is interested in cash

discount, gifts or combination of both.

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Quality policy:

1. Give the world the best you have and the best will come back to you.

2. Before you say “I cannot” say “I will try”, then give it your best.

3. If we keep out customers happy, they will keep us in business.

4. Quality always scores, lets keep ours high.

5. Once our customers; always our customers.

6. Keep learning new ideas, make work interesting.

7. Every businessman is a customer of some other businessman, so treat the

customers the way you are treated.

The satisfaction of customers is considered as one of the main keys in the bunch of keys

used by the consumer durable retail company to succeed. As the durable product is

purchased as a symbol of prestige for some and for some others it is a self-entertainment

means. The performance of the product to be prescribed level of standard will bring

satisfaction to the customers, and they will feel the value for their money. The consumer

durable retail outlet has to be effective in providing value for money for its customers. It

is important for a retail outlet to know the satisfaction of its customers.

Recruitment Policy in Harsha:

Ninety five percent (95%) of people are recruited from their mother town, i.e.

Udupi. Fist advertisements for job offers are given in local newspapers in Udupi. The

selections are done on the basis of qualification and experience. All the workers working

here are either graduates, diploma holders or MBAs in HRD. Each worker is given

minimum 1 month training and maximum 1 year training on job. Length of the training

period is based on the performance of the candidate. After the training period the

candidate is appointed in any of the Harsha branches.

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Training is also given by various companies for which Harsha is the dealer, i.e. through

company service executives. Special training is given particularly on technical aspects.

There is also a special Human Resource Development Training by M. R. Madhav, who is

a famous HRD consultant. He will visit once in a year to different companies like

Prakash Electric Company.

There are around 21 workers in Harsha Unit. Each worker will be provided by the

compensation and there is no commission basis. Each worker will be entertained by many

benefits like ESI i.e. Employees State Insurance and bonus. Bonus will be given to the

workers once in a year i.e. during Diwali. Quantitative targets are fixed counterwise as

well as productwise. Each counter is controlled by different supervisors. The product

evaluation is mainly done objectively i.e. quantitatively supported by some degree of

subjective evaluation, there is however no reward and no penalty system in case the sales

person crosses the target or Is below the target.

Functional Departments of the Organization

Purchase and Distribution Department:

The material manager does the procurement of various products centrally at

Udupi Central Warehouse. He is provided feedback from various branches by their

respective showroom manager and the material manager who in turn are given

information regarding the requirement of various products, models, etc.

Based on the meeting between the branch officers and top level management

monthly planning for procurement and sales is done branchwise. The branch material

manager sends weekly indent to the Central Warehouse as per the requirement and

likewise the material is dispatched from Udupi to various branches. The company has

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”vehicles for the transportation purpose. At local level the delivery is done by customer

which aims at a very prompt and safe delivery at a reasonable. In case of Hubli, for local

delivery they charge about Rs. 75 and to Dharwad and all they charge about Rs. 150.

They can also procure the product of any model form the other branch in case it is

not available at Central Warehouse or if extra is available in some other showroom.

In case the distributors are located locally then the material manager can procure

it from the local distributor, the billing is however done in the name of Central

Warehouse, as in the case of Hubli, the material manager purchases the products of

Kenstar, Videocon, Onida from the local company branches.

Since the branch offices of these are located at Hubli these company products are

also transported to Central Warehouse if they are required and are sent in the same

vehicle which comes to delivery the products to the Hubli branch. The products of

companies like Samsung, Philips, Whirlpool, etc. the billing again is done in the name of

Central Warehouse.

Prakash Electrical is the distributor for various companies like Kenstar, Maharaja,

Johnson, Prestige, etc. it is also the dealer for the products of the Prakash Engineering

Company which also markets the products of Asha Industries. Prakash Bakelite and other

company products belonging to Prakash Group of Industries.

Stories Department and inventory management

As during the monthly meeting the decision is taken with respect to the purchase

and sales, similarly that time only the planning with regards to stock and inventory is also

done. Usually it is seen that a stock for a minimum of 30 days is kept in the godown if a

showroom and the level of stock is based on the demand anticipation of various branches

for instance during the anniversary celebrations, i.e. Harshotsava time the branch where it

is celebrated naturally is allotted with more stock than others where there is ordinary

routine days. Similarly the demand also depends on the season. In summer season, the

demand for fan, cooler fridge will increase. So there will be more stock of these products

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”kept as against winter when the demand for these is quite sleek. The material manager

controls the entire stores management.

Personnel Department

It is obvious that for the sound functioning of any organization prime policies is

required besides other strengths i.e. every organization must have a proper human

resource policy. Similarly, it is the case with Harsha wherein it is seen that there is

streamline or rather uniformity with respect to its policies across the branches.

The recruitment process is unbiased and quite transparent and a minimum

qualification is required for any post, for instance a graduate is required for sales

executive post. After personal interview. The eligible candidates are subjected to a

written or rather screening test. After the recruitment of eligible candidates, the recruited

candidates are usually placed in old showrooms like Udupi and Mangalore for the

purpose of training, so that they can get acquainted with the corporate culture.

Advertisement and Sales promotion at Harsha

The advertisement activities are carried out at showroom level or rather local

level. Local level means there is a limit of Rs. 1000 spent by Harsha at the time of special

offers for the purpose of advertisement. It is more than Rs. 10000, the head office will

bear the expenses, i.e. Central Office has an advertising agency named percept India Ltd.

Located in Bangalore. The advertisements for various branches are designed by the

Percept India Ltd. & Spring Art Work implement on the designs framed by the Percept

India.

For advertisement Harsha uses different medias like newspapers, banners,

hoardings, cables, so that they can compete with their competitors and bring more

awareness about Harsha in the customer.

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Medias used by Harsha for advertisement purposes are :

News paper :

Samyukta Karnataka, Vijaya Karnataka, Udayavani, Times of India, etc.

Hoadings :

This comprises of one of the major medium for the advertisements, there are nearly 45

hoadings in and around Hubli of Harsha and at present there is stiff competition between

local players like Vaman, Kandkur and Harsha with respect to hoading advertisements.

The advertisement activities are intensified during festivals like Diwali and Christmas

and during anniversary time i.e. at the time of Harshotsava because Harsha offers some

special discount at that time and they want to attract more customers.

Terms and Conditions:

Goods once sold will not be taken back.

Prices are inclusive of sales tax and other stationery levies.

Subject to Udupi Jurisdiction.

Stock Levels :

Minimum Stock level 65 Lakhs

Maximum Stock level 120 Lakhs

Average Stock level 85 Lakhs

Minimum delivery period 2.3 days

Maximum delivery period 1 month

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”Average delivery period 15 days

Advertisement Budget:

The advertisement budget is allocated to the branches by the Central office i.e. Udupi in

consent with the feedback provided by the branches. On the average 2 % of the sales

revenue is allotted for the advertisement. Hubli branch being relatively new was allotted a

higher advertisement budget which amounts to nearly 5.7 lakhs. The advertisement spent

during Harshotsava was to the extent of 25-30 lakhs by three branches i.e. Udupi,

Mangalore, and Shimoga. As per Hubli is concerned they will spend more amount to give

advertisement in cable and newspapers.

Various celebrities are used for the advertisement. These include actress Vinaya

Prasad and Ruchita Prasad. The inauguration ceremony was conducted in the presence of

several big shots of Hubli like M. R. Sankeshwar (M. P), M. R. Satish Shetty, Oscar

Ferandes (Ex M. P) and other known people were also invited specially those belonging

to South canara side.

During major events like Harshotsava, Happy times, Monsoon Magic, Deepawali,

the advertisement and sales promotion activities are more.

Harshotsava:

This is the anniversary celebration carried out at various branches once in a year and

during this the existing and the potential customers are invited and special arrangements

are made during this celebration. This includes attractive schemes and discounts. Besides.

This, the shopping activity is meshed with the element of fun by means of organizing

various contests, games, etc. for the customers.

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Monsoon Magic:

This is an effort to move the items like fridge, air coolers, etc. for instance during

summer time there is more demand and for these items and hence to boost up the sales,

the company provided special offers and discount specially in the month of May.

Deepavali Bazaar :

This is the special promotional efforts of the company during Diwali.

Happy times:

This includes the Christmas and New Year time and here again the company provides a

good discount and attractive schemes.

Apart from the above mentioned time there are also other facilities like exchange

offer, which helps the customer to get a new item in exchange if the old item and the

main thing is they provide exchange offers to those who have not purchased the item

form that unit.

Project Investment and other overheadsThe unit invests to tally 10 crores per year. Detailed list of overheads incurred per

month are as follows:

Rent 1,00,000 p.m

Electricity Bill13,000 p.m (approx)

Phone Bill 5,000 p.m (approx)

Refreshment 18,000 p.m

Food 15,000 p.m

Postage, Printing and Stationery 1,00,000 p.m

2,51,000 P.m

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INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT

TITLE:

Study on promotional activities of Harsha






Name of the company: HARSHA

PROBLEM DEFINATION:

Title of project: Study on promotional activities of Harsha

OBJECTIVES OF STUDY:

i) To know the different medias that Harsha can use for its promotional activities

ii) To know the media through which the consumers were aware about Harsha

iii) To know what measures that Harsha has to take in satisfying its customers

iv) To know why consumers prefer Harsha for shopping

BENEFITS

Benefit to the company:

With this study, the organization (HARSHA) will be benefited in terms of learning-

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere” 1) HARSHA can know about the requirement of the promotional activities.

2) Learn more about how to improve their activity.

3) Study the changes in the market conditions.

Benefit to academics:

1. It will help me in understanding-

2. The market for the consumer and electronic goods in Hubli city.

3. Companies Decision Making Process for selection of media.

4. Companies’ choices of service offered to consumers.

5. To understand how Harsha makes decision while choosing different media for

advertising.

The experience gained during this study will provide as a tool, which can be applied

in any future undertakings of similar nature.

SCOPE OF STUDY:

Only Hubli city of Karnataka is covered for this project.

A time frame of only 16 weeks

A survey was conducted only to 150 Respondents.

METODOLOGY

Sample of 150 respondents are considered for the research. A well-designed

questionnaire is administered to the respondents along with personal interviews for

collecting information in line with the objectives.

TYPE OF RESEARCH:

Descriptive Research.

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”DATA COLLECTION METHOD:

Primary data:

A personal interview method with help of a questionnaire has been used for

collecting primary data.

Secondary data:

Company website.

Company Documents.

DATA COLLECTION METHOD :

Primary data:

Primary data are the data that are collected to help solve a problem or taken advantage of

an opportunity on which decision must be taken. The main method of collecting primary

data is survey method, there are different types of survey techniques for example personal

interview, mail survey, Internet survey and telephone survey.

For this project a personal interview method with the help of a questionnaire has been

used for collecting primary data so as to

To know how the consumers were aware about Harsha

To know the factors they look in for the service provided by Harsha

To give the possible suggestions and recommendations.

Secondary data:

Secondary data are data that were developed for some purpose other then helping to solve

the problem at hand. After identifying and defining the research problem and determining

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”specific information required solving the problem, the researcher’s task is to look for the

type and sources of data, which may yield the desired results. Secondary data in this

research references made by the researcher with the other published sources. The present

research will not be complete without the complete reference to the relevant secondary

data.

The sources of secondary data including the following

Internet

www.google.com

www.wikipedia,com

Various reference text books

Marketing- Lamb, Hair, Mc Daniel

Principles of marketing- Kotler

Information from company personnel’

Prashanr (Branch Manager)

Deepak (Sales Executive)

SAMPLING UNIT

Individuals

SAMPLE SIZE:

In the present study, 150 samples are taken for understanding the “Study on

promotional activities of Harsha”.

SAMPLING METHOD:

The method used for survey was Non-Probability, Convenience Sampling method.

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Rationale:

The purpose of the study is to find out “How Harsha has to go about the promotional

activities in order to get more mileage in making the consumers aware about its events

and also the measures what Harsha can take in improving its promotional activities

Hence the study has been entitled as “Study on promotional activities of

Harsha”

In conducting the study prominent numbers of individuals have been interviewed through

a structured questionnaire. By the way of personnel interview, The study was conducted

over a period of Four months and the information gathered as per the requirement of the

company. The information was tabulated and then the validity of data was checked and

analyzed

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RESULTS and FINDINGS

Keeping in view of the objectives, the data so collected from

various sources and were analyzed with the help of appropriate

techniques. The results of the study are presented as below

1) How did you come to know about Harsha?

a) News Paper b) Banner c) Family & Friends

1) How did you come to know about Harsha?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent

Cumulative Percent

News Paper

37 24.7 24.7 24.7

Banner 32 21.3 21.3 46.0 Family &

Friends81 54.0 54.0 100.0

Total 150 100.0 100.0

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Inference:

From the above result we find that out of the survey made on 150 samples 81

people were aware about Harsha with the help of their Family & Friends and 37 got

aware from News paper & 32 from Banner

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4) Why do you go to Harsha for Shopping?

a) Events carried out at Harsha b) Discountsc) Service d) Others

4) Why do you go to Harsha for Shopping?


Cumulative Percent

Events carried out at

Harsha

15 10.0 10.0 10.0

Discounts 37 24.7 24.7 34.7Service 20 13.3 13.3 48.0Others 4 2.7 2.7 50.7Quality Product

51 34.0 34.0 84.7

Brand Image

23 15.3 15.3 100.0

Total 150 100.0 100.0

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Inference:

From the above result we find that 51 people go to Harsha because they get

quality products and 37 people say they go because of discounts and 20 because of the

service provided by Harsha .this shows that most of the people go to Harsha because they

get quality products in Harsha

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5) Mark your satisfaction level for the following features.

FeaturesHighly

SatisfiedSatisfied Neutral

Dissatisfied

Highly Dissatisfied

Discounts

Service

Price

Product Range

5) A Discount


Cumulative Percent

Highly Satisfied

7 4.7 4.7 4.7

Satisfied 45 30.0 30.0 34.7Neutral 33 22.0 22.0 56.7

Dissatisfied 62 41.3 41.3 98.0Highly

Dissatisfied3 2.0 2.0 100.0

Total 150 100.0 100.0

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Inference:

From the above result we find that in case of discounts provided by Harsha most

of the people are dissatisfied from the survey on 150 respondents 62 people say they are

dissatisfied and 45 people say satisfied from the discounts. This shows that Harsha has to

think on improving the discounts what they give to consumers.

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5) B Service


Cumulative Percent

Highly Satisfied

20 13.3 13.3 13.3

Satisfied 59 39.3 39.3 52.7 Neutral 16 10.7 10.7 63.3

Dissatisfied 55 36.7 36.7 100.0 Total 150 100.0 100.0

Inference:

From the above result we find that 59 people say that they are satisfied with the

service what Harsha is giving and 55 people say they are dissatisfied with the service

provided by Harsha this shows that there is no much difference between satisfied people

and dissatisfied people so Harsha has to look on improving the service provided by them.

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5) C Price


Cumulative Percent

Highly Satisfied

6 4.0 4.0 4.0


Dissatisfied 53 35.3 35.3 99.3 Highly

Dissatisfied1 .7 .7 100.0

Total 150 100.0 100.0

Inference:

From the above result we find that out of the survey made on 150 people 58

people say they are satisfied by the price what Harsha charges to the consumers & 53

people say they are dissatisfied with the price of Harsha.

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5) D Product Range


Cumulative Percent

Highly Satisfied

19 12.7 12.7 12.7


Dissatisfied 65 43.3 43.3 90.0 Highly

Dissatisfied15 10.0 10.0 100.0

Total 150 100.0 100.0

Inference:

From the above result we find that out of the survey made on 150 respondents 65

people say they are dissatisfied with the products range what Harsha is having and 45

people say they are satisfied with the product range what Harsha is having. This shows

that there are more dissatisfied people from Harsha

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7) According to you what should be the other media / media vehicle through which

Harsha has to do the promotion activity?

a) Television b) Mobile SMS c) Radio d) Customer Data Base

7) According to you what should be the other media / media vehicle through which

Harsha has to do the promotion activity?


Cumulative Percent

Television 51 34.0 34.0 34.0Mobile SMS 65 43.3 43.3 77.3

Radio 4 2.7 2.7 80.0Customer Data Base

30 20.0 20.0 100.0

Total 150 100.0 100.0

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Inference:

From the above result we find that out of the survey made from 150 respondents

65 people say Harsha has to use Mobile SMS as a source to communicate about the

events and offers and 51 people say they have to show their ads in local cable television

and 30 people say they have to use the source of data base of the customers and should

communicate them about the offers

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6). ). Rank the following parameters when you choose Harsha Consumers and Electronics

(Rank‘1’ for most important parameter and Rank ‘2’ for Important ‘3’ for Neutral,

‘4’ Least Important, ‘5’ Never consider,).

Price


Cumulative Percent

Very Important

55 36.7 36.7 36.7

Important

21 14.0 14.0 50.7

Neutral 16 10.7 10.7 61.3 Least

Important26 17.3 17.3 78.7

Never Consider

32 21.3 21.3 100.0

Total 150 100.0 100.0

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No. Parameter Rank

1 Price

2 Quality3 Availability of Products

4 Warranty Offered by the company

5 Brand Name

6 After sales Service

57


Inference:

From the above result we find that 55 people give more importance for price and

21 people consider it important and 32 people donot consider price when the go for

Harsha for shopping.

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Quality


Cumulative Percent

Very Important

67 44.7 44.7 44.7

Important 65 43.3 43.3 88.0Netrual 18 12.0 12.0 100.0Total 150 100.0 100.0

Inference:

From the above result we find that 45% people give very importance to quality

and 44% consider it important

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Availability of Products


Cumulative Percent

Very Important

37 24.7 24.7 24.7

Important

44 29.3 29.3 54.0

Neutral 28 18.7 18.7 72.7 Least

Important18 12.0 12.0 84.7

Never Consider

23 15.3 15.3 100.0

Total 150 100.0 100.0

Inference:

From the above result we find that 44 people give importance for availability of

products and 37 people give more importance.

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Warranty


Cumulative Percent

Very Important

52 34.7 34.7 34.7

Important 48 32.0 32.0 66.7Netrual 10 6.7 6.7 73.3Least

Important21 14.0 14.0 87.3

Never Consider

19 12.7 12.7 100.0

Total 150 100.0 100.0

Inference:

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”From the above result we find that 35% people give more importance for

warranty and 32% people give importance for warranty and 14% people give least

importance for warrenty

Brand Name


Cumulative Percent

Very Important

29 19.3 19.3 19.3

Important 34 22.7 22.7 42.0Neutral 25 16.7 16.7 58.7Least

Important24 16.0 16.0 74.7

Never Consider

38 25.3 25.3 100.0

Total 150 100.0 100.0

Inference:

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”From the above result we find that 38 people never consider for brand name when

they go for purchasing of products and 34 people say brand name is important for them

at the time of purchase

After sales service


Cumulative Percent

Very Important

71 47.3 47.3 47.3

Important 39 26.0 26.0 73.3Neutral 20 13.3 13.3 86.7Least

Important11 7.3 7.3 94.0

Never Consider

9 6.0 6.0 100.0

Total 150 100.0 100.0

Inference:

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”From the above result we find that 47% people give very importance for after

sales service and 26% people give importance for service this analysis shows that people

give more importance for the service provided by the company

Findings:

81 people were aware about Harsha with the help of their Family & Friends and

37 got aware from News paper & 32 from Banner

51 people go to Harsha because they get quality products and 37 people say they

go because of discounts and 20 because of the service provided by Harsha

From the survey on 150 respondents 62 people say they are dissatisfied and 45

people say satisfied from the discounts.

59 people say that they are satisfied with the service what Harsha is giving and 55

people say they are dissatisfied with the service provided by Harsha.

Out of the survey made on 150 people 58 people say they are satisfied by the

price what Harsha charges to the consumers & 53 people say they are dissatisfied

with the price of Harsha.

Out of the survey made on 150 respondents 65 people say they are dissatisfied

with the products range what Harsha is having and 45 people say they are

satisfied with the product range what Harsha is having.

Out of the survey made from 150 respondents 65 people say Harsha has to use

Mobile SMS as a source to communicate about the events and offers and 51

people say they have to show their ads in local cable television and 30 people say

they have to use the source of data base of the customers and should communicate

them about the offers

we find that 55 people give more importance for price and

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”21 people consider it important and 32 people donot consider price when the go

for Harsha for shopping.

we find that 45% people give very importance to quality and 44% consider it

important

we find that 44 people give importance for availability of products and 37 people

give more importance.

we find that 35% people give more importance for warranty and 32% people give

importance for warranty and 14% people give least importance for warrenty

we find that 38 people never consider for brand name when they go for

purchasing of products and 34 people say brand name is important for them at the

time of purchase

we find that 47% people give very importance for after sales service and 26%

people give importance for service this analysis shows that people give more

importance for the service provided by the company

Recommendations:

Based on the response received from the respondents the following

recommendations are made for the improvement in the functioning and service

conditions of HARSHA.

As most of the respondents are dissatisfied with the discounts provided by Harsha

so Harsha has to look on the discount part of it and should give some more

discounts compare to other players in Hubli.

The difference between satisfied and dissatisfied people in case of service of

Harsha is not more so this shows that Harsha has to provide proper service to their

clients.

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere” Harsha should also have more of the product range in their outlet as most of the

consumers complain about the non availability of the products so in order to cater

the customers Harsha has to improve its product range.

In order to improve its mileage in conveying the customers regarding the events

carried out at Harsha they can use Mobile SMS as a new mode of communication

as most of the consumers have suggested for. They can also use television as a

mode in giving the advertisements

LIMITATIONS

1. The survey was restricted to Hubli city.

2. The period for the research was not enough to study in depth.

3. Where the sample size was limited, i.e. 150 respondents.

4. Analysis of the data generated from questionnaire is done on the assumption that

the respondents have divulged correct information that may not be so with all

respondents

Conclusions-

The study helped me gain valuable insights in Harsha and also as to the factors that what

the consumers expect from the Harsha. This project titled “Study on promotional

activities of Harsha” has been a knowledge gaining experience for me. By interacting

with the respondents. I have been able to understand the activities of Harsha their way

of working and their way of approaching the customers and the importance of

Advertising, i.e. how beneficial is the advertising for any firm to communicate about

their offers and events to the consumers. The results of the survey proved to be

encouraging. The respondents were very positive in providing the information about how

Harsha has to go for promotion and why do they go for Harsha and what measures

Harsha has to take in improving the service to their customers, Though there are many

competitors in the market for this segment, the company HARSHA is doing well by

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Harsha “What You Don’t Get Elsewhere”satisfying its customers by having good relationship with them and. I offer my best

wishes for the same and hope that my work will be of some use for the company

effectiveness.

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study on promotional activities of harsha project report

Business

company harsha

serviceconditions of

organization harsha

harshaso harsha

caterthe customers harsha

pricewhat harsha charges

dissatisfied people

dissatisfied withthe