Consumer behavior Project

NOVEMBER 29. 2013

MBA2K12 (B) – FINAL PROJECT REPORT

CA Sports – A Consumer Behavior Perspective

SUBMITTED TO: Ma’am Fatima Zaheer

SUBMITTED BY: Ali Mughal,

Ali Jaffer,Farah Cheema,

Haseeb Ahmed,Muhammad Bilal,

Shazia Nawaz BajwaTalha Abdul Rauf,

Zoya Mohsin Awan

1 |

ContentsEXECUTIVE SUMMARY.................................................................................................................................1

1.0 INTRODUCTION:....................................................................................................................................4

1.1 HISTORY:................................................................................................................................................5

1.2 COMPETITOR ANALYSIS:........................................................................................................................5

1.3 MARKET ANALYSIS.................................................................................................................................6

SWOT ANALYSIS:......................................................................................................................................6

1.4 CURRENT CONSUMER PROFILING:........................................................................................................7

1.5 CURRENT POSITIONING:........................................................................................................................7

Product Differentiation:...........................................................................................................................7

Image Differentiation:.............................................................................................................................8

1.6 CONSUMER ANALYSIS:.......................................................................................................................8

2.0 CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES.........................................................................................................................8

2.1 HIERARCHY OF EFFECTS MODEL:...........................................................................................................9

2.2 POSITIONING STATEMENT:....................................................................................................................9

2.3 PROPOSED SEGMENTATION:...............................................................................................................10

VALS2 Model:........................................................................................................................................10

2.4 PROPOSED TARGET MARKET:..............................................................................................................12

Demographic segmentation:.............................................................................................................12

Geographic Segmentation:................................................................................................................12

Behavioral segmentation:..................................................................................................................12

Psychographic segmentation:............................................................................................................13

2.5 PROPOSED MARKETING STRATEGIES & CHANNELS:............................................................................13

2.5.1 Rich Media:............................................................................................................................13

2.5.2 Advertisements:.....................................................................................................................13

2.5.3 Sponsorships:.........................................................................................................................14

2.5.4 Talent Hunt:...........................................................................................................................15

2.5.5 Corporate social responsibility:..............................................................................................15

2.5.6 Exclusive stores:.....................................................................................................................16

2.5.7 Scent Marketing:....................................................................................................................16

2.5.8 Subliminal Perception:...........................................................................................................16

2.5.9 Celebrity endorsements:........................................................................................................17

2 |

2.6 ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES.....................................................................................................................17

2.6.1 Classical Conditioning and instrumental learning theory:.............................................................17

Sports........................................................................................................................................................17

Nationalism and patriotism...................................................................................................................17

2.6.2 Novelty:........................................................................................................................................18

2.6.3 Semiotic Model:............................................................................................................................18

2.6.4 Sensory Marketing:.......................................................................................................................19

2.7 ASSOCIATIVE NETWORK:.....................................................................................................................20

3.0 PROMOTIONAL CHANNELS..................................................................................................................20

3.1 Exclusive CA Sports Outlets.............................................................................................................20

3.2 Bill Boards........................................................................................................................................20

3.3 Radio Messages...............................................................................................................................21

3.4 Print Advertisements.......................................................................................................................21

3.4.1 Print Advertisement # 1.........................................................................................................21

3.4.2 Print Advertisement # 2 & 3...................................................................................................22

3.5 Television Commercials...................................................................................................................23

3.5.1 TVC #1- Champions Are Born When No Ones Watching...............................................................23

3.5.2 TVC #2- One Team One Dream.....................................................................................................23

3.6 BRANDING STRATEGIES.......................................................................................................................24

Family Branding.....................................................................................................................................24

CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………25APPENDICES………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….26

EXHIBIT 1, 2 & 3……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….27

3 |

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report revolves around the Pakistani based company, CA Sports. Our aim is to analyze all

its current strategies from the Consumer Behaviour perspective in order to gauge the

effectiveness of its marketing strategies. A survey with sample size 60 was conducted and the

recorded responses helped in the consumer profiling. After carrying out the competitor and

market analysis, several campaign objectives were devised, which in turn helped identify new

target markets and basis for segmentation. For this target market, there are several proposed

marketing strategies including unique TVC’s, radio and print ads, sponsorships, exclusive store

outlets, corporate social responsibility techniques and other media. A 360 degree overhaul for the

campaign for spring 2014 is suggested in order to increase the consumer capacity. The national

spirit is imbibed with the passion and enthusiasm cricket evokes within the Pakistani populace

and this is reflected in the campaign we have formulated for CA Sports. Several media

promotional channels are used and a consistent messaging is delivered tough all of them. This

would help form an associative network for the consumer which would enable family branding.

4 |

1.0 INTRODUCTION:

CA Sports is a company that manufactures and exports cricket equipment and clothing. The products offered by CA sports are Footwear, Apparel, and Sporting Accessories. All the products are well designed and skillfully crafted to meet the delicate requirements of Test Cricket, ODI matches and action demanded T20 games. Its head quarter is in Sialkot, Pakistan. It is mainly serving in Pakistan but other areas like India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Middle East, Southern Africa, United Kingdom, and Australasia are also being served. It is also found in other Countries where Cricket is a popular sport. The company sponsors many great former and current players like Inzamam ul Haq, Javed Miandad, Saeed Anwar, Moin Khan, Saleem Malik, Ijaz Ahmed, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Brian Lara, Carl Hooper, Michael Bevan, Mahela Jayawardene, Marvan Atapattu, Jacob Oram and Shakib Al Hasan.

1.1 HISTORY:CA Sports was founded by Charaghdin Abdulrasheed in 1958, hence named CA Sports. It is involved in the manufacturing and export of cricket equipment and clothing. Charaghdin had an intense interest and vision to become pioneer in this field. Initially he, personally, used to hand craft the cricket bat and other items. His dedication, attention and clear vision along with a dedicated team paved the way for CA sports to emerge as a well-known and trust worthy name in the arena of cricket.

1.2 COMPETITOR ANALYSIS:The domestic sports goods manufacturing industry is one of the main source of foreign exchange earnings of Pakistan. Now it has good reputation in the international markets as well. The major players in Pakistan Sports industry are MB, AB, Ihsan Sports, Boom Boom, Aj, AS, and Slazenger.

SLAZENGER: It is a British sports equipment brand established by Ralph Slazenger 1881 as a small, friendly Company, despite its international operation. But over the years it has grown in size and stature to one of the leading sports companies in the World today . It sponsors England Internationals Paul Collingwood, Matt Prior and Ian Bell as well as South Africa’s Jacques Kallis and one of the major sports events Wimbledon.

IHSAN SPORTS: Started in 1957 today they are amongst the largest exporters of sports balls and sports wears (Hockey, Cricket and soccer wears) in Pakistan. They are sponsoring National cricket teams of Jamaica, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Canada and Kenya and some of the major players like Chris Gayle, Michael McCain and Donna Le Patrick.

BOOM BOOM: It was founded by Ali Ehsan and Zahid Soorty. It is a Pakistani brand targeting cricketers of all the levels. They are offering bats, pads, gloves, kit bags, clothing, shoes etc. and

5 |

sponsoring many prominent cricketers like Shahid Afridi, Herschelle Gibbs, Paul Stirling, John money, Ryan Butterworth, Umar Gull and many other players.

AJ SPORTS: It is an online brand established in 1983 and has international presence as well. It is offering all the cricket related products for example bats, pads, gloves, clothing, accessories etc. It is sponsoring international cricket teams such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, as well as the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and one of the largest clubs in the UK – Spencer Cricket Club.

AB SORTS: It was established by Sheikh Ejaz Ahmad Soni in 1977. It has Pakistan based Head Office in Sialkot (PAKISTAN) and two branch offices one in N.Y. USA (under the name and style of Alba (USA) Inc.) and second in Canada (under the name and style of Soni Star Inc. (CANADA)) respectively. It is offering variety of products including indoor balls, soccer balls, hand balls, cricket set/balls etc.

MB MALIK: MB Malik is an online Sports Store offering a range of products from world's most sought after cricket bats to badminton racquets. They are targeting everyone from professionals to local club to the villages. They are offering not only MB Malik products but all the world’s finest cricket brands including Adidas, Gray Nicolls, Kookaburra, Puma, Yonex and many more.

1.3 MARKET ANALYSIS

SWOT ANALYSIS:Strengths:

1. They are offering wide range of products online as well as offline (footwear, apparel, sporting equipment, etc.)

2. CA Sports has a dedicated Team.3. It has gained a brand reputation because of quality products.4. It has a strong hold in Cricket industry.5. It is not involved in environmental pollution.

Weaknesses:1. It lacks its own distribution channels/ retail outlets.2. CA Sports has low visibility in shelves because of lack of own outlets and inefficient

marketing.3. It has rigid pricing structure.4. It is involved in child labor.

Opportunities:1. It has the opportunity to increase expansion in international market.2. The increasing demand of Cricket kit and apparels.3. Effective advertisement can be used for more market share.

Threats:1. There is an intense competition in sports goods market.2. There are challenges in import/export.

6 |

3. The prices of raw materials are increasing.4. It has to fulfill corporate social responsibility otherwise it can threaten brand image.

1.4 CURRENT CONSUMER PROFILING:CA Sports is one of the major players in Pakistani sports industry but thus far they have failed to reach their true potential. They are mainly focusing on niche market (Professionals) but also catering mass market (general public) to some extent. In niche market, they are targeting national and international cricketers. Whereas in mass market, they are targeting teenagers and adults of middle income group who have strong interest in cricket. In short, all the consumers who care about products’ quality and demand for good performance and functionality and proven technologies in products, form the target market of CA Sports.

1.5 CURRENT POSITIONING:CA Sports has positioned itself as high quality, high priced and high performance brand with respect to cricket kit and apparels. Its points of differentiation (PODs) are quality, durability, reliability and elegance. It positions itself by taking advantage of its PODs. It has managed to create a niche market within sports goods industry.

Product Differentiation: CA Sports keep on improving the quality of its products even though it already gains reputation e.g. continuous development of sportswear, cricket bats etc.

Image Differentiation: Persistence, determination, quality and performance are the main concerns for all the cricketers, so as for the CA Sports.

1.6 CONSUMER ANALYSIS - SURVEY:We have taken a sample size of 60 respondents. 12 questionnaires were incomplete and 7 were not filled correctly. According to survey only 12% respondents were of the view that CA sports is the brand that come to their mind while purchasing which shows that it is the part of evoked set. Consumers currently associate high quality and high price with products of CA Sports. Out of 43 respondents not even a single respondent has encountered an ad of CA sports. 53% have seen the ads of Slazenger and 23% have seen Boom Boom, which shows they are doing enough

advertisement. Product offerings of CA sports are comparable to competitors in terms of quality and price. As competitors like Slazenger, Boom Boom and MB are doing effective advertisement so in order to remain competitive in market they need to market their brand. They must do marketing through TVCs, social media and print ads should be used as future targeting channels as 38% respondents supported TVCs, 29% social media and 17% print ads as medium of communication. They can associate the brand with nationalism because of Pakistani origin for

7 |

promotion. So a number of promotional campaigns should be used for association between national spirit and CA goods.

2.0 CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVESAccording to the current brand positioning and awareness and the survey analysis, we have come up with the following campaign objectives.

Increasing the CA Sports brand association by identifying consumer linking capacity, Enhancing relevance of CA to the identified target segments and cutting through the

clutter, Convey consistent messages and brand image so that there is more clarity in the product

positioning, Capturing the Pakistani audience by bringing in the element of patriotism, Identifying relevant strategies to bring in more market share in the Pakistani audience, Enhancing brand performance and in effect increasing sales, Incorporating the element of novelty into the CA Sports positioning.

2.1 HIERARCHY OF EFFECTS MODEL:Currently, CA Sports is placed in the Low Involvement Hierarchy model. Our campaign strategy is laid out in such a way it would shift from a low involvement product to the experiential hierarchy.

The problem with this type of hierarchy is, that consumers are not particularly knowledgeable about the products especially in the apparel as well as shoes category. The emotional response to a hockey or cricket game may be stimulating, but such is not the case with the specific brand purchase. In fact, people do not have CA Sports in their evoked set. They act on limited knowledge and then decide whether they like the brand or not. Our strategy aims to reverse this process.

This shift would stress the significance of emotional responses as the central aspect of their buying behavior. Intangible aspects of the brand, such as exclusive product outlets, sensory marketing, well established brand name through targeted adverts etc, would help shape a good

8 |

AffectBehaviourCognition

CognitionBehaviourAffect

Before: Low Involvement Hierarchy

After: Experiential Hierarchy

‘affection’. People would buy on this premise and the tangible aspects like quality and pricing would help in gaining life time value of the consumer.

2.2 POSITIONING STATEMENT:“For the Pakistani sports enthusiasts, who want to blend into the sporting community with style and pizzazz, CA Sports infuses the passion of sports in a fashionable manner by giving value for

money. Unlike those, who promise but do not deliver.”

2.3 PROPOSED SEGMENTATION:Currently, the market targeting of this brand isn’t as sophisticated as to win them extensive reach. So we position them on the following basis:

VALS2 Model:

Due to qualitative products, CA Sports is priced slightly higher than its direct local competition, but priced reasonably compared to the indirect competition from Nike and Adidas (in apparel and sportswear). Hence we place them in the ‘innovators’ category with ‘high resource’ variable. The table below identifies the three consumer segments on the VALS2 topology that we chose for the CA Sports brand and their distinct characteristics. The second column highlights the suitable aspects of the products that help devise an effective campaign towards each audience. For these categories, financial resource is not a limitation.

CONSUMER SEGMENT - DESCRIPTION CAMPAIGN FIT

1). Thinkers – They are satisfied, reflective and comfortable. They look for value and durability against the money they pay.

The functional aspects of the CA goods would be highlighted such as the quality of wood and other raw material used , quality of fabric used, moisture control t-shirts and shoes, versatile bat and ball specifications etc.

An informative ad showing the range of goods from velocity to

9 |

matrix shirts and size options and features of the bats.

The ultimate objective would be to provide a range of benefits that prove satisfactory till the company comes up with some better product.

2). Achievers – They are career oriented and prefer predictability to risk or self-discovery. They are attracted to premium products.

The campaign would revolve around vanity related aspects.

Celebrity endorsement by living legends such as Shoaib Malik, Saeed Ajmal, Nasser Jamshed, Shahid Afridi etc. to show how high-ended the brand is.

Emphasize on the taglines: ‘Bound to win’ and ‘where class is an understatement’ to show it is a top notch brand.

Print ads in sports and men’s health magazines to show the exclusivity of the product.

Placement at large, exclusive stores to advocate the element of fashionable elitism.

3). Experiencers – They are impulsive, young and enjoy offbeat or risky experiences. Avid followers of fad and fashion and enjoy socializing.

Since such audience craves for newer experiences, the novelty of the ‘moisture absorption’ and the use of ‘Kashmir wood’ would be highlighted.

The advertisement would revolve around evoking the feelings of excitement and exhilaration.

The adverts would show the experiential nature of cricket that is thrilling in nature for the populace of Pakistan. The rush a sportsman feels while ‘in the zone’

10 |

would be equated with the chic positioning of CA Sports.

Campaign tagline could be ‘One Team One Dream’

2.4 PROPOSED TARGET MARKET:

Demographic segmentation:

The target market of CA sport is between 15-45 years age group with middle to high level of income. It is focusing on both male and female sports fans (as well as women cricket team).

Geographic Segmentation:

The major focus of CA sports is urban area but at the same time it is not completely ignoring the rural area.

Behavioral segmentation:

It is targeting a segment of population that has fitness conscious lifestyle including athletes, Gym regulars, sports enthusiast, Brand freaks, image seekers.

Psychographic segmentation:

It focuses on thinkers, achievers and experiencers.

It is also targeting club level, district level and departmental level sports events and also targeting the coming T20 world cup. Pakistan cricket board is its potential customers. CA sport also has planned to target hockey, basket ball and other sports in near future.

2.5 PROPOSED MARKETING STRATEGIES & CHANNELS:As discussed previously, CA Sports is not deploying its media potential fully. We believe CA Sports can conquer many a new customer just by creating an association with this home based brand. Thus, we have devised a new strategically viable campaign for spring 2014:

11 |

2.5.1 Rich Media:For CA Sports to enhance consumer linking capacity, use of rich and thorough media is vital. It should advertise through all mediums i.e. TV, radio, internet, newspaper, magazines etc. The campaign would include TVC’s and print ads for this purpose. CA sports should have interactive and individualized offerings on its website. CA Sports should make its official face book page thus providing its customers a platform where they can share their views about different sports and the brand itself. This would help in grabbing the maximum attention of its audience and would make adaptation process slow. It would also be helpful for the audience to recall and to recognize the brand more easily because they would come across a lot of stimulus. These ads should be shown on a continuous schedule on different mediums so that the brand of CA sport can be embedded into the minds of the audience. This would help in bringing more clarity to the audience that what CA sport is all about.

Objectives Achieved:

It would help in creating association and give more clarity to the brand.

2.5.2 Advertisements:TVC’s: The major purpose of this whole advertising or promotion campaign has been to

condition the customer is such as manner that they can automatically associate CA sports with the sentiment of nationalism. As mentioned earlier that the people of Pakistan are very passionate about their sports be it Cricket, Hockey or Squash. We think about cricket we experience the national spirit, we become emotional. Since in this case sports in the unconditioned stimulus and nationalism the unconditioned response we would be trying to induct CA as a conditioned stimulus so that the brand could also elicit a feeling of nationalism. To make this possible effective television campaign has been designed. For the strengthening of this association two television campaigns have been designed. These TVC’s would broadcasted on all of the channels which include the news channels and entertainment channels but the main focus would be on the leading sports channels of the country which includes Geo Super and PTV sports. The display of these TVC’s would vary according to the time slots. The TVC would be broadcasted more during the prime time shows as compared to other time slots.

Print ads: The font of tag line, the logo, the theme, the pictures used in print ads should above

threshold level so that messages should be conveyed to the audience properly.

Radio Ads: Another channel which CA sports would be utilizing radio channels to broadcast or

air its messages. This could be a very efficient source to promote a sporting brand like CA sports because quite a few radio channels like 94.6 Fm and Samaa Fm 107.0 broadcast live commentary for the series in which Pakistan participates. So what better opportunity to promote CA sports then to sponsor these broadcasts? Audiences who are going to work or returning or going somewhere else are glued to these broadcasts. The messages could be more effective if

12 |

delivered during these broadcasts because during these matches people can associate with the brand.

Objectives achieved:

By using this, effectiveness and clarity can be achieved.

2.5.3 T20 World Cup Sponsorships:To make campaign more effective CA sport should sponsor sports news, leagues and the coming T20 2014 world cup as far as the new campaign is concerned. It should also sponsor the six and the boundary during the live matches. In addition to this, CA sport should also sponsor live commentary on radio during test matches and other district level matches. CA sports should also sponsor websites like Geo Sport websites and Cricinfo.com. CA sports should also sponsor women cricket team and support them to achieve their goals and make the country proud on its daughters.

Objectives achieved:

Sponsorships help in creating awareness to the masses and thus enhancing brand performance.

2.5.4 Talent Hunt:CA sport should conduct contests and competitions in different colleges and universities all over the Pakistan in February. And it should continue to conduct these kinds of talent hunts to create brand awareness and recognition to the larger audience. CA sports would conduct talent hunt of all the sports like cricket, hockey and squash to bring the best players in the spotlight. So that Pakistan can win another world-cup and make the country proud on its players. In this way, Pakistani team can be among the top cricket team of the world. CA sport should particularly focus on Hockey as it is our national game and is underperforming. It should try to make this sport popular and famous again as it was before.

Objectives achieved:

Talent hunt would help in creating association and awareness of the brand. This would also enhance nationalism and patriotism in the youth.

2.5.5 Corporate social responsibility:Bats in Pakistan are hand-made because of cheap labor. The willow especially known as Kashmir willow is used in making bats in Pakistan. The bats made up of Kashmir willow are usually heavy than the English willow bats. So, CA sports should perform corporate social responsibility by tree plantation and this would also improve its brand image. It would make the audience believe that CA sports is doing something for the welfare of their country and thus benefiting the society.

13 |

Objectives achieved:

CSR activities would help creating the bond and linkage of customers with the brand thus enhancing love for their country.

2.5.6 Exclusive stores:From our survey we were able to point out that the masses thought that CA sports only manufactured products related to cricket. When asked whether they knew about the apparel line of CA sports, the response was negative. So it is necessary to create awareness amongst the masses that CA does not manufacture goods which are only related to cricket but for other sports as well and CA sports also boasts about a complete apparel line as well. These exclusive outlets would not a new distribution channel but a mere source of promotion for the product line that CA has to offer. In these outlets all the products offered by CA sports would be displayed and the customers could walk in try the various sports goods offered by the company. The apparel line would also be displayed for public viewing. These outlets would be established in all the major cities of Pakistan. The major purpose of these outlets would be to increase awareness about the wide range of CA sports products. We want to change the association which has been developed between CA and cricket.

Objectives achieved:

This would increase brand performance and sales would also be increased.

2.5.7 Scent Marketing:Scent marketing should also be used by CA sports in its exclusive stores. Its signature scent should be a mix of mint, white sandalwood, basil, citrus, cedar, soft musk and grapefruit to give customers alert, energetic and active feel. Scent marketing would enhance and improve the capacity of the brand.

Objectives achieved:

Scent marketing would enhance and improve the capacity of the brand. It would also create association in the minds of the people.

2.5.8 Subliminal Perception:The technique of subliminal perception should also be used to make CA sports enter into the audience long term memory. There is front screen for batsman so that he can clearly see the path of the ball. The logo of CA Sports would flash on this front screen for few seconds. It will help the audience recalling the brand because of its storage in the audience’s sub-conscious mind.

Objectives achieved:

It will enhance the likelihood that customer would buy the products of CA Sports.

14 |

2.5.9 Celebrity endorsements:The celebrities like Sohaib Malik, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal should endorse the brand of CA sports. They are loyal Pakistani players; people see them as patriots so by choosing them brand ambassadors of CA national spirit can be enhanced among the audience. These celebrities will help the audience that they can associate themselves with these players and make them feel that they can be successful and famous like them.

Objectives achieved:

It would fulfill the achievement motive of the audience, and also create satisfaction for the customers.

2.6 ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES

2.6.1 Classical Conditioning and instrumental learning theory:In this marketing campaign, CA sport has used both observational learning theories.

Classical conditioning theory:

15 |

Sports

Nationalism and patriotism

CA sports

Unconditioned stimulus

Unconditioned response

Conditioned stimulus

Conditioned response

Instrumental Learning theory:Positive reinforcement should be used in the ads of CA sports. It would convey the message that while having CA sports products you can become successful and famous. It would also arise the feeling that a person having a CA product has proved that he is a real patriot.

2.6.2 Novelty:The CA sport should create novelty by giving ads in exclusive sport magazines like ‘The Cricketer”, “Mag time”, and “Pique”. Besides this, the name of CA should be chalked on the Cricket pitch.

2.6.3 Semiotic Model:

2.6.4 Sensory Marketing:Sensory Marketing should also be used to make CA sports different from other similar offerings in the marketplace thus creating competitive advantage.

Logo: As CA sports logo appears in different color, it makes difficult for customers to associate

color with the brand. So, Green and white the color of Pakistani flag should be used in the logo of CA sports. It would appear on kits and bags and all other products of CA sports. The logo should also contain star and the moon in it. It should also be associated with national spirit and patriotism thus representing Pakistan. In the longer run, this green and white color combination would be so strongly associated with CA sports that it will become the CA sports trade dress eventually.

Jingle: CA sports should use upbeat, fast paced, catchy jingle in all its advertisements regarding

the new campaign and should also use the technique of AUDIO WATERMARKING. As in WorldCup 2003, Pepsi used “Hai koi hum jaisa” album jingle, “aa oo aa oo ay oh aa” sung by

16 |

Object

CA sports and its products

Interpretant

Pakistani Sporting community

Sign

Ca Sports

Strings. This jingle acted like earworm and it became so compulsive that everyone used to hum it while walking, eating, sitting etc.

Use of Kinsei Engineering: Kinsei Engineering should also be used by CA sports to enhance

the grip of bat, racket and hockey as well as to improve their shape and weight. The bats should vary in their length, shape, size and weight. CA sport should also offer variety in its products. For example: Matthew Hayden an Australian batsman always used short bats even he himself was tall and it was the key behind his success. So, CA sports should also offer products according to the choice of players.

2.6 ASSOCIATIVE NETWORK:By incorporating these strategies and all the sensory targeting, we expect the CA Sports consumer to develop the following associative network:

3.0 PROMOTIONAL CHANNELSFor CA sports we are going to use multiple promotion or advertisement channels. Previously CA sports has been banking on its brand name and brand image to attract business but all of this is about to change now. Since we are trying to enhance the scope of CA’s target market, we will have to approach these new segments through media best suited for them.

3.1 Exclusive CA Sports OutletsThis is discussed under section header 2.5.6.

17 |

3.2 Bill BoardsAnother media or advertising channel which would be used to enhance CA’s brand image are the Bill Boards. Bill boards are a highly effective medium to capture the mass audiences. Not everyone is going to visit the website or visit the exclusive outlets to get the information about the brand and its product line. CA sports previous strategy has been to make the best quality products and wait for the customers to come to them. This strategy has left CA sports with serving a specific segment of the market which are the athletes who are part of the national teams or the domestic players. The message is not coming across to the segment which has the majority of the potential customers. This has to change; we have to take the message to the audience. We have to make sure that the customer receives the message at every touch point. By using Bill boards we would also be increasing brand recall. Those who have forgotten that CA sports still exists would be the primary target of this advertising channel. The Bill boards would be designed in such a manner that the audience directly associates the brand with nationalism. In due process we would be using the faces of many national heroes in the sports field for the simple reason that we the people of Pakistan are very emotional. Cricket and Hockey are our passion and whichever sport we follow, we follow it with compassion. The Bill Boards would be displayed on every main highway and boulevard in the major cities of Pakistan. The primary purpose of the bill boards would be to remind people that CA sports still exists and is leaving no stone un turned to serve this nation.

3.3 Radio MessagesThe ads on the radio should be clear in pitch; there should be no noise in it. As radio is the cheap and most widely distributed medium. By using this medium the effectiveness of marketing campaign can be enhanced.

3.4 Print AdvertisementsThe third medium we would be using to advertise or promote our product would be the Print Ads. CA sports would be developing 3-4 print ads to promote its product line to the various market segments it wants to cater. In these 4 print advertisements various marketing appeals and executional frameworks have been employed to get the message across to the target audience. An executional framework is the manner in which the ad appeal is presented.

4 sample print advertisements have been in the appendix section of the report. Following is the discussion of each print advertisement individually to explain its concept and which segment of the market it is trying to capture:

3.4.1 Print Advertisement # 1 (See Exhibit 2.1) The first print ad does not have a specific target audience. This print ad is bound to attract all the segments of the target market but primarily we are trying to attract the household users of CA sports equipment such as the Tape Ball Bat users or those who play sports at the grass root or club level. In this print ad we are trying to attract audience by implementing the emotional marketing appeal and in order to present this appeal we have

18 |

utilized the authoritative executional framework for the simple reason that Nasir Jamshed is an expert in this field and he gives his blessings to this brand by endorsing it. We are trying to utilize this appeal because emotional advertising can capture a viewer’s attention and cause an attachment to develop between the consumer and the brand. We all know that we always associate emotionally with our national heroes. We always go for the merchandise which our sports heroes endorse or use. Since this is just a sample in which Nasir Jamshed has been utilized as the face of CA sports. People will associate with Nasir Jamshed and recognize that CA sports are contributing to the success of these players since they are using the brands equipment. For the various versions of this print ad we are going to be utilizing many faces such as Shahid Afridi and Muhammad Hafeez (cricket), Abdul Haseem Khan (Hockey) and Muhammad Essa (Football). By following this strategy we would be able to make an impression that CA sports is going out of its way to work the survival, resurrection and promotion of sports in Pakistan. We are also trying to associate the national spirit with our brand that is CA sports. It has been highlighted that CA sports is the official suppliers of cricket equipment for the Pakistan Cricket Team for well over a decade now which clearly identifies that CA sports has been serving the national team for a substantial amount of time now. The crust embedded is the advertisement will also create a feeling of nationalism because it is the same crust which is part of the Pakistan National Flag. We the people of Pakistan follow our sports with passion and national fervor. So when people view this advertisement and process it the audience would also be able to associate CA sports with the national spirit. These print ads will be published in all of the leading newspapers, sports magazines and journals.

3.4.2 Print Advertisement # 2 & 3(See Exhibit 2.2 & 2.3) In this section we would focusing on both the second & third since they belong to same category which is the Informative Print Ads. In both the second and third print advertisement we are using the element of emotional as well as the rational marketing appeal and in order to present this appeal we have used the informative executional framework. In both the advertisements we have used members of the national cricket team Saeed Ajmal and Shoaib Malik which would appeal to the emotional side of our brain. But the main purpose of this ad is not to use the emotional appeal but to focus on the rational appeal. In print ad # 2 we have displayed the various types of Shirts the national team utilizes. They are currently utilizing two types of shirts currently which are the Velocity shirts and the Matrix shirts. We have given complete details about this apparel; the material used conditions in which these shirts are suitable and the benefits these shirts offer to the athlete. The ad also specifies the sizes and colors available in this piece of apparel. Similarly in the Print Ad # 3 besides using the picture of Shoaib Malik to draw an emotional attachment the features and specifications of CA-12000 bat have been provided. The Print Ad provides details about the size options to the user. The ad also gives the specification of the CA-12000 such as details about the weight range, the handle, handle shape, sweet spot, profile and grip. This advertisement is just a sample, CA manufactures at least 15 types of bats and print ads would be designed for each types of bat to give customers insight about which bat suits them the best. The positive element present in this print ad which is

19 |

the information has been absent from CA sports previous campaigns. When the customer stepped into the shops they didn’t know about the features of the bat and ended up making the wrong choice and selecting the alternative brand. These Print Ads would be displayed at every sports outlet which carries the brand. This type of print ad makes the purchase decision easier for the customer. The element of national spirit remains intact as the customer tries to associate himself with the athlete endorsing the product.

3.5 Television CommercialsIn order to enhance brand performance, the advertisements used by CA sports regarding its new campaign should be made intense and relevant to the theme in order to avoid habituation. The color combination, the voice, the music and other stimulus used in its advertisements are above absolute threshold level so that they can be noticeable by the audience.

3.5.1 TVC #1- Champions Are Born When No Ones WatchingThe concept behind this TVC would be to try to revive the interest of the audience into the sport of cricket. As an audience ourselves we have realized that interest in the sport is fading, the children who used to fill the grounds to play cricket are turning towards the other sports. One of the primary reasons for this decline is that no one is investing in the promotion of this sport. Perception is that cricket is all about money, there is no value of talent in this sport. Resultantly the enthusiasts are dejected. So TVC would begin by showing a kid dragging his bat through the mud shrugging his shoulder and head down and then move towards the point where we show how CA is working to promote the sport and revive the interest of the audience.

3.5.2 TVC #2- One Team One DreamBefore we start to explain the concept of the second TVC we want to bring to your attention that this advertisement or promotion campaign of CA sports is going to be launched in the spring of 2014 which would basically start from the late February to late March. In this time period Pakistan Cricket Team would be playing the T-20 World Cup in Bangladesh. We would be using the clips of the historic victories claimed by the Pakistan Cricket Team. The Clips would be from the historic 1992 world cup, 2009 T20 world cup etc. The music in the background would be of the National Anthem of Pakistan guitar version which would automatically strike an emotional chord with the audience. The attempt would be boost the confidence of the team. Through this TVC we would also be promoting that CA sports would be the official sponsor for the Pakistan Cricket Team. And the official merchandise of the PCT for the T 20 world cup would be available for online sale through the website. So the theme would be to support the team and promote the brand.

20 |

3.6 BRANDING STRATEGIES

Family BrandingThe branding strategy which CA sports has been using and would continue to use is the family or otherwise known as the umbrella branding. All the goods that CA sports manufacture come under the same name that is CA. CA sports has two distinct product lines which are the sports equipment and the other is the sports apparel line. The sports equipment product line includes the complete cricket kit (bats, ball, gloves, helmet, arm guard and pads) and the complete Hockey kit. The second product line which includes sports apparel ranges from apparel for National Cricket team to hockey apparel, to football apparel and finally to basketball apparel. Although CA sports has two distinct product lines but still the brand name remains the same. CA sports as the name also implies that it has not ventured into untested waters as yet.

4.0 CONCLUSIONThe Pakistani sports goods industry has always produced the best quality products and has been serving countries that enjoy sports either directly or indirectly. Thus far, we have analyzed the current standing of CA Sports against our survey results (See APPENDIX 3) and proposed the marketing strategies that would help us achieve the derived promotional objectives. We believe that Charaghdin Abdulrasheed Sports has immense potential. However, this can only be cashed through carefully targeted marketing and improvising on its present strategies. We chose this brand since it has a lot of potential to grow and needs to positively market the company’s, industry’s and the country’s image to the national as well as international media. C.A majorly produces cricket goods and cricket has a strong association in the minds of Pakistani consumer. We intend to strengthen that bond associating cricket to the national spirit of Pakistani audience.

21 |

APPENDICES

1. Bibliography

2. AFP RELAXNEWS, ( 2012). Fashion Five sports-inspired summer 2012 Scents for men; Chanel, Thierry Mugler, Hugo Boss offer 'athletic' scent. Retrieved 29.11.2013. Available at: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/fashion/sports-inspired-summer-2012-scents-men-chanel-thierry-mugler-hugo-boss-offer-athletic-scents-article-1.

3. Barlow.T. (2009, May, 27). Nissan knows you're sleepy, sends a scent to keep you alert. Retrieved 29.11.2013. Available at: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/07/27/nissan-knows-youre-sleepy-sends-a-scent-to-keep-you-alert/.

4. Friedman, H.H, Friedman, L. „Endorsers Effectiveness by Product Type‟, Journal of

Advertising Research, Vol. 19, Issue 5, (1979), pp63-71. Tripp, C., Jensen, T.D., Carlson,

L. „The Effect of Multiple Product Endorsements by Celebrities on Consumer Attitudes

and Intentions‟, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 20, Issue 4, (1994), pp535-547.

Rossiter, J.R. and Percy L. (1997). Advertising communications and promotion

management. (2nd ed). International edition.

5. Hsu, C. and McDonald, D., (2002). “An examination on multiple celebrity endorsers in

advertising”, Journal of Product & Brand management, Vol. 11, No.1, pp. 19-29.

6. Majeed, S., & Razzak, S. (2011). The Impact of Television Advertisement Repetition,

Celebrity Endorsement and Perceived Quality on Consumer Purchase Decision. Australian

Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 3044-3051.

7. Mullikin, L.J. and Petty, D.R. (2006). “The regulation of practices that promote brand

interest: a”3Cs” guide for consumer brand manager”, Journal of Product & Brand

22 |

Management, Vol. 15, No.1, pp. 23-36. Till, D.B. (1998). “Using celebrity endorsers

effectively: lessons from associative learning”, Journal of Product and Brand Management,

Vol. 7, No.5, pp. 400-409.

2. PRINT ADS

EXHIBIT 2.1

23 |

EXHIBIT 2.2

EXHIBIT 2.3.

24 |

EXHIBIT 2.4:

EXHIBIT 5:

PROPOSED LOGOS:1.

25 |

2.

EXHIBIT 3:3.1 SURVEY

1) Age bracket you fall in:a) 10-15 b) 15-25 c) 25-35 d) 35-45

2) Which sports you like playing the most??

Specify please

3) Which brand comes to your mind when thinking of purchasing cricket accessories?

Specify Please

4) Your buying decision would be most likely to be based onPriceQualityConvenienceBrand name

5) Rank the following brands according to your preferencesa) Aj b) MB, c) AB, d) CA d) Ihsan Sports, e)Boom Boom, f) AS, g) Slazenger

6) Have you ever seen any advertisement of any of the following Sports brands?

26 |

a) Aj b) MB, c) AB, d) Ihsan Sports, e)Boom Boom, f) AS, g) Slazenger

7) Have you ever seen any advertisement of CA Sports?a) Yes b) NO

8) If Yes Specify the medium please:9) What do you think the country origin of CA Sports?

a) India b) South Africa c) Pakistan d) Sirilanka e) England f) New zeland

10) Among the following companies, which company franchise would you prefer when buying cricket accessories?

Boom boomCAIhsan SportsAJASNike

11) Compare to CA competitors does the company’s offering isMuch better slightly better about the same slightly worse worse

12) Which among the following will be the most effective medium of promotionPrint media TVC Billboards Radio Social media

3.2 SURVEY RESULTS

27 |

28 |

29 |