Acknowledgements
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Serap Kocacenk Sara Rubenstein Acknowledgements To begin with, we would like to thank our academic tutor Jens Hultman at the Department of Business at Kristianstad University for his support and input during this project. Further, we would like to thank Annika Fjelkner at the Department of Business at Kristianstad University for her ever so important feedback on the written language in this dissertation. Moreover, we would like to thank the Marketing manager Hans Rubenstein at Jaguar Cars Sweden for his help and support throughout this project and for inviting us to attend the XF event in Malmö. We would also like to thank Mikael Creutz CEO at Jaguar Cars Sweden for his support of our survey and interest in our paper. Further, we would like to thank Linda Andersson Designer at Jaguar Advanced Design for her enthusiasm and valuable information about the design of the Jaguar XF. Finally, we would like to express our gratitude toward the respondents who answered the questionnaire and as a result gave us valuable information for our analysis. Kristianstad, November 2007 Sara Rubenstein Serap Kocacenk 1 Serap Kocacenk Sara Rubenstein Abstract The view of a brand and brand image can be based on a numerous different factors. It is however largely due to historical associations in consumer’s mind and the symbolic value at an emotional level which has been build over the years. Therefore, it is of importance to a company to find the key to the consumer’s perception of a brand in order to be successful. The dissertation examines the difficulties a company is facing when launching a new product in a high-tech industry. The Jaguar Company is operating in the high-tech industry and is interested in entering the market of modern luxury cars targeting a younger audience. The environment consists of increased competition and high demanding customers, creating a complexity of products requiring increased technologies and competences of a company. The Jaguar Company is facing the difficulty of defining positioning and gaining a competitive advantage within the industry. The relevant theories are based on literature reviews with focus on segmentation, targeting and positioning. The research data is collected by the use of a questionnaire handed out at an event arranged by Jaguar in Malmö. Further, the dissertation was limited by the geographical closeness and the time constraint The dissertation is analysing the perception of the Jaguar customer and the positioning of the brand, as well as if that perception of the Jaguar brand changes after the introduction of the Jaguar XF. The dissertation is then concluded by a connection between our results and the research questions, as well as a general summary of our findings and implications for managers. Key words: product launch, brand image, brand identity, positioning, consumer perception 2 Serap Kocacenk Sara Rubenstein Table of content Chapter 1 – Introduction....................................................................7 1.1. Background ......................................................................................... 7 1.2. History................................................................................................. 7 1.3. The Jaguar XF..................................................................................... 9 1.4. Jaguar’s intention with the XF .......................................................... 10 1.5. Discussion concerning problem ........................................................ 11 1.6. Research questions............................................................................ 12 1.7. Purpose.............................................................................................. 12 1.8. Limitations ........................................................................................ 13 1.9. Outline............................................................................................... 14 2. Methodology ...............................................................................15 2.1. Choice of methodology..................................................................... 15 2.2. Data collection (secondary, primary)................................................ 16 2.3. Scientific strategy approach .............................................................. 16 2.4. Research Philosophy......................................................................... 17 2.5. Research Strategy.............................................................................. 17 2.6. Research Method............................................................................... 17 3. Theoretical framework ..............................................................20 3.1. Introduction....................................................................................... 20 3.2. Market segmentation......................................................................... 20 3.3. Target markets................................................................................... 22 3.4. Positioning – concepts and strategies................................................ 23 3.4.1. Positioning Strategies.................................................................... 25 3.4.2. Steps for Positioning a Product..................................................... 27 3.5. Marketing process............................................................................. 28 3.6. Product launch................................................................................... 30 3.6.1. Product design and development .................................................. 31 3.7. Branding............................................................................................ 32 3.7.1. Value proposition.......................................................................... 33 3.7.2. Brand identity................................................................................ 34 3.7.3. Brand identity versus brand image................................................ 35 3.7.4. Corporate branding........................................................................36 3.7.5. Reviving a brand ........................................................................... 38 3.8. Competition....................................................................................... 39 3.9. SWOT – analysis .............................................................................. 40 4. Empirical material .....................................................................42 4.1. Research Design................................................................................ 42 4.2. Ethical issues..................................................................................... 43 4.3. Sample............................................................................................... 43 4.4. Reliability, Validity and Generalisability ......................................... 44 4.4.1. Reliability...................................................................................... 44 4.4.2. Validity.......................................................................................... 45 4.4.3. Generalisability ............................................................................. 45 4.5. The Questionnaire............................................................................. 45 4.5.1. Category Questions....................................................................... 46 4.5.2. Rating Questions........................................................................... 46 3 Serap Kocacenk Sara Rubenstein 4.5.3. Quantitative and Qualitative Questions ........................................ 46 4.6. Data collection.................................................................................. 47 5. Analysis .......................................................................................48 5.1. Introduction....................................................................................... 48 5.2. Analysis of Survey Questions........................................................... 50 Corporate brand perception........................................................................... 51 First impression............................................................................................. 52 Statements ..................................................................................................... 53 Profile driver ................................................................................................. 63 Want .............................................................................................................. 65 Afford............................................................................................................ 65 Theme: Want and Afford ............................................................................. 65 Main competitors .......................................................................................... 68 Strength of the main competitor.................................................................... 70 Core owners and intenders............................................................................ 72 Change of car ................................................................................................ 73 Theme: Most likely to buy the XF ............................................................... 73 Further opinions ............................................................................................ 74 5.3. Jaguar in