Assignment 2, Part II: Quantitative Research – Consumer Profile #1

Unveilling the perception-Quantitative Analysis: Consumer Profile #1

Consumer Profile (20 – 39 Years Old)

We start by testing our hypothesis on the Younger consumer group (Aged 20-39 Years Old)

Strength

To test the strength of Burberry’s brand associations, we asked respondents to rate on a 5-point Likert scale their agreeableness to whether they feel the following product characteristics are descriptive of the Burberry brand (Strongly disagree—Strongly agree).

From our survey, “Burberry Checks” had the highest score of 4.37, indicating that respondents felt that checks design was Burberry’s strongest association. All 4 respondents from our in-depth interviews also mentioned the checks design. This is congruent to our hypothesis of checks being an iconic design which is immediately associated with Burberry. Product characteristics close behind are “Likeability of Ambassadors” and “Strong British Heritage”. This is in-line with our hypotheses of Burberry bringing up strong images of “Britishness” and brand ambassador Emma Watson. The associations that scored the lowest i.e. the weakest were “Boring” and “Old-fashioned”, with scores of 3.03 and 2.95 respectively. This is an interesting finding as we thought that Burberry would appear rather boring to the younger crowd. Some survey respondents also mentioned other associations of Burberry, for example “versatile”, “stylish” “trench coat” and “too flashy and therefore not cool”. Majority of in-depth respondents mentioned “trench coat” and “London”. One of them also thought of the different Burberry labels, like “Prorsum, London”.

Favorability

To test the favorability of Burberry’s brand associations, we asked respondents to rate on a 5-point Likert scale the degree of goodness/badness for the Burberry brand to have the following product characteristics (Very bad—Very good).

From our survey, “Quality” was rated the highest with a score of 4.12, indicating that respondents felt that having quality products was the best trademark of Burberry. 3 out of 4 respondents from our in-depth interview also mentioned “reliable, quality-made products” that made them like Burberry. Other characteristics close behind are “Classy” and “Luxurious”. This is an encouraging finding as these characteristics also scored rather high on Strength. The associations that scored the lowest i.e. Burberry’s worst affiliations, were “Boring” and “Old-fashioned”, with scores of 1.88 and 2.22 respectively. Only one respondent from our in-depth interview mentioned that he did not like Burberry as its “designs are conventional and not as stylish as competitors”. This is an interesting finding as respondents tended to be neutral in deciding whether “Boring” and “Old-fashioned” were descriptive characteristics of Burberry. Hence Burberry, although not primarily known by respondents for being boring and old, must steer clear of going down that path, as respondents would not like for it to be so. Other favorable associations mentioned by survey respondents were “thematic style”, “timelessness”, ‘stylish” and “rich”.

Uniqueness

To test the uniqueness of Burberry’s brand associations, we asked respondents to rate on a 5-point Likert scale the degree of uniqueness for the Burberry brand to have the following product characteristics (Highly common—Highly unique).

From our survey, “Burberry checks” clearly had the highest score of 4.22, indicating that the checks design is viewed by respondents as being iconic and distinctive of the Burberry brand, compared to its other associations. In-depth interview respondents also mentioned the checks as a unique selling point Burberry has. Other characteristics which respondents rated highly were “Strong British Heritage” and “Likeability of brand ambassadors”. These were congruent to our hypothesis that the checks design and classic British sensibility were some of the characteristics able to differentiate Burberry from its competitors in the luxury market. Characteristics scoring low on uniqueness i.e. being common were “Boring” and “Expensive”, with scores of 2.72 and 2.85 respectively. This indicates that respondents perceive the nature of “Boring” and “Expensive” to be widespread across the entire luxury market. Some survey respondents mentioned other associations that made Burberry unique, for example,  “stylish”, “timelessness” and “wide price range”. Some of our in-depth interview respondents mentioned how “using beige colour in their products” and “simplistic design” differentiates Burberry from competing brands.

Further Analysis of Burberry’s Brand Equity Pyramid:What aged 20-39 think 

Salience

In un-cued recall where respondents are asked to name the first 3 fashion luxury brands that come to mind, despite low frequency of being mentioned among the first three brands that come to mind, Burberry commands higher ranking than its more frequently mentioned competitors, namely Gucci and LV.

From our findings, we see that the frequency of Burberry being mentioned much lower than that of close competitors like Prada and Gucci, and market leader, LV. However, in terms of ranking, it achieved the average of 1.67, which is higher than both Gucci and LV.

From these results, it reveals that while Burberry is not widely recognised in the market given its low frequency, it yields a relatively high top-of-mind recall among the respondents who are familiar with the brand, based on the average rankings of the brands mentioned.

Hence we infer that Burberry is able to command a strong top-of-mind recall once it falls within the consideration set of the consumer. The challenge here is to extend its awareness to a wider group of consumers so that it becomes part of their consideration set when it comes to luxury fashion brands.

Responses gathered for cued recall reveal that awareness of Burberry is slightly lower than that of Chanel, Prada, LV and Gucci.

This finding goes to support our earlier inference that Burberry needs to strengthen its awareness in the minds of consumers.

When looking at key product categories offered by Burberry, the stronger lines are its apparels (casual and smart wear), in comparison to its bags.

Specifically, Burberry comes in second for both instances when respondents are asked which brand(s) will they buy: (1) when it comes to the casual wear, and (2) when it comes to the smart wear. In comparison, Burberry is not among the top three brands being chosen for bags. From these results, we see that the apparel lines of Burberry is one of the stronger links by which consumers recall Burberry.

The most frequently mentioned elements relate to the distinct design (i.e. checks, chequered, square, tartan, criss-crossed) of many Burberry products. The dominant colour scheme used by Burberry (i.e. beige, brown, neutral, muted) is another element that is highly associated with the brand.

Key product associations include its outerwear (i.e. trench coat, jacket), and interestingly, its leather goods (i.e. bag, handbag, wallet), with the former being a strong association. Other meaningful associations are Emma Watson, the brand ambassador for Burberry, and the style portrayed by Burberry (i.e. classic British). For negative associations, being expensive and having outdated styles are being linked to Burberry.

It can be noted that the key elements mentioned are generally neutral in nature, with positive words being related to its style, while negative words related to its pricing. While the variety of words is not too diversified, specific or detailed description such as “British style” (instead of simply classic) and “trench coat” (instead of merely jackets or apparels) are being mentioned.

Performance

Looking beyond the offerings, we delve into the functional benefits delivered by Burberry, and find that being reliable, durable and stylish are the perceived benefits received by our respondents.

 

Here, we infer that consumers value Burberry for being reliable, durable and stylish. In contrast to being ‘old’ or ‘outdated’, we see ‘stylish’ coming in third place as a perceived benefit in the minds of consumers. Relating this finding to our earlier associations, we deduce that consumers who value the style delivered by Burberry are people who appreciate the classic British style that Burberry brings to the wearer.

Imagery

To test the image of the brand, we asked respondents to rate on a 5-point Likert scale, the extent that they will feel the following emotions, when they think of Burberry. (1 being strongly disagree to 5 bring strongly agree)

Sophistication and competence comes in top for the image of the Burberry brand. This coincides with the team’s hypothesis that Burberry exudes sophistication and elegance, while maintaining modern edginess and British sensibility. Burberry’s elite luxury image is quite strongly etched in the respondents’ minds.

Judgment

Combining the findings from the in-depth interviews and the survey responses, we find that when asked about opinions on Burberry, interviewees hold perspectives and attitudes, with the interesting point of comfort being raised as a likeable trait of Burberry.

In other words, overall judgment towards Burberry is that it has a classic style (albeit considered old-fashion by some), with the negativity most strongly linked to the brand being perceived to be expensive.

Feelings

To test the target consumers’ feelings towards the Burberry brand, we asked respondents to rate on a 5-point Likert scale, the extent that Burberry evoke the following feelings in them. (1 being strongly disagree to 5 bring strongly agree)

The results show that the Burberry brand evokes a great sense of social approval, but ranks lowly on other aspects, such as “excitement”, “fun” and “warmth”. This is worrying for the brand because this shows a lack of emotional connection to the brand.

Resonance

To test the level of resonance for the brand, we asked respondents to rate on a 5-point Likert scale the extent that they argree with the following statements. (1 being strongly disagree to 5 bring strongly agree)

The survey results show that Burberry is very low in resonance in this consumer segment.

66.6% of the respondents did not feel proud to have others know that they are users of Burberry, and this is against the team’s initial hypothesis that consumers will feel elite, fashionable and attractive when people see them wearing the Burberry brand. 88.3% did not feel a “deep connection with others who use Burberry”. Not only do they want to disassociate themselves from the brand, they also did not feel connected to other users of the brand.

Burberry’s disengagement from this consumer segment can also be seen through the 88.3% of respondents who expressed disinterest in visiting Burberry’s website nor Facebook page.

Posted in: For Second Assignment