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Services Management




                      Notes         Association

                                    The intangibility of the service offer makes it difficult for the marketer to convince consumers about
                                    its credibility, character, or the “ability to keep its word”, “service delivery”, etc. This can be overcome
                                    by associating the offer with some living persona, or known inanimate objects. This is almost akin
                                    to having a known personality endorsing the offer. In this way, the marketer can build a bridge, and
                                    expect the association to rub off positively on the service offer, morphing the endorser’s personality
                                    on it. The consumer makes the analogy, believes the service delivery promise, and gets some idea of
                                    its character. This makes it easier to build a relationship with customers.
                                    ICICI Bank seeks to associate itself with the rejuvenated and dynamic Amitabh Bachchan. ‘The
                                    Big B’ is an appropriate symbol of enduring popularity, versatility, strength, character and
                                    genuine success. The fact that he has overcome a debilitating disease (myasthenia gravis), personal
                                    slur (failed political career, financial impropriety with brother Ajitabh in IPCA and Gammon
                                    India takeovers and questionable relationship with the Gandhis), financial ruin (failed attempts
                                    in satellite broadcasting, ABCL bankruptcy, Miss World fiasco, etc.) spoke of a unique, resilient,
                                    ‘ability to bounce back’ quality. But the key to the endorsement, of course, was the timing of the
                                    comeback: the Kaun Banega Crorepati game show. An Indian clone of ‘Who wants to be a
                                    Millionaire’, the anchoring/hosting was done with surprising finesse and gentility. Bachchan
                                    successfully addressed the whole nation, keeping it spellbound for a year and a half, proving
                                    that he was an inspired choice – both by Siddharth Basu as well as ICICI Bank. ICICI Bank
                                    associated itself with Amitabh Bachchan in its branding exercise.
                                    For NIIT, the leading computer education firm, to get it itself linked with Vishwanathan Anand
                                    was a very intelligent move. NIIT was after all propositioning itself as a mecca for young minds
                                    seeking computer education and intelligent solutions for their career.


                                           Example: Vishwanathan Anand is an international icon of intelligence, a chess
                                    grandmaster.
                                    Singapore Tourism Promotion Board uses the logo ‘Merlion’ the mythical mermaid and lion
                                    morphed together to convey mystery, promise and pleasure that was always associated with
                                    that region right from the time the Britisher Sir Stafford Raffles discovered Singapore, the land
                                    of the lions. The word ‘sing’ means lion in the original lexicography of the subcontinent.
                                    The oldest organisations that used this physical representation effectively are the church and the
                                    universities. The tall spires of churches have always given hope to troubled Christians; their
                                    cathedrals such as St. Paul’s are cavernous, tall and awe-inspiring and have been designed to
                                    make human beings feel small and humble before The Vision of a Higher Power. Old universities
                                    like Budapest, Oxford and Harvard have had their buildings tell most of the success stories.
                                    Parliaments, courts and city halls have seen the importance of buildings in evoking patriotism,
                                    moral sense and in rallying around.




                                       Caselet     Case: Air India

                                          he Maharajah began merely as a rich Indian potentate, symbolising graciousness and
                                       Thigh living. And somewhere along the line his creators gave him a distinctive
                                       personality: his outsized moustache, the striped turban and his aquiline nose.
                                        What began as an attempt for a design for an in-flight memo pad grew to take Air-India’s
                                       sales and promotional messages to millions of travellers across the world. Today, this
                                                                                                           Contd...



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