Abstract

With several brands in the premium shirt market, the Arrow brand faced the challenge of balancing its premium associations that had been nurtured in the past to make the brand contemporary. The concept of “premiumness” with regard to the category had undergone a shift, with equally strong brands (comparable to the Arrow brand) strengthening their positioning on premiumness. Arrow faced several challenging decisions that involved its original positioning. The fundamental decision on revitalizing and reinforcing the brand would depend on the analysis of the changing environment, competitive offerings from competing brands and the perception of consumers on Arrow and its competitors. The premium shirt market had brands that offered comparable functional attributes; and the differentiation of brands was built by both functional attribute positioning and symbolic positioning. Balancing the two aspects and alternating between these two aspects in a dynamic category and environment required an approach that would bring several aspects of consumer behavior towards a brand’s strategy. As the competition intensified, there was need for any brand to delve into the finer aspects of consumer behavior rather than depend on the basic positioning strategies. There was a need to analyze how consumer behavior strategies could contribute to the brand’s positioning strategies. Should Arrow retain its category expertise? Should the brand retain its “country of origin” associations? Should the brand focus on the self-concept associated with the consumer segment? A medley of concepts that can trigger Arrow’s next level of brand strategy is the context posed by this case in an emerging market such as India.

Learning Objective 

*How can some of the principles of consumer behavior be applied to a brand’s strategy?

*How should a brand be revitalized and reinforced beyond the basics of brand positioning strategies?

*How can a brand use principles of brand positioning to revitalize itself when the environment undergoes a change?

*How can personality concepts of consumer behavior used in conjunction with brand positioning when a brand wants to revitalize itself?