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BRAND IMAGE OF HYDERABAD AMONG FOREIGNERS: AN EMPRIRICAL STUDY

Afrig Wasiso MBA (Marketing), Nizam College (OU)

INTRODUCTION
Background and context of the study

Nations and Cities are under competition for Investments, talents, tourist, residents, etc. Some cities respond this challenge through city branding: Shanghai & Beijing (China), Singapore, Dubai, KL (Malaysia), etc. City branding is the latest approach on city marketing which is more holistic, integrated, and long term oriented. Positioning, Urban planning, Infrastructure development, adjusting rules & regulations, communication.

Hyderabad tries to position it self as an IT Hub of India and Asia. Branded as Cyberabad. Infrastructures are built, Facilities improved, MNCs are invited, International events been hosted, the city is been marketed.

Is it successful?

What is a brand? Can we brand a city? What is City Brand? How to measure a city brand?

LITERATURE REVIEW

In which dimensions? By which method?

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What is a brand?
Brand is a product or service made distinctive by its positioning relative to the competition and by its personality, which comprises a unique combination of functional attributes and symbolic values. Kavaratzis& Ashworth (2010) A branded product requires a brand identity, a brand differentiation and a brand personality (Aaker 1996) Combination of name, identity, and reputation. Anholt & Hildreth (2009). Patricia Nicollino (2004), Brand as an identifiable entity that create specific promises about VALUE.

About City Brand

City Brand is a result of holistic city marketing & city development (Rainisto, 2005). City brand is adopted from corporate brand (Kavaratzis, 2005) City brand is much more complex than product & corporate brand (Anholt & Hildreth, 2009) (Braun et al, 2013) (Zenker, 2013). Mixture of deliberate-accidental, fair unfair Should satisfy many target groups Many communication contact points

As long as it has the elements of a brand (name, positioning, functional attributes, symbols, reputation, promises, value, etc) everything can be branded, including a city

How to measure a city brand?

In which dimensions?
Anholt (2006) The place The pulse The people The potential The prerequisites The presence Place history Grabow et al. (1995) Spatial picture Cultural picture Business picture Historic picture Urbanity and diversity Job chances Place quality Cost efficiency Place familiarity Place inhabitants Place business Zenker et al. (2009) Nature and recreation Combined place categories Place characteristics

OBJECTIVES

By which method?
Free Association Standardized attributes Combined Approach (Zenker, 2011)

1
Measuring the current city image of Hyderabad among foreigners

RESEARCH DESIGN

2
Give recommendations on effective city branding program for Hyderabad.

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Approach of City Brand Research: Combined approach: Using both free associations and standardized questions. Dimensions of City Brand: Anholt-Gfk 6 city brand dimensions: The Presence, The Place, The Prerequisite, The Pulse, The People, The Potentials Data Collection Method: Survey Measurement and Scaling Procedure Five response categories (Agree/disagreement) with Likert Scaling & Measurement QuestionaireDesign 56 standard questions, 8 free association questions, measuring Anholts 6 city brand dimensions.

SAMPLE DESIGN

Sampling Technique
Quota sampling Non probabilistic sampling technique that consist of two stage restricted purposive judgmental sampling (Maholtra, 2010).

Sample Size
100 Respondents Foreign Citizen who have visited Hyderabad Either Male or Female Sample represents at least 20 countries At least 15% non student.

ANALYSIS

Maholtra, N.K., (2010). Marketing Research, An Applied Orientation, Pearson Publication

Collected Data 100 respondents, from 28 Countries, 17% are non Students Method of Analysis & Interpretation:
Word Association: Content Analysis (number of mentions, positive or negative, modern or heritage) Standard Questions: Likert scale measurement, ranging between (-2) until (+2). Scoring: Having 100 respondents, thus the maximum score for each question is 200 and the minimum score is -200.

The Presence
(Hyderabads International Standing)
Average rating is moderately positive (30.8) Brand Awareness & Knowledge are low (16), (-52) Good perceived international contribution on IT

The Place
(Hyderabad as a place to live)
Average score is very low (2.3) Negative score for cleanliness, city arrangement, climate, open spaces (-82, -65, -17, -16) Word associations: 60% positive, nice most mentioned.

Rating Criteria:
Poor: Score below -100 Weak: Score between 0 to -100 Moderately Positive: 0 to 100 Strongly Positive: Above 100

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The Pulse
(Hyderabads Urban Entertainment)
Average rating is moderately positive (48) Most items got score below 30 Better score for activities related to shopping, food, & IT. Word associations: 67% positive, so so most mentioned.

The People
Average rating is moderately positive (41) Good score: Hyderabad people expert in IT (77), good working partners (66) Bad score: Prejudice to foreigners, communication problem Word associations: 68% positive, Friendly most mentioned.

The Prerequisite (Citys infrastructure & basic requirement)

Average rating is moderately positive (46) Good score on IT related items IT infrastructure (98), IT business & trade (87), and communication infrastructure (77). Negative score on Good governance, electricity, and environment (air, water) Word associations: Infrastructure: 54%, IT Infrastructure: 79%, Good most mentioned .

The Potential
Average rating is moderately positive (52) The potentiality related to IT, business, and education are rated with higher score between 63 to 72 Lower rating were given to statement about getting a job and improving career (12). And on bringing family member to Hyderabad. Word associations: 86% positive, High Potentiality most mentioned.

CONCLUSIONS

Associations related to Cultural Heritage still out-weight the modern associations Score for questions related to IT are good (average: 77.2)

Recommendations:
Continue to focus on IT More above the line marketing activities to enhance the overall score Improve the quality of Hyderabad as a place to live.

THANK YOU