Ethnic consumers consulting case analysis

Identifying the case´s key features and presented issue
In order to better analyse the demands proposed by the professor, first it is useful to present the main background information given on the case description, to be known as the following:
• Date and place: September 2010 in Mumbai, India.
• Actors involved: Nitya Guruvayurappan, whose aspiration is to start a consulting company that deals exclusively with behavior issues unique to the Indian context, is prospecting a manufacturer of hair oil and fairness cream as her first client.
• Central issue: Nitya Guruvayurappan must use data from a research publication she co-authored in 2007 to bring insights for the client on consumer values (not extensively previous studied on such market) and specifically use some frameworks to understand how brands could differentiate themselves using values unique to the Indian context, matter possible to be scrutinized after she had identified an area of differentiation based on cultural values and ritual experiences from which brands in emerging markets could benefit when were pitched against one another. Some related topics to be addressed were: to what extent emerging markets as India differ from developed markets on consumer values? Is it possible that brand differentiation transcend the usual generic symbolic benefit to accommodate brand symbolism associated with deeper level of values? Are the existing brands already connecting themselves with the diverse value associated to the Indian consumers? And finally, could values get associated with different socio-economic classes of consumers?

Assignment questions

What are the differences with regard to cultural values across social classes and their implications on different product categories?
First, it is suitable to have a coherent understand about the emerging Indian household’s profile (2010):
• Lower class: Deprived (103 million HHs, 1.000.000rs): senior executives in large corporations, owners of large