A research submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration, School of Management

Research Studies Project Report (M.B.A.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2002

With its long presence in the market, complimented by outstanding perf01mance and reputation, Dutch Mill brand is widely recognized in Thailand and is increasing its presence in the Asia -Pacific region. Though Dutch Mill is widely recognized, this recognition extends mostly to the product category-drinking yogurt. Any Thai who thinks of yogurt has to have Dutch Mill in the evocate set. The question then arises that is that enough? Further this problem is compounded by the increase in competition, both foreign and domestic. Confronting these problems and more the Dutch Mill brand has initiated to building a strong favorable image of the brand and not just the awareness. The Dutch Mill group believes branding, to be the strategic key to success and the enhancement of the overall competitiveness of the company. This research aims at investigating the brand by the way of conducting a brand audit. The said audit involves the analysis of both brand inventory and exploratory, of both Dutch Mill and its competitors. The results of the analysis brings out that the Dutch Mill brand has a relatively strong brand inventory, however there exits some facets that require strengthening. On the other hand the exploratory analysis brings out that though the brand has accumulated great acceptance and has a stronger image than its competitors, which does not necessarily guarantee or mean that there is great brand loyalty. In other words the consumers might be aware of and satisfied with the brand but as yogurt is a low involvement product the consumers are high brand switchers- dependent on availability and price. In order to build brand loyalty, the last chapter brings out Dutch Mill specific recommendations, which the author believe are critical for Dutch Mill's future success story.