Executive Summary

After carrying out the survey and analyzing the outcome it can be stated that majority
of the consumers were exposed to the major media sources in one way or the other,
namely Television, Radio, News Paper and Magazines, Billboards etc. Since the
advertising pioneers are constantly making an effort to update the consumers with
latest products and their usefulness, the consumer thus acts as a retaining and
responding object.

It was analyzed that even though most of the viewers have exposure to all the above
media vehicles but are in habit of switching channels and skipping ads, but those who
watch and listen to the advertisements are able to screen out and retain the
information projected.

Characteristics and the factors affecting consumer-buying decisions

Characteristics Factors
- Cultural 14% Friends 12%
- Social 24% Family 16%
- Personal 36% Advertising 22%
- Psychological 24% Likes and Dislikes 52%
- Status 18%

As one can see that the above stated characteristics equally contribute to the
consumers buying decision, which shows that the cultural and social classes,
reference groups, roles and life cycle stages, Occupation and economic situation,
motivation, perception, believes and attitudes all play a vital role in reinforcing the
advertising message.

While analyzing the factors individually one can say that psychological factors i.e
likes and dislikes is the most important factor that has an impact on consumer buying
decision followed by social status, family and friends.

College of Business Management 1

The features involved in presenting a successful and retainable advertisement by
ranking as observed in the survey are listed below:

1. The main Concept / Idea.

2. Creative Presentation.
3. Life Style Presentation.
4. Jingle, Expert Advice, Models.
5. Celebrity endorsement.

It was noted that 22% of the sample consumers will definitely purchase the product,
buying preference of 52% of the sample will increases if the above stated
characteristics are present in an advertisement and the rest will remain unaffected.
Moreover, it was seen that effective advertising has a major role-play in changing
ones behavior, attitudes and believes towards a particular brand and thus improves
their brand loyalty towards a product.

In the opinion of most of the respondents, advertisements of toothpaste brands is

moderately distinctive as compared to other products, major portion of the toothpaste
consumers suggest that toothpaste advertisements even at a slight attractiveness lure
the consumer to try the brand.

Survey reveals that Close up enjoys outstanding market recognition, followed by

Colgate and English as it was noted that Close up has the best advertising campaign
being voted by 68% of the sample, Colgate and English voted 28% and 4%
respectively.

Close up is voted to have the best advertising campaign, having all the necessary
ingredients for an effective ad, as stated above and also including features such as
attractive color schemes, realistic approach, youth oriented, entertaining and precise.
Thus Close-up is one of the most preferred brands being rated a 62% for preference.

College of Business Management 2

The Jingle by Close up “Saanson mein Taazgi ke Saath” is attractive, recalling and
thus is a clear brand identifier for 95% of our sample size.

According to consumer ranking, the factors for brand preference are listed below:

1. Quality
2. Price
3. Availability
4. Customer Service
5. Advertising.

As more than half of the survey sample voted for advertising being a catalyst for
brand loyalty and Close-up thus being the most preferred brand, 74% of respondents
stated that they would even visit another retail store if the brand was not available.
This clearly signifies Brand loyalty.

Close-up being the most preferred brand of survey target sample and having the best
advertising campaign, must have created a hype in the market, this resorting the
consumers to try the brand and now it is widely accepted and acclaimed not only on
the basis of promises but also their product properties, satisfying the consumers
thoroughly.

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College of Business Management 4
 INTRODUCTION

The origin of Advertising lies thousands of years in the past, it is known as one of the
catalyzing factors for Brand promotion and consumer buying decision. It has always been
one of the Brand highlighting factors for the consumers. An ad if projected realistically
with creative presentation automatically creates the brand awareness and recognition thus
improving consumers’ selection process and preference for the brand.

Despite the lapse of decades the verbal and visual impact of advertising on the
consumer’s Mental and behavioral filters is evident at many instances and in several
manifestations. Gone are the days when advertising was considered as a deliberate
cynical attempt by ambitious, achievement oriented organizations and was employed as a
blatant means to bring them close to the outlined and immodest objective to achieve
power pelf and pecuniary aggrandizement.

In the contemporary era advertising is deemed as a phenomenon that is perhaps the most
integral constituent in the toolbox of an effective marketing manager. In the razzmatazz
world of corporate fat cats always in search of poison pills to outcast every potential
equalizer, the impact of advertising maintains its value vigor and modernity. There’s a lot
more to it than just altering the decision making process and winning naïve customers.
The past is witness, the present is proof and the future would indeed be evident of the
profound and far reaching effects that advertising has on the consumer and the manner in
which this marketing tool takes the consumer through a series of psychological crests and
troughs finally transforming the qualified prospect to a promising patron and advocate of
the good/service advertised.

This research has provided the knowledge and acceptability of the fact that it’s not only
the advertising tool behind the uplift of the product but, the latter’s features and
properties also play a vital ingredient in its sales.

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 HISTORY

Close-up is the original youth brand in Pakistan – the first brand targeting youth in the
oral care market. Ever since its launch in 1975, Close-up has broken every rule in the
book on how toothpastes should behave.

Close-up was the first gel toothpaste to be launched in Pakistan and has led the gel
toothpaste segment ever since. In 1986 Close-up came up with red and green gel. During
2000 close up ultra whitening was introduced which doubled the sales. Looking at the
sales of close up ultra whitening, Close-up in 2003, came up with a new variant of
whitening gel with lemon in it as the lemon mint refreshes and acts as a local analgesic.

In 2004, Close-up was relaunched with a bang. And this time it was packed with the
power of Vitamin Fluoride System – a powerful mix of Vitamins, Fluoride, Mouthwash
and Micro whiteners, the perfect combination of ingredients for fresher breath and
stronger, whiter teeth. Close-up is now the first Gel toothpaste with Fluoride in the
Pakistani Market.

Any person who is concerned about the oral hygiene is the customer of the brand. Since
the overall purchasing power of Pakistani consumer is less, a 48 percent of the market is
captured by toothpowder. Therefore the targeted market is the young teens belonging to
upper middle class who are concerned about the fresh breath and white teeth. Close-up is
the most preferred brand by Pakistani youth. As 60 percent of the population of Pakistan
is the teens, a strong marketing mix is designed to attract the youth of the country. As the
overall global trend is to be closer to the nature, meditation and yoga are the concepts,
used in the ads, which are gaining popularity. Today’s youth believes in having a
lifestyle, which is more close to the nature, as depicted in the ads of Close up.

In Pakistan, people are not as aware or concerned about dental hygiene and oral care as
people in the west. This is because Pakistan has a low literacy rate and the population
lacks the awareness needed for dental hygiene and oral care, which results in low

College of Business Management 6

involvement in the oral care products. Whereas the people in western countries regularly
visit the dentist, here people only do so when they have some major gum or tooth
problem. This results in a habitual buying behavior for consumer products like
toothpastes, which do not have many significant brand differences. People normally stick
to a brand and are brand loyal and they will only try something new if they are really
being offered something better and different. This is where advertising comes in and
plays a big role in enticing and persuading consumers to try the product!

The toothpaste market is operating under monopolistic competition, the market consists
of different toothpastes and different market segments, where each seller can differentiate
their product and charge a different price. Close up faces competition from English,
Medicam and other foreign brands, but the direct competitor of Close-up is Colgate
toothpaste as they both are targeting the same segment.

Pakistani society is health conscious. Islam pays deep emphasis on personal hygiene,
therefore majority of the population are aware of the need for oral health. But as the
majority of the population lives in rural areas, they resort to traditional methods such as
using Miswaak to clean their teeth. Toothpaste manufactures have been creating
awareness of the toothpaste benefits through advertising in newspapers, billboards and
television and therefore have succeeded in gaining public trust by reaching out to the
target audience. People living in urban areas are much more aware of the health benefits
of using toothpaste, therefore quality toothpaste are very popular among the people
dwelling in large cities.

The cultural environment of Pakistan can be divided according to two parts i.e. Rural
Areas – 70%, Urban Areas – 30%. The company has targeted the urban areas as the
literacy rate in the rural areas is quite low and the population lacks awareness needed for
oral hygiene because the people follow old trends in cleaning their teeth. e.g. Miswak,
Manjhan (Coal Paste), Tooth Powder.

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Pakistan has a weak economy where very few people can afford luxury items. For some
people, toothpaste is still a luxury item. People belonging to low-income class still use
tooth powder, as they are affordable. Toothpastes like Colgate and Close-up hold an
inspirational value and represent the well-off and affluent segment of the society.

English toothpaste is the only toothpaste targeting the masses and is therefore low priced.
Therefore it has been able to gain market share as it is bought mostly by the lower middle
and lower classes, which represent a major portion of our population.

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College of Business Management 9
 HYPOTHESIS

H 1 - Close-up’s advertising is most effective in causing a positive impact on consumer

behavior, in the toothpaste market.

H 0 – Advertising has no impact on consumer behavior for toothpaste brands.

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 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The research methodology used is causal – comparative research method. This method is
being used because the effect of an independent variable i.e. advertising is being studied
on the dependent variable that is consumer behavior. The raw data collected, the data
structures and information will help in modeling a cause- effect relationship among the
variables.

This is the most appropriate method for this type of study as it gives the most insight
about the effects of advertising, which is an independent variable on consumer behavior.

Research Design:

The dimensions of my topic are restricted to the two main elements, specifically
Advertising and Consumer Behavior. Advertising is one of the basic tools for product
promotion, and consumer behavior is the effect of advertising and other features on the
consumers buying decision.

I have used primary data collection method, having a sample size of 300 questionnaires,
filled out by targeting household consumers using convenience and judgment sampling
method, surveying people in supermarkets, retail stores and dentists clinics. The sample
ranging between an age group of 18 to 45 having a percentage of 75% and a minor sector
being 45 above. The survey targets mostly upper middle, middle class and lower middle
class.

The questionnaires were filled by 70 household consumers for each toothpaste brand, 25
shopkeepers of supermarkets and retail stores, 50 students from colleges and universities
and 15 dentists.

College of Business Management 11

The primary data collection includes extensive interviews from pioneer of the advertising
field and brand managers of the three toothpaste brands that are a part of the research, as
well as questionnaire-based research.

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College of Business Management 13
 Interview of Mr. Vernon D’cruz, Brand Manager,
Oral Care
Close-up toothpaste

Date: 18th May

Time: 11:15 am
Venue: Unilever
Duration: 45 minutes

Toothpaste is an essential commodity in our everyday lives. It is treated more as a

commodity than a product. We at Unilevers treat each product as unique and distinct
having its separate identity or brand image. The challenge for us is to make such products
as toothpaste which have habitual buying behavior appeal to the consumers in such a way
that they move from low involvement into high involvement when it comes to making
purchase decisions regarding toothpaste. Our products are characterized by superior
quality, excellent product features, attractive packaging and a strong brand image.
However it is an exercise in futility, if we are unable to promote these features to our
target market.

In today’s competitive business environment, it is imperative to communicate

information about the product and promote it in a tailor made way for the targeted market
without insulting their intelligence, that is to say present the product in a way so as to
appeal to the psyche and mindsets of the consumers and at the same time without any
false promises or compromise on quality and product features and benefits. We promise
only what we can deliver and fulfill those promises! That is what has won us the loyalty
of our consumers.

We consider promotion to be the key element in the marketing mix for Close up. Our
consumer is not highly price conscious, as our target market is the upper class and the
upper middle class. Whenever we launch a new advertising campaign for Close-up it’s

College of Business Management 14

on a very lavish scale to catch the consumer’s attention by huge and attractive billboards
scattered in different areas of the city. Close-up has given its media planning to a leading
advertising agency, JWT Asiatic, which is responsible for the layout, design and art
direction of our advertisements.

Advertising can and it does create brand image for a product. It happens when a
consumer has a perception about a product and it can change into brand loyalty after the
consumer has tried it out. Close-up has always worked hard to remain in the minds of the
consumers. It’s just that advertising was always there but the creativity is being noticed
now. It wasn’t so visible before though it was always there. This is because the ads are
more distinctive, creative, interesting and attractive now.

Close-up uses a method though for measuring the effectiveness of an ad called GRP or
Gross Rating Points. Gross Rating Points tell us how many times is an ad viewed and at
what times.

Consumer Insights is what makes a concept great. If the viewer / consumer could relate to
the insight, half the battle is won. The insights could then be either treated with a touch of
humor, emotion, slice of life etc.

The concept behind the ad is that Close-up provides the user the confidence and appeal as
well as the charm and persona it takes to appear attractive and lure company. Our slogan
“ Saanson mein Zinda Dil Taazgi” has been appreciated and recognized for the last half a
decade. Close-up portrays a confident smile. This kind of a promotional strategy seeks to
entice the youth, which is our main target market comprising people between the age
group of 18-25. It is built to identify with the mindsets and psyche of this age group.
Even though toothpaste is a low involvement product and it is frequently purchased and
that too by mostly mothers or housewives this segment of consumers being targeted form
an influential group affecting the choice of the brand for their mothers who usually make
the purchase, since this age group in Pakistan basically represents students or some newly
married couples.

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Close-up is the first brand in the market to come up with the concept of lemon mint,
which is a traditional method people used and still do in some parts of the world for
bringing that extra shine and whitening for teeth. It has the attributes of lemon with the
power of the ultra whitening granules to provide ultra shine and whiteness to teeth. Its
unique selling proposition is its composition of lemon mint “With Vitamin C”, which is
known to provide calcium for stronger gums and teeth. Not only that it has the properties
of fluoride germ killing and its minty mouth wash and micro whiteners act fast on the
teeth to provide strong shiny white teeth and super fresh breath of lemon.
Close-up is differentiated with a very sound unique selling proposition, USP, which has
led to its ultimate success in the market. The lemon ingredient in the toothpaste is the
baby of Unilevers as it was an unheard of concept in toothpastes in our local market to
date.

They are the pioneers for this new concept and have successfully created awareness about
it by spending a huge chunk of their budget on promotion, however the exact amount is
not known, as they did not disclose this information.

Close up is positioned in the mind of the consumers as premium toothpaste providing

superior quality at a high price. It is only targeting a niche segment represented by the
youth of our country, therefore it has promoted the brand in such a way that it will appeal
to the youth.

Close-up lemon mint was launched in 2003 with an aggressive advertising campaign. Its
billboards amply prove that by the look and the slogan, which says “ chaar weeks main
life change”. It shows a young man sitting in a forest meditating over the calm and
serenity of the environment but there is no excitement in his life and no zest whatsoever.
After using close-up, he attracts the company of pleasant looking young women who
bring color to his dull and monotonous life. This is represented in the color yellow, which
the females are wearing as opposed to the white attire he has donned on himself.

College of Business Management 16

Since the image is that of a peppy, youthful product it is promoted in the same manner by
erecting huge billboards all across the town, which have an eye-catching effect and splash
a colorful message about the product attributes and benefits.

Since Close-up is a premium product, it is priced high. We would also like to add here
that it has a very high cost of production since we are manufacturing gels not pastes,
making our brand a cosmetic brand worthy of charging a high price. The prices are
internal driven decided by the headquarters of Unilevers.

College of Business Management 17

 Interview of Mr. Irshad Rabbani, Brand Manager
English Tooth Paste

Date: 21st May

Time: 4:30 p.m.
Venue: 230/E, Block-2 P.E.C.H.S
Duration: 30 minutes

English Tooth paste is one of the leading toothpaste manufacturers in Pakistan. Their
target audience consists mainly of middle class and lower middle class; they have been
serving the local consumer market for over a decade. English toothpaste has been using
tag lines like “Jeet Gaya English Har Gaye Mehangayee” and “Sirf Bara Rupee Main” in
their ads to attract its lower income group customers. English toothpaste has always
focused on getting the bigger chunk of the market by making their product available in
the mass market on the principle of economies of scale. Their pricing strategy is used as
the point of differentiation from other brands that cost much higher. Their ad campaigns
represent the same image in the minds of their target audience as a low quality and low
price product.

While conducting an interview of the brand manager of English toothpaste, Mr Irshad

Rabbani I came to know that they are now trying to change their brand image from a low-
quality low- price product to a high quality product which is designed to cater to the high
profile young generation. This new product has been named as “Aqua Gel transparent”.
The tag line used for launching the ad campaign for this new product is “Pakistan main
pehli bar clear tube clear gel”. Mr Irshad said that this product has been advertised
differently because we want to create a better brand image in the mind of our target
audience, which belongs to educated high profile background. Talking about the brand
loyalty of the consumers he referred to a survey which they had conducted before the

College of Business Management 18

launch of their product Aqua Gel and he said that our consumer’s are 30% brand loyal
and 30% are switchers who like to switch to try any new more attractive brands in the
market.

The focus while developing an ad depends on the strategy for a particular product. In case
of English Aqua Gel their brand manager has pointed that they have mainly focused on
Models and Jingles for preparing their ad, as their target market is young high profile
people who are mostly attracted by melodious jingles and beautiful models rather than an
expert advise or dentist recommendations. They have also used celebrities like Reema for
one of their ads.

Aqua gel for the greater appeal to younger generation has been given line extension in
four different flavors i.e. ice cream soda, lemon, mint & red chili and is available in the
market at a price of Rs 30/-. The brand manager firmly believes that an advertisement
creates a brand image for a product in the minds of consumer and a company can only
have a value based pricing strategy if the company has a good brand building through its
advertising. English consider that their main threat and the closest competitor is Close up
and they have affects from its ads as well.

The ad agencies which are the participants in developing ads for English tooth paste are
Images, Brand Partnership and Imperial House. He also added that English toothpaste
encourages new ideas while developing ads for its products. While wrapping up his
interview he concluded that in Pakistan most of the people belong to middle and lower
middle classes who cant afford to spend high amount of money for their dental hygiene
so English toothpaste is largely bought by this segment of the society therefore their ad
campaigns are designed in such a way to attract them the most.

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 Interview with Ms Farah Naz, Creative Head
JWT Asiatic Communications

After interviewing the creative head from one of the Leading advertising firms of
Pakistan, namely JWT Asiatic Communications Ltd, the responses to the topic were
that its not only the color scheming, model appearance and other factors but the Main
idea/concept and consumer insight that serves as the golden key. Advertisement will
only be memorable and retainable if it has a well-defined strategy, therefore
presenting a clear and well-targeted message is important. As we know our society
revolves around cultural values, beliefs and social status, its proper presentation
enables the viewer to easily relate to it and highlights brand image.

Advertising acts as a catalyst informing the viewer about the product features,
benefits and its importance, and therefore leaving a subconscious message in the
minds of a consumer, triggering his preference for the brand when need arises.
Media persons also rank Quality of the brand being one of the most important factors
followed by price, product availability, advertising and customer service.

When one refers to impact of advertising of toothpaste brands as compared to other

products one can say that toothpaste is a commodity which is huge in Pakistan, thus a
slight impulse or suggestion in advertising makes a consumer want to try out. Though
from here consumer taste preference comes into play and that is a hard nut to crack.

When talking about the effective frequency of advertisement there are many
formulas, but they all boil down if the ad campaign does not have the Big Idea.
Advertising does help in pinpointing significant difference by presenting unique
selling proposition and by giving proper product description, but more than
advertising, it is lead by the brand itself and its predefined audience. Advertising is
only the end product of strategy so one can’t gauge its effectiveness once the ad is on
air, unless the viewers’ results are tracked.

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College of Business Management 21
1. When advertisements show up during a program you………?

When Advertisement Showing up

...

(48%)
(52%)
Switch
Watch or
Channels
Listen

Watch or listen to the

Options Switch Channels
Advertisement
Results 156 144

Analysis

48% target population reacted stating that they switch channels when advertisements
show up that is 144 persons out of the sample of 300 and 52% of the target population
that is 156 persons responded that they watch advertisements when they show up during a
program.

College of Business Management 22

2. While/After watching an advertisement you ___________ provided in the ad (tick
as many).

While/After Watching an Ad. ...

Screen out Info. 50%

42%
Retain Info. %

Interpret Info. 20%

12%

Can't
retain,Interpret or
screenout Info.

Can’t retain,
Screen out Retain Interpret Interpret or
Options
Information Information Information screen out
Information
Results 150 126 60 36

Analysis

After reviewing the data collected through the above mentioned question it shows that
50% that is 150 persons of the target population screen out information, 42% that is 126
persons stated that they can hold on to or retain the information provided in that

College of Business Management 23

advertisement. 20% of the population that is 60 persons stated that they interpret
information provided in that advertisement in support of what they already believe and
12% that is 36 persons stated that they can’t retain, interpret, and screen out information
provided in the advertisement.

The statistics clearly shows that most of the people who watch advertisement are able to
retain and interpret information provided in the advertisement that shows that people are
very receptive to advertisements and pay attention to them and 12% of the people who
watch the advertisement are unable to screen out, interpret and retain information
provided in the advertisement that shows that these people are not paying great attention
to the advertisement and are unable to process the information provided in the
advertisement.

3. While reading newspapers or magazines.

People who read Magazine or Newspaper...

Skip all Ads.

30%
Read all Ads.
58%
12% Read Ads. Of
Products they
need

Read
Skip all Read all
Options Advertisements of
Advertisements Advertisements
products they need

College of Business Management 24

 Results 90 36 174
Analysis

30% of the population skips all ads that are being published in the magazines and
newspapers, 36 people that are 12% of the population read all ads, and 174 persons out of
the target population of 300 that is 58% of the target population read ads of only those
products or services they presently need.

This clearly shows that more than 50% of the people read ads of only those products
which they are presently in need of, therefore what marketers need to do is to work on
creating need of their product through various marketing tools, presentation of the
advertisement should be in such a way that entice the reader to read the ad and the
message in that ad should be such which will persuade the reader to buy the product.

4. In your opinion which characteristic plays a vital role in reinforcing the

advertising message?

Characteristics which reinforces

Advertizing
38%

Cultural
24% 24%
Social
Personal
14%
Psychological

College of Business Management 25

 Options Cultural Social Personal Psychological
Results 42 72 114 72

Analysis

As we know consumer purchases are influenced strongly by cultural, social, personal and
psychological characteristics. Culture includes, sub culture and social class; social
includes reference groups, family, roles and status, personal includes age and life cycle
stage, occupation, economic situation, life style, personality and self-concept.
Psychological characteristics include motivation, perception, learning, beliefs and
attitudes.
These background characteristics combined with environment and the 4P’s of Marketing
effect the buyers’ black box and helps in enforcing the buying decision. After reviewing
the data collected through the survey questionnaire, one can see that personal
characteristics hold the maximum priority having 38% votes, thus it’s the most
influencing factor that reinforces the advertising message and affects the consumers
buying decision. Social and Psychological factor ranking second and Cultural being the
least influencer.

5. What are the basic/primary factors that have an impact on your buying
decisions?

College of Business Management 26

 Factors of Buying Decision
Other Friends
Opinions 10%
Status 3%
15%
Family
13%

Likes & Advertising

Dislikes 18%
41%

Likes & Other

Options Friends Family Advertising Status
Dislikes Opinions
Results 30 39 54 123 45 9

Analysis

The consumers buying decision is dependant on several prioritized factors, Friends and
Family members can strongly influence buyer behavior, the family is the most important
consumer buying organization in the society and it has also been researched extensively.
Advertising has always been a good way to inform and persuade people, whether to sell
Coco Cola worldwide or to get consumers in a developing nation to drink milk,
advertising has always been an influencing factor. A consumer’s personal status is
determined by his position in the society. Ones buying decision is strongly dependant on
his/her status and the persons around them. A person’s personal likes and dislikes also
play a vital role while selection. It is seen that personal liking is one of the most
important factor behind the buying decision, advertising being the second major
constituent followed by status, family, friends and others.

College of Business Management 27

6. What attracts you most in an Advertisement?

Idea/ Concept

Expert Advise

Creative
Presentation

5% 10% 3% 33% A Catchy Jingle

8%
Models

Idea Expert Creative A Model Celebrity Life Other

7%
Concept Advise Presentation Catchy s EndorsementCelebrity
Style s
27% Jingle 7% Endorsement

98 22 80 22 23 16 Life30Style 9

Others
Analysis

For the most effective/attractive ingredient of an advertisement, majority responded in

favor of “Idea or concept” option, being voted by more than 50% of the target sample,
second being Creative presentation voted by 36% of the sample and others being Life
Style (24%), Expert advice (20%), catchy jingle (20%), models (20%) and celebrity
endorsement sharing a 14%, and others being 4%.

Therefore what marketers need to do is to emphasize more on concept development or

the big idea and presenting that idea in a creative way supported by life styles and
accompanied by a catchy jingle, expert advice, endorsements, models.

7. If an advertisement has the qualities you specified above then will you buy that
product?

College of Business Management 28

 No
comments Definitely
(8%) (22%)

Buying Probability
decision of buying
remain will get
unaffected higher
(18%) (52%)

Probability Buying
of buying decision No
Options Definitely
will get remain comments
higher unaffected
Results 66 156 54 24

Analysis

The target Population responded to this question in a way which encourages a marketer
as 52% of the target population voted the option which states that their probability of
buying will get higher if the product advertisement has the factors discussed in the above
question, 22% will definitely buy the product & buying decision of 18% will remain
unaffected.

8. Can an innovative and creative advertisement change your behavior, attitude and
beliefs to a particular brand?

College of Business Management 29

 +

72%
YES NO
216 84
Yes
28%
No
Analysis

In the opinion of 72% of the target population an innovative and creative advertisement
can change their behavior, attitude and beliefs towards a particular brand but is dependent
on the type of advertisement and consumers perceptual filter. 28% selected the Option
“No”.

As we know through doing and learning, people acquire beliefs and attitudes. These in
turn influence their buying behavior. Belief is a descriptive thought that a person has
about something and an attitude is a person’s consistently favorable or unfavorable
evaluations, feelings and tendencies towards an object or idea. It’s observed that if
marketers devise an advertising strategy that is creative and innovative it will triggers the
belief and attitude portion of the person and change it in favor of their product.

9. Do brands recommended by dentists persuade you to buy a toothpaste?

College of Business Management 30

 No
Yes
46% Yes
54% No

Yes No
171 129

Analysis:
More than 50% of the target population responded that they would buy a toothpaste
brand recommended by dentists, whereas 46% said that it has no effect on their
buying behavior. However those people who are health conscious and aware of
dental hygiene do prefer brands recommended by dentists. Colgate is using dentists’
recommendations in some of their ads to target this particular segment of the market.

10. In your opinion does advertising create brand loyalty?

College of Business Management 31

 A d v e rtis in g C re a te s B ra n d L o y a lty
56%
44%

Y es
No

Options Yes No
Result 168 132

Analysis

Brand Loyalty refers to the consistent repurchase of and preference towards a

particular brand. With it consumers can reduce time, thought, and risk whenever
buying a good or service. Its relationship with advertising is positive to some extent
as the former tries to create brand preference and the latter influences brand
preference.

168 respondents out of 300 that is 56% of the target population responded in “Yes”
and 132 out of 300 respondents that is 44% of target population responded in “No”
that shows a mixed opinion but a positive one to some extent as percentage of “Yes”
is higher than “No” one can say that advertising does play a role in creating brand
loyalty.

11. Which factor is the most important to you while considering a toothpaste
brand?

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 12% 6% 20%

18% Price
Quality
Advertising
Brand Image
Packaging

42%

Price Quality Advertising Brand Image Packaging

60 126 54 36 18

Analysis

Products Preference consists of various factors that affect consumer-buying behavior

as one can see through the stats given above that Quality of the toothpaste brands is
the most important factor that influences the consumer preference for one toothpaste
brand over the other.

Price refers to the amount of money charged for a product or service, or the sum of
the values that the consumers exchange for the benefit of having or using the product
or service. Quality refers to the ability of the product to perform its functions; it
includes the products overall durability, reliability, precision, ease of operation and
repair, and other value attributes. It can be seen that Close-up is given the most
preference in Question number 13; thus it can be concluded that the product is of
superior quality and is therefore preferred by quality conscious people.

As it’s evident from the survey results that the product quality is the most important
factor affecting the consumer buying decision as 42% of the target population voted

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in favor of it. Price having 20% votes and advertising having 18% votes are rated
second and third. Brand Image is voted fourth with 12% votes followed by
Packaging.

12. A cool refreshing toothpaste reminds you of?

A Cool Refreshing Toothpaste

8%
7%
20%
Colgate
Close-up
English

Other Brands

65%

Other
Options Close-up Colgate English
Brands
Results 195 60 21 24

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Analysis

As one can see from the statistics given above that Close-up is the brand that a majority
of the people connect with most when they recall a cool refreshing toothpaste. That is
mainly because they have advertised and promoted Close-up as a toothpaste which gives
fresh breath and shiny white teeth and leaves you with refreshing mouth long after. One
can relate this with the impact that advertising of Close-up has on the minds of the
consumers. They have been successful in establishing a positive image of the brand.

13. Which brand comes first to your mind when you refer to the toothpaste market?

100

10

1
Close-up English Colgate
Preference 186 12 102

Analysis

62% of the target population responded in favor of Close-up, 34% responded in favor of
Colgate and 4% in favor of English. That shows that the brand, which resides in the
minds of most of the consumers is Close-up followed by Colgate and English.

14. In your opinion, which one of the following toothpaste brands currently has the
best advertisement campaign?

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 Best Advertisement Campaign
Other
Brands
English (0%)
(4%)

Colgate
(28%) Close -up
(68%)

Other
Options Close-up Colgate English
Opinions
Result 204 84 12 0

Analysis

As we know advertising is a paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of

ideas, good or services by an identified sponsor. Its objective is a specific communication
task to be accomplished with a specific target audience during a specific period of time. It
can be classified by primary purpose – whether the aim is to inform, persuade or remind.
In the viewpoint of the target audience, Close-up has the best advertising campaign as is
evident from the statistics given above, where Close-up has been voted by 68% of the
sample, followed by Colgate 28% and English 4%. Which clearly indicates Close-up’s
advertising superiority and brand awareness in the market.

The below listed reasons are the ones mostly found in a brand while selection and Close-
up has most of them as stated by the survey sample:

 Idea and concept.

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 Presentation.
 Colour Scheming.
 Life Style Projection.
 Entertaining.
 Coverage.
 Realistic.
 Environment.
 Jingle.

15. Celebrity endorsement of a brand…….

38% 36%

26%

Does not affect buying decision

Encourages to buy
Probability of buying will get higher

Does not affect Encourages to Probability of

Options buying buy that buying will get
decisions product higher
Results 108 78 114

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 Analysis

As we know the celebrity endorsement style features highly believable or likable

source endorsing the product. It could be a celebrity or ordinary people saying how
much they like the given product.

After reviewing the survey results one can see varied opinion as 38% of the target
population stated that their probability of buying would get higher if a celebrity has
endorsed the product advertisement. 36% that their buying decision will remain
unaffected and buying decision of 26% of respondents will be encouraged by the
celebrity endorsement.
Hence it is evident that 64%of the respondents buying decision will get affected by
celebrity endorsement in some way or the other, therefore celebrity endorsement is a
good tool to use in ads to influence consumer buying decision.

16. By what rate/frequency you are exposed to your favorite toothpaste brands
advertisements in a day?

28%
1-3 Times
48% 3-6 Times
6-9 Times
8% Don’t Know

16%

Options 1-3 times 3-6 times 6-9 times Don’t Know

Result 24 8 4 14

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Analysis

It has been observed through the survey that 48% of the consumers are exposed to their
favorite toothpaste brands advertisement 1 to 3 times a day. 16% 3 to 6 times a day and
8% 6 to 9 times a day.

It is seen that on average a consumer gets a fair exposure to his favorite brands
advertisement, this means that the ads continuously remind and revitalize the spirit of the
brand image in the minds of the viewers.

17. Is the toothpaste brand you are currently using up to the expectations that you
had after watching its advertisement?

Brand Upto Your Expectation

No 18%

Yes 82%

Options Yes No
Result 246 54

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Analysis

Post purchase behavior is the stage of buyer decision process in which consumer take
further action after purchase based on their satisfaction or dissatisfaction. What
determines whether buyer is satisfied or dissatisfied with the purchase? The answer lies
in the relationship between the consumers’ expectation and the product perceived
performance. If the product falls short of the expectations, the consumer is disappointed;
if it meets expectations the consumer is satisfied; if it exceeds the expectations the
consumer is delighted.

As Close-up is the most preferred brand of our target population, and the reaction of the
consumers regarding this question is that 82% of them think that the brand they are
currently using is up to their expectation. This proves that most of the people are
satisfied with the toothpaste brand they are currently using.
18. If your preferred brand of toothpaste is not available, you would…

Prefered Brand Not

Available

74%

26%

Go to another Shop Buy another brand

Options Go to another shop Buy another brand

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 Result 222 78

Analysis

This reflects a clear picture of Brand Loyalty of consumers towards their preferred
Brands, as 74% of the consumers are willing to go to another shop to purchase their
brand incase of unavailability, this signifies the importance of the brand for a consumer.

Companies therefore need to ensure the presence of important factors in the product
because it creates the brand image and consumer retention leading to Brand Loyalty.

19. Does advertising enables you to pinpoint significant differences between

toothpaste brands, at the point of purchase?

Advertising Differentiates
Between Toothpaste Brands

62%
Yes
38% No

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 Options Yes No
Result 186 114

Analysis

Advertising has been long seen as a tool for brand communication, this medium clearly
projects the brands distinctiveness and their properties, Unique Selling proposition, brand
attributes, and hence is one of the important factors that enable the consumer to
distinguish between brands.

As it is evident, 62% of the people voted saying that yes advertising surely distinguishes
between the presented toothpaste brands, thus helping the consumer to make his
selection.
20. What brand comes to your mind when you hear this jingle “Saanson mein Zinda
Dil Taazgi ke Saath”?

5%

Close Up
Colgate

95%

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 Options Close up Colgate
Result 285 15

Analysis

It is evident from the results that the Jingle refers to Close-up toothpaste. 95% of the
sample identified the Jingle and its slogan immediately. This shows the widespread brand
awareness of Close-up in the market, through their extensive advertising campaigns.

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 HYPOTHESIS

H1 – Close-up’s advertising has caused a positive impact on consumer

behavior. Accepted

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H0 - Advertising is the only factor which effects consumer buying decision.

Rejected

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 CONCLUSION

H1 - Close-up’s advertising has caused a positive impact on consumer behavior.

The hypothesis is “Accepted” as proved through the survey analysis, Close-up is one of
the most preferred brand and its consumers have a substantial brand awareness, brand
knowledge, brand liking, brand preference and conviction in the brand, all these things
are usually communicated through advertising and Close-up has been successful in doing
so. Hence it is proved that Close-up through advertising has created a positive impact on
consumer behavior.

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H 0 – Advertising has no impact on consumer behavior for toothpaste brands.

The alternate hypothesis is “Rejected”, as proved in the survey. Advertising does play a
role in creating awareness about the toothpaste brands. As 68% of the population stated
that advertising helps them to pinpoint significant differences between toothpaste brands
at the point of purchase.

After research and testing the hypothesis it can be concluded that advertising is one of the
important factors behind the uplift of a product. Close-up since past few decades has
created a widespread market recognition and acceptance through advertising but as
tested, it was found that its not only the factor leading to increased sales, other product
features such as Quality, Price, Packaging, Brand Image, Characteristics (cultural, social,
personal, psychological), Income level, Primary factors (Friends, family, likes and
dislikes, status etc.), all these affect the choices consumers make while making their
buying decisions.

RECOMMENDATIONS

It is recommended that if a marketer aims to inflate their product awareness and create its
hype in the market it is necessary to keep in mind to present the U.S.P (Unique Selling
Proposition) in a creative, informative and a message oriented advertisement, with a
proper advertising strategy, which would act as a catalyst towards consumers’ brand
selection.

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