Research (9.22.19)
Research (9.22.19)
Research (9.22.19)
ON COSMETIC PRODUCTS
A Research Paper
In Research
By:
De Ocampo, Regiena S.
A. Introduction
purchase decision about a specific product or service. It is considered as an essential element for
the economic growth of marketers as well as businesses (Ryans, 1996). Advertising is usually
referred to as the form of promotion or exposure being conveyed through different media such as
newspapers, magazines, radio advertisements, television commercials and etc. In today’s era
where technology improved the lifestyle of people, technology also enabled advertising to be
delivered through the use of modern media such as blogs, websites, etc. (Ahmed & Ashfaq, 2013).
Marketers are always adapting to the ever-changing business demands in terms of creating
new advertisements. Nowadays, almost all businesses are leaning towards digital advertising. With
the growing number of people using different social media, various businesses have decided to use
these social media as a platform for promoting their products or services. Almost every huge local
and multinational companies are practicing digital marketing in full swing (Haider & Shakib,
2017).
behavior. Advertisements are used by different marketers as a form of marketing strategy that
creates brand awareness. It is evident that nowadays, consumers only buy products which are
familiar to them. Usually, they do not have enough time to do a background research about a
certain brand, thus, they only get products from the brands which they knew or heard of. This gives
marketers an idea to promote their products in a way in which it will create a long-lasting
impression to their target consumers that will encourage them to buy the said products.
In this study, the researchers introduced various variables and attempted to analyze their
impact on consumer buying behavior. This study aims to determine what variable primarily
influences the purchase decision of the consumers and what variable is the least significant in terms
of impact on consumer buying behavior. Not only will this study offer beneficial insights for
marketers, it will also help them see the factors affecting consumer buying behavior which they
can manipulate in order to achieve the maximum benefits they can get from their advertisements.
B. Background of the Study
According to an article made by the Business World, the cosmetics and toiletries industry
(C&T) in the Asia Pacific Region continues to flourish with an annual growth rate of 6.3%. The
sales of the said industry mostly come from Indonesia and Philippines. This data provided by
analytics shows the increasing number of Filipinos who buy cosmetic products in order to keep up
with the trends both in fashion and in beauty. In today’s era where people’s concern is centered in
their outward appearance, it is evident that numerous people, especially women, are in search for
products which will help them meet the ideal beauty standard. Nowadays, it is not surprising to
see a growing number of teenagers trying on different cosmetic products to make them look mature
whereas middle-aged women are looking for cosmetic products which will make them look young
and still beautiful to the eyes of the society. Society’s standard of beauty influences people’s belief
about themselves. As a result, the desire to look good and be acceptable in the society highly
In line with this pursuit, different brands are bombarding their consumers with various
cosmetic products advertisements on a daily basis. Numerous brand advertisements are seen in
every corner, promoting cosmetic products which are said to enhance one’s beauty in a blink of an
eye. These advertisements not only act as a primary source of information about the cosmetic
product it promotes, but it also motivates the target consumers to purchase the said product.
This study aims to focus on the impact of advertisements on consumer buying behavior.
Consumer buying behavior is typically affected by various factors which include brand image,
lifestyle, purchasing power, culture, consumer opinion and brand awareness. Advertisements assist
the company to generate brand awareness in their target customers, thus shaping the perception of
the consumers about a particular brand and its products either in the positive or in a negative way.
People can assess the quality of the products a certain brand offers by gathering information which
are commonly delivered through advertisements. These factors affect the consumer buying
decision. This study seeks to evaluate these factors that influence the consumer buying behavior.
This study aims to provide useful insights about the role of advertisements in shaping consumer
buying behavior.
C. Statement of the Problem
The interference of consumer behavior by the adverse advertisement’s has been on the rise
in the last decade. This brought the changing tides in the levels of consumer and product relations
like making others develop a diverse habit of being addicted to advertisement campaigns.
Because of this, companies allot a huge amount of money for their advertisements so that
they can remain competitive in their industry. It is proven that advertisements are useful, but
companies still wonder about the impact of advertisement to the consumer buying behavior or how
Consumer behavior refers to the actions or attitudes of the consumers in the marketplace,
how they make decisions on whether they’ll buy or not and what brand of product they’ll purchase.
According to Smith and Swinyard (1983), attitude as cited in Ghulan, Javana Burhan, Ahmed
(2017) is acquired behavior disposition. Adhelaar et al (2003) suggested that behavior is a result
of emotional response which appears when consumers watch an advertisement about the brand
and then eventually willing to pursue it as argued by Goldsmith and Lafferty (2002).
E. Assumptions and Hypotheses
behavior
behavior
F. Significance of the Study
enumerates and analyzes the variables present in various cosmetic products’ advertisements which
With this, the study results of the study will be of great benefit to the following:
Marketing Managers & Executives. The results of the study will help marketers to focus on
improving the aspects of their advertisements, which affects the buying patterns of their
Advertising Team. The results of the study will help the advertising team come up with useful
insights which will assist the marketing manager in creating/ improving promotional strategies.
Consumers. The results of the study will help the consumers analyze their buying patterns,
especially the factors which affect their behavior towards a certain brand. This study will help
them reflect on whether their buying patterns depend on how a certain brand appeal to them
The main focus of this research is the impact of advertisement to consumers’ buying
behavior on cosmetics products. The conscious drawn from the study are based on the responses
given by the consumers in a specific area. The researchers aim to focus on the buying behavior of
the young adults who are using any form of cosmetics. This study will be helpful in getting an
insight into the perception of consumers on advertisements and its impact on changing the buying
This research will not study the buying behaviors of the consumers that has an age beyond
18-35. The researchers will not tackle other types of industry other than the cosmetic industry.
H. Definition of Terms
Consumer buying behavior refers to the methods involved when individuals or groups
choose, buy, utilize or dispose of products, services, concepts or experiences to suit their needs
Advertisement
Advertisement is defined as a paid notice that tells people about a product or service. A
picture, short film, song, etc. that tries to persuade people to buy a product or service. (Cambridge
Dictionary)
Advertising
Cosmetics
introduced into, or otherwise applied to the human body...for cleansing, beautifying, promoting
attractiveness, or altering the appearance. (The Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act, 2017)
Influence
(ProjectClue, 2019)
Media
Media is the main ways that a large number of people generates information or get
Consumers
Consumers are the people who buy goods and use it for services. (ProjectClue, 2019)
Product
Product is anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, and
Services
Services is any act of performance that can be offered to another that is essentially
intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything. (ProjectClue, 2019)
Familiarity
have been gathered by the consumer. These related experiences include direct and indirect
A. Conceptual
groups of people, rather than to individuals, and is therefore non-personal. Most advertising
of media, audiences, and purposes. These media include television and radio “message,”
displays in newspapers and magazines, in show windows and store counters, direct mail
circulars, billboard posters, electric signs, sky writings, catalogs and others.
addition to the traditional mass media – radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and
billboards – advertising also uses direct mail, shopping carts, blimps and videocassettes.
(Bovee&Arens, 1992)
The role of advertising is contained in the word AIDA which means to attract
attention, to create interest, to stimulate desire, and to induce action. (Miranda, 1991)
marketing. Marketing refers to everything done to promote a brand, e.g., creating the
product, pricing it, placing it where it can be bought, and promoting it, i.e., the “4 Ps,”
including product, price, place, promotion. Advertising falls under the fourth “P,
promotion.” Advertising may occur in different mass media like television, radio,
newspapers, magazines, and internet which were paid to carry message to audiences.
Bovee, C. L., &Arens, W.F. (1992, p.132), defined consumer behavior as the
activities, actions, and influences of people who purchase and use goods and services to
satisfy their personal or household needs and wants. The primary mission of advertising is
to reach prospective customers like Joe Shields to influence their awareness, attitudes and
buying behavior.
Philippines is one of the fastest-growing countries having real GDP that is set to increase
by 6.3% annually. The developing economy of the Philippines helps to drive demand for
beauty and personal care. With the increasing number of influencers and also the growing
influence of social media, beauty and personal care industry in the Philippines is
continuously developing over the years. Being exposed to different social media platforms,
consumers may follow and interact with various beauty and personal care content such as
online makeup tutorials and the likes. The growing number of people being exposed to the
beauty and personal care industry through various social media platforms helped numerous
brands under the mentioned industry to build brand awareness and interest in beauty and
personal care products, especially cosmetics. Among these people are the younger
consumers, especially Filipinos in their early 20s, who are the largest users of the popular
social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagra, making them the usual
potential, and that is because of the growing number of middle class consumers and
improved logistics. Being exposed to the Korean wave, Korean beauty influenced various
local brands among the Philippines’ cosmetic industry to take inspirations from Korean
beauty products. For example, locally manufactured lip products are now incorporating K-
beauty trends with the latest product innovations focusing on lip tint, lip oils and 2-in-1 lip
and cheek tints. These beauty brands offer the said products at competitive prices, catering
to the lower income Filipino consumers. On the other hand, premium local brands try to
attract brand-conscious consumers with the vision of not having to pay more for imported
brands. It is also notable to mention that as the consumers around the world are being
conscious and knowledgeable about beauty products and ingredients, Philippines or the
country of origin is no longer a hindrance for local beauty brands in taking their brand
outside the country. This gives them the potential to go beyond Philippines, promoting
Impact of Advertisement
Lagos, Ibadan and Ile-Ife, cities in Southwestern Nigeria, which examined the role played
leading food drinks in the Food and Beverage industry in Nigeria, have revealed that both
male and female and different age groups were equally influenced by advertising in their
preference for the brand. It is said that advertising is needed for companies that want to not
only retain their market but take positive steps to increase their market share as it is clearly
& Behavior” and concluded that consumer behavior consists of all human behavior that
marketer to take marketing decisions which are compatible with its consumer needs. These
are four major classes of consumer behavior determinants & expectations, namely, cultural,
behavior consist of age, marital status, occupation, education, income, family size, etc.
Consumer Behavior Theories
According to Ohio University (2019), there are four consumer behavior theories
every marketer should know namely, theory of reasoned action, Engel, Kollet, Black Well
(EKB) model, motivation-need theory, and Hawkins Stern Impulse buying. The core of the
theory of reasoned action posits that consumer act on behavior based on their intention to
create or receive a particular outcome. The next theory of Hawkins Stern on impulse
buying, suggests that sudden buying impulses fit alongside rational purchasing decisions
to point a complete picture of the average consumer. The EKB model explains that the first
step, input, is where consumers absorb most of the marketing materials they see on
television, newspapers or online. The last theory, motivation-need theory, suggests that
The research of Iryna Pentina, David Taylor, and Troy Voelker focused on how
advertising and society creates unrealistic beauty standards, and how that standards affect
females. Advertisers in the cosmetics industry portray the body as an object, insinuating
that it can be changed and manipulated easily into a more attractive form. This perception
can be seen as dangerous as people, especially women with low self-esteem, will try to
modify their bodies through the use of makeup and cosmetics or more unconventional
measures. Pentina, Taylor and Voelker also highlighted the difference between males and
females in terms of reacting towards societal standards. According to their study, men tend
to react to the standards only if the changes will help them physically. Women, on the other
hand, react to these standards on a fiercer level, engaging themselves in the changes if it
adolescent girls. They mentioned in their study the fact that advertisers and marketers
generate the impression that young females should always look nice, even at the expense
of putting on a lot of makeup. Because of this, Martin and Kennedy conducted a study on
advertisements. The results of their study implied that as females get older, they become
more and more concerned with their looks, and so they strive to look like the models in
advertisement featuring a beautiful model could highly affect the viewers into wanting to
and learning. These attitudes then influence the purchase decision of every consumer.
Middle-aged people, especially women, have positive attitude towards cosmetic products.
This is because of their desire to look young and since most of them are already settled in
their life, they have the ability to spend on these luxuries (Tamizhjyothi, 2013).
Men are also entering the world of cosmetics. Although most of the time, men are
still reluctant in using various beauty products especially creams, there are notable number
of men who are now getting attracted towards this industry. The interest of men in
cosmetics arises due to their concern about their body and face. Having said this, the
competition in the professional world of cosmetics also put influence on men to care for
stated that selling makeup involves more than encouraging a person, particularly a woman,
that a certain product will make her appearance acceptable in the standards of the society.
Selling cosmetic products is difficult since cosmetics are products people do not really
need. And so, in order to sell these products, marketers must persuade consumers to spend
money on these items. In order to do that, Gustafson enumerated some techniques which
are usually used in the advertisements and promotion of cosmetic brands. These are the
following:
social appeal, sex appeal and feminine appeal. Use the power of imagery to
communicate that a makeup product will help produce the pleasure or perfection
Use of Keywords: Words in advertisements can have as much power as the images
themselves. When creating a makeup advertisement, use words or phrases that will
cause a consumer to favor a product. Such words can include “new,” “hot,” “long
lasting,” “flirty,” “even,” “better,” “glides,” “hydrating” and “wears for hours.”
2017)
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
In this chapter, the nature of the present study is made clear, including its research method
and design, as well as the sampling procedure and distribution used for the respondents. Data
collection and the research instrument, statistical treatment of data and the data gathering
As part of the subject course, the research method is used is the Quantitative method, which
aims to measure and analyze numerically the gathered data about the impact of advertisements to
consumer buying behavior on cosmetic products. It makes use of statistical formulas in order to
interpret the data and give meaning to the responses of the target population.
A. Research Design
B. Population, Samples and Sampling Procedure
C. Instrumentation
Polit and Hungler (1999) defined data as “information obtained during the
Harkness stated that the main purpose of adaptation is to “better fit the needs of a
The researchers chose to adapt an existing questionnaire and align it with the set
of variables used in this study to have an appropriate instrument for the target
collecting data, the literature review serves as the reference in providing additional
As the present study makes use of the quantitative design, casual- comparative method, and
experimentation and survey instruments, the researcher will make use of descriptive statistics in
reckoning the results and finding. Linear texts and non-linear texts such as tables, graphs, Venn
diagrams, charts and percentage (%) are to be used to present the results gathered from the
instruments to give more meaning to the data. The measures of central tendency (depending on the
skewness of data) will also be used to generalize and find common ground or pattern to determine
the relevance of product packaging aesthetic to consumer attention and product preference.
The measures of central tendency are the mean, median, mode, with mean as the sum if the
values, median as the middle value, and mode as the most frequent value. Mean is mostly used in
∑𝑓𝑥
𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑛 =
𝑛
𝑛 = 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑠
Weighted Average was also used to reckon the average rankings of the functions, elements and
RANK WEIGHT
1 0.50
2 0.30
3 0.20
Total 100 %
The respondents’ most preferred option has the largest value while the least preferred
option is assigned the lowest. In this case, the Rank 1 is assigned with the greater weight as it is
∑𝑓𝑤
𝑁
𝑁 = 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠
Rank is directly proportional to its weighted average while rating is directly proportional
to it. For instance, the higher the average, the higher the rank.
E. Data Gathering Procedure
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