1) What are the category beliefs among the non-users of shampoo?
The Indian category belief is centered on their way of life, practices and alternatives.
Income is usually used to determine the Indian consumers purchasing power and affordability
and how important their perception of purchasing a bottle or sachet of shampoo. However, it is
also prevalent how brand communication has presented some changing dynamics in shampoo
usage.
Lifestyle, Practices and Alternatives
Family orientation is extremely important to the Indian consumer as shown in Exhibit 7
(page ). This encompasses their extended family and friends. Brands tend to be more successful
and accepted if they are geared towards the supporting of family values, values of nurturing, care
and love. According to Seema Gupta, these values are far more influential than those of
achievement and ambitions. Products that convey feelings and emotions resonate more with the
Indian consumers. Therefore history and tradition are factors which are instrumental in the
shaping of the Indian consumers behavior.
Successful brands that penetrated the market were found to be advertised in places where
families went for a day of entertainment. Also, the respondent profile in Exhibit 7 (page 12)
captured a myriad of factors such as the background, identity, aspirations, dreams, media habits,
buying patterns and awareness of the Indian consumer or the targeted market. When interviewed,
the backbones of all these factors were centered on family. Their feedback related to their roles
and relationships in their family and the social acceptance by friends and neighbors and the
respect for their family in society. For examples, when asked about the individual their
descriptions conveyed an identity that entailed family and as regular television viewers this was
done typically with family at nights. Exhibit 9 (page 17) revealed that 37 % of consumers chose
a particular brand of shampoo recommended by a friend or neighbor.
The survey in Exhibit 9 revealed that although 96 % of consumers learned about
shampoos through television advertisements and favored and used the Clinic plus brand, 71 % of
users still used alternatives to shampoos such as the Shikakai, an herbal powder accounting for
67% of respondents and the other 37% using Soap.
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Income, Affordability and Perception
Income, value and perceived benefits are usually believed to be the basis for a traditional
Indian consumers purchase. However, given the heightened awareness of shampoo brands
through media endeavors, these risk averse consumers have become more accepting and inclined
to spending a little more for that perceived benefit of hair shine, strength and lustre and the
fulfillment that could be received from this use as stated in the case. Although depicted in
Exhibit 9 (page 17), consumers disagree that shampoo is very expensive they are still being
conscious of their spending habits.
Exhibit 9 demonstrates that 24% of Indian consumers use shampoos to wash their hair,
and majority have utilized the major brands such as Clinic Plus (61%), Head and Shoulders
(35%) and Chik (49%). Head and shoulders fall within the premium brands of shampoo while
clinic Plus and Chik have catered to the low income consumer in terms of pricing. However , the
market is shifting and evidently given that prices for 7.5 ml sachets range from Rs1 to Rs 3 ,
consumers are still being cognizant of affordability with 99 % investing in sachet purchases
rather than bottles which range from 25 to 400 ml which account for 1% and would prove more
costly in that moment.
The perceived benefits influence the buying behavior of these consumers , as based on
responses utilizing a Likert scale for measurement in Exhibit 9 (page 17), most respondents
agreed that shampoos cleansed their hair better than soap, removed unwanted oils , made their
hair strong healthy and beautiful and added a sense of confidence after use.
Brand Communication
Exhibit 7 (page 12), captured the media habits of the respondents. Although most
television viewing was done mainly for entertainment purposes, the attention of audience was
also captured through their interest in the importance of their family’s well-being such as health
and fitness. Also, the fact that individuals were “problem solvers”, heightening the attention
awareness where issues such as correct certain problem, for example hair fall.
India met the shampoo brands through television advertisements, while radio and print
accounts for 18 % and 15 % of penetration respectively. Exhibit 9 (page 16 – 17) shows that 96%
of those consumers learned about shampoo through television and 51% saw the brand on
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Television and liked it. Clinic Plus (93%), Chik (76%), Head and Shoulders (53%), Sunsilk
(37%) and Clinic all Clear (20%) are the top 5 brands that fall within the unaided awareness
category. Given that Clinic Plus (75%), Chik (76%), Head and Shoulders (47%), Chik (59%) of
consumers have seen advertisements on these popular brands, attributed to the 38 % of
consumers in rural. While on the other hand both primary and secondary reference groups show
how influential they are on the consumers buying behavior. 32 % accounted for family and
friends bringing awareness of the shampoos to the individual, while 31% accounted for store
advice. 37 % of consumers chose a brand of shampoo because it was referred by a friend or
neighbor.
Question 2: What are the cognitive beliefs on the three brands of shampoos? (What are those
advertising elements that, match with the cognitive beliefs?)
The cognitive beliefs held by individuals are the knowledge that a consumer has about
objects, their attributes, and their benefits that is derived from direct experience with the object
and information from other sources. The cognitive beliefs of the different shampoo brands may
