Advertising and Consumer Brand Selection : An Evaluation

The proliferation of assorted brands of tooth paste in India has lead to cut-throat competition for increased market share being witnessed among the operators in the tooth paste industry. When competition is keen and the consumers are faced with brand choice in the market, it becomes crucial for the manufacturers to understand the major factors that can attract the awareness of buyers to his own brand. These then form the basis for marketing planning and action This study, which has been based on a survey of 200 randomly selected consumers of tooth paste in Chennai, India, examined the role played by advertising in influencing consumers' selection for Colgate tooth paste, which is one of the leading brands in the tooth paste industry in India. Results revealed that various socio-economic factors of the respondents were not equally influenced by advertising in their preference for the brand, further it revealed that their brand awareness were influenced by the advertisement, particularly in TV advertisement. 54% of the consumers show preference for Colgate out of the various brands of the tooth paste studied. The major reasons advanced for preference are its affluent quality (70.38%) and fascinating advertisement (29.68%). In the mode of advertisement, TV advertising was most preferred by 90% of the respondents. Therefore, this paper aimed to portray the importance of quality and advertisement in the cut­ throat competitive market and further it highlight the role of advertisements towards not only to retain the companies' present market share but also to take positive steps to increase its market share.