project report on consumer preceptions towards toothpaste

submitted by prabhjot singh 1

Chapter-1 INTRODUCTION In these days of technology parity, it does not take long to duplicates. Moreover, with theavailability of increasing number of brands, the consumers has little patience or the wit toswift through and judge the uniqueness of features claimed by each of the brands. So, howdoes one ensure that one is seen and heard in overcrowded market place? The answer lies inbrand positioning, one of the most powerful concepts in the marketing world, which enables the seller to win the marketing battles by influencing the consumers mind The 1990s have borne witness to dramatic shifts in the marketplace triggered by sharp changes in the lifestyle patterns of the past and present and the radical revolution in the telecommunication technology. Time tested concepts on Brand loyalty and Mass Marketing, are being turned on their heads as they fail to gauge the Behaviour of new generation customers. The behaviour is characterized by the uniqueness of individual expectations, the preference for multiple options, propensity to abandon Brand loyalty and switch to competition Brands that give higher

(perceived) value. The new breed is even willing to import to satisfy specific requirement. It is difficult to classify this generation by conventional Demographic factors and unless their thought process and buying behaviour are fully understood, decisions on product designs and packaging, Branding and Distribution channels are likely to be misplaced. With the inevitability of change looming large over the horizon, Indian companies must learn from their western counterparts; not only to identify the sources, timing and direction of the changes likely to affect India, but also the new competencies and perspective that will enable them to respond to these changes, comprehensively and effectively. Companies offering Product or Services will need to understand this new face of the customers. The changing Demographic profile of the population in terms of education, income, size of family and so on, are important by what will be more substantive in days to come will be the Psychographics of customers that is how they feel, think or behave. Markers will have to constantly monitor and understand the underlying Psychographics to map their respective industries are moving and decide what needs to be done, by way of adding value that motivates customers to buy the companys products and influence the future industry structure

Background
The oral care market in India is estimated to be Rs 4,400-crore. Toothpaste, for the record,is estimated to be Rs 3,200 crore in size. Colgate Palmolive is leader in Indian toothpaste market having market share of 50% in 2009. HUL follows with 28%. HULsbrand Close-Up has a market share of 17% and Pepsodent 11%, according to AC Nielsendata. Dabur is enjoying 10% market share.From past few years the toothpaste market is restructuring & market share of differentplayers are changing. Since 200708, analysts said HUL has lost 8-10% market share in oralcare.Market is likely to see a few key launches in the toothpaste segment this year.Procter & Gamble (P&G) is set to throw another gauntlet at ColgatePalmolive andHindustan Unilever (HUL). The company plans to launch its global toothpaste brand

Crest atan aggressive price point this year.As and when P&G introduces Crest in India, it will entail price competition as well as heavybrand investment in the category from all the players, in our view. It will put the market shareand margins of Colgate under pressure. Colgate will need to sustain its higher-thanindustryad spends to protect its turf.The consumer products arm of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) may launch toothpaste under theListerine umbrella, while GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare may relaunch itsAquafresh brand, phased out a few years earlier. GSK had launched Sensodyne toothpastelast year. A mass-market toothpaste product is what is missing at the moment, which GSKwill plug with the relaunch of Aquafresh. Kishore Biyani's Future Group is also entering thefray with its private label., how the consumers perceive the various brands to be etc.

OBJECTIVES
To determine the various factors considered the purchase of toothpastes. To determine the brand preferences for toothpastes in the age group. To know the brand of toothpastes preferred by consumers in the age group.

To determine the positioning of various brands in the minds of consume

Questionnere
1. Name: _________________________ 2. Region:West EastNorth South 3. Occupation: _____________________ 4. Gender: 5. Age:Less than 15 Between 16-20Between 2125Between 26-30Above 30 Main Questionnaire 1. How often do you use toothpaste in day? Once a day Twice a day After every meal

occasionaly 2. How often do you buy toothpaste? Every month Every two months Every three months Not every often 3. Which brand of toothpaste do you use? Colgate Close up Pepsodent Meswak Babool Dabur Red Toothpaste Sensodyne Amway Others(____________) 4. How long have you been using this toothpaste? Less than 3 months Between 3 to 12 months Between 1 to 3 years More than 3 years

5. How often do you change your toothpastes? Do not change/ Brand Loyal Occasionally Frequently As long as it is a toothpaste, the brand doesnt matter 6. Which type of toothpaste do you prefer? Paste Gel Others 7. Where do you buy your toothpaste from? General store Departmental store Medical shops/ Pharmacies 8. What features do you look for while buying toothpaste? Rank these featuresaccording to your preference. Features Rank Price Cleansing Power

Medicinal value Calcium 9. What various promotional activities for toothpaste have you come across? Newspaper Ads TV Commercial Radio Jingle Kiosks Free Sample Distribution Word of mouth/Recommendations 10. Whose advice do you generally take while buying toothpaste? Friends Family Individual decision Dentist Shopkeeper/Salesperson 11.I select the toothpaste because it is cheaper than other toothpastes. (1-Strongly agree; 2- agree; 3- neither agree nor disagree; 4- disagree; 5 stronglydisagree)

12.The cleansing power of the toothpaste matters a lot. (1-Strongly agree; 2- agree; 3- neither agree nor disagree; 4- disagree; 5 stronglydisagree) 13.The brand of the toothpaste is important. (1-Strongly agree; 2- agree; 3- neither agree nor disagree; 4- disagree; 5 stronglydisagree) 14.I look for what medicinal value the toothpaste has to offer. (1-Strongly agree; 2- agree; 3- neither agree nor disagree; 4- disagree; 5 stronglydisagree) 15.Toothpaste which does not lather does not provide satisfaction. (1-Strongly agree; 2- agree; 3- neither agree nor disagree; 4- disagree; 5 stronglydisagree) 16. My toothpaste should provide me with optimum quantity of calcium content. (1-Strongly agree; 2- agree; 3- neither agree nor disagree; 4- disagree; 5 stronglydisagree)

17.I like experimenting with various flavours that toothpaste companies have tooffer. (1-Strongly agree; 2- agree; 3- neither agree nor disagree; 4- disagree; 5 stronglydisagree) 18. My toothpaste should protect me against cavity. (1-Strongly agree; 2- agree; 3- neither agree nor disagree; 4- disagree; 5 stronglydisagree) 19.The best toothpaste is which prevent me against bad breath. (1-Strongly agree; 2- agree; 3- neither agree nor disagree; 4- disagree; 5 stronglydisagree) 20.I look for new features promised by the toothpaste every time I buy mytoothpaste. (1-Strongly agree; 2- agree; 3- neither agree nor disagree; 4- disagree; 5 stronglydisagree) 21.I prefer Indian toothpastes over imported toothpastes. (1-Strongly agree; 2- agree; 3- neither agree nor disagree; 4- disagree; 5 stronglydisagree)

22. I buy combo packs rather than single units in order to save money. (1-Strongly agree; 2- agree; 3- neither agree nor disagree; 4-disagree;5strongly disagree

Market share of toothpaste in india Oral care in India has been greatly driven by innovation, retail availability, packaging and

promotion. The Indian oral care market is presently estimated at Rs. 4200 crores, of which toothpaste contributes the largest chunk, accounting for approximately 75% of the total market. The toothpaste market is estimated at Rs 3100 crores and is expected to reach Rs 3,226 crores by 2012. The toothpowder market, valued at Rs 472 crores, on the other hand, is expected to drop to Rs 458 crores by 2012. The toothpowder market, valued at Rs 472 crores, on the other hand, is expected to drop to Rs 458 crores by 2012. The mouthwash market an infant product segment for now -- is valued at Rs 84 crores and is expected to reach Rs 90 crores by 2012.The toothbrush market is valued at Rs 550 crores

Market players
The Indian oral care market has traditionally been a strong hold of three FMCG majors, namely ColgatePalmolive, Hindustan Unilever Limited,vicoo and Dabur, as the big three have jointly held more than 85% of the market share, both by volume and value, in the past decade. MARKET SHARE OF MAJOR PLAYERS OF THE INDUSTRY : NAME COLGATE DENTAL COLGATE GEL CIBACA CLOSE UP PEPSODENT PROMISE BABOOL % SHARE 46 10 3 18 09 9.5 0.5

Review of Literature
Six Levels of Brands Meanings

Attributes : Features associates with a brand. Benefits : Functional and emotional benefits associated withbrands. Values : Producers values that gets associated withbrands. Culture : Represents the culture values of the place fromwhere the brand originates. Personality : Image of the brand as perceived by the user. User : Kind of consumer who buys or uses the product Given the six levels of a brands meanings, marketers must decide at which level(s) todeeply anchor the brands identity. The most enduring meaning of a brand is its values,culture and personality. They define the brands easesBrand varies in the amount of power and value they have in the market place. Atone extreme are brands that are not known by most buyers in the market place. Then there arebrands for which buyers have a fairly high

degree of BRAND AWARENESS . Beyond thisare brands with high degree of BRAND ACCEPTABILITY brands that most customers would not resist buying. Then there are brands that enjoy a high degree of BRAND PREFERENCE .These are the brands that are selected over the other. Finally there arebrands that command a high degree of BRAND LOYALITY . This is where the acid test for a brand lies.Brand becomes known through the products they create and bring on to the market.Whenever a brand innovates, it generates me-too-ism. The role of brand name is to protectthe innovation it creates a mental patent. The brand name makes the innovation exclusiveand protects it against imitations. The sources of a brands identity include : The product, the name, brand characters andsymbols, Geographic and Historic roots of the brand and the content and form of advertisingused for the brand. Based on all these factors, a brands identity evolves over a period of time.

The brand identity platform has four components: 1. The product class in which the brand is to operate. 2. The targeted consumer segment. 3. Brand location in the perceptual space of the target consumer. 4. Benefits and Attributes with the brand by the consumer. As brands tend become physically similar, the brand manages falls back more and more onNon-functional factors to distinguish his brands. This is called Brand Positioning. A brandmanager has various strategies available to himself. These strategies revolve around four aspects of the brand, which can be expressed as four questions. WHO AM I ?_____ This question deals with the origins of the brand, its parentage. Abrand can be positioned with reference to its corporate identity or as an extension of a wellestablished brand. WHAT AM I ?____ This question relates to the capabilities of the brand and can befurther broken up as: (a) Category related positioning: By choosing the product category in which theposition our brand, we are defining its

composition. Similar brands can bedifferentiated by positioning them in different categories. (b)Benefit related Positioning: That particular benefit is selected, which will give thebrand the greatest competitive advantage. We get the flexibility in differentiating afunctionally similar product by emphasizing a benefit which the competitor has not exploited. (C)positioning by usage occasion: This strategy enables us to dominate a particular usage. It also enables us to distinguish similar products by identifying our brand withone or two usages that competition has neglected.(d) (d)Price-Quality Positioning: The consumer looks at the products in a category atdifferent levels of price, offering different standing of quality and decides whichprice cum-quality level is most suitable for a given need.

Bibliography
1. Business Today Library 2. A&M Issues of June 05, June 05, April 20063. CII Library 4. FORE Library 5.Kotler Philip (Principles of Marketing) 6. Kotler, Philip (Marketing Management). 7.marketing mastermind of april 2011 8.(keller and aacker)building brands in indian market of june 1992 9.advertisement and promotion 10.(kevin lane keller)strategic management