The Pampers Baby Diapers Ad Campaign - Case Study Example

The Pampers Baby Diapers Ad Campaign Affiliation Introduction The paper makes a close analysis of the ads campaign on ‘Pampers Baby Diapers’ a product manufactured by Procter & Gamble and sold through multiple outlets. This is a product born in the 1950s as an idea of Victor Mills; an American and an employee of Procter & Gamble. The product has over the years undergone transformations. It have become better and better over the time. The sizes, thinness, the enhancing benefits such as softness and the protective layer of lotion have all improved over the time. The success is not without the contribution of the adverts that play a great role in informing the customers of such improvement. Hence, throughout the journey that is now about 65 years old, Procter & Gamble has supported its products through online, print, audio and audio visual adverts. The paper analyses the adverts to determine their effectiveness in delivering the message, capturing the right perception, eliciting the right response, eliminating tainted images and strengthening the brand of the product across international markets. The target consumer According to Marconi (2005) a target consumer is the specific market segment that a firm develops and offers to a particular product mix. The adverts are by Procter and gamble and they target the young children. The target category is between ages 0-5 years. Pampers diapers is a baby product that emerged in the 1950s to replace the napkins. Hence, they target the babies market segment. As a result, majority of their adverts do have babies especially for the print and the TV adverts. Taking examples of the pampers baby cruiser soccer’ advert and the ‘pampers baby cruiser basketball’, these TV ads capture a baby playing soccer and basketball respectively. The ‘pampers active’ ad captures a child in his normal playing and resting activities. Looking at the ‘pampers this is your daddy’ ad, we still have a child trying to dance like the dad. It is important to note that pampers targets both baby boys and baby girls. As a result, they have print ads for the baby girls and the baby boys. Due to dynamics in the economy, mothers work for long hours in the offices (Hochschild, 2001).They do not have enough time for constant washing and replacing of the nappies. Besides, as they work, they need to know that their children are comfortable. The firm has realised the growing consumer needs (Noel, 2009). Hence, they have strongly positioned themselves as the product that keeps babies comfortable while making mums happy. The brand and benefits The ads advertise the baby diapers. These are baby nappies that have over the time come to replace the traditional nappies that were made of a fabric (Greene, 2007). In the ads, Procter and Gamble offers the, modern baby diapers called pampers baby dry diapers. The product comes in several sizes. Consequently, the consumer choice is enhanced as they can choose the size they on the size want depending on the size of the baby (Smith,1977). The available sizes are 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. Three is the smallest while seven is the largest. Pampers keeps the skin soft. This is well captured in the advert ‘pampers-voted best by moms’. The advert captures the way a toddlers skin has been natured by pampers. Another brilliant feature of the product is the ability to quickly absorb the fluids leaving the skin dry and the baby comfortable. The feature is captured in the ad ‘pampers active’. In that particular ad, the absorbent rate of the papers is compared to the speed of a running hare or that of an ostrich. Pampers does not soil easily. It can hold a large quantity of fluids. In addition, the product is strong and comfortable, allowing mobility. For example, the ad ‘pampers cruiser basketball ad’, captures a baby jumping high in the sky and about to score in a basketball pitch. With papers, babies sleep comfortably and for ample time. The ad ‘pampers moms’ shows mums who can afford a good sleep at night due to the babies sleeping well in the night. Finally, pampers is hygienic, a feature traceable in all the ads. The ads have been shot in very clean environment, white background, protect the baby skin and keep off moisture. The occasion for use Lane (2014) argues that consumers prefer a product that they can use in more than one occasion. The Firm offers a product that fulfils the consumer need for all the occasions. There is no excuse to not using the products. Pampers baby diapers are usable at night. They have a high absorbent rate that enables a child to sleep comfortably throughout the night. The Pampers active captures that quality very well. On the other handed, they are important for use during the day because of their quality of being strong, comfortable and ability to allow free mobility of the limbs. The ad pampers cruiser baby soccer captures a very active baby. Consequently, consumers can easily identify with the product (Farbey, 2002). An important aspect is that pampers come in different sizes. Hence, they are usable by babies in all the stages of growth. Weather condition is no excuse of failure to use the diapers. They are disposable hence they can be used even during the cold weather. Given that they are comfortable, they can be used even during the hot weather. The company has responded to the consumers’ needs by launching a market research (Cooke & Buckley 2008). Consequently, they now offer a robust and complete package that can walk with you throughout out the journey of seeing your baby grow. The setting of the adverts An article by OGuinn, Allen and Semenik (2012) states that the setting of an ad may be the major difference between losing or gaining a market. For example, the ad ‘pampers mom’ shows mums sleeping. Their faces register a happy mood; a near smiling mood. The ad is aimed at showing that mothers can also have a happy sleep if their babies get to sleep well throughout the night. Hence, the essence of the bed and the act of sleeping clarifies the advert more. Consumers can also identify well with such as an advert because that’s that setting at homes (Blythe, J. (2008). The ad ‘pampers this is your daddy’ captures a father in a club or a party setting. The father is dancing as the baby watches. Finally the baby tries to dance like the dad but ends up dancing his own style. In the environment, we also do have other people, men and women, young and old who are also dancing. Music is constantly associated with parties and clubs. Consequently, having the dad dance in the club is more realistic. Also, the ad is meant to show the comfort and the strength of pampers. Vigorous dancing is seen in the clubs and parties. Consequently, the ad is more effective as opposed to if it were shot in a house setting. The ad ‘pampers active’ has been shot in a natural environment; forest setting. The ad aims at showing the speed of the absorbing rate of pampers. The water in the ad represents the fluids absorbed by pampers while the running animals represent the speed of at which pampers absorbs the fluids. Hence, the environment is perfect. The aims of the ads Tellis (2004) argues that vendors need to create awareness of their products. Unless they do so, consumers may never realise that such products exist. Second, it is essential that consumers be informed of the benefits of using pampers. This explains the adverts on the strength, hygiene, comfort and sizes of pampers. Blythe (2008) states information serves as a stimulant that motivates the customers into trying out a product. In case the trial stage becomes successful; conforms to the consumers’ expectations depending on the information that was portrayed in the advert, the consumer may buy it again (Rajagopal, 2010). They own the product and become royal consumers. Third, consumers have to be reminded of the existing products. This is so as to stimulate repeated purchase behaviour. Otherwise, failure to remind them of the products may lead to the loss of the market share to the competitors (Stone, 998). According to the selling market concept, consumers are reluctant in buying anything. Consequently, it becomes prudent that they probed into buying. Hence, the fourth aim of the adverts is to persuade consumers into buying (Alperstein, 2003). Perception The colours used in the adverts have the right touch. The white background in the adverts for example I the ad ‘pampers moms’ is vital to show hygiene and purity. The white colour is associated with positive results (Gage, 1993). Colour blue is the brand colour of Procter and gamble. Hence, the product is easily identified with the company. The colour green is often associated with nature. Hence, its use in the adverts serves to show how natural pampers is. Given that there is a shift of consumers from the synthetic to natural products, the colour has the right effect on tilting the consumers perception towards liking and actually buying the product (Gage, 1999). However, the ads do not have a celebrity endorsement (Strunck, 2011). The buyer process Lantos (2011) notes that a buyer goes through five major stages when making a purchasing decision. These stages are need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, post purchase decision. Some of the adverts serve more than one stage of the buying process. For example, every advert whether print or TV online has a baby dressed in a baby diaper. That serves the first stage of need recognition. The sight of the advert by a potential consumer reminds them that their babies back at home also do need diapers (Solomon, 2012). Hence, they may step into the nearest store and make the purchase. Likewise, the soccer, basketball, this is your daddy, active and moms adverts serve the second and third stage of the consumer buying process. For a consumer in the stage of looking for information about the product, they can acquire a lot of it from the ads. Likewise, the information in the ads is important for a consumer in the evaluation stage as they can get to compare pampers baby diapers with other products such as the Huggies (Zeithaml, 1981). Involvement Levels/Risk Perception Park, Lee and Han, (2007) states that the level of involvement depend the cost, the frequency of purchase and the technicality of the product. The level of involvement is low. Pampers is a low cost products that can be picked in supermarkets, other retails and wholesale stores. As a result, the level of involvement of the consumer in the buying process is low (Laaksonen, (1994).However, the risk is high. Pampers baby diaper is a babies product. Babies are very delicate. They easily react to new and foreign products. Hence, consumers are very careful when buying diapers. However, continued purchase eliminates the fear especially if the risk of the baby reacting to the product does not materialize (Taylor, 1974). Marketing Mix elements: Baker (2012) defines marketing mix as the products, price, place and promotion that a firm offers to a customer. The adverts cover most of the marketing mix information. For example, the information on the prices is provided in the packages. Additionally, sufficient information is available about the product. Much of the products features have been explored, that is the benefits of the products, the quantity and the sizes and the packaging (Popescu & Etzioni, 2007). I must say that the have been effective in this. The promotional objective of Procter and gamble is to position the products in the baby products niche and the consumers’ minds as a quality product (Morgan, Strong & McGuinness, 2003). Quality can be depicted from its features. The success of the products in achieving its promotional strategy a may be cited as the reason behind the increased competition in the industry offering baby diapers. Competitors such as Huggies have come in as a result of the success of Procter and gamble in this category. Most of the adverts, however, do not disclose information on the location of the products. However, a few such do have that information. However, pampers baby diapers are found in retails stores and wholesale places such as supermarkets, drug stores, and stand alone. Critique and recommendations Basing my argument on the market share and the popularity of pampers baby diapers; the ad campaign has so far been effective (The Statistics Portal). There is plenty of information on pampers baby diapers. The adverts are found on line, in radio, TV and magazines. Although the ads provide very little information about the distribution channels, there is general knowledge and the work of mouth that the product can be found in the retail and drug stores. However, the company need to do more ads with a celebrity touch (Young, 2011). That way they may be able to tap into more markets as celebrities are very influential. In addition, they should develop more persuasive ads. There is a lot of competition and most convincing product wins. Conclusion Procter & Gamble has put a lot of resources in carrying out their ad campaign aimed at promoting pampers baby diapers. From the analysis, the campaign has been successful in several aspects. The target market is clear and the adverts have generated the right perceptions. So far the colours and the setting of the ads are perfect. With a slight improvement on the marketing mix, specifically on information on location of the products, they will then increase their market share further. Sample adverts Adverts on prices The moms adverts The soccer and the basket ball adverts Pampers for girls and Boys The sizes of pampers References Alperstein, N. M. (2003). Advertising in everyday life. Cresskill, N.J: Hampton Press. Baker, M. J. (2012). The marketing mix. London: Henry Stewart Talks. Blythe, J. (2008). Consumer behaviour. London: Thomson Learning. Blythe, J. (2008). Consumer behaviour. London: Thomson Learning. Cooke, M., & Buckley, N. (2008). Web 2.0, social networks and the future of market research. International Journal of Market Research, 50(2), 267. Farbey, D. (2002). How to produce successful advertising: A guide to strategy, planning and targeting. Gage, J. (1993). Color and culture: Practice and meaning from antiquity to abstraction. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. Gage, J. (1999). Color and meaning: Art, science, and symbolism. Berkeley: University of California Press. Greene, A. R. (2007). Raising baby green: The earth-friendly guide to pregnancy, childbirth, and baby care. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Hochschild, A. R. (2001). The time bind: When work becomes home and home becomes work. New York: Henry Holt. Images for pampers Adverts. (Online) [Accessed: 1st May 2015] https://www.google.com/search?q=pampers+adverts&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1024&bih=629&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=PgZFVdTSAdD5as_qgYgP&ved=0CBwQsAQ Laaksonen, P. (1994). Consumer involvement: Concepts and research. London: Routledge. Lane, J. (2014). Think People Hate Marketing? Try the Right Content in the Right Place. (Online) [Accessed: 2May 2015] http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2014/01/hate-marketing-try-right-content-right-place/ Lantos, G. P. (2011). Consumer behavior in action: Real-life applications for marketing managers. Armonk, N.Y: M.E. Sharp Marconi, J. (2005). Creating the marketing experience: New strategies for building relationships with your target market. Mason, Ohio: Thomson. Morgan, R. E., Strong, C. A., & McGuinness, T. (2003). Product-market positioning and prospector strategy: an analysis of strategic patterns from the resource-based perspective. European Journal of Marketing, 37(10), 1409-1439 Noel, H. (2009). Consumer behaviour. Lausanne, Switzerland: AVA Academia. OGuinn, T. C., Allen, C. T., & Semenik, R. J. (2012). Advertising and integrated brand promotion. Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning. Pampers Active Fit - Playtime Never Ends TV ad. (Online) [Accessed: 1st May 2015]http://www.tellyads.com/play_advert/?filename=TA11341&type=recent. Pampers Baby Dry TV Spot, 3 a.m. (Online) http://www.ispot.tv/ad/727a/pampers-baby-dry-3-am. [Accessed: 1st May 2015] Pampers This Is Your Dad TV ad - 30 sec advert. (Online) http://www.tellyads.com/play_advert/?filename=TA2190&type=recent [Accessed: 1st May 2015] Park, D. H., Lee, J., & Han, I. (2007). The effect of on-line consumer reviews on consumer purchasing intention: The moderating role of involvement. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 11(4), 125-148. Popescu, A. M., & Etzioni, O. (2007). Extracting product features and opinions from reviews. In Natural language processing and text mining (pp. 9-28). Springer London. Procter & Gamble History at Pampers.com.(Online). [Accessed: 2 May 2015] (http://www.pampers.com/pampershistoryPampers Rajagopal, . (2010). Consumer behavior: Global shifts and local effects. New York: Nova Science Publishers. Smith, G. (1977). Consumer choice. Fargo, N.D: Cooperative Extension Service, North Dakota State University. Solomon, M. (2012). Consumer Behavior. New York, NY: Pearson Education Stone, D. P. (1998). Advertising. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities & Sciences. Strunck, M..(2011).Celebrity Endorsement. LAP Lambert Academic Publishing Taylor, J. W. (1974). The role of risk in consumer behavior. The Journal of Marketing, 54-60. Techvanio. Pampers or Huggies: Innovations in Diaper Technology(Online) [Accessed: 1st May 2015] http://www.technavio.com/blog/pampers-or-huggies-innovations-in-diaper-technology-creates-fierce-competition Tellis, G. J. (2004). Effective advertising: Understanding when, how, and why advertising works. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications. The Statistics Portal .Procter & Gamble (P&G) market share of disposable baby diapers, baby wipes and training pants worldwide from 2013 to 2020. (Online). [Accessed: 5 May 2015] http://www.statista.com/statistics/368878/pandg-s-global-market-share-of-baby-diapers/ Young, L. (2011). The marketers handbook: Reassessing marketing techniques for modern business. Zeithaml, V. A. (1981). How consumer evaluation processes differ between goods and services. Marketing of services, 9(1), 25-32. Read More