Kleenex: Arguments and Importance

This sample essay on Kleenex Sample reveals arguments and important aspects of this topic. Read this essay’s introduction, body paragraphs and the conclusion below.

Lecturer:

Kleenex Samples

Facial Tissue Paper-Kleenex and Sorbent

In this project, we conducted an attitude survey of two brands of facial tissue paper, Kleenex and Sorbent. We identified five attributes for the facial tissue paper category, which we compared between the two brands. The five attributes include softness in texture, thinness of the facial paper, strength of the paper, size in terms of which facial paper is small, and the price of the product.

Both products rank higher than the ideal products in terms of softness and strength of the material and low price of the product. However, Kleenex ranks lower than the ideal product in terms of thinness and small size of the product. Kleenex ranks slightly higher than Sorbent in low price attribute. However, it ranks lower than Sorbent in all the other attributes.

Sorbent is softer, stronger, thinner, and small in size compared to Sorbent. Sorbent ranks higher in terms of being soft compared to the ideal product.

The multi attribute attitude model assumes that consumers attitude towards a product depends on the beliefs that they have about several attributes of the product. Consumers perceive some attributes of the product to be of more importance. However, this varies depending on different factors such as age and gender. Marketers are able to predict the consumers’ attitude towards the product using the multi-attribute mode. They are able to collect information about the different attributes, the belief of the consumers towards the product, and the reaction that the consumers have towards different attributes (Shah 158).

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This model assumes that the consumers’ attitude is equal to the aggregate of the weighted evaluations (Ittersum et al. 1181). Facial tissue paper has several attributes according to the consumers. Some of the attributes such as the smallness of the product may rank more highly in the consumers mind compared to other attributes such as how soft the tissue is. This may have come as a surprise to the marketers, who may have considered other attributes to be of more importance.

Knowing the consumers’ attitude towards a product will enable the marketers to know the strengths and the selling points of the products. Therefore, they will be able to capitalize on the advantage of the products and strengthen the attributes of the product. They can use the information to influence the ratings of their competitors, or they can add a new attribute to the product. Markers can use the different attributes that the consumers attach to their brands as a strategy against their competitors. They compare the many attributes that their product has against the competition, and in the process they show the superiority of their product. Marketers often emphasize on new product features. They can influence the attitude of the consumers towards the new features and increase the consumers’ attitudes towards the product (Shah 159).

Marketers are able to change the perception of the consumers regarding the importance of an attribute. By emphasizing an attribute that is unique to the product or brand, marketers are able to increase the importance of that attribute to the consumers. Marketers may be oblivious of some of the attributes that the consumers attach to products. Conducting research on the different attributes will enable marketers to know the value that the customers attach to the product. In addition, this research will enable the management to know the specific areas or attributes of the product that need to be improved.

The ideal point model identifies an ideal brand and provides more information concerning the brand and the consumers’ perception concerning other brands. The consumers prefer a products attribute up to a certain point. A further increase in the level of the attribute or a decrease in the products attribute changes the consumers’ attitudes towards the product because the product is no longer favorable. The ideal point represents the different combination of attributes, which the market finds appealing, and which hold the maximum consumer value. The model relates the consumers brand preference to its distance away from the ideal point (Holbrook 64). Consumers will have a negative attitude towards brands which do not have enough properties and positive values and towards brands which have many undesirable attributes (Ramadhani Alamanda and Sudrajat 36). The marketers aim to place their brand closer to the ideal brand compared to their competitors. Some brands manage to outperform the ideal point reference. The more a product manages to outperform the ideal point, the better the consumers will perceive it.

Sorbent has managed to outperform the ideal product in all attributes. It has also managed to outperform its competition in four of the attributes. Kleenex has only managed to outperform its competition in the low-priced attribute. It is relatively cheaper than the competition and significantly cheaper than the ideal product. Kleenex has not managed to reach the ideal point in terms of thinness and smallness of size. Both products have managed to outperform the ideal point in the low priced attribute. There is a big difference between the ideal point reference and the brand reference in the low priced category. This could be an underestimation on the consumers’ part. The consumer might not have an idea of how much the product costs, especially of he or she is not a regular user.

The product has a competitive advantage if the importance of an attribute is high, the performance of the competition is poor, and it has good performance. It has a competitive disadvantage if the importance of the products attribute is high, its performance is poor, and the competitor’s performance is good. A product is in head to head competition with its competitor if both products are performing well and the importance of the attribute is high (Blackwell, Miniard and Engel 520). Marketers have an opportunity of influencing more consumers if the product of their competition is poor. However, marketers have to compete if their competitors’ performance is good.

Components of attitude include affect, behavior, and cognition. The affect component refers to the way that the consumer feels about the product. People have different emotions or feelings when they use the product. Some people prefer the product because it satisfies the need they have. Others do not have similar experiences, and they feel that the product does not satisfy their needs. Some elements in the affective component include packaging, diversity, quality, and hypo-allergenic element. The behavior component refers to what a person intends to do. People may have different reactions when they learn of the product. Some people have intentions of buying the product when they learn about it. The cognition component refers to the consumers beliefs. People form beliefs about a product based on different factors such as their experience using the product, or from the experiences of other people who have used the product. People can change their perceptions and beliefs concerning a product when they learn more about it. For instance, consumers can change their preference for a product if they learn that the product has harmful ingredients in it.

Questionnaire: Affect

Does the product harm you in any way? Yes, no, don’t know Are you satisfied with the quality of the product? Yes, somehow, not at all Does the product’s packaging influence your purchase decision? Yes, not always, no, Do you think that there are enough product varieties of this facial tissue? Definitely, would like to see more added, don’t know

Behavior

Do you intend to buy the product? Definitely will buy, probably will buy, might buy, probably will not buy Where would you like to purchase the product? In a supermarket, convenience store, depends on the situation When do you purchase the facial tissue? Only when on discount, when I need it How did you know about our product? From the supermarket, from an ad on the TV or the internet, from posters

Cognition

How do you feel when using the product? Satisfied, okay, unsatisfied, don’t use it Do you think that the product serves its purpose? Yes, no, not sure, Do you use the product for any other function other than that indicated on the packaging? Yes, no, don’t use the product Would you recommend the product to somebody else? Definitely, am not sure, probably not What is the likelihood that you will buy Sorbent the next time you purchase facial tissue? Definitely will buy, probably will buy, might buy, probably will not buy

More people indicate their likelihood of buying Kleenex facial tissue. In the survey conducted, 4 people indicated that they would definitely buy Kleenex, compared to 2 people who indicated that they would buy Sorbent. Sixteen people indicated that they would probably buy Kleenex compared to 12 people who indicated that they would probably buy Sorbent. Eighteen people indicated that they might buy Kleenex, compared to 20 people who indicated that they might buy Sorbent. More people indicated that they would probably not buy Sorbent, than they did Kleenex. This information shows the reaction of the consumers once they learnt about the products. More people showed an interest in purchasing Kleenex than they did Sorbent. The results are different from what someone would expect having seen how the two brands compare with each other, in terms of the identified attributes. Sorbent seems to be doing better than Kleenex in terms of offering what the client wants.

The willingness of people to buy Kleenex despite the fact that it ranks lower than Sorbent in terms of the identified attributes may be due to different reasons. It may be because more people are aware of Kleenex than they are of Sorbent. The product could have been in the market for longer, or the consumers may be aware of the brand. This would help in gaining the confidence and trust of the consumers. Kleenex might have a better marketing strategy which ensures that many people learn about it. Consumers are more likely to identify with brands which are more accessible to them. Having an effective marketing strategy ensures that the consumers can access the products whenever they want to. The marketers at Kleenex seem to have understood the importance of positioning. Product positioning ensures that the product reaches the target markets.

Marketing and advertisements are important in influencing the consumers’ decision when selecting the products to purchase. However, the consumers’ direct experience of the product determines their beliefs about it. Consumers are more likely to have a preference of the product when they use it. The consumers’ beliefs towards a certain product that are based on their direct experience tend to have a greater effect on their attitude towards the product. Therefore, other than advertising, marketers often try to ensure that the consumers get to consume the product. This ensures that they form an attitude towards the product. The marketers ensure that they insist on the products unique attributes, especially when compared to the competition.

The marketers offer free samples to the consumers and this ensures that the consumers get a chance to try the product. Once the consumers begin using the product, then the marketers can decide to use other forms of marketing. Marketers can entice the consumers to purchase the product by offering the products in smaller sizes which the consumers can afford. Many consumers with the intention of trying out new products do not want to spend much money buying the biggest size to avoid any losses on case the product proves disappointing. Therefore, however good a product is, marketers cannot guarantee that it will sell if it is only available in big quantities. Other methods that the marketers can use to entice the consumers include offering coupons and having a no-obligation trial policy.

I have learnt a lot from this exercise, especially relating to the consumers evaluation of products and the marketers efforts in reaching the consumers using the different product attributes. Marketers have the ability to change the consumer’s perception concerning a product by emphasizing a particular attribute of their product and downplaying a stronger attribute of their competition. The multi-attribute models help the marketers in identifying the most salient features to the consumers. However good a product might seem depending on the attributes and ideal point reference, the consumers might not consume it if it is not readily available to them.

Works Cited:

Blackwell, D. Roger, Paul W. Miniard, and James F. Engel. Consumer Behavior. Thomson/South-Western, 2006. Print

Halbrook, B. Morris. Playing the Changes on the Jazz Metaphor. Hanover: Now Publishers Inc, 2008. Print

Ittersum, V. Koert et al. “The Validity of Attribute-Importance Measurement: A Review.” Journal of Business Research 60 (2007): 1177-1190. Print

Ramadhani, Abdullah, Dini T. Alamanda and Hendri Sudrajat. “Analysis of Consumer Attitude using Fishbein Multi-Attributes Approach.” International Journal of Basic and Applied Science 1.1 (2012)33=39

Shah, Kruti. Advertising N Promotion. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Education, 2009. Print