Head & Shoulders: A Comprehensive Look at Consumer Behaviour

Résumé du document

This report provides an analysis and evaluation of Procter & Gamble's hair care line, 'Head & Shoulders'. With 'Head & Shoulders' new marketing campaign, this report analyses the effectiveness of this campaign in comparison to the ever growing competition of other anti-dandruff hair care products in the United Kingdom (UK). The report also provides recommendations for increasing awareness of the 'Head & Shoulders' brand and how it could stand out among competitors. The research draws attention to the fact that 'Head & Shoulders' is a low involvement product that deals with a problem (anti-dandruff), that is embarrassing for consumers. In the focus groups held for the analysis, 75% of the participants answered "Head & Shoulders", when asked "if you were looking to buy an anti-dandruff shampoo, which brand would you purchase?". It was also found that in comparison to three other popular anti-dandruff brands, 'Head & Shoulders' ranked the first among the consumers surveyed. In addition, 'Head & Shoulders' is easily identified by consumers in terms of physical attributes and function of the product. Plus, 90% of one of the focus groups had a positive impression of 'Head & Shoulders' products (Nathanson, 2006). Further investigations revealed that the positive impression left on consumers is supported by different kinds of promotions in store, like the 'Head & Shoulders' spokesperson, American actress Kristin Davis.

Extraits

[...] Indeed, when children do not want to wash themselves, mothers often tell them that they will smell bad and nobody would like to play with them. Thus, children will wash themselves to avoid being rejected by their peers, which is the negative outcome they would like to avoid, therefore changing their behaviour. That way, washing hair becomes something socially necessary that everybody has to do and shampoos are considered as kind of necessity products. For Head & Shoulders, the instrumental conditioning will be to treat hair to eliminate dandruff, as dandruff is considered a big nuisance. [...]

[...] To conclude on this ad analysis, it can be said that it will be difficult for Head & Shoulders, in spite of this association with a celebrity, to change their image through this campaign and to make consumers identify to Kristin Davis. The need to imitate her might fail because she is not well- known enough and does not correspond to the reference group of most of Head & Shoulders' consumers, even if she fits quite well with the image the brand would like to get. Moreover Head & Shoulders' products are very well known to be efficient anti-dandruff, medicated shampoos but not to be beauty products. [...]

[...] Head & Shoulders have none of these. By creating tailored products such as stated above along with using their anti dandruff formula they can develop an entirely new product that no hair care company has created yet. This also allows for Head & Shoulder customers to feel as if they are being personally targeted and therefore help their individual hair all that better. Another suggestion that goes along side of a more diversified tailored hair care product is that Head & Shoulders should introduce new scents for their shampoos and conditioners. [...]

[...] Psychological responses deals with personal feelings toward a product; for example, how an individual feels about buying a certain product. The latter deals with one's self being aware of buying a particular product and the message one sends out to others when purchasing that product. The answers within the group for psychological responses varied from being embarrassed about having dandruff, to not really using the product to cure dandruff but rather buying the product for the smell and the way it makes their hair look and feel. [...]

[...] However, a good and recognizable slogan could reinforce their brand name and recognition and make them being even better known. Moreover, slogans are an important part of the conditioning process: L'Oreal's "Because I'm Worth It" is well known all around the world and, each time we hear or see it, we think about L'Oreal, even if the brand name does not appear. Consequently, we can say that having a slogan could allow Head & Shoulders not to be recognizable only by its name but also by a motto that represent the brand for its consumers. [...]