The Changes In Consumer Behaviour Media EssayAdvertising for women has changed drastically over the years in order to change the perceptions made by the public. The subject area is going through an element of change to

make brands more accommodating to women. This aspect of advertising has been chosen for the dissertation as there is a personal relation to the topic. It is a current issue that

many people relate to and consider on a daily basis. Motivation plays a role in the subject choice; personal and academic. It is important for companies to be aware of this

current matter as it is important for them to be able to expand their brand and generate sales, especially when considering the current economic climate.

This report will propose the final year dissertation by outlining the chosen title, in conjunction with specific objectives. There will be an outlining of sources that will be used and a

discussion of the planned methodology for research will follow, discussing different and possible approaches that may be taken. Comparisons between diverse research

methods will be included, expressing the strengths and weaknesses of each, and finally how these methods can be used in this specific study.

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The chosen topic encompasses 'Advertising Psychology' and the 'Psychology of the Consumer'. The title will focus on how the change in advertising for 'real women' has

affected the sales of the products they support. The aim of this is to find out whether Dove's change, in particular, in advertising as the 'campaign for real beauty' has boosted

product sales, and if so for what reason. An investigation into the minds of the consumer will be conducted through primary research.

"Dove believes in honest beauty, that's why we wanted our products to be tested by the people they were made for - real women" (Dove, 2007)

Dove is a company that produces skin, body cleansing and hair care products for women worldwide. They are an extremely successful company, who serves an extremely large

target market, flourishing day by day. Dove is a very popular brand for many reasons, and has effectively reached out to a vast amount of people over the years that they have

been operating.

3. PROJECT OBJECTIVESThere are three set objectives for the dissertation:

To identify the elements of advertising, which affect the consumer purchasing power.

Dove made a bold statement when they started to use 'real women' in their advertising campaigns, as opposed to using stereotypical models and attractive women.

To examine how advertisers attracted women prior to the use of 'real women' in advertising.

To what degree the change in advertising affected consumer behaviour and boosted sales of products.

People advertise in many different ways using strategies that have developed over the years, however the use of 'gorgeous' and 'stick thin' models is common almost

everywhere. Dove made a tremendously bold statement when changing their advertising strategy to using 'real' women, who are not just models hired for a photo shoot. As the

quote says above, Dove wanted to take a much more down to earth, honest approach.

4. THEORETICAL/CONCEPTUAL UNDERPINNINGA number of articles have been written relatively recently regarding advertising strategies, in particular that of Dove's Campaign for Real Women (see appendices). A useful

book written by a woman called Mary Lou Quinlan, titled 'Just Ask a Woman' provides an aid when looking into the mind of a woman, what women look for in advertising, and

how they should be targeted.

"Marketing with women is about more than selling them what you make. It is about understanding the most powerful feelings and truths in women's lives... That is where you will

find the answers to how she makes decisions, why she buys, and what makes her loyal to you." (Quinlan, 2003).

Quinlan uses her publication to access the mind of a marketer, giving an insight into how the mind of a woman works, comparing inner thoughts to outer actions. She offers

explanations regarding why women think the way that they do, and how these thoughts can be combated through effective advertising and marketing of a product or service.

"Women are judging the women in your ads, so you need to think the same way she does… look at any model and ask these questions from a woman's point of view: Does

she look happy? Does she smile with her eyes? Does she look slender but healthy...You can skip this kind of thinking if you want to - but your female customers will not."

Statements Quinlan has made throughout her book supports decisions that Dove have made, and are continuing to make, in their campaign. The truth about advertising to

women approaches comes out in the book, but Quinlan makes a conscious effort to help overcome these issues that organisations are commonly facing.

Other key books include "The psychology of advertising. A simple exposition of the principles of psychology in their relation to successful advertising" by Walter Dill Scott,

"Persuasion in Advertising" by Nicholas J O'Shaughnessy and John O'Shaughnessy, and finally "Marketing to women: how to understand, reach and increase your share of the

largest market segment" by Martha Barletta. As well as these, the academic articles were cited from ABI/Inform Global and from NexisUK.

Marketing Week published an article titled "Analysis: Dove's ad campaign", Sophia Morrell (Appendix 1). This publication is very interesting as Sophia highlights the success of

Dove since their first introduction of the campaign four years ago. However, she then goes on to compare the sales of their products to the success of the campaign, which in

this case is not so positive. "While it is clear that women are buying into the ethos of the Dove brand, there is less evidence to suggest this is being reflected in sales".

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Additionally, the Wall Street Journal, New York, "Dove's Curvaceous Campaign Ties to Renew Brand's Passion", Suzanne Vranica in October 2005 (Appendix 2) provides

readers with a first hand account presenting the reasoning behind Dove's change to using the 'real women and beauty' campaign straight from someone who was involved

heavily in the transformation.

NexisUK presented an article written for O'Dwyer's PR Services Report, from September 2005, titled "Dove's 'real beauty' push draws raves, scrutiny' (Appendix 3) and talking

mainly about Dove's use of PR, marketing and advertising techniques.

"If you've got it, flaunt it - at 66" (Appendix 4), publicised in the Bristol Evening Post, May 2007. This article explains the next step that Dove is taking in their Campaign for Real

Women. "ProAge is the latest step…to help women feel better about their bodies regardless of age, size, shape or skin tone."

The final article discovered on NexisUK is "Consumer Goods Unilever bans 'size zero' models in ads" (Appendix 5), published in The Daily Telegraph, London, 9 May 2007. This

reveals important information regarding the change in advertising and marketing.

These works encourage further thinking about the approach that can be taken with the study's research methodology. The facts and figures that articles have provided suggest

that a vast amount of research has already been conducted in this area, therefore concluding that information is available to use in conjunction with the dissertation.

Advertising psychology will also be included in forthcoming studies. The above publications will also help in this subject area. Overall, each piece of literature is useful, and

contributes to solid ground, enabling progression further with research into advertising psychology, the mind of the consumer, and the impact that Dove's Campaign for Real

Women has had on the female audience.

5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY"Research methods are concerned with how the required information will be collected, and effective planning presupposes an understanding of the alternatives, and how and

when each can be effectively used." (Hague & Jackson, 1998)

Multiple techniques will be used to enable the collection and analysis of relevant data to help to reach the objectives. Specific interest lies in the conducting of a case study,

questionnaires for a selection of women of different ages and also in organising and holding a focus group for women.

"Case studies are particularly useful in depicting a holistic portrayal of a client's experiences and results regarding a program. For example, to evaluate the effectiveness of a

program's processes, including its strengths and weaknesses, evaluators might develop case studies on the program's successes and failures." (Free Management Library,

2007)

The concentration on one organisation and how they have changed their advertising strategies to meet the needs and wants of their target audience influences the decision to

construct a holistic case study, looking at the organisation of Dove, evaluating their performance as a whole, especially since the introduction of their campaign. Publications that

have been discussed previously in this proposal, for example, will contribute to this case study - drawing from them strengths and weaknesses and issues regarding changes

that have been and are continually being made. Dove will be contacted to request information on the campaign strategies, and their opinions on how well they feel it has worked

for them.

"Questionnaires are quite flexible in what they can measure, however they are not equally suited to measuring all types of data. We can classify data in two ways, Subjective vs.

Objective and Quantitative vs. Qualitative." (Gatech.edu, 2006)

There are many approaches that can be taken to design a questionnaire to be used as part of the methodology. Careful consideration must be taken regarding the amount of

questions, due to the possibility that a large number of questions may lead the completer to loss of interest. The questionnaire must consist of relatively straightforward

questions, as questionnaires will not be completed whilst with the questionnaire designer; there will therefore not be the ability to have the questions explained in depth to the

participant.

There are two types of questions that can be used; open and closed ended questions. The open ended format allows the respondent to expand on their answer, whereas a

closed ended format gives the respondent straight forward and to the point options to choose from.

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For this study it is important to use a significant amount of open ended questions, giving participants the ability to voice their opinions, as it is a subject, which could be

suggested, that many people feel strongly about. However, the use of closed ended questions is imperative to show variation, permitting the collection of a range of results and

allowing the use of a variety of analysing techniques.

"Questionnaires… Their first and prime role is to draw accurate information from respondents. Whilst drafting a questionnaire, the researched is forced to give detailed

consideration to the information required to meet the project objectives. This ensures that the right questions are asked." (Hague & Jackson, 1998)

As well as this, there are two types of questions that will be used during research; 'behavioural' questions and 'attitudinal' questions. They differ greatly, however when used in

conjunction with each other the researcher is able to gain a large insight into the feelings and opinions of the participant.

Behavioural questions are "…designed to find out what people do. For example, do people go to the cinema? How often do they go? What type of films do they watch?"

Behavioural questions are often began, for example, by 'have you ever…?', 'do you ever…?' and 'when did you last…?' These questions can either be closed ended or open

ended, but often search for a short and simplistic answer. (Hague & Jackson, 1998)

Attitudinal questions are used because "…people hold opinions or beliefs on everything from politics to social precepts, to the products they buy and the companies which

make or supply them." These questions search for attitude of the contributor. Common stems that are used to begin attitudinal questions are 'why do you…?', 'what do you

think of…?' and 'do you agree or disagree…?' This style of question prompts open ended questions. (Hague & Jackson, 1998)

From a strategic perspective, a relatively large sample of the population would be useful. It is important that the participants are female, a variety of ages, ranging from 16 to 50.

The division of this age group will be into 5 parts, asking 10 people from each age group to complete the questionnaire. This will provide a good range of results to analyse as

part of the methodology.

Focus groups allow the opportunity to gather qualitative data regarding the research topic. In these circumstances, participants are given the ability to discuss their feelings on

the given subject matter. They are able to talk freely with other applicants, bouncing opinions and attitudes off one another.

"Most people who do qualitative research would classify focus groups into three different types: full groups, mini groups, and telephone groups… A full group consists of a

discussion of approximately 90 to 120 minutes, led by a trained moderator, involving 8 to 10 persons who are recruited for the session based on their common demographics,

attitudes, or buying patterns germane to the topic… A mini group is essentially the same as a full group, except that it generally contains 4 to 6 persons. (Greenbaum, 1998)

The full group or the mini group approach will be used, where the researcher is provided with the opportunity to speak to the partakers face to face. This will be beneficial with

the ability to see primarily instant reactions, facial expressions and body language.

"…In all three group types a trained moderator conducts the session. This person functions as the leader of the discussion and stimulates discussion among the participants,

saying as little as possible during the group." (Greenbaum, 1998)

When carrying out focus group discussions a number of points will already be prepared, as well as visual material, helping to prompt discussion areas. It is important to be well

prepared, so that there is a feeling of confidence, in turn helping people to feel comfortable and stable. The researcher will need to have an input, however not as active as other

group members.

As well as researching into consumer feelings, it is significant to contact Dove, as the chosen organisation. Contacting Dove provides the ability to find out more details

regarding their campaign for real women, and to ask them directly about the response rate to changes in their advertising strategy.

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