Looking at the value of perception

BY S RAMESH KUMAR

VALUE perception in a market like India needs to be analysed taking into consideration product categories and brands that have been part of the context for quite some time. If Fevistick and Ujala blue or Rasna concentrate soft drink are considered in the respective categories, consumers may probably perceive product delivery form has been instrumental in the success of these brands. If we consider tea bags (Taj has been advertising its brand for the last two decades or so with the celebrities) and liquid detergents (Ezee and Genteel brands have been in the market for decades and, more recently, Surf Execls liquid version can be found in modern retail outlets), product delivery form may not have done much from the viewpoint of mass consumer acceptance. It may be interesting to know what percentage of consumers who use tea or detergents prefer and use the different delivery forms on a regular basis. Good Night mosquito coils were accepted well and the liquid versions of several brands of mosquito repellent were also well received. Ariel during the late eighties entered the market with the powder form detergent and even brought out ads that conveyed that bars may not be required if the brand is used for washing fabrics. But quickly the brand had to bring in its soap bar delivery form. With housewives using several kinds of cleaning powders and soap bars for washing utensils, how many of them have changed over to the liquid form offered by Pril or Vim? Product forms are probably more easily accepted by consumer segments when there are a few competing brands in the alternative or substitute form. Tea, for example, has several brands in the category and there is huge unorganized market too. There are many brands of both powder-based and soap-based detergents and liquid detergents may not fall within the consideration set of the consumers. Most of these categories are frequently bought ones. When Goodnight coils were introduced, the major brand of mosquito repellent available at that time was Odomos, and toady the product form of ointment itself has been overshadowed by other delivery forms. Hair cream is another category that has become popular with the younger generation in the recent times. Aftershower literally created the category in terms of diffusion of the category though there were other brands in the market much before Aftershower was launched. There have been brands in this category of hair oil (the conventional product form in this category) that have created visibility like Daburs Vatica and Navaratna in the recent times. Parachute itself is an established brand and advertising visibility has been one of its primary strategies. Cornflakes, in the biscuit form, has been introduced by a brand.

VALUE PERCEPTION There are some interesting conceptual aspects that marketers may like to address. What is the value perception of consumers? Perception is adding or subtracting meaning to offerings/categories and brands and does not reflect objective reality. Do consumers expect high visibility awareness to be created for a new form like liquid variant of detergent/utensil washing liquid, and what is their perception of using a liquid variant vis a vis the conventional bars ? Are there cultural aspects to be taken into consideration? Are symbolic appeals more important for the new delivery forms like hair cream, a category where aftershower has sustained its symbolism over a period of time. With brands and categories vying for several consumer segments, consumer perspectives on value can also be explored through a conceptual mindset. (The author is Professor, marketing, IIM, Bangalore)