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THE BRAND COMPETITION
OF CONSUMER PRODUCTS IN
CAMBODIA
Mik Saphanaret*
Brand marketing has a distinct historical context
irrespective of the levels of development of the
countries. Most of the experience was built around
the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs)
business of Multi-National Companies (MNCs)
with its own unique products, market and company
policy imperatives. However, it can be said that all
successful efforts in brand making have not been
by MNCs, as local companies too have been
successful in many countries in this regard.
A brand is the personification of a company. It is a
source of a promise to its customers. It promises
relevant differentiated benefits. It does so not only
to place itself into the purchase consideration set,
but even more importantly, to be the brand chosen
from that purchase consideration set. This is also
referred to as the brand’s unique value proposition.
Whether it is called a unique value proposition or a
promise of relevant differentiated benefits, it is
very important that the promise or proposition be
delivered consistently at each point of customer
contact, time after time. Thus, a brand is the idea
or image of a specific product or service that
consumers connect with, by identifying the name,
logo, slogan, or design of the company who owns
the idea or image. Branding is when that idea or
image is marketed so that it is recognizable by
more and more people, and identified with a
certain service or product when there are many
other companies offering the same service or
product. Thus, branding is an important part which
allows companies to build their reputations as well
as expand beyond the original product and service,
and add to the revenue generated by the original
brand. Branding is also a way to build an important
company asset, which is a good reputation. In
addition, branding can build an expectation about
the company services or products, and can
encourage the company to maintain that
expectation, or exceed them, bringing better
products and services to the market place. Thus,
brand allows the consumer to shop with
confidence, and they provide a route map through
a bewildering variety of choices. The brand and
consumers’ appreciation of the underlying appeals
drive the purchase decision.
BACKGROUND
The real power of successful brands is that they
meet the expectations of those that buy them. As
such, they are a contract between a seller and a
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buyer. If the seller keeps to its side of the bargain,
the buyer will be satisfied; if not, the buyer will in
future look elsewhere. Therefore, the value to
businesses owing strong brands is incontestable.
Brands that keep their promise attract loyal buyers
who will return to them at regular intervals. The
benefit to the brand owner is that forecasting cash
flows becomes easier, and it becomes possible to
plan and manage the development of the business
with greater confidence.
In the present competitive world, the asset value of
brands is widely recognized by both brand owners
and investors. Brands as realized can generate high
quality earnings that can directly affect the overall
performance of the business and thus influence the
share price. The durability of brands, the quality of
their earning power and their widespread appeal
make them highly desirable properties. Hence, a
brand which is widely known in the marketplace
acquires brand recognition. When brand
recognition builds up to a point where a brand
enjoys a critical mass of positive sentiment in the
marketplace, it is said to have achieved brand
franchise. Brand recognition is most successful
when people can state a brand without being
explicitly exposed to the company’s name, but
rather through visual signifiers like logos, slogans,
etc. The recognition and perception of a brand is
highly influenced by its visual presentation. A
brand’s visual identity is the overall look of its
communications. Hence, effective visual brand
identity is achieved by the consistent use of
particular visual elements to create distinction.
Effective brand names build a connection between
the brand personality as it is perceived by the
target audience and the actual product/ service.
Typically, sustainable brand names are easy to
remember, transcend trends and have positive
connotations. Thus, brand identity is fundamental
to consumer recognition and symbolizes the
brand’s differentiation from competitors. However,
over time, a product’s brand identity may acquire,
gaining new attributes from consumer perspective
but not necessarily from the marketing
communications an owner percolates to targeted
consumers. Therefore, brand associations become
handy to check the consumer’s perception of the
brand.
A brand image has both a direct effect on sales and
a moderating effect on the relationship between
product life cycle (PLC) strategies and sales.
Finally, a brand image is not simply a perceptual
phenomenon affected by the firm’s communication
activities alone. It is the understanding consumers
derive from the total set of brand-related activities
engaged in by the firm. Thus, unless effects on the
brand image also are considered, the
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implementation of PLC strategies may cause a
decline in long-run market performance (Park, et
al., 1986)1.
In consumer behavior research, a considerable
amount of attention has been given to the construct
of brand personality, which refers to the set of
human characteristics associated with a brand
(Aaker, 1997). Researchers have focused on how
the personality of a brand enables a consumer to
express his or her own self (Belk, 1988), an ideal
self (Malhotra, 1988), or specific dimensions of the
self (Kleine, Kleine, and Kernan, 1993) through
the use of a brand. Practitioners view it as a key
way to differentiate a brand in a product category
(Halliday, 1996) as a common denominator that
can be used to market a brand across cultures
(Plummer, 1985).
Despite the important relationship between a
brand’s image and its market performance, limited
research has been carried out in small emerging
markets. Further, research on personality and the
symbolic use of brands more generally has
remained limited due to the lack of consensus
regarding what brand personality really is.
LITERATURE REVIEW
BRAND COMPETITIVENESS
Brand competitiveness is considered as a basis for
long-term survival of an enterprise and can bring
long-term interests for enterprise. Brand
competitiveness enhances market share, increase
profits, enable organizations to charge higher
price, create customer loyalty, or even help
override occasional failures in the eyes of the
consumers. Organizations develop brands as a way
to attract and keep customers by promoting value,
image, prestige, or lifestyle. They may enjoy a
trust or customer loyalty if they able to
differentiate the brand from the competitor. A
weak brand cannot able to retain the customers.
Many researchers believe that brand
competitiveness is affected mainly by two
dimensions. The first dimension is the basic
strength of corporate, such as product quality or
service, technology, business skills, management
capacity, human resources; the second dimension
is the effectiveness of brand communication which
mainly includes the consumers’ perception of
brand images and the channel capacity of
providing products and services to customers.
Yang et al. (2008) provide that the brand value,
brand innovation, brand quality control, brand
marketing and brand communication constitute the
five aspects of brand competitive factors. Dali et
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al. (2007) reveal that brand competitive effects by
four elements. These are basic elements which
composed of product performance, quality and
other indicators; form factor, which refers to the
name, trademarks, etc.; support elements which
include management capabilities, financial
strength, human resources, etc.; and strengthen
elements which include public relations,
advertising and after-sales service.
Recently
research in this direction is more concerned about
the brand itself, focusing on the brand continuity
and development factors. Among them, the brand
culture is the most important one. Pengli and
Furong (2008) sum up the factors as brand market
power, brand innovation, brand culture and brand
leadership. Brand culture emphasizes the
integration of business outlook, values, and
aesthetics into the brands. Further, Xueme (2009)
emphasizes on the link between brand and
corporate image, and the brand elements
summarized as brand strength, brand management,
brand development and brand sales force. Jinping
(2009)
consider cultural competence as the
dominant factor which emphasizes that an
enterprise must establish a distinctive brand
philosophy, brand image and brand personality.
To enhance the competiveness of the brand several
business strategies are required. These are (i)
developing a good quality management system and
have good crisis manage capacity, (ii) effectively
engage in marketing campaigns, while focusing on
the customer’s evaluation after purchase, and (iii)
strengthening brand operations along with
enhancing brand value.
Liuxiang (2002) points out good brands need good
quality management system as a safeguard and
there are three elements to establish a good quality
management system. The first part should begin
from the raw materials, grasp the purchase
channel, strict implementation of quality standard;
the second part from the production process
control, strict manufacturing processes for
processing in accordance with the production,
strict control of the defect rate and the failure rate;
and the third part links quality testing and quality
inspection, which must not be over looked.
Companies wishing to build their brand bigger and
stronger cannot be too short-sighted in quality
inspection link pushing boundaries.
Enterprises should make full use of various
marketing initiatives to strengthen their brand
image. Advertising, public advocacy, promotion
and celebrity effect can become effective
measures. Marketing campaigns make a brand
famous but it can never solve the problem of
maintaining the brand, as such establishment of
brand image is far more than that. The key to
maintain a good brand is to put more emphasis on
the consumer’s evaluation, particularly the
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evaluation after the purchase. Such thinking not
only can maintain good customer satisfaction, but
also helps improve product performance, better
brand recognition and customer loyalty (Yang and
Tang, 2008).
The profitability of the brand is the most
fundamental part of the core business ability. In
order to enhance brand value, the enterprise should
start from the brand’s profitability, which is not
just a guarantee, but the essential part for the
continuation of the brand. Brand profitability is the
outward
manifestation
of
the
brand
competitiveness; it refers to the ability to profit in
the market. Brand development capacity reflects
the ability of the persistence of a brand; it is
subject to many factors. Branding capabilities
explain whether a brand’s image in the consumer
consciousness is achieved the desire or not. Brand
support capacity emphasizes on the resources
needed to maintain the brand conditions. Brand
awareness capacity shows whether the target brand
on the market won the social acceptance and
customer satisfaction.
Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs)
Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs)
are products that are sold quickly at relatively low
cost. Though the absolute profit made on FMCG
products is relatively small, they generally sell in
large quantities and as such the cumulative profit
on such products is large. These products get
replaced within a year. Examples of FMCG
generally include a wide range of frequently
purchased consumer products such as toiletries,
soap, cosmetics, teeth cleaning products, shaving
products and detergents, as well as other nondurables such as glassware, light bulbs, batteries,
paper products and plastic goods. FMCG may also
include pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics,
packaged food products and soft drinks, tissue
paper, chocolate bars, although these are often
categorized separately. Subsets of FMCGs are Fast
Moving Consumer Electronics which include
innovative electronic products such as mobile
phones, MP3 players, digital cameras, Laptops,
etc. These are replaced more frequently than other
electronic products. White goods in FMCG refer to
household electronic items such as Refrigerators,
TVs, Music Systems, etc. Some of the best known
examples of Fast Moving Consumer Goods
companies include Colgate-Palmolive, Unilever,
Nestle, Procter & Gamble, Marks, Spencer, CocaCola, Carlsberg, Pepsi, etc.
FMCG industry provides a wide range of
consumables and accordingly the amount of
money circulated against FMCG products is also
very high. This industry, alternatively called as
Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry
primarily deals with the production, distribution
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and marketing of consumer packaged goods.
Consumers generally put less thought into the
purchase of FMCG than they do for other products.
Today
the
competition
among
FMCG
manufacturers is growing very fast and as a result
of this, investment in FMCG industry is also
increasing. FMCG industry also engaged in
operations, supply chain, production and general
management. The main segments of the FMCG
sector are:
Personal Care: oral care; hair care; skin care;
personal wash (soaps); cosmetics and toiletries;
deodorants; perfumes; paper products (tissues,
diapers, sanitary); shoe care.
Household care: fabric wash (laundry soaps and
synthetic detergents); household cleaners (dish/
utensil cleaners, floor cleaners, toilet cleaners, air
fresheners, insecticides and mosquito repellants,
metal polish and furniture polish).
Branded and Packaged Food and Beverages: health
beverages; soft drinks; staples/ cereals; bakery
products (biscuits, bread, cakes); snack food;
chocolates; ice cream; tea; coffee; processed fruits;
vegetables and meat; dairy products; bottled water;
branded flour; branded rice; branded sugar; juices,
etc.
Spirits and Tobacco: An exact product-wise sales
break up for each of the items is difficult.
Thus, the products belonging to the FMCG
segment
generally
have
the
following
characteristics:
• They are used at least once in a month
• They are used directly by the end-consumer
• They are mostly non-durable
• They are sold in packaged form
• They are branded
A SWOT analysis of FMCG sector shows that the
sector enjoys several strengths, such as low
operational cost, presence of established
distribution networks in both urban and rural areas
in countries and presence of well-known brands in
this sector. The weaknesses show lower scope of
investing in technology and achieving economies
of scale, especially in small sectors and presence of
illegal mimic of labels of the established brands,
which narrows the scope of FMCG products in
rural and semi-urban market in several economies
in the world. However, FMCG sector has
tremendous opportunities to grow which include
presence of untapped rural market in many
countries, possibilities of rising demand due to
increasing purchasing power of consumers, export
potential and high consumer goods spending. In
spite of tremendous presence of opportunities, the
sector faces few threats, such as presence of tax
and regulatory structure in many economies along
with slowdown in demand in rural areas. In
addition, removals of import restrictions in many
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economies result in high competition and in many
cases replace the domestic brands.
In several low income economies in the world
increased focus on farm sector boosts rural
incomes and provides better growth prospects to
the FMCG companies. In addition, better
infrastructure facilities in many economies
improve their supply chain. FMCG sector is also
likely to benefit from growing demand in the
market. Because of the low per capita consumption
for almost all the products in the low income
economies, FMCG companies have tremendous
possibilities for growth. In addition, if the
companies are able to change the mindset of the
million consumers, i.e., if they are able to take the
consumers to branded products and offer new
generation products, they would be able to
generate higher growth in the near future. Some of
the advantages of FMCG industry which made this
industry as a potential one are low operational cost,
strong distribution networks, and presence of
renowned
FMCG
companies.
Moreover,
population growth is another important factor
responsible for the success of FMCG industry.
A major portion of monthly budget of each
household is spent on FMCG products. The
introduction of sachets made rural people who are
traditionally not accustomed for bulk purchase, to
buy branded FMCG products like shampoo,
detergents, cleaning powders and liquids,
toothpastes, etc. This changed the pattern of
buying from traditional products to branded
products. Thus, the Fast Moving Consumer Goods
(FMCG) sector is the corner stone of every
economy. This sector touches every aspect of
human life. The FMCG producers have realized
that there is enough opportunity for them to
penetrate into the rural market of several
economies in the world. Today the shift towards
branded FMCGs in rural areas is a result of socioeconomic changes. The socio-economic and
political changes taken place around the world
have contributed to a great extent for changes in
the life styles of countryside people who
patronized branded FMCG products.
STUDY OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the study were:


To Identify the key competitive of the
Consumers products brands in Cambodia
Market and the perception of consumers
regarding the usefulness of dominant
attributes on brand evaluation;
To find out the role of advertisement in
the buying decision of consumers towards
selected brands of FMCGs; and
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
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To analyze the brand identity of selected
brands of FMCGs among the consumers
in the study area.
METHODOLOGY
The type of analysis carried out in the present
study is both descriptive as well as quantitative in
nature. To achieve the objectives and test the
hypotheses, the study has collected primary data
through direct personal interview method with the
help of a structured questionnaire. The primary
data have been collected from 400 selected
respondents in the city of Phnom Penh. Besides,
relevant secondary data have also been collected
from several sources. Both descriptive and
quantitative analysis has been carried out in the
study. Several statistical tools, such as average,
percentage and Multidimensional Scaling (MDS)
have been used in the study. The study has also
carried out both tabular and graphical analysis to
analyze the data collected as per the objectives of
the study.
In addition, relevant statistical tools are
used in the study to accomplish the objectives.
Weighted Aggregate Score is carried out to rank
the attributes affecting the buying decision of the
consumers.
The Weighted Aggregate Score
calculated as per the formula given below:
Weighted Aggregate Score = ∑Wi Xi
is
Where,
Wi = Weight of ith item X
Xi = Value of ith item X
To understand the preference level of the
respondents so far different brands of toothpaste,
detergent powder and shampoo is concerned, the
Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) has been used.
This particular technique is well suited and was
originally developed for measuring human
perceptions and preferences. Multidimensional
Scaling is used to identify the product attributes
that have importance to consumers and to measure
their relative importance. This technique tests the
brands which compete most directly with each
other. MDS is a set of techniques used to
understand and measure the variety of human
responses. MDS tackles basically two problems: i.
dimensions involved for consumer perception of
objects (Products, Services, Brands, Companies,
etc.), and ii. Configuration of points (of objects) in
that dimensionality.
As regards dimensionality, the number can
be two or more. However, only two most
important dimensions are chosen so that the
resultant configuration can be shown graphically.
The outputs of MDS are the location of objects on
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the relevant dimensions as is termed as “Perceptual
Mapping”. Thus, the perceptual map technique has
also been used to identify the underlying
dimensions that differentiate customer perception
of products and the position of existing products
on the dimensions. The following method has been
used to find out the number of dimensions and
configuration of that dimensionality.
The similarity matrix from response matrix
has been found out by the following formula:
Where N is total sample size, i = row and j
= column.
The distance between each brand is found
out by using Euclidean distance formula:
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market. The competitive analysis of various brands
of toothpaste is presented in Table 5.2.3.
Table No. 5.2.3
Identification of Best Brand of Toothpaste on
the basis of Selected Attributes
Attributes
Brand
Colgate
Pepsodent
Total
128
(32.00)
152
(38.00)
92
(23.00)
104
(26.00)
88
(22.00)
84
(21.00)
Closeup
108
(27.00)
96
(24.00)
88
(22.00)
Oral-B
Cleanliness
60
(15.00)
64
(16.00)
136
(34.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
124
(31.00)
112
(28.00)
108
(27.00)
128
(32.00)
120
(30.00)
104
(26.00)
80
(20.00)
92
(23.00)
88
(22.00)
108
(27.00)
112
(28.00)
96
(24.00)
68
(17.00)
76
(19.00)
100
(25.00)
84
(21.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
Protection of
gum & teeth
Freshness
Price
Advertisement
Packaging
Brand Image
Note: Figures in the parentheses indicate percentage to
row total.
Where Xik, Xjk are the projections of points
i and j on dimension k
(k = 1, 2, …….., r)
The stress value is calculated as a badness
of fit at 10 per cent. So any value below the value
of allowable badness of fit is acceptable.
Thus, MDS is carried out to help
understand people judgments of the similarity of
members of a set of objects. The pairs of brands
are taken to study the superiority of the brand
through the ordinal scale. Respondents are required
to give their preferences for the different brands
and finally, the perceptual map is drawn to know
the Euclidian distance among the different brands.
To meet the objectives of the study, 400
respondents are taken into account for carrying out
the field survey in the capital city of Cambodia,
i.e., Phnom Penh.
BRANDS COMPETITION
Competitive Analysis of Various Brands of
Toothpaste
Considering certain attributes, such as cleanliness,
protection of gum and teeth, freshness, price,
advertisement, etc., the competitive analysis of
various brands of toothpaste is taken into account.
For this purpose, the study has considered the
brands like Colgate, Close up, Pepsodent and OralB. The other brands of toothpaste have not been
taken into account with the simple assumption that
these brands are not effective players in the
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Table 5.2.3 reveals the fact that considering the
attributes, such as cleanliness, protection of gum
and teeth, price, advertisement and brand image,
Colgate was considered by the highest number of
respondents as the best brand. So far as the
freshness and packaging are concerned, Oral-B and
Close up were considered respectively by the
respondents as the best brand. In a number of
attributes, such as cleanliness, protection of gum
and teeth, advertisement and brand image, the
brand Close up had secured the second position.
However, the brand Oral-B had secured the lowest
position in all the attributes taken into account
except
freshness
and
packaging.Figure5.2.5presented below shows
clearly the competitive analysis of various brands
of toothpaste considering several attributes.
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Marketing Implications
The analysis made earlier with regard to factors
influencing buying of toothpaste and choosing of a
brand to be the best considering the attributes
reveals the following marketing implications.
i.
One of the significant attribute influencing
the buying decision of toothpaste is the
protection of gum and teeth as revealed from
the analysis. Considering the brand which
meets the above criteria, it is found that
Colgate was considered to be the most
effective brand. Hence, to further strengthen
the market, Colgate should give more
emphasis on the above attribute. The other
brands, such as Pepsodent and Close up
should also seriously think of their product
value in terms of cleanliness to pose a serious
threat to the brand Colgate.
ii. It is also revealed that freshness as one of the
important attributes in buying the toothpaste.
Data show that maximum number of
respondents favoured Oral-B as the best
brand in meeting the above criteria. Thus, it
can be inferred that to gear up its demand and
to fight with the brand Oral-B, Colgate, Close
up and Pepsodent should consider raising
their freshness value in the product.
iii. Very few respondents consider advertisement
as one of the important factor in buying
toothpaste. However, Colgate had secured the
first position so far the advertisement is
concerned. To promote the brand and to
strengthen the market position, the brands
like Pepsodent, Close up and Oral-B should
develop more appealing advertisement to
create new demand in the market.
iv. Considering the attributes, such as cleanliness
and protection of gum and teeth, it can be
stated that the competing brands of Colgate,
such as Pepsodent, Close up and Oral-B
should add value to their brands for
strengthening their base in the market in the
long run.
v. So far the attributes price and brand images
are concerned, Colgate was rated as the best
brand. Therefore, it can be inferred that the
brands, such as Pepsodent, Close up and
Oral-B should consider the pricing and
develop certain criteria for building up brand
image to meet the growing market challenge
in the present environment.
5.2.7
Perception of Toothpaste – Colgate
Brand
Understanding the level of perception of
consumers of the brand Colgate is essential in a
study of brand personality as a competitive
advantage. Knowing the level of perception of the
consumers helps to build the brand image and to
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rightly position the brand in the competitive
market.
The level of perception of the consumers so far the
Colgate brand of toothpaste is concerned is
summarized below in a 1 – 5 scale. Further, the
table shows the Weighted Aggregate Score which
is found out by assigning 5 points to 5 and 1 point
to 1. The analysis has considered the use of
Weighted Aggregate Score to assess the perception
level of the consumers on the basis of the selected
attributes.
Table No. 5.2.4
Perception Level of the Consumers on Brand
Colgate
Scale 
Attributes

Cleanliness
Protection value
Freshness
Packaging
Price
Advertisement
Brand Image
Number of Responses
5
4
3
(High)
88
156
136
140
124
112
116
120
32
92
32
112
92
136
28
132
68
156
116
56
216
2
8
20
132
160
140
36
8
1
(Low)
12
4
0
4
4
8
4
Weighted
Aggregate
Score
1500
1576
1420
1248
1372
1480
1472
Table 5.2.4presented above shows that respondents
perceived the protection value of the Colgate brand
with regard to gum and teeth as the most important
attribute. The Weighted Aggregate Score has
shown that next to the protection value, cleanliness
was perceived as the next important attribute. The
other attributes which are perceived by the
consumers as important were respectively
advertisement of the product, brand image,
freshness, price and packaging. Further, it is to
note that more than 60 per cent of the respondents
perceived the Colgate brand as high with regard to
cleanliness, protection value and freshness.
Marketing Implication
Analysis made above on the perception of Colgate
brand by the consumers clearly shows that Colgate
had acquired a good brand image due to some of
its attributes, such as protection value, cleanliness,
freshness, etc. Hence, for the other brands in the
market to compete with the Colgate brand, it can
be inferred that they should highlight their Unique
Selling Proposition (USP) on these attributes.
Competitive Analysis of Various Brands of
Detergent Power
A comparative analysis is made in this sub-section
by considering various brands of detergent
powders, such as Viso, Tide, Lix and Breeze on
the basis of a number of attributes. The main aim is
to assess the best brand on the basis of the given
attributes. Looking to the nature of the product, the
various attributes selected are whiteness, better
foaming, cloth friendliness, safe on hands, price,
packaging, storing for a long period, advertisement
and brand image. The study is restricted within the
four brands with the assumption that these brands
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are considered by the consumers as important. By
knowing the best and the least brand on the basis
of the given attributes, marketing strategies may be
planned accordingly. As found earlier, all the
respondents were in use of detergent powder
though their preferred brands vary from one to
other. Moreover, some of the respondents after a
certain period changed their brand due to some
reasons. Hence, the study on different brands on
given attributes helps to know the reason of a
brand as accepted by the consumers. The
comparative analysis of various brands of
detergent powder is presented in Table 5.3.3.
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study is limited within four brands of detergent
powder and nine attributes but, in most cases Viso
was found to be the best rated brand. The analysis
is further supplemented by the figure presented
below.
Table No. 5.3.3
Consideration of Best Brand of Detergent
Powder on the basis of Selected Attributes
Attributes
Whiteness
Better foaming
Cloth friendliness
Safe on hands
Price
Packaging
Storing for a long
period
Advertisement
Brand/company
image
Brand
Viso
133
(33.25)
107
(26.75)
117
(29.25)
107
(26.75)
102
(25.50)
98
(24.50)
106
(26.50)
117
(29.25)
110
(27.50)
Tide
104
(26.00)
89
(22.25)
98
(24.50)
104
(26.00)
87
(21.75)
112
(28.00)
101
(25.25)
93
(23.25)
104
(26.00)
Lix
92
(23.00)
112
(28.00)
84
(21.00)
87
(21.75)
137
(34.25)
68
(17.00)
89
(22.25)
112
(28.00)
89
(22.25)
Breeze
71
(17.75)
92
(23.00)
101
(25.25)
102
(25.50)
74
(18.50)
122
(30.5)
104
(26.00)
78
(19.50)
97
(24.25)
Total
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
Note:
Figures in the parentheses indicate percentage to
row total.
Keeping in view the number of attributes, Viso
was found as the best brand compared to Tide, Lix
and Breeze by a large number of respondents. In
the earlier analysis whiteness was revealed as the
most important factor influencing the buying
decision of detergent powder. Considering
whiteness as a factor, around 33 per cent
respondents viewed Viso as the best brand
followed by Tide (26 per cent), Lix (23 per cent)
and Breeze (18 per cent). In case of other
attributes, such as cloth friendliness, safe on hands,
power of storing for a long period, advertisement
and brand image, Viso was considered as the best
brand in the market as rated by around 29 per cent,
27 per cent, 26.5 per cent, 29 per cent and 28 per
cent of the total respondents respectively. In case
of attributes, such as better foaming and price, the
brand Lix occupied the first position as found from
the percentage of respondents. Considering the
attribute packaging though it was found that
around 31 per cent respondent were in favour of
Breeze as the best brand, close to that 28 per cent
respondents considered Tide as the next best
brand. The brand Lix was considered as the best
one by 34 per cent respondents in case of price as
attribute, whereas, Viso was considered the next
best by 26 per cent respondents. Thus, though the
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Marketing Implication
The analysis made earlier confirmed that the
demand for detergent powder depends much on its
ability to clean the clothes rather than other factors
and further it is revealed that about 33 per cent
respondents opined in favour of Viso for providing
better cleanliness to the clothes. Thus, compared to
the other brands, Viso was found to be the best due
to the above factor. So to enhance the demand for
the detergent powder in the market, the other
competing brands should give more emphasis of
bringing whiteness to the clothes. This simply
means that the demand for the product much
depends on its functional utility. Knowing this the
marketer of the detergent powder should consider
the same to gain a better market share.
While ranking the different brands on the basis of a
given set of attributes it is found that the
competing brands had occupied different positions
with respect to the attributes. Mostly, it is found
that Viso was considered to be the best by higher
number of respondents on the basis of its
whiteness, cloth friendliness, safe on hands, power
of storing for a long period, advertisement and
company image. Considering this it is found that
the brands like Tide, Lix and Breeze were favoured
by limited number of respondents. Hence, for the
other competing brands, it is most important to
raise their functional values to get a better position
in the market.
In case of some attributes, such as, better foaming,
price and packaging compared to the brand Viso,
other brands got better position. Hence, to compete
76
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in the market and attract the customers, Viso
should relook its strategy with regard to these
attributes.
Competitive Analysis of Various Brands of
Shampoo
Considering certain attributes, such as removing
hair dandruff, controlling hair fall, caring hair
damage, providing extra moisturizing to hair,
making hair long and shining black, packaging,
price, advertisement, brand image, etc. the
competitive analysis of various brands of shampoo
is taken into account. For this purpose, the study
has considered the brands like Pantene, ClinicClear, Head & Shoulder, Sunsilk, Palmolive,
Dove, Rejoice and others. The other local brands
of shampoo have not been taken into account with
the simple assumption that these brands are not
very effective players in the present market. The
competitive analysis of various brands of shampoo
is presented in Table 5.4.3.
Table No. 5.4.3
Consideration of Best Brand of Shampoo on the
basis of Selected Attributes
Brand
Attributes
Removing
hair
dandruff
Controlling hair
fall
Caring
hair
damage
Providing
extra
moisturizing
to
hair
Making hair long
Shining black
Packaging
Price
Advertisement
Brand/company
image
Total
Pantene
83
(20.75)
107
(26.75)
102
(25.50)
74
(18.50)
ClinicClear
91
(22.75)
89
(22.25)
78
(19.50)
62
(15.50)
Head
&
Shoulder
56
(14.00)
63
(15.75)
84
(21.00)
83
(20.75)
Sunsilk
52
(13.00)
43
(10.75)
41
(10.25)
63
(15.75)
Palmolive
47
(11.75)
39
(9.75)
40
(10.00)
46
(11.50)
Dove
42
(10.50)
32
(8.00)
38
(9.50)
51
(12.75)
Rejoice
29
(7.25)
27
(6.75)
17
(4.25)
21
(5.25)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
51
(12.75)
56
(14.00)
76
(19.00)
53
(13.25)
78
(19.50)
81
(20.25)
44
(11.00)
52
(13.00)
65
(16.25)
72
(18.00)
79
(19.75)
68
(17.00)
62
(15.50)
78
(19.50)
58
(14.50)
56
(14.00)
56
(14.00)
61
(15.25)
51
(12.75)
82
(20.50)
51
(12.75)
61
(15.25)
73
(18.25)
52
(13.00)
53
(13.25)
40
(10.00)
20
(5.00)
88
(22.00)
23
(5.75)
45
(11.25)
75
(18.75)
25
(6.25)
89
(22.25)
24
(6.00)
62
(15.50)
52
(13.00)
64
(16.00)
67
(16.75)
41
(10.25)
46
(11.50)
29
(7.25)
41
(10.25)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
400
(100.00)
Note:
Figures in the parentheses indicate percentage to
row total.
Table 5.4.3 reveals the fact that considering the
attributes, such as controlling hair fall, caring hair
damage and brand image, Pantene was considered
by the highest number of respondents as the best
brand. So far as other attributes, such as removing
hair dandruff and advertisement are concerned,
Clinic Care was considered by the majority of
respondents as the best brand. In case of providing
extra moisturizing to hair, Head and Shoulder was
considered by most as the best brand. The brand
Dove was taken by others as the best for making
hair long and better packaging as compared to
others. So far as the price of shampoo is
concerned, Palmolive was considered by majority
as the best brand. For the other attribute, such as
shining black while Sunsilk was the most preferred
brand, Head and Shoulder was the next preferred
one. However, the brand Rejoice had secured the
lowest position in certain attributes taken into
account except making hair long, shining black,
packaging, price, advertisement and brand image.
Figure 5.2.6 presented below shows clearly the
competitive analysis of various brands of shampoo
considering several attributes.
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Marketing Implications
The analysis carried out above with regard to the
factors influencing buying of shampoo and
choosing of a brand to be the best considering the
attributes reveals the following marketing
implications.
i.
The significant attributes influencing the
buying decision of shampoo is the controlling
of hair fall and caring for hair damage as
revealed from the analysis. Considering the
brand which meets the above criteria, it is
found that Pantene was considered to be the
most effective brand. Hence, to further
strengthen the market, Pantene should give
more emphasis on the above attributes. The
other brands, such as Clinic Clear, Head and
Shoulder, Dove and Sunsilk should also
seriously think of their brands value in terms
of the above attributes to pose a serious threat
to the brand Pantene.
ii. It is also revealed that removing hair
dandruffis one of the important attributes in
buying the shampoo. Data show that
maximum number of respondents favoured
Clinic Clear as the best brand in meeting the
above criteria. Thus, it can be inferred that to
gear up its demand and to fight with the
brand Clinic Clear, Pantene and others should
consider raising their removal of hair
dandruff value in the brand.
iii. Similarly, most of the respondents considered
Head and Shoulder as the most preferred one
for providing extra moisturizing to hair.
Likewise, Dove was considered for making
hair long while Sunsilk was taken by most as
providing shining black to hair. Considering
these findings, the reputed brands, such as
Pantene and Clinic Care should promote
these attributes effectively in their brands.
iv. Very few respondents consider advertisement
as one of the important factors in buying
shampoo. However, Clinic Care had secured
the first position so far the advertisement is
concerned. To promote the brand and to
strengthen the market position, the other
brands should develop more appealing
77
v.
vi.
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advertisement to create new demand in the
market.
While respondents had taken Dove as the
most preferred brand for packaging,
Palmolive was considered as the best for
pricing. Thus, it can be stated that the other
competing brands should add value to their
brands for strengthening their base in the
market in the long run on these attributes.
So far the brand image is concerned; Pantene
was rated as the best brand followed by
Clinic Clear. Therefore, it can be inferred that
the brands, such as Head and Shoulder,
Sunsilk, Dove, Palmolive, Rejoice and others
should develop appropriate measures to build
their brand reputation.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
A brand is a central node of an associative network
constituted by consumers’ learned connections
between the brand and a variety of cues, benefits,
user types, and symbolic meanings. The foregoing
analysis aims to provide a clear explanation on
several conceptual issues relating to brand. In
addition, it reviews the empirical findings on brand
personality and competiveness. Further, an
analysis is made on profiles of selected products
and brands. From the review of literature it is
found that though a good amount of studies has
been carried out on issues relating to branding,
brand image, brand performance, brand
personality, brand competitiveness, etc. but very
few studies on those issues relating to brand
performance are taken up in small emerging as
well as poor economies in the world.
Understanding
consumers’
awareness
and
knowledge about presence of several brands in the
market and their perception levels for different
products and brands in small economies are
important.
The analysis made in the present chapter clearly
shows the competitive advantage enjoyed by the
specific brands, such as Colgate, Viso and Pantene
of the selected FMCGs. In case of all the selected
three FMCGs, majority of respondents were aware
of the presence of several brands in the market. A
larger percentage of respondents were found in use
of Colgate brand of toothpaste, Viso brand of
detergent and Pantene brand of Shampoo.
Respondents had considered several attributes for
selecting the specific products as well as their
preferred brands. The analysis has also clearly
found a larger preference of customers in favour of
these three brands of selected products over a
longer period of time. It was found that in general,
advertisement plays an important role in not only
selecting the product but also the brand. Majority
of the respondents in all the specific three brand
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[2013]
cases remembered the advertisement in some way
or other and recognized that these brands by
themselves were enough for sale. This reveals the
brand identity enjoyed by the selected brands, i.e.,
Colgate, Viso and Pantene among others. As these
brands are recognized by the respondents as
household brands, they were perceived as having
the highest preferred brands as against other
competing brands. The important marketing
implications derived from the analysis would be
quite helpful for the respective brands as well as
their competitors to develop appropriate marketing
strategies.
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* H.E. Mik Saphanaret is a Senior Government
officer located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He
holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture, a
MBA and a PhD candidate in Business
Administration. Prior to entering academic life
H.E. Saphanaret was active in Government
officer; he remains the Indirect Managing
Director of Hout Meng Rita Company, a
company he founded in 2006. He is also a
qualified Professor. These days he teaches
Agriculture, Management, Marketing and Sales
subjects to undergraduates students. He may be
reached at hong.ams@gmail.com