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Vinson Kurian

Thiruvananthapuram , March 25

A STUDY of purchase behaviour of young consumers in Kerala has indicated that non-durables and products of daily/frequent usage are the ones purchased most under the influence of TV commercials.

Respondents in the age group of 15 to 25 years from both urban and rural areas believed that the product category bought most under the influence of TV advertisement is cosmetics and toiletries. Soft-drinks and beverages came in second, while sweets and confectionary brought up the rear.

Majority of the products bought are consumer non-durables of repeat purchase nature, often with low unit cost. The study, titled "Impact of TV Commercials (Advertisement) on Consumer Purchase Behaviour," conducted by Dr Suresh Manimala and Dr V. Mukunda Das, found that the young generation in Kerala is considerably influenced by TV advertisement.

The most often bought product item under the influence of TV advertisement is `toilet soap.' As much as 42.78 per cent of the respondents have not only bought the product promoted through the advertisement they liked most, but also recommended the same to someone else.

Majority in the sample, about 73 per cent, said they are interested in the product advertised by the commercial they liked most. Interest in a product does not necessarily arise from a `believable' ad but more from a `likeable' ad.

Out of the total respondents, 66.21 per cent have thought of buying the product that has aroused their curiosity in this manner. Two-thirds had `thought of' buying the product promoted by the advertisement they liked most. Out of the total respondents in the sample, 60.21 per cent, said they had effected the purchase already, while 39.78 per cent said they had not.

However, `urban male in the age group of 21 to 25' tends to look for such aspects that arouse curiosity and offer scope for intellectual exploration. Overexposure, irritating presentations and lack of involvement with the product are pointed out as the main reasons for disliking an advertisement. In advertisements thus disliked, women generally showed clear responses emerging from these reasons.

An interesting finding is that a majority of the respondents do not believe in the `truthfulness' of the advertisement that has led them into buying a product in the first place. This goes to mean that, even without factual convictions, ads can sell products. `Likeability' of an advertisement influences the purchase behaviour positively.

The respondents need not like an advertisement to believe it, and vice versa. Though they have made purchases under the influence of TV advertisement, believability is not a criterion for likeability and purchase.

As for believability of advertisements liked most by the respondents, 56.68 per cent said they believed in the advertisement they liked most, while 43.3 per cent replied in the negative. Both in urban and rural areas, most women respondents said they looked more for aesthetic appreciation and emotional content in an advertisement.

In India, several advertising professionals and academics have expressed displeasure over the lack of focused research capturing the influence of TV advertisement on the perceptions and behaviour of young consumers.

In a highly literate State such as Kerala, where the proportion of regular TV viewers is very high compared to the rest of India, this opens up new areas for media related research. In the West, especially in the US, though many research efforts undertaken on this topic exist, they are of little relevance as the impact of India's cultural context and diversity on consumer behaviour is distinctly different.

More Stories on : Marketing Research | Advertising | Kerala | Radio/TV

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