Messaging Across National Markets—Effectiveness and Segmentation

The object of the study is to identify effective communication messages for consumers facing product/brand options, when the category is a packaged good, in a competitive and saturated category in different countries. The challenges facing multinationals include differentiating their brands from competitors and creating brand equity. Segmentation determines groups of individual consumers similar in preferences and in intended buying behaviors. These segments may transcend national boundaries. Identifying such segments simplifies the design of advertising messages that appeal to audiences regardless of their country of origin and reduces promotional costs. This chapter presents ways to identify effective communication messages for consumers in the toothpaste category for three developing countries with developed markets. The study determines whether traditional product segmentation strategy based on attributes (forms, flavors and ingredients) could be augmented by a mind-set segmentation. The results suggest three key segments that transcend the countries and provide a basis for a successful communication strategy. The study’s major contribution is the delineation of a framework for data assembly and identification of metrics measuring different aspects of consumption patterns in a highly competitive packaged goods category.

Keywords: Consumer segmentation, rule developing experimentation, conjoint analysis, message optimization.