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Advertising is an essential part of contemporary trade and business this is why it is vitally important for any company to be successful in it. Actually, there are a lot of examples when a properly advertised product gained the world acclaim and became very popular and attracting for consumers. Naturally positive results could be hardly achieved without a wise and properly organized advertising campaign. In fact it is not an easy task to fulfill to promote a product on the market especially if it is some specific product.
Nonetheless there are no limits for a wise advertiser, finally it is possible to sell any product you need, the only thing this product needs is good promotion or advertising. In this paper, I would focus on a traditional market and a classical advertising sample. So, it would be a brief analysis of the advertising campaign hold by Nissan in order to promote its Infiniti. From the beginning it should be said that Nissan has recognized two basic principles characterizing their clients. efore discussing them it should be said a few words about the progress made by Nissan and other Japanese companies in American market. In the early 1980s the Japanese share of the US automobile market constituted only 20% while by the end of the 1980s its figure has become really striking. Such a tremendous success was conditioned partially by a good advertising. The latter in its turn was the result of the recognition of two basic principles: all of the members of that segment tend to get older; and some (more precisely a good percentage) of the market will eventually into a higher income bracket.
So, what was so special in Nissan’s advertising campaign that provided the company with positive results? First of all it should be said that Infiniti advertising was characterized by a good organization and a high degree of originality. The company chose for the Infinity campaign a Zen Philosophy-like style. As a result natural scenes with trees, rocks and flowers were amply used. However, unlike its Japanese competitors Nissan’s Infiniti advertising campaign was recognized as not very successful for Infiniti’s sales only reached 1,723 cars for the first year.
Moreover, consumers were simply confused by the advertising and it even became a brunt of jokes by Jay Leno and David Letterman. It is obvious that it is necessary to analyze the mistakes that were made by Nissan. It should be said that for a success of any product that is advertised it is vitally important to take into consideration four key elements, four levels of consumer’s involvement. The first level is Extended Problem Solving. This level occurs when a consumer is inexperienced in a particular consumption setting or buying situation yet finding its setting to be interesting and highly involving.
It is a deliberate decision-making process that includes the explicit need recognition, careful internal and external search a thorough evaluation of alternatives, and a lengthy and involved post-purchased evaluation. In the case of Infiniti Nissan was obviously only on its way to invade the market of the US. Naturally it could not have enough information about the real needs of American consumers. Moreover, the company could simply underestimate its main competitors, including Toyota’s Lexus, which operated within the same segment of the market.
The company also needed to gain the recognition of the American consumers that was not an easy task. The next level is Limited Problem Solving, which implies a low experience and involvement of the consumer. The consumer will be less systematic in his or her decision making process. The information search is usually limited to the first brand that the consumer encounters in that particular product category. At this level of involvement, the consumer is simply seeking adequate solutions to mundane, everyday problems.
An example of this may be a purchase of Pampers shortly after the new mother receives a complementary package of them when she leaves the hospital. It also could be the result of receiving a trial offer or a discount coupon. Probably Nissan Infiniti’s campaign was just hold in the wrong time since the need was not so significant as it actually should be for a successful introduction of a new automobile in the market. Not less important is the level of Habit or Variety Seeking.
Traditionally a habit purchase occurs when the decision is uninvolving and a consumer simply purchases the same brand from the product category over and over again. Habitual purchases are one of the most common types of the decision-making mode, but it is necessary to remember that habits may be disrupted. Actually it is exactly what Nissan has to be done for, as I has already been mentioned at the beginning of the 1980s Japanese companies’ share was about a quarter of the general American market, consequently Nissan’s share was even less significant.
In such a condition American consumers would rather buy a traditional American car than a Japanese one. However Nissan also had a chance because Variety Seeking occurs when a consumer has a tendency to switch brands to avoid the boredom and routine of habitual buying. But despite this fact the consumers still choose from their original consideration set of alternatives. Finally, Brand Loyalty is extremely important particularly in the contemporary business.
In this level, there is high involvement and a very rich prior experience history that Nissan obviously lacked at that time. However, once gained it will be very effective especially in the advertising campaigns since it is based on highly favorable attitudes toward the brand, a conscious commitment on the part of the consumer to find this brand each time the consumer purchases from this category, and it provides high emotional benefits for the consumer.
Thus, taking into consideration all above mentioned, it is possible to conclude that Extended Problem Solving, Habit or Variety Seeking, Limited Problems and Brand Loyalty are extremely important for the market success of any advertising campaign and any product. However, the advertising of Nissan Infiniti discussed in terms of this paper turned to be ineffective since not all of the modes mentioned above could be objectively realized in that time in the market of the US by this company.