Analysis of Alli weight loss advertisement post-purchase consumer behavior

Ad analysis -- Post-Purchase evaluation

For this magazine advertisement analysis report, this article shall be utilizing the Alli advertisement. Alli is a weight loss aid for overweight adults. This product is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. As for the target market, the advertisement states that the product is made specifically for the adult consumer segment (particularly the overweight ones). The advertisement further narrows its target market down to the female segment. Print media was the method by which this particular commercial message was disseminated.

Stage of the Consumer Decision Making Process

In the scheme of consumption process that was presented in the Babin & Harris (09) textbook, we shall see that the consumer consumes the product that s/he selected. But more insights can be generated beyond this mere act of consumption. Here, we see the utility of the post-purchase behavior process in our understanding of the grander scheme that is, the entire consumer decision making process which is highly dynamic rather than rigid. Observing the advertisement, we have concluded that this magazine ad is situated in the post-purchase behavior phase.

Further Argumentation

After enumerating basic advertisement information as well as type of influence and stage of the decision-making process, we now find it fitting to further substantiate our above-mentioned claims regarding the Alli advertisement.

Firstly, this paper claims that the advertisement is in the post-purchase behavior phase because the bulk of the ad's text centered on three interrelated concepts: consumption, value, and satisfaction. In the ad, we see a testimonial coming from a working mother. Hence, consumption has already taken place and upon her consumption of the product, the working mother found significant value in it. This can be attested by the product's instrumental value, i.e. she took the product to lose weight and this is exactly what happened. We can also detect its hedonic value when the working mother found the product's website to be helpful and encouraging. This helped make product consumption an enjoyable and positive experience. Product satisfaction, on the other hand, is the result of the value she placed upon the consumed product. In this case, product satisfaction is high because of the positive value obtained by the product from the consumer.

In terms of the type of influence used, we argue that both internal and external techniques were employed. The advertisement appealed on consumer perception and better judgment when they incorporated the FDA-approved component in the advertisement. But what is more salient, we argue, is the employment of external influences in sending the message across. The advertisement appealed to women's emotions when it stated that "I've had my struggles with eating right and being a working mom like a lot of women out there." What is the consumer culture highly reflected here? Indeed it is the culture of women consumers who happen to need to juggle career and domestic/marital/other responsibilities. The ad seem to say that the many roles that women have to fulfill in this society lead them to neglecting their own basic needs such as their health (the ad highlighted eating right, being strong, healthy, and full of energy).

The rather complemented style of employing both types of influences makes this advertisement really effective as it appeals to reason, emotion, and cultural realities.

Reference

Babin, Barry J. & Harris, Eric G. CB. Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning. 2009.