Abstract
The content analysis paper will focus on identifying the processed milk is suitable for young children. Milk is an integral part of children’s diet which makes it a vital part of research to demystify the various types of milk, their sources, methods of preservation and their nutritional content that makes suitable or not suitable for consumption by young children. The method used to come up with results and findings is content analysis whereby, the different brands with different types of processes are analyzed to identify key characteristics that influence the choice of milk from the different brands by the consumers. Having more than ten brands in the milk market creates a competitive environment for the manufacturers. However, emotive words have been like a positioning strategy for them to attract loyal customers to their brands and increase their chances of getting more sales. From the analysis, the emotive words were highly influential on the brand which attracted more purchases from children. Therefore, the content analysis paper concludes that emotive words play an instrumental role in promoting sales, especially in influencing the brand of milk that is favourable for consumption.
Key Words: Whole Milk, marketing, children, emotive words
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Background and Rationale
Milk and milk contents are the most consumed dairy products daily by people globally. This is because most people take breakfast to give them the energy to kick-start their day, and milk is one of the products used in making tea or even drunk wholly with cereals and any other accompaniment (Agostini, 2011). Milk is highly rich in carbohydrates, proteins, and fats that, when taken in large amounts, especially by children, may not be able to digest fully, resulting in milk intolerances and allergies (Nunez, 2016). Processing milk helps filter some fats and reduces lactose to make milk more suitable to be taken by children. According to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, children should take a maximum of 100 calories, which they can easily digest. Therefore, processing milk is essential as it helps in making it suitable for children’s consumption. As such semi-skimmed has proven to be the most suitable for children to take as it meets their health needs efficiently.
In general, the food industry is highly competitive, and the manufacturers must convince people because they need to purchase their products and choose theirs amongst other competitors (Braesco & Drewnowski, 2023). As a result, emotive words have proven effective in attracting more buyers. Emotive words evoke purchasers’ emotions, aiming to persuade or convince them why they need a particular product. The emotive words could describe the use of the product or just how unique the product is and its usefulness to an end-consumer (Agostini, 2011). This analysis paper will focus on how the emotive words used on different mil brands effectively enhance purchases despite the high competition from other brands offering the same products in similar sizes and prices.
The rationale for selecting a particular group of consumers and a class of products in this analysis is that milk is a daily necessity in almost every household globally (Rahnama & Rajabpour, 2017). Therefore, more milk and milk products are purchased in a supermarket than other products. Additionally, milk is a product that is affordable to people from all backgrounds because the prices are low since the production cost of milk is also relatively low. The different types of processed milk from other brands include whole milk, organic whole milk, free-range whole milk, skimmed milk, semi-skimmed, and sterilized semi-skimmed. The different classes of products are in different sizes and packaging products. However, the various brands have other emotive words to help in attracting customers and persuade them to purchase their products (Bocker & Silva, 2022).
Emotive words are used in eliciting emotions to attract peoples’ attention so that they can make a consideration of purchasing a product. A typical example of the impact of emotive words in influencing purchasing decisions is impulse buying whereby a product has appealing words and images that convict people to buy products they see for the first time even without understanding their original purpose. Emotive words were first discovered in the 1970s from the French translation that created emotions. It has since been taking root, especially in brands that aim to attract customers. Emotive words can be informed of words or images which are easy to read and translate by buyers so that they can be attracted to the product and make informed purchasing decisions.
1.2 Research Objectives
This study aims to discover how emotive words influence milk buyers from supermarkets with over ten brands with eighty types of processed milk, all of which serve the same purpose. The emotive words on milk and milk products are mainly based on the health benefits of the type of milk, the famous manufacturer, the source of milk, and how long the milk is to stay before getting spoilt influences the purchasing decisions of the most milk buyers (McGarry et al. 2009). Also, milk nutrition content influences purchase because processed and whole milk impacts human beings differently. Doctors often advise taking organically produced food products as they are considered healthy and more nutritious (Park & Haenlein, 2013). This is because processed goods have artificial preservatives and other chemically made nutrients that may negatively affect people. However, due to an increase in lifestyle diseases and people with some allergies, mainly because of consuming organic dairy products, processed milk has been of great help because it has helped in filtering some nutrients like fats and lactose, which could cause harm to people’s health when consumed in excessive amounts (Visioli & Strata, 2014). As a result, this research aims to conduct a content analysis on how emotive words of organic, whole, skimmed, and semi-skimmed milk influence them to purchase items from various brands on the same milk shelf (Guo et al., 2021). The target consumers are people with lifestyle diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, allergies, and even newborn infants who are affected if they consume organic and whole milk that has not been processed (Kaliji et al. 2019).
1.3 Research Questions
The key research questions will be:
- What emotive words are used on milk products?
- What type of emotive images are used on milk products?
1.4 Significance of the Study
This content analysis is instrumental, especially for the manufacturers. This is because they need such information to measure how competitive their products are compared to their competitors. The research finding of this content analysis will help identify the brands with the most effective emotive words that attract more customers (Agostini, 2011). Therefore, such information could be valuable to milk manufacturers as it would help them improve their use of emotive words and images on their packaging materials, enhancing them to be more compelling and persuasive to boost their sales (Adam & Ali, 2014).
Consumer perception refers to how buyers intrinsically or extrinsically interpret a product from a particular product, and the feeling or belief about it influences their purchasing decision. Different factors influence consumer perception, but it is mostly about taste, preferences, quality, and the various needs they need for a product (Rahnama & Rajabpour, 2017). Brands should understand their consumers’ perceptions to satisfy their customers and remain competitive. For instance, in the contemporary business world, the packaging material may seem trivial, but the quality and presentability of how a product is packaged influence the decision of most buyers. As earlier noted, milk purchases are influenced by their different health needs, primarily based on the source of milk and other nutritional factors. As such, their consumers perceive that milk from specific farms is healthier because they have encountered using milk from such sources or received favourable reviews (Zou & Liu, 2019). Some also influence the image of the packaging material and the quality of information they read from them. Therefore, manufacturers of products must have a deeper understanding of their consumer’s perceptions and what influences their purchasing decisions for them to enhance their products and compete effectively (Mehmood et al. 2018).
The study adheres to nutritional marketing, which entails labelling the nutritional content in the packaging material to help buyers decide on the type of product they need (Antunes, et al. 2022). Milk has a wide array of benefits, so the analysis involved noting the quantity and quality of nutrients in different types of processed milk. Most buyers consider health benefits because failure to adhere to proper nutrition could lead to lifestyle diseases resulting from poor diet (Muehlhoff et al. 2013). Therefore, this analysis effectively assesses the existing nutritional marketing rules and strategies used, especially by milk manufacturers. Additionally, the study will help identify how nutritional marketing is instrumental in ensuring that consumers only purchase milk that aligns with their dietary needs because of their health conditions and goals (Kurajdova & Táborecka, 2015).
1.5 Dissertation Structure
This content analysis is structured in a way that will give a comprehensive analysis of how the use of emotive words is influential, especially in the competitive milk market. The first chapter focuses on the background, rationale, research questions, and objectives that will be further delved into through the chapters to help develop other findings and conclusions that could help manufacturers improve their products to remain competitive. The second chapter will review the literature on emotive words and their significance in nutritional marketing. This chapter will also check the views of other researchers on why emotive words are vital in influencing purchasing decisions (Antunes et al. 2022). The third chapter of the content analysis will be about the methodology used in acquiring the raw data to be used in the research and the techniques of analysis used to come up with secondary information that is to be used in chapter four of the paper, which entails a discussion about the implication of the use of emotive words and images. The discussion will help develop findings, conclusions, and recommendations for further research.
Chapter 2
2.1 Emotive Words in Food Marketing
Emotive words in food marketing refer to words that arouse the buyer’s emotions to be compelled and persuaded to purchase the product (Fawi & Abdalla, 2013). The emotive words could be enhanced by using images and colours that attract the buyers’ attention when marketing for children’s food products has proven that colours and images used have a significant implication on the purchasing decisions made by most of them. Generally, children love funny characters and beautiful pictures, synonymous with their cheeky character and love for a bright and colourful world to help create childhood memories. Additionally, having stunning images and sweet words written on the top of the food products children purchase gives them the perception that the food product is lovely and enjoyable (Braesco & Drewnowski, 2023). For instance, if a product has charming and appealing images and one has dull images, a typical child will likely choose one that has an attractive cartoon drawn on it.
However, it is the case when dealing with milk products because older adults mainly purchase them as items for the entire household (Lee et al. 2014). Even though children also take milk, their parents or guardians make such buying decisions on their behalf. Therefore, using emotive words on milk packaging material is beyond the visual perception because the target customers need the product for health purposes. Purchasing milk and other organic items makes an informed decision as to how the product will be beneficial in meeting their nutritional needs (Park & Haenlein, 2013). As such emotive words on milk have to be detailed on their source and nutritional benefit, they have.
Using emotive words and images creates a buyer perception that influences purchasing decisions. Perception can be defined as the process through which a potential buyer selects, organizes, and interprets information contained in a product’s packaging material. The message or image in the product creates a stimulus that passes through the perceptual filters, which are interpreted based on the buyer’s needs, previous experiences, or the quality and quantity of nutrients needed from the food product (Muehlhoff et al. 2013). However, perception is more of a psychological and cognitive process relative to how people react to things and other human beings around them based on how they understand their capabilities and essence in their life (McGarry et al. 2009). Similarly, buyers perceive products favourably or unfavourably depending on how they interpret the image and emotive words on the products they intend to purchase.
Marketers can filter the amount of information they place on the motive words and organize them so that when customers read them, their perceptual filters will reflect the information into social realities of the use of the product. Ideally, the perceptual process helps develop a buyer’s perception of a brand and creates a brand’s position in their minds (Braesco & Drewnowski, 2023). The perceptual process is the reason customers are loyal to their favourite brands. Hence, it is the route brands use by filtering the words and images to evoke buyer emotions, referred to as a positioning strategy. Emotive words help brands attain the best competitive position by creating an appealing image and persuading their potential customers why they need to purchase their products other than those of their competitors (Agostini, 2011).
Consumer perception is significant because it influences their purchasing decisions and creates their basis for product preferences (Rahnama & Rajabpour, 2017). Consumer perception is especially vital because it helps consumers distinguish between similar products from different brands. For instance, milk is a product that has attracted many manufacturers to venture into processing it as it is easy to acquire and has relatively lower production costs. Therefore, buyers have a wide array of brands to choose from. As such, consumer perception helps most of them distinguish the best milk variety from the many brands and determine what best meets their needs and preferences (Kubicová, et al. 2019). The different brands have different emotive words and images used on them, and that forms the basis of their choices based on the needs they require met from the particular milk type. Brand manufacturers must ensure their brand stands out in a crowded and highly competitive marketplace. For instance, milk brands in a supermarket are a typical example of a crowded marketplace, and it is the responsibility of the brand marketers to play with buyers’ senses using words and images that create social realities, and that is an effective positioning strategy to help the brands to remain competitive (Fawi & Abdalla, 2013).
2.1 Definition and Importance of Emotive Words
Emotive words are a loaded language that utilizes magical, appealing, and informative words to persuade people to buy a particular brand from a crowded marketplace. Most brands are commonly known for their emotive words because they are mainly short and contain in-depth information about the quality and content of the product. Emotive words are essential, especially to brands that face high competition from their fellow competitors. Generally, the essence of using emotive words on a product is to evoke emotions in potential buyers to empower and convince them why they need to buy the product to meet their needs. In this research analysis, the importance of emotive words from the different milk products is helpful to products because they are a positioning strategy for brands (Nunez, 2016). Manufacturers and brands with unique and creative words are more competitive than others. Therefore, emotive words are a form of advertisement on their own. Brands must be very innovative in writing their emotive words because buyers’ perception of the emotive words influences their purchasing decisions (Agostini, 2011). Besides using words, images also create a perception in buyers that influences their purchasing decisions. This is because even though purchasing is more cognitive and psychological, some customers are also influenced by the visual side of a product.
2.2 Psychological Impact of Emotive Words
Emotive words are strong words that arouse buyers’ emotions to attract their attention to persuade them to purchase products. However, emotive words have a long-lasting effect on the emotional responsiveness of people. The autonomy reactivity to words or images is reduced when repeatedly exposed to them (Kurajdova & Táborecka, 2015). When one is exposed to a product or image for the first time, emotional responsiveness is aroused because the body stimulus is exposed to new things and images that it needs to perceive in its system. As a result, the words of the image capture the buyer’s attention as they process and try to interpret the information in the product so that they can interpret if the product is aligned with their preferences, attitudes, and needs.
For example, if on a supermarket shelf, a buyer comes into contact with different types of milk for the time. Their emotional responsiveness will be exposed to different sensory organs through seeing and feeling, among others. The buyer’s attention will be captured, and they will need to interpret the information to identify which specific is satisfactorily aligned with their preferences and needs from the milk product. However, when the same buyer visits the supermarket milk shelf for the second and third time, their emotional responsiveness to the products will reduce because their stimulus system has already interpreted what the products are until there is nothing new to capture the buyer’s attention (Agostini, 2011). Therefore, the product that the buyer has adopted will stick in the buyer’s memory.
2.3 Categorization of Emotive Words
Emotive words are of different categories depending on the intent the brand feels they must pass to potential buyers to evoke them to buy the products emotionally. The category of emotive words a brand uses also depends on the nature of the products or services they offer its customers (Nunez, 2016). The various categories of emotive words include; health-related words, production or processing-related words, time, ability, or motivation-related words, and sensory-related words. Their difference and significance are discussed below.
2.31 Health-Related Words
Health-related words are emotive words used to convey health benefits and nutritionally desirable attributes. The health-related emotive words are used o food products to inform the buyers of the nutritional benefits of the product they intend to purchase (Zou & Liu, 2019). For instance, this content analysis paper focuses on emotive words used on milk products from different brands. Milk is famously known for its rich nutrients vital for the body’s growth and protection against diseases. Therefore, the emotive words on milk should contain the amount of nutritional content and the quantities a buyer will likely gain from it after consuming it (Fructuoso et al. 2021). Health-related emotive words facilitate the purchase of the healthiest product on the shelf, depending on the health condition of the buyer. Buyers of health-related products mainly use their cognitive ability to choose the type of processed milk most suitable for them from the variety of available products.
For health-related products, emotive words are complemented with health-related images. For instance, a packet or a bottle of milk could be drawn from a cow feeding on a healthy pasture as a sign that the milk is obtained from an organically fed cow. As such, the buyer who needs organic milk will have an idea of the type of brand o purchase milk from that is organically made (Visioli & Strata, 2014). The image of a cow in the case could help capture the buyers’ attention because a well-fed cow would yield highly enriched milk suitable for taking with cereal or drinking whole. Therefore, health-related emotive words are instrumental .in influencing buyers’ purchasing decisions who need healthy products to promote healthy living.
2.32 Production or Processing Related Words
Production or processing-related words convey information on a particular product’s processing until the final product is obtained. On the other hand, conveying production information could include the source of the raw materials or the specific farm that produced the products (Li et al. 2023). For instance, in this content analysis about processed milk from different brands, it is essential to convey production and processing-related information. The raw product going through processing is milk. Buyers often know the best dairy farms that produce quality milk based on the type of feed they give the cows. Thus, if production-related words on a milk product show it is sourced from a famous dairy farm, it is more likely to be purchased than milk sourced from a strange dairy farm.
Processing-related information on milk packets relays how it was processed to get the desired nutrients to preserve them for a desirable period. For example, the data collected contained whole milk, organic whole milk, free-range organic whole milk, skimmed milk, semi-skimmed, and sterilized semi-skimmed milk. All the types of milk result from the processing they have undergone to attain the respective milk products (Adam & Ali, 2014). Whole milk is a type of milk that does not have its fat content removed and could be from either treated or untreated cows. And as seen in the Excel file, whole milk from the different brands has a relatively higher amount of fat though the quantities vary from one brand to another (Bimbo et al. 2017). On the other hand, organic whole milk is the type of milk that comes from cows that are not treated with antibiotics or given artificial hormones to boost their growth and fasten reproduction. Additionally, organic milk comes from cows whose feeds come from 30% pasture; the rest could be from other organic supplementary foods. Organic whole milk is considered nutritional because of its high-quality nutrients and omega-3 fatty acids, which contain antioxidants to help fight diseases more than non-organic milk (Bocker & Silva, 2022). Free-range whole milk resembles organic milk because nothing is extracted from it. Still, the difference is that it is Pasture Promise certified, meaning that the animals freely graze on any pasture in a free-range area.
Filtered whole milk is processed milk that undergoes a finer filtration to remove souring bacteria. As earlier noted, the multiplication of bacteria causes milk spoiling (Agostini, 2011). Therefore, the filtration process removes the bacteria to help increase the milk shelf. Whole milk has a shorter shelf life because it has bacteria that could multiply when exposed to higher temperatures outside the refrigerator. However, filtered milk could survive longer, even at average room temperature.
Skimmed milk has its fat content reduced to low levels and does not produce any creamy substance. Skimmed milk tends to be rich in calcium, Vitamins B12, and B2. Skimmed milk is healthy with low-fat content because it helps lower blood sugar levels, control blood pressure and cholesterol, and helps in weight loss (Pereira, 2014). It facilitates because it leads to low fat intake; hence no excess fats are stored in the body that could lead to weight gain or obesity. Semi-skimmed milk is standardized to contain half the amount of milk fat, unlike skimmed milk which contains almost zero percentage of fats in it. Filtered semi-skimmed milk has its fat content and calories lowered, and its calcium level is increased artificially (Visioli & Strata, 2014). However, scientists believe saturated milk does not cause heart problems. In summary, production or processing-related emotive words help buyers decide on the type of processed milk they need depending on the health needs they need to acquire from it.
2.34 Time, Ability, or Motivation-Related Words
Time, ability, or motivational related words trigger the buyers’ attention because they convey short and quality information on why they need to use the product. Such emotive words notify the buyer of how easy it is to use the product and its shelf-life and highlight the product’s versatility in meeting the buyers’ various needs (Collard et al. 2021). For instance, in a milk shelf, most buyers are interested in purchasing long-life milk because it is easy to store and can be refrigerated or not because it can last for several days. Such information is convenient for them because most people are busy with their careers and businesses, and going to the milk store every day can be time-wasting. Therefore, they check out emotive words on the time frame of the product before it gets spoilt so they can buy only what will serve them for a significant period without leading to a waste of time and resources.
2.35 Sensory-Related Words
Sensory-related emotive words are those that evoke positive emotions. They try to relay the emotions one will likely encounter after using the product. Sensory-related words include delicious, aromatic, creamy, yummy, and gravy (Nunez, 2016). These emotive words help create an image in the buyer’s mind of the feeling they wish to get from enjoying the product. Sensory photos could also be used, especially on food products, whereby a picture of a person taking a delicious and breathtaking meal could be drawn. Additionally, sensory-related images are drawn on food products to suggest mouth-watering food recipes that could be prepared from the products. As a result, a potential buyer, upon seeing such sensory images and words, could be compelled to purchase the items to go and make new recipes out of them.
2.4 Online Versus On-Pack Marketing: Differences and Impact
Online marketing is slowly becoming a prominent way of reaching a wider customer base than On-park marketing. On-park marketing is whereby products are displayed on-premises, and people who see the products are those within the same geographic location. Emotive words on online marketing tend to be more effective than those of On-park marketing because a more significant part of the world’s population uses the internet daily; hence, many people will likely view a product online. In contrast, the people who view products on On-park marketing are limited to geographic location and the product’s visibility in the store (Agostini, 2011). Therefore, emotive words in online marketing evoke many people’s emotions who could be potential buyers. Even though those who view the product may not necessarily need the product at the time, in the future, when they come across the product, they are more likely to purchase it.
In addition, in online marketing, people get positive reviews about the product, which gives them the confidence to purchase it after encountering most product characteristics and its use. On-park marketing could be a faster way of marketing products. When potential buyers see a product in a store for the first time, they may wait to purchase it immediately because they need adequate information to make an informed purchasing decision (Collard et al. 2021). Emotive words on products in online marketing evoke emotions among people. This leads to hyping of people toward a product that leads to establishing a strong brand. People become loyal to the product, which gives the brand a competitive advantage. Emotive words in On-park marketing are also effective, but just that they are only visible to fewer people. However, for brands with low competition from other brands, On-park marketing is also adequate because customers have a limited variety, which increases the chance of purchasing the product.
2.5 Consumer Perception and Purchasing Decisions
The perceptual process of emotive words has four stages: exposure, attention, interpretation, and adaptation. The exposure stage is when a buyer sees emotive words or images in a product, and all their senses are aroused as they try to gather information about the product they need that will best satisfy their wants (Kaliji et al. 2019). However, consumers tend to mentally process messages and images that are relative to their desires, preferences, attitudes, and needs as such competitive brands aim at creative, emotive words and images that have a high degree of exposure so that the information about, their products can capture buyers’ attention and stick to increase the chances of them being loyal to their products (Kaliji et al. 2019).
The second stage of the perceptual process involves capturing the buyers’ attention, aiming to create a strong impression on the buyer. When a person is attracted to a product, they tend to pose and look for more information from the product to help them make an informed purchasing decision (Agostini, 2011). In impulse buying, they purchase products they see for the first time because they capture their attention and are convinced that they need to purchase them even though they have never heard about the product. As such, emotive words and images play an instrumental role in ensuring a brand is competitive and attracts customers even in a crowded marketplace.
Thirdly, interpretation is part of the perceptual process whereby the expressions, images, and words on a product are given meaning. It is a deliberate and conscious process whereby the buyer makes informed decisions based on emotive words and images (Nunez, 2016). As such, even if a product has captured a buyer’s attention, after interpretation of information, they might still choose not to buy it and go for another product that may be less attractive but has all their requirements met. Therefore, they should create emotive words and images so buyers feel convinced to purchase the product when they interpret them.
After a deliberate product interpretation, the Adaptation process begins whereby a buyer’s sensory stimulus becomes irresponsive. Even if they see other items displayed on a supermarket shelf, they are not stimulated to look at or pay attention to them because they have already gained comfort in a product they chose and felt satisfied with its content. Adaptation is why advertorial marketing may fail to win more customers. Most of the market has already adapted to using specific products, and adverts from new brands do not stimulate their sensory organs to gather their attention. Therefore, emotive words are an essential competitive tool for brands as it helps them to secure their competitive position, which boosts their profitability and sustainability.
Chapter 3: Methodology
The research entailed collecting information from different brands and using their information to do a content analysis on the most preferred milk product suitable for consumption by children. Therefore, I had to acquire an ethics approval letter from the Health Research Ethics Committee to ensure that the research follow all legal guidelines without breaching the privacy and patent rights of the various brands. A copy of the ethics letter is attached in appendix one towards the end of the paper after the references.
3.1 Research Design
The research design for this content analysis paper is qualitative. The reason for using qualitative research design is because the focus is the effectiveness of emotive words on competitive words, and their impact cannot be quantitatively measured. Therefore, to conduct the qualitative research, various milk brands were identified. They all offer similar types of processed milk in similar quantities but relatively different prices. Emotive words on each milk type from the different brands were identified. The analysis of the emotive words was to categorize the emotive words used in the milk products and their aim in influencing the buyers to purchase the product (Kapsdorferova & Nagyova, 2005). Qualitative research aims to understand how emotive words and images influence purchasing behaviours depending on the brands that have creatively placed their emotive words on the product.
3.2 Sample Selection
To effectively conduct the milk analysis, eighty types of processed milk from different brands were identified from the supermarket, and their nutrients content put down, quantities, prices, and emotive words were used to attract the buyers’ attention for them to purchase. They were used to qualitatively analyze how resourceful and safe they are in enriching the body’s health (Visioli & Strata, 2014). The list of the brands with their nutrient content, sizes, and prices is in the attached Excel file because there are many to fit in a small table. From the various brands, there were different types of processed milk which include whole milk, filtered whole milk, organic whole milk, skimmed milk, semi-skimmed milk, organic semi-skimmed, long-life semi-skimmed, filtered semi-skimmed, free range whole milk and sterilized long life semi-skimmed. They all undergo different processes in a milk plant which influences the different types of many depending on the aim of the process they undergo (Nunez, 2016). All emotive words from the different brands were listed in the attached Excel file for more convenient referencing since the products were quite a number and could not be listed in a table. The reason for choosing the different types of processed milk is because they all have different benefits for people of all different ages and their health conditions (Pereira, 2014). Therefore, milk as a niche in the food market is very broad and attracts many buyers daily as it is a product used in almost all households globally. Therefore, its analysis will help come with a more detailed and relatable analysis that will help come with reasonable conclusions on the efficacy of emotive words as a positioning strategy for highly competitive brands.
3.3 Data Collection Methods
The method of data collection employed in this qualitative research is content analysis. This method was the most suitable because the data to be collected is primary data from the stores and supermarkets, and their information is available online. Milk products do not require surveys or interviews because they are products with information accessible to everybody (Walther et al. 2022). The content analysis method of data collection is not time-consuming because it takes only a short time to identify the types of processed milk and the emotive words on their packages. It was easy to get the different brands by just googling on the internet. Hence content analysis is convenient, saving time and resources used in research.
3.4 Data Analysis Techniques
Since there are many types of processed milk whose emotive words needed to be analyzed, they were put into categories of emotive words such as health-related words, production or processing-related emotive words, time, ability, and motivational-related words, and sensory-related words for the analysis to be easy and comprehensive (Agostini, 2011). The analysis technique used in the research is thematic analysis, which analyzes a qualitative set of data through reading and identifying recurrent patterns that could give meaning after interpreting the patterns. The thematic analysis structure used is first sorting the processes milk types from different brands to slot down the list of milk types for easy analysis. The milk types will have their emotive words and images clearly stated for easy analysis to identify repetitive patterns from the lists. The results will then be used to trace how emotive words attract children to take milk from specific brands and how that affects the competition of other brands.
Chapter 4: Results and Discussion
4.1 Overview of Results
From the analysis, the most preferred brand of ilk by children is Arla filtered vitamin milk which is vitamin-enriched whole milk for children. In total, the number of milk types used in the analysis was 80. From among the different types, children specific were seven, whole milk was forty three and semi-skimmed milk types were thirty. The table of results is found in appendix two which is on the last page of the research paper.
4.2 Categorization of Emotive Words
From the content analysis of the type of processed milk from the different brands, the emotive words can be categorized into product or processing-related words, health-related words, sensory-related words, and time, ability, and motivation-related words. Most emotive words fall under product or processing-related words and health-related ones. This is because milk is a critical product related to health and nutrition (Bimbo, et al. 2017). Examples of product or processing-related words from the list are seen from milk brands like Tesco, Arla, ASDA, and Sainsbury, which have listed the farms where they get their milk for processing. Arla sources its milk from Arla Foods, Sainsbury from Sainsbury Dairy, Tesco sources raw milk from British Farms, and ASDA also sources its milk from Arla Foods.
Figure 1
The aim of using production or processing-related words is for the consumers to know the source of their milk and decide which source of milk they trust to give them quality, nutritious milk (Fructuoso et al. 2021). Other processing-related emotive words used by milk brands in this content analysis include the Cravendale semi-skimmed milk that is stated as pasteurized and homogenized, Delamere semi-skimmed is labelled as sterilized, other brands have their milk labelled as natural, organic, whole, long life and skimmed to show the type of processing that the milk has undergone.
Almost every milk brand uses health-related emotive words on its packaging materials. This is because milk is deemed nutritious and is a rich nutrient source for people of all ages. Therefore, brands need to use health-related emotive words to entice people to purchase their brand as it satisfies their nutritional needs. For instance, Morrisons organic British whole milk is labelled as nutritious, Tom Parker Creamery from Sainsbury is recommended to vegetarians, Sainsubury whole filtered milk has 1.8% fat, and Tesco semi-skimmed milk has 2% fat (Antunes et al. 2022). Such nutritional information is instrumental to consumers’ purchasing decisions because the milk types serve different nutritional needs because of age and health conditions.
Figure 2
Other than emotive nutritional words, the quantity of nutrients is listed on the milk labels to help the buyers choose the number of nutrients suitable for their health (Collard et al. 2021). The energy KJs And Kcals from the different processed milk of different brands were as follows; 4 pints of ASDA whole milk had to weigh 276 KJs, 66 Kcals, proteins 3.5 grams, and fats 3.7 grams. Four pints of Tesco’s whole milk had nutrients weighted as 276 KJs, 66 Kcals, 3.5 grams proteins, and 3.7 grams fats. Yeo Valley organic whole milk weighed 273 KJs, 65 Kcals, 3.5 grams of proteins, and 3.7 grams of fat. Arla lactose-free fresh whole milk weighed 234 KJs, 56 Kcals, 3.3 grams of proteins, and 3.6 grams of fats. Yeo Valley organic free-range whole milk had the highest nutrient level, weighing 3 KJs, 66 Kcals, 3.3 grams of proteins, and 3.6 grams of fats. Graham’s organic whole milk weighed 269 KJs, 64 Kcals, 3.4 grams of proteins, and 3.6 grams of fat. The above analysis reveals that whole milk has the highest level of nutrients. Even though most of the brands had their whole milk nutrients weighing differently, they had a very insignificant difference. Organic free-range whole milk had the highest level of KJs acquired from it, which means that it is a highly rich source of carbohydrates (Nunez, 2016). The reason for the many KJs is that the cows get to feed on various natural pastures without restriction; hence the milk is also enriched with quality carbohydrates and fats.
From the analysis, major patterns that are evident include the fact that semi-skimmed milk was the most purchased milk, especially by children, because it is low in fat and lactose, while older adults preferred whole milk because it is rich in fats which are enriched with fatty acids that help in fighting diseases. The most influential emotive words were those that are health-related because most people are cautious about the health safety of the milk, followed by the time-related emotive words and sensory-related emotive words.
Time, ability, and motivational emotive words used in the different milk brands include Yeo Valley organic whole milk, which is suitable for home freezing, Tesco whole milk should be consumed within 5 days after opening, Tesco long life can last longer whether refrigerated or not, and ASDA filtered whole milk should be consumed within 5 days after opening. Timely emotive words empower the consumers to purchase milk that will serve them for a relatively long period to help them save time by visiting the milk stores for fewer days. Additionally, the ability to refrigerate milk motivates them to buy milk in bulk because they can store it at home and save some money by buying in bulk and creating time convenience (Tuan et al. 2013). Lastly, sensory-related emotive words aim at arousing buyers’ emotions using words like tasty, delicious and fresh. Milk has an original taste that can be monotonous. Hence, some brands enhance milk taste by adding flavours for it to be more enjoyable. For instance, Morrisons British semi-skimmed milk is branded as tasty, Yeo Valley semi-skimmed milk is full of natural goodness, and Cravendale fresh milk is nutritional, tasty, and sourced from happy cows.
Figure 3
4.2 Comparison of Emotive Words Online and on Packaging
The emotive words on the milk from the brands labelled above have different impacts when marketed online and On-packaging in supermarket stores. The milk industry is very competitive because many brands offer the same milk types to the market. Therefore, each brand tries to gain a competitive position in the market. One of the best ways to gain a competitive advantage is by using emotive words to entice consumers to purchase their milk. For milk displayed online, the emotive words touch many people, especially because most people search for products online before looking for them physically (Antunes et al. 2022). Hence, a brand that does online marketing acquires a wider customer base than those that only do On-packaging marketing. For instance, the milk brands identified in this content analysis research paper do online and On-packaging. The emotive words displayed online are the same as in the physical milk stores. The presentation is the same. It is the same product but marketed on different platforms. The only difference is that online marketing allows people to take their time viewing and interpreting the product and its evaluability. At the same time, buyers of On-packaging have less time to check on the content of the product before purchasing (Hill & Lynchehaun, 2002). For instance, a milk shelf with more than ten brands selling the same types of processed milk would be time-consuming and tiring for a buyer to read all the products and make an informed decision. Therefore, online emotive words are more meaningful in winning loyal customers to a brand than On-packaging emotive words.
4.3 Impact of Emotive Words on Consumer Perception
Emotive words used by the various milk brands represent customers’ diverse needs, preferences, and wants (Collard et al. 2021). How catchy an emotive word makes it possible for the customers to pay attention to the product. For instance, for a milk brand that claims their milk is tasty or nutritional, customers will pay more attention to it than to a brand that has imprinted the product or process-related emotive words like Arla whole milk that is sourced from Arla foods (Fructuoso et al. 2021). This is because, in most cases, customers do not care about the source more than the content in the milk and the benefits they get from using it. Emotive words boost consumer perception of a product because buyers will perceive the product from what they see or read from the product.
For example, Morrisons British whole milk has powerful health-related, time, and sensory-related emotive words which, when a buyer reads, they feel convinced it is the right product to purchase as it meets more than one need (Nunez, 2016). In contrast, ASDA whole milk has used product and processing-related emotive words that state British farms as their source of milk and how they process it. Such information is inadequate for a buyer to choose the product because they need to know the nutritional value and timeframe for using the milk before it gets spoiled. Therefore, a consumer will better perceive Morrisons British whole milk than ASDA whole by just reading their emotive words (Mehmood et al. 2018). As such, milk brands should create emotive words in a way that helps the customers understand the product more comprehensively in a short time to increase the chance of buying the product and as a positioning strategy in the memory of customers to gain a competitive advantage in a crowded market.
Figure 4
4.4 Impact of Emotive Words on Purchasing Decisions
Emotive words are instrumental in influencing purchasing decisions. Customers rely on the product information for them to make purchasing decisions. Emotive words on milk motivate consumers to purchase milk depending on the type of milk they need. First and foremost, each milk type should have health-related emotive words, among others, because consumers will need such information, especially on the number of nutrients available, including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (Collard et al. 2021). On the other hand, emotive images like that of fresh milk or happy cows may also have a minimal impact because some buyers tend to be visual while making purchasing decisions. According to the list of milk brands in the Excel file, Morrisons whole milk has the most influential emotive words, which reads as fresh as a daisy as it is tasty and nutritious. Naturally good from content and happy cows. A glass full of farmers we know and trust. Same great taste, a natural source of proteins. Suitable for vegetarians. Such emotive wear arouses emotions by creating an image of tasty milk that is nutritious, and its source is an appealing way that could easily compel one to purchase the milk. Therefore, emotive words enhance brand perception and influence purchasing decisions (Vakili et al. 2023).
Figure 5
Chapter 5: Discussion
5.1 Summary of Findings
From the findings, this research can conclude that emotive words are a competitive tool for most milk brands. The health-related content of carbohydrates, proteins, and fat is essential because it guides milk buyers in choosing a product that fits their nutritional needs (Fructuoso et al. 2021). On the other hand, all the milk types from the different brands have appealing packaging materials, all white, and have a branding material coloured green, among other colours, because it is synonymous with green life health, which is also a cow’s milk source. In summary, brands should create a positive and motivating impression on their products and create emotive words that boost their customers’ confidence to buy the product, even if unfamiliar (Plamada et al. 2023). From the findings, it is clear that some uniformity is a result of the standardization of milk, mainly by government policies to food manufacturers, which is the reason milk content in skimmed and semi-skimmed milk is almost the same in all brands of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The regulation ensures that all manufacturers follow the qualified processes in producing healthy milk suitable for human consumption (Kubicová et al. 2019).
Figure 6
Marketers can filter the amount of information they place on the motive words and organize them so that when customers read them, their perceptual filters will reflect the information into social realities of the use of the product. Ideally, the perceptual process helps develop a buyer’s perception of a brand and creates a brand’s position in their minds (Collard et al. 2021). The perceptual process is the reason customers are loyal to their favourite brands. Hence, it is the route brands use by filtering the words and images they use to evoke buyer emotions, which is referred to as a positioning strategy. Emotive words help brands attain the best competitive position by creating an appealing image and persuading their potential customers why they need to purchase their products other than those of their competitors (Agostini, 2011).
Figure 7
5.2 Implications of the Study
This research analysis has significant implications for brands and policymakers. It will help manufacturers better understand how to create a better customer perception of their milk products from among other brands. The milk market is highly competitive for manufacturers, which prompts them to create a positioning strategy to help them gain a competitive advantage (Nunez, 2016). It will give manufacturers a deeper understanding of the perceptual process that will guide them on how to create emotive words that attract the buyers’ attention. They will understand the different categories of emotive words and their implication in the perceptual process that leads to making purchasing decisions (Agostini, 2011). Also, this information will help policymakers make regulatory policies to create standard processes for the many brands and ensure they adhere to the customers’ quality needs and enhance their safety from food poisoning.
5.3 Limitations
The limitation of the analysis is that the findings are a result of content analysis rather than the customer’s perspective. The methodology influenced the results and data collection to help develop the findings about the emotive words used in milk products and their implication on consumer perception. There could be completely different findings and conclusions if a different methodology were used to collect the data. By using content analysis after collecting information from online websites and supermarket shelves, there needed to be more to get customers’ view on the product and the rate at which a specific brand sell compared to other competitive words. Therefore, despite this content analysis having significant implications for manufacturers and policymakers, it is subject to some form of bias due to a lack of customers’ views (Plamada et al. 2023). However, to improve data collection in the future, brands should include a part where customers can give their reviews about the product and rate the brand so that it is easy to identify the market position of the different milk brands for a more effective analysis.
5.4 Recommendations for Further Research
In future research, I recommend the use of interviews as a method of data collection. The interviews were used as a data collection method to get the buyer’s perspective on an ideal milk type. Through interviews, only the milk brands mentioned by interviews will be considered as they will be a true reflection of what customers look for in a supermarket milk shelf. Through the interview, the interviewers will give details as to their favourite brands and what attracted them to buy the specific brands. As such, the analysis will have a transformational impact on manufacturers because they will get direct feedback from their customers and have an in-depth understanding of how they can enhance their marketing and positioning strategies using emotive words to remain competitive. Such information is vital because consumers are the priority to brands, and they all work towards enhancing customer satisfaction; their opinions create blueprints that manufacturers need to build on to satisfy their market needs (Collard et al. 2021).
Chapter 6: Conclusion
In conclusion, emotive words are an essential positioning tool for milk brands in a competitive marketplace. Emotive words and images influence consumers’ perception of a product by interpreting products based on what they see and feel about it. From the milk content in the different milk types of various brands, milk undergoes processing to filter some nutrients so that milk can be ideal for people of all ages because older adults and people with health conditions like high blood pressure and heart diseases need to take milk with less fat and lactose which are usually high in organic milk. Additionally, milk is processed to be stored to last longer, as it easily spoils due to rapid bacteria multiplication. Therefore, all the different brands play an essential role in enhancing the safety and preservation of milk produced in large amounts to prevent losses to farmers. However, they have to creatively use emotive words and create a marketing position to help them create a sustainable and profitable brand. They should create emotive words from the consumer’s perceptive so that when buyers read and see them, what they read and perceive is aligned with their preferences, want, and needs for them to feel convinced to buy the milk product.
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