An Assessment of Sales Promotion Techniques in the Stimulation of Toothpaste Patronage in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria

There are many players in the Nigerian oral care market such as Unilever, PZ Cussons, Procter and Gamble, Dabur, GlaxoSmithKline, to mention a few. The objective of this study was to identify the various promotional techniques employed by these toothpaste marketers and to determine their effect on consumers’ patronage. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire to 320 respondents representing households who use toothpaste in Ado-Ekiti. Logit regression model was used to determine the relationship between respondents’ demographic data and promotional tools. Four hypotheses were stated and tested using chi square (X 2 ) analysis. It was found that consumers’ patronage of toothpaste is influenced by (1) jingles and advertisement in the media; (2) information on the toothpaste pack; (3) promos of people with white teeth; and (4) free samples and the gifts attached. Information on the toothpaste pack had the highest influence (X 2 cal=151.68) on patronage with a mean score of 3.00. This revealed that consumers are becoming knowledgeable and sophisticated in their toothpaste purchase decision. Free samples and gifts attached to the toothpaste had the least influence (X 2 cal=25.43) on patronage with a mean score of 2.46. There is an obvious need for marketers to assess the promotion technique that will be most appreciated by the different market segments. The study recommended that marketers should always provide correct information about their products as consumers can use several means to authenticate the correctness of such information; they should emphasize the benefits of using the product; and be creative in the combination of promotion mix that they present to the consumers in order to stimulate sales and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage especially in the toothpaste market where there are many players and competing brands. Keywords: Sales promotion, promotion techniques, patronage, toothpaste, stimulation