Consumer Motivation and Nestle Milo - Essay Example

Consumers purchase and use certain products and services because of the motivational force that works behind such activities. The main objective of most marketing communication programs is motivating consumers so that they prefer a particular brand (Lindquist & Sirgy, 2003).

As far as Milo is concerned it is one of the most important health drink brands that is owned by Nestle. Studies reveal that Milo has been the most popular health drink among consumers in Singapore. People in this part of the world love to consume Milo and they are several motivational factors behind such fact. First of all, Nestle is one of the most trusted consumer goods brands in the country. It started its operation in Singapore in 1912 and since then it has come up with several popular products (Nestle, n.d.). Being a Nestle brand, Milo has always been preferred by consumers. Nestle brought Milo to Singapore during the 1940s. Over the years consumers have been motivated because of Milo’s great taste, the healthy ingredients that are used in it, and its affiliation with the sports in the country. In 2007, the ‘Health Promotion Board’ awarded the brand with the prestigious ‘Healthier Choice’ status (Nestle, n.d.). In the same year, Nestle launched a ‘new formula MILO’ in which better and healthier ingredients were used (Nestle, n.d.). Apart from the health aspect, various promotional strategies have been adopted by the company to promote Milo. These strategies can also be considered an important reason behind driving the consumers’ motivation for purchasing Milo. Nestle has given significant emphasis on the packaging aspect of Milo. Milo is available in attractive green cans. There are Milo vans and kiosks as well. In simple words, it can be said that the overall offerings of Milo greatly attract the youth of Singapore.

Influence of Culture and Nestle Milo
An important aspect that greatly impacts the consumers’ behavior at the time of purchasing any product is the ‘culture’. Different types of core values regarding culture influence consumers’ choices and tastes. Culture can be seen as the combination of values, customs, and beliefs. Culture is ‘social’ and ‘communicative’ in nature. An individual shows certain cultural values that are acquired from the society to which he/she belongs (Tyagi & Kumar, 2004).
As far as Nestle Milo is concerned, the rate of consumption of it is greatly influenced by the cultural values that are found among the people in Singapore. It is found that consumers in this country are fond of various sports. They love different types of sports like swimming, soccer, basketball, etc. Nestle has identified this aspect of Singaporeans long back in 1950 (Nestle, n.d.). Since then the company has made Milo associated with various ‘sports development programs in the country to make the brand more popular. There are several schools and colleges where such programs are conducted. Nestle has been representing Milo as a great supporter of sports. It has made a partnership with the Department of Education of the Singapore government for running “Singapore School Sports Council Programs” (Nestle, n.d.). Furthermore, it has also made a strategic alliance with the “Singapore Sports Council” for identifying and nurturing young Singaporean talents from the world of sports (Nestle, n.d.). Consumers are very much aware of such activities of Milo. As Milo has greatly understood the cultural values of Singaporeans, they have also found the brand close to them as compared to other health drink brands. Nestle has been successful in making Singaporean consumers more attached to the Milo brand by properly recognizing and utilizing their cultural values of them. The company has a great understanding of the values and beliefs of young consumers in Singapore.

Conclusion
Both motivations, as well as culture, play a crucial role in influencing Singaporean consumers’ behavior while purchasing the Nestle Milo. Milo is the favorite health drink in Singapore as Nestle has successfully motivated consumers in purchasing it. Furthermore, the culture of Singaporeans is properly identified by Nestle and this has also played a crucial role in making the Milo brand a popular one. Read More