cans(analyzed item)andthatother factorsplayamore importantrole inthechoice
ofdeodorants, suchasbrand, fragranceandhow long the itemwill last.
ThehomesurveywasconductedbetweenSeptember9and20,2013usingastructu-
redquestionnaire.Thesample isrepresentativeofthepopulation inthestatecapital
of SãoPaulo: 150men and 150womenof classesA, B andC ranging from 18 to 50
yearsof age. All of themareusersof aerosol deodorantsandbuy them 1.4 timesa
month,onaverage.Thestudy revealed that themain factors influencing thechoice
ofaerosoldeodorantsare:“lasting longer”(67%);“notstainingthecloth”(62%);and
“havinga fragrance I like”(51%).Thepackaging,ontheotherhand, isof little impor-
tance inthechoice.Only23percentoftherespondentscheckedtheoption“having
apackaging I like”asa relevant factor in their choiceof thepersonal care item.
Concerning thematerial used in the packaging, the Ibope survey shows that con-
sumersknowvery little.Of theentiresample,64percent said theydidn’tknow the
material used in theirdeodorant cans, andavastmajority, or87percent, said they
hadno suchpreference. Now,whenpresentedwith the twopackagingmaterials,
onealuminumcanandone steel can, 60percent could tell thedifferencebetween
thepieces.Then,when informedofthematerialsused inthecans,mostrespondents,
or 70percent, stoodbywhat theyhad saidabouthavingnopreference.
For Vicente Lozargo Filho, chief executive officer at Cerviflan, the results open a
seaof businessopportunities for the steel industry. “Wehavealways emphasized
the advantages provided by steel packagingmaterials. Firstly, steel cans are safe
because, in fact, they are as strong as a safe. Textured print is another big one.
Combinedwith four-color printing, it enables us to reproduce images, colors, and
anythingelse thecreatorsmaywant. In fact, this revolutionbeganatCerviflan, the
firstpackagingmakertousethefour-colorprocesson itsproducts.Besides, the lead
time,which involves theentire supply chain, frompackagingplanning to steel can
filling, isa lot shorter compared toaluminum: 45daysversussixmonths.Andnow,
with the info from the Ibope survey,wehavegained rather compellingarguments
forourproducts,”he says.
Mostof thosewhochanged theirmindabouthavingapreference for eithermate-
rial uponbeing told the two tubesweremade fromdifferentmaterialsmentioned
“easiertorecycle”asthereason.Twootherpreferencereasonswhichonlycameup
afterdisclosure that the twopiecesweremade fromdifferentmetalswere“being
lessharmful to theenvironment”and“being recyclable”. “All of thiscalls forus to
start an intensive advertising campaignon thebenefits of steel. It’s an extremely
environment-friendlymaterial, asonce it isdisposedof, it returns to itsnatural sta-
te. Steel canbe recycledendlesslywithout losingquality,”LozargoFilho stresses.
Themain factors in the decision on preference for either packagingmaterial, re-
gardlessofbrand,were: “prettier”; “lighter”; and“it seemseasier to recycle”. For
more than90percentof thesample, the fact that theweld isapparenton thesteel
canhadno influenceonpreference.Thesameamountofpeoplesaidtheywouldn’t
give up buying an aerosol deodorant because of thewelding. The different finish
on thebottomof the can isnot a factor affecting thepreference for our purchase
of anaerosol deodoranteither.
