The Commoditization of Brands and

Its Implications for Marketers

December 2000

Copernicus
The Marketing Investment
Strategy Group
RESEARCH STUDY OBJECTIVES
There once was a time companies like P&G relied on their brands to command
such high loyalty that consumers purchased them without first checking prices.
As A. Gary Shilling wrote recently in Forbes:

[P&G] reveled in its price insensitivity, raising prices without risk of

market share losses. That works for a while. Liquid Tide is a terrific
detergent. But there comes a point at which even loyal consumers look
at prices. Wisk gets out stubborn stains too. The ebbing of brand power
is widespread.

Mr. Shilling’s conclusion begs the question, are major American brands in
decline and, if so, why?

During the past year, we have seen three different industry-wide research
studies, which have suggested that many American brands are in decline. The
indicators of decline employed in these analyses vary: from sales and profit
trends to reputation and brand power ratings. Yet none of these studies have
provided conclusive evidence that this phenomenon is occurring and, equally
important, why it is occurring.

The principals of Copernicus have long suspected, however, that many brands
are in decline—or should be—for good reasons. Among them:

• A shift from brand building advertising to promotional programs

• A shift from informational-oriented advertising to entertainment-
oriented advertising
• A shift from communications which communicate distinctive
positioning strategy—what we call a brand’s raison d’être—to
communications which focus on brand essence or imagery
We have observed, in our respective businesses, that despite the lip service paid
to branding and billions of dollars spent on branding efforts, many brands are
moving towards commoditization, becoming less differentiated from
competitors in the minds of consumers.

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To test the hypothesis that many branded product categories are beginning to
look like commodities, Copernicus and Market Facts designed a research study
to examine:
1. Whether consumers perceive the leading brands in product and service
categories as becoming more homogeneous or heterogeneous
2. Whether consumers perceive all brands in product and service categories
as becoming more homogeneous or heterogeneous
3. Whether price or brand-driven attributes are more important when
making a purchase within a product or service category.
Copernicus designed the questionnaire and conducted the analysis of the data,
while Market Facts fielded the questionnaire and processed the data.

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METHODOLOGY

In the Fall of 2000, Copernicus and Market Facts undertook a joint research
study among a nationally-representative sample of 615 men and women, age
18 or older, from Market Facts’ Consumer Mail Panel. The study investigated
the performance of 48 pairs of leading brands and 51 different product and
service categories—both Old and New Economy businesses—in terms of
whether brands in these categories are becoming more similar and commodity-
like over time.

The questionnaire employed three different measures. For the first measure,
respondents evaluated whether the two leading brands based on industry
ratings in a category have become more similar or more different by rating
each on a five-point scale whose endpoints were “much more similar” and
“much more different.” The second measure used the same response scale, but
queried respondents about the brands in the category as a whole, rather than
specifying brand names. For the third measure, respondents indicated the
relative importance of low price and brand name in their purchasing decisions
within a product or service category by choosing a value on a five-point scale
whose endpoints were “Low Price is much more important” and “Brand
Name is much more important.” See Appendix for the questionnaire.

For analytical purposes, we translated the measures of brand differentiation

into a scale that ranged from +100 (Much more similar) to –100 (Much more
different). Thus more positive values indicate increasing similarity between
brands. Similarly, we transformed the scale measuring the relative importance
of price and brand into a scale that ranged from +100 (Low Price is much
more important) to –100 (Brand Name is much more important). More
positive values on this measure indicate price outweighs brand considerations.

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RESEARCH RESULTS

Perceptions of Leading Brands

The research found that consumers perceive the leading brands, in categories
as diverse as hair care products and rental cars, as becoming more similar than
different. Of the 48 categories evaluated, the leading brands in 40 of these
categories are perceived as becoming more similar. In four of the categories
the leading brands are maintaining the level of differentiation, and in only four
categories are leading brands perceived to be becoming more different.
Moreover, two of these last four categories are not, in fact, product or service
categories. Rather, the categories are political parties and religious
denominations, which we included as comparison points. See Table I.

The pairs of brands perceived as having become the most similar fall in a broad
spectrum of categories: consumer services (Visa/Mastercard); retail stores
(Staples/Office Depot); e-tailing and Web reference sites
(Pets.com/PetsMart.com; Maps.com/MapQuest.com); consumer goods
(L’Oreal/Clairol hair care products); and catalog clothing brands (L.L.
Bean/Land’s End).

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the four pairs perceived as becoming
more different are: colas (Coke/Pepsi); soap (Dove/Dial); and the
aforementioned political parties (Democrats/Republicans) and religious
denominations (Protestant/Catholic).

Perceptions of Brands within Categories

The findings are even stronger when we examine whether brands within a
category are generally perceived to be becoming more similar or more
different, without naming specific brands. Of the 51 product and service
categories evaluated, 48 categories are generally perceived to be becoming
more similar, and only three categories are perceived as maintaining a level of
differentiation. See Table II.

The rank order of categories is very similar to that from the previous question.
The categories where most consumers perceive brands are becoming more
homogeneous are credit cards, office supply stores, bottled water and
bookstores.

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The only categories where brands are perceived to be maintaining (but not
increasing) differentiation are: jewelry, religious denominations, and political
parties.

Price vs. Brand Name

The data support our hypothesis that as brands become more similar, purchase
decisions are weighted more heavily toward low price rather than brand. In 28
out of 37 categories analyzed, consumers indicated low price was more
important than brand name when making a purchase. In six categories, price
and brand name are about equally important, and in only three categories is
brand name more important. See Table III.

The categories with the highest percentage of consumers basing their purchase
decision on price more than on brand name are: online bookstores; rental cars;
office supply stores; bookstores and bottled water. The only categories for
which brand name outweighs price (and this is by a modest margin) are
automobiles, liquor and beer.

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CONCLUSION:
Brands are Becoming Less Differentiated

Based on the results of the study, we conclude that a majority of brands in a

wide range of categories are becoming less and less differentiated, and more
like commodities where price is the primary factor in the purchase decision.
These results suggest that the root cause of the recent demise of many brands
and companies, in particular dot-coms, is due to the lack of a distinctive brand
identity. Pets.com, which was rated as one of the most similar pairs of brands
with PetsMart.com, filed for bankruptcy and began liquidating assets just days
after we completed processing the data from the questionnaire.

These findings suggest the need for companies to reevaluate current branding
efforts and learn how to develop truly differentiated brands that are set apart
from competitors in the minds of their customers.

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 Table I
Similarity Scores of Leading Brands*
Similarity
Score

Pairs of Leading Brands

Credit Cards: Visa/Mastercard 45
Office Supply Stores: Staples/Office Depot 40
Online Pet Food & Supplies: Pets.com/Petsmart.com 38
Hair Care Products: L'Oreal/Clairol 37
Online Reference Sites: Maps.com/MapQuest.com 37
Catalog Clothing Brands: L.L. Bean/Land's End 36
Pet Supply Stores: PetsMart/PetCo 34
Gas Stations: Mobil/Shell 34
Bookstores: Barnes & Noble/Borders 34
Bottled Water: Aquafina/Evian 32
Major Household Appliances: Whirlpool/GE 30
Banks: Citibank/Bank of America 30
Cookies: Chips Ahoy/Chips Deluxe 28
Airlines: United/American 28
Health & Fitness Clubs: Bally's/Gold's Gym 28
Athletic Shoes: Nike/Adidas 27
Long-Distance Telephone Service: AT&T/MCI 27
Online Toy Stores: ToysRUs.com/eToys.com 25
Cars: Toyota/Honda 23
Weight Loss Programs: Jenny Craig/Weight Watchers 22
Internet Service Providers: America On-Line/AT&T 22
WorldNet
Online Bookstores: Amazon.com/Barnes&Noble.com 21
Personal Computers: IBM/Compaq 21
TV Networks: NBC/CBS 20
Cosmetics: Revlon/Cover Girl 18
Rental Cars: Enterprise/Hertz 18
Brokerages: Merrill Lynch/Fidelity 17
Internet Search Engines: Yahoo/MSN 17
Potato Chips: Lay's/Ruffles 16
Diapers: Huggies/Pampers 16
Toothpaste: Colgate/Crest 15
Motor Oils: Mobil/Pennzoil 15
Department Stores: Sears/J.C. Penney 14
Home Entertainment Equipment: Hitachi/Sony 13
Laundry Detergents: Tide/All 11
Cars: Mercedes-Benz/BMW 9
Beer: Bud Light/Coors Light 9
Online Travel Sites: Travelocity.com/PriceLine.com 8
Headache Remedies: Tylenol/Advil 6
Cigarettes: Marlboro/Camel 4
Newspapers: Wall Street Journal/NY Times 2
Beer: Budweiser/Miller 1
Diet Colas: Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi -1
Cars: Chevrolet/Ford -3
Religions: Catholic/Protestant -7
Cola: Coke/Pepsi -7
Soap: Dove/Dial -9
Political Parties: Democrat/Republican -11
Average Score 18

*More positive values indicate increasing similarity between brands

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 Table II
Similarity Scores for Brands in Product and Service Categories*
Similarity
Score

Product and Service Categories

Credit Cards 37
Office Supply Stores 36
Bottled Water 35
Bookstores 34
Discount Stores 33
Fast Food Restaurants 33
Banks 29
Catalog Clothing 28
Long-Distance Telephone Service 28
Internet Service Providers 27
Weight Loss Programs 27
Pet Supply Stores 27
Health & Fitness Clubs 27
TV Networks 26
Gas Stations 25
Department Stores 24
Major Household Appliances (e.g. refrigerators) 24
Diapers 24
Internet Search Engines 24
Rental Cars 23
Athletic Shoes 23
Soaps 22
Airlines 22
Wireless Or Cellular Phone Services 22
Newspapers 21
Laundry Detergents 21
Personal Computers 20
Motor Oils 20
Hair Care Products 19
Luxury Foreign Cars 19
Cookies 19
Toothpastes 19
Potato Chips 18
Cosmetics 18
Mid-Priced American Cars 18
Mid-Priced Foreign Cars 18
Luxury American Cars 18
Household Cleansers 17
Headache Remedies 15
Auto Insurance 15
Cold Cereals 15
Hotels 15
Spaghetti Sauces 14
Home Entertainment Equipment 13
Beers 12
Cigarettes 10
Colas 10
Liquor 7
Jewelry 3
Different Christian Denominations 1
Political Parties -2
Average Score 21

*More positive values indicate increasing similarity between brands

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 Table III
Importance Scores of Price in Purchase Decision**

Price
Importance
Score

Price vs. Brand

Online Bookstore 48
Rental Car Company 45
Office Supply Store 41
Bookstore 40
Bottled Water 40
Pet Supply Store 39
Gas Station 39
Long-Distance Telephone Provider 33
Health and Fitness Club 31
Household Cleansers 27
Wireless Or Cellular Phone Provider 26
Jewelry 26
Airline For Leisure Travel 25
Hotel For Leisure Travel 25
Internet Service Provider (ISP) 22
Catalog Clothing 21
Auto Insurance Company 21
Hair Care Products 20
Cookies 16
Cold Cereal 15
Laundry Detergent 15
Athletic Shoes 13
Spaghetti Sauce 12
Fast Food Restaurants 11
Cosmetics 9
Toothpaste 7
Cigarette 5
Home Entertainment Equipment 4
Headache Remedy 3
Motor Oil 2
Major Household Appliance 1
Brokerage 0
Personal Computer -3
Cola -3
Automobile -5
Liquor -6
Beer -11
Average Score 18

** More positive values indicate price outweighs brand considerations

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 APPENDIX

2971-02

Dear Panel Member,

Please give this questionnaire to the adult male head in your household. (This may be
you!)

Today I have some questions for you about various brands in different product and
service categories. Please keep in mind that we are most interested in your
personal opinions and habits, not what others may think. Your input will be helpful.

Most of the questions can be answered by simply placing an "X" in the appropriate
box or boxes. In the questions where I have asked you to write in answers, please
be as specific as possible.

PLEASE TRY TO COMPLETE THE QUESTIONNAIRE

IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS I AM VERY INTERESTED
IN YOUR OPINIONS.

When you have completed the questionnaire, please return it to me in the enclosed
postage-paid envelope.

As a token of my appreciation, I have included a gift for you as a thank you in

advance for your help with this very important study.

Once again, thank you for your time and hope you have a pleasant day!

Cordially,
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 SECTION 1: BRAND SIMILARITY

Some people feel that many products, services, and brands are becoming more similar over
time, while others think that they are becoming more different.

We’d like to know what you think.

1. Let’s start with some specific products and services. Below you will see a list of pairs of
brands in different product and service categories. For example, McDonald’s and Burger
King in the Fast Food category. For each pair listed, please tell us whether in your
opinion, based on everything you have read, heard, and experienced, you think these
brands are becoming more similar or more different over time.

On the scale below, “5” indicates that the two brands are becoming much more similar to each other in
the past few years and “1”indicates they are becoming much more different.

5 = The two brands are becoming much more similar to each other in the past few years
4 = The two brands are becoming somewhat more similar to each other in the past few years
3 = The two brands have not changed in the past few years in how different or similar they are to
each other.
2 = The two brands are becoming somewhat more different from each other in the past few years
1 = The two brands are becoming much more different from each other in the past few years

Please indicate your opinions by X’ing one box across for each of the following categories.

"X" “Don’t Know” only if you are completely unfamiliar with either brand listed in each
pair.

Much
Much Somewhat Somewhat More
Over time, the two brands are More More No More Differen Don’t
becoming...................................................
Similar Similar Change Different t Know
5 4 3 2 1 6
1. Hair Care Products:
L'Oreal /Clairol...............................................
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (16)

2. Major Household Appliances:

Whirlpool/GE.................................................
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
3. Internet Service Providers:
America On-Line/AT&T WorldNet.................. b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
4. Online Reference Sites:
Maps.com/MapQuest.com .............................
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
5. Airlines:
United/American............................................
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
6. Beer:
Bud Light/Coors Light ................................
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
7. Catalog Clothing Brands:
L.L. Bean/Land’s End................................
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (22)

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8. Health & Fitness Clubs:
Bally’s/Gold’s Gym ................................
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
9. Long-Distance Telephone Service:
AT&T/MCI .....................................................
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
10. Gas Stations:
Mobil/Shell ....................................................
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
11. Athletic Shoes:
Nike/Adidas ...................................................
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
12. Cigarettes:
Marlboro/Camel.............................................
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
13. Online Travel Sites:
Travelocity.com/PriceLine.com...................... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
14. Laundry Detergents:
Tide/All ..........................................................
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
15. Internet Search Engines:
Yahoo/MSN ...................................................
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
16. Soap:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (32)
Dove/Dial .................................................
17. Newspapers:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (33)
Wall Street Journal/NY Times..................

PLEASE CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE

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 SECTION 1: BRAND SIMILARITY (continued)

Much Somewhat Somewhat Much

Over time, the two brands are More More No More More Don’t
becoming...................................................
Similar Similar Change Different Different Know
5 4 3 2 1 6
18. Online Pet Food & Supplies:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Pets.com/Petsmart.com.............................
19. Home entertainment equipment:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Hitachi/Sony...............................................
20. Diet Colas:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi................................
21. Potato Chips:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Lay’s/Ruffles ..............................................
22. Pet Supply Stores:
PetsMart/PetCo..........................................
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
23. Headache Remedies:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Tylenol/Advil ..............................................
24. Online Bookstores:
Amazon.com/Barnes&Noble.com ..............
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (40)

25. Diapers:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Huggies/Pampers ................................
26. Cars:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Chevrolet/Ford ...........................................
27. Toothpaste:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Colgate/Crest.............................................
28. Motor Oils:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Mobil/Pennzoil............................................
29. Cosmetics:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Revlon/Cover Girl................................
30. Department Stores:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Sears/J.C. Penney................................
31. Beer:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Budweiser /Miller................................
32. Cars:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (48)
Mercedes-Benz/BMW ................................
33. Bottled Water:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Aquafina/Evian ..........................................
34. Brokerages:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Merrill Lynch/Fidelity ................................
35. Cookies:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Chips Ahoy/Chips Deluxe ..........................
36. Office Supply Stores:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Staples/Office Depot................................
37. Bookstores:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Barnes & Noble/Borders ............................

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38. Online Toy Stores:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
ToysRUs.com/eToys.com ..........................
39. TV Networks:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
NBC/CBS...................................................
40. Weight Loss Programs:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (56)
Jenny Craig /Weight Watchers ..................
41. Credit Cards:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Visa/MasterCard ................................
42. Personal Computers:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
IBM/Compaq ..............................................
43. Rental Cars:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Enterprise/Hertz ................................
44. Cola:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Coke/Pepsi ................................................
45. Banks:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Citibank/Bank of America...........................
46. Cars:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (63)
Toyota/Honda ............................................
47. Political Parties:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Democrat/Republican…………….
48. Religions:
b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Catholic/Protestant……………….
79[01]80

PLEASE CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE

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 SECTION 1: BRAND SIMILARITY (continued)

2. In this next question, rather than give you specific brand names, we have simply listed
categories of products and services. For each category, please think about the different
brands within that category, and how different or similar these brands are from each other
now compared to a few years ago. Have the brands in this category in general become
more similar or more different?

On the scale below, “5” indicates that brands in this category have become much more similar
to each other in the past few years and “1” indicates they have become much more different.

5 = Brands in this category have become much more similar to each other in the past few years
4 = Brands in this category have become somewhat more similar to each other in the past few
years
3 = Brands in this category have not changed in the past few years in how different or similar
they are to each other
2 = Brands in this category have become somewhat more different from each other in the past
few years
1 = Brands in this category have become much more different from each other in the past few
years

Please indicate your opinions by X’ing one box across for each of the following categories.

"X" “Don’t Know” only if you are completely unfamiliar with any brands in this category.

Much Somewhat Somewhat Much

Over time, brands in this category More More No More More Don’t
have become..............................................
Similar Similar Change Different Different Know
5 4 3 2 1 6
Soaps ....................................................... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (16)

Hotels ....................................................... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Department Stores................................ b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Colas ........................................................ b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Athletic Shoes........................................... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Weight Loss Programs ............................. b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Luxury Foreign Cars ................................ b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Rental Cars............................................... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Fast Food Restaurants ............................. b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Liquor........................................................ b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (26)

Long Distance Telephone Service............ b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6

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Laundry Detergents ................................ b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Airlines...................................................... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Cookies..................................................... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Spaghetti Sauces ................................ b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Household Cleansers ............................... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Cosmetics ................................................. b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Cold Cereals ............................................. b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Mid-Priced Foreign Cars ........................... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Credit Cards.............................................. b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
TV Networks ............................................. b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Potato Chips ............................................. b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Wireless or Cellular Phone Services......... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (39)

PLEASE CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE

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 SECTION 1: BRAND SIMILARITY (continued)

Much Somewhat Somewhat Much

Over time, brands in this category More More No More More Don’t
Similar
have become.............................................. Similar Change Different Different Know
5 4 3 2 1 6
Major Household Appliances (e.g.,
refrigerators, dishwashers,
washers, dryers, etc.)................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (40)

Diapers .....................................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Newspapers..............................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Auto Insurance..........................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Pet Supply Stores ................................ b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Office Supply Stores ................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Internet Service Providers .........................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Headache Remedies................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (48)

Jewelry......................................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Mid-Priced American Cars ........................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Internet Search Engines............................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Bottled Water ............................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Book Stores ..............................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Banks........................................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Cigarettes .................................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Toothpastes ..............................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (56)

Health & Fitness Clubs..............................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6

Motor Oils .................................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Home entertainment equipment ................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Gas Stations .............................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Banks........................................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Luxury American Cars...............................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Hair Care Products ................................ b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Personal Computers ................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Beers ........................................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Discount Stores.........................................b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
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 Catalog Clothing ................................ b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (67)

Political Parties……………………... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Different Christian Denominations.. b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
79[02]80

SECTION 2: BUYER TYPE

3. When buying different products and services, some people shop for the product or service
which offers the lowest price, while others focus more on the brand name. Below you will
see a list of different types of products and services. As you read each one, please
indicate the relative importance of low price and brand name when making a purchase in
this category.

On the scale below, “5” indicates a low price is much more important than brand name and “1”
indicates the brand name is much more important than a low price.

5 = A low price is much more important than brand name.

4 = A low price is somewhat more important than brand name.
3 = A low price is equally important as brand name.
2 = The brand name is somewhat more important than a low price.
1 = The brand name is much more important than a low price.

Please indicate your opinions by X’ing one box across for each of the following categories.
"X" “Don’t Know” only if you never purchase this type of product or service.

PRICE BRAND NAME

Much Somewhat Somewhat Much
More More Equally More More Don’t
In this category, a low price is.. ................... Important Important Important Important Important Know
5 4 3 2 1 6
Laundry detergent ................................... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (16)

Personal computer .................................. b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6

Hotel for leisure travel, for a 3-4 day stay b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Jewelry .................................................... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Online bookstore ..................................... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Motor oil................................................... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Pet supply store....................................... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Major household appliance...................... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Cosmetics................................................ b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (24)

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Spaghetti Sauce...................................... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Headache remedy ................................... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Internet service provider (ISP) ................. b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Liquor ...................................................... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Beer......................................................... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Long-distance telephone provider ........... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Brokerage................................................ b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Athletic shoes .......................................... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (32)

Office supply store .................................. b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6

Cigarette.................................................. b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Catalog clothing....................................... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Auto insurance company......................... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Book store ............................................... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Household cleansers............................... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Fast food restaurant ................................ b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Cold cereal .............................................. b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Airline for leisure travel ............................ b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Health and fitness club ............................ b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Wireless or cellular phone provider ......... b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (43)

PLEASE CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE

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© Market Facts 2000
 SECTION 2: BUYER TYPE (continued)

PRICE BRAND NAME

Much Somewhat Somewhat
More More Equally More Much More Don’t
In this category, a low price is.. ....................
Important Important Important Important Important Know
5 4 3 2 1 6
Rental car company ........................... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (44)

Bottled water ...................................... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6

Hair care products.............................. b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Cookies .............................................. b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Home entertainment equipment ......... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Gas station......................................... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Cola.................................................... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Automobile ......................................... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6
Toothpaste ......................................... b 1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 (52)

SECTION 3: VOTING ATTITUDES

Now, for a change of pace, please think about the upcoming presidential elections.

4. How likely are you to vote in the November presidential election? (“X” ONE BOX)

b1
I will definitely vote ................................
(53)

b2
I am very likely to vote................................
b3
I am likely to vote ................................
b4
I am not very likely to vote................................
b5
I will not vote ................................

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© Copernicus 2000
© Market Facts 2000
5. If you do vote in November, who will you vote for President? (“X” ONE BOX)

b1
Pat Buchanan, Reform Party ................................
b2
George W. Bush, Republican Party................................
Al Gore, Democrat Party................................ b 3
b4
John Hagelin, Reform Party................................
Ralph Nader, Green Party ................................b 5
Other................................................................b 6
b7
I will not vote ................................................................ (54)

6. Indicate your age and gender:

Age: _____________ (55-56) Male.................. b 1 Female ............. b2

(57)
79[03]80

PLEASE RETURN THIS QUESTIONNAIRE IN THE ENCLOSED

POSTAGE-PAID ENVELOPE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

THANK YOU!

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© Copernicus 2000
© Market Facts 2000