Purchasing Behavior

CHAPTER l.  INTRODUCTION
1.1  Background of the Study

  People live in a society that is obsessed with beauty. There is a pressing demand to look good at all times, at all costs. According to a study conducted by AC Nielsen (2007) on personal grooming and the usage of beauty products, today, the pressure to be beautiful has become stronger than it was during our parent’s day. Every day, as soon as people wake up, they are subjected to different form of media that communicate one message, to be beautiful.
   
  The pressure to be beatiful has become critical, because as people go along in their daily activities, they scrutinize and judge each other based on their appearance, and their ability to conform to the norm. Looking beautiful, therefore, is ingrained in people’s mindset as a standard of acceptance.
   
  Based on the research conducted by Nielsen (2007) in Asia Pacific Region, it shown that 82% buys health and beauty products. In the same research study, the company found out that globally, people within the age bracket of 15 to 24 have the highest rate who admitted that they try to look stylish at all times. The same age bracket has likewise shown results that they want to look good for themselves, and not to attract the opposite sex.
   
  In the Philippines, 40% of the population belongs to the youth sector, based from the latest record of United Nations. It only says 1 in every 5 Filipino is a young person. In Pindol’s (2007) article on The Global Youth, The Filipino Youth: Choosing Reading Materials Appropriate for the Times, she mentioned that the Filipino youth today is now more a product of mass media, rather than their genes or schools, even their homes. Bennet (2000) and Nava (1996) say these youth, who are greatly exposed to mass media, are actually not blinded and consumed by what they see and hear, as they are deemed the most sophisticated readers of images and media, than any group in the society.
   
  Cosmetic... [continues]

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