Strongest reason not to choose a suggestion...

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Strongest reason not to choose a suggestion...

by lj88 » Mon Feb 25, 2013 6:18 pm
This question is from McGraw-Hill's GMAT 2013 Edition:

A company that produces a super-premium brand of vodka has been able to substantially increase its sales over the last three years while simultaneously increasing its price per bottle. The sales growth has coincided with an aggressive marketing campaign that associates the vodka with social prestige. The marketing campaign so far has primarily placed its ads in publications that target affluent individuals and business travelers. A brand manager has suggest that the best way to increase sales of the product further is to advertise in nationally distributed newspapers that target a general audience.

Which of the following, if true, provides the strongest reason for the company NOT to adopt the brand manager's suggestion?

A) Although more people will see an ad placed in a nationally distributed newspaper than would see the ad in a magazine targeted at business travelers, the readers of the newspaper are, on average, less likely to pay the high price of the super-premium product.

B) Many of the brand's most loyal current customers are willing to pay a high price for the product because of the product's aura of exclusivity.

C) Although an advertisement in a nationally distributed newspaper is less expensive per customer reached than is the same ad placed in a magazine targeted at affluent individuals, the overall cost of the ad buy is much more expensive.

D) Although the product is sold at a much higher price than are vodkas that are not considered "super-premium," its cost of production is only slightly higher than the industry average.

E) Readers of the nationally syndicated newspaper who are opposed to the drinking of hard alcohol may cancel their subscriptions to the newspaper if it runs advertisements for the vodka brand.

I was able to eliminate choices C, D, E and, so, was left with A & B. I understand why B is the right answer but am still confused about how to eliminate choice A...

Please help. Thank you!
Source: — Reading Comprehension |

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by aditya8062 » Wed Feb 27, 2013 10:00 pm
the answer sud be B
for B is attacking the basic assumption of the argument .what is the assumption here? the assumption is that this vodka brand ,which has been selling high as of now coz of its exclusivity ,will be able to have this exclusivity even if the marketing is done on daily newspaper .this is what B is attacking
oki now why A is not the answer ?
A) Although more people will see an ad placed in a nationally distributed newspaper than would see the ad in a magazine targeted at business travelers, the readers of the newspaper are, on average, less likely to pay the high price of the super-premium product.

mark two things: we have to give the strongest reason
also we cant be sure as in how this "less likely" going to affect the overall sales
consider the following hypothetical situation : let us say "less likely" has a parameter of 10 and lets assume the most exclusive people on earth get 10 out of 10 in this scale
then we can still have a situation where readers of the newspaper (the so called mango people ) can have 9 out of 10 on this scale .so no matter they are less likely but still there is a scope that overall sales will increase

my whole point is had the question stem been as follows :Which of the following, if true, provides the reason for the company NOT to adopt the brand manager's suggestion except ?
in that case we wud have eliminated both A and B coz in that case A wud give an iota of doubt

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by lj88 » Thu Feb 28, 2013 7:01 pm
thank you! i understand it clearly now.

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by aditya8062 » Thu Feb 28, 2013 7:53 pm
ur welcome .the best way to learn is to keep discussing and accepting new ideas .many a times i have seen that i might have got question right but i might have missed the crux or learning and that fact is brought in light by instructors in this forum
keep putting question from that macgraw book