The decline in the sale of the company's cologne in the year when it exclusively advertised in sports magazines with a predominantly male readership could be explained by several factors, but we need to find the most relevant one. Let's analyze each option:
(A) Television advertising reaches more people than does magazine advertising, but the company never advertised its cologne on television because of the high cost.
- This option doesn't directly address why the sales dropped when they switched to advertising in sports magazines. It discusses television advertising, which is not relevant here.
(B) The general-circulation magazines in which the company had placed its advertisements experienced a large rise in circulation recently.
- This option suggests that the general-circulation magazines, where they previously advertised, had seen a surge in readership. This could explain the drop in sales because more people were exposed to their advertisements before, but it doesn't directly address why advertising in sports magazines had a negative impact.
(C) Most men do not wear cologne on a regular basis.
- This option could explain the drop in sales if it is indeed the case that most men don't wear cologne regularly. However, it doesn't specifically address the impact of switching to sports magazines for advertising.
(D) Women often buy cologne as gifts for male friends or relatives. - This option provides a plausible explanation for the drop in sales when advertising exclusively in sports magazines. If women are not the primary readers of these magazines and are more likely to buy cologne as gifts, the change in advertising strategy may have resulted in fewer women being exposed to the ads, leading to lower sales.
(E) Successful advertisements for men's cologne often feature well-known athletes.
- This option is relevant because it directly connects the choice of advertising in sports magazines with the potential impact on sales. If the company's advertisements did not feature well-known athletes in the sports magazines, this could explain the drop in sales.
Among the options, (D) and (E) are the most relevant explanations. However, (D) directly addresses the impact of the advertising change to sports magazines, suggesting that women's buying habits may have been affected. Therefore, (D) is the best choice for explaining the drop in sales.