INFLUENCE OF AIRTEL BILLBOARD ADVERTISEMENT ON CONSUMERS PATRONAGE

CHAPETR ONE

1.0   INTRODUCTION 

1.1        Background of the study

1.2        Statement of problem

1.3        Objective of the study

1.4        Research Hypotheses

1.5        Significance of the study

1.6        Scope and limitation of the study

1.7       Definition of terms

1.8       Organization of the study

CHAPETR TWO

2.0   LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPETR THREE

3.0        Research methodology

3.1    sources of data collection

3.3        Population of the study

3.4        Sampling and sampling distribution

3.5        Validation of research instrument

3.6        Method of data analysis

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

4.1 Introductions

4.2 Data analysis

CHAPTER FIVE

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Summary

5.3 Conclusion

5.4 Recommendation

Appendix

Abstract

The study evaluate the influence of airtel billboard advertisement on consumers patronage. Data for the research were collected through primary and secondary sources. The collected data were analyzed in tables and simple percentages, while the hypotheses were tested using the chi square technique. Given two hypotheses as stated in chapter one, these hypotheses were tested critically in chapter four to reveal the authenticity of responses by the respondents to the research questions. In the final analysis, attempts were made to bring to summary the tested research hypotheses.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the study

Communication is life and life is communication. Communication is ubiquitous, it is all around man. Man cannot do without communication in the society. It leads people from instinct to inspiration through various processes and system to enquiring command and control.

The words of Schramm Roberts (1992) states that when one studies communication, he is studying people in relationship with one another, their groups, influencing each other and being influenced, informing and being taught, entertaining and being entertained. It is impossible to think of a built environment without first thinking of the creative actions of man and the infrastructure that make it. A beautiful city possesses the magnetism of urban renewal in addition to offering opportunity for work and for buying and selling (Brown, 1983, Ogundiran, 2011, Salami, 2011). A city landscape appearance, such as it is in Lagos, is visually complex in nature. It is an aerial portion of land space which the eye can view at once (Hackett, 1983), and which do not restrict itself to vegetation, housing and transport infrastructure. Billboard advertisements and signage are communication infrastructure which do not only interact with the public commercially but doubling as landscape furniture that add beautification to the overall events happening in outdoor spaces. Billboards\ ability to highlight the attributes and benefits of a specific product or brand and cause patronage is directly related to its ability to persuade the target audience. This is called economic influence and it is called for, going by the findings in Loto (2011) which indicate that for decades, Nigeria has been experiencing disappointing performance in terms of growth in Gross Domestic products (GDP) and the general development of her economy. It is one thing to persuade and influence customers to buy a product. It is another thing to prevail on them to keep buying such product. This poses a challenge to the potency and retention power of most of the billboard advertisements on city landscapes which will need to communicate strongly to consumers through fascinating pictorial concepts in order to meet a demand such as this. Pictorial concepts in this regard portend commercial signs that require a great deal of creative ingenuities, especially when selling a product that itself depends largely on visual appeal. To communicate is to understand the strategic opportunities derivable from the flow of human and vehicular traffic. Commercial firms, according to Semenik and Bamossy (1993) have gained advantage of this to communicate to current and potential customers about products, services, and other values that make the brand appealing and capable of providing satisfaction. If billboard advertisements cannot commercially deliver the good in public spaces then they will ultimately be standing alone without influencing any one, but if they do, Akinyosoye (2010) aver that they will translate to an increase in aggregate output. In a way too, Grove and Cresswell (1983) also note that the desire for widened contact and interchange would be created in the citizens

According to Kottler (1994), communication is a symbolic behavior that occurs between two or more participating individuals. It has the characteristics of being a process, it is transactional in nature and it is effective, it is purposive goal directed behavior that can have instrumental or consummatory end (Linus, 2015).

Mass communication, De Fleur in theory  of Mass Communication  defined it as a means by which a groups norms and  values are expressed, social control is exerted, roles are allocated, coordination of effort about happenings around his environment as well as to help him make good and right decisions, think right and react positively or negatively towards a particular products. This helps him to determine what feelings to develop.

According to Chris Douhudge, (1996:p.24) advertising is a commercial catalyst stimulated a consumption conscious society and remaining itself unchanged. He further adds that, advertising is a driving force for speedy realization of objectives whether in private or public business.

The British institute of practitioners in Advertising (I.P.A) defined it as thus: advertising presents the most persuasive positive selling message to the right prospect for the product or service at the lowest possible cost, J. Frank (1998).

Billboard advertising is defined in the town and country planning (control of advertising) Regulations (1946) an any word, letter, model sign, placard, board, door notice, device or representation whether illuminate or not used for purpose of advertisement, announcement or direction. It includes any hoarding or similar structure used or adopt for the display of advertisement.

Learned and educated people alike tend to agree that it is customary for the largest billboard advertisements remain inner position for a period of time, usually thirteen weeks so that they enjoy both twenty four (24) hours exposure and long life. To appreciate the influence or otherwise of advertising campaigns on consumers’ preferences of the General System for Mobiles (GSM) telecommunication networks in Nigeria, it is a necessary first step to briefly capture the immediate operating environment and its metamorphosis. By this is meant the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) age of the early 21st century globally but particularly in Nigeria. Aside the “Guttenberg Empire” which began about the middle of the fifteenth century, the ICT age as it relates to telecommunications, thus the GSM, began independently in England and the United States of America with the development of the telegraphic system of telecommunication in 1830. Forty-six years afterwards, Alexander Graham Bell invented and made the first ever telephone call in 1876. Guglielmo Marconi later patented the wireless telegraphic telecommunication system in 1897 while 1935 witnessed the first ever telephone call across the world. Other landmarks were the invention of the mobile cellular phones in 1983 and lately, the GSM in the 1990s with the first roll-out in Nigeria in 2001 by the Mobile Telecommunications Nigeria Limited (MTN) and Econet Wireless Nigeria Limited (ECONET). (Shoki and Ufuophu-Biri: 2007:181).

These repetition ideas for the name plugging or sloganizing advertisement which seeks to familiarized the audience with a brand name salves point or pack design. The task of the poster is often simply but contentious one

  1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

In Nigeria nowadays, consumers are making choices because of the proliferation of more products in the market. Consumers make choices among the existing products based on their finance, desire and need. The problem of choice and decision set in to determine whether consumers choose products because of the exposure influence of advertisement.

Daily advertising has taken greater part of information disseminating in media houses. However, axiom has it that, “seeing is believing”. For this reason, there is a major need to assess the effect of billboard adverts and the desire effect which billboard advertising has on a consumers or subscribers of Airtel product.

There are various researches and examinations on how Airtel billboard advert messages affect subscribers. The patronage they give Airtel products services to other GSM service(s) provide and the level of reception and influence of adverts is therefore the essence of the study.

• OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

To achieve the goals and aims of this research work, the objectives are set thus:

1. To ascertain if the people of Ikot Ekpene are exposed to billboard advertising.
2. To assess the extent of aritel billboard advertising coverage in Ikot Ekpene.
3. To determine if aritel billboard advertising has affected the people of Ikot Ekpene.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION

In order to help the researcher meets the goals of the study, the following questions were asked:

1. Are residents of Ikot Ekpene aware of the airtel billboard advertisement?
2. To what extent do Airtel billboard advertising cover Ikot Ekpene?
3. Does Airtel billboard advertising influence consumer patronage in Ikot Ekpene?
   • RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

To aid the completion of the study the following research hypotheses were formulated by the researcher;

H₀: Airtel bill board advertisement does not influence consumers patronage in the study area

H₁: Airtel bill board advertisement does influence consumers patronage in the study area

H₀²: Airtel billboard advertisement is not an effective advertisement strategy in the study area

H₂: Airtel billboard advertisement is an effective advertisement strategy in the study area.

1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY 

The scope of this study comprises the people of Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area and their perception and conception towards airtel billboard advertisement. In the cause of the study, there were some factors which limited the scope of the study;

1. a) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study
2. b) TIME: The time frame allocated to the study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.
3. c) FINANCE: The finance available for the research work does not allow for wider coverage as resources are very limited as the researcher has other academic bills to cover.

1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is believed that at the completion of the study, the findings will be of great importance to the marketing manager in formulation of policy that will enhanced effective implementation of marketing strategy which will aid increase in sales volume and customer patronage, the study will also be useful to the sales promotion team as the study seek to explore the effectiveness of billboard advertisement in relation to sales volume, the study will also be of importance to researcher who intend to embark on a similar study as the study will serve as a reference point to them, finally, the study will be of great importance to the marketing profession as the study will contribute to the pool of existing literature in the subject matter

1.8 0PERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

Billboard

billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure, typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers

Airtel

Bharti Airtel Limited is an Indian global telecommunications services company based in New Delhi, India. It operates in 16 countries across South Asia and Africa

Advertisement

Advertising is an audio or visual form of marketing communication that employs an openly sponsored, non-personal message to promote or sell a product, service or idea.

• ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), statement of problem, objectives of the study, research question, significance or the study, research methodology, definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlight the theoretical framework on which the study its based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding.  Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study.

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