ABSTRACT: The research examined audience perception of Lacasera softdrink advertisement on students of Madona University Okija, Anambra state. The study was anchored on Perception Theory. The research used survey research method while the data were gathered using questionnaire through accidental sampling method (non-probability method). The theory that led support to this study was cultivation analysis and persuasion theory, and Advertising: Strong and Weak Theory. The data were analysed using frequency and percentage method. Finding from the study shows that majority of the respondents were exposed to Lacasera Advertisement on television set and billboard. It was recommended that advertising should be real and interesting so as to call and retain prospective buyers for the advertised product.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background to the study
One function of the mass media which is becoming increasingly important in the modern world is the economic functions of advertising. The mass media perform this function for the people by bringing together buyers and sellers through advertisements.
Again, the world is fast becoming a common marketplace of ideas. Many multinational companies have come to realize that people have the same basic needs and desires. Consequently, they have heeded calls for global marketing and can promote their goods and services using advertisements.
The essence of being in business by any commercial organisation is to produce for sales and profits. For an organisation to continue to be in business such organisation must generate enough sales from its products or services to cover operating costs and post reasonable profits. For many organizations, sales estimate is the starting point in budgeting or profit planning. It is so because it must be determined, in most cases before production units could be arrived at.
In an industrial and free competitive market economy, where the interplay of economic variables dictates the market, the problem of survival of business becomes a very nightmarish one for producers and manufacturers. The singular desire of manufacturers becomes how to create awareness and market for their goods. Advertising is then one strategy that fulfils the desire completely. The desire to be buoyant in business and to increase profit has given advertisement an irrevocable reputation.
Advertising is not undertaken by management just for fun or to keep products or services. It is principally involved in persuasion or advocacy even apparently just giving us information, using media that are paid for it to get through to the mass audience with the identity of the advertisers being clear. Advertising has the mandate to sell the advertiser’s goods and help the consumers to shop wisely.
Similarly, of all marketing weapons, advertising has a leading impact on viewers minds, as its exposure is much more felt. (Katke, 2007). The marketing mix has four subsets i.e. product, price, place and promotion. Advertising is a component of the promotional mix, which is used to create awareness about products and services for making purchase decisions (Akinrosoye,2004).
Marketers use these types of tools for communication purposes. Advertisement evolves date back in ancient times. Different societies used different types of symbols for the promotion of the products and services for attracting consumers.
No company can become a market leader unless they invest lots of their investment in promotional purposes (Hussainy et al., 2008). The major aim of advertising is to impact buying behaviour; however, this impact on the brand is changed or strengthened frequently people’s memories. Memories about the brand consist of those associations that are related to brand name in the consumer mind.
The major objective of consumer behaviour analysis is to determine the factors that influence consumers’ behaviour in a particular circumstance. Consumer behaviour analysis is helpful for advertisers to understand the behaviour of consumers in buying different situations. Advertising as a concept can be defined as a form of communication through the media about products, services, ideas, personalities or organizations, paid for by an identified sponsor (Alide 2002).
Awofadeju (2013) cited in Bovee and Arens (1985) gives a more widely accepted definition of advertising as the non-personal communication of information, usually paid for any usually persuasive in nature about products (goods and services) or ideas by an identified sponsor through various media. It is an exciting, dynamic, and challenging enterprise.
Its often a persuasive communication in that it tries to persuade the reader, the listener or the viewer to take to the sponsor’s own point of view and also to take some appropriate action. It is not personal or face to face communication rather it is directed to a group of people.
According to the understanding of advertising practitioners council of Nigeria (APCON) “advertising is a form of communication through the media about products, services or ideas, paid for by an identified sponsor”. The terms advertising was coined from the Latin word “advertere” which mean literally means to draw attention. This is when you are getting the evidence mind in a product, notifying or informing somebody/people of something.
However, while planning an advertising campaign one of the strategies is to determine the language and the targeted public (consumers/customers)for the campaign because advertising messages will be encoded in a particular language that the targeted consumer/customer understand.
The role of marketing mix in any profit-oriented firm or in an organization cannot be overemphasized and as such, it is worth researching into, therefore, for effective functioning of a profit making firm all the component of marketing mix must be tried and used. The marketing mix is the set of firms marketing decision variables at a particular point in time. The marketing decision variables play central roles in the firm’s marketing programming. It is otherwise called the 4P’s of marketing. They are the product, the price, the place and the promotion. The 4P’s are set up at a proportional rate and mixed together to push the product in the market for eventually large volume sales, customer satisfaction and profit to the organization. Hence, this research examined audience perception of Lacasera softdrink advertisement on students of Madona University Okija, Anambra state.
1.2 Statement of the problem
Despite a lot of research in marketing and advertising only a few of them have been channeled to focus on the perception of consumers on advertisers of and this is the thrust of this research. The consumer is different personalities which age, sex, social background culture, religion, academic background among other influences there are and need . some consumers by the virtue of their age or social status prefer bitter drinks to any sugary substances and vice versa and therefore place television been an audio visual similarly many advertiser and advertising agency in dulge in illegal advertising such as exaggeration of what their product is capable of doing in order to drawn consumers to it. While some televisions advertise editing effect to present what their product cannot do. It is against this backdrop that the research examines the audience perception of Lacasera softdrink advertisement on students of Madona University Okija, Anambra state.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
- To what extent do Madona University students watch Lacasera advertisements on television?
- To what extent does TV advertisements for Lacasera drink influence the drinking habit of Madona University Students?
1.4 Research Questions
- To what extent do Madona University students watch Lacasera advertisements on television?
- To what extent does TV advertisement of Lacasera drink influence drinking habit of Madona University Students?
1.5 Significance of the study
This work though not exhaustive is quiet necessary at a time the media a awash with all forms of advertisement lure consumers.
It will educate consumers on the best ways to respond to advertisement while advertisers will learn to understand the need to follow the ethics of the profession by avoiding advertisements that are subversive.
Students of advertising will also find this work useful as it will expose them to various forms of media advertisements.
Essentially, this study makes a significant contribution to the existing literature on the attitude of consumers towards lager products. The study will also be of great use to mass communication and marketing students who intend to take up similar studies.
1.6 Scope of the Study
This study is focused on the audience perception of Lacasera softdrink advertisement was narrowed to Madona University students. The period of this study spans from January to June 2015 it will look at the various ways consumers particularly Madona University students in Okija, Anambra state have responded to advertisements.
Therefore, the study is limited in scope to Madona University students, due to time, funds and other logistics. Yet any finding arrived at will be generalized to other higher institute of learning students in Nigeria.
1.7 Operational Definition of Terms.
Audience perception: It refers to the opinion, view or attitude of Madona University students on Lacasera soft drink advertisement.
Lacasera soft drink: This has to do with all varieties of Lacasera softdriks.
Advertisement: These are all forms of promotions given to Lacasera drink by the manufacturer in order to gain more consumers through radio, television, newspaper, website/social media.
Consumers: The people that drink Lacasera soft drink.
Behaviour: The attitude of the Madona University students towards the advertisement on Lacasera soft drink.