THE IMPACT OF ADVERTISING ON CONSUMERS PATRONAGE: A STUDY OF Etisalsat NIGERIA

1.1 Advertising has become an integral part of our society. In a way, it has become embedded in our daily lives. One cannot go through a newspaper, listen to radio, or watch television without reading, hearing or seeing some advertisement or commercial. People see them on billboards or buses, in trains, in magazines, on matchboxes, on many novelty items, some messages aimed at influencing people or making them aware of the advertiser s product or service. Advertising is a forceful tool in mouldingpeople s attitudes and their behaviors towards products, ideas or services. This is supported byJefkins (1976) who says that the purpose of advertising is to make known in order to sell or buy goods or services. Advertising is merit able in all human organizations. It is relevant in all forms of media including above-the-line media. For example the press, radio , television, cinemas, posters as well as in belowthe-line media such as direct mail, exhibition, demonstrations, point of sale materials. (Wilmshurst 1985).Advertisement adds beauty, glamour and elegance to both the product and the advertiser. In the world today, hardly will any business organization who finds it difficult to invest on advertising or probably because of inadequate financial stand survives prior to the heavy bombardment and uncontrollable saturation of advertising messages that are aired via electronic and print media. Advertising is a vital marketing tool as well as a powerful communication force. It is an action taken to determine what an organization s product or service will look like in the market especially when introducing new offerings to a particular market. The major objective of advertising is to ensure that organizations products are well received by the intended consumers by using various channels of information and persuasion. Mass communicators submitted that advertising is a group of activities aiming at, and including dissemination of information in any paid non-personal form concerning an idea, product or service to compel action in accordance with the intent of an identifiable sponsor. In recognition of the fact provided by mass communicators about advertising, it is then obvious to say that all adverting messages must have commercial transaction motive, they are usually nonpersonal communication form which catapults the messages to qualify as mass communication. They must be persuasive in intent, they are mostly unbalanced and subjective and they usually communicative in essence since initial motive of advertising is to inject persuasive information in consumers so as to compel action in accordance with the intent of an identifiable sponsor. In other words the subjective goals ofadvertisers are expected to be actualized through advertisement placed on various media about advertisers products and services. According toDoghije (1985: page no) from marketing point of view says Advertising is a marketing tool whose sole aim is to build preferences for advertised brands or services . The author opines that product or service regardless of their unique selling points, needs truthful, honest, decent, legal, fair, responsible and creative advertising practitioners who will showcase wordings and visuals or as the case may be suitable to compel action from the intended customers of the advertised product or service.

It is natural that people should have a different attitude towards advertisements which they look up, such as the local department store specials in the newspaper, as compared with advertisements which can appeal to the eye or the ear or both, as in magazines, on the radio and on television. Advertising which comes uninvited to consumers attention not only must win a hearing but must also, usually, win buyers to products they think they don't really want or can't afford. This may at first seem undesirable but by the same standards the fabulous equipment of the modern kitchen, the remarkable modern detergents, and Nigerias millions of bathing soap are undesirable. Advertising helped make people want them, use them, and go out and earn enough money to buy them. It has required a keen and growing knowledge of how people think and what makes them buy in order to develop effective modern advertisements. Advertising messages are expected to contain means that leads the consumer to desired end-state. One advertising model suggest that consumers should endeavor to run through a logic before purchasing a product. According to the model, consumers are advised to first be aware of the product or service have knowledge of the offerings, then like the offerings, prefer the offerings, get convinced and rationalize the offerings and purchase after all other stages has been satisfied. In reference to the above, effective products or services advertising is now the order of day, in
that average consumer community are not ready to follow the logic of the above model but rather the competitive bombardment of advertisements in a competitive market allow them to make instantaneous product choice as one advertisement is better than the other. According toOgechukwu (1997), advertising induces people to try a new product. Most people generally develop a brand loyalty over the years and are very reluctant to change their buying habits. Accordingly a new telecommunication service provider like etisalatNigeria would find difficulties in not using advertising aggressively in introducing its services to the market due to the industrial competition in the sector. Advertising can affect and modify consumer behavior and change habits. Continuous message bombardment can affect and change behavior patterns. E.G the adverts on AIDS AND Casual sex. Advertising also helps companies keep market share and sustain consumer preference for their product. There are many products that do not have any edge over their competitors as there is real difference between the two types. In such situations, a company that advertises its product will continue to sustain this preference for their product over competing brands, in the minds of consumers. The concept of advertising when creatively and professionally handled by efficientand effective advertising gurus will build not only product acceptance but as well as buy line acceptance. If the company s image has already been established, then advertising can be used to tie together different product lines introduced by the same company.For example adverts of SHARP or BINATONE Electronics. Advertising introduces the product to the customer before a salesman calls. In certain types of products personal selling becomes a crucial element in consummating a sale, as in case of computers or encyclopaedias or insurance. In such cases, advertising breaks the ice in introducing the product, thereby making it easier for the salesman to persuade the consumer.

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Statement Of Problem

The aim of effective advertising is to sell an organization s product or service to the potential consumers through various advertising campaigns and strategies with advertiser bearing in mind that at a particular period after advertisements have reached various household of potential consumers, he will regain more than what he has been spent. This can take the form of the induced consumers fully identifying and as well buying the advertised product or service. Advertising needs to be effectively managed and professionally handled to ensure organizational financial growth and recruit new customers, retain current customers and regain lost customers (established product) due to the competitive business environment such as the telecommunications sector in Nigeria. This study examines whether or not planned, creative and effective advertising has impact in consumer patronage. This study is conducted to confirm the impact of advertising on consumer patronage in reference to Etisalat Nigeria. To that effect therefore this research will provide answers to the following questions: 1.3 Research Question 1. What are the advertising strategies initiated by etisalat Nigeria in securing consumer patronage? 2. To what extent do these strategies guarantee large consumer patronage of Etisalat Nigeria in Nigeria? 3. What is the perception of customers and management of Etisalat Nigeria to advertising and consumer patronage? 4 How can the perceptions of the customers and management of etisalat Nigeria be corrected (if negative) and be reinforced (if positive). 1.4 Objectives Of Study The fundamental aim of this research work is channeled towards measuring the impact of effective advertising on consumer patronage and to enable all manufacturers of variant products or services embrace advertising, and practice the concept within the jurisdiction of advertising laws and ethics as stipulated by Advertising Practitioner Council Of Nigeria. Below are other objectives of this research work. a) To evaluate how effective advertising can help an advertiser consumer patronage in reference to etisalat Nigeria. b) To analyze how advertising through creativity initiated by advertisement creator crystalizes new ideas about product or service and new ways of looking at product or service for the purpose of conviction and influencing consumers behavior. c) To examine organization s effort towards improving advertising strategies and tactics for the purpose of recruiting more customers.

d) To observe how organization uses effective advertising in strengthening customersmanufacturers relationship. e) To determine how organization collect information within and outside its domain for the purpose of processing such information to embellish advertising problems. 1.5 Significance of Study

One of the sectors responsible for reimbursement of Federal Government of Nigeria s revenue is the telecommunications sector. To now put up a study on impact of advertising on consumers patronage of such arm of business is a merit able means to increase customers of the organization that invariably lead to revenue maximization by the government in reign. This study is in a way a veritable tool in understanding the various perceptions of customers as to how various advertising campaigns influence their buying behavior. It is also a study that aims at instructing business owners to embrace advertising practices for when carefully and creatively executed will catapult their business organizations to greater heights. In addition, this research work will be relevant for Etisalat Nigeria and other telecommunications companies in understanding the effectiveness of various advertising strategies and tactics employed in relations to consumers patronage level, which in turn will enable the business organization to crystalize new advertising strategies that suits its target market if it is perceived that the old advertising strategies are inadequate and ineffective. Finally, this study will be useful to other researchers who wish to undertake the study on the effectiveness of advertising on consumers patronage. 1.6 Scope of Study This study covers only a branch of Etisalat Nigeria in Ibadan. 1.7 Limitations of study

For any research study embarked on, there is usually one obstacle or the other. This study focuses basically on the effectiveness of advertising on consumers patronage. Below are some of the problems encountered in the course of coupling the study. To begin, the period of research work was limited, which in a way restricted the researcher from exploring further the research problem as adequately as possible.Necessary informationnot easily accessible. Necessary materials and information needed were not at the disposal as some respondents were reluctant to divulge crucial information.Also there was limited financial resource which in turn hindered the researcher from securing such materials like relevant books, journals, and frequent internet service. But regardless of these limitations, this research work passed through underwent intellectual scrutiny before it was finalized. 1.8 Definition of Terms

Advertising: A form of commercial mass communication designed to promote the sale of a product or service, or a message on behalf of an institution or organization.

Advertising Agency:Advertising agencies create most advertisements and are the core of

the advertising industry. Some companies, however, have their own advertising departments which function much like an agency Advertisement: announcement, poster, billboard, commercial, want ad, classified ad, public notice, flier, trailer, advert (UK, informal), hoarding, personal. It also include other messages designed creatively and put on air or in the press about products or services for the purpose of recruiting customers for the advertised item.
Breaks the ice: This idiom was used to express the potency of advertising In relations to its power penetrate consumers towards buying a product or using a service through persuasive advertising messages. Consumers: Persons that buys products or uses services. Patronage: The support that consumers give to business organizations by buying organizations product or using organization s service to an end best known to them individually.