EVALUATION OF TELEVISION ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN OF 2015 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FROM JANUARY – MARCH 2015

EVALUATION OF TELEVISION ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN OF 2015 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FROM JANUARY – MARCH 2015

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the Problem

Politics can be seen as the process or art or science of government. It is built on the opinion or views of people that underscore how best affairs of a given state should be managed. A number of people have developed similar views or opinions as to how best government business should be run. Other groups who have no opinion have been persuaded and assimilated into a defined political belief. These views of politics can be aggregated to form what is today known as political parties that spear heads and prosecutes their beliefs and do all that is within its political arsenal to emerge the government of the day. No doubts, the opposing camps formed by these political parties have been overheated to constitute serious competition for political positions.

It is unfortunate to say that in most developing countries of the world, the overheat in the political landscape has led to unhealthy competition thus, leading to shedding of blood in an attempt to occupy political positions. In marketing politics, politics is seen as the business while political and their candidates constitute the competitors in the competition called election in an attempt to rescues the ugly situation in the political terrain worldwide, it becomes important that marketing should be applied in political activities in order to avoid unhealthy competition that does no one any good Onuoha and Egbuta (2010). A lot of definitions have been forwarded as to what political marketing is all about some of these definitions are termed limited view while others are classified as broad in nature.

In the case of Harris and Ward’s (2000), political marketing is seen as being synonymous with the use of persuasive techniques in campaigns to promote both politicians and their policies. For Maarek (1992), political marketing is a broader concept, which encapsulates the evaluation and redesigning of policies and electoral strategies in the light of studies of the electorate’s concerns. He maintained that political communication no longer means merely designing and printing a message on posters without consideration of whom they are addressed to; it encompasses the entire marketing process, from preliminary market study to testing and targeting. However, Wring (1997) observed that political marketing is an exchange process arising between votes and candidates the use of marketing mix to promote political parties and the use of opinion research and environmental analysis.

1.2     Statement of the Problem

Advertising is a marketing tool and falls under non-conventional communication. It is a form of mass communication intended to promote the sale of a product or service. It is also to influence public opinion to gain political support, to advance a particular cause, or to elicit some other response desired by the advertiser. The advertising message or advertisement is delivered to its intended audience through the various media, including newspaper, magazines, television, radio, billboards, internet, e-mail, films and direct mail.

This study seeks to determine the level of appreciation of the functions with regards to political advertisement campaign on 2015 presidential election in Nigeria adopting Akwa Ibom State. It also seeks to know if political advertising has been able to kill three birds with one stone; persuading, maintaining interest and selling (PMS).

1.3     Objectives of the Study

The objectives intended for this study are to:

1. Assess the effectiveness of TV political advertisement campaign of 2015 presidential election.
2. Find out the relationship between TV political advertisement campaign and 2015 presidential election.
3. Ascertain the relevance of TV political advertisement campaign on 2015 presidential election.
4. Examine the influence of TV political advertisement campaign on the electorates in 2015 presidential election.
5. Improve on the existing strategies of TV political advertisement campaign on 2015 presidential election.

1.4     Research Questions

The research questions formulated are:

1. Has the effectiveness of TV political advertisement campaign on 2015 presidential election been assessed?
2. Does the relationship between TV political advertisement campaign and 2015 presidential election exist?
3. Has it been ascertained that TV political advertisement campaign is relevant to 2015 presidential election?
4. Does the TV political advertisement campaign on the electorates influence 2015 presidential election?
5. Is it possible to improve on the existing strategies of TV political advertisement campaign on 2015 presidential election?

1.5     Research Hypotheses

The following hypotheses will be tested in this study;

H₀:              TV political advertisement campaign on 2015 presidential election is not effective.

H₁:              TV political advertisement campaign on 2015 presidential election is effective.

H₀:              TV political advertisement campaign on 2015 presidential election is not relevant.

H₁:              TV political advertisement campaign on 2015 presidential election is relevant

H₀:              TV political advertisement campaign on the electorates has no influence on 2015 presidential election.

H₁:              TV political advertisement campaign on the electorates has significant influence on 2015 presidential election.

1.6     Significance of the Study

TV political advertisement campaign on 2015 presidential election when used effectively functions beyond persuading, maintaining interest and selling. It also has the ability to reveal hidden inadequacies inherent in any advertising agency. The outcome of this study will specifically be useful to advertisers, advertising agents, marketing executives, corporate organizations, political parties, party flag bearers.