INFLUENCE OF DETTOL SOAP ADVERTISEMENTS ON OYO STATE WOMEN’S PERCEPTION AND USE OF THE BRAND

ABSTRACT

This study focused on the influence of Dettol soap advertisements on Oyo State women’s perception and use of the brand. Advertising has been regarded as a veritable tool for creating awareness for new products and existing ones too. Advertisements have also been seen to create emotional appeal to individuals rather than logical appeal. This means that advertisements create different forms of perception in the mind of consumers.

This study made use of the descriptive survey research design and it adopted the quantitative approach with population drawn from three local governments in Oyo state. The local governments, wards and streets were selected randomly while the multistage sampling technique was used in selecting the 591 respondents. The study made use of primary and secondary sources of data. Primary source of data was the research instrument (questionnaire) while the secondary sources of data included existing literature and journals.This study made use of three theories: the hierarchy of effects model, the perception theory and the protection-motivation theory. The descriptive statistical tools of frequency distribution Tables, percentages, chi-square and cross tabulation were used to analyse the data.

Findings of the study revealed that the null hypothesis was rejected while the alternate hypothesis was accepted which shows that Dettol soap advertisements significantly has an impact on the perception and use of the product. Furthermore, the cross tabulation to determine if socio-demographic factors like age and income affects consumer’s use of the brand shows that people who are between the ages of 21-30 use the product more and people who earn above N66,000 find the product very affordable. Hence, they purchase the product.

The study concluded that television is still the most used channel in getting information and getting awareness about a product as many respondents attested that they got to know about the product through it. The study also showed that a high percentage of the respondents agreed to the fact that they perceive the product as favourable and good. It was recommended that advertisements should be clear and very simple so that consumers wouldn’t find it difficult to understand and that advertisers should be more target-audience oriented. This means that advertisers should target a specific segment of the population and tailor the product to them just as this study as shown that women are responsible for taking care of the home and the family.

Keywords: Advertisements, Consumers, Perception, Use, Influence

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Advertising has a long history of being an artistic form of communication with a lot of economic and social benefits to the consumers. Advertisers on the other hand have come to appreciate the uniqueness of a particular product/ service to its intended users. The term “advertising” originates from the Latin word “advertere” which means “to turn the mind towards”. Advertising has a psychological impact on consumers and influences the buying decisions of consumers. According to Kotler and Armstrong (2010) the major aim of advertising, is to persuade potential customers. Advertising serves as the foundation of modern media, as revenue from advertisements, finances newspapers, radio, television, and internet. At the beginning of the 20^th century, Albert Lasker, the father of modern advertising, in Arens (1999) defines advertising as “salesmanship in print, driven by a reason why?”(p.23). According to Stern (2004), “advertising is a form of structured, literary text, which is completely different from the usual or day to day word-of-mouth communication” (p. 12). It is also a type of commercial mass communication, targeted at promoting the sale of a product or service, or a message on behalf of an institution, organization or candidate.  Arens, (1996) defines it as “a structured and composed non personal communication of information, which is usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature, products (goods, services and ideas) by identified sponsors through various media”. (p. 28).

“Advertising is a form of commercial mass communication designed to promote the sale of a product or service, or a message on behalf of an institution, organization, or candidate.  It also has the mandate to sell the advertiser’s goods and help the consumers to shop wisely”. (Okoro 1995, p. 42). Evidence of advertising can be found in cultures that existed thousands of years ago, but it only became a major industry in the 20^th century. Today, the advertising industry employs a lot of people and influences the behaviour and buying habits of so many others too.Definitions of advertising abound. Journalists, for example, might define it as a communication, public relations or persuasion process. Business people see it as a marketing process. Economist and sociologists tend to focus on its economic, societal, or ethical significance. While some consumers, might define it simply as a nuisance. Thorson and Leavitt (1992) states that the best prophet for purchase is advertisement. Technologies progress rapidly day by day, contributing to the constant renewal of changes in broadcasting forms. In a complete study of marketing and promotional activities, advertising usually plays the most important role. Therefore, the advertising effect has become a key issue. By highlighting or demonstrating the unique features of a product to prospective buyers, advertising aims to influence the perception and in the long run, the use of such products by consumers.