CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background of study
As a result of limited resources, consumers weigh many aspects of a product to determine if such a product is worth the pains of expenditure. Such aspects include; the price of the product, its relative advantage over other products, its quality and quantity to determine how such product can serve large-sized families. The hardship encountered in Nigeria society today, can even make some families to decide to stop taking their usual Peak Milk menu till the economy improves. However, advertising is a persuasive form of communication, which most times trigger the urge to buy goods and services irrespective of the amount in the pockets. Some consumers are also loyalists to certain goods and services, and so, hardly do without them.
Radio advertising has
the peculiar advantage of communicating using different languages and other
dialects. As such, these messages are quickly appreciated. Advertising helps to
announce the existence of a product or service and the strategies in using
them. However, radio stations advertise a wide range of products in order to
satisfy their many clients. This means that the manner and creativity used in
communicating some products may determine to what extent the consumers may seek
these products over others.
Advertising and
communication go hand in hand because it is a form of communication. According
to Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) advertisement is
defined as a communication in the media paid for by an identified sponsor and
directed at a target audience with the aim of imparting information about a
product, service, idea or cause.According
to Bovee (1992) advertising is the non-personal communication of information
usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about products, services or
ideas by identified sponsors through the various media. You cannot talk about
advertising without talking of the media or channels for it. Advertising
agencies and the mass media need each other to survive as advertisements cannot
go viral for the public to patronize the products without the mass media while
mass media cannot last long without funds got from the advertisements. These
various media include television, radio, newspaper, magazines, etc.
According to Okunna (2012), radio is an audio medium for communication. As a medium, it has the capacity to cut through the barriers of illiteracy and poor infrastructural facilities which could limit the ability of other media channels to reach large audiences. Radio is by far the most widely used mass medium because it has some peculiar qualities such as:
Being relatively cheap, can be operated
without electricity and it is easily portable and used by both the educated and
illiterate.
Have you been driving along the road and
found yourself humming to a radio jingle? That’s radio advertising at work.
Radio advertising is when advertisers buy commercials frequently called spots
in the radio industry, to promote their products and services. Advertisers pay
commercial radio stations for airtime and in exchange the radio station
broadcasts the advertiser’s commercial to its listeners. The broadcast of
commercials on radio needs real feel orientation and voice is the single major
determinant that draws the attention of listeners.
The history of radio advertising
can be traced back to the 20th century, where radio equipment manufacturers and
retailers operated most radio stations, and used them primarily to promote
radio sales, rather than to profit. Radio stations at the time were seen more
as an investment to entice households to purchase radios, and less as a
standalone revenue stream.
Between 1919 and 1922, radio
stations began to ramp up their offerings, and it became the norm to broadcast
continuously. Station owners began obtaining business licenses and seeking ways
to make the medium self-sufficient. Thus, radio advertising came to be.
The first recognized form of radio
advertising came in early 1922 when AT&T began to sell toll broadcasting
opportunities, in which businesses could underwrite or finance a broadcast in
return for having their brand mentioned on air. Later that year, the New York
radio station WEAF was the first station to run an official paid advertisement.
These forms of radio advertising become more and more popular, leading stations
into the golden age of radio.
For radio advertising to take place, the
target audience which is the ‘consumer’ must be considered. Therefore, a
consumer is a person who buys goods and uses it for services. Consumer behavior
is the process whereby individuals decide what, when, where, how and from whom
to purchase goods and services (Walters and Paul).Buying and selling are
activities individuals can never stop doing. Buying is one of the actions of
any individual when going to purchase something. The process they use to select
and choose any products and services are known as buying behavior of that
individual.
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. All mammals, including humans, normally produce milk to feed their offspring until they are ready for solid food.
Peak Milk is a milk product manufactured by
‘Wamco Nigeria plc’. It has been in existence since 1954 till date. Peak has
been described as “a truly Nigerian iconic brand” as the brand marks its 60 years
in the dairy market. WAMCO’s Managing Director, Mr. Rahul Colaco expressed
appreciation of Nigerians’ loyalty to Peak milk and “particularly those who
have come from far and near for the celebration of 60 years of nourishing
Nigeria with quality dairy nutrition.” Peak milk comes in different sizes and
assortments such as Peak evaporated Milk, Milk Powder,Choco, Peak UHT full
cream. Peak evaporated milk comes in different sizes; Peak regular, Peak easy,
Peak gold, Peak wazobia. Its nutritional value includes ; whole cow’s milk,
stabilizer E339, with added vitamin B12+folic acid, iodine, vitamins A, D3, B1
and B6. Other milk products in competition with peak milk are: Three crowns
milk, Oldenburgher Milk powder, Dano milk, Hollandia Milk, Cowbell Milk, Juno
Milk, Kerrygold instant full cream milk powder, etc.
Consumers’ buying behavior is one of the
processes of decision-making of any buyer both individually and in groups such
as how emotions affect buying behavior. The buying behavior of a consumer changes
according to different conditions such as demographic, culture, tradition,
climate, etc.
1.2
Statement of the problem
There is an increase in the production of other milk products and the competition between Peak Milk and others is rapid. Statistics have proven that milk is an essential and more available food for growth. Children, young people and adults are respectively advised to take milk.Evidence from literature shows that there is no consistent pattern of milk consumption in Enugu state. As a result, it is not clear if consumers buy milk based on the ones they see, the prices or if they are indeed motivated by radio advertising. It is this lack of clear understanding of the role of radio advertising in relation to other variables like cost, availability in the consumption of Peak milk that this study seeks to find out if radio advertising influences consumer patronage of Peak Milk.Can radio advertising influence the buying of Peak milk in as much the price is higher than other milk products?
1.3
Objectives of the study
- To find out
how radio advertising of Peak Milk increases the number of its consumers.
- To find out
whether customers buy Peak Milk after listening to its adverts.
- To find out
if the consumers continue to use Peak Milk after using it for the first time.
1.4
Research questions
- How does
radio advertising of Peak Milk increase the number of consumers?
- Do
consumers buy Peak Milk after listening to its adverts?
- Do
consumers keep using peak milk after using it for the first time?
1.5
Hypothesis
H1 – Radio advertising of peak milk
influences the buying behavior of consumers.
H0 – Radio advertising of Peak Milk does
not influence the buying behavior of consumers.
H1 – Consumers can buy peak milk after
listening to its advert.
H0 – Consumers cannot buy peak milk
after listening to its advert.
H1 – Consumers keep using peak milk
after using it for the first time.
H0 – Consumers stop using peak milk
after using it for the first time
1.6
Significance of the study
The significance of this study is to
enable radio stations know the extent their adverts are being acknowledged by
the listening audience. It will help to evaluate the advertising programs of
radio stations in Enugu to determine their compatibility to listeners. The
knowledge from this research will contribute to existing knowledge on the
subject matter.
1.7
Scope of the study
The scope of the study centers on
consumers in Thinker’s corner, Emene, Enugu state.
1.8Operational
Definition of Terms
Advertisement -a communication in the media paid
for by an identified sponsor and directed at a target audience with the aim of
imparting information about a product, service, idea or cause.
Consumer– a consumer is a person who buys goods and uses them for his or
her benefit.
Radio advertising – commercials of radio industry paid for by an advertiser.
Buying behavior -The process consumers use to select and choose any products and services.
INFLUENCE OF RADIO ADVERTISEMENT OF PEAK MILK ON THE BUYING BEHAVIOUR OF CONSUMERS IN THINKER’S CORNER EMENE, ENUGU STATE.
