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THE IMPACT OF ADVERTISING ON THE BUYING HABIT OF RURAL DWELLERS

Abstract

This study aims at understanding the impact of advertising on the buying habit of rural dwellers. The study has other objectives such as to know how the people in rural dwellers particularly Igarra community reach to advertising message and to determine further the extent to which advertising can influence their buying habit. Information was gathered by administering questionnaires and personal interview. The findings is that Igarra people have long know what advertising is all about and admit its effect on their buying habit on MacLean. They also asserted that television medium of advertising is preferable to other media as it display the messages more clearly and precisely. They are of the view that advertising message can only impact positively on them if the product in question meet standard. The researcher concluded that advertising facilitate the allocation of consumer’s limited means among various choices in the market environment and that good product make advertisement to succeed easily as inferior product will make an already successful advertisement fail. The researcher recommended that greater emphasis should be laid on television medium of advertising as most of the people cannot afford daily newspapers and magazines. The researcher therefore suggest for further research on this same topic in local government of other states, for the fact that the research work was restricted to Igarra community in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo state.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background to the Study

Historically, there has been a gap in information communication between the sellers and the buyers. This resulted from massive production of different varieties of product by different producers. In order to publicize such products, advertising becomes inevitable. In a capitalist economy where the buyers’ action determines what the sellers will sell, advertising is an important vehicle in this regard. On the contrary, advertising has no usefulness in a market where the decision of what, where, when and how to price product or services is solely under the control of the sellers.

Typically, a market consists of people with various needs. Among these people, some are sellers (producers) while, some are buyers (market). Each of these groups faces the problem of obtaining the right information. To solve the problem, the buyer searches for the sellers and the sellers for the buyers. It is usually most often the duty of the sellers to make an effort to understand product features to enable him package and disseminate relevant information to the target audience.

Advertising is a promotional activity that forms one of the cardinal elements in the marketing mix. Hence, for any promotional activity to succeed, advertising skills have to be employed using words, picture slogans, colour, size movement etc, to entice the reader, viewer, listener or pass-by to stop, look, listen, read, take interest in the product by being convinced and in the end take action.

Promotion is the ingredient used to inform and persecutes market regarding a company’s product. Advertising which is the subject matter of this project focuses on making the product or services flow through the marketing channel to the target market. In fact, promotion concerns the marketer’s activities in communicating both with members of the target market and the middlemen to increase the chances that the planned sequence of sale takes place smoothly and efficiently.

1.2   Statement of Research Problem

Advertising, one of the promotional elements that could be used by a firm to disseminate attractive product information, is almost indispensable in this very age, if a company is to do well in the market. Gone are the days when the belief that a good product sells itself held water. The market has become so competitive that the firm has to tell its prospective customers what it has to offer that is lacking in similar products. Finally, some groups of persons think that advertising is only relevant in the cities and not in the rural areas. Their claim is that those in the rural areas are largely uneducated and therefore not influenced in any way to buy a particular product by advertising. Is this really so? In an attempt to answer the above question, the researcher embarked on this research work. Hence, the problem of this work put in question form is “what is the impact of advertising on the buying habit of rural dwellers?”

1.3   Research Questions

1.     How can advertising influence consumer buying habit?

2.     To what extent does advertising affect the buying habit of Igarra people?

3.Does exposure to advertising messages influence consumer’s choice of toothpaste?

4.     How does advertisement induce the people of Igarra community to prefer MacLean to other related products?  

5.     Does television (TV) adverts have more influence on Igarra people than radio adverts?

6.     Is there preference for MacLean toothpaste in the buying habit of rural dwellers as a result of their exposure to advertisement?

1.4   Research Hypothesis

Hypothesis I

HO:   Advertising does not have any impact on the buying habit of rural dwellers

HI:    Advertising has impact on the buying habit of rural dwellers.

Hypothesis II

HO:   There is no preference on MacLeans over other toothpaste in the buying habit of rural dwellers as a result of their exposure to advertising.

HI:    There is preference on MacLeans over other toothpaste in the buying habit of rural dwellers as a result of their exposure to advertising

1.5   Purpose of the Study

This study is warranted by the following purpose:

1.     To know whether Igarra people prefer MacLean to other brand of toothpaste.

2.     To know the extent to which Igarra people understand advertising messages.

3.To know the effect of advertising messages on Igarra people.

4.To know the effect of price change on demand for toothpastes by Igarra people.

5.     To predict future preference for a particular brand of toothpaste by Igarra people.

6.     To be able to determine the impact of advertising on the buying habit of Igarra community.

7.     To judge the suitability of a particular advertising media on the people.

1.6   Scope of the Study

The study is limited to the importance of advertising in Igarra community with regards to their choice of particular brand of toothpaste. Emphasis will therefore be laid on advertising strategies, procedure and evaluation in Igarra community, Akoko-Edo Local Government, Edo State.

1.7   Significance of the Study

The study will be of benefit to advertising practitioners, who would want an appraisal of the impact of advertising on rural communities and also to scholars studying advertising as a course.

The research will also be beneficial to those who need to be acquainted with the goals of advertising in rural area (Igarra), especially MacLeans which seems to have been neglected as a result of new product such as close-up, maxam etc.

The research will also serve the media advertising agencies that need to know the evaluation• or the responses of the advertising message on rural dwellers and how the advertising message will change their buying habit of MacLeans to either they continue or discontinue.

Finally, this work especially the recommendations, will be useful to students and other professional researchers who may wish to make further studies on this or another related topic.

1.8   Limitations of the Study

During the research work, the researcher experienced a lot of constraints, among these are;

1.     Some of the respondents were hesitating to comply amicable and hence prevent the researcher from obtaining sufficient information required for the study.

2.     Some of the respondents are illiterates as a result, unable to answer some basic questions.

3.     The research work was placed during some 
environmental disaster in Igarra community and as a 
result of the havoc; the researcher did not cover some 
major areas.

4.The researcher was financially handicapped during the 
study and such, impede the smoothness of the whole 
exercise.

5.     It was not possible for the researcher to cover the entire Igarra community to gather the needed information for the study because of exorbitant transportation cost.

1.9   Operational Definition of Terms

1.     Advertisement: This is apowerful communication 
force and avital marketing tool that facilitates the 
selling of goods, services and ideas through channel of 
information and persuasion.

2.     Advertising medium: This consist of any means by 
which sales message can be conveyed to potential 
buyers.

3.     Advertising Theme: This is a slogan or praise which 
various sellers use to prepare their products so as to 
stimulate the buying interest of the consumer. It is a 
technical means of promoting products through various media.

4.     Buying Habit: This is the consumer’s behavior 
exhibited during the process of purchasing.

5.     Consumer: This refers to a person or persons who buy 
an advertise products or services for immediate 
consumption.

6.     Case Study: This is a type of social research that 
studies a subject matter in its totality, so that results 
can be used to generalize other subjects with similar or 
related background. The subject can be phenomena 
e.g. industries, communities, e.g. Igarra as a case study of rural dwellers in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State.

7.     Influence: This means power to effect character, beliefs or action. Thus, it would be in form of change or reaction.

8.     Media Planning: This involves the selection of appropriate media for carrying the advertiser’s message to target market, deciding what to buy and how much to spend in each medium and scheduling when the advertising is to run.

9.     Packaging: This includes the activities of designing and producing the container or wrapper for a product.

10.   Precaution: This is the process whereby an attempt is made to induce changes in attitudes and behaviour through involvement of a person cognitive and effective process.

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