An Evaluation Of The Impact Of Advertising On Consumer Behaviour
[A CASE STUDY OF DE-UNITED INDUSTRIES LTD: MAKERS OF INDOMIE NOODLES]

1.5 STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESES

In this work, effort has been geared towards propounding three hypotheses, viz:

 HO1: Advertisement has not improved consumer preference for Indomie noodles to other brands.

 HO2: There has not been significant increase in sales of Indomie noodles as a result of advert.

 HO3: De-united has not been able to overcome its competitors through advertising

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

In this work, attempt has been made to identify its significance to: Business organizations, Academics and the Researcher.

Businesss Organizations:

The need for prudent management of financial resources in an organization is of great  concern. It’s amazing however; that at anytime an organization is going through some hard times financially, first thing that runs into the mind of the management staff is a cut-down on advertisement and promotion budget or eliminate them entirely as a step to ameliorate their predicament. This study therefore, has been designed in such a way as to aid organizational managers realize that measurement is very important in advertising. Therefore, before decisions are taken on whether to eliminate advertisement or cut-down the budgets, efforts must be made towards ascertaining the impact of such advertisement, hence; a call for checks and balances.

To Academics:

Before this study, some past studies found that advert had increasing effect on consumer satisfaction; others found that advert had negative impact and led to consumer dissatisfaction. No research has ever found why conflicting results were obtained in this area of research. To academics therefore, this work will provide a basis for further research works. To further achieve this, relevant and authentic references have been cited.

To the Researcher:

The researcher is an advertising practitioner; hence, embarking on this work will increase his knowledge of media planning. Above all, this study is designed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of a master degree of the department of marketing, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus.

1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study was carried out only in Lagos State and the markets within the state apart from few visits made to the company in Ogun State. The study is limited  to  De-united Industries Ltd and its products indomie noodles. However, efforts were made to identify other competing brands of noodles such as Mimi noodles, Chikki noodles, O’ noodles and the golden penny noodles and at the end, conclusive reports were drawn for the success of this work.

1.8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The researcher’s efforts to obtain intensive and conclusive information necessary for a comprehensive work on this study were restrained by the following;

 Attitude of Respondents: Most of the responsible officials of De-United were reluctant to divulge some vital information which they claimed might be used  in favour of their competitors. The high level of illiteracy amongst the market woman who sell indomie noodles poised another threat, in that some of these woman  felt being disturbed in their businesses and were not ready to waste their time  in answering questions that would not profit them. On the other hand, other individuals who sell both indomie noodles and other noodles were just indecisive.

 Cost: Efforts to obtain expensive but very relevant materials were not met due to lack of sufficient fund. This factor also restricted the researcher’s study in only Lagos  State, apart from few visits to the company in Ogun State, as he could not afford the high transportation cost of visiting other areas. Most of the visits in some areas were made on motorcycle with its attendant risks.

 Time: It was also very difficult for the researcher to combine this work with his official duties in the place of work. Sometimes, the few hours permission he got from his superior officer in the office were not enough to carry out a comprehensive study for this topic. Another time constraint was in the area of some respondents giving attention at their convenience and as a result, the researcher was often asked to come back next time for attention.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Advertising: According to Arens (2004:7), advertising is the structured and composed non- personal communication of information, usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature, about products (goods, services or ideas) by identified sponsors through various media Consumers: are people who purchase and use goods or services to satisfy particular needs  and wants.

Consumer behavior: are those acts of individuals directly involved in obtaining and using economic goods and services. (Nwaizugbo 2004:66) Perception: this refers to the personalized way people sense, interpret and comprehend various stimuli.

Impact: The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary defines impact as  the powerful  effect that something has on something or somebody.

Market: the set of all actual and potential buyers of a product or service. Kotler and Armstrong (2007:7).

Brand: This is a name, term, symbol, design, mark or a combination of these that identifies  the product of a manufacturer or differentiates it from those of competitors. Nwaizugbo (2004:113)

Brand Equity: this refers to the added value endowed to products and services. Kotler & Keller (2006:276)

Brand promise: Is the marketer’s vision of what the brand must be and do for consumers. Kotler & Keller (2006:278).

Brand Interest: An individual’s openness or curiosity about a brand

Brand awareness: Is an issue of whether a brand name comes to mind when  consumers  think about a particular product category and the ease with which the name is evoked. Shimp (2000:8)