CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Corporate organisations are serious minded business entities that operate with the aim to dominate the market they serve and generate profit for stakeholders. To have a good market recognition, an organization most have defined identity which the costumers can easily identify. This is what is known and brand and brand awareness. According to Marcin, Wojciech, Beata, and Katarzyna ( 2018), stated that brand is a particular important asset of the organization. From the customer’s point of view, as it concerns the category of value desired and expectations from the organization. Brand is a complete package of business communication between an organization and the public in the market they serve. Brand communication affects the emotions of the people as well as resulting in particular needs and purchasing experience of the consumers in the mark.
Marcin et al, (2018) established that the meaning of brand in recent years has been gradually extended, which result from increasingly demanding customers and increase activity of competitors. A multitude of offers result in it being easier to remember a brand name that the features of the product that consumers are looking for. A strong brand has greater bargaining power in regulation with inter deadlines supplier cite simultaneously creating better financial conditions for the company. Brand is a banquet of identity. It consists the organization name, logo, trade market, colour, infrastructural structure, philosophy, and dress code. In another perspective, brand is the product and service an organization offer to the public.
Therefore, brand is the way the costumer will receive the organization the method to have favourable recognition is called brand awareness. Brand awareness is the project of an organization brand in the eyes of the public. Muhamed and Menatullah (2016) emphasized that costumers starts any form of contact with a brand, they first have to know about the brand’s existence. This is what is known as brand awareness. Basically, brand awareness is achieved when a consumer is able to recognize a certain brand on sight and recall it at will. Aaker (2007), stated that brand range from vaguely recognizing a brand’s name or logo as formula. For example, to knowing a brand and its products well and associating certain perceptions and ideas with that brand.
Assad and Serdar (2013) noted that a brand is an emotional and physiological relationship a firm has with costumer. Strong brands inspire thoughts feelings and sometimes- physiological reactions from a customer. A brand is a well-spring of gratitude to its customers. It promises important separated project it does. So not just to place itself into the buy attention set, however. Considerably all the more critically, to be the brand browsed that by thought .
Corporate brand must follow a set strategy. Jerkin (2006), stated that corporate brand strategy can work and be successful. A hybrid of two strategy can help an organization to succeed as well. Success as a brand, brand awareness can be indicated as the level of consumer’s familiarly with a brand. brand awareness is a key component of brand value. brand awareness is capacity of consumers to recognize a brand among other brands. brand awareness involves bran review and brand acknowledgement. Brand review is the capacity of consumers to recall a brand from their psyche when product category is made known.
Asaad and Serdar (2015) noted that brand awareness can be created through the presentation of brand to the costumers. Which in turn develop a stimuli like response from them where they are able to relate, recognize, recall and be in total knowledge of the product and brands. Kellaer (2015), noting the definition made by America Marketing Association (AMA) which stated that the main objective of the brand is to identify goods and services, and to differentiate them from goods and services offered by competitors looks more precise. To achieve good cooperate brand awareness, media platform need to be adopted. One of the most important media platform for cooperate brand awareness is the social media.
De Chernatony, McDonald and Wallace (2010) posited that social media have greatly influenced the relationship between consumers and businesses. They have a large number of connections with the most attention commanded from user base. The connection built in real life by networking has lots of potential. Asaad and Serdar (2015), established that products and services are introduced to consumers meaningfully, that is through a two way conversation. The social media which include Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, can be very important channel of a brand. Feedback on a company’s product is easily accessed. Social media users say what the product mean to them at the time and so the data collected from such forum is real. This is necessary for the experience of the customers’ satisfaction. It helps the organization to understand the direction of the market.
Galvez (2014) stated that internet (social media) can be a very effective tool in increasing brand brand awareness and the effects of social media on brand awareness that focused on examining the Facebook page of international car brand. Hutter, Hautz, Derinhardt and Fuller (2013) supported by Sorting that social media engagement of a brand has a clear positive impact on brand awareness; and can generate affirmative words-of mouth about the brand. Haaque, Momen, Sultana and Yasmin (2013) recorded that elements of a brand, social media presence, such as brand, face book page, to play a crucial rule in creating brand awareness among consumers,
1.2 Statement of Problem
The advent of social media has brought about effectiveness in business activities, especially online engagement of cooperate organization. At present, the number of social media user is 2 billion across Facebook, Instergram, YouTube, Linkedin, Twitter and Whatsapp. The growing number of users has prompted many organizations to create their social media page in order to increase their brand awareness especially among the younger demographics.
Ever since the migration to social media platform by cooperate organizations, there are records that can be said to have favorable out for brand awareness. However, some issues have been identify against the negative effect of social media on brand damage of organization. Recently, many customers of GTB withdrew their money from the bank because of the negative viral message that came as a result of the legal issue between Innoson Motors and GTB. The question is, is there any benefit using social media for brand awareness where users of social media are censored on the type of contents they should post. Based on this, the study seek to interrogate the impact of social media usage on brand awareness of cooperate organization.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The main objective of the study is impact of social media on cooperate organization
brand awareness while specific objectives are to:
- Establish the extent MTN Nigeria use social media for brand awareness.
- Measure the pattern at which social media are used by MTN Nigeria for brand awareness
- Find out the perception of customers of MTN Nigeria of the impact of social media user for brand awareness.
- Examine the challenge facing MTN Nigeria on using social media for brand awareness
1.4 Research Questions
The study is guided by the following research questions:
- What is the extent MTN Nigeria use social media for brand awareness?
- What is the pattern at which social media are use by MTN Nigeria for brand awareness?
- What is the perception of customers of MTN Nigeria of the impact of social media usage for brand awareness?
- What is the challenge facing MTN Nigeria on using social media for brand awareness?
1.5 Significance of the Study
The study seeks to be of benefit to corporate organizations and SMEs, social media advert agencies and the consumers. First, corporate organizations and SMEs will benefit from this study because it will enhance their knowledge about the use of social media platforms for advertisement and brand awareness creation for effective product and services marketing. Second, small businesses owners will benefit of this study because the study will expose them to understand the influence of social media in brand advertisement.
Also, the study will add to the knowledge of advertising agency on how they can use the social media platforms to generate more clients for themselves and working effectively for the their clients. It is expected that customers of these organizations will gain knowledge on how their buying behaviour are influence by social media brand awareness as well as make positive decision for their needs.
Finally, the outcome of the study will become a reference material within academic environment. The study will be useful to students researchers because they can generate ideas from this study.
1.6 Significance of the Study
The study is limited to impact of social media on cooperate organization brand awareness of MTN in Nigeria.
1.7 Definition of Terms
Brand: Marcin et al (2018) established that the meaning of brand in recent years has been gradually extended, which result from increasingly demanding customers and increase activity of competitors
Brand Awareness: Galvez (2014) stated that internet (social media) can be a very effective tool in increasing brand awareness and the effects of social media on brand awareness that focused on examining the Facebook page of international car brand
Social Media: Social network sites are web-based services that allow individuals to construct profiles, display user connections, and search and traverse within that list of connections.
