ABSTRACT
This study examined the influence of Always Sanitary Pad Advertising on product buying behaviour of female undergraduates of Babcock University.
The survey research design was used in the study.
The results showed that, there exists awareness level of Always Sanitary Pads advertisement among female undergraduates of Babcock University; Always Sanitary Pads has a significant influence on the buying intention of female undergraduates of Babcock University; Attitude of female undergraduates of Babcock University has a significant influence on Always Sanitary Pads advertisement; Lastly, other factors have a significant influence on the buying behaviours of Always Sanitary Pads products among female undergraduates of Babcock University.
The study concluded that advertisement has significant impact on consumer buying behavior. The study further recommended that; consumer’s buying behavior should be continuously observed while preparing the advertisement messages/Ads; organization should increase the awareness of their brand products and services through advertisement as it will be very helpful to catch the attention of the consumers, towards the desired Always Sanitary Pads products; organizations should work on the factors that could influence the buying behaviours of consumers such as product quality, durability, among others; getting customers to have an emotional attachment with a brand is one of the keys to keep them loyal with their brands.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background to the Study
In this present age of globalization and digitalization, no one can break away from the wide influence of mass media (newspapers, television, advertising, videos, films, billboards music, movies, magazines, and the internet) etc. Among the whole marketing tools, the advertising is distinguished for the continuing impact on the observer’s mind as its impact is broader. Basically, advertisement is a tool of the promotional mix that includes the 4p’s of the marketing mix as well as Product, Price, Place and Promotion. These days, advertisement is a great source for promoting the business in the whole market. The effects of advertisement continue to accelerate on yearly basis. Advertisement is a platform through which a company or brand can use to build up their products and services strong image in consumer’s mind. Advertising has turn out to be a vital issue used to get the attention of the audience. In the present 21st century, the messages can be delivered by various modes of media that consist of newspaper, radio, magazines, mail order, direct mail, outdoor displays, etc.
Advertising is a marketing communication that employs an openly sponsored, non-personal message to promote or sell a product, service or idea, (Awan & Arif, 2015). Sponsors of advertising are typically businesses wishing to promote their products or services. Most advertisement is directed toward groups rather than individuals, and advertising is usually delivered through media such as television, social media and newspapers, (Bakshi & Gupta, 2018). Advertising is a very old form of promotion with root that go back even to ancient times. Advertising creates a personal and efficient method of reaching a particular audience. Advertising reminds customers of benefits from the business product and services. Advertising is a way of communication to encourage an audience for making purchase decision about a product or service and conveying information to viewers. It is considered as a vital and essential element for the economic growth of the marketers and businesses (Ryans, 2016). Advertising is usually a paid form of exposure or promotion by some sponsor that reaches through various traditional media such as television, newspaper, commercial radio advertisement, magazine mail, outdoor advertising or modern media such as blogs, websites and text messages, (Ahmed & Ashfaq, 2018)
Marketers have always adapted to changing business demands when it comes to creating new advertisements. The use of advertisements has significantly increased in the 20th Century as industrialization expanded the supply of manufactured products, (Crawford & Molnar, 2016). However, not many businesses practiced advertising at the time. During the late 80s advertisements were fairly limited to television, radio, billboards and newspapers. In the modern times, businesses are leaning towards Digital Advertising. Companies are so focused in social media and mobile advertisements that they may take over Television advertisement very soon. In Nigeria, the trend of Digital Marketing is just on the bloom, (Malik, Ghafoor, Iqbal, Ali, Hunbal, Noman, & Ahmed, 2017). Most large local and multinational giant companies are now practicing digital marketing in full swing
Advertising is a veritable tool for promotion and sharing of information about products and
services geared towards securing the attention of the consumer and arousing their interest in the advertised products to compel desired action which is patronage, (Kotler, 2016). A lot of products fail in the market because consumers know little or nothing about them; their producers and marketers failed to carve a niche for them by creating needed awareness that can position the product rightly before prospective consumer, (Bakshi & Gupta, 2018). Companies must do more than make good products; they must carefully position products in the consumers’ minds to do this, they must skilfully orchestrate the mass promotion tool of adverting.
According to Leman (2014), advertising consist of non-personal forms of communication
conducted through paid sponsorship. It is used for long time building of the
organization’s image (institutional advertising), long-term build of a particular brand (brand advertising), information dissemination about sales service or evident (classified
advertising), (advocacy advertising) and announcement of special sales (sales advertising). Okiyi and Eteng martins (2015) noted that sales involves a group of activities or processes
carried out to send information about a product or services with intent to make known,
convince and persuade a specific audience to use the same, while pointing to the specific
organization or entity whose wares are on display, using conventional and unorthodox
channels of communication to achieve the objective. This kind of advertising is the
commercial promotion of goods and services done in order to increase sales. It is widely
accepted that advertising involves non-personal promotion of goods and services using the
media by an identity sponsor.
Another aspect of advertising that has gained much attention over the years is gender roles in
advertising, which has to do with how men and women are portrayed in advertisements.
Kotler (2016) posited that how men and women are portrayed in advertisement is
one indicator to measure society’s attitude towards gender. It is as well believed that the portrayal of gender could affect the success or otherwise of an advertising campaign and by extension affect the sales of the product being advertised positively or negatively. This implies that Always Pad constant utilization of female gender could have an effect on how the male gender could perceive the product as that which is meant for female individuals alone. Due to the situation whereby companies use media advertisement to reach men, women and children, there should be a unique way of portraying gender appropriately as to avoid gender stereotypes and to convey the right message that can elicit appropriate response from all segments of consumers, (Collins & Milner, 2015).
With the market flooded with loads of various decision making, it is true that no brand can dream of surviving in the market without a strong clear cut advertising and marketing strategy since it’s not only make the product saleable but as well reaches out to the far-fetched potential customers, (Malik, et al., 2017). This is believed to a key factor Always Pad uses in promoting sales of its pads products among female undergraduates of Babcock University. Elsewhere in the consumer goods segment of Nigeria’s economy, advertisement have played a major role in bringing to consumers different product offered by different manufacturers. For many years, brands like Airtel, Globacom, Indomie, Bigi, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Tecno, Infinix, among others have utilized various advertisements to entertain, inform and persuade consumers towards the purchase of their respective products. Always Sanitary Pad is one of the leading brands of menstrual hygiene products which include maxi pads, ultra thin pads, panty liners, and other disposal products in Nigeria, which has advertised its product particularly among the female gender in Nigeria and beyond.
Therefore, this study focuses on examining advertising and its influence on consumer buying behaviour amongst female undergraduates of Babcock University, Ogun State Nigeria, using Always Sanitary Pad.
1.2. Statement of the Problem
The contemporary market place is afloat with a wide range of products and services and keeping peace with the diverse brand in the market is becoming a great challenge for the simple consumer, (Suman & Mansi, 2016). The same is true in the menstrual hygiene products of the marketing economy where other competing brands have flooded the market with different pads products while utilizing various marketing techniques to push their products to the consumers. Always Sanitary Pad has over the years utilized mostly female gender in advertising its various pads in order to excel among the female individuals. Although, it is not only the female individuals that see Always Sanitary Pads advertisement, however, it is mainly for the consumption of the female gender.
Sahar, Seyed and Kambiz (2017) observed that though advertising has proven to be a successful tool for communication, company are still having challenges on what kind of element should make up the advert campaigns and how these advertisement will help elicit desired responses in terms of purchase decision of the kind of response in terms of purchase decision of the organization’s product among consumers. Always Sanitary pads utilization of mostly female individuals over many years in advertisement can elicit from male in terms of patronage of their product.
Hence, taking into consideration the role of advertisements in building brand loyalty, it is important to find out the kind of consumer buying behavior of Always Sanitary Pads advertisement stirs up among female undergraduates of Babcock University, Ogun State, Nigeria.
1.3. Objective of the Study
The main objective of this research is to examine the influence of Always Sanitary Pads advertisement on the consumer buying behavior of female undergraduate in Babcock University, Ogun State, Nigeria. However, the specific objectives are to:
- examine the awareness level of Always Sanitary Pads advertisement among female undergraduate of Babcock university
- assess the influence of Always Sanitary Pads advertisement on the buying intention of female undergraduate of Babcock University
- find out the attitude of female undergraduates of Babcock University towards Always Sanitary Pads advertisement
- 4. investigate the factors influencing the buying behaviours of Always Sanitary Pads products among female undergraduates of Babcock University.
1.4. Research Questions
Based on the above objectives, the following research questions are poised for the study.
- What is the awareness level of Always Sanitary Pads advertisement among female undergraduates of Babcock University?
- To what extent is the influence of Always Sanitary Pads advertisement on the buying intention of female undergraduates of Babcock University?
- What is the attitude of female undergraduates of Babcock University towards Always Sanitary Pads advertisement?
- What other factors influence the buying behaviours of Always Sanitary Pads products among female undergraduates of Babcock University?
1.5. Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses will be formulated in their null form
Ho1: There exists no awareness level of Always Sanitary Pads advertisement among female undergraduates of Babcock University
Ho2: Always Sanitary Pads has no significant influence on the buying intention of female undergraduates of Babcock University
Ho3: Attitude of female undergraduates of Babcock University has no significant influence on Always Sanitary Pads advertisement.
1.6. Significance of the Study
This study provides an assessment for advertising as a mechanism for influencing consumer’s buying behaviour among female undergraduates of Babcock University. The study will provide exposure on the fast growing Nigeria consumer market segment which in turn provides unique insight into the want and desire of the various segment of the population. Manufacturers of sanitary pads will benefit by appraising clearly the vital role advertising plays in helping to market their product to potential customers and also influencing the consumers to buy such products.
This study will be of beneficial to the academia by contributing positively to the body of knowledge already in existence in the area of advertising and consumer buying behaviours and as well serve as reference material to future researcher who may be interested in carrying out a study on advertising and consumer buying.
Furthermore, retailers seeking to gain competitive edge within a rapidly changing consumer goods market stand to benefit greatly from study in that it will provide them with necessary information on how their advertisement could be packaged in order to influence potential customers to buy their products.
Marketing managers in firms who come across this study in the future will as well benefit from the insight the study will provide in the area of advertising and consumer buying behaviour as to able to measure the effectiveness of their advertising using the right indices.
The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) will as well benefit from this study as it will provide necessary information on important approaches through which advertising practitioner can align advertising messages to advertising campaign goals designed by manufacturing companies.
1.7. Scope of the Study
This study is on the influence of Always Sanitary Pads advertising on the consumer buying behaviors of female undergraduates of Babcock University, Ogun State, Nigeria. This study is confined to only female undergraduates of Babcock University in order to find out their attitude and awareness level of Always Sanitary Pads advertisement through any medium and their buying behaviors of the product as a result of their awareness. This study is carried out in the two campuses (main campus and Iperu campus) of the university during normal school session.
1.8. Operational Definition of Terms
Advertising: is the process through which Always Pad get across their products to the general public mostly the female gender.
Awareness: refers to extent to which female undergraduates of Babcock University are familiar with Always Sanitary Pads Advertisement
Consumers: refers to the female undergraduates of Babcock University
Buying Behaviors: refers to the response of female undergraduates of Babcock University as consumer of Always Sanitary Pads to the advertisement of the product towards its purchase
