CHAPTER ONE

1.0. INTRODUCTION.

1.1. BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Marketing as a business concern is much more than developing a good product, pricing it correctly, and ensuring easy and ready availability of the product to customers. It also entails the development of a good programme of promotion.

Promotion is one of the four major components that make up the marketing mix popularly known as the 4ps of marketing. It has to do with the marketers’ means of communicating his product offerings, marketing programmes and activities to the actual and potential customers. Through marketing promotion, consumers are informed about the existence of a product and equally persuaded to buy. It is therefore a very potent means of educating consumers, creating good image for the firm and its products, and increasing level of patronage. It embraces all information between buyers and sellers in order to influence their attitudes and behaviours. The forms of this promotion tools are advertising, personal selling, publicity, public relations and sales promotion.

Even though each of the aforementioned promotional tools could be used on its own to achieve the firms marketing objectives, a good blend of most of them is required in formation of an effective promotional strategy and the attainment of promotional synergy.

It has been established that any marketing or production firm without a very strong promotion is bound to fail, in other words, if a company produces a very standard product with fair pricing policy and carries out all other aspects of product development but fails to create awareness of it through promotion, that product will not make it simply because consumers and potential customers are unaware of the existence of such product. On the other hand, when proper promotional activities are included, the product will not only sell fine but have competitive edge over other similar products.

According to Kotler and Keller (2006), Promotion is communicating information between seller and potential buyer or others in the channel to influence attitudes and behaviour. The marketing mangers’ main promotional job is to tell target customers that the right product is available, at the right place and at the right price.

Promotion as described by Udeagha (2003) has its origin in a Latin word meaning “to move forward”, today it is seen as a communication undertaken to persuade others to accept ideas, concepts or things.

Onah and Thomas (2004) gave the tasks of promotion as communicating with the consumer and providing him with information which will lead him to use the product or service, providing him with enough incentives that would induce him to accept the product and offer him invitation for immediate action.

In Nigeria, as in many other parts of the world, the successful marketing of consumer goods depends to a large extent on the promotional tools adopted by the firms within the industry. Such consumer goods industry is filled with firms that manufacture closely substituted brands of products. These firms need to create the desired awareness for their product and arouse the consumers’ interest to purchase their product. They have to adequately back-up their product, price and distribution strategies with very sound promotional tools.

The Researcher intends to study the promotional tools adopted in the marketing of consumer products in Enugu with Hardis and Dromedas as the case study. This is the largest firm that almost control the production and manufacturing of household and industrial hygienic and beauty products in Enugu.

Hardis and Dromedas Ltd was incorporated in Nigeria, as a Limited Liability Company in the year 1993 and commenced business operations the same year. It has three manufacturing plants engaged in

manufacturing of fine household, industrial hygienic products and beauty care products. The hygienic products help in improving the standard of living of users by keeping disease causing gems, fungl and bacteria away resulting in improved health.

The Head office and major manufacturing plant is located in Emene Industrial Estate, Enugu South Eastern Nigeria. They have branch offices in major cities of Lagos, Port Harcourt, Aba, Onitsha, Uyo, Jos, Kaduna, Abuja, Makurdi amongst others and a nationwide distribution network that ensures availability of their products at uniform and affordable prices across Nigeria.

Hardis and Dromedas Ltd is an organization that puts the welfare of staff as part of their core values because their success is attributable to commitment of the employees. They also continuously strive to update their skills while exposing them to the latest technology and expertise available to various operations.

Their products are equally manufactured in the most environmentally sustainable process exceeding the standard of regulating authorities hence ensuring certification and registration of the products accordingly. As a responsible corporate citizen, Hardis aids the economic development of our country by creating new wealth and jobs for our teaming youths while ensuring that their investors get good returns on their investments.

Hardis and Dromedas Ltd has six ranges of products under their manufacturing.

1.           Extra Isol: This is the all round winner for fighting germs. It is a concentrated Germicide formulated to fight germs in domestic and industrial settings. It maintains a germ-free environment.

2.           Ekko Rose Water: It is a fragrant solution, air fresher and odour neutralizer, it is carefully blended with choice flowers from worlds plains of sub-Saharan Africa. Rose water solution destroys germ while deodorizing your environment at home and other places.

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