ABSTRACT

Television advertisement has over the years helped a great deal in the marketing of goods and services. This research work is an analytical study of the influence of television advertisement on the buying choice of ‘Always’ sanitary pad by students in Ado Ekiti,Ekiti state. It explored the questionnaire and interview approaches to gather relevant data. Chapter one defines the background and frame of reference for the project; providing the objectives, significance, statement of the problem and scope of the study as well as key terms that are fundamental to the study. In chapter two, the researcher offers an excursion into the study of television, noting its evolution and development in Nigeria. It also defines advertising with reference to its evolution and its growth in Nigeria. The study focuses on the influence of television advertisement on ‘Always’ sanitary pad as a commodity, using the theories of media dependency and social responsibility. Chapter three discusses the method of data collection and study population, while chapter four analyzes the quantitative datausing simple percentage method and descriptive method for the qualitative data, further describing the ‘Always’ sanitary pad advertisement. In chapter five, the researcher summarized, made recommendations towards improving the quality of ‘Always’ sanitary pad television advertisement. The study concludes that there is need to make the commodity more available and affordable to the consumers.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1:1    BACKGROUND TO STUDY

The coming of television broadcasting to Nigeria expectedly prompted diverse programmes which range from politics, socials to entertainment, business and education. So, from the various programmes there was the need for television advertisement in broadcasting.

Advertising is basically the dissemination of sales messages through purchased space, time or other media (Arens and Bovee: 6). It is one of the marketing tools used by businessmen and women to promote their goods and services.

Just as the media of social communication have enormous influence everywhere, so does advertising which uses the media as a vehicle for persuasion as well as a powerful force for shaping attitudes and behaviour in today’s world. Individuals are exposed each day to a tremendous number of advertising stimuli. To cope with this bombardment, our sensory organs select those stimuli to which attention is given (Wells: 242).

Advertising is not done by the management of a product just for the fun of it. It is principally undertaken for persuasion or advocacy even apparently just giving us information, using media that are paid to get through to the mass audience with the identity of advertisers being clear(Arens and Bovee:7).

‘Advertising has mandate to sell the advertisers’ goods and help the consumers to

shop wisely’’       (Okoro: 42). Advertising is important because it influences audiences by informing or reminding them of the existences of a brand or alternatively by persuading or helping them differentiate a product from others in the market (Fill: 486).

Advertising can reach a wide range of audiences with simple messages that announce the availability and location of products express their quality and value, imbue brands with personality and simultaneously define the personality of people who can buy them (Arens and Bovee: 22).Some of the keys roles of advertising are; building awareness, inducing dialogue and positioning or repositioning brands by changing either perception or attitudes (Fill: 487).

Advertising through all media influences audiences, but television is one of the strongest mediums of advertising and due to its mass reach and visual components; it can not only influence individuals’ attitude, behaviour, lifestyle, exposure but can, in the long run, even influence the culture of the country (Latif and Abideen:156).

Television advertisement came up in the society because it helps to showcase goods and service. It also helps producers to sell their goods more, informs the public not only about the product but also the qualities of the products than any other medium.

Advertising also serves as a means of raising huge revenue for the television house.

However, there exists different advertisement of sanitary pad which is a commodity that is widely used by women in the society. But among other sanitary pads that are being advertised, Always is the most widely used because of it popularities among users of sanitary pads and based on the assumption that its advertisement is so dramatic and captivating that’s why every user of sanitary pad prefers it to other products of its type.

This study is set to find out why most users of sanitary pad prefers Always to other brands and also to find out how the advertisement of Always sanitary pad influences the consumer in purchasing the products so that the assumption will become a fact with reasonable evidence and theories backing it.

1:2   STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The research is to find out why ‘Always’ sanitary pad is the most popular amongst female students and widely used in spite of the existence of other commodities like Lady Care, Everyday, Joy etc that are used for the same purpose.It has been observed that most female students in Ado Ekiti prefer ‘Always’ to others mainly because of its quality, and particularly because of the role which TV advertisement has played in popularising the product. So, this research is being carried out to find out the reasons behind the preference of ‘Always’ sanitary pad.

1.3   RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1  How has ‘Always’ sanitary pad advertisement influenced the choice of female students that patronise it?

2  In what creative way has the ‘Always’ sanitary pad advertisement attracted its consumers?

3  What other categories of people use ‘Always’ sanitary pad aside students?

4Why is ‘Always’ sanitary pad preferred to other sanitary pads in Ado Ekiti?

1:4OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

1  To determine the level of acceptance of ‘Always’ sanitary pad among consumers.

2  To examine critically the level of awareness that has been generated through theadvertisement of ‘Always’ sanitary pad.

3  To find out how television medium has helped to create better awareness of ‘Always’ sanitary pad amongst consumers.

4  To examine the role of drama or theatre in the television advertisement of ‘Always’ sanitary pad.

1:5    SCOPE OF STUDY

The study shall focus on four secondary schools in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti state. The choice of these schools was made to reflect or represent different categories of students particularly from the rich and poor backgrounds.

So, two schools were selected from the private sector and two from the public sector.

The selected schools are;

Tinuola Maximum Secondary School (private)

CAC Olaoluwa Secondary School (private)

Mary Immaculate Secondary School (public)

Christ Girls School Ado Ekiti (public)

1:6 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

This research work is expected to help different categories of sectors in the society. These include;

*The television stations.

*Producers of Always sanitary pad.

*Students.

*The society.

THE TELEVISION STATIONS

The television stations are expected to gain a lot by projecting the producers’

image through the advertisement of ‘Always’ sanitary pad. The station is also likely to have more viewers owing to the dramatic and entertaining way that the programmes are being produced .Again; advertising helps the TV stations to raise money for other projects in the television house.

Moreover, the TV house also stands to gain audience patronage if sales increase through advertising.

PRODUCERS OF ALWAYS SANITARY PAD

The producers of ‘Always’ sanitary pad can use this research work to improve on the quality of their products and services. This is possible if many of the adverts are more dramatic, colourful, truth to life and captivating.

Also, the producers should improve in the concept of their advertisement and improving on the product that will make both the old users and new users continue to use the product.

THE STUDENTS

The female students can also benefit by gauging their scale of preferences before settling for a better and unique product. It is also possible for the students to know about the product and its qualities.

Again, female students that have not started using Always sanitary pad will be able to make a better choice of product to use, aside knowing why and how effective the product is.

THE SOCIETY

The society can equally gain a lot from this research because the students, TV stations, advertisement producers and manufacturers should know their responsibilities and perform them with the hope of achieving developmental changes.

Again, advertising has an important role to play on a country’s economy society,

and culture. The importance of advertising to the economy as a whole can best be demonstrated by the Abundance principle.

This principle states that in an economy that produces more goods and services that can be consumed, advertising serves two purposes; it keeps consumers informed of their alternatives, and it allows companies to compete effectively for consumer capital.

Advertising stimulates competition and a healthy economy.

Advertising also helps to create financially healthy consumers who are well informed, better educated and more demanding (Arens and Bovee: 34).

1:7METHODOLOGY

This research shall make use of questionnaires interview and population study method to gather relevant data. The questionnaire will gather quantitative data while the interview will gather qualitative data.

A total of 240 questionnaires will be provided and 60 copies will be administered in each of the four schools. Copies will be shared randomly amongst the female students from SSS1- SSS2; the interview will then be conducted randomly with teachers, parents and guardians of the students in each of the selected schools by selecting one teacher from a private sector and another in a public sector, one parent from each school.

The researcher also carried out the population study in each school in their to know the number of female students who have attained the age of puberty.

1:8DEFINITIONS OF TERMS

INFLUENCE

Influence is a verb from a Latin word influeremeaning to ‘flow in’. So, influence is the capacity to have an effect on the character development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself.

Influence is the power to have an important effect on someone or something. If someone influences someone else, they are changing a person or thing in an indirect but important way. (google.com)

Influence according to Cambridge English dictionary means the power to have an effect on people, things, or a person or thing that is able to so do. It also means to affect or change how someone or something develops, behaves or think.

TELEVISION

Television can be referred to as a system for converting visual images (with sounds) into electrical signals, transmitting them by radio or other means and displaying them electronically on a screen. (Wikipedia)

A television commonly referred to as TV, telly or the tube. Is a telecommunication medium used for transmitting sound with moving images in a monochrome (black- and –white), colour, or in three dimensions, it can refer to a television set, a television transmission. Television is a mass medium for entertainment, educational television, news and advertisement. (Wikipedia, free encyclopedia)

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According to Sharma and Singh (:8) quoting Bovee (:7), ‘Advertising is non-

personal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about products, services or ideas by identified sponsors through various media.

Sharma and Singh believe that the main purpose of advertisement is to identify and differentiate one product from the other and to persuade the consumer to buy that product in preference to another.

Arens et al (:8) also defines advertisement as ‘the structured and composed non-

personal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about product (goods, services and ideas) by identified sponsors through various media’.

Arens et al see advertising message as a very structured form of applied communication, employing both verbal and non-verbal elements that are composed to fill specific space and time format determined by the sponsor.

CHOICE

Choice involves mentally making a decision judging the merits of multiple options and selecting one or more of them. One can make a choice between imagined options (what would I do if…?) or between real options followed by the corresponding

action. (Wikipedia)

SANITARY PAD

A sanitary pad, sanitary napkin, sanitary towel is an absorbent item worn by a woman while she is menstruating, while she is recovering from virginal surgery (post birth bleeding), after an abortion, or in any other situation where it is necessary to absorb a flow of blood from the vagina. (Wikipedia)

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