IMPACT OF ADVERTISEMENT ON BRAND ATTITUDE AMONG CHILDREN BETWEEN 5-15 YEARS
(Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) of Honeywell Flour Mills Plc)
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Brand attitude has been proposed to be an antecedent to purchase intentions. However, very few studies have specifically focused on advertisement as an antecedent to attitude towards the brand (Baker and Lutz, 2000). Brand attitude towards advertisement has been defined as a predisposition to respond in a favorable or unfavorable manner to a particular advertising stimulus during particular exposure situation (Biehal, Stephens and Curlo, 1992). Customer brand attitude is a state of mind that enables a consumer to view a brand through a filter. Consumers develop viewpoints about brands along a spectrum or continuum, but nothing is lost by thinking of this spectrum as a type of attitude scale. Customer brand attitude is expressed as a lasting opinion or conception of product differentiation, whether good or bad.
Brand attitude has been viewed as one’s predisposition to respond in particular way toward a brand and as a function of beliefs (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). According to this view, beliefs are often examined as if they were always decomposable to a set of independent elements. As noted by Cohen (1982), brand attitude can be viewed as being based on nonanalytic concept identification, as opposed to the resultant of a set of analytical operations carried out on feature-based information using one or another learned combinational rules. This very important distinction to be examined may have compelling implications for many areas of consumer behavior.
Children attitude towards a brand can be influenced by many factors such as colour, taste, images or music played during advertisement. Sometimes children develop strong attitude towards a brand that they see often on billboard or television.
Edo (2002) notes that the favorability of brand associations is associated with the customers’ beliefs that brand attributes and benefits will suit their needs and wants with satisfaction. He also observes that the uniqueness of brand associations is connected with the scope to which brand associations of one brand are not shared by any other rival brands. In a print advertisement for example, consumers will be depending very much on the pictures and information about the product that are inserted in it to motivate them to take a closer look at and continue reading it. An advertisement that provides good pictures may give a significant impact as the pictures help reader consumers to get œconnected with the product. Consumers can get closer to the product as they experience certain feeling(s) from watching the product e.g. the product seems authentic, credible and real (Brosius, Donsbach & Birk, 1996).
Keller (2003) and Biel (1992) state that a positive brand attitude is created when a young person associate him/herself with a particular brand with unique association and that person could recommend that brand to another person and hold a positive attitude towards that brand. This brand attitude has a direct impact on the buying decision of the youth. Asim (2012) states in their research study that a number of companies give valuable consideration for building brand attitude and utilize capital for formulating and executing marketing strategies and practices. They further argue that Brand attitude is one of the most powerful aspects that establish the reputation of a specific brand in the marketplace. Without a positive and strong brand attitude, companies cannot get a great part of the youth in the market share.
Olusegun, (2006) opines that all advertisement must be honest and follow ethical standards and must be perceived by the target consumer as not lies; otherwise it can batter the image of a company and hinders it from building successful brands. Thus, for advertising to be effective, it must have an appeal, attract attention, commands interest, inspire conviction and must provoke interest. In the same vein, Okeji (2008) posited that a good advert message should not be boring but rather reflect the lifecycle of the product. He concludes that advertising must be exposed in the right medium as this will enable organization to reach the right people with the right message.
According to one school of thought, advertising increases profits and reduces consumer welfare by creating spurious product differentiation and barriers to entry, while the other school of thought focuses on the informative character of advertising (Abiodun, 2011). This makes markets more competitive and reduces profits by informing the customers about prices and quality (Greunes, 2000). The business environment is becoming sophisticated day by day and as such, decision-making is becoming more and more challenging and risky. Business organizations are failing due to poor decisions. Investors are losing their money and are unhappy. They are being discouraged and this is quite unhealthy to the economy. In some other instances, organizations are springing up in great numbers; some are successful in the marketing of their products and services, while others are still akin to the barber’s chair syndrome where all is motion but no movement; struggling to reach their target audience. Consumers are also faced with the challenge of choice making due to indecisiveness, skepticism, indifference and confusion which are among the key sales killers in business world.
The foregoing has shown clearly that advertising does not take place without the organization incurring some costs to that effect. Hence, many are of the belief that the desirability or otherwise of advertisement by firms in Nigeria could also be established when it is related to brand attitude.
1.2 Statement of the Problems
The marketing industry is facing increased pressure over claimed links between exposure to food advertising and a range of brand attitude and social problems, especially growing obesity levels among underage children. Fast food chains spend more than 3 billion dollars a year on advertising, much of it aimed at children. Restaurants offer incentives such as playgrounds, contests, clubs, games, and free toys and other merchandise related to movies, TV shows and even sports leagues. These businesses are constantly reaping the benefits of this child manipulation because some of these advertised products consisted of unhealthy, sugary and fatty foods. Such massive advertising has a detrimental effect on children and it heavily influences their diets. Extensive research proves that most of the food consumed between ages of 2“18 is low in nutrients. Facing a lot of pressure from health industries and laws, such as the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising initiative, food marketers were forced to tweak and limit their advertising strategies.
The strong objection and arguments of brand attitude against the advertising is that it is a costly function. It is generally criticized that the cost of advertising is too high and that such high cost is covered by the selling price of the advertising goods. Advertisement is considered as an indirect cost which is added in the distribution expenses. When expenses are to be increased, the selling price of the products will also be enhanced. It is true factor because large advertisers spend thousands of Naira for advertising in a week. Some advertisers cleverly create misleading impressions of their goods. They present a very rosy picture of their products, before the consumers with the object of increasing their sales.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The main objective of the study is to examine the effects of advertisement on brand attitude among children between 5-15 years. The specific objectives of the study are to:
- Determine the relationship between brand attitude formation and children buying decision.
- Examine the effects of advertising audio and visual messages on brand attitude formation among children and the subsequent effects on consumption decision and patterns in FMCG.
- Find out if peer influence plays stronger impact than advertising in brand attitude formation among children in FMCG.
- Determine if advertising frequency and intensity affect brand attitude formation among children in FMCG.
1.4 Research Questions
In assessing the purpose of the study, this research project attempts to answer the following questions:
- What is the relationship between brand attitude formation and children buying decision?
- Will advertising audio and visual messages affect brand attitude formation among children and the subsequent effects on consumption decision and patterns in FMCG?
- Does peer influence play stronger impact than advertising in brand attitude formation among children in FMCG?
- How can advertising frequency and intensity affect brand attitude formation among children in FMCG?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
In carrying out this research work the following hypothetical statements are suggested to serve as a direction on which the work will be premised:
- Ho: There is no significant relationship between brand attitude formation and children buying decision.
- Ho: Advertising audio and visual messages does not have effect on brand attitude formation among children and the subsequent effects on consumption decision and patterns in FMCG.
- Ho: Peers influence does not plays stronger impact than advertising in brand attitude formation among children in FMCG.
- Ho: Advertising frequency and intensity does not have effect on brand attitude formation among children in FMCG.
1.6 Scope of the Study
This research work aimed to examine the impact of advertisement on brand attitude among children between 5-15years [children with this age bracket consume more Fast-Moving Consumer Goods] with a view to explore Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) of Honeywell Flour Mills Plc. The specific product is the Honeywell Noodles, Superfine Flour, Wheat Meal, Semolina, Pasta, Composite flour and Brown Flour. The study covers Ikorodu Local Government. The Local Government Areas is divided into “ LCDA;Ikorodu North, Ikorodu Central, Ikorodu West, Igbogbo. A private school will be selected in each of the LCDA.
1.7 Significance of the Study
It is hoped that the findings and recommendations of the study will be of great benefit in the following ways:
The study will broaden students understanding about the effect of advertisement on brand attitude among children plus it effects on sales volume.
The study will be of great benefit to the public by bringing to their awareness the effect of brand attitude on reference groups and family ground and how it affect their perception about a product.
The study will also help sales manager to monitor the trend of the market and the consumption pattern in order to establish an interactive dialogue between an organization brand culture and its customers. The finding of the study would assist the management in consolidating on the strength of their products; expand on the untapped opportunities while at the same time working to correct the threat to brand culture.
It will also help the sales personnel to reposition their advertisement, branding and marketing strategy in the society in order to attract and retain their target market.
1.8 Definition of Terms
Consumer: A consumer is a person or group of people that are the final users of products and or services generated within a social system. A consumer may be a person or group, such as a household.
Sales Promotion: Sales promotion is the process of persuading a potential customer to buy the product.
Brand attitude: Brand attitude is the opinion of consumers toward a product determined through market research.
Advertising: Advertising is an audio or visual form of marketing communication that employs an openly sponsored, non-personal message to promote or sell a product, service or idea.
Child: A Child is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty
Direct Marketing: Direct marketing is the business of selling products or services directly to the public, e.g. by mail order or telephone selling, rather than through retailers.
Public relations (PR): Public relation is the way organisations, companies and individuals communicate with the public and media.
Customer: This refers to a person either male or female who buys the product of an organization.
Management Strategy: The systematic analysis of the factors associated with customers and competitors (the external environment) and the organization itself (the internal environment) to provide the basis for maintaining optimum management practices.
Product Attribute: This can be defined as characteristics by which products are identified and differentiated. They comprise features, function, benefits and of the products.
Sales: Sales focuses on selling prospects and growing revenue among current customers.
Marketing: This is a process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, distribution, ideas, goods and services to create exchange that will satisfy individual and organization objectives.
Business activities: Business activities include any activity engaged in the primary purpose of making a profit. This is a general term that encompasses all the economic activities carried out by a company during the course of business.
Peer pressure: Peer pressure (or social pressure) is the direct influence on people by peers, or an individual who gets encouraged to follow their peers by changing their attitudes, values, or behaviors to conform to those of the influencing group or individual.
Fast-Moving Consumer Goods: Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) or consumer packaged goods (CPG) are products that are sold quickly and at relatively low cost.
Brand identity: Brand identity is the total proposal that an organization makes to consumers.
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