CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background to the Study

Advertising as a concept, can be defined as a form of communication through the media about product, services, ideas, personalities or organizations, paid for by an identified sponsor writer Alide in Okunna (2002: 99).

Bovee and Arens (1985) gave a more widely accepted definition of advertising as the non-personal communication of information, usually paid for any usually persuasive in nature about products (goods and services) or ideas by an identified sponsor through various media. It is an exciting, dynamic, and challenging enterprise. It is often a persuasive communication in that it tries to persuade the reader, the listener or the viewer to take to the sponsor’s own point of view and also to take some appropriate action. It is not personal or face to face communication, rather it is directed to a group of people.

Advertising is also controlled, identifiable information and persuasion by means of mass communication media. Defined by Wright and Zeight (l92:10). Gillran Dyer says that in its simplest sense, the word “advertising” means drawing attention to something or notifying or informing somebody of something.

According to the understanding of Advertising practitioners council of Nigeria (APCON) “advertising is a form of communication through the media about products, services or ideas, paid for by an identified sponsor”.

The terms advertising was coined from the Latin word “advertere” which mean literally means to draw attention. This is when you are getting the evidence mind in a product, notifying or informing somebody/people of something. There is no doubt that advertising has brought prosperity to different countries of the world through different means. It has helped in speeding up the introduction of new inventions and has most importantly widened markets for mass-produced goods and services. Consumers of industrial goods and service and all over the world today enjoy the choice of a wide variety of such goods and services.

Advertising has also been of immense benefit humanity and has contributed in no small measure rapid industrialization and expansion processes all over the world. In fact, advertising has contributed in making the world a better place to live in.

Tracing the history of advertising however, it is evident that its practice is as old as man. Weppner (1979) in Okunna (2002: 85) reveals that advertising seems to be part of human nature evidenced since ancient times.

On the other hand, GSM stands for Global System of Mobile Communications. In Nigeria, GSM means Telecom explosion. The GSM revolution began in August 2001 and changed the face of Information and Communications Technology in Nigeria.

Since the GSM launch, mobile telephony has rapidly become the most popular method of voice communication in Nigeria. Growth has been so rapid that Nigeria has been rightly described in various fora as ‘one of the fastest growing GSM markets in the world”.

Indeed these developments have been truly explosive: according to statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), compared with just about 450,000 working lines from NITEL in 2001, by August 2011, the GSM operators had recorded over 21 million subscribers. Expectations are that the figure should rise to 50 million by the end of 2014, due to massive expansion programmes launched by the operators.

As a result of this various Handset or mobile phones are now available in the country with different size, face, colour, facilities and cost.

1.2    Statement of the Problem

In any competitive marking environment such as ours, a marketing department/ term is often faced with the problems of how to determine the measure of demand for its products in a given market segment, how to determine the factors responsible for the variations in the demand pattern.

Many GSM service providers are faced with the problem of not only identifying suitable strategies to bet their competitors but also how to determine the strength of the contributions of various components of the promotional mix variables especially advertisement to achieve the purpose of stimulating demand of their product brand.

This has equally led to high budgetary allocation by the GSM service providers as they understand that Nigerians are among the top users of mobile phone based on the population.

However, the study is to appraise the impact of television advertising on the popularity of MTN network among students of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree.

 1.3 Objectives of the Study

v    To examine whether television advertising is an effective tool for marketing of MTN network service.

v    To examine if the percentage of the MTN subscribers increase when exposed to television advert.

v    To study whether television advertising has impacted on the MTN service provider.

v    To examine if MTN television advertising campaign influence students of Osun State Polytechnic to subscribe and buy MTN       products.

v    To examine if MTN television advertising deceives students of Osun State Polytechnic to MTN packages and services,

 1.4 Research Questions

v  Does television serve as an effective tool for marketing of MTN network service?

v  Has television advertising increased the percentage of the MTN subscribers among students of Osun State Polytechnic?

v  Do students prefer MTN network to other service providers?

v  Has television advertising enhanced MTN Company in getting information to the subscribers?

v  Does MTN television advertising campaign influence students of Osun State Polytechnic to subscribe and buy MTN products?

v  Does television advertising deceives students of Osun State Polytechnic to MTN packages and services?

 1.5 Significance of the Study

Advertisers: The study will be of importance to advertisers on the need to improve sales through the use of advertisement technique.

Media: Mass media outfit will also benefit from the study to know what the public is expected when advertising a product or service.

GSM Network Providers: It is anticipated that results from this study will help to evaluate and identify better ways of making GSM network service providers advertising and business operations more effective.

General Public: At the end of this research, the public should be able to identify good advertisement from one that is aim at deceiving them.

 1.6 Scope of Study

This study is concern the impact of television advertising on the popularity of MTN network among students of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree. The scope of the study has been narrowed down to Osun State Polytechnic, Iree since it is difficult if not impossible to study all MTN subscribers in Nigeria due to poor funding, time, relevant materials and other considerable factors.

1.7 Limitations

The drawbacks in the course of carrying out this study that could limit the general applicability of the research, these hindrances includes fund, time and other human material resources.

Material: At the time of gathering materials for this study there was relatively little material.

Finance: There is no much found to travel to and browse online for necessary materials

Time: Available time for this study is relatively short compare to the task while other academic activities also coincide to with the period of the project.

 1.8 Definition of the Terms

Advertising: This is any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services, by an identified sponsor, Adirika, Ebue, Nnolim (1996:107).

Marketing: This can simply be referred to as the efforts by a company to design and disseminate information about it’s terms and the benefits to the target market, using different medium. Adirika, Ebue, Nnolim (1996:87).

GSM: Global System for Mobile or mobile phone.

Television: This is a device that transmit information in an audio-visual manner to a wider audience reside in different geographical location at the same time.

GSM Network Providers: These are the providers of GSM service network.   

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