IMPACT OF COLOUR REPRESENTATION IN NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING

(A case study of vanguard news paper)

ABSTRACT

The aim of the research work is to investigate the impact of colour representation in newspaper, the research work took view into the concept of advert and colour; the primary data was used for the purpose of the research work with a sample size of 200 respondents; the method of chi-square was used for the analysis of the responses of the respondents, after the analysis, we found out that newspapers in colour has significant effect on the level of beauty of an advert. The study recommends that newspapers in Nigeria should always use a permanent unique colour for their newspaper as this help create a brand for the newspaper.

CHAPTER ONE

 1.0    INTRODUCTION

1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Of the five human senses, sight undoubtedly has the most powerful effect on consumer perceptions. The famous Greek philosopher Aristotle indicated that all perceptions are triggered by witness.

The research of Linstorm (2005) also revealed that 83% of human beings use sight as the receiver to obtain messages among the five senses.

Gob’e (2001) considered sight the most noticeable sensing tool in humans. Human beings have a direct reaction to color and shape; hence, designers utilize color traits to enhance the sight memory of brands and improve the ability to identify brands.

(Perry and Wisonm, 2003). Colors are embedded with messages and can trigger special reactions between the central nervous system and the cerebral cortex. The seven second color theory in marketing, proposed in the 1980s in Europe, indicates that consumers experience their first impression of sight memory for products within 0.67 seconds.   The first impression dominates 67% of the purchasing process which comes from colors. That is, humans memorize and recognize the color and shape of a product within seven seconds. 62% of people associate product brands via colors after watching a three-second.

According to Thomson Dawson (2013). Color is the predominate element of identification and association with a brand. Color enables us to instantly recognize and draw emotional associations to a brand. Effective and comprehensive brand strategy must consider the critical importance of color. Color is far more than a simple aesthetic consideration in the tool kit of components that make up brand identity and experience.

 Thomson Dawson (2013). Color is the very first perception customers will have with your brand, and along with perception comes a whole host of emotional associations.

The color of your brand is an essential character in your brand’s story. When choosing a color to represent your brand, you must think far beyond your personal, subjective preferences.

However, visual perception is the primary sense humans have for exploring and making sense of their environment. Colors trigger a diverse set of responses within the cerebral cortex of the brain and throughout the central nervous system.

The proper perception of color has been one of the key drivers of human evolution. If color is that important to human evolution, just think how important it is to building the value of your brand.

Once we humans identify a color, we instantly have a chemical reaction in our brain that produces an emotional response. This response triggers a multitude of thoughts, memories and associations to people, places and events. Color affects us in profound ways. Our brains are designed to respond to color. This all happens instantly under our conscious awareness.

Olayinka S. O. (2010). Observes that color is nothing more than the reflection of certain light waves picked up by your optic nerve, transmitted through nerves to your brain. Color doesn’t really exist; it’s only its reflection. Within our conscious minds, we have all been predisposed and indoctrinated to give meanings and feelings to particular colors within the context of what the culture at large values.

These cultural associations to specific colors need to be a big driver of your strategic and creative decisions when forming the foundation of your brand’s identity in the marketplace. For the purpose of this study we shall use the vanguard news paper as a case study.

1.2    STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

         Most news paper companies have a very poor colour presention; Colour representation through the multiple use of colours intensifies the attention catching of the readers in advertisements. However it is associated with certain problems.

The use of colours work as a trick in advertisement. In essence, the product seen, colourful and attractive may not have good quality. Despite the fact that full colours of a product in advertisement is attractive, it might be as well deceitful in the sense that the product actually does not reach expectation. (quality).

Stressing further, because of the huge amount involved in colour representation, advertisers want to find out if the outcome justifies the efforts. In other words, it affects the buyers due to the high price of the product.

By and large, colour representation of a product is a distraction to attention, being that readers are influenced over a product which ordinarily they would not like to buy.

Moreso, some readers are increasingly conscious of their taste, and in order to have better value for their money, tend to choose the right product that will satisfy their unique, not withstanding the colourful advert of the product.

1.3    PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

         As the purpose of this study, solution would be sought to questions raised in the research, outlined in this study. These questions will form the congent concern of this study and solution preferred would depend on the analysis of research data collected.

Apart from that, however this study will deal on reaction of newspaper readers to products whose adverts appear in colour, it would be also ascertain whether such colour representation in newspaper advertisement influence the buying habit and decisions of readers. The aim of adverts must appear in colour to achieve the aim for it.

1.4    RESEARCH QUESTIONS

i.        Does the beauty of a product presented in colour advertisement influence people’s buying decision?

ii.       How can colour advertisement enhance the sales volume of a vangurd news paper?

iii       Does colour advertisement draw attention more than black and white advert?

iv.      Does the colour representation of vanguard news paper in advertisement enhance readability of the advertising message?

v.       Does colour advertisement add to the aesthetic quality of newspaper and products?

vi.      Does product/company cooler assist customers to remember a product/company easily?

vii.     How can page-planner maximize various colours to enhance his work?

viii.    Does product colour have effect on consumer purchasing habit?

ix.      What colour attract consumer mostly?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

H0: colour presentation in newspaper does not have significant effect on the volume of sales of newspapers

H1: colour presentation in newspaper has significant effect on the volume of sales of newspapers

H0: Colour has no significant effect on the level of beauty of an advert

H1: Colour has significant effect on the level of beauty of an advert

1.6    SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

         The study lie sin many facts of human endeavour, especially in the advertisement world. Responsible for that is because virtually all products are given one form of advertising or the other.

Colour representation gives the impact of healthy competition among advertisers. Virtually all products are exposed to the same readers through the same newspaper, however, of peculiar interest is that although those products may have the same quality they can come in different packages, designs and colours so that manufacturers of the same product devices the skill on personal colours, package and design.

The recommendation is entangled to be meaningful to students and other research fellows who may wish to undertake study on this topic.

1.7    DELIMITATIONS OF STUDY

It is important to define the study as the following:

That the study did not study other areas of advertisements but only dealt specifically with colour representation in newspaper advertising. That is did not study non-regular readers of Vangaurd. However, the solution to some of the variables mentioned above could be general inferences of  behaviour.

1.8    OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS

IMPACT OF ADVERTISING:  The power effect advertising have on the readers.

COLOUR REPRESENTATION: Photographic reproduction of a product in full colour (in a newspaper advertisement).

PREFERENCE: The greater interest in or desire for something else.

ADVERT: To tell the public about a product or service in order to encourage people to buy or to use ie. To attract more readers.