THE IMPACT OF USING CELEBRITIES IN TELEVISION ADVERTISEMENT ( A STUDY OF PEPSI SOFT DRINK IN BENIN METROPOLIS)
ABSTRACT
The focus of this work is on the impact of using celebrities in television advertisement. Thus to ascertain whether celebrities in adverts enhance sales is the prime motive/factor in the execution of this research. Chapter one looks at the introduction rationale of the study and the scope.
Chapter two focuses on the sources of literature,, and the review of related literature, especially, the postulations of Thomas C.O. Guinn et al 91998:286) Naresh K. Mathotra (1996:744), William Wells et al (1995:7) and other scholars were reviewed. The summary of the review was also hiched.
The research methodology, sample size and research instrument were the focus of chapter three. The survey method was employed, sample size was 120 respondents while the questionnaire was used as the instrument.
Chapter four deals with the presentation and analysis of data simple percentage bar chart and table were used to present the data. Further, the data was thoroughly analysed and used to test the hypothesis. It was thus upheld that; consumers are more likely to purchase a product when a celebrity endorses it.
Consequently, chapter five concludes that an advertisement featuring a celebrity is not a waste of money some areas for further research are also suggested.
TABLE OF CONTENT
2.0 Source of literature 13
Bibliography 63
Appendix 66
CHAPTER ONE
Advertising according to Sovee and Arens (1986:9) is a
marketing; communication; education; economic and social function. This view expatiates that advertising as a marketing function plays a promotional role of products and as an economic function, reduces distribution cost while sales and profit increase. Most advertising proponents have concurred with the above view.
Notably, advertising uses the mass media as a link to reach its vast audience. However, this research its vast audience. However, this research zeroes in on the television medium. Dr. Joseph R. Dominick (1993:390) stated that in 1990 about $130 billion was spent on advertising in the United State alone with the television medium accounting for 22 percent behind newspapers with the largest share of 25 percent. The implication deducible from the figures is that television is an influential and widely used medium of advertising with almost a universal reach. This is because it was audio and visual materials to its advantage. However, television is beyond the reach of most small scale companies because of its expensive our time.
Interestingly in the advertising world, a phenomenon has over two decades gain ascendancy – the use of celebrities. Celebrated musicians, sportmen and film stars appear rampantly on advertisements to endorse either a product, idea, or service, or to testify about it.
It is supposedly believed by large manufacturers that with celebrated personalities endorsing their products the public perception of such product may improve, thereby leading to sales increase. These assumption is made by this researcher sequel to the torrential amount of Naira/dollar lavished on many a celebrity.
Guardian (January 2nd, 2000: 49) stated that Nigeria’s
international footballers, Nwankwo Kanu and mid-field maestro Austin Okocha each got a multi-million naira endorsement deal with seven-up bottling company producers of pepsi soft drink. With this deal Kanu would promote the company by wearing the blue outfit on Pepsi during sessions of interview, social and official outings. Also reported was that other Nigeria stars including Emmanuel Amunike Falcos’ Ann Chiefine, Patience Avre, Florence Omagbemi and Mercy Akidi have endorsement by seven up Plc. Non plussed by the staggering income celebrities earn through endorsement deals, one may subjectively conclude that appearances by celebrated personalities in an advertisement go miles in enhancing increase in sale.
Be that as it may, the impact and prospect of either using a celebrated or an un-celebrated personality in an advert on consumers, should be strictly subjected to research before conclusions are made.
B. Howard Elvy (1982:103) avowed that advertisement alone
does not sell either goods or services. Rather advertising facilitates or stimulates interest which is later converted into a decision to purchase a product, or good. The implication is that each segment of the marketing mix, product, price, placement and promotion has to be well tailored to ensure success. Hence, after the other segments of the marketing mix must have been taken care of the aggressive use of advertising as a promotional tool follows.
As noticed and earlier stated by this researcher, the use of celebrities in advertisement is on the increase.
However, such may amount to “deceptive advertisement”. According to the American courts;
If a product has the endorsement of a celebrity or authority who is not a bona-fide user of the product that advert is deceptive. (Bovee and Arens (1986-47)
It may be true from the declaration above that audience have
sometimes been deceived by these celebrities. Deceptive or not advertisers still go ahead using celebrities as if the success of an advert campaign is tied to its use.
The objective of the study is to establish the impact of
using celebrities in television advertisement. Against this backdrop, this research work seeks to verify or find out if there is a need for the use of a celebrity or not in advertising.
It also seeks to know under what situation will a celebrity in an advert enhance increase in sales (if it does so at all).
Thirdly, this study understudies consumers reactions to products endorsed by a celebrity
Importantly also, this work seeks to know if people pay for a particular product or service due to adverts persuasion featuring a celebrity.
Mass media messages affects individuals in diffeent ways.
According to John R. Bitner, an individual reacts to a media message based on his selective exposure, perception and retention of the message (1977:376).
Consequent upon the above, this work is being executed because of the importance of ascertaining if the use of celebrities has any influence on purchasing decision of consumers. Again, there is need for this research in order to know the extent of influence such advert command when they appearance television.
Having achieved the above, this work would serve as a secondary source of data to other researchers especially in Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu.
Also not unknown is that much has not been writer about this area of advertising. Therefore this writer hopes to contribute to knowledge. Thus the advert industry and the society in general would be provided with data on the impact celebrities make in advert. Such data as this work hopes to produce would then contribute in determining the future of this trend-the use of celebrities in advert for the advert industry.
The research questions, which the researcher seek to find
solution to are as follows:
In the light of the colossal problems earlier mentioned,
and the exigencies of proffering credible solutions to them, the following research hypothesis have been formulated to be tested.
Hoi: Consumers are m ore likely to purchase a product when a celebrity endorses it.
Ho2: Products endorsed by celebrities are not likely to be purchased by end buyers.
Hai: An advertisement campaign with a celebrity will only succeed when the celebrity keep excelling in his profession.
Ha2: The success to be achieved when excelling celebrity is used in advert campaign will definitely be much more than when a celebrity struggling with his profession is used.
A good research work must have a study sample that is
at least a fair representation of the entire population. In this case, it must cover consumers of a product with no segregation as regards economic and educational/academic statue and other demographic variables.
This research zeroes in on the impact of using celebrities in advert by seven-up Bottling company PLC, producers of pepsi and seven-up soft drinks. It covers Benin city with Sapele Road and Ihuniwinrin quarters as possible areas expected to be covered.
Pepsi soft drink ahs been chosen because of its use of Kanu Nwankwo and Austin Okocha. Besides pepsi product is not obscure, hence it is expected that gathering data from respondents would be comparatively easier. Hoever, Benin city has been chosen because it has a pepsi depot which makes the product to be supplied and consumed more in Benin compared to some other cities in Nigeria.
1) ADVERTISING: It is any communication paid for which
is intended to inform and influence consumers towards purchasing a product or good or paying for a service.
2) CELEBRITY: Simplistically, a celebrity is a famous
and an accomplished person that is greatly admired.
3) MARKETING: It is a management process responsible
for identifying, anticipating and satisfying consumers requirements profitable.
4) CONSUMER: A person who buys goods or uses
services.
5) ENDORSEMENT: The practice of using somebody to approve or testify about a product, service, or idea. The person may be a specialist, celebrity or otherwise.
1.9 ASSUMPTIONS
The following assumptions are made in this study
1.10 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The death of materials tops the items in the limitations of most research works. This situation is apparent in this case because much has not been written on the area.
Worse still, little has been written on it by Nigerian authors and researchers, which makes some part of the work to be devoid of depth.
There is also no skying away that if this research had covered a large sample drawn from a wider geographical area, the authencity of the findings would have been higher. Money and time were also key limiting factors.
While admitting that these limitations, could affect the findings, this study is by no means invalidated. It hopes to throw more light on some issues in advertising.
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