THE IMPACT OF TELEVISION ADVERTISING AS A CRITICAL ELEMENT IN INFLUENCING CONSUMER CHOICE

1.1 Introduction

Television advertising is any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services through mass media such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an identified sponsor. Similarly, advertisement is seen as a potent vehicle for achieving acceptance of desirable and useful concepts or ideas where the profit motive is minimal or missing altogether. Advertising has become an integral part of our social and economic system; it is indeed a powerful communication tool of business to most firms and organizations for them to be able to reach their target market across the globe. In other words, advertising can be seen as a form of communication intended to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to purchase or take some action upon products, ideals, or services (Okorie, 2009).

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitation of the study and Definition of terms.

1.2 Background of Study

Information dissemination as we know today, has developed over a number of centuries, changing the patterns of life of the world. The world has become smaller not in size, but by technological development in the areas of communication. Technology has revolutionized communication in that access to people, communication, information, practically anywhere in the world has become quicker, cheaper and easier.

GSM otherwise known, as mobile phone is a telephone you can carry (portable) that works from a system, which uses a network of radio station to pass on signals. GSM was originally developed in mid 1990s to provide a standard technology that will unify the confused and incompatible state of the cellular communication in Europe. The Group Special Mobile was formed by the European conference of Post and Telecommunication to create the desired standards. Although this telecommunication system was originally developed for European use, GSM was soon adopted in Africa, the Middle East, and the pacific regions.

Nigerian wanting to blend with the trend of time successfully auctioned the global system for Mobile communication licenses in 2001 to Mobile Telecommunication Nigeria (MTN), ECONET Wireless Limited (former Vmobile, presently Zain), Nigeria Telecommunication Limited (NITEL), Global Communication (GLOBACOM) and lastly Etisalet through the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC). These are the existing GSM companies operating in Nigeria today.

MTN, Nigeria Communication Limited is part of the MTN group, Africa's leading mobile telephone based in South Africa, incorporated in Nigeria on 8th November, 2000 as a private company. It secured license to operate digital Global System Mobile (GSM) telephone in February 2001. The company offers a wide range of services like: Voicemail, short messaging services, international roaming, Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and so on. Their objective is to be the only network that is best connected everywhere in Nigeria.

Also Globacom Limited is a company registered and licensed as Second National Operator (SNO) in August 2002, with four-in-one license, consisting of Digital Mobile License (DML) otherwise known as Global System Mobile (GSM), National Fixed License, International gateway, as well as internet service provider. Globacom owned by Nigeria through its Glo mobile subsidiary on 29th August 2003 in Lagos, launched its GSM services. The company offers a wide range of services to their customers like:

Enhancing mobile voice and data services based on Alcatel's Intelligent Network (AIN) solution, its messaging suite, SMS unified messaging services, text to email services and among others. The main objective of Globacom is to be a world-class provider not only in telecommunication but also for entertainment and information in Africa.

However, television is a media of communication, which reaches out to a mass media audience in difference places at the instant. Television also has a greater advantage over other media of advertising, because of its audio-visual power (ability of the audience to see what they listen to). Moreover, advertising through the mass media of communication has exposed these two telecommunication giants to their consumers. These adverts which come through newspaper, magazine, radio, television internet, billboards etc have influence consumer choices.

Giving by the diversities and complexities of different products, services, and promos offered by these two GSM giant (MTN and GLOBACOM), television advertising has made it possible for the consumers of these networks to perceive these varied products services and promos offered by these networks. Therefore, MTN and GLOBACOM have dominated the telecommunication air space and undoubtedly influencing the perception of their consumer choice using television adverts.

Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to examine the Impact of Television Advertising as a Critical Element in Influencing Consumer Choice.

1.3 Statement of Problems

Investigation revealed that there are different contents of these two GSM telecommunication giants MTN and GLOBACOM, like different products, different promos and among others, targeting the same consumers at a time. As a result, there is a serious competition in which each GSM provider tries to influence the perception and choice of their consumers over their products, services, and promos.

Also, there is a problem of regular and irregular demand pattern of the services of the GSM companies, which can influence the consumer choice in selecting the desired GSM network. It is in the light of these problems that this study is carried out to ascertain the perception of the consumer over the MTN and Globacom contents and how television advertising have served as a critical element in influencing the consumer choice. In view of these, good advertising strategies are needed to improve on their sales promotion and educate the masses on the product and services become the challenge MTN Nigeria has to overcome.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to examine the Impact of Television Advertising as a Critical Element in Influencing Consumer Choice using MTN and Globacom Adverts among UNIZIK Students as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To find out how effective television advertising has influence the consumer choice of GLOBACOM and MTN network;
2. To determine which television advert of the chosen network influence the consumer choice of network;
3. To examine the perception of the consumer over MTN and GLOBACOM television adverts; and
4. To examine the difference between MTN and GLOBACOM whose television advert is preferred more by the consumer.

1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Does television advertising of MTN and GLOBACOM influence the consumer choice of network?
• Does television advertising of MTN and GLOBACOM justify the quality of services rendered?
• To what extent has television advertising of MTN and GLOBACOM influenced the consumer choice of network?
• To what extent does television advertising influence the consumer to retain their network even when there is network problem?

1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: Television advertising of MTN and GLOBACOM does not influence the consumer choice of network
• H1: Television advertising of MTN and GLOBACOM influence the consumer choice of network

1.7 Significance of Study

This study is significant in the following ways:

1. To serve as a source of additional information to assisting literature on television advertising.
2. This study will also bring to our notice the degree of influence television advertising has on MTN and GLOBACOM consumers.
3. The study will evaluate the perception of MTN and GLOBACOM consumers in making their choice.
4. This study has the potential of highlighting the contents of MTN and GLOBACOM as well as pointing the way to an effective television advert which will influence the consumer choice.

1.8 Scope of Study

The scope of the research is focused on the Impact of Television Advertising as a Critical Element in Influencing Consumer Choice. The study concentrates on students at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (UNIZIK) using MTN and GLOBACOM networks. This is because they are among the greater number of GSM consumers.

1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this research work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this establishment to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
4. Lack of Initial Cooperation from Respondents: A particular limitation of this work came as a result of the respondent refusal to offer their cooperation at the initial time they were contacted. This contributed in making the success of this research study difficult.

1.10 Definition of Terms

To enhance a better understanding of this study, the following terms that are related to this study are defined such as, Advertising, Influence, Consumer, Perception, GSM, and Globacom, among others.

Advertising:

This is a communication in the media paid for, by an identifiable sponsor and directed at a target audience with the aim of persuading the members of thee audiences about a product, services and ideas.

Impact:

This refers to the effect that MTN has on the subscribers in Uyo Metropolis.

MTN:

Mobile Telecommunication Network. MTN is one of the major wireless telephone operators in Nigeria.

Advertisement:

It is an appeal that contains some aesthetic information concerning a product or service.

Subscribers:

These are the people in Uyo Metropolis who pay to MTN in order to receive their services

Influence:

A strong impression or effect on somebody or something.

Consumer:

The user of a product or the beneficiary of a service or services.

Perception:

To interpret or understand something in a certain way.

GSM:

Global System Mobile.

Globacom:

Global Communication

S.N.O:

Second National Operator.