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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Advertising is a powerful marketing communication tool used by companies to fulfill the promotional task.  It is the act of communicating with the consumers, to inform the public about the existence of a manufactured product for sale. Advertising attracts the attention of the consuming public.  Most often, firms in various industries try to stimulate sales through the manipulations of consumers, psychological, emotional and economic rate of mind through the means of advertising. This often happens when there is an intense competition in the business line, manufacturers or producers find a pressing need for promotional or advertising activities. Advertising in other words called communication mix is used in promoting a product both new and old, that is communicating the consumers in the use and purpose of the new product, including the need for it.  Since the purpose of advertising is to change customers attitude or patterns or behaviour towards a product or service in a direction fovaourable to he advertise as well as increasing the sales volume.  It is pertinent therefore, for firms to embark on descriptive informative advertisement attracts attention to the existence of a new product and motivating the public to buy a trial supply or perhaps accept a free sample may be rendering a desirable service. Although it contains no word about the product composition or performance of the products existence. Advertising as an exercise in information persuasion and communication is related because to inform is to persuade and a person who is persuaded is also informed, and persuasion and information become effective through some form of communication, therefore advertising/promotion is the design and management of a marketing subsystem for the purpose of informing and persuading present and potential customers. Moreover, when a new product is introduced in the market, an initial risk is to make buyers aware of its value and existence. 

The role of information in promotion, however, is to restricted to new product because buyers differ in stage of their relationship with a product.  Even products that have been is the market for years still need information support.  It’s also needed during periods of shortages.  Promotion in this period could take the form of structural information, emphasizing on product conservation or an instructional programme to help consumers with the products.  It can also be very useful to stimulate sales when the company is having very low sales. Obliviously, the basic objective underlying all advertising on the part of the production in an increase in sales volume brought about the advertisement. 

This aim may be further subdivided in terms of dimension and by devising strategies aimed at achieving either short or long term gains however, both aims will be achieved, but the immediate objective until condition the strategy and the promotional tools employed. By and large, we can infer that the motive of advertising is not to write great literature but to present the prettiest picture or to entertain the audience through some or all of these elements are often present in advertising.  Advertising is first and for most a sales tool and we must never lose sight of that fact.

Again, advertising is also a major stimulant to vigorous economic growth and stability.  Advertising promotes a more efficient use of the natural resources, it is a key linking the marketing process, the aim of which is to produce what the market needs and can absorb. Having dealt extensively with the concept of advertising, we can now look into the impact of advertising.  So once it has been determined that a key problem or opportunity for the brand/product involves its communication with consumers, thus, an integral part of the advertising planning and decision making process is an assessment of the role that advertising is meant to play.  As in the part of communication mix, once this perspective has been gained the brand manager must design a marketing and communication plan with the different elements complement and each other increasing the sales of the brand.

Advertising as a communication tool and in most cases, is advantageous to set objectives and measures the result in terms of intervening variables like brand awareness, brand image, or altitude.  However, these communication tasks are ultimately expected to create a behavioural response to the market place. Also, advertising as a sales tool has acquire a wide range of acceptance as a functional form of promoting sales.  Firms, therefore, should adopt it so as to enable them properly set an objective selection of tools, effective implementation and channeling of resources as well as profit maximization through increased sales.

According to Adirika, Ebue and Nnolim (1996:106-112) advertising is a powerful marketing communication tool used by companies to fulfill the promotional tool.

It is an impersonal form of communication or presentation of goods, ideas, or services conducted through paid media under open or identified sponsorship.  Every thing about advertising is a sponsor sending a message, called advertisement, through one mass media (radio, television, newspapers, magazines) to reach large numbers of potential uses or buyers of product.  By itself, advertising is a vital marketing tool that helps to sell goods, services, images and ideas through information and persuasion.

Many companies consider advertising a superior promotion tool to personal selling, sales promotion or publicity.  This is because advertising provides multiple presentation to masses of people with one message, compared with personal selling that involves individual contact with each prospect.  Sales promotion frequently require individual contact also, publicity may provide multiple simultaneous presentation like advertising, but the firm has limited control on the message content and placement.  While advertising is given such a credit, it is crucial to our understanding, therefore, that we appreciate from the start the real place of advertising in marketing, the best advertisement cannot sell a product that is not available nor will it convince people to buy products that they feel are of poor quality, too expensive or below expectations.  As a matter of fact. The best way to kill a bud product is to advertise it.  Advertising on its own rarely sell promotion mix variables, and the other marketing concerns including product development and research.

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