1.1 Introduction
Billboard advertising simply means an outdoor stationary structure upon which advertisement of public service announcement were posts. Few studies have examined how billboard advertising may be used by Vita Foam industry to target its audience. Billboard advertising has what advertising industries calls high impression rate because of its static location that makes it viewed over again by target population thereby increasing its effectiveness.
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, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Billboards have been used as an advertising medium for more than a century, and are still used today. Ever since Jared Bell presented large circus posters to the public in the mid-1800s, billboard advertising remains as a top medium for brand outreach (History of OOH, 2015). According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, Inc (2015), “billboards are the largest and among the most impactful standard-size out of home advertisement media format”.
Looking at how advertising has progressed, roadside advertising has remained relevant since land transportation’s existence. Companies like Coco-Cola and Palmolive started using roadside publicity nationwide in 1900 after the use of billboards became widely recognized (History of OOH, 2015). Over the course of time, billboards remain as a top medium in the advertising world because of their power compared to other popular marketing practices, their complex strategies considered prior to creation, and their and successful design and execution elements.
Vitafoam Nigeria Plc is a foam manufacturing company based in Lagos, Nigeria. It is one of Nigeria's largest foam manufacturers, producing both flexible and rigid polyurethane products. The company also owns interest in Vitafoam Ghana and Vitafoam Sierra Leone (Wikipedia, 2021). In 2011, it entered into a strategic alliance with struggling competitor, Vono Products before purchasing the company. The purchase of Vono Products increased the company share of the furniture market. In the 2000s, the company expanded its product offering by investing in modern sleep options that are now managed by four of its subsidiaries: Vitapur, Vitagreen, Vitavisco and Vitablom. Vitapaur offers insulation friendly building materials. The company was founded in 1962 by British Vita in a partnership with local distributor G.B. Ollivant. Production of latex foam pillows and mattresses began in 1963 at Ikeja Industrial Estate. Under new laws effective in 1978, British Vita reduced its equity from 50% to 20% (Wikipedia, 2021).
Unlike television and radio advertisements, billboards cannot be turned off or skipped. Iveson (2011) pointed out how, “It has become the only mass medium capable of reaching consumers as they go about their everyday lives”. Consumers spend a great amount of time each week in the car, and billboards are there to catch their attention whether they are on the freeway or alongside the main road. Williams (2009) noted in his study how billboards are ultimately the last method of communication consumers’ fathom before taking action. It is likely for consumers to see the same billboard more than once a day in various locations.
Therefore, in Owerri Metropolis where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Effectiveness of Billboard Vita Foam Advertisement in Promoting Consumer's Patronage of the Product Effectiveness of Billboard Vita Foam Advertisement in Promoting Consumer's Patronage of the Product.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation reveals that despite a lot of money spent in billboard advertising of Vita Foam on Nigeria, the smokers habit of our people are still high. Business environment is fast changing competitions becomes more risky as the market and needs are fluctuating daily while legislations and external forces are focusing on business organization to give outward message through billboard advertising Vita Foam companies in the presence of the circumstance has to survive or die prematurely.
Given the rapid changes in faster technology and competition, it becomes risker for a company to rely on the sales of its product alone. These is because consumers need to be reminded of their products. Effect of competition can be adversely unfavourable to any particular type of Vita Foam if it fails to pay attention to billboard advertising are undeed smoke signs, which pollute the air by exposing viewers to toxic image of a toxic substance, then the basic aim of any business organization, which is to constantly satisfy the needs and want of its consumers in the face of all these constrain by coming up with billboard initiative.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of the study is to examine the Effectiveness of Billboard Vita Foam Advertisement in Promoting Consumer's Patronage of the Product in Owerri Metropolis. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows
- To examine the effect of billboard advertising on consumer patronage of Vita Foam products in Owerri metropolis.
- To examine the features that will enhance consumer patronage in billboard advertising.
- To examine the relationship between billboard advertising and consumer patronage.
- To find out if there will be an increase in the sales volume of Vita Foam as a result of billboard advertising in Owerri Metropolis.
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:
- What is the effect of billboard advertising on consumer patronage of vita foam products in Owerri Metropolis?
- What are the features that will enhance consumer patronage in billboard advertising?
- What is the relationship between billboard advertising and consumer patronage?
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.
HO: There is no significant relationship between billboard advertising and consumer patronage.
H1: There is significant relationship between billboard advertising and consumer patronage.
1.7 Significance of Study
The following are the significance of this study:
- The results from this study will educate business managers on the effect of billboard advertising on consumer patronage. It will also educate on the features of billboard that will enhance consumer patronage.
- This research will be a contribution to the body of literature in the area of the effect of personality trait on student’s academic performance, thereby constituting the empirical literature for future research in the subject area.
This study will be of immense benefit to researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.8 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Effectiveness of Billboard Vita Foam Advertisement in Promoting Consumer's Patronage of the Product in Owerri Metropolis, Imo State.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- 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.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- 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).
1.10 Definition of Terms
Advertising: Advertising is the structured and composed non-personal communication of information, usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature, about products (goods, services or ideas) by identified sponsors through various media.
Consumers: This are people who purchase and use goods or services to satisfy particular needs and wants.
Consumer behavior: are those acts of individuals directly involved in obtaining and using economic goods and services.
Perception: this refers to the personalized way people sense, interpret and comprehend various stimuli.
Impact: The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary defines impact as the powerful effect that something has on something or somebody.
Market: the set of all actual and potential buyers of a product or service.
