Abstract
The main purpose of this study is to find out the influence of advertising on Caritas University undergraduates´ patronage of Goodmorning cornflakes. The study adopted the survey research method using the questionnaire as its research instrument. Out of 100 copies of questionnaire distributed to the respondents who were undergraduate students of Caritas University, 100 copies were retrieved. The study asked among other questions: what type of influence do advertising messages have on your patronage of Goodmorning cornflakes? The findings revealed that advertising has great influence on he respondents purchase of Goodmorning cornflakes. The study recommends that the manufacturers should increase their media for advertising from radio and TV to bill board, posters and pamphlets so that their advertising messages will reach many people.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Etymologically the word Advertising is derived from the Latin word advert ere which means to draw attention. It‟s all about drawing a person‟s attention to buy a product or seek for services. This is why scholars like Hark and O‟ Connor in Eluwa, (1999), define advertising as the action of calling something to the attention of the public especially by paid announcement. This definition is similar to Frank Jefkin‟s definition cited in Eluwa, (1999), as the means by which we make known what we want to sell or buy. But it is limited from the angle of the media of communication. However, advertising has always been defined by other different scholars in their own perspectives. According to Bovee and Arens (1992, p.7), advertising is a “non personal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about products (goods and services) or ideas by identified sponsor through various media. Wikipedia, sees advertising as “a form of communication used to encourage or persuade an audience (viewers, readers, or listeners, sometimes a specific group of people) to continue or take new actions.” The American Marketing Association defines advertising as “any paid form of non personal communication about an organization, product, service or idea by an identified sponsor. “Answer.com sees advertising as the activity of attracting public attention to the product or business as by paid announcements in the print, broadcast], or electronic media. Aliede in Okunna, (2002), is of the opinion that advertising is “a form of communication through the media about products services, ideas, personalities or organizations paid for by an identified sponsor.”