Abstract
“Influence of Television Advertisement on the Choice of Hair Relaxer among Female
Undergraduates”, is aim to determine the influence of television advertisement on ladies on
the choice of hair relaxer products. The method of the study is survey method and the
instrument used for data collection is the questionnaire and personal interview.
The population of the study is 2,280 out of which 150 were purposively selected and sampled
Data collected was analyzed in tables and simple percentages. The researcher recommended
that marketers should understand that what consumers want in a product is satisfaction. The
study enlightened female undergraduates more on hair relaxer products that suit their hair
texture. Therefore manufacturers are encouraged to produce quality hair relaxer products
bearing in mind that no consumer can go a second time for a product that fail to satisfy her.
While advertising can help sell a product, it can do nothing to help a sub-standard one.
1.1 Background of the study.
Advertising has come a long way, expanding its coast in principles and practice. It is
gaining more recognition, increasing its application and usage. Since the advent of
technology and within the different forms of information communication technology, it has
become a toast of in the life of manufacturers, products and services, consumers advertising
agencies and the media. In short advertising means a lot to different people. It has given
many people something to think about. In one way, it could be what the people do with
advertising and in another way, what advertising do with the people and for the people. The
people here are the manufacturers or advertisers who, through advertising, are creating
awareness for their goods and services. Another set of people are the public, the consumers,
who are desperately in need for certain goods and services. The advertising agencies are not
left out. They are willing to create the enabling ground for the advertisers for their products
and services and the target audience through a medium or media of communication.
Advertising helps the advertising agencies to showcase their creativity. The media cannot do
without advertising. Apart from the revenue they get from placing such advertisements; it
attracts more viewership, readership or fellowship of the channel. And of course the teachers
and students of advertising are part of this component. The teachers are busy expanding the
scope and application of advertising, adjusting the old form to adapt to the new technologies,
the students are left with the issue of coping, understanding and assimilation and later
application.
Nevertheless, Bovee and Arens (1992:309), say advertising is a “non-personal
communication of information, usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature, about
products, services, or ideas by identified sponsors through various media”. Along the line, the
Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) in Ozoh (1998:1) posits “advertising
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as a form of communication through media about products, services, or ideas, paid for by an
identified sponsor”.
Advertising as a business competitive strategy is aimed at creating awareness of the
existence of a product through the communication media. Television advertising has effect on
buyers and potential buyers.
Television advertising has earned an excellent, consistent and successful track record
of promoting product and services. Television advertising has many advantages for local,
regional and national business. In urban area like Enugu, television provides the most
spectacular way in which an advertiser can reach the greatest number of people at a time as
they posses television sets.
Television advertising is an exciting, dynamic and challenging enterprise. Its often
pervasive, fascinating and materialistic nature makes it an object of criticism and
misunderstanding. It is a form of communication through the media about product, services,
ideas, personalities or organizations paid for by an identified sponsor. If advertisements have
no effect, companies would not spend so much money on them. Advertising help us to
discover much about what appeals to us as consumers and investigate how advertisers
manipulate this to their benefit.
According to Rouse and Rouse, (2002), building a strong image or brand requires
high impact advertising that has high visibility. Television has such characteristics. It is a
highly prestigious form of advertising.
Sybil and Obah (1987), say this form of advertising play on the emotions of
consumers and exploit their desire with intensive persuasion .Advertising aim at promoting
goods and services like relaxer. Benson Eluwa (2005:3) Advertising does more than sell
product. It makes mass marketing possible by making prospective customers aware of the
availability and unique qualities of specific goods and services. It shapes our attitude and our
attitudes shape our behavior, Ahunaya (2004:70).
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According to Benson Eluwa (2005:44) the influence of advertising does not stop at
the economy but also influence the youths greatly by way of sensitization, social interaction,
modification, for example, caritas students. Advertising has influenced female
undergraduates by making them to be materialistic, it affects their value system, makes them
think that life is just acquisition of more things. Advertising creates opportunities and brings
changes in the attitudes of undergraduates by making them change products not minding the
effect of those products, shapes students tastes and habit.
A researcher ,Alvan (2004) in his write up said that „?Advertisements like our age
are hedonistic image management, and fashion driven, they glorify the individual, idealize,
consumption as the route to personal fulfillment and affirm technological progress as the
motive force of destiny” there must be various brands of hair relaxer in the shops, market
stall and in hawkers barrows, the ability for each to sell depends on the brands exposure to
and persuasive power of advertising messages on the buyer as well as the quality of such
brand and finally the availability of the brand.
Some of the brand had long established their names while others are still coming up
into the market example, Ozone, Dallas, Ebony and La-sheen cream relaxer. This is why the
purpose of advertising hair relaxer seems to be geared towards not only informing its
prospective buyers about its arrival but also persuading on efficiency and efficacy.
Television seems to be the best media used to advertise these products. Television has
this partial monopoly, perhaps because of its power to positive music of the advertisement
and the color. Music can heighten the emotional or dramatic impact of the commercial. The
idea of positioning music as unique selling point is to reinforce the recognition of
advertisement. Advertising is a very small aspect of marketing mix one cannot ignore.
Most people in advertising try to ask whether advertisement really work by
influencing consumers choices of product. Although, researchers and data on advertising
have added over the years, the evidence of its success has not been conclusive. The
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effectiveness of advertising and how it generates sales does not mean that progress has not
been made on the product.
Researchers have come up with principles that test the relationship in advertising
exposure and its effectiveness. These principles in advertising which are base on product
selection by consumers were evaluated in this research and it is hoped this will provide
insight into the study of whether advertisement does influence consumers? preference of
competitive products. There are a whole lot of ideas on what advertising is and works. It can
be seen as a promotional instrument that persistently creates awareness of goods and services
with the objective of persuading this target audience to patronize or take action.
1.2 Statement of Problem
The problem of this study is to investigate the influence of television advertising on
the choice of hair relaxer among female undergraduates in Caritas University.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The following are the objectives of the study:
1. To find out if television advertisement has influence on female undergraduates choice
of products.
2. To find out if ladies go for what they see advertized on television.
3. To know if female undergraduates make choice of hair relaxer based on their texture.
4. To find out whether female undergraduates choose hair relaxer based on the quality of
the brand.
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1.4 Research Questions
The following research questions are found relevant to the study
1. How does television advertisement influence female undergraduates on the choice of
hair relaxer?
2. To what extent do female undergraduates make choice of hair relaxer based on what
they see advertised on television?
3. Do you think that the female undergraduate?s choice of hair relaxer is based on their
hair texture?
4. How do female undergraduates choose their hair relaxer quality of brand?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The following hypothesis were formulated for the study
H1. Female undergraduate?s make choice of hair relaxer based on what they see and hear
advertized on television.
H2. Female undergraduate?s choice of hair relaxer is based on their hair texture.
1.6 Significance of the Study
This study is relevance in equipping manufacturers on product design and advertisers
on the most appropriate selection of channel to disseminate information about product
consumption.
It will enlighten female undergraduates more on relaxer products that suit their hair texture
and also an important guide to future students who undertakes researches on similar studies.
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1.7 Scope of the Study
This study is centered on female undergraduates especially caritas university female
students who relax their hair and watch NTA Enugu television advertisement on hair relaxer.
1.8 Assumptions of the Study
The researcher assumes that:
1. The respondents watch television advertisements on hair relaxer.
2. Television advertisements should be informative.
3. Television advertisement influence female students on the choice of hair relaxer.
4. The quality of advertisement message determines the choice of brand.
1.9 Operational definition of significant terms
In these research works, the variables used were operationally defined, the meaning reflect
how the researcher wants the variables to be understood in the context of the work.
1. Advertising: A group of activities aimed at dissemination of information many paid
on personal formation concerning an idea, product or service (both new brand and old
products) to compel action in accordance with the intent of an identified sponsor.
2. Television: This is an electronic device that has both visual and audio effect with the
aid of electro-magnetic wave.
3. Female Undergraduates: Young ladies who are still undergoing the process of higher
education or learning.
4. Hair Relaxer: A cream that makes the hair easier to straighten and manage.
5. Choice: Act of choosing out of multiple items or brands of products