CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

1.1.1 Advertising and marketing communication

Advertising is a form of marketing communication. Firms use it to inform, persuade and remind target audiences so that they take or continue to take a particular action (Belch & Belch, 2021). In commercial settings, the desired action is usually a purchase. Advertising is also one element of the wider promotional mix, which includes sales promotion, public relations, personal selling and direct marketing. Kotler and Keller (2022) describe marketing communication as the means by which firms inform, persuade and remind consumers about their products and brands. Marketing communication therefore connects a brand to the people who buy it. Because buyers respond to a mix of messages, modern practice stresses coordinating all the tools so that they present a consistent message. This approach is known as integrated marketing communication.

Advertising jingles and slogans are among the most widely used tools of this kind. They carry the brand message in a form that is easy to remember and repeat. Belch and Belch (2021) list several purposes of advertising: to build awareness, to shape the company's image, to create or point out a need, to show new uses for established products, to support the sales force and to retain existing customers. In every case, the ultimate aim is to influence how consumers buy.

1.1.2 Advertising slogans

An advertising slogan is a short, memorable phrase that helps consumers recall a company, brand or product. Slogans are therefore treated as expressions of the brand's essence. Rybaczewska, Jirapathomsakul, Liu, Chow, Nguyen and Sparks (2020) found that conciseness, rhythm and jingle are key features that strengthen consumers' recall and recognition of a slogan. They also found that a slogan's influence varies with the stage of the customer's decision process. In their study of student consumers, slogans mattered most as a source of information during search and as a reference point for judging satisfaction after purchase. A slogan such as "Love at first sip," which Guinness Nigeria Plc associates with Guinness Malt, belongs to this category of brand-building language.

1.1.3 Advertising jingles

An advertising jingle is a short tune used in commercials and other commercial settings. It usually contains one or more musical hooks and carries a message that promotes the product, often by repeating a slogan. Jingles appear mainly on radio and television, and they can also be used outside advertising to maintain a brand image. They are a form of sound branding. Companies create them in the hope that the music and words will stay in listeners' minds, so that the brand comes to mind first when a purchase is needed.

Jingles and slogans overlap. Both are catchy, and both link a specific company, product or brand to a memorable expression. The difference is that jingles are musical, while slogans need no accompanying music. A slogan that is sung becomes a jingle. If the "Love at first sip" slogan is sung in the company's commercials, it functions as a jingle as well.

Studies of brand elements support their commercial value. Singh (2021) examined brand elements, including slogans and jingles, among 210 university students. The study reported a significant positive relationship between the impact of these elements on purchase decisions and students' perceptions of their effectiveness in building brand awareness, brand image and loyalty.

1.1.4 Advertising campaign strategies

A campaign coordinates messages, media and timing around defined objectives. Good campaign strategy involves choosing the target audience, designing the message, selecting suitable media and evaluating results (Belch & Belch, 2021). These elements bear directly on jingles and slogans. A well-written slogan fails if it is placed in media that the target audience does not use, and a strong jingle fails if the message it carries does not match the product's actual qualities. Nigerian studies also confirm that advertising matters for buying behaviour. Abdullah and Kabir (2018), studying consumers of Ammasco oil in Kano State, found that advertisement has a positive and significant effect on consumer buying behaviour. They also found the same for brand image.

1.1.5 Brand awareness and promotion

Brand awareness is the degree to which consumers recognise and recall a brand. It is typically the first goal of a promotional campaign, because a consumer cannot buy a brand that he or she does not know. Slogans and jingles are well suited to this goal because repetition fixes the brand name and its associations in memory. Commercial advertisers use them to support branding, which involves repeating an image or product name so that consumers link certain qualities with the brand. Promotion strategies, including advertising and sales promotion, have been shown to influence purchase decisions. Jatto, Bello and Zubair (2023), in a study of PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC, found that effective brand awareness strategies significantly influence purchase decisions.

1.1.6 Guinness Nigeria Plc and the focus of this study

Guinness Nigeria Plc produces and markets Guinness Malt (marketed as Malta Guinness) in the competitive non-alcoholic malt drink market, and it uses slogans and jingles in its campaigns. The study examines how these campaign tools affect consumers' buying behaviour for this brand. It looks at their influence on buying behaviour, the adequacy of their music and message, the extent to which the product lives up to what the advertising promises, and the relationship between media type and effectiveness.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Advertising jingles and slogans influence consumer buying behaviour to some extent. They can have a negative effect, however, if the message or the music is poorly constructed. A slogan may be remembered, but if it does not appeal to consumers or does not relate to the product being promoted, it may not influence their buying habits. This is why advertisers place such emphasis on the quality of the message and the tune.

A second problem is the gap between advertising promises and product experience. Some firms, including Guinness Nigeria Plc, may fail to deliver what their slogans promise. Consumers who find the first taste of a product unpleasant may feel that a slogan such as "Love at first sip" misled them. Rybaczewska et al. (2020) make a similar point. They warn marketers not to promise young consumers too much through slogans, because inflated expectations damage post-purchase feelings.

A third problem is media selection. If the media chosen do not reach the target customers, the jingle or slogan cannot achieve its purpose for the organisation. This study therefore evaluates the influence of advertising jingles and sloganeering campaigns on consumer buying behaviour.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The broad objective is to evaluate the influence of advertising jingles and sloganeering campaigns on consumer buying behaviour. The specific objectives are:

1. to determine the role of advertising jingles and slogans in influencing the consumer buying behaviour of Guinness Malt;
2. to determine the adequacy of the music, message and jingles incorporated in the advertising jingles and slogans of Guinness Malt;
3. to investigate whether Guinness Nigeria Plc lives up to the expectations created by its advertising jingles and slogans for Guinness Malt; and
4. to determine the relationship between media type and the effectiveness of advertising jingles and slogans.

1.4 Research Questions

1. Do advertising jingles and slogans play any role in influencing the buying behaviour of consumers of Guinness Malt?
2. How adequate are the music, message and jingles in the advertising jingles and slogans of Guinness Nigeria Plc in promoting Guinness Malt?
3. Does Guinness Nigeria Plc live up to the expectations created by its advertising jingles and slogans for Guinness Malt?
4. Is there a significant relationship between media type and the effectiveness of advertising jingles and slogans?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

Hypothesis One
H₀: Advertising jingles and slogans do not play any role in influencing the buying behaviour of consumers of Guinness Malt.
H₁: Advertising jingles and slogans play a role in influencing the buying behaviour of consumers of Guinness Malt.

Hypothesis Two
H₀: The music, message and jingles in the advertising jingles and slogans of Guinness Nigeria Plc are not adequate in promoting Guinness Malt.
H₁: The music, message and jingles in the advertising jingles and slogans of Guinness Nigeria Plc are adequate in promoting Guinness Malt.

Hypothesis Three
H₀: Guinness Nigeria Plc does not live up to the expectations created by its advertising jingles and slogans for Guinness Malt.
H₁: Guinness Nigeria Plc lives up to the expectations created by its advertising jingles and slogans for Guinness Malt.

Hypothesis Four
H₀: There is no significant relationship between media type and the effectiveness of advertising jingles and slogans.
H₁: There is a significant relationship between media type and the effectiveness of advertising jingles and slogans.

1.6 Significance of the Study

1. The study will help the management and staff of Guinness Nigeria Plc understand how jingles and slogans work and how they affect consumer behaviour. It may also guide improvements in message design, music, media choice and the alignment of promises with product quality.
2. It will give marketers and advertising practitioners evidence on brand awareness and promotion in the Nigerian beverage market.
3. It will serve as a reference for students and researchers who wish to explore advertising effectiveness and add to the Nigerian literature on the subject.

1.7 Theoretical Framework

The study is anchored on the hierarchy of effects model. The model explains advertising as a sequence in which consumers move through successive stages from unawareness to purchase. Lavidge and Steiner (1961) proposed the best-known six-stage version, and it is related to the earlier AIDA formulation (attention, interest, desire, action) attributed to E. St. Elmo Lewis. The model is usually pictured as a pyramid. Objectives at the base, such as awareness and knowledge, are easier to achieve than those near the top, such as conviction and purchase. Fewer prospects reach each higher level, so the proportion of consumers declines as they approach regular brand use. The model helps to set the objectives of a campaign and of each advertisement. Its six stages are as follows.

1. Awareness. The audience must first become aware that the brand exists. If most of them are unaware, the communicator's task is to build awareness, perhaps as simple name recognition, through simple messages and repetition. Capturing attention does not guarantee that the brand name will be noticed, so the brand name must be made prominent.
2. Knowledge. Audience members may know the brand without knowing what it offers. This stage builds comprehension of the brand and what it stands for.
3. Liking. Consumers who know the product may feel favourably or unfavourably about it. If the unfavourable view reflects a real product problem, communication alone cannot solve it. The problem must be corrected before improved quality is promoted.
4. Preference. The audience may like the product without preferring it to alternatives. The communicator then promotes quality, value and performance. Campaign success can be checked by measuring preference before and after the campaign.
5. Conviction. A consumer who prefers a product may still lack the confidence or firm belief that it should be bought.
6. Purchase. Some consumers who are convinced may still delay buying. The communicator may encourage action through a low price, a premium or a trial.

The model is relevant to this study because jingles and slogans work mainly at the lower stages (awareness, knowledge and liking), and then support preference and purchase through repetition. It also reinforces the problem statement. Rybaczewska et al. (2020) found that slogans mattered at the information-search and post-purchase stages rather than at the evaluation stage, and this challenges a strictly linear reading of the model. The "liking" stage supports the study's concern with products that fail to meet the expectations their advertising creates.

1.8 Scope of the Study

The study covers advertising jingles and sloganeering campaigns and their effect on consumer buying behaviour. It uses Guinness Malt, produced and marketed by Guinness Nigeria Plc, as the case.

1.9 Limitations of the Study

1. Finance: The researcher lacked sufficient funds, which caused a slight delay in completing the work.
2. Time: The researcher had limited time because of lectures, assignments, examination preparation and the demands of the research itself.
3. Attitude of respondents: Some respondents were not fully cooperative because they feared leaking confidential information to competitors.

1.10 Operational Definition of Terms

Advertising: The use of various slogans and jingles to influence consumer behaviour.

Advertising jingle: A short tune used in advertising and other commercial settings to influence consumer behaviour.

Advertising slogan: A short, memorable group of words used in advertising campaigns to influence consumer behaviour.

Marketing communication: The ways in which a firm informs, persuades and reminds consumers about its products and brands.

Brand awareness: The extent to which consumers recognise and recall a brand.

Promotion: The activities, including advertising and sales promotion, used to make consumers aware of a product and encourage purchase.

Consumer buying behaviour: The attitudes and actions consumers show when buying goods and services.

1.11 Organisation of the Study

Chapter One introduces the study. Chapter Two reviews related literature. Chapter Three describes the research methodology. Chapter Four presents and analyses the data. Chapter Five summarises the findings, draws conclusions and makes recommendations.

References

Abdullah, M. S., & Kabir, M. F. (2018). The effect of advertisement and brand image on consumer buying behaviour in Nigeria. International Journal of Business and Technopreneurship, 8(2), 217–226.

Belch, G. E., & Belch, M. A. (2021). Advertising and promotion: An integrated marketing communications perspective (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Jatto, A. A., Bello, K. A., & Zubair, O. S. (2023). Impact of product branding and packaging on consumer purchase intention: A study of PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC. Bayero Journal of Africa Entrepreneurship Studies.

Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2022). Marketing management (16th ed.). Pearson.

Lavidge, R. J., & Steiner, G. A. (1961). A model for predictive measurements of advertising effectiveness. Journal of Marketing, 25(6), 59–62.

Rybaczewska, M., Jirapathomsakul, S., Liu, Y., Chow, W. T., Nguyen, M. T., & Sparks, L. (2020). Slogans, brands and purchase behaviour of students. Young Consumers, 21(3). https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-07-2019-1020

Singh, V. (2021). The impact of brand elements on the purchase behaviour of University of KwaZulu-Natal students in relation to fast-moving consumer goods [Master's dissertation, University of KwaZulu-Natal]. https://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/handle/10413/20199