ABSTRACT

This research study focused on perception of tobacco product advertisement by students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic. The objectives of the study were to determine if students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic are exposed to tobacco advertisement to ascertain to find out the medium of advertisement of tobacco products, to find out what appeal to Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic students in Tobacco advertisement and to find out the perception of students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic of tobacco advertisement. The survey method for the study, cluster-sampling was used to select 360 respondents for the questionnaire Administration. The selectivity influence and social category theories were the theories that relate to the study. The questionnaire was a source of primary form of data collection. Findings from the study revealed that students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic are exposed to tobacco advertisements. That the medium of advertisement of tobacco product is the use of posters. Images in tobacco advertisement appeals more to the students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic and the students they perceived tobacco advertisement as improper. The study recommends that for the objective of advertisement to be effectively achieved producers should by all means combine all the creative elements in advertisement. However, the advertisement of tobacco may be discourage due to its health effects.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Certification           –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         i

Dedication             –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         ii

Acknowledgment            –         –         –         –         –         –         –         iii

Table of Contents            –         –         –         –         –         –         –         iv

List of Tables         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         v

List of Appendices           –         –         –         –         –         –         –         ix

Abstract                 –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         x

1.0     INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the Problem       –         –         –         –         –         1

1.2     Statement of the Problem          –         –         –         –         –         5

1.3     Objectives of the Study             –         –         –         –         –         6

1.4     Research Questions                   –         –         –         –         –         7

1.5     Scope of the Study           –         –         –         –         –         –         8

1.6     Significance of the Study           –         –         –         –         –         8

1.7     Limitations of the Study            –         –         –         –         –         9

1.8     Definition of the Key Concepts           –         –         –         –         10

2.0     REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1     An Overview of Advertisement           –         –         –         –         11

2.2     Functions of Advertisement       –         –         –         –         –         16

2.3     Types of Advertisement             –         –         –         –         –         19

2.4     Classification of Advertisement           –         –         –         –         23

2.5     The Effect of Cigarette Advertisement on Youth Smoking Behaviour

2.5.1  Effect of Tobacco on the Health of Students            –         –         27

2.6     Theoretical Framework             –         –         –         –         –         30

2.7     Review of Studies                      –         –         –         –         –         35

3.0     RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1     Research Design              –         –         –         –         –         –         38

3.2     Population of the Study             –         –         –         –         –         38

3.3     Sample Size and Sampling Procedure           –         –         –         38

3.4     Instrument of Data Collection              –         –         –         –         39

3.5     Validity and Reliability of Instrument           –         –         –         40

3.6     Method of Data Presentation and Analysis              –         –         41

4.0     DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

4.1   Data Presentation and Analysis           –         –         –         –         42

4.2     Discussion of Findings              –         –         –         –         –         47

5.0     SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1     Summary               –         –         –         –         –         –         –         51

5.2     Conclusion            –         –         –         –         –         –         –         52

5.3     Recommendation   –         –         –         –         –         –         –         53

References

Appendix/Appendices

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE       TITLE

1:                 Distribution of students by gender       –         –         –         42

2:                 Distribution of students by age  –         –         –         –         42

3:                 Distribution of respondents by class    –         –         –         43

4:                 Respondents exposure to tobacco advertisement      –         43

5:                 Response on extent of exposure to tobacco Advertisement       –         44

6:                 Responses on how the advertisement influence buying behavior      –      44

7:                 Responses on how the advertisement influence your buying –         –        45

8:                 Patronage of tobacco due to the advert –         –         –         45

9:                 If the messages of the advertisement is enough to persuade you to buy the product     –        –          46

10:               Responses on the elements in the advertisement that attract respondents –         –        46

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Letter of Introduction

Appendix 1: Questionnaire

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the Study

Advertisement is a marketing communication that employs an openly sponsored, non-personal message to promote or sell a product, services or idea. Sponsors of advertisements are typically businesses wishing to promote their products or services. Advertisement as a business concept strategy aimed at creating awareness of the existence of a product through the communication media.

Advertising, which is the economic function of the mass media in the society, is increasingly becoming important. Okunna (2002) sees advertisement “as a non-personal communication or information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about goods and services or ideas by identified sponsors through various media (p. 190). Researchers argue that advertisement boost sales and helps the economy of any nation to grow. At various stages of economic development, advertisement becomes an important economic tool, performing different roles according to the needs of the economy due to the fact that advertisement  is dynamic in nature. Through advertisement, the mass media bring already existing goods and services the attention of buyers from all walks of life with the aim of selling the product, idea or a services. Advertisers do not only make consumers aware of existing idea, product or services. They also help them fulfil their needs by selling out the benefits of using such ideas, product or services in a competitive situation. This encourages, greater production and leads to improvement in the standard of living. Individuals being consumers, purchase a product, service or idea continuously most times as a result of the claims made by advertisers while at other times. Consumers are not even aware of things being said about such product, service or ideas in spite of the existing message bombardment.

The purpose of advertisement is to develop customer’s favorable attention towards the product. Collins Dictionary of Business (1995, p. 31) says that advertisement consist of non-personal terms of communication conducted through paid media under clear sponsorship. Advertisement is the visual presentation in the media of a product or services supplied by a film or organization which is aimed at encouraging prospective buyers to buy the product and to provide them with public safety information. In an urban area like Enugu Television provides the most spectacular way in which an advertiser can reach the greater number of people at a time as they possess television sets. Advertisement are a common and accepted part of daily life.

If advertisement have no effect. Companies would not spend so much money on them. An effective advertisement is that which is able to create desire or motivate consumers favorable action if advertisement appeals sufficiently to consumers motive it will motivate, encourage repeated buying of the products, thereby increasing the profit of a firm and promoting the product. This is why Anike (1998) quoting Macorn Erikson has this to say “advertisement is one of the most powerful socializing forces in the culture. It sells images, values, goods, concept of who were and who should be. They shape our attitude and out attitude shape our behaviour.

Many evidence has shown a significant association between tobacco advertising in any forms of media with smoking initiation and smoking intake among young people (Davis, 2008), likewise in the case of Nigeria (Mohamad and Trisnantoro, 2012). Tobacco advertisement is likely to have a significant contribution to youth smoking behaviour alongside cheap cigarette prices, a lack of knowledge and understanding of smoking hazardous and poor regulation on tobacco control. Meanwhile, time exposure is considered as a prominent aspect in advertising (Kotler and Armstrong, 2018). The existence of time exposure is significant in the pop-up-ads, especially online. Audience who are interrupted with unappealing advertising will likely reduce the persuasiveness of the ads and at the same time resulted in an adverse attitude towards the message, such as avoidance of the ads.

A previous study on interruption-based advertising found differences in the impact of ads replacement on a certain timeframe. Such as at different timeslots during the day, at different days of the week at different type of programs and in between programs and within program. However, the time comparison is not valid especially in interruption-based advertising which are broadcast through online media. This is because advertisers placing advertisement on the internet (online) may not be able to control the exact time by which audiences viewed the online ads. Therefore, time exposure of exposure timing should be conceptualized and studied differently between those interruption-based advertising places in mainstream media and online (Chan, Jiang and Tan, 2010). This research seeks to know tobacco advertisement and the health of student of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic.

1.2     Statement of the Problem

Advertisement plays a strong role in the economy of nations whether developed or developing. This is as a result of the useful information they provide to the consumers regarding goods and services as well as providing them with comparative features prices and other benefits.

Cigarette advertising is one of the strategies of the cigarette industry to attract new smokers especially youth smokers, advertising has a high effectiveness in capturing new cigarette consumers so that the advertising strategy and promotion of cigarettes continuous to improve. The position of cigarettes advertising is getting stronger especially in the modern era where advertising can change a person’s perception of a product. Likewise, in the cigarette industry, massive and creative advertising can change the perception of the public, especially students who were initially not interested in becoming consumers of cigarettes, to want to try cigarettes. It is yet to be known whether students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic are exposed to tobacco advertisement and the effect of the advertisement on them. Hence, this research examines tobacco advertisement and the health students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic.

1.3     Objectives of the Study

The study seeks to achieve the following objectives;

1. To determine if students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic are exposed to tobacco advertisement
2. To identify the medium of advertisement of tobacco products.
3. To find out what appeals to Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic Students in tobacco advertisement
4. To ascertain the perception of Akwapoly students on tobacco advertisement.

1.4     Research Questions

1. Area student of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic exposed to tobacco advertisement?
2. What is the medium of advertisement of tobacco products ?
3. What appeals to Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic students in tobacco advertisement?
4. What is the perceptions of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic students on tobacco advertisement?

1.5     Scope of the Study

The study focuses on tobacco advertisement and the health of students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic. Therefore, the work involved the students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, Ikot Ekpene. The category of students the study covers are the ND and HND students.

1.6     Significance of the Study

The study will benefits the government as it will help them to regulate the rate of tobacco advertisement in the country. It will be an eye-opener to other manufacturers of similar products in finding the way to understands the effect of their product on adolescents. The study will standardize their marketing strategies and consequently stimulate demand for academic research on the topic.

This study will benefit all and sundry who are involved in primary advert strategies for their products, this will provide a guide for them. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out this study to help clarify the issue of whether tobaccos advertisement has nay influence on the students.

This study will help communications researchers have a proper knowledge about the problems in advertisement world. The company will find it a useful solution to some of the problems facing them from the recommendation therein.

1.7     Limitations of the Study

In the course of this work, the researcher had a lot of constraints. Most of the respondent refrained from giving useful information to aid this study.

Some respondents returned the questionnaire without filling, while some who had started filling stopped halfway which invalidated some copies.

The researcher could not find some of the respondents that the questionnaire was administered to. Nevertheless, the researcher was dogged and persistent to get the job done.

1.8     Definitions of Terms

Advertisement: Is the visual presentation in the media of a product like tobacco which encouraging propective buyers to purchase a product like tobacco.

Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic: This is a state tertiary institution of earning located in Ikot Osurua, Ikot Ekpene.

Effect: This is the outcome that is brought about as a result of tobacco advertisement on students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic.

Tobacco: This is a plant grown for it leaves which are dried and fermented before being put nicotine, an ingredients that can lead to addiction, which is why so many people using tobacco find it difficult to quit.