Abstract

The media has been a tool for influencing the consumer choice of product in a competitive market. These have been influencing, persuading, informing and enlightening the target audience on a particular product through the means of advertising. Nigeria is as a developing nation in all aspects, economically, technologically, politically, physically and otherwise, therefore, citizens should concentrate on how to create revenue for the nation and also bring about employment and advertising is one means to achieve both purposes. Thus, the need for the researcher to embark on the research titled “The Impact of Advertising on the Consumers Choice of Soft Drink – A study of Coca-Cola” with specific reference to Nigerian Bottling Company Plc. Also the design method used by the researcher which is more effective for social sciences is survey method the researcher made use of the most efficient and effective method of sourcing for information from sources that are relevant to the study. Questionnaires were distributed as one of the valid instruments used for gathering information. Respondents were selected randomly and the hypotheses were tested using the simple percentage and chi-square (X2) goodness-of-fit-test formula to arrive at a definite conclusion. The results reflected the impact of advertising on the consumer’s choice of soft drink. Recommendations and conclusions were made based on the findings of the researcher one of the recommendations is that since advertising affects consumers choice greatly, efficient research should be conducted and the information presented should be for just profit but also to provide for their insatiable appetite.

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Advertising function is the pivot around which all other functions rotate. Goods and services are not produced for their owner’s sake, but for the satisfaction of the consumer need. As it is always said that business does not exist in a vacuums it must interact with certain factors, so is advertising.
Encyclopedia Britannica (1999) gives the following definition of advertising as: “Advertising is the techniques and practices used to bring products, services, opinions or causes of notice for the purpose of persuading the public respond in a certain way toward what is advertized”. Advertising is an essential part of our life and the important source of income for the media. Many people say they don’t like TV commercials in the middle of the favourite movie, advertising on a radio, billboards and so on. They said that such advertising is a nuisance, but inspite of it many of them prefer to drink coca-cola and to buy “Sony” or “Panasonic” equipments.
According to Benson-Eluwa, (2005) “Advertising is a form of non-personal method of communicating information which is usually paid for by sponsor through various media”. These definitions can tell one that advertising is a persuasive communication, because it tries to persuade the reader, viewers or listeners to take to the sponsors’ point of view and also to take some appropriate actions towards something.
The essence of being in business by any business outfits is to produce the sales and make profits. In order to remain in business, an organization must generate enough sales from its products to cover operating costs and post reasonable profits. For many organizations, sales estimate is the starting point in budgeting or profit planning. It is so because it must be determined. In most cases, before production units could be arrived at, it will turn to material purchases.
Advertising is not undertaken by management of marketing just for fun or to keep products or services. It is principally involved in persuasion or advocacy, even apparently just giving us information, using media that are paid for to get through to the mass audience with the identity to the advertisers being clear. “Advertising has the mandate to sell the advertisers’ goods and help the consumers to shop wisely” – Nnayelago (1995). Advertising is to communicate information about a product, services or idea and thus, to stimulate demand. As a result of large scale product, mass distribution and accelerated forms of communication, advertising has undoubtedly become a necessary part of the marketing economy.
The economists believe that advertising is persuasive because they agree that advertising is not interested much in fulfilling that desire of consumers, people taste are changed so that they will buy what has been manufactured.
The criticism in reality is a negation of the concept of consumer sovereignty, which claims that the free market generates the flow of production along the lines that satisfies consumer taste. Here, taste determines what shall be produced; producer sovereignty governs the consumer versus producer sovereignty in the market place.
For us to fully know the meaning of advertising we should also know the various ways advertising can be performed and some of these ways are: * Through media, which can be broadcast media (television and radio) or print media (newspaper, magazine or pamphlets) these are means or channels where information on the product can be disseminated to a scattered audience usually at the same time and successfully. It requires a lot of research before it can be done properly. * It can also be done through displays of the product on a moving vehicle, shops or buildings. It is usually done in a catching way in order to catch the attention of the people. * Another is through billboards which are a large signpost or boards placed on busy roadsides, creating the awareness of the existing product to all the people passing by. * Traditionally, these are ways to advertise a product with the use of hawking, town crying and calls to the village members with any significant symbol depending on the culture of that place.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Advertising as a marketing tool serves the function of stimulating a products distribution and to build brand preference and loyalty. This study tends to find out reasons for the performances of consumers on their choice of soft drink.
From the above statement the following were the problems the researcher intends to look into: * The inefficiency of advertising in Nigeria. * The reasons for the reduction of advertisers coming to the media house for the advertisement. * Reasons consumers pay little attention to commercials on the broadcast media and advert placing on print media. * The role advertisement plays on the consumer’s choice of soft drink and how effective they are.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The main objective of this study is to find out the impact of advertising on consumer’s choice of soft drink and examine activities of Nigeria Bottling Company Plc with respect to advertising branding of coca-cola which is the flagship of its products. This research work is also designed to achieve the following specific objectives. i. To examine the impact of advertising on consumer buying behaviours. ii. To determine the influence of age on advertising. iii. To make recommendations for further improvement in advertising and brand management so as to assist Nigerian Bottling Company Plc in particular and other firms in the food and beverage industries in general in their marketing efforts to increase their market shares.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1. How does advertisement affect consumer choice in a competitive market? 2. What influence advertising has on consumer’s choice of soft drinks? 3. Could advertising be said to create enough awareness as to have impact on consumers and to chance brand loyalty to soft drinks?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
H1: Consumers choice of soft drinks is related to consumer’s exposure to advertisements of soft drinks.
Ho: Consumers choice of soft drinks is not related consumer’s exposure to advertisements of soft drinks.
H2: Loyalty to a brand of soft drink depends on the volume of advertising.
Ho: Loyalty to a brand of soft drink does not depend on the volume of advertising.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study will benefit mostly soft drink manufacturers and their advertising specialists. The results obtained will also be useful in their advertising management discussion as to creative and budget strategies relevant to brand loyalty and increase of demand for their product.
The study will also be of great use to mass communication and marketing students who intend to take up similar studies. The study again benefit some manufacturing companies of soft drink to secure brand loyalty and also some soft drink companies that have not been to captive market and make profits.

1.7 SCOPE AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The study focuses on the effect of advertising on consumer’s choice of soft drink. It centered on Enugu Metropolis.

1.8 ASSUMPTIONS
This research project is based on the following assumptions which were important in the formation of the hypotheses. 1. It is assumed that the consumers perception of advertisements influence their choice of soft drink. 2. It is assumed that advertising create awareness, immediate demand and sales of soft drinks. 3. It is assumed that advertising helps in creating brand loyalty of soft drinks. 4. It is assumed that the consumer choice of soft drink is related to the quality and the price of the soft drink.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS
The definition of terms were both operational and conceptual. This is to suit the research work. So the researcher were able to explain these terms effectively.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS 1. Advertising: It is a method used to attract the attention of the consumers or audience to a product. It is a means of persuading them to buy your view, opinion, ideas and products which are usually done by a sponsor either an individual, firm or government. 2. Consumer: Is a person who buys goods for consumption. 3. Product: Is the good or service of a demand company. 4. Nigerian Bottling Company Plc: Is a company deals with the production of beverages and nonalcoholic drinks in Nigeria and owned by Nigerians.
CONCEPTUAL DEFINITION OF TERMS 1. Advertising: Is the action or activity surrounding advertisement. 2. Consumer: Is the final destination of all products, produced, before a product is said to be successfully distributed, it must reach the consumers. 3. Products: Are the finished goods of a raw material done by a well defined company for consumption by the consumers.
Nigerian Bottling Company Plc: is a factory dealing with the production of non-alcoholic, beverages owned by Nigerians.