The major thrust of this work is to arise the impact of television advertising on Etisalat market audience; a study of Owerri metropolis, Imo state (January – June 2013). This work is divided into five chapters, using the survey method a quantitative tool of data analysis. This work is aimed at solving the problem of how to communicate with different demography of audiences of the Etisalat company and the appropriate media to use. This work also helps Etisalat mobile company to know the need of their customer and how to satisfy them, this research work helps Etisalat company to know if the people of Owerri are exposed to their TV commercials or not. Many literary works and concepts were reviews. The questionnaire approach was also employed to ensure that varying and various shades of opinion about the subject of the research were obtained. One hypothetical question was formulated and tested using the chi-square technique at 0.05% probability level for appropriate inferences. This therefore is a research work that breaks down the effect of television advertisement on Etisalat market audience with particular reference on the Owerri metropolis, Imo state.

Title Page i

Declaration ii

Certification iii

Dedication iv

Acknowledgment v

Table of Content vii

Abstract ix

List of Tables x

CHAPTER ONE 

INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of the Study 1

1.2 Statement of the Problem 4

1.3 Objectives 4

1.4 Research Questions 5

1.5 Research Hypothesis 5

1.6 Scope of the Study 5

1.7 Significance of the Study 6

1.8 Operational Definitions of Significant Terms 6

CHAPTER TWO 

REVIEW OF LITERATURE 7

2.1 Introduction 7

2.2.1 Taking A Look AT Television 7

2.2.2 History of Television Development 9

2.2.3 Functions of Television 9

2.2.4 Emergence of Television in Nigeria 10

2.2.5 The Nature of Advertising 12

2.2.6 History of Advertising 14

2.2.7 History of Advertising in Nigeria 16

2.2.8 Etisalat Mobile in Nigeria 18

2.2.9 Impact of Etisalat Television Advertising On Consumer Choice/ Demand and Consumption Level in Owerri 19

2.3 Review of Related Studies 21

2.4 Theoretical Framework 22

2.5 Summary 22

CHAPTER THREE 

RESEARCH METHOD 23

3.2 Research Design 23

3.3 Population of Study 23

3.4 Sampling Technique and Sample Size 24

3.5 Description of Research Instrument 24

3.6 Validity and Reliability of Data Gathering Instrument 25

3.7 Method of Data Collection 25

3.8 Method of Data Analysis 25

CHAPTER FOUR 

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS 27

4.1 Introduction 27

4.2 Testing of Hypothesis 37

4.3 Discussion of Findings 39

CHAPTER FIVE 

5.1 Introduction 42

5.2 Summary of Findings 42

5.3 Conclusion 42

5.4 Recommendation 43

5.4 Suggestions for Further Studies 43

References 45

Appendix 46

Questionnaire 47

Demographic Data Tables 

Table 1: Demographic Data in Sex 27

Table 2: Age Distribution 28

Table 3: Educational Qualification 28

Table 4: Occupation 29

Table 5: Marital Status 29

Table 6: Computer Literacy 30

Table 7: Do you have a TV Set 30

Table 8: What Network Service Provider do you operate with 31

Table 9: Exposure of Owerri People to Etisalat TV Commercials 31

Table 10: How often do you watch TV? 32

Table 11: Does Your Occupation Allows you Watch Enough TV 32

Table 12: Preference to TV Watching 33

Table 13: Do you Enjoy Watching Etisalat TV Commercial 33

Table 14: Perception to Etisalat TV Commercial 34

Table 15: Perception of Etisalat Television Advertising to Make More Demand of the Product and Services 34

Table 16: Arrivals of Television Advertising to a High Level of Customer Choice and Demand 35

Table 17: Influence of Etisalat Advertising on Consumer Attitude 35

Table 18: Rate of Etisalat Television Advertising in increasing sales 36

Table 19: Impact of Etisalat GSM on the Socio-Economic Life of the People 36

Advertising has grown increasingly popular as an object of enquiry, a field of professional practice and an index of modern business. Advertising therefore is the dissemination of sales message through purchases time and space, Fletcher (1979). It is also a form of communication through media about products, services or ideas, paid for by an identified sponsor, Ozor (1998:p.1).

Advertising is an exciting, dynamic and challenging enterprise. Its often persuasive, fascinating and its materialistic nature makes it an object of criticism and misunderstanding, Benson-Eluwa (2004,p.3). It is the non personal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about products, services or ideas by an identified sponsor through the various media, Bovee and Aron (1986).

Advertising however, performs functions such as marketing communication, education and socialization. It is now a tradition that every business organization communicates with its diverse audience which include; government, consumers, shareholders, distributors, employees, suppliers, and the general public about their new products and policies. Consumer behaviour on the other hand is as varies as consumers themselves. There is no direct link between the act of placing an advertisement in the media and the behaviour of consumer purchasing the product in the sense in which there is a direct link between the consumer purchasing the product and the product leaving the factory. Consumer’s reaction to an advertisement for a product can be varies ranging from a desire to purchase the product to absolute apathy. However, placing advertising in the media is a form of communication which is capable of buying about a kind of action at a distance in an action which will have a profound effect on the eventual sale of the product.

Advertising generally works on the audio-visual senses of consumers and thereby set up in their minds a chain of reactions capable of influencing their buying decisions, Nworah (2004:p.2) the ease with which advertisements succeed in the process of influencing consumer behaviour will depend highly on the credibility of the message. In the light of the foregoing, this research is set out to examine the impact of television advertising of Etisalat on its consumers. Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services (EMTS), trading as Etisalat is a Nigerian Company duly incorporated under the laws of Nigeria in partnership with Mubadala Development Company and Etisalat of the limited Arab Emirates.

Incorporated in Nigeria as a private company, it acquires the limited Access license from the federal government in January 2007. The license includes a mobile license and spectrum in the GSM 1800 and 900MHz bands. Etisalat acquires a 40% stake in EMTS and is now the operator of the unified Access license. Etisalat has been the telecommunications services provider in the United Arab Emirates since 1976 and has footprint in 18 countries traversing the middle East, Asia and Africa. In its many years of operations. It has built up state-of-the-art telecom infrastructure and taken a leadership position of innovation, and quality service delivery among regional and international operators.

In Nigeria, Etisalat made the first official call on its network on the 13th of March 2008 in the presence of officials from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In September of same year, it kicked off commercial operations with the innovative 0809 you chose campaign which enables Nigerians choose numbers special to them as their mobile numbers. Full commercial operations began in October 2008. In the same year in a bid to make the product (Etisalat) popular in Nigeria they used the face of a very popular Nigerian musician called Banky W so as to boost the sales and recognision of the product. The advert was placed in leading television stations nationwide thereby reaching a large audience. This made Etisalat to be more popular because they used the face of a celebrity the whole nation like.

Television advertising is the most powerful form of advertising because it is welcomed into the home by potential customers and it includes the following elements sight, sound, motion and emotion and its kind of affordable. Television programming produces and paid for by an organization which conveys a message typically to market a product or service. Advertising revenue provides a significant portion of the funding for most privately owned television network. The vast majority of television advertisings today consist of brief advertising spots, ranging in length from a few sounds to several minutes. Television advertisement have been used to promote a wide variety of goods, services and ideas. Some of the things involves in television advertisements creating a television advertisement that meets broadcast of standards, and placing the advertisement on television via a targeted air time media buy that reaches the desired customer. To accomplish these tasks it is important to choose a television production company and advertising agency with pertinent expertise in these two areas and it is preferable to choose an agency that both produces advertisements and places air time, because expertise in broadcast quality production and broadcast standard is vial to gaining the advertisement’s acceptance by the networks.