ABSTRACT
The study examined the effect of television advertising on food consumption among children in Umuahia, Abia State. The specific objectives were to: examine the effect of television advertising jingle on food consumption among children; examine the effect of television advertising copy on food consumption among children; and examine the effect of television advertising setting on food consumption among children.. The study adopted survey research design; cluster and simple random sampling techniques. A population of 115,934 parents in Umuahia North and South Local Government Areas, Abia State, were used for the study. Taro Yamane formula was used to determine a sample size of 400 from the population. However, 366 copies of the questionnaire were returned from the respondents which formed the valid copies used for the study. Primary data were sourced from the distribution of the questionnaire to parents in Umuahia North and South Local Government Areas, Abia State. The instrument was properly validated and a test-re-test reliability conducted. The data were presented using simple percentage, frequency on a 5’point Likert scale. The hypotheses were tested using the simple regression model via SPSS (Version 20). Results from the study revealed that television advertising jingle has a significant effect on food consumption among children in Umuahia Abia State; television advertising copy has significant effect on food consumption among children in Umuahia Abia State; and television advertising setting has a significant effect on food consumption among children in Umuahia, Abia State. A major recommendation from the study (among others) is that parents should teach their children how to react to television advertising jingles as such relate to food consumption; as this will help to reduce the negative effect of jingles on children’s demand for sweeties.
Key Words: Television Advertising, Food Consumption, Children.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
i
Declaration
iii
Certification iv
Dedication v
Acknowledgments vi
Table of Contents vii
List of
Tables
x
List of Figures
xi
Abstract xii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem 3
1.3 Objectives of the Study 4
1.4 Research Questions 5
1.5 Research Hypotheses
5
1.6 Significance of the Study
6
1.7 Scope of the Study
6
1.8 Limitations of the Study
6
1.9 Definition of Technical Terms 7
CHAPTER
TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1
Conceptual Framework 9
2.1.1
The Concept of Television Advertising 9
2.1.2 Records of First Television
Advertisements across Some Countries 10
2.1.3
Effect of Television Advertising Jingle on Food Consumption among Children 11
2.1.4 Effect
of Television Advertising Copy on Food Consumption among Children 12
2.1.5 Effect of Television Advertising Setting on Food Consumption among Children 13
2.1.6 Effect
of Television Advertising on Children’s
Food Buying Behavior 14
2.1.7 Development
of Advertising in Nigeria 16
2.1.8 New
Trends in Advertising Practice in Nigeria
17
2.1.9 Challenges and Prospects of Advertising
Practice in Nigeria 19
2.1.10 Summary
of Review 20
2.2.
Theoretical Framework. 21
2.2.1
The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) of Persuasion 21
2.2.2
The Theory of Musical Fit 23
2.3
Empirical Review 24
2.4 Gap in Literature 25
CHAPTER
THREE: METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design 26
3.2
Area of the Study 26
3.3 Population of the Study 26
3.4 Determination of Sample Size and Sampling
Techniques 27
3.5
Research Instrument 28
3.6 Validity of the
Instrument 29
3.7
Reliability of the Instrument 29
3.8
Data Analysis Techniques 29
3.9
Model Specification 30
CHAPTER
FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
4.1 Response to Questionnaire Administration
32
4.1 Analysis of Demographic Characteristics of
Respondents
33
4.2 Analysis of Effect
of Television Advertising on Food Consumption among Children 35
4.3 Test of Hypotheses and Discussion of
Findings 39
CHAPTER
FIVE: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary of Findings
43
5.2 Conclusions
44
5.3 Recommendations
45
5.4 Contribution to Knowledge
45
5.5 Suggestion for Further Studies
46
References
47
Appendices
50
LIST
OF TABLES
Table 1: Population of Parents in the
Study Area
29
Table 2: Return of Distributed Copies of the
Questionnaire 34
Table
3: Demographic Characteristics of the Respondents
35
Table 4:
Effect of Television Advertising Jingle on Food Consumption among Children 37
Table 5
Effect of Television Advertising Copy on Food Consumption among Children 38
Table 6:
Effect of Television Advertising Setting on Food Consumption among Children 39
Table 7:
Effect of Television Advertising on Food Consumption among Children 40
Table 8:
Hypothesis 1
41
Table 9:
Hypothesis 2
42
Table
10: Hypothesis 3
43
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1:
The Model Guiding the Study 10
Figure 2: A Simple
Television Advertising Communication Model 11
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
to the Study
The
media is one of the effective communication channels employed in marketing to
spice up information dissemination process for goods and services. The media is
categorized into print media (newspapers, magazines, catalogues, etc.), direct
mail (direct official system used for delivering and receiving letters,
packages etc., which may include, mail bag/post bag, among others; broadcast
media (radio and television); and electronic media (electronic mails/emails,
websites, audio tapes and posters etc), (Kotler, 1994).
It
is important to note at this juncture that the media having the highest level
of influence on children’s food consumption and request behaviour appears to be
advertising, especially television advertising, based on its audio-visual
advantage (the use of sound and pictures simultaneously). Advertising is any
form of non- personal communication through the mass media that is paid for by
an identified sponsor. Advertising, along with sales promotion, personal
selling, public relations and publicity forms the promotional/communications
programmes of marketers (Nwokoye, 2000). Manufacturers and marketers use
television advertisements that appeal to the different age group of children,
their mindsets and interests in specific products, to promote their brands
(Hameed, Wagas Aslan, Bilal and Umair, 2014).
As
members of the family, children have been categorized by various researchers
and groups as follows:
Children
according to Child Development Institute (1999) are categorized into:
(i)
Infants/ Babies (0 –
2yrs)
(ii)
Toddlers/Pre-Schoolers (2
– 5yrs)
(iii)
School Age Children (6 –
12yrs)
(iv)
Adolescents/Teenagers (13
– 17yrs)
Children
have also been categorized into the following suggested age groups (European Medicines
Agency, 2016; Taketano, Hodding and Kraus, 2016):
(i)
Pregnancy Period (Gestation
Period of 38 Weeks)
(ii)
Unborn Babies (Gestation Period
of 38 Weeks)
(iii)
Neomates (Within One
Month of Birth)
(iv)
Infants (1month – 2years)
(v)
Young Children (2 –
6years)
(vi)
Children (6 – 12yrs); and
(vii)
Adolescents (12 – 18yrs).
For
this study, however, the focus was on school age children (6-12years), (Child
Development Institute, 1999). Children are socially active individuals, making
decisions and responding in a specific manner to various social stimuli, such
as appeals to food consumption (Douglas, 1998).
Food
is any substance consumed for the purpose of providing nutritional support for
the body. In choosing any substance as food, an individual should first
recognize it and classify it as appropriate for consumption according to his or
her habits (cultural and nutritional among others), (Neto and Serafim de Melo,
2013). In this way, far beyond biogenetic factors, food choice relates to
various socio-environmental factors (McNeal, 2002). In capitalist economies,
children have great autonomy as consumers (Oliveira, 2003) in Neto and Serafim
de Melo (2013). This autonomy seems to be having great influence on their
purchase decisions and consumption pattern, especially in the area of food.
Children now seem to be positioned in the consumer marketplace, to shop by
themselves, especially for school lunch and snacks, making food decisions
according to various influences among which television advertising appears to
be chief. Marketers are capitalizing on this to bombard them with captivating advertising
jingles, copies and settings to capture their emotions. In this regard, Camargo
(2010), in Neto and Serafim de Melo (2013) suggested that consumer behaviour
should be studied broadly starting with the consumer’s interactions and seeking
to understand his or her relationship with the environment.
In
line with the narrative, different aspects of television advertising on food
consumption appear to be affecting children in different ways. However, the
aspects of television advertising focused on in this study include television
advertising jingles, television advertising copies and television advertising
settings; and their effects on food consumption among children examined.
Advertising
jingles are short songs or tunes used in television advertisements, while
advertising copy are the words, pictures or illustrations that make up the
advertisement and advertising settings are the environments or effects
portrayed in television advertisements (Nwokoye, 2000). In this study, the
attention will be on candy food or sweeties (sweet food containing sugar and
chocolate, taken by children between meals, like sweets, candy cakes, candy
drinks etc).
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The marketing environment
is characterized by competition and rapid changes in consumers’ tastes.
Consequently, television advertising has come a long way as a veritable communication
tools marketers employ to disseminate relevant information about their bands to
their target audience for the purpose of promoting such brands and with a view
to attracting sales. To attract children, manufacturers and marketers of
children’s food products now invest heavily on television advertisements that
appeal to the different age groups of children, their mindsets and interests on
specific products, (Hameed, Wayas Aslam, Bilal and Umar, 2014). As
manufacturers and marketers of children’s food products are employing
captivating television advertising with marvelous jingles, copies and settings
to capture the interests and emotions of children and are making good money out
of it by way of increased sales revenue and profit, little or no attention is
given to the side effects suffered by the children on that account. How good is
this?
As it stands today,
children spend several hours every day watching different television programmes
including advertisements on food that appeal to their age, interests and
emotions (Klein et al.,1993). When
children watch television advertisements that have strong appeal for their age,
interests and emotions, they persuade their parents to purchase the products
advertised for them (Dibie, 2017). Children now appear to be overreacting to
television advertising on food by way of making excess demand for such food
from parents. Some parents are as well overreacting to television advertising
on food by way of approving such excess demands and making provision for such
food for children (Furham, Abramsky and Gunter, 1997; Powell Szez and
Chaloupka, 2007). Against this backdrop, this study particularly sought to
examine the effect of television advertising jingle, television advertising copy
and television advertising setting on food consumption among children.
1.3
Objectives of the Study
The main objective of
this study was to examine the effect of television advertising on food
consumption among children. However, the specific objectives were to:
i.
examine
the effect of television advertising jingle on food consumption among children;
ii.
examine
the effect of television advertising copy on food consumption among children,
and
iii.
examine
the effect of television advertising setting on food consumption among
children.
1.4 Research Questions
The key research
questions for this study were:
(i)
how
does television advertising jingle affect food consumption among children?
(ii)
how
does television advertising copy affect food consumption among children?
(iii)
how
does television advertising setting affect food consumption among children?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
Hypotheses for this study
are states as follows:
Ho1: television advertising jingle has no significant
effect on food consumption among children.
Ho2: television advertising copy has no significant effect
on food consumption among children.
Ho3: television advertising setting has no significant
effect on food consumption among children.
1.6
Significance of the Study
This study would be quite
significant in terms of those it would benefit and how it would benefit them. The
study would benefit children, parents, manufacturers and marketers of
children’s food, scholars and researchers.
On the one hand, the study
would help children understand the dangers associated with spending too much
time watching television and overreacting to television advertisements on food.
On the other hand, the study would help parents find ways of regulating their
children’s and wards’ general attitudes toward watching television programmes
and advertisements on children’s food with a view to curtailing them.
Moreover, the study would
help manufacturers and marketers of children’s food understand the need for
ethical advertising aside buyer inducement.
Finally, the study would serve
as reference material for scholars and researchers who may wish to go into
studies in related areas.
1.7
Scope of the Study
The study examined the
effect of television advertising on food consumption among children. The study
was carried out in Umuahia, Abia State, Southeast Nigeria. The study targeted
parents, as they have a relatively high population in the area for data generation,
since they have custody of the children and are not likely to give biased
information about them.
1.8
Limitations to the Study
Limitations to the study
are briefly discussed as follows:
(i)
Number of Participants: For a study like this, the number of
participants are expected to be quite large. The researcher was however be able
to handle this by taking advantage of the relatively large population of
parents in Umuahia and used them as respondents to generate data for the study,
through the use of questionnaire. The decision to use parents was based on the
fact that they have custody of the children and are not likely to give biased
information about them.
(ii)
Access Denial: Having access to most of the banks, schools,
government ministries and parastatals, etc., to get parents to participate as
respondents for the purpose of completing the questionnaire was relatively difficult.
The researcher was however able to assess them by nominating a head respondent
in most of the places, who assisted in distribution, monitoring, completion and
collection of the copies of the questionnaire after completion within the
stipulated period.
(iii)
Respondents’ Behaviour: Some of the respondents demonstrated
lukewarm attitude when approached with questionnaire. Some of them reluctantly
collected the questionnaire but did not return them. The researcher (with her
research assistants) made effort to address this problem by approaching more respondents
than the actual sample size, explaining the real purpose of the exercise (being
purely academic) to them to get the targeted number completed and returned at
the end of the stipulated period of 30 days.
(iv)
Inconsistent Responses: Some of the respondents gave inconsistent
responses to some of the questionnaire items. The researcher was however able
to address this by painstakingly going through the returned copies of the
questionnaire one-by-one to identify the copies with inconsistent responses and
discarded them.
1.9
Definition of Technical Terms
For the purpose of this
study, the following concepts and technical terms used are briefly defined as
follows:
Social
Stimuli: All forms of
communication within the social environment that can influence children’s
purchase behaviour.
Packages: Items that are considered valuable meant
to be delivered from one location to another.
Consumer
Marketplace: The process of
buying any specific product as may be demonstrated by consumer or a specific
buyer.
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