ABSTRACT
This study delves into the application of sales promotion and personal selling as strategies to augment sales volume within soft drinks manufacturing firms, focusing on Guinness PLC in Aba, Abia State. The main objective is to investigate the effectiveness of these marketing communication mix tools in enhancing sales volume, market share, and corporate profitability.
A descriptive survey design is employed, enabling a comprehensive examination of the variables involved. The population comprises 120 staff members, including top and middle management, as provided by the Administrative Department of Guinness PLC, Aba.
Data is gathered from primary and secondary sources, with a stratified random sampling method utilized to ensure representativeness. The sample size of 92 is determined using the Yaro Yamane formula.
Hypotheses regarding the relationship between sales promotion, personal selling, market share, and corporate profitability are analyzed using chi-square.
The findings reveal several key insights: Sales promotion and personal selling significantly impact the sales volume of Guinness PLC; These strategies enhance customer patronage and loyalty, consequently improving market share; Guinness PLC effectively rewards customers, leading to increased participation in sales promotion campaigns; Marketing communications through sales promotion and personal selling contribute to enhanced profitability and corporate growth.
Based on these findings, it is concluded that sales promotion and personal selling are pivotal in driving customer engagement, loyalty, and market share. To stay competitive, Guinness PLC should focus on improving budgetary allocations to marketing communications mix, prioritize training for staff, and integrate marketing communication strategies to align with corporate goals.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Objectives of the Study
1.4 Research Questions
1.5 Research Hypotheses
1.6 Significance of the study
1.7 Scope of the study
1.8 Limitations of the study
1.9 Definition of Terms
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Conceptual Framework
2.1.1Concept of Promotion or Marketing Communication Strategy
2.1.2 Concept Integrated Marketing Communications
2.1.3 Benefits of Marketing promotion or Communication Strategy
2.1.4 Overview of Sale Promotion, Personal Selling and Public Relations
2.1.5. Important Sales Promotion techniques or strategy
2.1.6 Sales Promotion and Personal Selling Process
2.1.7. Factors influencing Sales Promotion and Personal Selling Management
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.0 Research Design
3.1 Area of the Study
3.2 Population of Study
3.4 Sampling Size Procedure
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
4.1 Data Presentation
4.2 Test of Hypotheses
4.3 Testing Hypothesis One
4.4 Testing Hypothesis Two
4.5 Testing Hypothesis Three
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
5.1 Summary of Findings
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendations
Appendix: Questionnaire
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
Communication mix is the marketers’ bag of tools for Marketing communicating with customers and other stakeholders. All of these many tools must be carefully blended under the concept of integrated marketing communication in other to deliver a clear and compelling message (Arenset al., 2008)
The purpose of marketing communication is not to recover to cost be to capture the value of the product in the sub-conscious minds of the customers. Marketing communications according to Kolter and Armstrong (2010) is the specific blend of promotional tools that the company uses persuasively to communicate customer value and build customer relationship. Promotion is a means of communicating a product or service to the buyer or final consumer. It should be recalled that each of the marketing communication mix means proper integration of the marketing mix variable and the promotional mix in the right proportion to achieve the market goals of the organization. In other word, Keith (2010) says that promotion as a communication tools is the process of establishing commonness or ones of thought between the seller and the buyer. The brighter understanding and the knowledge of the product helps to keep moving the product forward.
Effective promotion pushes the products along different stages of response depending on the stages of the product on the product life cycle particular response demanded by the marketers. The response could be awareness, liking knowledge, preference, conviction and or purchase.
It is also said that a company can the best quality product which price is considered reasonable, but without letting people to known that such product exist, and can be found at a particular place, such product cannot get market patronage because it is suffering from major marketing problem which is lack of marketing communication/ promotion.
The marketing communication mixes are the follows:
· Advertising
· Sales promotion
· Personal selling
· Public relation and
· Direct marketing
Advertising is an paid form of non-personal presentation and the promotion of ideas, goods or services by an identified sponsor. It involves the use of mass medium such as Radio, television, newspaper (Kolter and Armstrong, 2010). Additionally, there are several reasons for growing importance of marketing communications. These include: a change of marketing expenditures from media advertising to other form of communication, particularly consumers and trade oriented sales promotion, a movement away from relying on advertising focus on approaches which emphasized mass media to low-cost, more targeted communication tools such as event marketing sponsorship, direct mail, sales promotion and the internet. There are also shift in the market from manufacturers to retailers, and the rapid growth and development of data-base-marketing; demands for greater accountability for advertising agencies and changes in the way agencies are compensated; the rapid growth of internet, which changing the nature of how companies do business and the ways they communicate and interact with consumers. There have been increased efforts to measure and improves marketing communications return on investment (ROI) by clients and agencies (Belch and Belch, 2014) (Corbelissen, 2001; 7-15; Shiva, 2003). These factors have given rise to investigations into new ways of managing marketing communications.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The applications of marketing communications is what most marketing managers fail to appreciate the importance of monitoring and evaluating its impact in the discharge of their marketing activities. The neglect has made it impossible for the marketing managers to measure effectively the impact (positive or negative) of marketing communication can make on their business performance. Even when some companies are fully aware of the efficacy and prospects inherent in the application of marketing communications tools in their business dealings. Guinness Nigeria Plc. is player in the Malta drinks industry in Abia Metropolis. The company has other products like Guinness stout and harp, both of them are alcoholic. Malta Guinness has gained a reasonable amount of market in Nigeria for many years and its performance in the market has been said to be satisfactory. Most consumers prefer the product to other competing brands of malts.
Why then do consumers prefer it to other competing brands upon the facts that the price is higher is when compared with other Malta drinks?
Why has Malta Guinness been so successful in the market? Is the success dependent on the quality, taste, company’s trademark or name, pricing system or the marketing communications strategy? However, it have always been difficult to pinpoint exactly what factors that have motivated consumers to prefer a particular brand of product to another over the years, hence, the need for the study.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
Therefore the main objective of the study is the Application of sales promotion and personal selling as strategy for enhancing sales volume in soft drinks manufacturing firms in Abia State. (A study of Guinness plc, Aba)
Specific objective are:
· To determine the relationship between marketing communication mix tools of promotion and personal selling.
· To determine the effect of sale promotion and personal selling on market share.
· To ascertain the effect of sale promotion and personal selling on corporate probability.
1.4 Research Questions
Consequent upon the above objectives, the following research questions will guide the researcher in solving the identified problems.
i. What are the relationships between marketing communication mix tools of promotional and personal selling?
ii. What are the effects of sales promotion selling on market share?
iii. What are the effect of sales promotion and personal selling on cooperate probability?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
Based on the statement of the problem developed at the early part of this work and the objectives, the following hypotheses are formulated in null form and to be tested later in chapter four of this work. They are:
H01: Marketing communication mix tools of sales promotional personal selling does not have effect on company sales volume.
H02: Sale promotion and personal selling does not enhance market share.
H03: Sale promotion and personal selling enhance corporate probability.
1.6 Significance of the study
The outcome of this study will be useful to Guinness Nigeria plc. and other players in Malt drink industry in using marketing communications strategy as a yardstick to enhance the sales of their products within the country. Particularly, this study will assist in broadening the knowledge of the market players on the importance of marketing communications and new media channels available in disseminating marketing information.
Further, this project will be helpful to any student or researcher who wishes to carry out study in future.
1.7 Scope of the study
This research work has been delimited to using only Guinness Nigeria plc. as this study; it covers the benefit of marketing communications, valuation of marketing communications, sales effect of marketing communications and the effect of marketing communications tools in enhancing company sales volume.
1.8 Limitations of the study
This research may be limited in application based on the difficulties constraints that is being experienced in the course of carrying out the project. Shortcoming such as finance and lack of funds, time constraint as well as material sources serve as major limitations that made the project work difficult.
1.9 Definition of Terms
Product Life Circle: Is the concept which describes the stage a product goes through from when it was first thought of until it finally is moved from the markets which are introduction, growth, maturity and declined.
Wherewithal: Is whatever is necessary to get something done or money necessary for a particular purpose.
Metropolis: Is a large city or urban area which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce and communications.
Appraisal: Is the act of examining someone or something in order to judge their qualities, success, or needs.
Persuasively: Ably, fitted or intended to persuade.
Marketing share: This is the percentage of an industry or markets total sales that are earned by a particular company over a specified time period.
Sales volume: This is the quality or number of goods sold or services sold in the normal operations of a company in a specified period.
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