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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