A critical analysis on impact of newspaper advertisements on brand preference (GC01494)
Abstract
Improving brand preference among customers plays an important role to engage customers in business and build up a long-term relationship. On the other hand, newspaper advertisement can impact significantly a business’s customer relationship management and brand preference among customers, mainly in the mobile industry. However, many organizations are still now want to know to what extend newspaper advertisements impacts brand preference among customers. Thus, this study has critically evaluated the impact of newspapers on brand preferences from the perspective of a particular business, named Vodafone.
In this study, the researcher has used positivism research philosophy, deductive approach and descriptive research design to make efficient in relation to the objectives of this research. The researcher has critically analyzed the primary data that have collected from the survey method. The survey method has done to find and analyze data with quantitative and qualitative techniques. Quantitative research helps the researcher to carry out the survey, which is based on the questionnaire. The questionnaire is distributed to the 60 customers of Vodafone online that helps in determining the role of the newspaper advertising for enhancing customer relationship management of an organization. Qualitative research is done through conducting interviews of 4 marketing managers of Vodafone who helped to get ideas about the incorporation of newspaper advertisements for enhancing customer relationship management.
The key finding of this study is the newspaper advertisement plays a vital role in improving brand preference among customers. Thus, the various elements of the newspaper advertisements are related to a brand preference among customers. The newspaper advertisement establishes a relationship with the customers and depicts a message to customers about a product and the organizational objectives towards the customers. The proper information carried out through the advertisement with an attractive outlook of the products satisfies and attracts every generation customers. As a result, newspaper ads enhance brand preferences among customers. However, the data come from a survey on customers disclose that 21% of respondents revealed that Vodafone’s newspaper ads are repetitive, where 21% of respondent claims it is very less information. And 18% of respondents it has a lack of creativity. In addition, 40% disclosed that Vodafone ‘s newspapers’ ads are not effective enough to engage its consumers.
The key recommendation is, 67% of customers expect more online ads from Vodafone, where 65% of consumers recommend Vodafone to provide more interesting news in newspaper advertisings. Although Vodafone is providing huge information about its products and services through its dynamic website, 61% of customers desire more information from Vodafone newspaper ads. As still now mass-media advertisings are dominating customers mind, 56% of customers would like to recommend Vodafone to provides ads in a variety of mass-media ads. Finally, 48% of consumers suggest Vodafone be more attentive to digital ads because digital ads going to be more popular day by day in the 21 century.
Acknowledgment
It has been a very knowledgeable experience to carry out the research work. Thus, the research work is carried out in order to enrich knowledge towards the role of Newspaper Advertisement in enhancing brand preference among customers. To carry out the research work many challenges came and it has been overcome through the research work. This research work would not be possible without the help of the supervisors. My academic guide needs to thank the most without who’s help the research work would have been impossible to complete. The support and guidance from all have been most inspiring for me throughout the research work.
Chapter 1:Introduction
1. Introduction
Newspaper advertising focuses on providing information and message about different circumstances, products and services that organizations offer. Advertising influences the consumers to gain knowledge about the range of products and services (Adams, 2014). In addition, advertisements are designed and created to highlight quality and integrity rather than price. It aims to connect with the customers’ emotional wants and needs and convey a relaxed feeling. Further, an advertisement can be purely on price promotion. It is made to create a sense of urgency in customers that the company is offering deals, but if the consumers do not move fast, they might go away.
On the other hand, improving brand preference among customers is a business strategy that aims to understand, anticipate and manage the needs of an organization’s current and potential customers (Beverungen, 2013). It is a comprehensive approach, which provides information to every area of business that is received by the customer through marketing, sales, customer services and field support through the integration of people, process and the use of technology and software. The source here is the use of newspaper used for advertisement for enhancing brand preference among customers. It is the most significant tool introduced in the workings of the organization (Buttle and Maklan, 2013).
The subject of this research study focuses on the impact of newspaper advertisement on brand preference among customers from the perspective of Vodafone . In this chapter, research background is first outlined in section 1.1. Then, problem statement is defined in section 1.2 and the research rationale is discussed in section 1.3. Following this, research aims and objectives are outlined in section 1.4 and the research question is specified in section 1.5. Finally, the research structure is defined in section 1.6.
1.1 Background of the research
For improving brand preference among customers, it is important to create, develop and enhance individualized customer relationships with carefully targeted customers and customer groups resulting in maximizing their total customer lifetime value. Previous researches have mainly focused on digital and social media rather than attracting customers through advertisement in newspapers for improving brand preference among customers. However, it is not possible to reach or attract every people with the advancement of technology, sometimes have to adopt the traditional policy for a particular segment of people (Khachidze, 2012). Since the 1980s a rapid shift from newspaper advertising to digital media came into place and thus changed the customer viewpoints about trust and brand loyalty (Roebuck, 2012). Market research says that organizations must be prepared to adapt themselves for advertisement in the newspapers more than the social media. In newspapers, the advertisement of mobile companies carries personalized value segments for each target customer. The picture attached with the advertisement expresses the needs and preferences of that particular targeted group. The picture signifies the usage of the offer or the plan for that group. They are more customer-focused and expressing the plans, rather than enhancing the required offers for all the existing customers. They believe in not all customers are equally important for every product, offer, services and plans. Building relationships with each customer will provide more value to the company and the financial resources will increase. The more generalized form of the advertisement in the newspaper is in need. The operational offering is highlighted than ensuring the customers about the trust and brand loyalty (Shim et al. 2012). They are more offer and new plan centric while giving advertisement in the newspapers.
On the other hand, the improved brand preference among customers contributes a lot to improving company customer retention and loyalty, which also increases sales revenue and profit margin (Kotler et al., 2014). The proper motive and objective of the advertisement stay within the limits of only attracting and acquiring new customers. The needs of the offering are not properly stated. Companies always try to ensure excellence in their advertisement style and design more rather than focusing on the actual needs of the customers. Some of the key elements of mental strategies that have been done by mobile companies are growing up happy, a world for everyone to play with me and playing is fun (Tohid and Jabbari, 2012). These strategies are followed to improve brand preference among a definite group of customers rather than for all.
Although organizations mainly in the mobile industry are using several advertisement techniques in newspapers, many of them are still now in dilemma how newspaper advertisements are exactly impacting brand preference. Therefore, this study critically evaluates the impact of newspaper advertisement on brand preference among customers from the perspective of Vodafone. The name Vodafone comes from Voice, Data and Phone. Vodafone is one of the largest companies in the world rather it is the second-largest telecommunication company preceding China Mobile. It is a Public Limited company, which operates in 31 countries and a partner network for about 40 countries. The brand preference strategy for Vodafone is loyalty and to anticipate the needs of the customers and provide products and services accordingly valuing their perspectives. They follow some of the strategies like consistency, reliability, flexibility, responsiveness and innovative services to improve brand preferences (Vodafone, 2015).
1.2 Problem statement
Vodafone in recent times is facing issues regarding customer relationships, as they are not able to innovate proper advertisement through newspapers. The old generation customers are more habituated to reading newspapers rather than following the digital and social media advertisement. However, Vodafone is mostly focused on digital and social media advertisement and attracting the new generation of customers. This is leading to loss of the old generation customers as they are not satisfied with the customer relationship and proper advertising through newspapers. As a result, it has been a challenging issue for Vodafone to use its newspaper advertisement more effectively to improve brand preferences among the target customers, mainly the old generations and the customers who do not have good ideas on technologies and digital marketing ads.
1.3 Research rationale
Improving brand awareness among consumers and achieving their satisfaction are the key issues for any marketers including Vodafone (Bolton et al., 2012). Markers use several techniques to meet these particular objectives, where newspaper advertisement may play a significant role (Kotler et al., 2014). In consequence, Vodafone is giving extra concentration on newspaper advertisement to increase its brand awareness among target consumers.
Identifying the effective and efficient marketing media and designing the right marketing communication plans depend on consumers’ unique attitudes, behaviors, characteristics, trends in the market. The newspaper ads have experienced an improved development with increased users’ attraction towards particular brands. In terms of newspaper facilities, UK is one of the fastest-growing countries in the present world (Kotler et al., 2014). According to a survey conducted by UK Net Citizen Report (2014), 65% people read newspaper articles, where only 44% of total newspaper readers would like make purchase decisions getting information through newspaper ads (UK Net Citizen Report, 2014). Thus, it has been an issue now for marketers including Vodafone how newspaper ads can develop to attract wider range of readers and consumers…………..
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