The Influence of Advertising on Consumer Brand Preference

AbstractThe proliferation of assorted brands of food drinks in the country has led to cutthroat competition for increased market share being witnessed among the operators in the food drink industry. When competition is keen and the consumers are faced with brand choice in the market, it becomes imperative for the manufacturers to understand the major factors that can attract the attention of buyers to his own brand. These then form the basis for marketing panning and action. This study, which was based on a survey of 315 randomly selected consumers of food drinks in Lagos, Ibadan and Ile-Ife, cities in Southwestern Nigeria, examined the role played by advertising in influencing consumers preference for Bournvita, which is one of the leading food drinks in the Food and Beverage industry in Nigeria. Results revealed that both male and female and different age groups were equally influenced by advertising in their preference for the brand. 38.73% of the consumers showed preference for Bournvita out of the various brands of the food drink studied. The major reasons advanced for the preference are its captivating advertising (42.62%) and rich quality (40.16%). TV advertising was most preferred by 71.43% of the respondents of all the media used in advertising Bournvita. The need for high preference to advertising is therefore highlighted for companies that want to not only retain their market but take positive steps to increase their market share.Key Words: Advertisementconsumer loyaltybrandmanufacturer