TESTIMONIAL ADVERTISING AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR OF CHIEF ZEBRUDAYA’S CELEBRITY ROLE IN “ELEPHANT BLUE DETERGENT”ADVERT

Thesis Abstract

The study examined testimonial advertising and consumer behaviour of Chief Zebrudaya advert as a frame for analysis. Documentary methods of data collection as well as self - administered structured questionnaire were used to elicit information from the respondents. From the descriptive statistical techniques used it was observed that the majority of the respondents at Chindit Junior Staff Depot BarracksZaria that use detergent regularly aged between 26 – 30 years, which is the age bracket of rigorous activities because of their strength and youthfulness. Likewise, the majority of the respondents were females because female respondents use detergent more than the male and female were more willing to participate supporting the general notion that manual laundry in our society is mostly done by female folk. The results established four key factors as paramount and crucial and indeed relative to the strengths and weaknesses of testimonial advertising. These are the language the celebrity used, how the advert is packaged and what price it will go for. The research findings thus support Ayuk and Nyaseda‘s (2008 9) assertion that a ―well-known and well-liked personality within the society evoke likeness and good image towards a product or services‖. The findings also buttressed the source credibility model which explains that the acceptance and favourable response to an advertisement message depends on the perception the audience have about the expertise, trustworthiness and knowledge of the source. It is quite noticeable that a good percentage of the respondents were influenced by the package of the product and their purchasing power. It was also deduced that respondents are more swayed to buying the Elephant Blue Detergent in the following order; due to feelings they experienced from watching advert overtime (36.%) and also from their experience of watching Chief Zebrudaya in the New Masquerade play (40.7%). However, 13.3% were influenced by their family experience of usage of the product while 10% of the respondents were emotionally motivated to buy this product through other factors such as personal instinct, curiosity, price indices of the product and mere need to just buy something for use. It can be inferred from the findings of the research that the acceptability of a product as a result of its commercial is due to celebrity‘s endorsement of the product.