How Consumers Are Influenced by Brand Awareness - Research Paper Example

? How consumers are influenced by brand awareness Aim The purpose of this project is to study the influence of media on buying. It will also examine how personality is related to buying and the ethical implications of luxury brand advertisement on young people and children. It is expected that personality and age play a crucial role in purchase decisions among the sampled groups. The research paper aims at exploring how media influence encourage purchasing behavior among young people and children. The following research questions will be used to guide this research. 1. How are consumers influenced by brand awareness through media advertising and marketing? 2. How ethical is advertising of luxury brands to young people and children? Literature Review Media advertising has been used by marketers to reach on young people because of its robust nature and influence on the young generation (Klein 13). A study conducted on buying and consumption habits of young people between the age of 14-20 and children around the world, especially on consumption habits of soft drinks, beer and clothing shows that product advertisement contributes about 83 % buying decisions (Khan 105). However, the research based its discussion on the relationship between social influence, materialism and consumption patterns. This research confines its discussion on the influence of mass media advertising on the youth and children as well as its ethical implication (Featherstone, 153). It is worth noting that consumer’s buying resolution is dictated by his impression about the brand (Khan 33). Viral branding is a common mode of advertising today. This involves creating an online “buzz” as opposed to the common modes of advertising (Andrews 83). Hypothesis The process of purchasing decisions is predetermined by prior knowledge of the product. Children and young people acquire purchasing skills, knowledge and attitudes is defined by what they see and hear on social media. They receive the urge to buy products from advertisements posted on various media including television, radio, internet and banners. Self identity aspects show up strongly during childhood because of rapid growth mentally and socially. Their feelings are equally strong a sensitive giving them delicate attributes and varying personalities. During adolescence, the young enter into a period of identity crisis. Due to this they will always seek autonomy from their parents in decision making. Normally, young people seek to have individual relationships that are significant to their perspectives and guaranteed understanding. In addition, young people understand themselves better and as a result identify themselves to peers. “Numerous studies indicate that young people get to know about brands of products via media ads and as such tend to learn individual expressive elements of consumption from the same sources” (Andrews 98). In this research paper, it shall be hypothesized that: H1: Young people and children who learn about a product via the media will be more likely to buy. Apart from the necessity to use a product, media influence through ads capture the minds of the young more than anything else (Klein 112). This stems from the need to identify with what is unique in the world (Khan 67). It is important to note that most adverts on the media are in most cases staged by media celebrities targeting the young. As a result, the young develop strong attachment towards them and buy into their ideas (Featherstone 209). In addition to the above hypothesis, the research will investigate on the effect of brand awareness and personality is related to buying. Thus, it is hypothesized that: H2: Young people who report awareness of brand and have a materialistic attributes tend to buy more based on the influence of media advertising. Images carried in ads on media carry very persuasive ideas. They often encourage the use of a product by the use of attractive images and famous product users in most cases celebrities. The approach associates the products with successful wealthy personalities (Andrews 29). Empirical data from scholars show a positive correlation between the influences of advertisements on media and brand awareness (Featherstone 209). Research Method The data explored in this research were sampled from a survey conducted in the U.S. The sample targeted a population of young people aged between ages 9 to 19 years. The group was strategically chosen and comprised of school going children. They were all boys and girls teenagers. The survey was conducted voluntarily. The questionnaire was pre-tested and revised accordingly for precision. Questionnaires were given to students during class time and were filled by students themselves using a pen and paper. It took the students 15 minutes to fill out. Although 150 questionnaires were issued, only 130 were completed. This represents 87 % response rate. On average, respondents spent about 4 hours on internet and three and half hours on television. The table below summarizes the demographic and media profile from the study. Table: Showing number of hours spent on internet and television as captured from the questionnaires collected from the respondents. Number of Respondents Hours on TV Hours on Internet 10 4 5 40 3 4 35 5 5 45 4 4 Total Hours Average Variance Standard Deviation Minimum Maximum 16 4 0.7 2 3 5 18 5 0.3 1 4 5 The questionnaire consisted of questions on television advertising viewing and participation in advert promotions. All the questions were measured on ten point scale where a higher score is awarded for a positive correspondence. Results Findings regarding interviewees’ frequency of viewing adverts on television bad Internet is recorded on the television. The mean score for advertising viewing was four hours. It was clear from the responses collected watched ads for purposes of finding out where they can buy things they wanted as well as collect information concerning certain products. Summary and Conclusion Brand awareness contributes largely to decision to buy. However, individual personality did not show positive correlation. This indicates that personality is an independent variable; it therefore has nothing to do with consumer behavior among the sampled group. It is important to note that adverts on luxurious brands on media have a negative impact on the development of young minds. Adverts on alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs sway the youth towards their use. Most young drug users admit they started knowing about the drugs from adverts on the media (Khan 70) Works cited Andrews, J C. S. T. A. Advertising Promotion and Other Aspects of Integrated Marketing Communications; Mason, OH: Cengage Learning, 2013. Print. Featherstone, Mike. Consumer Culture and Postmodernism, Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, 2007. Internet resource Khan, Martin A. Consumer Behavior and Advertising Management; New Delhi: New Age International (P) Ltd., Publishers, 2006. Internet resource Klein, Naomi. No Space, No Choice, No Jobs, No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2009. Print. Read More