IMPACT OF SALES PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES ON THE CONSUMPTION OF SOFT DRINK IN PORT HARCOURT. A RESEARCH PROJECT MATERIAL ON MARKETING
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Sales promotion is an indirect form of marketing promotion intended to stimulate quick action. It is those promotional activities other than personal selling, advertising and publicity that stimulate consumer purchasing and dealers effectiveness such as displays, shows and exhibitions, demonstration, coupons, contests, samples, premiums, trade allowance, point of purchasing displays, price cent-off pack and dealer allowance and other known routine selling efforts that are usually of short term activities.
According to Ebue (2000: 240) “sales promotion is that something extra that can arouse interest, creating a buying desire, sparks an immediate reaction from customers, middlemen or company sales force.
Sales promotion incentives are usually of short duration and the aim is to move sales of a particular product or brand above the existing level. Sales would increase if more customers are attracted to the shop, if non-brand users are attracted and if brand users are encouraged to buy more.
According to Nnolim (1979: 142) sales promotions is intended to aid both consumers pull and dealer push. They thus categorized sales promotions techniques in term of their consumer and dealer focus.
Consumer-pull promotion techniques are much activities like sampling, price incentives, refund or rebate, contest, premium like free in-mail pack of non-pack, self liquidators while trade push promotions techniques are such activities like merchandise allowance, money bonuses and gift, management assistance like training, inventory control displays and financial assistance.
According to Kotler (2003: 453-54) sales promotion, a key ingredient in marketing campaigns consists of a diverse collection of incentive tools, mostly short term design to stimulate quicker or greater purchase of particular products or services by consumers on the trade. Based on the sales promotion impact, the researcher used product life cycled theory.
Sales promotion holds a middle ground between advertising and personal selling. It is usually not directed as advertising but it is direct at much large groups than a typical personal selling effort.
Before the sixties, sales promotions had not become popular, but in recent years they had grown so rapidly between 1967 and 1976, and much more in the late eighties, nineties and beyond. Their rapid increase therefore and especially now that world economics like Nigeria are in down turns, have promoted or called the attention of the researcher to research and find out its “impact on soft drinks in Nigeria,” with particular emphasis on the Nigeria Bottling Company Plc and product such as coke, spirit and fanta soft drinks and malta.
Coca cola was found in 1886, and headquarters located in Atlanta Georgia in United State of America. In the year 1953, Nigeria Bottling Company started its operation in Nigeria by holding franchise for coca cola international which means that the formulation of the concentrate and recipe of the product have not been released to the Nigeria Bottling Company but the formula and syrup of the mixture is given to them to help them bottle the product in Nigeria.
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