Advertisement and Consumer Buying Behavior Among Women in Tolon District in the Northern Region of Ghana

Advertisement and Consumer Buying Behavior Among Women in Tolon District in the Northern Region of Ghana

Ania Selina. Amalba¹, Kurugu Vida Caroline², Ofori George Ankamah³, Soyeh Cynthia Anuyire⁴, Abadamloora Beatrice⁵

¹Faculty is Industrial Arts and Technology, University for Development Studies. Ghana

²Finance Directorate, Bolgatanga Technical University, Bolgatanga, Ghana

³KTCSR, University for Development Studies, Tamale. Ghana

⁴Office of the Campus Principal, University for Development Studies. Ghana

⁵Department of Agricultural and Consumer Science Education, University for Development Studies. Ghana

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.90400340

Received: 26 March 2025; Accepted: 31 March 2025; Published: 14 May 2025

ABSTRACT

Advertising is a powerful, highly visible communication force and one of the most essential marketing communications instruments for selling products, services, ideas, and images, among other things. Many people feel that advertising reflects current demands. The study used a quantitative method research approach to investigate the source of advertisement, factors that influence consumer buying behavior, and the influence of advertising on consumer buying behavior in the Tolon District. The sample size was 346. According to the findings of this research, social media is the primary source of advertisement in the Tolon District. It was estimated that about43 percent of respondents indicated advertising is very paramount in influencing consumer buying behavior. The study recommends that marketers should take advantage of social media to advertise their products to increase their revenue.

Keywords: Advertising, Consumer, Behaviour, Women

INTRODUCTION

In the world today, advertisement plays a vital role in purchasing goods and services. It has a great influence on the minds and behaviors of consumers. The behavior of consumers is based on individual needs, and these consumers are the main target of the market. An advertisement is an act of drawing the attention of the public to goods and services through a paid announcement by an identified sponsor. There are different ways of advertising products which include; radio, television, magazines, social media, billboards, newspapers, and many more. According to Maiya (2020), advertising is a marketing communication that employs an openly sponsored, non-personal message to promote or sell a product, service, or idea. Sponsors of advertising are typically businesses wishing to promote their products or services. Most advertisement is directed toward groups rather than individuals, and advertising is usually delivered through media such as television, social media, and newspapers. Advertising reminds customers of the benefits of the business product and services.

According to Jhangiani and Tarry (2014), advertising, which is one of the components of the interaction, has the main objective of catching customers’ interest and attempting to persuade them to buy a certain product by changing or improving their attitudes either toward the cognitive, emotional or behavioral level. Those who persuade should also grasp how the information they provide refers to the receiver’s motivations, needs, and objectives. The success of the market depends largely on advertisement as it is the main component of interaction between brand management and consumers. The probability of a company surviving without advertisement is very low. Social media is increasingly becoming a tool and playing a major role in advertisement. According to Herhold (2017), we live in an information-obsessed environment. This is why advertisers go the extra mile to improve their advertisements.

State of Advertisement in Tolon District

Advertisements over the years have been the channel of communication where consumers get to select the right products of their choice. In Ghana, advertisement has been successful over the years because of its convincing power. Ahmetoglu et al. (2010) say that advertisements have a convincing power and have a motivating tool to persuade the audience including listeners, readers, and viewers to buy products or services. However, advertisement is not only the source or channel to get to consumers because it has its disadvantages. Bashir and Malik (2009) have the opinion that consumers are price-conscious which is common nowadays in our society. They turn to behave rationally by choosing less expensive products. Tolon District is one of the deprived Districts in the Northern sector of Ghana. Many radio stations are centered in the main town of Tamale bordering the district. However, most consumers depend on the radio for advertisements. Advertisements have also become very expensive therefore, most local products which consumers mostly deal with are not even advertised because of the cost. The Tolon district with Tolon as its capital has limited access to technology, which modern-day advertisement depends on. According to PHC (2010), the total population of 12 years and older in the Tolon District is 45,020. Out of this 45,020, 7,061 of the population use mobile phones. Mobile phone ownership and usage have formally become the most widely-used telecommunication tool in the world and have been spreading around the world faster than any telecommunication technology (Castells et al., 2004). Also, with regards to internet users in the Tolon communities, the number of people that use the internet facility is 1,054 people. The low numbers of internet users could be linked to low levels of education and awareness of the role and importance of the internet as a tool for development in the district. It can also be reported that the total number of households having desktop/laptop computers is 7,061. However, despite these challenges, advertisements in many other forms impact consumers, and this study seeks to find out the impact of advertisements on consumer buying behavior in the Tolon community. It is in light of this that, this paper examines how advertisements impact consumer buying behavior in Tolon.

Theoretical Framework

The paper was guided by the empirical review of suitable theories.

AIDA Model                                                                                                             

The AIDA (Attention-Interest-Desire-Action) model was created by Elias St. Elmo Lewis in 1898. Several advertisers use this strategy to define the many stages of consumer involvement with an advertisement. It essentially describes how a customer interprets the information they are exposed to in the media (Glowa, 2002). To get the intended communication effects from the advertising, the person must process the elements in the way that they were intended. This communication effect needs to be linked to the brand because, in the right situations, it will lead to action (Purchase of the product or service). A range of desired goal behaviors on the part of distributors or consumers can likewise be considered actions. This behavior can take the shape of visiting retail stores or making sales inquiries. It outlines the phases that characterize the steps taken by a consumer to become a potential customer. According to this paradigm, there are four stages: Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action (Glowa, 2002). The first stage implies that a consumer’s choice to buy a product starts when the thing gets his or her attention. Following that, he or she develops an interest in the product, which is followed by a desire for it to meet his or her needs. After that, the consumer decides on whether or not to buy the product. Figure 1 below depicts the four stages that a customer goes through before making a purchasing choice, namely cognitive, emotional, and behavioral stages, in that sequence.

Elias St. Elmo Lewis (1898)

Figure 1. AIDA Model                                      

Theory of Reasoned Action

The Theory of Reasoned Action posits that behavior is a function of behavioral intentions that are, in turn, a function of attitudes and subjective norms. Reasoned action theory explains conduct by identifying and arranging the relationships between the key determinants of behavior and the sources of these determinant factors (Yzer, 2013). According to the Theory of Reasoned Action, there is a correlation between the brand image of a product and the purchasing decision or intention (Lin, 2018). A consumer’s attitude about a specific brand is more likely to impact his or her purchasing choice or intention. People are more inclined to buy a product whose brand has the most effect on them (Castells, 2004).

Conceptual Framework

Most marketers and managers strive to find a solution to the topic of the impact of advertising and how advertisements function. Usually, the main goal of advertising is to influence consumers’ purchasing decisions. The majority of the time, customer buying behavior is determined by how the buyer feels about the product’s marketing (Smith & Neijens, 2006). According to Gorn (1982), customer behavior is entirely influenced by advertising and does not take the product’s attributes into account. A conceptual framework is developed to analyze the impacts of advertising and the variables of advertising that affect consumer purchasing behavior as indicated I Figure 2.

Figure 2 Conceptual Framework

An explanation of the links between the ideas used is provided by the conceptual framework (Fisher and Krutilla, 2009).

Advertising

Advertising is a powerful, highly visible communication force and one of the most essential marketing communications instruments for selling products, services, ideas, and images, among other things. Many people feel that advertising reflects current demands (Rahmi, et al., 2020). Advertising has an impact on people’s views, behaviors, and ways of life. It is a key means of interaction between the maker of the product and the consumer (Rahmi, et al., 2020). According to Karimova (2012), advertising is a text, a text’s framing, and the message’s creation by the “observer,” who ascribes to the message meaning of promo inside the specific frame that the “observer” himself/herself creates. Businesses spend a large portion of their budget on advertising to advertise their goods and services. These advertising tactics affect consumers’ purchasing decisions (Abideen & Latiff, 2011)

In paid search, also referred to as pay-per-click, advertisers place adverts on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) and pay for the clicks those advertisements generate. By allowing advertisers to advertise on these Search Engine Results Pages through pay-per-click or pay-per-view methods, paid search marketing puts this concept into action (Goorevich, 2019).

Social media advertising is also a digital marketing channel for paid ad campaigns to meet the target audience. This sort of advertising typically aims to raise brand awareness, boost social media followers, improve sales of a certain product over a set period, increase website visitors, and increase visits to online shops.

Also, a native advertisement is a marketing message created to blend in with the regular content of a media outlet. With the hope that the recipient will ignore the explicit commercial content, these advertisements mimic the template. This concept predates the Internet era, but it was introduced through it via supported and promoted content, partner content, and many other titles to distinguish it from the primary material. The purpose of this kind of advertising may be to increase demand for the good or service or to increase consumer awareness of it. It may not contain a link to the business that is paying for the advertisement and does not demand that the customer take immediate action (Goorevich, 2019).

A marketing message is distributed throughout print media using print advertisements. Another safe and effective method of encouraging conversation is print advertising. For instance, posters can be used in several mediums and are ubiquitous, appearing in places like bus stops, stations, and other public transit hubs. In addition to posters, other types of advertising materials include flyers, brochures, leaflets, business cards, catalogs, placemats, and more. By placing advertisements in unexpected places where people would never expect to see them, street marketing is the technique of introducing advertising into people’s daily lives on the street (Prakshi, 2021).

Likewise, broadcast advertising commonly refers to print, radio, television, and online advertisements. The advertisements heard and shown on radio and television play a significant role in the dissemination of information. According to Juneja (2021) the audience of broadcast media, including TV and radio, is larger than that of print media. Radio and television advertising fall under the heading of mass marketing because they can target both a domestic and international audience. Broadcast advertising seeks to reassure viewers of the advantages of the product. It is said to be a very effective marketing tactic. The length of the commercial and the precise time it is shown affect the cost of advertisements on this channel (Juneja, 2021).

Finally, utilizing highway billboards, transit banners, and other forms of outdoor advertising, a message is communicated to the public at large. Given that outdoor advertisements are enormous and widely seen, they are a crucial type of advertising. Through highway billboards, transit banners, etc., this sort of advertising communicates with the broader population. The message that has to be communicated in the advertisement must be unambiguous. Images can be used, but they shouldn’t be used excessively. Therefore, everything must be introduced to the audience in this manner for them to determine whether to purchase the good or service. Advertising that urges viewers to buy a product, take a vacation, support a political candidate, or donate to a good cause may be the message being delivered. According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), millions of dollars are spent on outdoor advertisements annually, and the amount is expected to increase. This is because as outside traffic increases year over year, so does the potential audience for outdoor marketing (Juneja, 2021).

Consumer Behavior

It is a group of behaviors consumers engage in while deciding to buy a good or service. It also encompasses everything a customer does to choose, acquire, utilize, and discard a product Haider & Shakib 2017). It is also known as the collection of cognitive and motor actions involved in the acquisition and utilization of products and services, including their evaluation, comparison, and purchase. To satisfy needs and desires, an individual or group of individuals may pick, purchase, and use a good or service, a concept, or even an experience, thus according to Haider & Shakib’s (2017) definition of consumer behavior. Meshesha (2018) asserts that even though consumers may appear to be similar and share a few traits, they are not.

All marketing decisions are founded on presumptions about customer behavior, which is a complicated, dynamic, multidimensional process (Panitapu, 2013). Consumer behavior is the study of why, what, when, and how consumers purchase a product or a brand (Kumar et al, 2014). Similarly, according to Schiffman and Kanuk, (1997), how people decide to spend their available resources (time, money, and effort) on consumption-related things is the main emphasis of the study of consumer behavior.

Consumer behavior refers to how people behave when they go out to buy things (Qazzafi, 2019). The study of how people make purchasing decisions is known as consumer behavior. Pre-purchase and post-purchase behavior are both possible. Consumer behavior is characterized as the mental, emotional, and physical processes people use to choose, buy, use, and discard goods and services to satiate needs and wants (Schifman & Kanuk, 2009).

Commercial and industrial institutions are now interested in researching consumer behavior due to the quick changes in tastes, lifestyles, technology, education, and industry. In particular, due to their requirement for information, data, consumer statistics, buying behavior, and purchase decisions. Commercial and industrial institutions gain by studying customer behavior in a variety of ways, which include:

• Consumer behavior helps prioritize, embody investment goals, and distributing the available resources in a way that assures the institution earns enough money to maintain its development and significant expansion (Prakshi, 2021).
• Consumer behavior guides the strategic and planning process regarding the quantity as well as sort of goods and commodities that should be produced, taking into account the preferences, needs, tastes, motives, and capacities of the customers.
• Consumer behavior can be used to identify possible marketing opportunities and also the elements of the marketing mix (Prakshi, 2021).
• According to Haider & Shakib (2017), understanding customer purchasing behavior is crucial because it enables companies to develop and implement better marketing plans.
• Researching consumer behavior also helps businesses save money that may otherwise be spent haphazardly on creating goods that might not find a market (Neisha, 2021).

Factors that Influence Consumer Behavior

Engel (1986) asserts that cultural, personal, and psychological factors all have a significant impact on consumer purchasing.

A person’s basic beliefs, desires, and behaviors that they have learned from their families and other significant organizations. The most fundamental reason for someone’s desires and actions is their culture. Every group or community has its own culture, and cultural influences on consumer behavior might differ significantly from one country to the next. Another component related to culture is a subculture. This describes a group of individuals who have similar value systems based on comparable circumstances and experiences. Each culture has smaller subcultures, which are groups of people that share a set of values based on similar events and circumstances in their lives. Nationalities, religions, racial groups, as well as geographical locations all, comprise a subculture.

Age, life cycle stage, family life cycle, and occupation all influence it. Throughout a person’s lifetime, the goods and services they acquire fluctuate due to personal factors including age and life cycle stage. Age is frequently a factor in tastes in cuisine, clothing, furnishings, and entertainment. The stage of the family life cycle has an impact on purchasing as well.

Motivation, perception, learning, beliefs, and attitudes are examples of psychological elements. Motivate (drive) a need that is urgent enough to lead someone to seek out the satisfaction of the need. Perception is the method by which individuals choose, arrange, and interpret data to create a meaningful impression of the outside world. Attitudes and beliefs: An attitude is a person’s persistently positive or negative assessments, feelings, and tendencies towards an object or an idea. A belief is a descriptive notion that a person has about something.

Consumer Buying Decision Process

Before, during, and after the purchase of goods or services, the consumer buying decision process refers to the decision-making processes that begin with the consumer buying things or services in exchange for money in the market (Lumen, n.d.). If a marketer is effective in understanding consumer behavior as it relates to the consumer buying decision process for products or services, then the marketer may be successful in selling those goods or services (Qazzafi, 2019). The five steps of the consumer buying decision process include problem recognition, information search, alternative evaluation, purchase decision, and post-purchase behavior. It demonstrates how a customer thinks before purchasing a product (Blackwell et al., 2011). The customer buying decision-making process is depicted in detail in Figure 3.

Figure 3 Consumer buying behavior process

Consumers’ buying decisions are mostly dependent on these five stages of the buying process. Need recognition is the initial step in the customer decision-making process. “Problem recognition” is another name for it. It begins with the most fundamental requirements of oxygen, water, food, and shelter. According to Shma (2012), companies should recognize the needs of their customers and work to meet them. Companies can identify a consumer’s demand and develop marketing tactics based on this information (Kotler & Keller, 2016).

When a customer identifies a need that may be met by the purchase and consumption of a product, the quest for information begins. Depending on the intricacy of the decisions to be taken, as well as his level of engagement, he will seek more or less information (Metadata, 1945). The customer will then use internal and external information to build an opinion that will drive his choice and decision-making process.

Evaluation of alternatives is the third step of the purchasing decision-making process for consumers. Following the collection of information, the consumer will be able to assess the many options available to him, determine which are most appropriate for his needs, and select the one that he believes is best for him (Metadata, 1945). To accomplish so, he will assess their qualities in two ways. The objective aspects (such as the product’s features and functioning), as well as the subjective (the consumer’s perception and perceived value of the brand, or its reputation).

Per the arguments of Metadata (1945) after evaluating the many solutions and goods available to answer his requirement, the customer will be able to select the product or brand that appears to be the most suited for his needs. Then it’s time to make the real purchase. His decision will be based on the information and the choice he made in the previous stage, which was based on the perceived value, product characteristics, and capabilities that he values. The purchase decision is also influenced by the surrounding environment (Metadata, 1945).

After purchasing and using the goods, the customer will assess their suitability for his initial requirements (those that caused the buying behavior). And whether he made the proper decision in purchasing this stuff. He will either be pleased with the product or dissatisfied with it (and the choice). Alternatively, if the product falls significantly short of expectations, it might be a disappointment. According to Metadata (1945), Companies may enhance their marketing strategy by enhancing their understanding of the Consumer Buying Decision Process, allowing them to effectively respond and be present with their consumers at each stage of their buying behavior.

Forms of consumer behavior

There are five different forms of consumer behavior, including complicated, dissonance-reducing, habitual, complex, and variety-seeking behaviors.

Complicated buying behavior

When buyers purchase expensive, seldom-purchased goods, they exhibit this kind of behavior. Before making a high-value investment, they are heavily involved in the research and purchasing processes. When it comes to pricey and highly expressive items, consumers are quite involved (Kotler & Keller, 2009). Consider purchasing a home or a vehicle; these are examples of complicated purchasing behaviors.

Dissonance-reducing buying behavior

Despite being heavily involved in the purchasing process; the customer finds it challenging to distinguish between different brands. When a customer fear they may regret their decision, there may be “dissonance.” As a result, consumers may respond primarily to a relatively better price. Consumers may suffer post-buy dissonance after making a purchase (after sales discomfort). This is the type of consumer behavior that mostly ignorant customers exhibit (Kotler & Keller, 2006).

Habitual Buying Behavior

When engagement is minimal and brand distinctions are negligible, habitual purchasing behavior develops. In this situation, customers typically choose a brand out of familiarity rather than developing a strong opinion of it. This indicates that buyers do not thoroughly research the various brands, do not discover substantial brand distinctions, and purchase the goods without exerting a lot of effort (Kotler & Keller, 2006).

Complex Buying Behavior

When there are large disparities between brands and when the buyer is heavily involved in the purchase, complex purchasing behavior emerges. Complex purchasing behavior necessitates a high level of customer engagement. Consumers can identify key distinctions between rival brands when there is substantial customer participation. When it comes to pricey and highly expressive items, consumers are quite involved (Kotler & Keller, 2009). The acquisition of a new house or a computer may be related to this behavior.

Variety Seeking Buying Behavior

Consumers engage in variety-seeking purchasing behavior when there is little consumer interaction but a clear distinction between brands. Due to the little or cheap cost of switching products under these circumstances, consumers frequently move brands (Kotler & Keller, 2006). Consumers that wish to keep up with the newest fashion trends frequently make this buying choice.

Advertisement and Consumer Buying Behavior in the Ghanaian context

In her research, Boateng (2019) explores how advertisements affect brand preference and customer behavior. With a focus on understanding the various media used for Herbalife product advertising, the various types of Herbalife product advertisements, the factors influencing consumer buying behavior with brands of Herbalife, and the extent to which advertisement influenced brand preference of Herbalife products, the study was conducted using Herbalife Products as a case study. The majority of respondents believed that advertisements influenced their use of or purchase of Herbalife products, whereas a sizeable proportion disagreed that certain forms of advertisements altered their customers’ preferences. Additionally, more respondents agreed that advertising has a significant impact on their decision to purchase any Herbalife brand, and their responses support the notion that excessive advertising contributes to the development of a powerful and successful brand.

Monaliza and Harriet (2020) also examined the effect of television advertising on customer purchasing decisions for Propa baby diapers in the Dunkwa-offin locality in the Denkyira East District of the Central Region of Ghana. The study focuses on the components of TV advertisements for Propa baby diapers, the steps involved in purchasing a Propa baby diaper, the variables that affect consumers’ decisions to purchase Propa baby diapers, and the effects of TV advertising on consumer decisions to purchase Propa baby diapers. According to the study’s findings, propa baby diapers’ participants, jungle, and product benefits are crucial components of their TV advertisements. The buying behavior of clients is influenced by a variety of elements, including personal, social, cultural, psychological, and others. However, the study concludes that personal factors are the most crucial. Customers’ purchasing decisions for propa baby diapers in the Dunkwa-on-offin were highly influenced by personal criteria such as sex, age, education level, occupation, and household size.

Agyare (2019) conducted a study to investigate and understand the impact of e-advertising on consumers’ purchase decisions in Accra. The study identified some of the crucial components in online advertisements that affect customers’ desire for alcohol or prompt them to buy it. The study also showed that e-advertising had a considerable impact on alcoholic beverage consumers’ buying decisions in the Accra Metropolitan Area due to the linear link between it and their consumer behavior.

In his study in 2017, Owusu looked at how different telecom operators in Ghana used print and electronic advertising to influence the purchasing choices of tertiary students in the Cape Coast Metropolis. The study’s conclusions demonstrated that electronic advertising media, as opposed to print media, had a greater impact on tertiary students’ purchasing decisions in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Therefore, it is advised that telecom operators in Ghana focus more of their budgetary spending on using electronic advertising media.

Wang et al. (2014) also conducted a study that appears to investigate the impact of online advertising, particularly popup adverts, on social media users’ purchasing decisions. A public university in Ghana was used to gather a sample of social media users who are familiar with these online advertisements. The results show that internet ads, especially pop-up ads, are seen negatively by social network users as being obtrusive and unproductive. Additionally, the study finds that because social media users have a negative attitude about pop-up ads, they do not affect their purchasing behavior.

In 2019, Bamfo et al. looked into how television advertisements affected kids’ purchasing decisions. The study evaluated how television advertising affected children’s shopping habits in Ghana. Children who viewed television commercials between the ages of 13 and 18 made up the demographic. A sample of 230

respondents participated in the study, and 202 responses or an overall response rate of 87.83 percent were received and useful. The study discovered that appealing advertisements, intrusive information, and high-quality information all had favorable and significant effects on children’s purchasing decisions (Bamfo, 2019).

Ampofo (2014) explored how advertising affected consumers’ purchasing decisions. Examining how advertising affects consumer purchasing behavior was the study’s principal goal. In his study, consumer purchasing decisions were the dependent variable, and advertising, income, price, cosmetic brand, and other people’s recommendations were the independent variables. It was discovered that advertisements have an impact on consumers’ decisions to buy cosmetics. According to the survey, consumers’ decisions to buy cosmetic items are also influenced by decreased prices.

METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK

The study area is the Tolon community. It is a small town and is the capital of the Tolon District, a district in the Northern Region of Ghana. The Tolon community has a population of 3,753 people. The female population is around 1,905, while the male population is around 1,848 (GSS., 2010). The prevalent ecosystem is grassland, which is intermixed with drought-resistant trees including mango, shea nut, baobab, dawadawa, and neem. Dawadawa, shea nut, and mango, on the other hand, are three major tree species that are economically significant and play a significant role in people’s lives (GSS., 2010).

The sample size was calculated based on Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) sample size table as indicated in Table 1. Accordingly, the sample size for this study was three hundred and fourty-six (346) participants which were chosen from a total population of three thousand seven hundred and fifty-three (3,753) in Tolon. However, because of the study’s time frame, the researchers were able to reach 310 community members for

their responses. The two major instruments used for collecting data were the questionnaire and interviews.  The data collected was analyzed through the descriptive statistics method, by using tables, bar graphs, and pie charts to present data in a simple and easy-to-understand format. To analyze the questionnaires, the researcher used the statistical package for social science (SPSS V.20).

Table 1 Morgan and Krejcie table

Source: Morgan and Krejcie (1970)

‘N’ population size and ‘S’ is the sample size.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The data analysis, presentation, and interpretation of findings were covered in this section.

Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Respondents The gender profile of respondents

Gender is a significant demographic factor. It aids in comprehending society’s weaknesses and how social and economic factors influence men and women in different ways. As indicated in Table 2 below, the majority of respondents 58.1 percent were females, and men accounted for 42 percent of the total population.

Table 2 Response to Gender Characteristics of Respondents

Source: Field survey 2022

The age of respondents

Table 3 below shows three (3) age groups for respondents. People between the ages of less than 15years, 16-25, and 26-35 are included in these age groups. It is observed from Table 4.2 below, that majority of the respondent fell between 16 – 25 years representing 72.6 percent. This was followed by people between the ages of 26 – 35 years representing 25.8 percent, and those between the ages of 15 and below representing 1.6 percent of the respondents.

Table 3 Responses on Age Characteristics of Respondents

Source: Field survey 2022

Educational Level of Respondent

This section investigated the educational level of the respondents that were involved in the study. From table 4 below, the majority of the respondent for the study were from S.H.S representing 59.7 percent, followed by J.H. S representing 25.8 percent, also followed by Tertiary representing 11.3 percent, and Illiterates representing 3.2 percent.

Table 4 Responses on Educational levels of Respondents

Source: Field survey 2022

The various sources of advertisements in the Tolon District

In the context of an advertisement on consumer behavior, it is critical to investigate the primary media source of advertisement that people rely on and assess the degree to which people access them. Figure 4 below depicts the sources of advertisement to the Tolon district.

Figure 4 Response to Media Source of Advertisement

Source:  Field Survey 2022

The data revealed that social media is the primary media source of advertisement in the Tolon communities with Radio and TV as secondary sources. From the survey, 184 respondents representing 59 percent indicated that they rely solely on social media for advertisement, whereas 69 of the respondents’ representing 22 percent of the respondents depend on radio, and 57 of the respondents’ representing 19 percent of the respondents depend on radio.

The study additionally looked at the various social media platforms from which respondents were receiving advertisements. From the investigation, 12 respondents representing 6.5 percent indicated that they receive advertisements from Twitter, whereas 80 respondents representing 43.5 percent receive advertisements from Facebook. Also, 62 respondents representing 33.7 percent receive advertisements from WhatsApp and 30 respondents representing 16.3 percent receive advertisements from YouTube. Table 5 below depicts the responses of the respondents on the various social media they use.

Table 5 Responses of the respondents on the various social media they use.

Source: Field survey 2022

In an interview, a respondent stated that:

‘I like to use Facebook a lot so most of the advertisement messages I receive are from Facebook.’

The study continued to look at how easily the respondents could get advertisements in various media. According to the study, the majority of respondents (52.9 percent) said it is very easy for them to access advertisements, while 26.8 percent said it is easy for them to access advertisements. Additionally, 16.1 percent said they were unsure whether advertisements were accessible through various media, and 4.2 percent said it is difficult for them to access advertisements. Table 6 below depicts the responses of the respondents on how easily the respondents get advertisements in various media in Tolon.

Table 6 Responses on how easily respondents get an advertisement in various media

Source: Field survey 2022

Factors that influence consumer buying behavior

The research looked into the factors that have the greatest influence on consumers’ purchasing behavior in the Tolon community. The influence of advertisements on customer purchasing behavior is seen in Figure 5 below. The task given to respondents was to identify whether or not they concur that advertising influences consumer purchasing decisions.

Figure 5 Respondent’s responses to the Influence of Advertisements on consumer buying behavior

Source: Field Survey 2022

From the study, 61 percent has been the majority concur that advertising influences consumers purchasing decisions where as 39 percent disagreed that advertising influences consumers purchasing decisions.

The study then looked at the factors influencing customer purchasing behavior to achieve the study’s objective. Pricing, advertising, packaging, and accessibility are just a few examples of the elements that have an impact on customer purchasing decisions. Respondents were asked to identify the element that most affect their purchase decisions. The responses are shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6 Responses on Factors influencing consumer buying behavior

Source: Field survey 2022

From the studies shown in Figure 6, about 133 respondents representing 43 percent, believed that advertisement has an impact on consumer buying behavior, while 97 respondents representing 31 percent, believed that pricing has an impact on consumer buying behavior as well. In addition, 57 respondents representing 18 percent, said that the packaging of products impacts consumers’ buying behavior, and 23 respondents representing 8 percent, indicated that the product packaging has an impact on consumers’ purchasing behavior. According to the findings, advertising, a significant factor, has a strong influence on customer purchasing behavior in the Tolon district.

The study went ahead to investigate the effectiveness of advertisements on consumer buying behavior. The responses are indicated in table 7.

Table 7 Response on the effectiveness of advertisement on consumer buying behavior.

Source: Field survey 2022

From the investigation, it was revealed that 141 of the respondents’ representing 45.5 percent were of the view that advertising is very effective in influencing consumer buying behavior. Moreover, 87 of the respondents representing 28.1 percent were of the view that product advertising is effective in influencing consumers’ buying behavior. Also, 29 respondents representing 9.3 percent indicated that product advertising is not effective in influencing consumer buying behavior, and 53 of the respondents representing 17.1 percent indicated they were not sure if product advertising influences consumer buying behavior.

Media advertisements that influence consumer buying behavior

As part of achieving the objectives of the research, it was critical to investigate the most preferred advertisement media that influence consumer buying behavior in the community. The responses are shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7 Advertisement media that influence consumer buying behavior

Source: Field Survey 2022

From the studies shown in Figure 7, about 69 respondents representing 22.3 percent indicated that they prefer advertisements on the radio since it influence consumer buying behavior the most. 94 respondents representing 30 percent also indicated that they prefer advertisements on television and 147 respondents representing 47.7 percent indicated that they prefer advertisements on social media. From the data, it can be observed that the majority of the respondents were of the view that the most preferred advertisement media that influences consumers’ buying behavior the most is social media.

Consumer challenges with product advertisement

The study looked at potential problems that may arise from product advertisements for customers. Respondents were asked whether they concur with any issues associated with product advertisement. The challenges with advertisement are depicted in Figure 8.

Figure 8

According to the study, 56 percent of respondents, who represent the majority, agree that they do not now encounter any issues related to the advertisement, while 44 percent said they do.

The study then looked at the challenges consumers are faced with in terms of advertisement. Respondents were asked to identify the challenges they are faced with in terms of product advertisement. The responses are shown in Table 8.

Table 8 Response to challenges of consumers on Advertisement

Source: Field survey 2022

From the study, 69 respondents representing 22.3 stated that false imaging in an advertisement is a major challenge for them, whereas 58 respondents representing 18.7 percent indicated that misrepresentation of product advertisement is a challenge. Also, 107 respondents representing 34.5 percent of the majority, indicated that unrealistic expectations are a challenge and 76 respondents representing 24.5 percent indicated they were not sure if they are faced with any challenges in terms of product advertisement.

CONCLUSION

This research was a study on the impact of advertisements on consumer buying behavior. Based on the analysis it can be concluded that advertisement has a significant impact on consumer buying behavior. Consumer develops a level of trustworthiness for a brand they have seen the advertisement of.

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