Marketing in Developing Countries

Nigerian Advertising in a Global and Technological Economy

Emmanuel C. Alozie

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9780789001412
• eBook ISBN: 9781135696931
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Advertising
• Index: Business

No prior studies have examined the role, relationship, and impact of advertising and information technologies on African societies. Critically exploring the dominant cultural values and symbols conveyed in Nigerian mass media advertising, and the impact of this advertising on the socioeconomic development of Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa, this volume examines the many facets of the African marketplace. Marketing in Developing Countries: Nigerian Advertising in a Global and Technological Economy will aid current and potential investors and businesses in interpreting the cultural, socioeconomic, and technological evolution underway in this emerging economy, assist in their understanding of the challenges as well as opportunities they may encounter in this region, and encourage the creation of culturally sensitive advertising messages – that may ultimately support rather than distort Nigeria's economic development.

1 Role of Marketing in Developing Countries

INTRODUCTION AND SIGNIFICANCE

The role of advertising in a market economy is to inform as well as educate consumers about products and services. To achieve these goals, advertisers employ a variety of values in their appeals. An advertising appeal may be defined as a creative attempt to motivate consumers toward some form of activity or influence attitude to make a product or service attractive or interesting to the consumer (Wells, Burnett, and Moriarty, 1992).

As a vehicle for promoting social modernization, the impact of utilizing advertising to promote consumerism in developing societies remains a subject of intense debate in this era of when globalization and development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) have brought the world closer. In an era of globalization and technological development, where the exchange of information travels rapidly, Roberts (1987) points out that the debate about the influence of advertising in most societies, especially developing nations, revolves around one primary issue: Do advertising messages reflect the cultural values of the developing and traditional societies within which they are communicated or do they seek to introduce Western values that reinforce the consumption habits of the capitalist-industrial world?

Critics allege that advertising relies on overwhelmingly persuasive and symbolic images to sell products and services by “associating them with certain socially desirable qualities, but they sell, as well, a world view, a life-style, and a value system congruent with the imperatives of consumer capitalism” (Kellner, 1988, p. 37). Activists in developing nations, supported by some Western scholars, claim this is especially true in developing countries, such as Nigeria, where multinational organizations depend on advertising to convey covert propaganda, thus circulating globally Western-made messages, imagery, lifestyle, and socioeconomic values at the expense of traditional ideas (Fejes, 1980; Janus, 1986; Schiller, 1979). Most of these countries do not have the resources to monitor the activities of the advertisers (Fejes, 1980; Janus, 1986; Schiller, 1979).

Past studies of cross-cultural advertising have dealt with the portrayal of gender roles in TV promotions, creative strategies, themes, information contents, execution, and humor in advertising (Ahmad, 1995; Cheng, 1997; Cheng & Schweitzer, 1996; Frith & Wesson, 1991; Mueller, 1987; Zandpour et al., 1994). Zandpour explains that these studies suggest that differences exist in advertising messages and appeals and that these differences are often assumed to reflect cultural variations. It may be argued that these studies have dealt with the interplay between advertising and cultural values both within and across cultures in the Information Age. They have been drawn and produced by the use of mechanistic and quantitative methods, such as content analysis at the expense of qualitative methods (Zandpour et al., 1994). At the same, past studies have hardly examined the role, relationship, and impact of advertising and information technologies on African societies as the current one intends to do (Al-Olayan, & Karande, 2000; Harris & Attour, 2000).

Considering the need to expand the knowledge of the role of advertising and its interplay with emerging information and communication technologies in the developing world, the purpose of this book is threefold:

1. The study uses political economy to investigate the connection among social modernization, socioeconomic development, and ICTs, considering that technological developments are viewed as vehicles for not only introducing, but also maintaining, values conveyed in mass media artifacts, which in turn exert some degree of that influence on a society. Technological determinism and globalization form the basis conceptual framework.
2. The study also uses qualitative analysis techniques (critical and cultural analyses) to ascertain the cultural values and ideas manifested in advertisements in Nigerian mass media advertising. When used to uncover the meaning hidden beneath mass media artifacts, cultural criticism provides an avenue for scholars to study cultures that have been oppressed socially, politically, economically, or militarily (Brummett, 1994).
3. Based on the findings, the study attempts to make suggestions and recommendations regarding the conduct and prospects of advertising in Nigeria and other African countries and its relationship with ICTs as well as the role of ICTs.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To achieve the objectives of this book, three primary research questions guide the conduct of this study:

1. What is the role, status, relationship, and impact of ICTs on advertising and the socioeconomic development of Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa?
2. What are the dominant cultural values and symbols conveyed in Nigerian mass media advertising?
3. What are the connotations and implications (positive and/or negative) of these values, ideas, signs, and symbols?

By exploring these specific questions, it is hoped that the study contributes to the debate about whether consumer advertising in the developing relies on traditional or Western values and cultures as elements of persuasion. In doing so, the study also attempts to determine whether advertising contributes to or distorts the socioeconomic development of Nigeria and other Third World countries in an increasingly global economy as proponents on either side of the debate contend.

The findings of this research arm foreign investors, government officials, corporations, and entrepreneurs with the essential information about the African marketplace, African consumers, and the business and technological environments to empower them to make informed and wise decisions as they invest in Africa. The findings of the study may help African governments as well as indigenous and international businesses in Africa and other parts of the Third World to develop advertising messages that are culturally sensitive and effective. Understanding the prevailing cultural, socioeconomic, and technological evolution in an emerging economy may enable investors, manufacturers, and marketers to create culturally sensitive advertising messages that may assist and not distort the economic development of Third World nations.

Finally, another goal of this study is to present the status of information and communication technologies in Nigeria and other African countries and their intersection with advertising and economic development. It is hoped that the findings prepare existing investors and businesses entities and those entering the Nigerian economy to understand the challenges they may encounter regarding the conduct of business and the acquisition and use of ICTs. Also, the study offers information and strategies regarding plans for effective investments in new technologies in developing nations. Effective development of ICTs and their proper use in marketing and socioeconomic activities will assist the economic development of Nigeria and other societies in Africa and the Third World.

WHY STUDY ADVERTISING IN NIGERIA AND AFRICA?

During his first visit to Africa in 1998, President Bill Clinton shunned Nigeria, one of America’s largest trading partners. He avoided the continent’s most populous and natural resource-rich nation because the international community accused the military administration of General Sani Abacha, which governed the nation military, of violating human rights, curtailing freedom, and mismanaging the economy. The Abacha administration’s policies made Nigeria an international pariah. After Abacha’s death in June 1998, reportedly of a heart attack, the military junta selected Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar as head of state. Bowing to domestic and international pressures to restore democracy, Abubakar conducted general elections, in which General Olusegun Obasanjo, a former military head, was elected president.

More than a year after Nigeria returned to democratic rule under Olusegun Obasanjo in May 1999, Clinton embarked on a 3-day symbolic visit to the country in August 2000 accompanied by prominent African Americans, American politicians, entrepreneurs, and corporate leaders. The president’s visit demonstrated Nigeria’s potentials as a prospective leading economy and evolution of political pluralism in Africa and the Third World, as well as an important player in the technological and global economy. Clinton called on Nigeria, described as Africa’s sleeping giant, to awaken from her slumber if she is to realize her political, economic, and scientific promises and drive the coming African renaissance. He stated that the success of Nigeria’s political and economic reforms would serve as an example for other African nations (Vanguard, 2000, Aug. 28). Clinton was implying that if Africa is to fully benefit from emerging worldwide political pluralism (Newsom, 2004) and world trade that has grown from $200 billion to $4 trillion over the quarter of a year (Mueller, 1996), Nigeria must lead.

With a population of 127 million, Nigeria ranks as the 10th most populous nation in the world (The Guardian Online, 2001, Aug. 13). Barring wars, political disintegration, and social upheavals, Nigeria’s population will surge to 204 million by 2025, thereby making it the world’s seventh most populous nation. By 2050, the population will soar to 337 million to become the fourth most populated country in the world while India, China, and the United States will be the top three (Eribo, 2001). Thus, Nigeria promises to be a huge world marketplace in the near future. Endowed with a wealth of human and natural resources, Nigeria is one of the most industrialized African countries, with more than 2,000 industrial establishments. In an increasingly technological world, Nigeria, combined with the other 52 African nations, has the potential to become a golden arena for trade, commerce, and political plurality in the twenty-first century, comparable to India and China.

If Nigeria is to fulfill the goal that Clinton outlined, Nwosu (1990) contends that advertising must play a significant role. Okechukwu Onyia, managing director and chief executive of Concept Advertising, a mid-size Nigerian agency, said advertising is involved in most aspects of modern life. He states:

It promotes the government, promotes the people who are seeking government positions, it promotes ideas and products and economy generally, in the rest of the world; it is through advertising that government can promote the economy of Nigeria. The stability of the economy, the stability of the polity and ability to say to investors out there, come, we have a very viable economy, a producing economy and a very stable polity for you to come and invest and do business peacefully. It is through advertising that you can create this awareness in the international world… . (Amuzuo, 2000b)

He adds that marketing and promotions are relevant to governance and socioeconomic development in Nigeria. Onyia said that integrating advertising and public relations could serve as a marketing tool geared toward promoting ideas, concepts, and programs. Distinguishing between advertising and public relations, he explains the former promotes products, services, and corporate bodies, whereas the latter promotes people, corporate bodies, government, and ideas. Advertorials serve a public relations role as well. He states that marketing:

Will play a lot of role in the emerging civil economy in Nigeria because if you look elsewhere like the United States, advertising has permeated all aspects of life. Anything you do in America revolves around promotions. You promote yourself, you promote your corporate body, you promote your product, you promote your family… . (Amuzuo, 2000b)

It should be noted that studies regarding the role of advertising in international trade and the socioeconomic development of nations have been on the rise for the past 50 years (Pollay & Gallagher, 1990). The interest could be attributed to the recognition that advertising is an effective and persuasive medium for educating and informing the public about products, services, and ideas; it is also a driving tool for changing beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors (Sandage, 1990). Within this time frame, ICTs and globalization have transformed the world into a single large marketplace (Sussman, 1997), but a marketplace where economic philosophies and cultural value differences exist (Cheng, 1997). In an increasingly technological and global world, few have examined the relationship and role of various forms of advertising, as well as the impact of evolving technological changes in Africa as this study intends to accomplish (Cheng, 1997; Lin, 2001; Stafford, 2005; Zandpour et al., 1994).

To communicate effectively with consumers in a specific society, advertisers have realized the need to examine and understand sociocultural distinctions in a country (Keegan, 1989). This recognition has compelled advertisers and marketers to place emphasis on intercultural communication because it is generally accepted that consumers have favorable attitudes toward messages that reflect their own sociocultural values. Moreover, consumers reward advertisers that understand their cultures and tailor their messages to reflect those values (Boddewyn, Soehl, & Picard, 1986). Studies show that international businesses that recognize the cultures and social conditions of host nations and use marketing appeals and strategies that reflect a society’s cultural values reduce misunderstandings and mistrust between consumers marketers (Wells, 1994).

Although there has been a wealth of intercultural studies on advertising for almost half a century, few scholars have examined the information or cultural content in any African country (Abernethy, Franke, & George, 1996; Al-Olayan & Karande, 2000; Harris & Attour, 2000). This remains a shortcoming that Al-Olayan and Karande (2000) attempted to change by exploring the cultural content of advertising in mass media in the Middle East and 10 African countries (Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Djibouti, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan, and Tunisia). However, this study concentrates primarily on North African nations with predominant Muslim and Arab cultures. Its findings cannot be generalized to Sub-Saharan Africa. Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea are considered as the only Sub-Saharan African countries in the study. The failure to include more Sub-Saharan African nations, particularly those not dominated by Muslim cultures, as well as the continent’s economic giants such as Nigeria and South Africa, calls for more studies to bridge the continued gap (CNN.com, 2001, Jan. 25; Vanguard, 2000, Aug. 28).

Foreign and indigenous corporations operating in Africa and organizations hoping to invest in the continent do not have resources that will enable them to tailor their messages toward African consumers because of the lack of advertising research in Africa. They also lack adequate information about the economic and political conditions in African countries, which leads to misconception. Prospective investors rely on information, techniques, and messages developed outside the continent. Dependence on information provided by western scholars and journalists (recorders in a hurry), who do not understand or have adequate knowledge of the continent, contributes to lack of interest, misconceptions, and business failures. This failure contributes to the ongoing debate in Africa that advertising promotes cultural imperialism and dependency while paralyzing the economic development of African as well as other developing nations (LaPalombra, 1979).

Considering Nigeria’s socioeconomic status as a leading economic nation in the Third World, the importance attached to advertising, and the acquisition of ICTs in Nigeria to promote modernization in this era of globalization, the purpose of this study is to explore and determine the particular cultural values and symbols conveyed in Nigerian mass media advertising. Moreover, it addresses the debate regarding the role of ICTs as vehicles for introducing and maintaining the impact of advertising in the developing world.

The current exploration is important because, despite the interest in international and intercultural studies on advertising and the role of ICTs in an interconnected world economy, these subjects remain underresearched in Nigeria and other African nations. Viewed as the next economic frontier of the new millennium, it is important to encourage market research and publication on advertising, social conditions, and technological development in Africa. Most of these studies have not involved the role of ICTs. Herbig and Miller (1992) contend that social changes emanate from the adoption of any and all new technologies. This contention demonstrates that ICTs play significant roles in human development. The powerful influence of technology in socioeconomic development of mankind makes it an important subject to study.

Thus, as indicated earlier, political economy will explore the relationship among technology, advertising, culture, and economic development in an era when the adoption of ICTs continues to play a wide range of roles on human and societal developments, especially the Third World’s (Woods, 1993). The rationale of exploring a discussion of ICTs is to: (a) discern the status of African countries regarding acquiring information and communication technologies, (b) examine their role as a vehicle for conveying advertisements and media artifacts and the cultural impact, (c) investigate their impact in national and global marketing, and (d) suggest how a country such as Nigeria or others in the continent should proceed in acquiring ICTs.

As stated earlier, it is assumed such will offer some understanding of the role of advertising as a propaganda tool and its ability to influence mass culture in a technologically driven world. With little attention paid to the status of technology in Africa and its influence conveying mass media artifacts such as advertising, emphasis is placed on their interactions in a global economy that has become increasingly reliant on ICTs. Historically, technology has always paved the way for exploiting Africa (Mendelssohn, 1976). This exploitation creates the need to examine the role of ICTs in contemporary African society to ensure that they play positive, not destructive, roles because of their economic impact and ability to convey mass media artifacts. They also serve the primary vehicles for relaying advertising worldwide.

ORIGIN OF ADVERTISING

Advertising has existed since antiquity. The Bible and other ancient historical documents have demonstrated that advertising represented an avenue for disseminating information in a limited scope to small groups. In ancient times, Athens, Egypt, and Rome relied on signs and symbols displayed on shops to promote the goods and services provided. Signs and symbols were placed on buildings, walls, and rocks to provide news about events, goods, and services to small communities. Town criers were also used to spread information. This art of advertising began in ancient times, and, to date, it remains a significant means of declaiming information in developing countries. Town criers walk through public places, making stops at strategic locations to make announcements (Pasqua, Buckalew, Rayfied, & Tankard, 1990).

These ancient forms of advertising began to change with the invention of moveable type in the fifteenth century. Advertising evolved into recognizable forms such as handbills and posters to relay information to a larger audience. Although the reach of advertising expanded, it remained a limited medium for relaying information because it reached a limited group at one time. Roberts (1987) points out that “mass advertising has not always been with us. It grew with mass media, or rather mass media grew with it” (p. 270).

THE ADVERTISING CONTROVERSY AND EMERGING ECONOMIES

Since the inception of mass media advertising, Roberts (1987) contends that advertising has been at the center of a continuing controversy or a series of controversies regarding its ethics, standards, and role in societies. This debate (Roberts, 1987) revolves around four questions: (a) Do the benefits of advertising outweigh its negative effects? (b) Should society really be concerned about the potential and actual abuses of advertising? (c) Does society really influence advertising? (d) If so, how much?

As Roberts (1987) contends, the relationship among promotional communication (commercial advertising, advertorials, and public relations), ICTs, cultural values, control, and economic development remains multidimensional (Newsom, 2004). This complex relationship requires continued research inquiry in an era when emerging democratic and capitalistic societies in Africa, Asia, and South America are increasingly relying on advertising and communication technologies as tools to promote economic, economic, and political development.

Areas of inquiry include values conveyed in advertising, messages conveyed in political advertising, and the role of information and communication in neoliberal environments where few entities and elites exert extensive control over the ...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Role of Marketing in Developing Countries
• 2 Stages of Socioeconomic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
• 3 Nigerian Advertising and Mass Media
• 4 Dynamics of International Relations, Culture, and Technology in the Era of Global Marketing
• 5 Advertising in the Information Age: Theoretical Perspectives on Culture and Technology
• 6 The Digital Divide and Status of Sub-Saharan Africa: Marketing in an Interdependent Global Economy
• 7 Manifestations of Meanings and Cultural Values in Advertising
• 8 Conclusions and Managerial/Public Policy Implications
• Appendix: Instrument (Cultural Analysis)
• References