RESEARCH PAPER ON BILLBOARD ADVERTISEMENT

Title: THE IMPACT OF ZAIN BILLBOARD ADVERTISEMENTS ON STUDENTS, A STUDY OF THE GHANA INSTITUTE OF JOURNALISM

I
DEDICATION
This piece is dedicated to the everlasting memory of my two Grandmums who God decided that they see it (this write-up) from eternity. They once embraced nature, nurtured it with excitement, and have unfortunately watched it ripe as they fade off. FAREWELL!
And to Mr. Adombila and Mrs. Anor-eera who together wised up to realities that peasant cropping is only enough for their breakfast and that our lunch and supper must come from elsewhere.
This is not enough and I seriously agree but such is just the beginning!




II
DECLARATION


I hereby declare that this dissertation is the original results of my own research carried out at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ).
Sign ……………………………………………………………………………..
Mr. Maxwell Akalaare Adombila
Date……………………………………………………………………………….



Supervised and approved by
Sign…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Mr. Kwayie Dwumah Kuffour
Date……………………………………………………………………………………………………

III
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
My foremost, loudest and greatest appreciation goes to the Impartial Lord for the healthy life, the thoughtful and retentive memory I enjoyed before, during, and after this breathtaking piece. He made what seemed a day dream a real dream and then guided its fulfillment. It still remains MY GOD MY HOPE.
To the Azidizians – my family; immediate and extended – whose conscious efforts kept me on the path of wisdom and urged me on to passionately quest for emerging knowledge. I seriously own this to your 'wild' nurturing habits.
Then to my Supervisor, Mr. Kwayie Dwumah Kuffour, who diligently guided me throughout the study. Nana, me mawu ayeekooo!
Next, is to my numerous friends in and outside Bolgatanga whose individual words of encouragement kept invigorating me during this course. FOLKS, accept this; my warm smile.
My special regards, however, goes to Shahadu Abdul Somed aka Bitamsimli; a friend, brother and a mate who has continuously proven his worth beyond the in need and indeed friend. Thumps up, Bitam!


IV
ABSTRACT
The billboard as a medium for advertising has caught up well with advertisers in Ghana and the general public as well. It is normally mounted along traffic prone routes, busy commercial centers, or sometimes screwed on flyovers. Its main aim is to persuade road users – pedestrians, drivers and passengers – that the products, services or the information it is carrying are the best. Zain Ghana, a mobile telecommunication network operator, uses this medium to advertise to the Ghanaian public who include students. But do students pay attention to these cluttering structures along the streets? This study assessed the impact of Zain billboard advertisements on students using those of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) as the study population. The study used the survey research techniques during the data gathering. The results from the data indicated that Zain billboard advertisements have a positive impact on students’ perceptions about the network. It makes them want to buy their products and experience their services. The data further revealed that Zain billboard advertisements have a possible huge benefit to the company in the long run but rather a minimal short term positive impact. It found also that a tactical blend of colors, proper display of the contents on the billboard and using familiar personalities (where necessary) all help to arrest students’ attentions to billboards. The study then concluded that Zain billboard advertisement was a worthy course to the company and must be given the needed attention and resources.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 

ONE 1-11
Introduction…………………………………………..… 1-4
Background of the Study………………………………… 4-8
Problem Statement………………………………………………………………… 8-9
General and specific Objectives …………………………………. 9-10
Research Questions………………………………………………………………… 10
Significance, and Scope of the Study……………………………………… 10-11

TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW 12-24
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………… 12
Theoretical Framework……………………………………………………………. 12-16
Review of Related and Related Literature……………………..…….. 16-19
Background of Zain Ghana…………………………………………………….. 19-20
Background of Billboards……………………………………………………….. 20-22

VI
Background of GIJ………………………………………………………………….. 22-23
Operational Definitions of Terms…………………………………………. 24



THREE
METHODOLOGY 25-28
Introduction……………………………………………………………………….. 25
Population and Sampling…………………………………………………... 25
Instruments……………………………………………………………………. 26
Design of the Study……………………………………………………….. 26
Procedure for Data Collections and Analyses………………. 26-28
FOUR
DATA ANALYSES AND DISCUSSIONS 29-45
Introduction………………………………………………………………………... 29
Data Analyses…………………………………………… 29-37
Attraction of Students to Zain billboards…………………………. 30-32
Contents of Zain Billboards and Meaning to Students……. 32
Zain billboards and Patronage of their Products…………………. 33-34
VII
Rating Zain Billboards against Tigo Billboards……………… 32-37
Conclusions……………………………………………………………………… 37

CHAPTER PAGE
Discussions ……………………………………………………………………… 36-45
FIVE 46-52
Introduction……………………………………………………………………… 44
Summary…………………………………………………………………………. 46-48
Conclusions………………………………………………………………………… 48-49
Limitations of the Research……………………………………………….. 49-50
Suggestions for Further………………………………………………………. 50
References………………………………………………………………………….. 51
Appendix………………………………………………………………………….. 52-54






CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
In Ghana, competition among the mobile telecommunication network operators for customers is fierce. As one operator tries to satisfy, gain or retain customers, another also tries to win those same customers. To achieve this aim of winning more customers and subsequently making profits, mobile telecommunication network operators need to convince Ghanaians – their customers – as to why they, (say Zain) should be patronized and not the others. To do this, they need to reach out to their customers.
The companies concerned have therefore relied on persuasive communication (advertising) to enable them create awareness, attract, and maintain customers who will buy or patronize their services, products, promotions and programs, Wray (1997).
One such mobile telecommunication network operator is Zain Ghana Limited which also relies on advertising to create awareness about its operations and products.
According to the American Marketing Association (AMA), an organization representing marketing professionals in the United States of America and Canada, advertising is any paid form of non personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services by an identified sponsor.
Advertising can therefore be seen as any communication that is persuasive in nature and aims at convincing the target audience to accept and belief the communicator (the advertiser’s) line of thinking, normally non-personal in presentation, paid for by the advertiser and transmitted to the target audience through the various channels of the media; radio, television, newspapers, magazines, etc.
The billboard is one such mediums and Zain Ghana uses it to communicate to its audience. The outdoor medium therefore helps Zain present its products, services promotions and/or programs to the Ghanaian public with the idea of wining them over to their side.
Due to the nature and normal locations of billboards, they are created to deliver reminder messages to their audience. This reminding role of the billboard means that, careful planning and creativity is required in its designing since a mobile audience has seconds to look at it, Wray (1997). As a result, billboards need to catch attention, be easy to read, understand and memorize, and make quick impressions on the audience.
But with cost of advertising on the increase, most companies (Zain included) normally shorten their radio and television messages for billboard ads. This strategy is meant to encourage repetition of the message for emphases and ensure its complete dissemination. However, it is not clear if it has helped in the proper understanding and total recall of the messages when used on billboards. This is because, there are plenty of billboards on the streets competing for people’s attentions; pedestrians, drivers, passengers, etc who are always busy on their routine. Also, pictures on these billboards sometimes seem to swallow the messages and rather confuse the audience instead of inform them about the product or service advertise.
Further, most companies (Zain for that matter) find it difficult doing a separate assessment of the impact of billboard advertisements on their target audience and the limitations it has on them. This means that the contribution of this outdoor medium – the billboard – to the successful or otherwise promotion of a product or company may go unnoticed.
This study therefore looks at the impact of Zain Billboard Advertisement on Students with emphases on students of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ). The study’s interest is on the attraction of students to Zain billboards, the contents on those billboards and the meaning they send, how the billboard ads influence their perceptions about the network, and how they perceive Zain billboards as against those of Tigo; a competing telecommunication network operator. Based on the findings, the study also came up with some conclusions about Zain billboard advertisements on students.

Background of Study
Billboards are the least expensive forms of advertising mediums and yet they reach more audience than others do. This can be attributed to the intensified traffic situations on our highways that cause people to spend much more time in their vehicles now than before. Whatever the reason, billboards as advertising mediums have caught up well with advertisers and the general public, and are therefore here to stay, (Annorton, 2008), and BPS Outdoor Advertising).
In effect, advertising with a billboard reaches more people than other mediums do yet is less costly compared to other mediums such as radio, television, newspapers, etc. This can be attributed to its ability to be seen more than once. Though the advertiser makes a onetime payment after its placement, the audience are exposed to it and the message for the rest of the time being.
According to Anna Lim, the thoughts of using billboards as advertising mediums begun with the Egyptians in about a thousand years ago. At that time, a tall stone obelisk was used to display the laws and treaties from Pharaoh, the king, to the people. But as time went on people devised more innovative and convenient ways of using it to advertise to the public.
In 1913 therefore, the concept of filing open board structures and displaying on them messages and ideas meant for the public was introduced, (Anna Lim, Billboards: Snapshots of History). Tendick (2007) on “The Many Benefits of Billboard Advertising” adds that billboards were generally hand painted, but with today’s advancement in technology, they are now designed first on paper (mostly vinyl) through computers and then printed out. The print out is then glued, screened or tied to horizontal poles which are then mounted on highways for people to see. This means that advertisers have being given innovative opportunities and choices to use the billboard to reach more audience and make greater impacts than before.
In this twenty first century, the billboard has being endearing to most companies and advertisers due to its flexibility in design, placement points, the size and height. It is a must watch medium due to its normal locations on highways coupled with the bright colors use in designing it. It has thus become an international medium in the advertising arena, (Advertise with a billboard).
In Ghana, billboards were first used by DDP Advertising Firm – according to “Billboards and Consumer Purchasing Power” by Ana B. Agyepong, (Not published). It (the billboard) is currently a household medium and has advertising firms such as Global Media Alliance, Impact, Global Outdoor Limited, DDP Advertising Firm among others, specializing in its creation, designing and placement, Advertisers Association of Ghana (AAG).
In the country, the placement of billboards by business entities and organizations on advertising points are temporary. This, however, is subject to renewal by the company or agency – the firm that bought the space and time. The temporary nature of advertisers’ billboards enables different companies to have access to these advertising points to also mount their billboards and publicize their products and operations to the public.
Zain Ghana, a telecommunications network operator in the Ghana also uses billboards to advertise its operations to the Ghanaian public. The company launched its operations in December, 2008 and became the fifth and last of such companies at the time, (National Communication Authority).
In most instances, companies advertise in order to reach out to, persuade and inform the general public about their operations. Zain Ghana does same through the various media. The billboard is not an exception. The company’s billboards are dotted almost across the entire country, especially in areas where pedestrians and vehicular traffic are heavy. In the capital city Accra, Zain Ghana’s billboards are placed along the traffic prone routes, busy pedestrian paths, market centers and sometimes on flyovers. This exposes them to a lot of people of varied ages, educational levels, and tribal backgrounds. The billboards, normally of different sizes and heights are always designed with Zain’s corporate colors of black, grey and magenta and sometimes complemented by other colors. The messages are always written in the English Language to help expose their products, services and/or programs to the people of Ghana and in the process persuade the audience to patronize them.
As the company introduced more promotions, programs, products and services, the number of billboards increased. But has this - the increase in the number of Zain billboards in the country and Accra in particular impacted negatively or positively on the company’s ability to attract and maintain customers, (students, in particular)?
As of December, 2009 – a year after its launch, Zain Ghana announced it had attained one million and two hundred (1.2million) active customers. So, what impact has the billboard as an advertising medium by Zain Ghana on these 1.2milion active customers in one year? What are the reactions of the public, especially students to Zain Ghana’s advertising billboards; its contents (the personalities used, design of the billboards, their sizes, and the placement points)? These are, but the few areas that this study is interested in.
Problem Statement
The billboard is a persuasive intruder to mostly pedestrians, passengers, drivers and the public alike. In most cases, it is a must watch and read structure due to its arresting images, catchy slogans and its generally stylish designs.
On the highways, pedestrian walkways, and busy markets, numerous billboards advertising different products, services, promotions, and programs compete for people’s attentions. These billboards with their messages always written in the English the Language belong to different companies of related or different businesses.
In the mobile telecommunication sector, five different companies had launched and are operating as at the time of conducting this research. All these companies use billboards to advertise their services and products to the public. Their billboards are normally placed a distance away from each other but targeted at almost the same audience – prospective users or users of mobile telecommunication services and products. So, do people pay attention to these cluttering billboards on our streets? If yes, do they understand the messages they communicate?
Zain Ghana is one such mobile telecommunications network operator and has its billboards exposed to people of all walks of life – students, workers, children, drivers, etc. The concern of this work however, is to assess the impact that Zain advertising billboards have on students, one group of people that are expose to their billboards.
General Objective
The overall (general) objective of this study is to assess the impact of Zain billboard advertisement on students.
Specific Objective
The specific objectives of the study are;
 To find out the things on Zain advertising billboards that attracts students to look at them (the billboards).
 To determine whether or not the contents of Zain advertising billboards (the pictures, phrases, background, etc) communicate the same meaning to students.
 To determine if Zain advertising billboards influence students patronize their products, services or promotions.
 To evaluate students’ impressions about Zain advertising billboards and those of Tigo (a competing mobile telecommunication network operator) on the following areas – models (personalities) used, placement points, the messages they use and the general design of their respective billboards.
Research Questions
 What things on Zain advertising billboards attract students to look at them (the billboards)?
 Do the contents of Zain advertising billboards (the pictures, phrases, background, etc) project the same meaning to students?
 Do Zain advertising billboards influence students to buy or patronize their products, services or promotions?
 What are students’ impressions about Zain advertising billboards and those of Tigo (a competing mobile telecommunication network operator) the following areas; models (personalities) used design, their placement points, the messages they use and the general design of their respective billboards?
Significance of the Study
The findings and information of this study is a contribution to the existing literature on billboard advertising and that of Zain. It can therefore be use as a reference and guide to future researchers wishing to research into billboard advertising especially if they want to link it to the mobile telecommunication companies (Zain in particular).
Also, the findings of this study can serve as a guide to billboard advertising creators (agencies), particularly the advertising department of Zain Ghana Limited when designing billboards. It will further help them to understand students’ opinions on billboards.
Scope of the Study
At the time of the study, five mobile telecommunication companies were operating in the country. These companies use different advertising mediums to reach out to their target audiences who include students. However, the direction of this study is on the billboard as an advertising tool Zain and how it has influenced students towards that network.
The study is limited to students of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, a communications institute. Per the institute’s communication nature, the students are more knowledgeable on how the billboard as a communication tool can be used to influence one’s target audience (students) to accept his/her line of thinking, hence its choice.


CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction: This chapter covers three parts; the first is a theory that explains how advertisers’ messages are processed by their target audiences. The second part is a review of a related and relevant study. The third part – operational definitions, gives contextual definitions to terms that mean differently in this write-up as against their everyday meanings.

Theoretical Framework
Various scholars and researchers have come up with theories in their attempt to explain how advertising messages are received, processed and acted on by their target audience. These theories also explain the possible effects that these messages have on their target audience as far as the intent of the advertiser is concern.
This study looked at the Information Processing Model (IPM) which is discussed extensively by Belch & Belch (2001) and Shimp (2000).
The IPM discusses how consumers process and respond to advertising information. With the IPM, the ultimate objective of the advertiser is to encourage the target audience to choose his, (the advertiser’s) brand or products rather than competing ones, Shimp (2000). This means that advertiser’s main aim is to direct their audiences’ attentions towards their brand or products and subsequently encourage them patronize them.
The model sees the consumer as someone in a complex buying situation and looking for information relevant to his/her buying decision (Amartey, not published), Belch & Belch (2001). Marketers and advertisers being aware of this will then flood the consumer with his – the advertiser’s information that are considered relevant to the consumer’s buying needs, Shimp (2000).
This then leaves the consumer with numerous information competing for his/her attention and choice. To avoid being in a confuse state, the consumer, according to Belch and Belch (20001) passes through five stages in his/her bit to process the information and finally make a choice.
The first stage, according to Belch & Belch (20001) is exposure. It means consumers coming into contact with the advertiser’s message through radio, television, newspaper or billboard ads, Shimp (2000).
In their daily routines; in the house, office, on the road, etc, consumers intermittently hear, see or read radio, television, newspaper or billboard advertisements on varied kinds of products. But this – exposing consumers to advertising messages is not enough to gain their patronage. To Shimp (2000) “gaining information is a necessary but insufficient condition for communication”.
As a result, the consumers’ attention needs to be hooked to the message and be caused to engage in selective attention – focusing on, and considering a specific message out of the many that he/she was exposed to.
This will cause the consumer to attempt to comprehend – make meaning out of the messages that he/she had attended to. In doing so, the consumer would have moved to the second stage, comprehension, according to Belch and Belch, (2001).
To comprehend means to understand and create meaning out of symbols and sounds, Shimp (2000). But ads are a mixture of words, pictures, colors and/or sound yet aimed at sending a united message. This means that the target audiences need to see and understand the ads as they are intended by the advertiser. This, corroborated meaning of the ads by the advertiser and the audience) can only be successful if the target audiences understand the ads and their contents very well. Thus, advertising contents need to compliment the central theme of the ad in other for it to communicate one meaning to all the varied audiences.
After the comprehension, the consumer then tries to accept or reject what he/she had interpreted and understood. This will then lead him/her to the yielding stage – the third stage as indicated by Belch & Belch (2001).
Yielding to or agreeing with what has been comprehended means whether or not the consumer will agree with the message argument put forward by the advertiser, Shimp (2000). This means that consumers do not only comprehend (understand) advertisers’ messages but they reject or accept them base on the importance those messages have on their choices and needs at the time of delivery and reception.
Should the consumer yield to, (agree with) the advertiser‘s message, the comprehended messages are then retained, searched for and retrieved at the appropriate time, according to Shimp (2000). In that case, the consumer would have moved to the fourth stage which is the retention stage, Belch & Belch (2001).
At the retention stage, the consumer stores the processed information and uses it to make choices when in need. This means that stored information about a product, service or brand (say Zain) can remain in the consumer’s mind for a while and be relied on at the appropriate time and place.
Thus, in making purchase decision, a consumer then relies on the stored information and this manifests in his/her actions towards the various competing brands or products that are available. At that point, the consumer will be expected to retrieve the stored information and subsequently act on it. This is seen when he/she put up a positive behavior towards the needed product or brand out of the numerous. This, – action according to Belch & Belch (2001) is the last stage in the IPM.
From this model, it is clear that the actions or inactions of a consumer towards a product, service or brand at any particular time are due to how successful the said product’s ad(s) have being able to take such a consumer through the above stages. It further indicates that advertiser’s audiences consciously or unconsciously process the messages that they are expose to and subsequently act on them. Thus, adverts when well packaged and delivered through the right media to the target audience will have positive impact on customer attraction, retention and loyalty.
In conclusion, this theory’s assertions will guide this study’s data collections, its analysis and discussions and the conclusions to be drawn from the findings.
Review of Related and Relevant Study
Billboards have existed and being used by many institutions, organizations, companies and individuals to advertise their products, services and/or promotions to their target audience over a period of time. As a result, many researchers how these audiences perceive the billboards ads and the impact they have on them.
One of such studies is Odartey (Not published) entitled Billboard as a Communication Tool for Students, A Case Study of MTN Billboards. The study used students of the Ghana Institute of Journalism as its study population. It issued questionnaires to hundred (100) students to solicit for information and responses. These responses were collected and analyzed from which came the following findings and recommendations.
On findings, the research discovered that 96% of the respondents agreed that the billboard attracted attention while 4% disagreed. Also, 92% of the respondents thought the billboard was a good medium for advertising.
This, according to the study was because billboard messages are always legible to read from a distance, they are found everywhere, they draw people’s attentions and withstand weather conditions. Also, the billboard is cost effective as compare to other advertising media, and its messages are simple to understand.
However, 6% of the respondents thought the billboard was not a good medium for advertising because it can be destroyed by natural occurrences, and some of the messages are very complex to understand.
It further discovered that 55% of the respondents get attracted to the billboard because of its bright colors and it’s positioning at vantage points.
On people’s reactions towards the MTN billboard, the study found that most of the models used on those billboards gave people a sense of belonging. As a result the study indicated that most people identified themselves with those ads.
It further discovered that some of the MTN billboards were more detailed in information through the choice of words, pictures, images, while some were not, which forced them (the respondents) to rely on other mediums for details and understanding.
On a whole, the study found that some billboards were kept for longer time and needed to be replaced frequently.
The study gave the following recommendations;
 The messages and actions used on billboards should be simplified
 Presentations on billboards must reflect the situations or actions being advertised
 Some of the messages should be translated into some of the local languages for those who do not understand English Language to also understand and
 The messages on billboards should be short and meaningful.
In conclusion, the reviewed study (Billboard as a Communication Tool for Students, a Case Study of MTN Billboards, (Not published) is related to this study in many ways. For instance, the two studies have the same study population – students of the GIJ. Further, both studies are interested in the same areas; the mobile telecommunication industry, and also used the same methods in the data collection. Therefore, the findings of Odartey (2008), and other related and relevant literature will guide the carrying out of this study. The findings of Odartey (Not published) will also guide the construction of this study’s questionnaire.
Background of Zain Ghana
The Zain Ghana is a subsidiary of the Zain Group, a collection of mobile telecommunication network companies operating in the Middle East (M.E) and Africa. The Zain Group started operations in 1983 in Kuwait, the M. E as the region’s first mobile telecommunications network operator. It was initially known as Mobile Telecommunication Company (MTC) in the M.E and Celtel in Africa.
Currently, it operates as mtc-touch in Lebanon and Zain in the remaining countries.
The Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) is the company’s largest shareholder with 24.6% shares. As at December, 2009, it operated in twenty-three countries with 72.5 million active individual and business customers in both the Middle East and Africa.
The Zain International, the African subsidiary is currently a major player in the African continent, operating in fourteen countries with twenty-nine million active customers as at 2008.
In 2007, the Zain International launched ACE (Accelerating the growth in Africa, Consolidating the existing market and Expanding into adjacent markets); an implementation strategy that intents to make Zain a leading telecommunications network operator by 2011. As a result, it targets over 150million customers by 2011.
In Ghana, the company launched its operations in December, 2008 as Zain Ghana Limited, to offer mobile telecommunication services to private individuals, NGOs, corporate and government institutions. In December, 2009, a year after its launch, the company announced that it had attained 1.2million customers.
Credit: www. Zain.com, April, 2010.
Background of Billboards
Billboards fall under a category of advertising mediums known as Outdoor Advertising Media. They are use as “an out of door/home’’ medium to create awareness, inform and persuade an advertiser’s target audience.
The idea of using billboards as advertising mediums, to project information to the general public was started by the Egyptians. During those periods, laws and treaties, and other information, especially from the King were written on obelisk (a tall stone) and displayed to the people.
In the early nineteen century, people started filing open structures, meant for advertisement and creating awareness. In those days, the messages, images and pictures were hand-painted on the filed wooden boards and mounted on higher grounds for the public to see. Billboard designs at those periods were more of artistic than graphics. The finished works were normally in black and white and of inferior quality as compared to present day billboards. This can be attributed to less technological advancement at the time. However, as time went on, innovations were introduced into the billboard designing and placement.
In this computerized era, most billboards are now design through computer manipulation of the images, pictures, messages, etc. The finished work, normally in color to reflect light and be visible both in night and day is printed as posters or vinyl paper. The printed piece can then be attached to a pole or better still glued, screwed or tied to any horizontal medium that makes it visible from a distance. Currently, projected screens displaying adverts and mounted along heavily used streets have taken over in the Western countries. These structures are able to run more than one advert and are controlled and in audio-visual form like a television commercial.
This modern form of the billboard is very rare especially in developing countries like Ghana. In Ghana however, it is currently used by MTN, a mobile telecommunication network operator to advertise.
The billboard has thus become a global means of advertisement and is extensively used by companies, corporate and government institutions, and individuals to reach out to the Ghanaian public. It has caught up well with these advertisers and the target audience as well. The billboard is normally mounted on busy areas and streets in the highly populated towns and cities.
Credit: History of Billboard Advertising, Google Search, April, 2010
Background of GIJ
The Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) was established in 1959 as a department of the Accra Technical Institute, now known as Accra Polytechnic. In 1969 however, it moved to its current premises at Osu in Accra with the name School of Journalism but later changed to its present name – GIJ.
The institute presently offers a two year Diploma and four years Bachelor degree in Communication Studies. There are also short and weekend courses for professional people. With the Bachelor in Communication Studies, students can specialize in Journalism or Public Relations (PR).
Until October, 2009, the institute’s Bachelor in Communication Studies’ degree program was an affiliate of the University of Ghana, Legon. However, following its presentation with a Presidential Charter in October 16, 2009, the institute became autonomous to award its own degrees.
Currently, there are six hundred and fifty-two (652) students in the institute undertaking both the Diploma and Degree programs.
Credit: GIJ Fiftieth Anniversary Brochure, October, 2009.

Operational Definitions of Terms
 Ad: Any information that is transmitted to the public through a billboard, radio, TV, or newspaper, has an identified sponsor, is bout products, services and/or or ideas, and aimed at persuading the target to behave as the message say.
 Audiences: Any group of people to whom the message of a particular ad is meant for.
 Billboard: Any board or open material that is screwed, tied, glued or nailed to an upper ground to display information to the public. It is found outside the house; along busy streets, traffic routes, flyovers etc.
 Student: Any person who for a specified time attends a tertiary institution (any educational institution either than the basic and secondary ones in the Greater Accra Region) and records are kept on him/her individually by the said institution.
 Zain: Any mobile telecommunication network operator or service provider in Ghana, Africa or the Middle East.









CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
Introduction: This chapter is on the methods used in the collecting the data for the study. It includes the population and sampling, instruments used, design of the study, and a description of the procedure used in the data collection.
Population and Sampling
Students’ within the Greater Accra Region constitute the population of this study. However, due lack of time, and resources to cover this population, students of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, a communication institute located at Osu in the Accra Metropolitan Assembly was used as the study population.
Out of the 652 student population in the institute at the, 60 of them, representing 9.20% were randomly chosen for the study. The sample size was selected using the simple random sampling technique. As a result, every student, either in the two year Diploma or the four year Bachelor in Communication Studies had equal opportunities of being selected as a respondent.

Instruments
Printed questionnaires were issued to the study population to help solicit information from them. These questionnaires comprised of open-end and close-end questions. The respondents were asked to give their responses by writing or ticking them with a pen or pencil.
Design
The study employed a survey research method during the data collection. As a result, the researcher issued printed questionnaires to the study’s population (who were randomly sampled) to help gather information for the data.
The respondents answered the questionnaires themselves. However, the researcher sometimes explained questions certain questions that the respondents thought were not clear to them.
The study also picked information from previous works on the same or related and relevant area of this study.
Procedure:
The study used sixty (60) students from the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) as the study population. These students were randomly selected using the simple random sampling technique to answer the questionnaires. The objectives of the study, information and clues picked from the reviewed and other related and relevant literature guided the study’s questionnaire construction.
Samples of the questionnaires were first sent to prospective respondents on a pilot base before the final piece. Results from these pilot responses guided the construction of the final questionnaires. The final questionnaires were then randomly given to, and answered by the study population. Questions that were not clear to some respondent were explained to them by the researcher. The answered questionnaires were then returned, the responses analyzed, and then entered for the discussions.
The data collection encountered many challenges such as limited time and resources to cover a larger study population. Some of the questionnaires that were given to respondents were either returned late or not returned at all. But, with commitment to the task and dedication to duty, the researcher dealt with these challenges to complete the study timely and successfully.
After the answered questionnaires were returned, the information on each questionnaire was first entered into a single paper for easy analyses. After the entry, each question’s responses were evaluated and this was repeated for each question till the questions as well as the questionnaires were completed. The data obtained were then analyzed using figures and their respective percentage conversions. Explanations are added to the figures to help make their meaning clearer and easier to understand.












CAHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSES AND DISCUSSIONS
Introduction: This chapter covers two parts; the data analyses and discussions of the results.
Data Analyses
NOTE:
 The study sent out sixty (60) questionnaires to 60 students of the Ghana Institute of Journalism. The respondents were randomly selected using the simple random sampling technique. Fifty-nine (59) out of 60 respondents (representing ninety-eight per cent (98%) returned their questionnaires. Fifty-six per cent (56%) of these respondents were females while forty-four per cent (44%) were males. The respondents’ age ranges are as follows; sixty-three per cent (63%) were from 18-22, thirty per cent (30%) from 23-30, five per cent (5%) from31-42 and no respondent was from the 43 and above age range that was given. Two per cent (2%) of the respondents did not answer that question.
 The data indicates that all the respondents stay within the Greater Accra Region. They live in the various Districts, Municipal or Metropolitan Assemblies in the Region and travel daily to Osu in the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), where the Ghana Institute of Journalism is located. As a result, they are expose to many of Zain’s advertising billboards as they travel to and fro the institute
 The overall aim of the study, as indicated earlier is to assess the impact of Zain advertising billboards on students. As a result, it proposed specific objectives (from which came the research questions) that the study intends to answer. Analysis of the data retrieved from the returned questionnaires and its findings are therefore done base on the study’s research questions posed in chapter one.
 Due to the qualitative bias nature of the research, the data analysis and discussions of the results used more techniques and methods of a qualitative study than quantitative.
 In Presenting the data, larger figures (numbers) take precedence.
 All percentage figures in the data analysis and the discussions are rounded up to the nearest whole numbers.
Attraction of Students to Zain Billboards
This research question was interested in the things (“the personalities used”, “the products/services advertised”, “design or size of the billboard”, “by coincidence” or “the messages use”) on advertising Zain billboards that attract students to look at them.
On the questionnaires, each element (the personalities used, products/services advertised, design, size, messages used and coincidence) was given a separate slot on which respondents were asked to tick against their preferred element.
Some respondents however, ticked more than one slots. Five (5) respondents ticked three (3) slots, three (3) respondents ticked two (2) slots, and one (1) respondent ticked four (4) slots. These multiple ticking resulted into an extra sixteen (16) responses in the 59 questionnaires returned. Therefore, the percentage rate for each element in this case is calculated over seventy-five (75) responses (the 59 singular responses out of the 59 questionnaires returned plus the 16 multiple responses).
With respect to the research question above, twenty-three (23) respondents, representing thirty-one per cent (31%) said the “design of the billboards” make them look at them. Both “the personalities used” and “the products and/services advertised” recorded an equal response rate of sixteen (16), representing twenty-one per cent (21%)
Also, “size of the billboard” and “by coincidence” recorded an equal response rate of eight (8), representing eleven per cent (11%) while four (4) respondents, representing five per cent (5%) said “the messages on the billboards” attracts them to look at Zain advertising billboards.
The contents (the pictures, phrases, background, etc) of Zain Advertising billboards and meaning to Students
The purpose of this research question was to find out if the contents (the pictures, phrases, background, etc) of Zain billboards project the same meaning to students. Its corresponding question on the questionnaire was “Do the contents (the pictures, phrases, background, etc) of Zain advertising billboards project the same meaning?” and the possible answers were “‘yes” or “no”. Fifty-eight (58) respondents answered this question and the responses are as follows;
Forty-three (43) respondents, representing seventy-three per cent (73%) said “yes” – the contents project the same meaning. However, fifteen (15) respondents, representing twenty-five per cent (25%) said “no” – the contents do not project the same meaning.
One questionnaire, representing two per cent (2%) did not have an answer on this question.

Zain Advertising Billboards and Students’ Patronage of Their Products, Services and Promotions
There were two questions in the questionnaire that gave direct responses to this research question. The first wanted to know if Zain billboards make respondents want to experience their services and use their products.
In response, twenty-four (24) respondents, representing forty-one per cent (41%) said “yes” – Zain advertising billboards make them want to experience their services and use their products. However, nineteen (19) respondents, representing thirty-two per cent (32%) said “no” – Zain advertising billboards do not make them want to experience their services and use their products. Sixteen (16) respondents, representing twenty-seven per cent (27%) also said Zain billboards “sometimes” make them want to experience their services and use their products.
The second question was “Have you ever bought a product or experienced a service from Zain due to the information you got from a billboard advertising that product or service?”
Out of the 59 questionnaires returned, forty-one respondents, representing sixty-nine per cent (69%) answered “no” – they have not bought a product or experienced a service from Zain due to the information they got from a billboard advertising it. However, seventeen (17) respondents, representing twenty-nine per cent (29%) said “yes” – information from Zain billboards caused them to buy their products and experienced their services. One (1) respondent, representing two per cent (2%) did not answer that question.
Rating Zain Billboards against Those of Tigo
This research question (how will students rate Zain billboards against those of Tigo on “models – personalities used, placement points, general design of the billboard, and clear and catchy phrases” wanted to find out students’ opinions and impressions about Zain billboards against Tigo, a competing telecommunication network operator on the areas listed above. Respondents were therefore asked to rate the two billboards on the said areas using a scale of one (1) to five (5); where one (1) to two (2) meant “least impressed”, three (3) meant “impressed”, and four (4) to five (5) meant “most impressed”
Out of the 59 returned questionnaires, fifty-two (52) respondents, representing eighty-eight per cent (88%) responded to this question. The data is analyzed as follows;
a) . Models – personalities used
On models – personalities used, twenty-three (23) of the respondents, representing thirty-nine per cent (39%) rated Zain billboards between one and two – they are “least impressed” about the models – personalities used on Zain advertising billboards while Tigo billboards recorded thirteen (13) responses, representing twenty-two per cent (22%). Another twenty-three (23) of the respondents, representing thirty-nine per cent (39%) rated Tigo billboards between four and five (4-5) – they are “most impressed” about the models – personalities used on them as against sixteen (16) respondents, representing twenty-seven per cent (27%) for Zain advertising billboards. Still on models – personalities used, sixteen (16) respondents, representing twenty-seven per cent (27%) rated Tigo billboards on the three mark – they are “impressed” about the models – personalities used on them as against thirteen (13) respondents, representing twenty-two per cent (22%) for Zain advertising billboards.
b) . Placement points
With “the placement points”, twenty-five (25) respondents, representing forty-eight per cent (48%) recorded the “most impressed” rate of four to five for Tigo billboards while twenty-three (23) respondents, representing thirty-nine per cent (39%) for Zain billboards. Fifteen (15) respondents, representing twenty-five per cent (25%) also recorded the “least impressed” rate of one to two for Zain billboards while thirteen (13) respondents, representing twenty-two per cent (22%) recorded the same rate for Tigo. The “impressed” rate – three (3) had equal responses of fourteen (14), representing twenty-four per cent (24%) for both Zain and Tigo.
c) . Design of the billboard
Thirty-one (31) respondents, representing fifty-three per cent (53%) rated Zain billboards on the “most impressed” rate of four and five, as compared to twenty (20) respondents, representing thirty-four per cent (34%) for Tigo billboards. The “least impressed” rate of one to two recorded twenty-two (22) responses, representing thirty-seven per cent (37%) for Tigo and nine (9) respondents, representing fifteen per cent (15%) for Zain. The “impressed” rate – three, recorded twelve (12) responses, representing twenty percent (20%) for Zain and ten (10) responses, representing seventeen per cent (17%) for Tigo.
d) . Clear and catchy phrases
On this element, twenty-eight (28) respondents, representing forty-eight per cent (48%) rated Zain billboards between four and five (“most impressed”) while twenty-five (25) respondents, representing forty-two per cent (42%) said they are “most impressed” by the clear and catchy nature of Tigo billboard messages. The “impressed” rate of three recorded the same responses of thirteen (13), representing twenty-four per cent (24%) for both Zain and Tigo. Fourteen (14) respondents, representing twenty-four per cent (24%) also recorded the “impressed” rate of three for Tigo billboards while that of Zain recorded eleven (11) respondents, representing nineteen per cent (19%).
In general, fifty- two (52) questionnaires out of the fifty-nine returned questionnaires had answers to this question. Five questionnaires, representing eight (8%) did not answer that question and was recorded as ‘No Response’ while two (2) questionnaires, representing three per cent (3) had answers that were not usable in the data analysis and were recorded as ‘spoiled questionnaires’.
Conclusions
In a whole, though the study sent out sixty (60) questionnaires to 60 respondents, fifty-nine (59) of them, representing ninety-eight per cent (98%) were returned. One (1) questionnaire, representing two per cent (2%) was not returned. Therefore, the data analysis and discussions of results is done only on the 59 returned questionnaires and their respective responses.
However, the unreturned questionnaire has not being ignored or replaced since the research procedure does not allow for any of such.


DISCUSSIONS
NOTE:
Discussions of the data analyzed above are done on the following areas: First, is on the overall (general) objective of the study. The second is on the specific objectives with their corresponding research questions answered in the course of the discussions. Discussions are also done on key areas of the data that will help in the understanding of students’ perceptions about Zain advertising billboards and their impact on them.
The study set out with the overall aim of assessing the impact of Zain billboards advertisements on students. The data gathered indicates that Zain billboards have a positive impact on students and thus make them want to buy, experience or patronize their products, services and/promotions.
FROM the data, forty-one per cent (41%) of the respondents said “yes” Zain billboards make them want to experience their services and use their products as against thirty-two per cent (32%) who said “no”. Twenty-seven per cent (27%) also said the billboards “sometimes” make them want to experience Zain’s services and use their products.
The 42% “yes” and 32% “sometimes” responses also means that people understand the intent of Zain billboards ads and are ready to yield to it (would want to buy or experience the products and/or services advertised on them). But due to conditions/reasons beyond the ads, they are not able to do so and thus will store the messages/information about the products and/or services for the right times and conditions. This means that, the overall aim of Zain billboard ads – persuade the target audience to develop positive impressions about the product or service has been achieved.
This finding also supports the assertions by Shimp (2000) and Belch & Belch (2001) in discussing the Information Processing Model (IPM) that advertising audience pass through five stages (exposure to the message, understanding it, agreeing with the message argument, retaining/storing the information and subsequently retrieving and acting on those information) before making a purchase decision.
The study also found that the design of Zain advertising billboards (the colors of the billboard, how the pictures, texts, the company logo and how the headline and subhead are written and arranged on the billboards) helps to attract students attentions to them than anything else. This is evidenced by the 31% response mark for “design of the billboard” as against 21% for both “models – personalities” and “messages used”. Also “size of the billboard” and “by coincidence” each recorded 11%.
As indicated by Wray (1997), the target audiences of billboards (who are always mobile) have fewer seconds to watch billboards. Therefore, the general look of billboards must be created to arrest viewers’ attentions at first glance and cause them to want to take a second and closer look.
The results further reveal that the blend of Zain’s corporate colors on the billboards attracts most students’ attention. Most respondents said the colors make those billboards look bright, beautiful, nice to watch, and difficult to resist, especially from a distance. This confirms the findings of Odartey (2008) which says most people get attracted to billboards due to their bright colors.
These findings on the attraction of people to Zain billboards answers the first research question; “What things on Zain billboards attract students to look at them (the billboards)?” Thus, the design of the billboard – the pictures, texts, and the company logo and how the headline and subhead are written and arranged on the billboard all help to attract students’ attentions. Also, an excellent blend of the right colors in writing the texts, on the pictures and the background help to grab viewers’ attention faster.
On the contents of Zain advertising billboards (the pictures, texts, the background, etc) and meaning, the results indicate that the contents of Zain advertising billboards project the same meaning. From the 59 questionnaires returned, seventy-three per cent (73%) of the respondents said “yes”’ while (25%) said “no”.
Those who said yes mentioned modems, credits, one network, call charges, caller tunes, happy days, live your dream, you pay Zain pays, and Zain touching lives as some of the products, services and/or promotions advertised on those billboards. This further indicates that most people pay attention to Zain advertising billboards. As a result, they are able to recall the products, services and/or promotions advertised on them.
Some respondents also said the pictures and other scenes on the billboards correspond with the central message.
However, (25%) of the respondents said the contents do not project the same meaning. They explained that the pictures and scenes on the billboards do not correspond with the messages, the messages are always complicated to understand, and that the colors sometimes obscure the actual intents of the central message.
As indicated earlier, billboard adverts are a mixture of symbols pictures, messages, and colors. The mixture however must send a single, clear and concise message to the target audience. This, (the mixture carrying only one meaning to the audience) is only possible if all elements on the billboard are made to compliment the central theme of that advert.
On the research question of whether or not Zain billboards influence students to buy or patronize their products, services or promotions; the study discovered that sixty-nine per cent (69%) of the respondents did not buy or experience a product, service and/or promotion from Zain due to the information they got from a billboard advertising them. However, twenty-nine per cent (29%) said they have bought and/or experienced products and/or services from Zain due to their information from a billboard. These respondents mentioned products such as internet modems, credits, and Zain chips. They also mentioned services like international and local calls, and promotions such as “happy days” and “you pay Zain pays”.
This findings, when compared to the findings of the first research question (do Zain billboards make you want to experience their services and use their products?) shows that Zain billboard advertisements have little positive results in the short term but rather, a possible huge results in the long run. It further confirms the idea by the (IPM) advertising model discussed by Belch & Belch (2001) and Shimp (2000) that people take long time to respond to advertising messages.
In comparing Zain billboards to Tigo on;
a). models – personalities used, the data indicates that personalities used on Zain billboards do not impress people as compared to those on Tigo. This is seen in the response rates of 39% “least impressed” for Zain and 22% for Tigo, 22% “impressed” for Zain as against (27%) for Tigo and 16% “most impressed for Zain and 39% for Tigo.
Some of the respondents said Zain uses unknown models – personalities on their billboards ads and that does not draw them (the respondents) closer to the ads. But as Odartey (2008) found in “Billboard as a Communication Tool for Students, A Case Study of MTN Billboards”, models used on billboards give people a sense of belonging. As a result most people identify themselves with advertising models that they are familiar with and like.
b). On the placement points, the study discovered that people admire the placement points of Tigo billboards than they do for those of Zain. From the data, 48% of the respondents were “most impressed” about Tigo billboards’ placement points as against 39% for Zain. The “least impressed” rate for Tigo’s placement points is 22% while that of Zain is 25%. The “impressed” rate recorded an equal response rate of 24% for both Zain and Tigo. According to these respondents, the Zain billboards are concentrated only in specific areas instead of being distributed across the city of Accra. Some also said Zain has fewer billboards in the Region.
c). On the design of the billboard, the data indicates that people admire Zain billboards’ advertisement designs than Tigo’s. This is evidenced by the response rates of 53% for Zain and 34% for Tigo on “most impressed”, 20% for Zain and 17% for Tigo on “impressed”, and 9% for Zain and 37% for Tigo on “least impressed”. This finding corroborates those in the first research question which had it that the design of Zain advertising billboards attracts students’ the most attention.
d). On the clear and catchy phrases, the study found that most students admire Zain advertising billboard messages more than they do for Tigo. The results indicated 48% for Zain and 42% for Tigo on “most impressed”, 24% for Zain and 19% for Tigo on “impressed” with “least impressed” recording 22% each for Zain and Tigo.
According to Wray (1997), billboards, per their nature and location points are meant to deliver reminder messages to their target audience. Therefore the texts (phrases) on billboards should always be visible and clear to read from a distance, precise and easy to understand, and pleasant enough to be retained and memorized.
In conclusion, the data on this research question indicated that students have more positive opinions and views on Zain advertising billboards in the areas of design and the phrases they use than they do for those of Tigo; a competing mobile telecommunication network operator. The students believed that the design of Zain billboards attract viewers’ attentions than Tigo billboards do. They also think that Zain advertising billboard texts (phrases) are easy to read and catchy to retain than Tigo billboards’.
However, on models – personalities used, students thought the models on Zain advertising billboards do less to impress them as compared to those on Tigo billboards. They also thought that the placement points of Zain billboards were not encouraging; most of them were concentrated on specific areas and that does not expose them well enough to all the company’s target audience.
On respondents’ general comments about Zain advertising billboards, some students mentioned that right color blend made their billboards attractive, they are exciting to watch and the messages are clear and easy to understand. Some also said the used of only Zain’s corporate colors on the billboards made them look dull instead of lively with others saying Zain does not use known or local celebrities in its billboards which to them is not encouraging.





CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, LIMITATIONS AND SUGGESTED READINGS
Introduction: This chapter gives a summary of the study, its conclusions, limitations faced by the researcher during the study and suggestions on billboard advertisement for further readings.
Summary
With the present fierce competition among the mobile telecommunication companies in Ghana, the worst a company can do is to choose not to advertise (promote) its products, services and/or promotions to the Ghanaian public.
In advertising, the companies involved need to critically consider various issues among which is the medium to use. They need to select and use mediums that their target audience can easily access and are familiar with. The billboard, an Egyptian invention (Anna Lim on “Billboards: Snapshots of History”), is one of such mediums.
According to BPS Outdoor Advertising, billboard advertisements reach more people and yet cost less. This has low cost yet wider coverage has rather endeared the billboard to most companies including Zain, a mobile telecommunication network operator. But, what impact does billboard advertisements by Zain had on students?
The data which attempts to answer the above question indicates that billboards have a positive impact on students as far as the image of the network Zain was concerned. According to the student, Zain billboards advertisements gave them positive impressions about the network and that makes them want to experience their (Zain’s) services and use their products. This is supported by the data 61% of the respondents who said Zain billboard advertisements create positive impressions about the Zain network.
The data further reveals that most of these students sometimes discuss their perceptions about the billboards with friends and family. This means that though some people who may still have doubts about or have not even seen Zain billboards before, their friends and family members will tell them their impressions about the billboards and the network too.
The results also indicate that students retained the information they got from these billboards and were therefore very willing and likely to act on them if the time and conditions permit. This is seen in the results where 41% of the respondents said Zain billboards made them want to experience their services and use their products as against 31% saying no.
Some of the students also thought that the Zain advertisement billboards are only located in the Accra Metropolitan Assembly instead of being uniformly distributed across the entire Region.
In general, the study found that Zain billboard advertisements made students to develop positive attitudes towards the network and thus wished to join it. It further discovered that Zain billboard advertisements has a lot of long term benefits to the company than in the short term, and that an excellent blend of their corporate colors with other colors (where necessary) easily makes the billboards attractive to their target audience.
Conclusions
From the data and results of the findings, it is clear to make the following conclusions;
 An excellent blend of colors, making sure that those colors contrast with one another on a billboard will arrest people’s attentions to the billboards faster than anything else.
 Strategic positioning of the texts, the images and models – personalities (where necessary) whose actions correspond with the central theme of the ad helps to project a unified message and makes it easy for the audience to understand.
 Students admire and give much attention to billboards that use personalities they (the students) easily identify with and considered their role models.
 Zain billboard advertisements have a long term positive effect on the network and company as well. Therefore, the company or its Advertising Department or Agency should not expect customer base to increase just weeks or even months after an ad has been placed on a mounted billboard.
In the nutshell, billboard advertisement by Zain and any other company, institution or organization is a worthy investment that requires reasonable attentions and skills during its conception, creation, and placement.
Limitations of the Study
There was little literature on billboard advertisements in Ghana. The few that exist are even scarce and still does not relate to the telecommunication industry. This caused the researcher to rely on foreign literature; sourcing articles and journals from the internet whose information might have been written under conditions that are different from that of Ghana.
Also, lack of resources and time caused the researcher to select a rather small study population size of 60 students out the 652 student population of the Ghana Institute of Journalism at the time. Therefore generalizing the results of the findings to represent the findings to be those of students in the Greater Accra Region towards Zain advertisement billboards may not be appropriate in some cases.
Finally, the researcher’s knowledge in advertising might have unconsciously influenced the research in anyway despite the frantic efforts made to avoid such.
Suggested Readings
The following books are recommended for further reading on billboard advertisements
1. Muge, E. & Yazarl, R. (2003) Advertising Copy Writing
2. Wells, W., Burnnet, J., & Moriaty, S. (1998) Advertising Principles and Practices (4th edition.).
3. Shimp, T. A. (2000) Advertising Promotion, Supplemental Aspects of Integrated Marketing Communications (5th edition.). Philadelphia: Dryden Press, pp. 129-155, 372-376.
People who want to read more on billboard advertising may also visit the internet using the various search engines.


REFERENCES
1. Annorton, B. (2008). Information on Led Billboard Advertising Billboards, sourced from the internet, April, 2010.
2. Lim, A. (2009). Billboards: Snapshots of History sourced from the internet, April, 2010.
4. Kumekpor, T.K.B. (2002) Research Methods and Techniques of Social Research (3rd edition.). Accra: SonLife Press.
5. Kotler, P., Amstrong, G., Saunders, J. & Wong, V. () Principles of Marketing (3rd European Edition.). Harlow: Prentice Hall, pp 636-643.
6. Muge, E. & Yazarl, R. (2003) Advertising Copy Writing
8. Odartey, H. A. (not published), Billboard as a Communication Tool, a Case Study of MTN Billboards.
9. Opoku, J. Y. (2002) A Short Guide to Research Writing in the Social Sciences (3rd edition.). Accra: Ghana Universities Press.
10. Shimp, T. A. (2000) Advertising Promotion, Supplemental Aspects of Integrated Marketing Communications (5th edition.). Philadelphia: Dryden Press, pp. 129-155, 372-376.
11. Wray, R. D. (1997) Advertising Services (2nd edition) Illinois: College of Business, Illinois State University, pp. 148-154
APPENDIX
Questionnaire for the Study
This is a research questionnaire on the topic The Impact of Zain Billboard Advertisement on Students, A study of the Ghana Institute of Journalism. The responses to this questions in this form will therefore be treated strict confidence and used only for the purposes of this study. Honest fair cooperation from you is needed to make the findings more accurate, comprehensive and reliable.
Please answer clearly by ticking the appropriate box and writing out your answers in the spaces provided.
THANK YOU
1. Which part of the Greater Accra Region are you currently staying?
Town…………………………….
Which District or Municipal or Metropolitan Assembly is that town? …………………………………………………………………………
2. How many Zain billboards have you seen within the past six months?
a. 3 ( ) b. 2 ( ) c. 1 ( ) d. None ( ) e. other, specify…………….
3. What do you like or dislike about Zain advertising billboards? ......................................................................................................... What will make you look at a Zain billboard?
a. the personalities used. ( ) b. The product or service advertised ( ) . c. The design of the billboard ( ) d. The size of the billboard ( )
e. By coincidence ( )
4. Do the contents of Zain’s billboards (the pictures, phrases, and the background) project same meaning? a. Yes ( ) b. No ( )
If yes, give an example of the products services advertise on that billboard……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
If no, kindly explain …………………………………………………………………………………………
5. Do you discuss your perceptions about Zain billboards with your friends and family? a. Yes ( ) b. No ( ) c. Sometimes ( )
6. Have you ever bought a product or experienced a service from Zain due to the information you got from a billboard advertising that product or service? a. Yes ( ) b. No ( )
If yes, please mention the product(s) or service(s)……………………………………….
7. Do Zain billboards make you want to experience their services and use their products? a. Yes ( ) b. No ( ) c. Sometimes ( )
8. On a scale of one (1) to five (5), where one (1) to two (2) means ‘not impressed’, three (3) means ‘impressed’, and four (4) to five (5) means ‘most impressed’, how would you rate a billboard from Zain against another from Tigo on the following areas?
a. Models – personalities used Zain ………… Tigo ………….
b. placement points Zain………… Tigo………
c. General design of the billboard Zain………… Tigo………
c. Clear and catch phrases Zain……… Tigo…………
9. What impressions do Zain billboards create about the network?
a. Negative impressions ( ) b. Positive impressions ( ) c. Neutral impressions ( )
10. What are your general comments about Zain advertising billboards? …….....................................................................................................
11. Sex: A. Male ( ) B. Female ( )
12. Age range
a).18 – 22 ( ) c).31 – 42 ( )
b).23 – 30 ( ) d). 43 and above ( )