CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the Study

Promotional strategies are one of the most important ingredients, which enhance growth, development, and survival of any organization. Therefore, for any business enterprise to succeed in the market there is the need for it to always device new promotional techniques to meet the challenges of times. One of the biggest challenges facing services industries such as bank today is how to maintain their market share in today’s largely dynamic and competitive environment.

Before going further, it will be important to point at the fact that customers are the live wire of any organization and they are the primary session why an organisation survives without their repeated patronage, the organisation cannot go beyond the initial turnover of the promoter’s equity. If an organisation does not treat customer well they will move to the next competitions.

In the past the use of promotional concept or techniques were not considered necessary due to the shortage of supply of product and services, whatever was produced was consumed up. The service industry did not realize the importance or even the relevance of finding out what customers wanted or needed and then producing a product or service that best satisfies the need and  want of the customer. The promotional concept holds that the key to achieving organizational goals consist in determining the desired   satisfactions” Kotler (1984:67).

The banking industry employ a variety of promotional mix strategies in that suit their product offerings for example, the  banks are moving away from their traditional range of products such as ordinary current account, granting loans. Overdraft corporate finance to move customers orientated products. In this direction banks have gone to segment (device) the large nitrogenous market into homogeneous sub-market to banks also specialized in specific services to cater for the few segment. Due to the increased level and complexity of Competition and that changing characteristics of the market, Services industry such as the bank have now restored to Intensive promotional strategies.

1.2     Statement of General Problem

The Nigerian banking industry is highly competitive and participating banks have the task of designing and implementing appropriate promotional strategy to ensure survival and growth within.

To specific extent, UBA is amongst the leading banks in Nigeria, but its competitive strength is being weakened by a number of factors, thus including the following:

Poor commitment to organized promotional research to determine, on continuous basis evading threats and emerging opportunities within the industry, Poor customer relationship management resulting in customer attrition and lost of vital resources, In appropriate choice of promotional and promotional strategy to suite the dynamic banking services promotional.

In view of these constraints, this research project makes an attempt at determining the causes and effect of these shortcomings and to provide realistic solutions to them to enhance the banks’ performance within the Nigerian banking sector.

1.3     Objectives of the Study

The main objectives of this study are to identify the promotional strategies in the service industry with focus on banking industry that apply not only computerization but promotional concepts and techniques in its promotional activities.

-              To identify the promotional strategies that is peculiar to the promotional of banking industry.

-              To examine the implementation of promotional techniques, principles and other promotional strategies in the promotional activities of UBA.

-              To find out the prospects in term of sales profitability of the bank since the application of marketing strategies in its promotional strategies in its marketing activities.     

-              To identify the problems facing financial services industries. In its promotional environment particular in Northern State of Nigeria.

1.4     Scope of the Study

For the purpose of this research work, the researcher limits the study to UBA branch at Yakubu Gowon Way, Kaduna North local government area. The researchers also cover some areas like element of promotional strategies; procedure for effective promotional strategies, benefits derived form promotional mix etc.

1.5     Statement of Hypothesis

Hypothesis is a testable, tentative probable explanation of the relationship between two or more variables that create a state of affairs.  The following hypothesis is formulated to facilitate the research objectives;

Hi:    The promotional strategies have effect on the profitability of banking industries

Ho:   The promotional strategies   do not have effect on the profitability of banking industries

1.6   Limitation of the Study

In a research like this, it ought to encounter one problem or the other. In view of this, it is expected that not all staff of United Bank for Africa (UBA) respond to the questionnaire administered to them. Also the researcher find it difficult to combine class activities with the research work with the short time frame. Other miscellaneous expenses also affect the researcher financial position.

 This work has greatly limited the time available for leisure and rest as serious reading and writing was carried out to meet the challenges associated with project such as this one.

Despite these constraints the objectives of this study were achieved.

1.7     DEFINITION OF TERMINOLOGIES

§     Marketing: Is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotional and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchange that satisfy individual and organizational objective.  

§     Satisfaction:- This is a state of mind which demonstrate an emission of positive emotional feelings towards and object or ideas.

§     Marketing Research:- Is the systematic design, collection, analysis and reporting of data and finding s relevant to a specific marketing situation facing the company.

§     Marketing concept: - Is a business philosophy that focuses primary attention to the needs and wants of customer and channels the effort towards satisfying their needs and want.

§     Sales concept:  Is a business philosophy, which rests on the assumption that customers will not buy goods or services unless the seller makes a substantial effort to stimulate their interest on its product.

§     Sales Promotion: Are those marketing strategies that is used to stimulate consumers to buy more and stimulate distributors and sales reps to sell more.

§     Market: - Is a group of people or individual who have demand for the product and have the money and are willing to pay for the product.

§     Marketing Mix: Is the controllable element which markets uses to influence consumers responses.

§     Marketing strategies:- Is a coincident appropriate and feasible set of principles through which a particular company hopes to derives its own objective.

§     Advertising:- Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services by and identified sponsor.

§     Competitive Environment: is a business that operates within other competing firms in an industry.

§     Promotion: all activities that have the sale aim of communication.

§     Strategy: as a consistent action plain or more to achieve the firms long-term objectives.

§     Goals: achieving the expected result.

§     Concepts: An abstraction from observation event

§     Promotion:- Selling and promotion are normally defined synonymous, although promotion is a more appropriate language. For many people, selling and suggests only transferring or only the activities and other methods of stimulating demands while promotion include advertising personal selling, publicity and others.

§     Competitive environment: - A business situation that is full rivalry, which call for directing of all of a small segment of the environment.

§     Marketing mix:-Apportionment of effort; the combination the designing and the integration of the elements of marketing to achieve the objectives of an enterprise (product, pricing, promotion and place).