CHAPTER ONE

1.0   INTRODUCTION

Bank advertising includes advertising performed by banking institutions. Apart from advertising address to bank customers, this category may also include business reports, information brochures of announcements on payment of new shares, reports on investment program results and several other financial announcements {information}.

        The first type contains dominant psychological message, while the latter involves factual or logically verifiable messages, in order to impact banks product and service to current and potential customers.

        The selection of banking advertising means depend on a bank’s targets group. Most banking institution address their advertising to holders of small account and this advertise their product and service through the mass media. The press and television are the preferred means for larger banks that have branches across the country. Advertisement on investment programs usually appear in almost all the circulation newspaper as they are addressed to small investors. Many banking institutions rent space in several exhibition and print information brochures to describe their activities and service.

1.1   BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

        Normally the general public today, believe that for a business organization or enterprises to survive, make profit and even achieve it’s aims and objectives it has to go through advertisement.

        However, this system is needed by profit making organization to make their products and services popular and known to the people so that majority of the people can be turned to customers.

        Advertising, in this case can be simply defined or said to be the publishing of a particular product or services of a business organization in order to gain the heart of the customers with the aim of making profit. Advertisement of the bank improve the economic development of a country. Therefore, advertising is an important aspect of business formation and growth. It even determines the survival of a bank or an establishment.  After a careful analysis, to think about the quality of the bank product or service need with references to the taste of customers.

        All these facts started above must be in place before the bank comes up with a perfect means of advertising techniques that will totally boost the product of banks completely.

        Advertisement can be a useful tool to promote your product above that of competitors. It serves as a promotional tool in any organization that has to aim and objectives of profit maximization. For a bank to last long, its products in the market must undergo certain advertisement.

1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Most individuals in the word today do not believes in advertisement as a promotional tools of making profit in business organization . This is as a result of the fact that they believe advertising is just to show case product to entire public in order to make profit. But it is unfortunate that even large establishment still lack the mentally of getting their product advertised, instead, they only engage their product in sales promotion which will definite fade out within as short time. An adage says that “free things are inferior” that is to say they are not valuable to the customers. Let’s take a critical look at problems faced by the bank.

-       Lack of awareness of the common duty.

-       Much value or services by the consumers

-       Risk of loosing the customers.

1.3   RESEARCH QUESTION AND HYPOTHEIS            

The project research will attempt to provide answer to the following research questions, which are as follow

i       What is the relationship between advertising and bank growth?

ii      How can a bank make best of advertising to its own advantage?

iii     Is it true that lack of advertising contributes to the failure of a bank or business organization?

iv     Is there any relationship between advertising and bank product?

1.4      OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

Objectives of this study are as stated below: 

1.          To find out if there is any relationship between advertising and bank products.

2.          To make appropriate research on various advertising media which are of good importance to bank product?

3.          To look at how advertising led to bank profitability.

1.5   SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY

        This research will focus mainly on the issue concerning advertising as a promotional tool in relation to the success and survival of bank products.

        This study meant to see into ways by which United bank for Africa (UBA) goes about advertisement in order to obtain the essential market share.

1.6   LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

        The following factors sees as constraints to the research while carrying out this study.

i.            Time constraint

ii.          Financial factor

iii.       Competent responds

1.7   HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA (UBA) PLC

History of United Bank for Africa (UBA) dated back to 1949 when the British and French Bank Limited “BFB” commenced business in Nigeria. Today, United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) is the product of the merger of Nigeria’s third (3rd) and Fifth (5th) Largest banks, namely  the old UBA and the Standard Trust Bank (STB) respectively and a subsequent acquisition of the erstwhile Continental Trust Bank Limited (CBT). The union emerged as the first successful corporate combination in the history of Nigeria banking.

        United Bank for Africa (UBA) back to 1948 when the British and French Bank Limited commenced business in Nigeria and the erstwhile STB and CTB both in 1990. Following Nigeria’s independence from Britain, UBA was incorporated in 1961 to take over the business of British and French Bank (BFB). Although today’s UBA emerged at a time of industrial consolidation induced by regulation. The consolidation UBA was borne out of a desire to lead the domestic sector to a new era of global relevance by championing the creation of the Nigeria consumer finance market, leading a private/public sector partnership at supporting the acceleration of Nigeria economic development and growing the institution from a banking to a one-step financial services institution. While spearing its footprints across Africa to earn the reputation as the face of banking on the continent.

        Today, United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), having adopted the holding company model is one of Africa’s leadings financial institution offering universal banking to more than 7.2 million customers across 750 branches in 18 Africa countries with presence in New York, London and Paris and assets in excess of $ 19 bn, UBA is your partner for banking services for Africans and African related business globally.

        UBA has the largest distribution network in Nigeria with over 6.5 million customers in personal, commercial and corporate market segments. As of 30 September 2008, it had over 650 business offices, 296 deployed POS and 1332 ATMS and pioneered cheque acceptance ATMS in Nigeria. Its over 14,000 staff globally are also referred to as “Lions and Lionesses”. Regionally, the group has a presence in 18 African countries and in all major financial centres. The bank currently operates in Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory coast, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Uganda, Benin, Burkina Faso and Senegal and has unfolded plans to expand its banking operations to 15 additional countries in Africa come 2009.

        Records indicate that UBA is the only Sub-Saharan bank with dual presence in the U.S and the U.K.

1.8   DEFINITION OF TERM

Some basics terms used in this particular research project include the followings;

i.            ADVERTISING:- This is any means aimed at persuading member of the

public to procure or  purchase of  a particular product or services.

ii.     CONSUMER:- This is the person to which the advertisement and products/services are directed.

iii     PROMOTION:- According to Adewoyin O.A (2004) promotion Is any techniques that are persuasive communication, favourable information about sellers product to potential buyers. It also provides a basis for all activities of the organization that are perceived in the market. But in planning their communication, promotion by definition, is any techniques that persuasively convince the consumer to buy.

iv.    MEDIA:- This is a kind of equipment used for listening to programmes that

are broadcast to a large heterogeneous audience. It is also a process of sending and receiving messages through the air using electro-magnetic waves. It  is an electronic devices which brings to us information, education