Roles Of Sale Promotion Consumer Goods Marketing

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Sales promotion is recognized worldwide as a tool of marketing. It is the one of the marketing communication mix. According to Iferve (1990:152) there are two schools of thought in the area of communication mix.
The first school of thought hold the board view which says that each of the 4ps (product, price, place, promotion) belongs in the marketing communication mix. The second school of thought holds the nargrow view which says that communication mix consists of marketing tool under “promotion” that are mainly “promotional in nature”

Looking at the diagram below shows that marketing communication mix consist of marketing tool under promotion. This can illustrate thus;
Similarly, the authors Ernest Adirika, Bona Ebue and Dorothy Nnolim (1996:87) writing about marketing communication mix are of the opinion that the marketing communication mix is made up of advertising, personal selling, sales promotion and publicity programmes. They are called the promotional mix variables.

Irrespective of the varied opinions of the school of thought as was pointed out by Iferve (1990) there is concerned in their belief (i.e thinking) marketing. It is consensus that promotion is an aspect of the marketing.
Communication mix, it is an integral part of the various activities which the marketing communication (marketers) most concern himself within order to ensure an enhanced sales of his organizational products and to achieve his organizations set objectives. But what actually is this concept, sales promotion.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Misconception of the public that advertising is the only tool for making product sale, promotion is rather a more effective point of sale decision making.
While advertising is a general statement about the existence of the product giving the general information about the product, sales promotion influence choice of consumers in making a particular.

Choice:- This is so because the products profile may be generally range bout promotion will single out the inducement in choice vis-à-vis a completion product offering the same satisfaction or values for example in the soft drink where coke-cola, 7up are offering the same on either of them will make consumer shift creating an immediate market for it, despite the fact that the other product, has similar equivalent satisfaction e.g. the coca-cola mega millions promotion is an incentive for people to buy more of their products.

Since the ultimate goal advertising is to make consumers aware of a products existence and quality is the final inducement to affect a choice.
The conflict between and advertising and sales promotion is thus clear as it is the final push for a consumer to make his references and it is thus more aggressive to the consumer ordinarily, general advertising and promotion can create a price between producers generated from the type of promotion adopted by companies. It can be safely stated that no matter the quality of the goods offering the same satisfaction within a product range promotion pins down the consumers or customers final choice, this is so because the products offer very close satisfaction ordinarily and only little differentiation by way of packaging promotions and other offering. Further example can be seen in the way some of them are seen in the way some of these soft drink market. The shape of the bottle, colour, volume and price are of standing out from the competitors offering. As stated earlier, promotion is a highly, sensitive technique push competitors out of the market and can be dangerous at times. The danger is often generated by the reaction of the competitors in the market by way of challenge.

The effect can be so devastating that profits can be eroded by trying to challenge the other companies offering thus smaller companies can be forced out of business in an attempt to meet the challenges of competition companies with larger resources.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
This studies “the compact of sales promotion in distribution of new products. A case study of “NASCO FOOD LTD” has the objectives of:
1. Finding out if sales promotion played a role in the distribution of NASCO Food LTD at the introduction phase of this product.
2. Determining to what extent promotions played this role of enhanced distribution of NASCO food Ltd .
3. Finding out if back of sales promotions would affect and effective distribution of new products.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION
(1) What is the role of sales promotion in Nigerian modern organization?
(2) What are the achievements of sales promotion in NASCO Food Ltd?

(3) What are the strategies of sales promotion used in NASCO foods Ltd?
(4) To what extent have sales promotion increased sales in NASCO foods Ltd?
(5) How often does NASCO foods embark on sales promotion?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Ikechukwu Nwosu and Uchenna Ekwo (1990:316) wrote concerning sales promotion in Nigeria. According to this authors, even though sales promotion gained real recognition as a total of marketing in Nigeria as far back as the early 1960’s. It is only in recent years that it’s use became very wide spread in the country.
To gain such wide recognition in third world country, such as Nigeria, no doubt, suggests that sales promotion has some of important roles it can play. It should have a peculiar and an invaluable role, which no one can rightly ignore or deny. Sale promotional activities in Nigeria dated leave to the multi-national trading companies like the Levantines Kingsway and U.T.C. stores, whose main promotional activities came mainly in the form of money off offers and offer gifts items like balloon and Christmas tree.
Such offers in those days were leveled up by intensive publicity and advertising to draw the attention of the public or consumers to them.
The major objective/importance of sales promotion is its ability to move sales above the existing level.
Ernest Adirika, Bona Ebue and Dorothy Nnolim (1996:90) stated the importance of sales promotion, please permit me to quote verbatim.

1.6 SCOPE OF STUDY
The roles of sales promotions in the distribution of new products. A case study of NASCO Ltd “Shall cover such areas that are purely promotional in nature. Only a cursory reference shall be made other aspects of Non-personal marketing communication mix as epicted in diagram 1 of this chapter. It may also touch some aspects of personal marketing communication.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Ernest Adirika et al (1996:142) defined “sales promotion as that something extra that can arouse interest, create a buying desire, spark an immediate reaction from customers, middlemen or company’s sales force.
Ikechukwu Nwosu (1996) say “sale promotion” can be seen as one of the vital components of promotional mix” it can be seen as a form of “incentive marketing” it is a concept used to special kind of sales accelerating activities not necessarily classified as advertising personal selling or seller initiated activities that supplement both advertising and personal selling and render them into a more effective persuasive force (Ifeve 1990:144).
Sales promotional activities are directed to consumers, middlemen or the firms own sales force. The sales promotional tools could be grouped into:
(a) Consumer promotion (coupons, premiums, samples money refunds, price-off, contests, demonstrations).
(b) Trade or dealer promotion (free goods, merchandise, allowances, cooperative advertising, buying allowances, dealer sales contest) and
(c) Sales force promotion (sales contest, special bonus, sales meeting?