ATTITUDE OF UNIBEN STUDENTS TOWARDS REDMI ADVERTISING ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

ABSTRACT

This study focused on investigating the impact of social media advertising on brand perception and purchase decisions among University of Benin (UNIBEN) students, focusing on REDMI smartphone ads. The study aimed to determine the level at which the social media adverts of Redmi smartphones generated awareness of the brand, shaped the students' perception of Redmi and influenced their decision to buy Redmi smartphones. The survey research method was used to gather data for the study and the theoretical framework revolved around Elaboration likelihood model theory and Theory of planned behavior model. Findings from this study revealed that while a substantial portion of students (67%) acknowledged seeing Redmi's social media ads, most exposure was infrequent. Despite this, the majority found the ads to be somewhat or very effective in conveying brand messages, and those exposed to the ads reported a generally positive shift in their perception of Redmi. This positive perception translated into a more favorable attitude towards Redmi, with a significant number of students indicating an increased likelihood to consider purchasing a Redmi phone in the future. The study also shows that Redmi's social media marketing efforts have been moderately successful in generating brand awareness and influencing student perception and attitudes. This underscores the significance of tailored social media advertising campaigns in enhancing brand engagement and influencing purchase decisions. The study therefore concluded that Social media plays a great role in modern marketing strategies and it has emerged to be a powerful tool for creating brand awareness , shaping public opinions ,engaging target audiences and shaping consumer behavior and attitudes . The study thus recommended Redmi should increase their social media ad frequency and focus on retargeting customers who have seen their ads before. It was also recommended tailoring messages to specific student segments, collaborating with social media influencers, and implementing methods to track the direct influence of social media campaigns on sales