An analysis on the use of social media advertising to advance brand popularity : a case of fine dining restaurants in Nairobi
Date
2016
Authors
Oyoo, Joseph Ogidi
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Strathmore University
Abstract
In the modern day world numerous social media sites and applications have been developed that
are being used worldwide. In the year 2015, both Facebook and Gmail announced that they have
reached an active audience of 1 billion people each. This creates a key target market audience for
corporates, small firms and even individuals. This study sought to find how fine dining
restaurants have leveraged on the popularity of social media sites locally to create brand
popularity through its advertisement drives. The study was guided by the following objectives; to
determine the extent of social media advertising usage in creating brand popularity of fine
restaurants in Nairobi, to examine the influence of social media advertising on the brand
popularity of fine restaurants in Nairobi and to find out the challenges of social media
advertising in creating brand popularity of fine dining restaurants in Nairobi. The theoretical
foundation for the research was premised on the hierarchy effects theory. The study adopted a
survey research design targeting both employees and clients of fine dining restaurants in Nairobi.
The target population for the study comprised 390 restaurants in Nairobi, from which the study
targeted 10% of the restaurants. The respondents included the managers, operations manager,
communications manager and at least 10 customers in the restaurants. The sample size for the
study was 135 respondents. The researcher further collected primary data using semi-structured
questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were presented using charts, frequencies and percentages
while inferential statistics were presented using correlation and regression analysis.
The study findings established that social media advertisement has been on the rise and has been
adopted in fine dining restaurants also as a channel for meeting customers. Social media
adoption was found to be more effective in increasing brand popularity than the traditional
media. Findings also showed that social media advertisement has a significant and positive effect
on brand popularity. It is also a cost effective channel of advertisement. The study therefore
recommends that fine dining restaurants should embark on social media advertisements so as to
increase their brand popularity. Also, there is need for the fine dining restaurants to implement
strategies for advancing social media usage as the advertising channel which is also efficient and
cost effective. It is also recommended that fine dining restaurants should utilize all available
social media advertisement channels to reach every class of individuals across different age
groups.
Description
A Research Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Masters in Business Administration
Keywords
Social media, Social media marketing, Brand, Fine dining restaurants, Nairobi County