Social media advertising for micro and small enterprises in Ghana: A case study on the advertising strategies of April Rust & Mina Evans; brands in the Ghanaian fashion industry
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2014-04
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Abstract
Micro, small and medium size enterprises (MSMEs) have been identified as
promoters of economic growth in the country. However, most managers of
these MSMEs are unwilling to commit necessary resources towards market
oriented activities because they have insufficient funds. Individual internet
usage in Ghana has also increased from 5.44% in 2009 to 17.11% in 2012
and Facebook was the most visited website in Africa.
The paper identifies the extent to which social media is a beneficial
advertising tool over traditional advertising for micro and small firms in
Ghana. This case study was exploratory in nature. Two micro and small
enterprises in the Ghanaian fashion industry; Mina Evans and April Rust,
were selected using convenience sampling. 60 respondents; 18 years and
above were selected via random sampling for the second half of the study.
Primary data was collected via one-on-one interviews and structured online
questionnaires. Data was analyzed using content and descriptive analysis.
Mina Evans and April Rust are solely on social media and prefer it to
traditional advertising because of the reach and its interactive nature among
many other reasons. Monitoring key performance indicators has made this
advertising strategy effective as this helps them identify the needs of their
target market.
Ultimately, social media advertising has proven to be a successful advertising
approach for both brands for various yet similar reasons. This paper seeks to
inform other micro and small firms of the benefits of this advertising tool.
Description
Thesis submitted to the Department of Business Administration, Ashesi University College, in partial fulfillment of Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, April 2014
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Keywords
Ghana, social media, fashion industry, SMEs, advertising