Persuading them to Fly: Modeling the Impact of Airline Advertisements on the Travel Behaviour of Air Passengers in Nigeria

Abstract

Even though competition in the aviation sector has led to a corresponding increase in advertisements from airline operators, literature on the impact of such adverts on air passengers is scanty. This study explored the impact of airline advertisements on the travel behaviour of passengers in Nigeria. The study utilized a descriptive survey and sampled 600 respondents from Nigeria. The participants were scheduled for an air trip as at the time of the study. The study tested the impact of such adverts using the five stages of consumer behaviour-awareness, interest, conviction, patronage and past patronage. The study also examined the impact of airline adverts based on five selected media platforms-TV, Internet, radio, newspaper and magazine. The study also used attitude toward air travel to ascertain if it moderates the impact of airline adverts. It was found that the impact of airline adverts on air passengers' travel behaviour differs based on the media platform. The results also showed that attitude to air travel significantly moderates the impact that airline adverts have on air passengers. Based on these results, it is concluded that a combination of at least TV and the Internet or magazine and the Internet is a sure way of influencing air passengers in the 21st Century aviation industry.