Influence of the Prominent Representations of Domestic Products Advertisements in Kass TV on to Kipsigis Consumers in Belgut Sub-County, Kericho, Kenya

Marketing and trade advertising are part of our day to day lives. This study, therefore, intended to study television (TV) advertisements. Television advertisements come in both visual and verbal modes of communication. Meaning is achieved by sounds and images, which in turn influence the viewers’ choice. This study sought to investigate how adverts in Kass TV use music, textual and visual images to create meaning and its influence on Kipsigis consumer. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of prominent representations of domestic products advertisements in Kass TV on Kipsigis Consumer in Belgut Sub-county, Kericho, Kenya. This study aimed at analysing the verbal and visual modes of communication in TV advertisements in order to determine their influence on Kipsigis viewers. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The target population for the study was Kass TV viewers in Belgut sub-county because it is


INTRODUCTION
Advertising is a means of marketing used by companies to create awareness on the target audience about a new product or to keep them reminded of the existing products and persuade them to purchase those products or services. Therefore, advertisers find it difficult when choosing the means that will present their messages effectively (Keller & Kotler, 2009). Television and the internet or online advertising are the most current channels of marketing used in developed and developing countries. It is therefore important for the consumers of services provided by the two companies to be aware and access all the important information about the products offered by the two companies before making purchase decisions.
The influence of advertisements on the advert viewer or reader is a great subject worth to be discussed (Cashmore, 2008). The media has been recognised and proved as a very powerful and influential force. Images used in both print and electronic media tend to be so powerful. Visual images, therefore, play a crucial role in influencing consumer choice of products. This is because images arouse the viewer's emotions and attitude towards the advert. Adverts become memorable to the viewer if they are well packaged.
When consumers become aware of how adverts are presented in order to manipulate them, they will be able to make the best brand choices. Bateman (2014) posits that it is through advertising that consumers become aware of the available goods and services in the market. The main aim of advertising is to create awareness on prospective buyers and to let them develop a positive attitude towards the products or services, thus causing them to purchase those products or services. Companies continue paying for advertisements to ensure that they keep their customers and even attract more to consume their products. In doing this, organisations should be aware of the elements of presentations in their adverts that make prospective consumers behave differently.
The main aim of advertising is to let the viewer be aware of the product, persuade them to buy the product and thus maximising the profit of the company. Cook (2001) posits that advertising messages should be beautifully packaged so as to attract the viewer's attention and should be strategically placed in order to stick in the viewer's memory. Bateman (2014) states that advertising through the mass media, especially television; greatly promote sales. This study, therefore, intended to analyse the prominent ways information is presented in TV advertisements in order to influence the consumer.
Representation of media images in creating awareness among the viewers is, therefore, critical. Development of media images should be done effectively in order to affect consumer's buying behaviour positively, thus increasing sales (Hassan, 2015). Therefore, if a media image portrays any elements that are not a representation of the target audience; it will most likely have less impact on the minds of the consumer. With knowledge about the social-cultural elements of the target audience, organisations will tend to present their products and services effectively, thus embracing acceptability. Prahald, Martin and Unsworth (2013) confirm the shift from promotion to representation. Words and pictures used in the adverts combine to convey meaning. For an effective interpretation to occur, the two should be packaged wisely. The colours used in the pictures should be as attractive as possible and the words should reinforce the product.
Although multimodal texts are used in diverse contexts such as classroom discourse, sports, political discourse, among others; they are becoming increasingly popular for television advertising. Gillespie and Halford (2006) used multimodality in classroom discourse to discuss the effectiveness of using computer-aided materials in class to raise students' interest. The effect of multimodality in society with a focus on psychology and sociolinguistics has been discussed by Connoly (2002). Barthes (1977) and Williamson (1972) become the early scholars to use semiosis to examine the language used in advertisements. Barthes (1977) discussed how pictures and texts relate to advertisements while Williamson (1972) believes the analysis of advertisements is more than just coding and decoding. Vestergaard and Schroder (1985) explained that through advertising, text producers socially interact with the viewer.
This study intended to examine the advertisement of domestic products among the Kass television viewers in Belgut Sub-County within Kericho County in Kenya. Kass Television is a vernacular commercial television station owned and operated by Kass Media Group which also owns Kass FM vernacular radio station and Kass Magazine. Kass TV was founded in March 2010. Kass TV is a vernacular TV station that broadcasts in the Kalenjin language. The channel was created as a response to a request by Kass FM's radio followers in Rift Valley and Diaspora. It broadcasts in the following regions; Nairobi and its environs including Machakos, Thika, Kiambu and Limuru, Rift-valley province which include; Nakuru, Eldoret, Kitale, Baringo, Kapenguria, Timboroa, Gilgil, Naivasha, Bomet and Kericho; Coastal region which includes; Mombasa, Malindi, Mtwapa, Changamwe, Ukunda and Kilifi. Parts of Western and Nyanza which include; Kakamega, Kisumu, Kisii and internationally in Washington DC, USA. 'Kass' means 'listen' as per the Kalenjin community which lives in the Rift valley of Kenya. They use the slogan 'Kimnatetnaet' meaning 'Knowledge is power'. Its mission is to become a leading TV broadcaster in the Kalenjin language. It's committed to effective broadcasting of services to its audience, customers and the public. The channel aims at making use of innovation and technology to provide quality services, ensuring that information is disseminated to all without biasness by airing programmes that are economically, educationally, culturally and socially rich thus improving on the welfare of Kipsigis and Kenyans at large. Kass TV provides programmes including news, interactive stories, entertainment, features, comedies, drama shows and soap operas all broadcasting in Kalenjin language. It caters for the burgeoning vernacular TV audience that has grown as a result of the digital migration in Kenya. Kass TV is broadcasted on Zuku TV channel 019, and it is also hosted by Multi-choice on both DSTV channel 266 and Go TV channel 99 (Wamathai, 2016).
Images in TV adverts provide the channel for communicating visual content. With the use of colours, slogans and music, images gain more appealing qualities than using just language. A combination of image and text offers detailed information to the viewer of a TV advert. Music also has the ability to influence the viewer towards purchasing the product.

RESEARCH DESIGN
This study adopted the descriptive research design. This method enabled the researcher to extract both quantitative and qualitative data from the sample of respondents drawn within a short time. Descriptive survey research was carried out amongst Kass TV viewers and consumers of the advertised domestic adverts. Qualitative research utilised in this study focused on a representative sample and then generalised the result to the population from which the sample was drawn.

The Study Area
The proposed study took place in Belgut subcounty in Kericho County, Kenya where Kass TV which is a vernacular TV channel broadcast in the Kalenjin language in Kenya. Belgut sub-county was selected because it is one of the Kass TV coverage areas while Kass TV was selected because it represented best what the research aimed at finding out. Respondents were drawn from Belgut sub-county in Kericho County, Kenya. Respondents were Kass TV viewers and potential shoppers of the Kass TV advertised domestic products.

Target Population and Sampling Procedures
The study targeted Kass TV viewers and consumers of the advertised domestic products in Belgut subcounty in their natural setting. The Kenya Population Census of 2009 shows that Belgut subcounty has an estimate population of 125,292 inhabitants. The study targeted 350 respondents from Belgut sub-county. The target population comprised of the youth, middle-aged and the elderly who are Kass TV viewers and shoppers of the advertised domestic products featured in Kass TV. Advertisements featured on Kass TV were sampled for content analysis. It helped to determine which advertisements were based on domestic products.
The researcher used simple random sampling to aid in the selection of respondents to fill the questionnaires. The researcher randomly sampled viewers and shoppers of Kass TV and shoppers of the domestic adverts featured in Kass TV. They answered a self-administered questionnaire set in the English language to access their views on Kass TV commercials of domestic products. The research used stratified sampling to get a sample of 187 respondents and Kass television advertisements and a related questionnaire was selfadministered so as to collect data for analysis. The following formula by Yamane's (1967) was applied to determine the sample size.

Prominent Representations of Domestic Products Advertisements on Consumer Choice
The purpose of using the visual and verbal modes is to attract the viewer and to create a positive attitude towards the product, thus influencing them to make a purchase. Colour is an important source of information. Khouw (2002) states that when TV viewers initially interact with the colour (s) used in the advert, they can make a decision within 90 seconds. Colours help advert producers not only to differentiate their products from competitors but also influences the feelings and moods of the viewers, therefore, developing either a positive or negative attitude towards the product being advertised. Harrington and Mackie (1993) argue that red and yellow are warm colours, whereas blue and green are cool colours. People's perception of colour varies because of their different experiences. Light is detected by rods which are responsible for the existence of colour. Perception of colour is therefore affected by light. Electrical lighting in colour on the product being advertised is what allows colours to be visible. The colour used on products advertised on TV can affect the TV viewer's emotions in different ways. Emotions could be happy or sad. Keller and Kotler (2009) posit that the use of colour in TV adverts attracts the attention of the viewer because they convey messages, thus creating feelings that will most likely result in making a purchase. Khouw (2002) found that the perception of colours between gender difference. Men tolerate grey, black and white than women, while women prefer a combination of white and maroon was preferred mostly by adults. The maroon colour used in Jamii Milling advert stimulates appetite. This is because of its' effect on metabolism. On the product, the maroon and white colour is used to hijack the interest of the consumer, thus increasing their appetite and encourages them to consume the product. Advert producers should, therefore, be aware of the perceived importance of colours and how TV viewers in a specific geographical area interpret them.
Advertisers, therefore, use colour to appeal to the eye of the viewer, thus creating the desire to make a purchase. Colour in the product packaging, background wall paintings and the dresses of the participants play a crucial role. Respondents identified Jamii Milling advert as the most appropriate in colours. The maroon and white colours in the package appeals enough to make them buy Jamii Milling maize flour. Berlin and Kay (1996) say that colours are attached to symbolic meanings. The maroon and white colours used in the advert soothes, energises and stimulate brain wave activity. Lighting marks the start and end of the scene. It also reflects the scene's advert. Hutchson (2020) states that lighting highlights density as it focuses on the items for emphasis. Bright natural sunlight is used for daylight scenes whereas, for night scenes, room and electric bulbs are used for lighting. Lighting, therefore, focuses on outstanding episodes in adverts, thus making them eye-catchy.
Salience is created through lighting, which focuses on certain episodes, thus making them attractive to the advert viewer. Wherever elements are placed, salience can create a hierarchy of importance among the elements that are selected. This study, therefore, confirms that salience in TV adverts is created by lighting as well as participants, colours, music, image and text. These visual and verbal modes play an important role in creating the compositional meaning in the TV adverts. TV adverts use actors and goals to narrate the story. The participants used to speak and act with the aim of convincing the viewer to buy the product. They present the advert narrative through what they do and say. The viewer becomes the goal of the advert when the participant addresses them directly. Participants in the adverts include males and females (Kress & Van Leuween, 1996).
About 8.8% (15) of the respondents reported that the use of celebrities would influence them to buy certain products. Celebrity is a participant with qualities that viewers admire and inspire to be like because of the accrued perceived benefits that come from associating with the celebrity. Celebrities in TV adverts, therefore, conditions the viewer by making them believe that if they use the products endorsed by the celebrity, they will live like those celebrities. The above Table 1 indicated colour as an aspect with most impact as illustrated by 80(47%) of the respondents, followed by background music at 50(29.4%), 20(11.8%) identified image as an aspect with most impact while only 5(2.9%) stated text to be what impacts them most. Explore the product 35 20.6 Total 170 100 The above table indicated that 40(23.5%) of the viewers would ignore the TV adverts after watching them, 95(55.9%) would remember the advert when making a purchase while 35(20.6%) of the viewers would explore about the product after watching them.  Table 3 shows that 60(35.3%) of the respondents strongly agreed that they like TV ads, while 50(29.4%) of the respondents agreed that they like TV ads. On the other hand, 20(11.8%) of the respondents disagreed that they like TV ads, while 15 (8.8%) strongly disagreed that they like TV ads.25 (14.7%) of the respondents were neutral. 70(41.2%) of the respondents strongly agreed that they often want domestic products seen on Kass TV, while 40(23.5%) agreed that they often want domestic products seen on Kass TV. On the other hand, 18(10.6%) of the respondents disagreed that they often want domestic products seen in Kass TV while 30(11.7%) strongly disagreed that they want domestic products seen in Kass TV.12 (7%) were neutral.
On the one hand, respondents who strongly agreed that TV ads influence consumer choice were 110(64.7%) while 40(23.5%) agreed that TV ads influence consumer choice. On the other hand, 10(5.9%) strongly disagreed that TV ads influence consumer choice, while 5(2.9%) disagreed that TV ads influence consumer choice.5 (2.9%) were neutral.80 (47%) of the viewers strongly agreed that they feel that exposure to TV ads has enhanced their involvement in purchase while 60(35.3%) agreed that they feel that exposure to TV ads has enhanced their involvement in purchase. On the other hand, 5(2.9%) of the respondents disagreed that they feel that exposure to TV ads has enhanced their involvement in purchase while 10(5.9%) strongly disagreed that exposure to TV ads has enhanced their involvement in purchase. 15(8.8%) were neutral.
Fifty (29.4%) of the viewers strongly agreed that they mostly purchase domestic products shown in Kass TV while 40(23.5%) agreed that they mostly purchase domestic products shown in Kass TV. On the other hand, 15(8.8%) of the respondents disagreed that they mostly purchase domestic products shown in Kass TV while 25(14.7%) strongly disagreed that they mostly purchase domestic products shown in Kass TV.40 (23.5%) were neutral.

CONCLUSION
The main purpose of this study was to determine the influence of prominent representations of domestic product advertisement on Kass television to consumer choice of domestic products in Belgut, Kericho, Kenya. Television adverts blend visual and verbal modes of communication so as to achieve effective images, thus meeting the viewer's interests. The visual and verbal modes guide viewers in interpreting the advert. The prominent representations used in the three domestic adverts were accounted for and analysed based on Kress and Van Leeuwen's (2006) Multimodal Discourse Analysis. The analysis focused on how advert producers use visual and verbal modes of communication with the aim of attracting the viewer and influencing their moods and attitudes (positively), thus purchasing the product.
The images in all three adverts are objective, meaning the viewer is imposed on what they will see. To achieve the interactional meaning, all the three adverts have participants endorsing the product. They make the viewer feel part of the advertising. The polarised text in the three adverts also helps in achieving the textual function.
The study established that advert producers should be aware of the perceived importance of colours and how television viewers in a specific geographical area interpret them. Research on colour choice should be conducted before a product is launched because the choice of a wrong colour can have a negative impact on the company and the image of the product. Television viewers can judge a brand by its colour. This study confirmed that the blending of visual and verbal modes works best because the majority of the respondents agreed that the use of colour, image, celebrity appearance, text and background music greatly influence their buying decisions.
The study also found that there exists a positive relationship between television advertising and consumer. Television adverts impact the viewer depending on gender (male and female) and area of residence (rural, semi-urban and urban). Rural residents were found to like TV advertisements more than semi-urban and urban residents.
The limitation of the study is that the study assumed that colours could be seen by all the television viewers; however, colour-blindness is a challenge to some people. Colours can also be deceptive at times.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Advertisers should be aware of consumers responses towards the background music used in advertisements. The background music should not be distractive but should support the main message of the advertisement. Advertisers should be aware that music can create a negative impact on some target audience. Advertisers should also choose colours that grab the attention of the viewer, bearing in mind that colours are culture-dependent hence viewers perceive colours differently. Consumers should be aware of the meanings behind various prominent representations (visual and verbal modes) that advertisers use to manipulate to buy their products.