Development of Sustainable Marketing Communications in the Energy Industry of an Emerging Economy: A Case Study of Renewable Energy in Nigeria

This research proposal discusses the significance of renewable energy in solving energy crisis and driving sustainable social economic development in Nigeria. It highlights the challenges of reliability, cost, transportation and inadequate application of integrated marketing communications (IMC) tools. The paper proposes mixed methods of qualitative and quantitative research to address the problems.

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Topic: Development of Sustainable Marketing communications in the Energy Industry of
an emerging economy: A case study of renewable energy in Nigeria.
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

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Abstract
The focal point of this proposal research is on the significance of renewable energy as part of the
solution to energy crisis, specifically power supply and driver of sustainable social economic
development as power generation is very essential. Aside from Nigeria abundant crude oil, there
is also the availability of renewable energy. Yet, there is lack of wide spread usage of energy
sources e.g. solar, hydro and wind due to challenges of reliability, cost, transportation and
inadequate application of the integrated marketing communications IMC tools. The emergence
of ecommerce and new social media and its impact on consumers’ perceptions and experiences
has been of particular interest as tool e.g. Facebook to practice of marketing in the 21st century. It
is important for both government agencies and private sector to have a unique IMC that can help
to introduce new range of renewable energy products in the consumer market as one of the
significant business functions. The paper discusses the various attempts that have been
undertaken in previous studies e.g. issues of technology and financial indiscipline, and
establishes that there are problems that need further investigation. As the problems appear to be
both structural, financial, insufficient cash generation poor power generation and inadequate
wide usage of renewable mixed methods of both qualitative and quantitative methods have been
proposed to properly address the challenges.

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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................4
1.1 Background of the Research................................................................................................11
1.2 Aims and Objectives of the Research..................................................................................13
1.3 Research Questions..............................................................................................................13
1.4 Rationale of the Research....................................................................................................14
1.5 Research Contribution.........................................................................................................14
1.6 Scope of Research................................................................................................................15
Chapter 2: Literature review..........................................................................................................16
2.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................16
2.2 Nigeria and its energy sector...............................................................................................18
2.3 Renewable energy in Nigeria...............................................................................................22
2.3.1 Renewable Energy in Nigeria: Findings and Analysis.................................................25
2.4 Sustainable Marketing communications..............................................................................29
2.5 Impacts of Social Media on Energy Industry......................................................................31
2.6 Attributes of IMC in the energy sector................................................................................33
2.7 Gaps in the literature............................................................................................................34
2.8 Summary..............................................................................................................................36
Chapter 3: Research Methodology................................................................................................37
3.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................37

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3.2 Types of Investigation.........................................................................................................37
3.3 Research Philosophy............................................................................................................38
3.4 Chosen Research Approach.................................................................................................39
3.5 Research Strategy................................................................................................................39
3.6 Data Collection Method.......................................................................................................40
3.7 Data Analysis Technique.....................................................................................................41
3.8 Ethical Considerations.........................................................................................................42
3.9 Gantt chart...........................................................................................................................42
3.10 Summary............................................................................................................................43
References......................................................................................................................................44
Appendix........................................................................................................................................53

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Chapter 1: Introduction
This section is concerned with the Nigeria energy crisis as it relates to the penetration of
renewable energy in the country. Nigeria is one of the most populous African nations, but it is a
poor nation with a per capita GDP of $2,160 in comparison to industrialised countries, and her
energy crisis is also hindering the development of its economy (Saad and Bugaje 2016). Despite
the country’s vast reserves of oil and gas and the potential of using the renewable energy to its
fullest, their deficiency in electrical sources due to structural and financial issues as well as
losses due to the poor way of generating power and insufficient ways of generating the cash.
The efforts of government agencies and private sector in trying to provide better solutions by
adapting the policies that can provide better solutions have not any yielded visible results (Akuru
et al. 2017). In view of the energy crisis, the need for renewable energy has never been more
necessary, but its wide spread usage has been limited for lack of marketing. Marketing
communications are part of those marketing practices that help develop long-term business
relations (Okoro and Chikuni, 2017).
Fill and Turnbull (2013, p. 20) assert that “marketing communications is audience –
centred activity, designed to engage audiences and promote conversations.” The focus of
marketing communications then is on generating engagement and conversations as outcome of
the activity. Essentially, it is a process that business organisations and audiences come in
communication with one another. And the understanding of the audience’s preferred
communications environments, messages are developed and presented and participants are
encouraged to offer attitudinal, emotional and behavioural responses. Therefore, marketing
communications is a complex activity and its applied by business organsations with varying

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degrees of sophistication and success. Its roles and tasks are to differentiate, reinforce, inform or
persuade audiences to think, feel or behave in particular ways (Fill and Thurnbull, 2013)
Appropriate integrated marketing communication (IMC) is required for long-term
business sustainability of renewable energy (Odunsi et al., 2012). IMC as both a concept and a
process involves the adoption and use of various marketing communication tools to ensure the
needs and requirements of customers. This paper asserts Uzoma et al. (2012) position that IMC
is one of the efficient marketing tools that could help organisations construct a sustainable
relationship with customers and the businesses.
Essentially, marketing communications or promotion is about establishing contact with
consumers and organisations (trade) to influence their knowledge, attitudes and behaviours in a
direction that is favourable for the marketing policy. The commercial communication of an
organisation contains both marketing and enterprise communication. Enterprise communication
or corporate communication is a broader term for marketing communications. Its aim involves
building trust and goodwill among internal and external relationship groups. Public relations
(PR) activities are mostly used for this goal (Lagae 2005). Not only marketing communications
but also product-quality, price-setting and distribution techniques – the other instruments of the
marketing mix – can improve or strengthened a brand. Therefore, marketing communication
contains all of the instruments through which the marketer spreads information regarding the
product, price and distribution. It should be noted, that a poor-product quality cannot be
compensated for by a professional deployment of the promotion mix. But, the price and the
choice of distribution channels partly determine the success of a marketing strategy (ibid).

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IMC is understood as the use of marketing strategies to optimise the communication of a
consistent message of the company's brands to stakeholders. It is an approach use to creating a
holistic and seamless experience for consumers to interact with the brand or the business
enterprise. This approach merges all aspects of marketing communication e.g. advertising, sales
promotion, public relations, direct marketing, and social media, through their respective mix of
tactics, methods, channels, media, and activities in such a way that all work together as a unified
force. IMC as a process is usually designed to ensure that all messaging and communications
strategies are consistent across all channels and are centered on the customer (Belch & Belch
2004). In other words, as a planning process IMC is designed to assure that all brand contacts
received by a customer or prospect for a product, service, or organisation are relevant to that
person and consistent over time.
IMC is also an approach to achieving the objectives of a marketing campaign by using
well-coordinated different promotional methods that are intended to reinforce each other. IMC
recognises the value of a comprehensive plan that evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of
communication disciplines advertising, public relations, personal selling, direct marketing,
interactive/internet marketing and sales promotion and combines them to provide clarity,
consistency, and maximum communication impact. IMC enables company’s marketing to go
beyond traditional media and conventional methods in order to achieve success and wide usage
of their products and services by communicating with consumers using a myriad of tools to
convey a unified message on a product. This is the business practice of the 21st century. IMC as a
management concept relies on consistency as a key in ensuring that consumers understand
marketing message which leads to a great result and return on investment. It is about investing
the right amount of money towards the most effective approach.

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Figure 1 (Source: Author)
With this concept in mind, IMC places emphasis on the value of a comprehensive plan
that evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of communication disciplines advertising, public
relations, personal selling, and sales promotion and combines them to provide clarity. Therefore,
an adequate integrated marketing communication strategy helps to develop long-term
relationship marketing scope with the renewable energy industry of Nigeria (Uzoma et al. 2012).
This proposal positions the potential impact of IMC on the renewable energy industry of
Nigeria. Society and the people are the major stakeholders of every organisation, hence, in order
to attract the customers towards the products and services of organisations, the effective role of
integrated marketing communication is greatly required.
It needs to be stated that, IMC is designed based on marketing strategies such as:
SOSTAC Planning: The design of IMC is based on business strategy that employs
SOSTAC planning. The SOSTAC model of marketing consists of several elements that can help
in the process of implementing effective marketing strategies and raise the popularity of the

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brand. According to Hult and Ketchen (2017), it is important to make use of the digital form of
marketing in the context of the modern day business, where this kind of model can be used
effectively.
Figure 2: Chart for SOSTAC planning
(Source: Hult and Ketchen 2017)
Marketing Mix: Also the application of marketing mix in IMC helps to decide upon
different parameters that includes the promotional strategy for a product.
Target market (Segmenting, targeting and positioning STP): As a matter of strategy,
businesses determine their target market group to help evaluate potential customers and in
designing the business marketing strategy. Customers within the target group would have basic
characteristics such as income, lifestyle, age and geographical location. Determining the target
market is one of the vital criteria for successful business marketing (Olsson et al. 2015). This is
to enable businesses to understand the demands and needs of customers. The testing of the target

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customer group enables companies to accurately investigate and collect information about the
target customer group through the use of customer survey analysis and which also help in
understanding the demographic requirement of any region concerned. The decisions that are
implemented in the business strategy and IMC respectively focus on the needs and demand of
the target customer group so as to increase the popularity of the product or services that are being
offered in the market (Brennan 2014).
Figure 3 (Source: As created by author)
Using the STP will provide the unique experience of product that is being provided by
companies will determine the level of popularity of the product. In the case of renewable energy
in Nigeria, the target customer can include all segments of the society.
Branding: As a strategy is understood as a long-term process of establishing strong
reputation for a product within the market and also for raising the value of brand awareness
among the potential target customer groups. Effective branding strategy comes as direct result of
business policies and enables companies to properly communicate with the customers in order to
understand their demands and complaints. Also branding strategy is decided based on the
competitive advantage of the product and service and on brand position within the consumer

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market (Pagani 2013). The branding strategy of a company makes a promise to the customer on
the quality and the features of the product or service that is being offered. By using the branding
strategy, the purpose of any particular company can also be defined clearly using functional
concepts of evaluation that can be regarded as the immediate reasons for business success
(Strauss 2016). It will be vital for renewable companies to maintain a consistency in their
branding strategy in order to maintain the reputation of the products and services in the Nigerian
consumer market through setting a strong platform in order for the renewable energy business to
be sustainable (Barney 2014).
Other platforms to be considered for the use of IMC could be digital marketing
techniques (websites, Search Engine Optimisation SEO, social media etc.) and by preparing the
marketing policies in such a way as to raise the level of brand awareness among all target
customer groups. Digital marketing is commonly used by businesses to communicate with
customers and stakeholders generally (Ryan 2016). It also saves cost of advertisement when
compared to traditional form of marketing (D’silva and Michael 2017). Techniques of digital
marketing such as SEO increases the visibility and popularity of companies websites, while
social media as a platform for promotional technique e.g. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter etc. are
sources to attract target group of customers and provide information to target market (Tiago and
Veríssimo 2014).
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): The use the digital marketing helps to
formulate effective policies of CRM, which will help businesses to provide valuable information
about the product and services as well as assistance to all the existing customers. These policies
will also help the businesses to retain the existing customers and gather useful information from
them for the improvement of the quality of products and services that are being offer to the

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market. An effective CRM is one of the important components of marketing which is used to
raise the popularity and brand awareness of products within the target group of customers
(Solomon 2014).
Development of every organization depends on the adequate policies and marketing
strategies taken by the practitioners. Marketing communications are part of those marketing
practices that help develop a long-term relation (Okoro and Chikuni, 2017). The use of IMC
based on the strategies discussed above can be applied to the renewable energy in Nigeria as one
of the main avenue to establish the wide usage of renewable in the Nigerian consumer market.
1.1 Background of the Research
Nigeria is one of the most populous African nations, but it is a poor nation with a per
capita GDP of $2,160. The country is facing crisis in energy sources, which is also causing
problems for the development of its economy (Saad and Bugaje 2016). The country has vast
reserves of energy resources with over 36 billion barrels of oil, 187 trillion cubic feet of gas and
4 billion metric tonnes of coal and lignite. That is not all, Nigeria also has a large amount of
renewable energy resources which include hydroelectricity (estimated at 14,750MW), solar
(radiation estimated at 3.5-7.0 KWh m-2day-1), wind potential of (150,000 terra joule per year,
generated by an average wind speed of 2.0-4.0m/s) and biomass energy (at 144 million tonnes
per year) (National Technical Working Group on Energy Sector 2009).
Yet, the country is facing deficiency in electrical sources due to the structural and
financial issues and has been facing losses due to the poor way of generating power and
insufficient ways of generating the cash (Akuru et al. 2017).

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This research will attempt to examine whether there is a problem of either the underutilisation of
renewable energy potentials or inadequate usage of renewable energy sources.
Regarding Nigeria, the energy mix as of 2005 was largely depended on crude oil which
accounts for 57% followed by gas 36% and hydroelectricity 7% (Oyedepo 2012). But in view of
the energy crisis described in the introduction and the need for renewable energy, appropriate
marketing communication is required for long-term sustainability (Odunsi et al., 2012). Also the
availability of other renewable sources will be explored with their commercial relevance for
power supply.
But what actually is renewable energy (RE) and what benefits are there to derived from
its usage? Energy sources from rivers, solar, wind, biomass, ocean waves and tides and
geothermal (heat of the earth) are called RE because they are regularly replenishable by natural
processes and hence are endless in supply i.e. they possess security of supply. But, RE are not
known to operate for certain without negative polluting effects on the environment. Technologies
used to harness renewable energies are referred to as Renewable Energy Technologies RETs or
clean technologies or green energy or “Greenther”.
The benefits RE include among others: they are inexhaustible as their rate of use does not
affect their future availability; they are clean and pollution free, hence they are sustainable
natural form of energy; and they can be cheaply and continuously harvested as sustainable source
of energy (Oyedepo 2012).
Therefore, creating awareness on RE and promoting the wide use of RE through the
application IMC can help to ensure the sustainability of energy supply and Nigeria’s sustainable

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social economic development (ebd). It is this area of study that this project wishes to extend and
develop ways through IMC to help facilitate the wide spread usage of RE.
This proposal asserts Uzoma et al. (2012) position that IMC is one of the efficient
marketing tool that could help organisations construct a sustainable relationship with customers
and the global communities. This research will explore further the way that IMC could be
applied to the penetration renewable energy among the Nigerian populace.
1.2 Aims and Objectives of the Research
The research aims to structure the IMC model in such a way that it could be applied
effectively to spread the usage of renewable energy in the context of Nigeria. The objectives are
as follow:
 To establish the current state of the energy issues in Nigeria
 To appraise the welfare implications of renewable energy provision in the economy
 To ascertain why various efforts towards adequate energy provision has failed
 To create a greater awareness of and wider usage of renewable energy using IMC model
as tool of penetration in the Nigerian society and enhance the goal achievement of
renewable energy industries
1.3 Research Questions
The central questions that the project consequently asks are:
 How is renewable energy understood and what has changed in Nigeria since the start of
the usage of renewable energy in the economy?
 What are the various channels marketing communications strategies that are currently
being applied?

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 How can effective IMC model and its application as a tool promote the penetration of
renewable energy in Nigeria?
1.4 Rationale of the Research
This research is necessary because, just as consumer needs have changed, the practices of
marketing around the world have changed radically, too. What was suitable for the products and
services marketing of the past century are not suitable for the larger, wider, more diverse,
broadly educated consumers of the twenty-first century. In order to enhance the awareness and
use of renewable energy as credible solution to Nigeria power supply problem, and thus promote
social economic development, an effective IMC model appear to be very necessary. The main
focus of this research is to explore further how IMC as tool of penetration could help in
spreading the wider understanding and usage of renewable as alternative power supply for socio
economic development.
1.5 Research Contribution
There is availability of interesting academic literature on RE and IMC, but the uniqueness
of this study will be in its innovative exploration of IMC and the construction of IMC as tool to
help in penetrating and promote the wide spread used of renewable energy into the larger
Nigerian society. Secondly, the novel contribution of this research will be in the way that the
collected data will be analysed using system thinking analysis.
The proposed research contributions are:
 The construction of IMC framework for penetrating and promoting brand image amongst
customers

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 To contribute to evolving literature on IMC in global south/newly industrialising
economies using the Nigeria renewable industry as a focus.
1.6 Scope of Research
The study aims to look into the use of IMC as effective tools for penetration, marketing
and promotion of the brand images of any product and service. This will be applied to the
renewable energy industry of Nigeria regarding how IMC tool can be applied to a product to
penetrate market and promote a society and build long term relationship with customers.
Essentially, the scope of this study covers IMC not just as it helps to construct a sustainable and
long term relation with the customers of renewable energy in the emerging market of Nigeria,
but also how IMC tool could be applied as penetration tool.

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Chapter 2: Literature review
2.1 Introduction
In recent years, an increase academic interest has been noted in relation to RE as sources
of energy that could solve energy problems and foster economic development in the emerging
economies. This section addresses the various issues of renewable energy adoption in the Global
South (developing economy) and the various tools and techniques that have been adopted in the
literature to adequately account for the usage of renewable energy. Titus Olaniyi’s (2014) work
on limitations of traditional energy planning approaches and the need for new methodological
framework, will be expanded upon, just as his contribution for the need for alternative paradigm,
for energy (2014b) as well as his proposed applications of modelling to sustainable energy policy
systems will be further explored. Oyedepo (2012) has worked extensively on the necessity of
exploitation and promotion of renewable energy resources and the application of energy
conservation measures in various sectors such as manufacturing industrial set-up, office and
residential buildings and transportation in Nigeria. But, there are developmental challenges in the
entire Sub-Saharan African (SSA) region (Mohammed et al. 2013) and prospects for renewable
energy in Nigeria (Aliyu, Dada and Adam 2015). However, adequate application of marketing
communications can help to spread the usage of renewable energy resource and build long-term
relationship with customers in Nigeria (Uzoma et al. 2012). Based on the exploration of relevant
literature, the research will evaluate issues and concepts of energy industry, renewable energy in
Nigeria as well as IMC and its impact in relation with customer behaviour in terms of
relationship marketing (Kadafa 2012).

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Currently, the Nigerian economy is making use of the websites as one of the platforms
for IMC in a strategic manner and the design of the websites is done in an inexpensive and user-
friendly manner. The designs are quite responsive to help the customers in appreciating the
views that have been put up in the websites. The website is one of the influencing factors that
help the organizations in achieving the sales and marketing goals (Kowalska-Pyzalska 2017).
Social media, as an IMC tool is one of the ventures that have not been exploited by the
energy industry in Nigeria. But, it can give opportunity to the industry to communicate with the
target audience in a better manner. The use of social media will help in identifying the stories
that are engaged towards the leaders of the industry and identify the best platforms that will help
in achieving the goals of the industry (Yusuf et al. 2014).
The use of videos is another method that will help in the information to be provided to
the consumers so that they can be aware of the facts that are happening in the RE industry in the
country. With the help of the new technology, the audiences can get a better view of the products
and the processes that will showcase the working of the industry and the help that the consumers
get from this industry (van der Weshuizen and West 2016).
Press releases are an effective method of marketing communication to release the updates
about the happenings in the industry. This is beneficial to reach out to the corporate clients
(Okoro and Chikuni 2017).
The above section highlights through secondary research the works that have been done
on RE and the IMC tools that are currently being used to spread the awareness about the
renewable energy and sustainability.

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This project combines a variety of literature with that of various marketing approaches.
But the research distinguishes itself through its focus on the application of IMC to the wide
spread use of RE.
2.2 Nigeria and its energy sector
Nigeria is one of the largest countries in the west of the African continent, on the coast of
Gulf of Guinea. It has a population of about 198 million as of 2018 (Worldometers.info 2018)
with a GDP of about $1.2 trillion as per the 2018 estimate (Data.worldbank.org 2018). Nigeria
has a mixed economy with plentiful supply of the natural resources, well developed legal,
financial, communications, agriculture, transport and industrial sectors.
The energy sector of Nigeria is quite developed for production but the supply power to all
the citizens has not been achieved yet. In 2014, in the report of energy consumption in Nigeria
showed that the industrial sector consumed 4,057 GWh, the commercial and public services
consumed 6,379 GWh and the majority amount, 14,003 GWh was consumed by the household.
The electrification rate is 45% but at the same time there are issues in the undermining electricity
supply in the country. However, the demand for electricity is increasing as the population and
employment opportunities are growing in every sector (Africa-eu-renewables.org 2015).
Although, the government has been taking measures to increase the level of power supply to the
maximum number of citizens, however, there are extensive power outages that have made the
country among the nations with lowest annual consumption of electricity per capita. Many of the
government owned electricity companies have been sold to private owners to increase their
productivity as a part of the 9 years long reform process.

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Aliyu, Ramli and Saleh (2013) highlighted the energy crisis in Nigeria in their paper.
They stated that unless Nigeria ensures access to stable and clean energy for majority of its
citizens, it would not be able to join the league of most industrious countries by 2020. The
authors have also suggested that in the next 20 years the government of Nigeria should introduce
the new technologies for electrifying, using the Long-range Energy Alternative and Planning
(LEAP) system and setting up nuclear plants. Thus, not only the production, but the distribution
system also needs to be improved in Nigeria.
Ogundipe and Apata (2013) supported the notion that there is a relationship between
electricity consumption and economic growth and they provided evidences for their argument
with statistical calculations. By applying some statistical techniques, it has been found that the
variables have bi-directional causal relationship and electricity consumption directly and
significantly affects economic growth in Nigeria. The authors also said that the government must
intervene through policy recommendations to strengthen the efficiencies of the power generating
agents and curtail the power losses during transmission by replacing the worn-out equipment
periodically.
Oyedepo (2012b) wrote about the sustainable development in Nigeria in terms of the
development and growth of the energy sector. The author highlighted that the entire African
continent has been facing a tough challenge of having a full access to clean energy. This is an
essential factor for establishing socio-economic development and eradication of poverty. It has
been found that although there has been increase in energy production, still 60% – 70% of the
Nigerians do not have access to electricity. Thus, according to Oyedepo (2012b), the government
of Nigeria must diversify the sources of energy in the domestic, industrial and commercial
sectors and also must incorporate the latest advanced technologies to implement waste reduction

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and to save cost. The author also pointed out that implementing sustainable practices is necessary
in the country as these results in reduction in pollution and various health benefits, which is a
step towards sustainability. Renewable energy is costly but the environmental cost is more,
which will affect the future generations of the nation. Thus, the government of Nigeria has been
taking measures to implement energy efficient and conversion practices in all the sectors of the
economy.
In another article on energy for sustainable development in Nigeria by Oyedepo (2012a)
shows that adequate energy is one of the most essential factors for driving economic growth
forward and also for sustainable development, as this helps in increasing productivity,
strengthening the economy and social welfare by enhancing the living standards, and reducing
the environmental pollution. Thus, the author emphasized the necessity of the renewable energy
sources and energy conservation, which is a requirement for sustainability.
Nigeria ranks 12 among the largest petroleum producers of the world. However, the
renewable energy production in Nigeria is still at its emerging stage. As highlighted by
Mohammed et al. (2013), there are only two sources of renewable energy in Nigeria, the hydro-
power and the biomass. The projects of solar and wind energy are quite less in number and the
policies and initiatives are in the developing state in Nigeria. Although the country produces a
large amount of oil and has started developing the renewable energy projects, yet more than half
of the total population does not get power supply in the country. The government of Nigeria has
targeted to increase their energy production and supply power to almost 90% of its population by
2030 and 30% of its production would be from the renewable sources (Gerretsen 2018).

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The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Project was completed in February 2018
and the project will supply clean power to around 2.6 million citizens of Nigeria (USAID). This
project earned the financial support from USAID, the government agencies, private individual
donors, non-governmental organizations, and various financial institutions in the country, which
also had the aim to reduce the harmful carbon di-oxide emissions by 4.5 million metric tons. The
hydroelectric plant, located in Mambilla got the financial support from the Chinese investors,
acquiring 85% of the total fund (ESI-Africa.com 2018).
The major activities that are related to consuming the energy are mostly lighting and
cooking along with the usage of the electrical appliances. The domestic and commercial
consumption purposes energy resources are predominantly are kerosene, electricity and cooking
gas. The major gaps that are present in the consumption of energy are the lack in the
maintenance of the facilities, which are causing huge losses in the energy sector (Anifowose et
al. 2016). The second factor is that the major breakdowns of the power grids that happen on a
continuous manner due to the use of outdated equipment. The National Electric Power Authority
(NEPA) now known as PHCN is not getting enough funds for maintaining the functions of the
power grids in a proper manner. The organization also lacks a proper method of collection and
billing system, which is causing problems in using the renewable sources in an efficient manner
(Yusuf et al. 2014).
Still, the driving force of growth and sustainable development globally is the access to
reliable and adequate energy. As Oyedepo (2012a & 2012b) puts it, access to energy is a vital
enabling condition for achieving sustainable development. Therefore, clever energy policies and
research can play an important part in putting both the developed economies and the global south
on the road to more sustainable energy development paths. The danger of continuous use of

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fossil fuel has been made clear, and the need for renewable energy as one of the significant
requirements for the people to live their lives has been established (Oseni 2012).
But has Nigerian populace been made aware of the significant requirement of RE as a
source for sustainable social economic development, and if not what marketing strategies and
tools are being deployed to make them aware? Herein lies the problem that needs investigation.
Okoro and Chikuni (2017) believe that the energy industry in Nigeria can adopt several
marketing communication strategies to build a long term relationship with the Nigerian
community.
2.3 Renewable energy in Nigeria
Renewable sources of energy are currently in focus now. This is a way of sustainability
that needs to be practiced for better living in the future. According to Nigerian Electricity
Regulatory Commission (NERC), there is abundance of renewable energy resources in Nigeria,
among which, the solar, wind, small hydro power (SHP) and biomass are most common. The
organization stimulates the investment in the renewable energy resources as there is a vast
untapped potential in it. The Commission has set a target of producing a minimum of 2000MW
electricity from the renewable sources by 2020 (Nercng.org 2018).
Aliyu, Dada and Adam (2015) wrote about the present status as well as about the future
prospects of the renewable energy in Nigeria. The authors wrote about the energy crisis in all the
economic sectors in the nation, and also highlighted that 40% of the total population of the
nation are connected to the national grid and they also suffer from frequent electricity outages.
Nigeria uses large hydropower and reducing hydrocarbon energy resources for the electric grid.
However, it is now a known fact that fossil fuels not only contributes in carbon footprints but

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also affects the economic stability of a nation due to fluctuation oil price in the global market and
also make the country vulnerable to the political unrest of the oil producing region. Hence,
Nigeria must explore its abundant renewable energy sources, which have not fully exploited yet.
Another study conducted by Shaaban and Petinrin (2014) focused on the potential of the
renewable energies in Nigeria and meeting the energy needs of the rural India. The authors also
supported the fact that Nigeria has plenty of renewable as well as conventional energy sources
which have not been explored fully yet, and which have the potential to provide sufficient
amount of energy to both the rural and urban residents. However, the country is suffering from
one of the lowest electricity consumption rates in the African continent. The authors highlighted
that as the demand is always more than the electricity generation, the rural communities always
fall behind the urban communities in regards to the power supply. Hence, there are obstacles in
implementing the policies and due to the inefficiencies, the allocation is unequal resulting in lack
of energy supply to majority of the population. Along with that, the depletion of the fossil fuels
is pushing the country to explore its huge resources of renewable energies. This would increase
the power generation substantially and the rural dwellers can also get access to the electricity.
The government can thus introduce incentive policies for the power generating companies for
producing and distributing the uninterrupted to the urban as well as to the rural followers.
Improvement in the energy scenario would enhance Nigeria’s position in the global investment
market.
Akuru et al. (2017) discussed about the country’s move towards 100% renewable energy.
The government of Nigeria is concerned about if there can be improvement in the situation to
provide cost effective and stable electricity supply. However, according to the authors, this
situation can be achieved only if the unexplored renewable energy sources are tapped and

24RESEARCH PROPOSAL
exploited to their full potential. The country must focus on the non-conventional energy sources
as the transition from the conventional to non-conventional sources is not only beneficial for the
environment but also for the economy as well. It is said that the production of energy from the
renewable sources would definitely increase the power supply in the country and solve the crisis
of low electricity per capita. Thus, 100% renewable energy production is the next big thing for
the country to achieve sustainable power supply and foster economic growth.
In this context, the readiness of the country for 100% renewable energy can be assessed.
Mas’ud et al. (2015) highlighted that although the African continent is rich in energy resources,
which can promote economic growth, yet the full potential was not achieved yet due to the fact
that the countries are not ready with adequate funding and equipment and policies. The authors
wrote that Nigeria has policies for renewable energy generation but the incorporation of that
energy into the national grid has been not done yet at a larger scale. Due to its location on the
earth, Nigeria has the benefit of extremely high wind speed and high level of solar irradiation.
These can be utilized to the full capacity to produce energies, which can solve its energy crisis
issues.
In this context, another study by Mohammed, Mustafa and Bashir (2013) can be
mentioned. The authors explored the renewable energy developmental challenges and its
consumption status in the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This region is the most economically and
physically backward and impoverished region in the world. The lower level of energy production
and access to it is a major cause of lower level of development in this region. There are other
constraints also, such as, inadequate funding, lower pace of technological development and
diffusion, underprivileged policies for energy and inefficient energy infrastructures and all these
deficiencies are overlapping and affect the economic growth in a significant manner. Hence, the

25RESEARCH PROPOSAL
dependency on the renewable energy sources is increasing in the SSA region. On the other hand,
the production capacity from the renewable sources is also dependent on the advanced
infrastructure and adequate investment and those again are dependent on the economic condition
and development in the nation. Thus, there are quite a few key challenges that affect the
production of renewable energy in the SSA region.
2.3.1 Renewable Energy in Nigeria: Findings and Analysis
This section highlights the consumption of renewable energy in Nigeria based on the data
and information regarding the proposed research topic. It illustrates and portrays the data with
diagrams as appropriately shown in the following diagrams.
Based on secondary research findings, it can be said that majority of the population use
various sources of renewable energy for their needs and lifestyles. About 68% of the Nigerian
population depend on the small and large hydro energy (Oyedepo 2012). Also, 1.70% of entire
community of Nigeria depends on the on-shore wind and about 0.85% of the Nigerian people
depend on the offshore wind. Furthermore, it has been found that solar energy is adopted by a
large number of people that is 7.45% of the entire population (Ohunakin et al. 2014). However,
only 0.05% people depend on the Biomass energy for their daily use.

26RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Figure 1: Several Renewable Energy consumption in Nigeria 2017
(Source: As created by author)
On the basis of the above information, it can be evaluated that in the recent years, the
usage of renewable energy has increased in Nigeria (Shaaban and Petinrin 2014). Nonetheless, a
massive number of Nigerians depends on the hydro power that is 35% of the overall population
of Nigeria (Ohunakin et al. 2014). It has also been found that 24% of the entire Nigerian
population still depend on the wood energy for their daily life (Shaaban and Petinrin 2014).
However, it has been observed that 20% of the overall Nigerian people have adopted bio-fuels as
a source of their renewable energy supply and 9% of the Nigerian people have adopted wind
power as the source of their energy.

27RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Figure 2: Use of Other Renewable Energies in Nigeria
(Source: As created by author)
It needs to be stated though, that from the year of 1980 to the year of 2012, the level of
energy consumption has increased in Nigeria (Shaaban and Petinrin 2014). The diagram below
helps us to understand the increased level of renewable energy in Nigeria.
The research question still remains to be answered: what is the role of marketing
communications and how is it been applied to influence the people of Nigeria to adopt the
renewable energy sources for their daily use. Ohunakin et al. (2014) have showed in their study
that effective marketing communication helps to build a significant long-term relation with the
Nigerian customers.

28RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Figure 3: Increased Level of Renewable Energy in Nigeria
(Source: As created by author)
From the foregoing analysis, it can tentatively be safely mentioned that marketing
communication is one of the significant tools that are being used by the renewable energy
companies to communicate with the potential and active consumers as well as other various
corporate clients. Therefore, with the help of effective communication strategy, the attention of
the customers can be captured by the renewable energy companies using several marketing
communication mediums. Without doubt, adequate marketing communication techniques need to
be adopted to generate revenue and increase profitability in any organisation.
That being the case, part of the task of this research is to provide a better understanding
of marketing communication and how it is be strategically managed in the case of renewable
energy in Nigeria.

29RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Within this context and scope of the research, the renewable energy industry of Nigeria
has been made the epicentre of our investigation to elaborate the usage of renewable energy
within the Nigerian society. In this regard, this research proposal has attempted with the help of
some relevant diagrams to show that the level of usage of renewable energy in Nigerian has been
increasing gradually but inexorably.
In this connection, marketing communication strategies help the energy industry of
Nigeria to construct a long-term sustainable relationship with the Nigerian people. Hence,
effective deployment of marketing communication tools with the right mediums are positively
promoting the relationship marketing in terms of establishing the long-term relation with the
customers.
2.4 Sustainable Marketing communications
Sustainable marketing communication (SMC) is defined as the communication process,
that is, media and messages, that are directed towards the stakeholders of an organization with
the purpose to achieve the marketing and sustainability objectives of the organization (Kahle and
Gurel-Atay 2013). As stated by Wilson et al. (2012), the marketing communication of a
company is sustainable if it helps in building the human, natural and financial capital of the
organization, addresses the stakeholders’ interests, fosters the integrity, accountability and
transparency within the organization, and finally helps the organization to move forward.
Integrating sustainability into the marketing communication is an initiative towards the
sustainable practices of an organization. As seen from past research on the consumer behavior,
people are more likely to be loyal towards a company that incorporates the sustainable practices
in its businesses. This method is implemented to highlight the sustainable practices of an
organization, being transparent to the clients and other stakeholders. Moreover, this

30RESEARCH PROPOSAL
communication strategy helps the sustainability practices of a company to get exposure and this
can stimulate the investment in the organization and it can also enjoy the benefits, and incentives
provided by the government for applying sustainable practices in the business (Lii, Wu, and Ding
2013).
Minton et al. (2012) wrote about the social media and sustainable practices in a cross
country framework and they highlighted that in South Korea, people are more active in the social
media and have sustainable behavior except for recycling to reduce wastage of resources. On the
other hand, people in the USA and Germany, are not only involved in sustainable
communication across social media but also have the awareness about sustainable practices
followed by the organizations, and practice them. Social media facilitates the practice of green
advertisements which is a sustainable marketing communication technique.
Ottman (2017) have provided a framework for rules of green marketing. The author
mentioned that customers have realized about the importance of environment and green
practices, and hence they trust those brands that are transparent about their practices. Moreover,
imprinting the recycling logo or bio-degradability claim is not enough, the customers prefer to
consume the products that have sustainability benefits in its practices and adopt the sustainable
marketing communication technique for communicating with the customers.
According to Singh and Pandey (2012), green practices have led to the rise of green
marketing practices. This marketing type requires an understanding of the public policies
regarding the environmental protection along with traditional marketing mix. Moreover, it is
closely linked environmental sustainability and industrial ecology. With the growing trend of
green practices and green marketing, the companies are now adopting the green marketing

31RESEARCH PROPOSAL
techniques to create an impress among the target customers, who are concerned about the
environment. The authors also mentioned some of the products and services that have some
green characteristics, such as, products from recycled materials, organic products, goods that can
be recycled, or have eco-friendly packaging and energy from the renewable sources. In green
marketing practices, the marketing mix should be developed in an innovative manner to
incorporate the green practices. These include advertisements promoting the relationship
between the product or services and the biophysical environment, promoting a green lifestyle due
to eco-friendly product or services, and those that present a corporate image of establishing
environmental responsibility. Thus, it can be said that, sustainability practices also include
adopting the green marketing techniques to create a position among the target consumers who
have the sustainability awareness.
2.5 Impacts of Social Media on Energy Industry
The role of social media can hardly be overlooked in the energy industry of Nigeria. Both
gas and oil industry of Nigeria gets advantageous benefit through the social media. According to
(Okeh et. al, 2014), the positive impact of social media not only helps to develop the social and
cultural aspects of the nation but also helps to create demand and construct an effective relation
with the community of the country (Adaramola and Oyewola 2011). Some of the benefits to be
derived with the help of social media in the energy industry include.

32RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Thought Leadership Build Awareness Promote Good News
Impacts of Social Media
Figure 4: Framework of Impacts of Social Media on Energy Industry
(Source: As created by author)
As stated by Aral, Dellarocas and Godes (2013), social media nowadays play a major role
in defining the market position of a company and its business strategies as well. The energy
companies must know what is being said about them in the social media as the analysis of the
social data intelligence helps the companies to know about the consumer concerns faster and
address them in a quicker manner. Hence, for the purpose of building a global awareness, the
social media is very effective. Social media analytics is beneficial for evaluating the customer
service performance and their perceptions, understanding the causes of customers’ satisfaction
and dissatisfaction, gaining new ideas regarding CSR and sustainable power supply from the
forum discussions, channeling the customer towards the right department, understanding the

33RESEARCH PROPOSAL
market competition and identifying the potential causes of churn. All these have become quite
easier due to the social media.
In another study by Du and Vieira (2012), it is seen that some energy companies, like
Exxon, have limited use of social media, but they either maintain a blog or public forum to
communicate with the customers. Thus it can be said that social media is beneficial for the
energy companies for not only gauging the market reaction about their business but also
addressing the customer queries and grievances in a much quicker manner, which improves its
efficiency as well as its reputation in the market.
Another aspect of social media in the energy sector has been highlighted by Khor (2013).
The author stated that social media is a sustainable tool for communication and thus, while
promoting the renewable energy sources, using social media is an appropriate medium. Various
green marketing tools and strategies are being developed in all types industries and the energy
sector is no exception. As this industry is taking initiatives for increasing the production of
renewable energy sources to save the depleting conventional energy sources, it is also advisable
that social media should be used for creating awareness and marketing. Social media is an
internet based medium, which does not use any valuable and depleting physical resource and
thus, using social media and other digital medium is important for establishing sustainable
practices.
2.6 Attributes of IMC in the energy sector
Integrated marketing communication (IMC) refers to the integration and coordination of
all types of marketing communication tool and strategies to achieve the maximum potential
output of impact on the customers at the minimum cost (Luxton, Reid and Mavondo 2015). In

34RESEARCH PROPOSAL
other words, rather than focusing on each of the promotional aspects as independent factors, IMC
allows the marketer to make an integrated plan that includes sales promotion, advertising, public
relations, direct marketing and personal selling and framework to measure the effectiveness of
the plan. This strategy is quite useful in all industries, including the energy sector.
Oyedepo (2012), describes the various elements within the IMC e.g. concentrates on the
audience, channel focused and driven by the results as the pillar of IMC. The author believes
that, these stated pillars or attributes of IMC are helpful for the renewable energy industry of
Nigeria in order to construct a sustainable long-term relation with the local community. The
illustration of the IMC tools is shown in the figure below.
Figure 5: IMC Communication Tools
(Source: Abila, 2012)
A study by Menegaki (2012) showed the impact of the customer preference survey on
designing social marketing mix on the renewable energy in Europe. It has been found that the

35RESEARCH PROPOSAL
renewable energy sources in Europe are insufficiently exploited and surveys were conducted to
find out the acceptability and willingness of the customers to pay for the renewable energies. It is
helpful in generating an IMC for the organization, state, consumers and businesses and also the
policies. It can be said that the energy companies can conduct surveys in social media and then
use the findings to create a marketing mix to address all their customers groups individually.
Mangold and Faulds (2009) highlighted in their paper that social media has become a
hybrid element or communication tool in the promotional mix, which has a significant impact on
the consumers. The internet based communication medium has become an integral part of the
sales/promotion tool under integrated marketing communication. As stated by the authors, this
tool is beneficial as it enables one person to communicate with thousands of people regarding
any issues including marketing about any product. Thus, consumer-to-consumer marketing
communication is significantly magnified through this hybrid communication mix. It is termed
as hybrid as the social media enables the marketers to promote their products or services directly
to the customers or target market, which is a traditional marketing method; while on the other
hand, the social media also creates the opportunity for the customers to interact with one another
which has a great impact on the sales of the product or service. Hence, there is scope for having
access to the feedback directly, which is beneficial for the companies to improve their products
and services. Thus, it is highly important for the companies to integrate social media in their
IMC tools and techniques so that it can have a broad impact on the target consumers and at the
same time, continuously upgrade their systems, products and services to meet the changing
demand of the consumers, which will help them to sustain in the industry.

36RESEARCH PROPOSAL
2.7 Gaps in the literature
From the extensive literature review above, it can be said that various independent studies
have been conducted on the economy of Nigeria, its energy sector, renewable energy, and
various aspects of marketing, such as, sustainable marketing communication (SMC), impact of
social media on the energy sector, and attributes of IMC on the energy sector. However, there is
no study on the relationship between the sustainable marketing communications and its impact
on the energy sector or in case of renewable energy. It has been found from the reviews that
similar to any other industry; the energy sector also needs to understand the customer
perceptions, especially towards sustainability and therefore should focus on addressing the
customer concerns. In case of Nigeria, although the country has the second largest economy in
the African continent, and has vast renewable energy resources, yet the country is suffering from
low electricity per capita and lower development. The literatures have focused on different
aspects of the marketing communication and their necessity in developing the customer
perception regarding the renewable and other conventional energy sources, however, no study
has been undertaken to highlight the importance of sustainable communication mix and its role
in the energy sector. As there is a need for sustainable power generation in Nigeria through
exploring the renewable energy sources, the impact of the sustainable marketing communication
will be evaluated to develop policy frameworks that would also give importance to the public
opinion.
Thus, the literature gaps can be summarized in the following manner.
 Previous literatures have not focused on the importance of sustainable marketing
communication in the energy sector.

37RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Marketing
communication
Marketing channels
Renewable energy
development
Impact on the growth
of renewable energy
in Nigeria
 No study has been undertaken earlier to explore the impact of marketing communication
in developing frameworks as well as creating a market for renewable energy production
in Nigeria.
2.8 Conceptual framework
Figure 6: Conceptual Framework
(Source: Author)
From the conceptual framework above, it can be said that this research paper will explore
the relationship between the variables depicting the effect of proper marketing communication,
effective utilization of marketing channels and the development of the renewable energy sources
in Nigeria and the awareness and popularity of this alternative energy sources. The growing
usage of alternative energy sources is a step towards sustainability and that should be maintained
in the society. By implementing effective marketing communication and proper channels to
reach out to a larger audience, the Nigerian government can create awareness about the

38RESEARCH PROPOSAL
significance and necessity of the renewable energy sources. It can also advertise about the
growth in the developmental projects in the country so that people get the information and
change their perspectives regarding the alternative energies. Thus, this research study will help in
gaining the information regarding people’s awareness about the growth of renewable energy in
the country and its necessity for the sustainable development. This conceptual framework helps
in understanding the flow of the study and the aspects that would be covered by the researcher in
the course of the study. For example, under marketing communication channels, the researcher
will explore various IMC tools and their impact on the consumers and thus, the outcome would
be beneficial for policy making.
2.9 Summary
It can be said from the above literature review section that the energy sector of Nigeria is
not much developed as compared to the size of the Nigerian economy. There are many
unexplored sources of renewable energy sources in Nigeria, utilizing which would also be a way
of practicing sustainability. It is seen from the literatures that Nigeria must explore the renewable
energy sources to reduce its energy supply crisis and hence, it is essential to know how much the
renewable energy sources can be exploited and how it can be utilized to improve its energy
production and supply situation. Moreover, Nigeria also needs to design and implement the
sustainable marketing communication to reach out to a larger audience. There are many benefits
of sustainable marketing communication and social media in influencing the business
performance, and that should be utilized by Nigeria also while exploring the renewable energy
sources. This aspect was not addressed in the earlier literatures, which is the gap in the literature.
Thus, the foregoing sections have sought to establish the energy crises in Nigeria and to
introduce renewable energy as alternative solution to Nigeria power supply challenges. IMC has

39RESEARCH PROPOSAL
been explored as an essential branch of marketing that can be used as tool to penetrate a market
and help the wide spread use of renewable energy. Also the aims and objectives of the research
have been identified how IMC could be made effective tool to penetrate Nigeria market with
renewable energy and how renewable energy can serve as solution to the country’s energy crisis.

40RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Chapter 3: Research Methodology
3.1 Introduction
The primary aim of the paper is to apply the IMC to wide spread use if RE. Hence, the
research will concentrate on the practices of IMC done by various practitioners. The research
will be facilitated by the data collected from these participants. It will provide new angles to look
into the matter and the culture and discourse analysis will also be used to interpret the data. It
has been already found that Nigeria being one of the most populated country of Africa, has per
capita GDP of $2,160 as compared to other industrious countries (Adaramola, Paul and Oyedepo
2011). The development of the country is getting significantly hindered by the energy crisis. It
would be wrong to say that the country does not have sufficient potential for using renewable
energy. Nigeria is full of huge reserves of natural gas and oil but what the country lacks is
electrical sources.
This is because there are poor financial conditions and structural deficiencies present too.
The local government of the country along with various governmental and non-governmental
agencies is trying to find out better solutions for the issues but have failed to result in improved
condition. Therefore, the methodology section is aimed at discussing how the research has taken
the initiative to resolve the issue by the help of IMC plan and the other methodological
techniques in order to meet the research objectives.
3.2 Types of Investigation
The issue of energy crisis in Nigeria has been noted and according to that the research
questions have been posed. The first question is how is the term ‘renewable energy’ understood

41RESEARCH PROPOSAL
and what has developed /changed in the economy of Nigeria since the application of renewable
energy. The second question is wat are the most important channels used in the marketing
communication strategies being recently applied. The third question is important for the present
research that is how the application of an effective IMC model tool improve the penetration of
renewable energy in the county of Nigeria (Adom 2015). In order to answer the possible
questions, there will be an application of a combination of strategies, methods, philosophy and
approaches for the interpretation, data collection and evaluation of the entire subject Mackey and
Gass 2015).
3.3 Research Philosophy
Research philosophy analyses and develops a particular study in detail. There are to total
three types of research philosophies including realism, positivism and interpretivism. The
positivism type helps to develop deeper examination of a particular study. On the other hand,
Interpretivism deals with managing the activities and realism in contrast is a mixed type of
approach of the other two types of research philosophies. In this research, relevant primary and
secondary data will be collected to justify the positivistic philosophy (Lewis 2015). The
positivistic philosophy is helpful when statistical data is deliberately used. Notably, the study
will not only evaluate the findings, but also interpret them from few literary perspectives that
will support the use of interpretive philosophy for social problems. The researcher will be
facilitated with the primary data in getting deeper knowledge of the use of IMC in practical
application while the secondary data will support in identifying the theories related to IMC
(Integrated marketing communication) (Akuru et al. 2017).

42RESEARCH PROPOSAL
3.4 Chosen Research Approach
The main focus of the research about the IMC is investigating how the tools can be
applied to the country so that the wide spread usage of renewable energy is facilitated and
enhanced. Although there are many works which have been already done on the renewable
energy, the application of IMC in the energy industry will be a new contribution to the literature
and also the knowledge. The pillars of IMC are audience and channels. The attributes of IMC
communication such as advertising, direct marketing, interactive internet marketing is supposed
to be supportive to the renewable energy industry (Akinyemi, Ogundipe and Alege 2015). It will
help to construct a sustainable long –term relation with the local community. Hence, the research
will use the inductive research approach. This is a research approach that begins by collecting
data which is relevant to the topic. After having collected a good amount of data, the researchers
get a deeper insight into the collected data and searches for patterns. Then they move from the
data towards theory making a general set of propositions important. Hence, this approach will
help the researcher of this particular study to construct innovative model or theory based on the
data found and meet the objectives of the research.
3.5 Research Strategy
The selection of what type of research strategy will used is not done yet at this stage of
the research. It is still not specified which type will suit the topic of concern and the serve the
research objectives. However, having gone through the objectives and questions that have been
proposed, it can be said that either the survey strategy or the case study method would be
appropriate to use. The case study method is useful but in this case it is not suitable because the
data collected from the case study method cannot be generalized easily to the wider mass of
people (Smith 2015). It is likely that the case studies will not be relevant completely to the topic.

43RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Notably, case studies are usually made on one person but in this research a huge mass of people
belonging to the renewable energy industry and other are associated. The limitations of the case
study research strategy might lead to biased data collection and impact the outcomes too.
Therefore, it becomes difficult to deduce a definite conclusion from the case studies. On
the other hand, the survey method is relatively easy to administer and can be generated in less
time period along with being the cost –friendly mode. The survey method is capable of collecting
data from a vast volume of respondents and there are numerous questions which can be asked
whether open ended or close ended. The broad range of data can be analyzed to determine the
reliability, statistical significance and validity. Hence it has been decided that the research will
make use of the survey method. There will be certain levels of survey and will use questionnaires
regarding the topic containing close ended questions. The questionnaires will be circulated in the
market among the target population. In research, it has been considered as one of the most cost-
effective, quick and brisk method to know the views of a greater mass.
3.6 Data Collection Method
The study will involve both the primary and secondary data collection methods. The
primary data will be collected from the surveys conducted using questionnaires and personal
interviews too. The secondary data will be collected from the already existing data available
either in printed form or online. The study will use both the primary and secondary because the
degree of accuracy in primary data is extremely high and it can be collected via may ways either
face- to-face or circulating questionnaires. It provides more up to date data specific too the
research questions (Dannels 2018).

44RESEARCH PROPOSAL
However, it requires a large sample size in order to generalize the issue and quite costly.
Hence, the research will also take help of secondary data which is time, effort and expense
saving. he primary data collection is specified by the secondary because by the help of this type
of data, the researcher will easily identify the gaps and understand where to work particularly
(Meyers, Gamst and Guarino 2016). This particular research will be based on the reactions of
100 employees working in the renewable energy industry for a long time. The questionnaire will
capture their opinions on the IMC used in the industry. The researcher will get a huge amount of
opinions from the respondents and examine the factors they will raise and conclude it in a
desired manner.
3.7 Data Analysis Technique
The quantitative data collected by the help of survey questionnaires will be analyzed. The
data will be converted into percentage and numeric so that a comparison and comprehensive data
is gained. The data will be converted into graphs and charts after that in order to provide a
pictorial and graphical view of the research. The quantitative data will be analyzed by the help of
thematic approach. The analysis of the qualitative data from the research is highly challenging
but important for the innovation process. In this respect, the thematic approach helps to gain
empathy and knowledge regarding a person, group, organization, culture or interaction. The
researchers take the help of thematic approach in order to discover framing for a particular
research question and patterns from a broad range of data (Flick 2015). The researcher is
facilitated with the ability to appreciate the situation or group they are researching on. However,
the thematic approach is highly inductive in nature and the themes gathered cannot be
predetermined by the researcher. The researcher can use the findings and run a statistical analysis
in order to validate the themes.

45RESEARCH PROPOSAL
3.8 Ethical Considerations
Since, ethical considerations are important in research, it has to be maintained in an
expected manner. The researcher is supposed to adhere to the aims of the research and promote
authentic knowledge and prevent erroneous work. Notably, ethical considerations allow the
researcher to get the assistance and collaboration of their mentors, peers and other participants/
contributors of the study. The ethical considerations are based on values like trust,
accountability, fairness and mutual respect among all people who are involved in the study.
However, it is also dependent on the intellectual property rights and protection of the
participants. Another ethical consideration is being accountable for protecting animal or human
subjects if made part of the research. The gain of public support is equally important.
In this study, the primary sources for the qualitative research have initiated few ethical
challenges for the researchers. The most essential concern that needs to be addressed as soon as
possible is the concern of privacy. However, the anonymity of data will be maintained by
following the ethical guidelines of Plymouth University. The collected data will only be used for
the purpose it has been collected. Moreover, the participants will be allowed to withdraw
whenever they wish and are welcomed if they think that the data being used are uncomfortable
with them (Bell, Bryman and Harley 2018). The secondary data will be cited correctly to
maintain the authenticity and copyright of the original author. It is another way to pay honor to
the relevant authors whose works have formed the base of the research.
3.9 Gantt chart
Anticipated
Activities
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

46RESEARCH PROPOSAL
(Years)
Yr.1 In-depth reading on RE &
IMC & drafting literature review
(10/2018- 11/2019)
Yr.2 Data collection & data analysis begins
(12/2019 – 11/2020)
Yr.3 Data analysis continues, completed & Interpreting the data
(12/2020 – 11/2021)
Yr.4 Findings of the data & Begin planning for write up
(12/2021 – 11/2022)
Yr.5 Write up continues & Preparing final report
(12/2022 – 12/2023)
3.10 Summary
The paper has the potential to explore and establish the issue of energy crisis in Nigeria in
spite of having vast reserves of oil and gas in the country. The research is primarily focused on
the application of IMC tools to spread the use of renewable energy across the country. The paper
is descriptive of various methods which will be useful to collect data, analyze it and present the
expected results. The research has used the survey method as the research strategy since the case

47RESEARCH PROPOSAL
study method would have been inappropriate for this case. The research questions are set to help
the researcher to step by step progress ahead and fulfill the research objectives.

48RESEARCH PROPOSAL
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Appendix
DETAILS OF PUBLICATION PLANS
 Exploratory research to be published in an open access journal by early 2020.
 Journal Publication/Conference presentation by middle of 2020.
 Second journal publication by late 2020.
RESEARCH PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR
 November, 2019 Data collection and field work in Nigeria (Ibadan, Lagos and Abuja).
 December, 2019 to February, 2020 Re-assessment of my methodology in the wake of data
obtained from Nigeria with a view to focus on data collection and analysis.
 March, 2020 Re-visit to Nigeria in case there are issues that need further exploration as a result
of development from my data collection and analysis write-up.
 March 2020-June 2020 Review of methodology, final write-up of data collection and analysis.
 July 2021 – September 2021 Final review of Literature to add any new development.
 October 2022 Focus on conclusion
 January 2023 Proof reading
 December 2024 Submission
PLANNED RESEARCH SKILLS SESSIONS TO ATTEND
I intend to continue to attend GSM monthly research skills sessions to improve my skills with active
participation through group and individual presentations and seminars in the following key areas:
RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
RESEARCH DESIGN
TRENDS IN MANAGEMENT RESEARCH
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

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CRITICAL REPORT WRITING SKILL
PRESENTATION WORKSHOP
PROPOSED SHORT COURSES TO ATTEND
Renewable energy
Marketing
System dynamics thinking
Reflections on possible changes
Amended topic: Integrated Marketing Communication in an evolving sector: A case study of renewable
energy in Nigeria (essentially the topic is about marketing renewable energy)
Questions: (that can make the study viable after establishing the gaps in literature)
Questions:
1 What is the worth of the renewable energy sector in terms of its contribution to Nigeria GDP?
1 Who are the major players in the sector?
2 What are determinant factors hindering the widespread use of renewable energy e.g. government
policy or regulation, finance, structural, poverty, education etc.
Methodology options:
Survey: Current customers of renewable energy providers; why they choose it and the benefits or
disadvantages of it for them
Survey: current marketers of renewable energy
Survey: Current customers of other energy sectors regarding why they are not interested in renewable.
Are these about questions of awareness, culture, cost, perception etc?
Survey: Current marketing practitioners in the renewable sector regarding current marketing
practices

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