Micky and Sons Driving School: Advertising Impact Research

This research project examines the effectiveness of advertising in acquiring new customers for Micky and Sons Driving School, a London-based driving school. The study investigates the current advertising methods, which primarily involve traditional offline modes like brochures and newspaper advertisements, and assesses their impact in the context of the digital age. The research employs an interpretivism philosophy, deductive research, and a case study approach, incorporating customer perspectives and supporting literature. The findings indicate that traditional advertising is less impactful compared to digital strategies, particularly social media and online word-of-mouth (eWOM). The research highlights the importance of developing a strong social media presence, utilizing online promotions, and incorporating customer reviews to increase customer engagement and acquisition. The project concludes with recommendations for rebuilding service concepts, selecting appropriate social media platforms, and prioritizing informative advertising over pricing details to enhance customer attraction. The study also provides a comparison of advertising costs and benefits, emphasizing the cost-effectiveness of social media advertising compared to offline methods, and examines competitor strategies to provide a comprehensive overview of the driving school market.

MICKY
AND SONS
DRIVING
SCHOOL

RESEARCH PROJECT
IMPACT OF ADVERTISING ON ACQUIRING NEW CUSTOMERS FOR LONDON BASED DRIVING SCHOOL

INTRODUCT
ION
CLIENT NAME: MICKY AND SONS DRIVING SCHOOL
• NEW SESSION OPENING DATE: 1ST MARCH 2021
• LOCATIONS: DAGENHAM, GREATER LONDON
• OVERVIEW
• ADVERTISING IS THE HISTORICALLY KNOWN DOMAIN
OF BUSINESS PERFORMANCE AND GROWTH
(HELBERGER, ET AL., 2020).
• SERVICE-DRIVEN FIRMS ARE FAILING TO ADDRESS THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF ADVERTISING (BRADT, 2020).
• UK IS CURRENTLY AMONG THE TOP EUROPE’S REGIONS
IN REGARDS TO ADVERTISING EFFICIENCIES, 4TH
GLOBAL POSITION IN ADVERTISING EXPENDITURES
(STATISTARESEARCHDEPARTMENT, 2020).

RESEARCH QUESTION AND
OBJECTIVES
• ‘AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE IMPACT OF ADVERTISING ON ACQUIRING NEW
CUSTOMERS FOR A LONDON BASED DRIVING SCHOOL’.
• RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:
• WHAT ADVERTISING IS CURRENTLY BEING USED?
• HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE CURRENT ADVERTISING APPROACH?
• WHAT CHANGES CAN BE APPLIED TO INCREASE ITS IMPACT?

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR DATA
COLLECTION
• INTERPRETIVISM PHILOSOPHY
• DEDUCTIVE RESEARCH
• CASE STUDY RESEARCH - MICKY AND SONS DRIVING
• MULTI-METHOD USE, CASE STUDY DISCUSSION
• CUSTOMER POINT OF VIEW
• ADDITIONAL DATA IN THE FORM OF REVIEWED ARTICLES, RESEARCHES, OR NEWS TO APPEAR
PROVIDING WIDER KNOWLEDGE (AL-ABABNEH, 2020).
• OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY

RESEARCH REQUIRED VIA DATA
COLLECTION
• ADVERTISING PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN ATTRACTING CUSTOMERS AND PERSUADING THEM TO MAKE A
PURCHASE.
• THE SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS INCORPORATE MULTIPLE REVIEWS, INTERACTIVE STORIES, AND THE
INFORMATION THAT INFLUENCES THE CUSTOMER'S PURCHASE DECISION MAKING.
• SOCIAL MEDIA AS THE TRANSFORMED MODERN TREND OF ADVERTISING HAS ACHIEVED A SUBSTANTIAL
POSITION FOR MARKETERS.
• ALSO, THE ASSUMPTION OF PERSUASIVE ADVERTISING IS EXHIBITED THROUGH THE ELECTRONIC-WOMS (ONLINE
WORD-OF-MOUTH) EXCHANGED BETWEEN THE CUSTOMERS. IT IS THE SHARING OF THE EXPERIENCES.
• THERE IS POTENTIAL NEED OF CHANGING THE ADVERTISING STRATEGY AND THE EXISTING MODES OF
ADVERTISING.

CURRENT OBSERVATIONS BASED
ON RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. WHAT ADVERTISING IS CURRENTLY BEING USED?
• THE CURRENT MODE OF ADVERTISING USED IS TRADITIONAL OFFLINE MODE, I.E. THE INVOLVEMENT OF BROCHURES
AND MAGAZINE OR NEWSPAPER ADVERTISEMENT, AND THE OFFLINE WOM.
2. HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE CURRENT ADVERTISING APPROACH?
• IN TERMS OF CONTEMPORARY ERA, THE EMERGENCE AND COMPETITIVENESS OF DIGITALIZATION, THE CURRENT
ADVERTISING IS POSITIONED AS LESS IMPACTFUL FOR ACQUIRING THE CUSTOMERS’ ATTENTION.
3. WHAT CHANGES CAN BE APPLIED TO INCREASE ITS IMPACT?
• CUSTOMER INTERVENTION IS THE FORM OF ASSOCIATION WITH THE FIRMS SUCCESSFUL AS THE WORD-OF-MOUTH
(WOM) (HWANG & ZHANG, 2018).
• ALSO, THE ASSUMPTION OF PERSUASIVE ADVERTISING IS EXHIBITED THROUGH THE ELECTRONIC-WOMS (ONLINE WORD-
OF-MOUTH) EXCHANGED BETWEEN THE CUSTOMERS. IT IS THE SHARING OF THE EXPERIENCES (MOHAMMADI, ET AL.,
2019).
• THERE IS AN ADEQUATE NEED FOR DEVELOPING SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE OR WEBSITE BASED DIRECT INTERACTIONS
WITH CUSTOMERS.

EFFICACY OF THE CONTEMPORARY
ADVERTISING PRACTICES
• EWOM EXHIBITS THE PRESENCE OF DIRECT INTERACTIONS WITH CUSTOMERS, PROVIDING TRUST AND BUILDING OF
BRAND LOYALTY.
• PROMOTIONAL OFFERS REFLECTED THROUGH ONLINE ADVERTISEMENTS PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN PULLING
THE ATTENTION.
• THERE IS AN INCREASED DEMAND AND CHANGE IN CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR SEEKING EXCLUSIVE AND IN-DEPTH
INFORMATION BEFORE MAKING THE PURCHASE.
• THE MODES OF ADVERTISING ARE SHIFTED TO THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS.
• THE ONLINE INNOVATIVE AND IN-DEPTH ADVERTISEMENTS, WITH PERSONAL REVIEWS OR E-WOMS ARE OF HIGHER
IMPORTANCE.
• PROMOTIONAL AND COMPETITIVE ADVERTISING SHOULD INCORPORATE THE AUTHENTICITY IN THE INFORMATION
ADVERTISED.
• DISPLAYING THE AUTHORISED LICENSE STAMPED OF REGISTRY WITH UK GOVERNMENT, ACQUIRING THE TRUST OF
THE CUSTOMERS, AND DIVERTING THE ATTENTION FROM PRICING.

THE PROVE OF ADVERTISING
ADVANTAGES
• THE ONLINE PLATFORMS SUCH AS FACEBOOK AND GOOGLE, ARE THE ONES ACQUIRING 50% OF
THE £5 BILLION AND 90% SHARE OF THE £6 BILLION IN ADVERTISING (CMAGOV.UK, 2019).
• IN THE UK, VISUAL MARKETING IS HOLDING THE LARGEST SHARE WITH £1.6 BILLION.
• THE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS ENGAGING THE INCREASING ADVERTISING PRACTICES, IN
SEVERAL FORMS, SUCH AS WORD CONTENT, DIRECT INTERACTIONS, SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS,
ETC. REACHING 57% OF THE ADVERTISING EXPENDITURES.
• 52.5%, OF U.K. CUSTOMERS, ARE INVOLVED IN THE ONLINE MECHANISM OF SEEKING
INFORMATION THROUGH SURFING THE INTERNET AND MAKING PURCHASES.
(RETAILCUSTOMEREXPERIENCENEWS, 2019).

IMPACT ON
BUSINESS
• COSTING COMPARISON AND BENEFITS:
• SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS WILL INCREASE
CUSTOMER INTERACTIONS AND EWOMS,
GENERATING THE GROWTH OF THE
CUSTOMER MARKET SHARE.
• THE COST AND TIME EFFICIENCY WILL BE
ACHIEVED, AS OFFLINE MODES INCLUDING
BROCHURES, BILLBOARDS, OR PAPER
ADVERTISEMENTS INVOLVES HIGH COST
COMPARED TO THE SOCIAL MEDIA
ADVERTISING.
Mode of Advertising Associated Cost
Social Media (Facebook) Various categories
Facebook Advertising is
£323 to £610 per month
(wider customer reach)
Offline Magazine
Advertisement
20% VAT +
Box Ad Rate £125
Double box ad £195
Triple box ad £255
Page Based Display Ads:
Colour: £500 • Mono:
£300
(low and undefined
customer reach)

THE DEMANDS AND RESPONSES OF
PARTICIPANTS (EXPECTED NEW
CLIENTS)
• ONLINE WOM IS HIGH AMONG RESPONDENTS COMPARED TO THE SOCIAL MEDIA BASED WOM. IT SHOWS WEBSITE
BASED INTERACTION WILL BE EFFECTIVE COMPARED TO FACEBOOK.
• ONLINE PROMOTIONS AND ONLINE ADVERTISEMENTS PLAY EFFICIENT ROLE IN PERSUADING THE CUSTOMER TO
MAKE THE TRANSACTION.
• INNOVATIVE AND PERSONALIZED ADVERTISING IS SIGNIFICANT COMPARED TO THE PRICING OR LABELS.
• 45% SPENDS BASED ON ONLINE WOM.
• 37% GOES TO THE DRIVING SCHOOL WITH PROMOTIONAL PACKAGES.
• DRIVING SCHOOL SELECTED THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA BASED WOMS IS 48%, WHILE OWN SEARCH SUCH AS
CUSTOMER REVIEWS, PROMOTIONAL EMAILS OR MESSAGES PERSUADES 52% OF THE INDIVIDUALS.
• IN-DEPTH ADVERTISEMENT MATTERS.

SOLUTIONS AND
CONCLUSION
• ADVERTISING HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON ACQUIRING NEW CUSTOMERS.
• THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES THAT OCCURRED IN THE ADVERTISING DOMAIN.
• CUSTOMER DEMANDS INFORMATIVE AND INFLUENTIAL ADVERTISING.
• RECOMMENDATIONS:
• REBUILD THEIR SERVICE CONCEPT AND EVALUATE THEIR TARGET MARKET.
• PERIPHERAL ROUTE OF ADVERTISING, I.E. THE INFLUENTIAL FACTOR OF ADVERTISING THROUGH WOMS AND
REVIEWS APPEARING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS.
• SELECT THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM.
• THE ADVERTISEMENT SCHEME HAS TO INCORPORATE INFLUENTIAL INFORMATION, INSTEAD OF JUST THE
PRICING DETAILS.

COLLECTED DATA AND
ANALYSIS
• 52.5%, OF U.K. CUSTOMERS, ARE INVOLVED IN THE ONLINE MECHANISM OF SEEKING INFORMATION THROUGH SURFING THE
INTERNET AND MAKING PURCHASES. THE PARTICIPANTS’ RESPONSES EXPRESSED THAT THE ADVERTISEMENTS ARE VERY
IMPORTANT IN REACHING THE AUTHENTIC SERVICE PROVIDER (RETAILCUSTOMEREXPERIENCENEWS, 2019).
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT UK PRESENTED THE DATA THAT DEPICTS 695,549 PEOPLE TURNING 17-YEARS-OLD IN 2020 ARE
ELIGIBLE TO START DRIVING. IT SHOWS THAT THERE IS THE POTENTIAL OF 17.59 LEARNERS PER INSTRUCTOR
(HRNEWS.CO.UK, 2020). MICKY AND SONS DRIVING SCHOOL, TO GAIN THE OPPORTUNITY THROUGH PERSUASIVE
ADVERTISING.
• COMPETITOR’S OVERVIEW:
• DRIVE JOHNSON’S PROVIDES TECHNOLOGICAL APP-BASED LEARNING LESSONS, SECURING TIME, HOLDING A RATING OF 4.98 OUT OF 5.
• RED DRIVER TRAINING INVOLVES 24/7 ONLINE BOOKING, WITH DISCOUNT PROMOTIONS ON THE NUMBER OF PRICES.
• BSM IS THE OLDEST LEARNING DRIVING SCHOOL, WITH 800 REGISTERED INSTRUCTORS AND 100 INDIVIDUALS' SALES TEAM.

LITERATURE SUPPORTING THE ANALYSIS
• RADICAL SHIFT TO DIGITAL MECHANISM.
• ADVERTISING HAS RADICALLY SHIFTED FROM THE TRADITIONAL TO THE DIGITALIZED MECHANISMS, I.E. FROM TV SCREENS,
NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES, ETC., TO ONLINE SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED ADVERTISING, AS CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR SHIFTED. THERE ARE
MULTIPLE DEBATES CLAIMING SUPERIORITIES DISCUSSING SEVERAL STRATEGIES OF ADVERTISING SUCCESSFUL AND COMPETITIVE.
SUCH AS PERIPHERAL ROUTE OF ADVERTISING, WHICH CLAIMS THAT CUSTOMER INTERVENTION IS THE FORM OF ASSOCIATION WITH
THE FIRMS SUCCESSFUL AS THE WORD-OF-MOUTH (WOM), EITHER SHARED THROUGH OFFLINE OR ONLINE MODES MATTERS (HWANG
& ZHANG, 2018).
• E – WOM.
• ELECTRONIC WORD-OF-MOUTH (EWOM) COMMUNICATION HAS SHAPED THE FUTURE OF ADVERTISING (CHU & KIM, 2018).
• THE CONTINUOUS USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS.
• (MORGAN-THOMAS, ET AL., 2020), REVEALED THAT THE ERA IS COMPETITIVE AND SOCIAL CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR IS DEPENDENT UPON
THE SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED INFORMATION.
• (SHANAHAN, ET AL., 2019), ASSERTS THAT CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR HAS SHIFTED TOWARDS THE CONTINUOUS USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
CHANNELS. IN REGARDS TO ADVERTISING, SOCIAL MEDIA IS COMPARATIVELY ADVANTAGEOUS IN GAINING THE NUMBER OF
CUSTOMERS.
• IN THE UK, VISUAL MARKETING IS HOLDING THE LARGEST SHARE WITH £1.6 BILLION. THE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS ENGAGING THE
INCREASING ADVERTISING PRACTICES, IN SEVERAL FORMS, SUCH AS WORD CONTENT, DIRECT INTERACTIONS, SOCIAL MEDIA
INFLUENCERS, ETC. REACHING 57% OF THE ADVERTISING EXPENDITURES (RETAILCUSTOMEREXPERIENCENEWS, 2019)

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APPENDIX