Effective Marketing Strategies For Colour Photo Processing Services

INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The history of photography is as much story of technological development as of artistic concerns. The many routs which photography has followed in the last century have all been the result of experiment and innovation.
Practical photography began in 1836 and modern photography evolved from a process devised by William Henry Fix Tallbot (1800 – 1877) who, in 1834 began experiments in sensitizing paper to light. Fix Tallbot in vented the first method for the easy production for any number of prints from the original plate, and it was this that laid the real foundation for the medium.
It is a joyous thing to be the first to cross a mountain your photography is a record of your living for any one who really sees. There was no way for any of us to make satisfactory permanent record of what we saw. Then, a young Frenchman by name of Joseph Nice-Phone discovered device used by artists. Pictures are means of recording forever things are sees for a moment. It is better than memory, because it not only recalls things to our minds, but enables us to show others with absolute realism what we thought which is move accurate than memory.
Ponder for a moment the difficult scholars have in attempting to reconstruct events as recent as our colonial history. The photographic records of the history of the development of this country since 1960 provided a staggering record unparallel in any other period in the history of Nigeria. This is because photographs deals in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished, there is no contrivance on earth can make them come back again. We cannot develop and print a memory. The world has only recently a wakened to the role of usual literacy, the development which challenges the printing press.
Some scholars compare the first contrary of photography with the first contrary of printing. The comparison is not altogether unfounded because photography has played a dramatic role in nearly all forms of human endeavour since 1839, in the area of marketing in particular business in general photographs has created or made a remarkable achievement in areas of advertising and promotion. Some products like marching furniture and others are normally too heavy or bulky to be moved from one place to another. In this case, pictures of these products can be arranged in the best order and displayed on an cased but for visual aids. The pictures done can in due a prospect to act, because of its sales aids nature. Also in the areas of service due to the intangibility nature of service photography plays moment role intangible services.
While the end product (Photographs) is important the full history of photo process services cannot be assessed really understood without an understating of the technology that produced their result. A significant part of the technology is the hardware which enable photographers to product them historically and aesthetically photography transcends the language barrier, adds immeasurably to our understanding of the world and its people, environment brings in more height end awareness of beauty to our everyday lives, photograph like music is a universal language.
It speaks with move force and with greater directness than words. The first photographs ever processed have been in black and white. This is not simple because by eliminating colour, it is possible to simplify and identify the essential of the subject, its shape, texture and the variety of height and shade. The two systems of photographic reproduction colour and black and white should really be regarded as two quite different media, even though as technology, colour is rarely an extension of monodurome.
For about four to five decades ago, what is know as photography in Nigeria is the black and white. There was nothing like photographs and as such, there were no colour laboratory. Photographers snap and do the development and printing in their darkroom which is usually located near their photo studio. The black and white photographs are no longer satisfying, attractive in the eyes of the customer (Changes in customers preferences) sequence to whose factors in any researchers and technologists wants into research to find out a better way to satisfy customer and the led to the introduction of colour photographs.
Due to low technological advancement and financial constraints in Nigeria and other parts of African, this rear technology came to Nigeria in late 1970s (Colour Photo Laboratory was first establishment in Nigeria in 1987 by West Columbus later spread to other parts of Nigeria.
So photo processing in Nigeria has gone a long way in achieving an effective marketing objectives through its exposures. For example, it made products not available to be tangible because of the pictures, poster cards, catalogues, and other prints medias. It has made the marketing of products and services effectively.
This study is on photo processing services using Jonatex Ultra Modern Colour labouratory as a case study. The company was established in 1995 with their head office at Nkpor. Although, the labouratory is new among the players in the industry, it’s services has been felt in all nooks and cranny of the country due to it’s network of branches in some major cities in Nigeria like Enugu, Nsukka Nnewi and Lagos.
Jonatex company is engaged in the production and marketing of colour photo processing services. They develop and print various sizes of photographs ranging from post card, pass port, 4×6, 5×7, 10×12, 20×24 and so on, they develop colour films like ludor, Kodak, Keota and so many others. These films have different numbers of exposure ranging from 12, 24 and 36 exposures.
Due to the low technological advancement and financial constraints in Nigeria and other parts of Africa; thus rear technology came to Nigeria and also and due to the dynamic nature of colour photo laboratory business, the competition among the key players in the industry have shifted to how best the players satisfy their customers in the area of service rendering

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Although, Jonatex Ultra Modern Colour Laboratory was established just five years ago, its services has been felt in all nooks and cranny of the country, leading to wise market coverage, even more than its competitors their started operation many years before the idea of establishing the labouratory was born. The research work will find answers to each question as follows what must have raised the company from to grace to within the short period of its existence? What are the strengths of the company in carrying out services to satisfy customers effectively more than their competitors in the industry?
Why is it that customer prefer the services of Jonatex to other colour laboratory?
What are the channel objectives set up by the company in their operations?
In evaluating major channel alternatives which of the channel did this company choose in order to have competitive edge over its competitors?
Specifically, the main objective of this study is to identify and analyse the strategies necessary for marketing photo processing services with particular reference to Jonatex Ultra modern Laboratory. The study would also focus attention on finding out why Jonatex have been successful within its short period of existence, it also used on finding out why customers are satisfied with their services. More so, it will examine the distribution channels employed by Jonatex, to ensure wide market coverage and effective future plans. It will examine the strategies used in the collection of films for development and printing.
Finally, it will attempt to find out why customers prefer the services of Jonatex to other colour laboratories. Also the process of disseminating information from the management to customers it will also examine their sources of raw material used, in the production process for effective services rendering.

1.4 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
H01: Marketing strategies used by Jonatex, does not lead to increased awareness of their services.
H11: Marketing strategies used by Jonatex leads to increase of awareness of their services
H02: Marketing strategy used by Jonatex impacts negatively on sales of the company
H12: Marketing strategy used by Jonatex increase sales for the company.
H03: Marketing strategy used by Jonatex impacts negatively on the profit of the company.
H13: Marketing strategy used by Jonatex impacts positively and increase profit of their company.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Many things have been said and written about the marketing of photo processing services at the end of which recommendations were made on what actually the marketing of photo services is all about.
This project is a contribution to the various discussions and writ ups on the issue, though it is not an expert opinion. It’s significant in many ways. This study will help to enhance the effectiveness of marketing of photo processing service in Jonatex industry with a game plan.
Also and more importantly, this study will be of important since the researcher recommendation and conclusion will enrich the existing strategies and ways of resolving constraints in marketing of photo services based on the experience of Jonatex Lab. This will serve as an objective appraisal performance on Jonatex Company in area of marketing their services.
This will also provide a reference material for marketers and other businessmen who may wish to undergo a similar study.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
Although, the chemistry of colour photography is a great deal more complicated than that of black and white, the principles are in many respects similar.
The idea that a full range of colours can be produced by adding together three primary colours, (red green, blue) lead to the possibility of making colour pictures. This study was based on the establishment under study (Jonatex Ultra Modern Colour Lab) it should be noted that the study is solely based on marketing strategies of colour photo services and the case study operations within Nkpor and Onitsha.

1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
Some of the limitations in my research work are finance, time and post data-finance-going by my present status as a student, limited resources of income coupled with the present economic handship facing the whole nation, the researcher find it difficult to get money from sponsor and relations.
– Time: The time duration for the completion of project was too short, as it has to be combined with classroom work. The researcher found it difficult to combine the two.
– Past Data: The present of past data on related topic was difficult to found. Despite these limitations of the study, the researcher made stringent effort to ensure that the data collected for the study are of good quality, so as to make the results of study reliable.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
1) DARK ROOM: A room that is made dark for photographic work. And also has to do with colour that does not reflect light. Nearer black than white, ref to wades lads book of photogenic 2001.
2) FILM: Roll or sheet of flexible material which is weekly inserted in camera to produce photographic Reference to Konies packets of film.
3) EXPOSURE: The number of snaps, a particular film can produce when fixed in the camera wads and lads 2001.
4) PLATE: Sheet of glass coated with sensitive film for photography ref to wedes and leds book of phonogram.