The Nation Newspaper

Category: Brand week

  • Deepening brand’s influence in Southwest

    Deepening brand’s influence in Southwest

    With market indices reflecting bad business for premium beers across all brands  in Nigeria, leading brewers have been striving to remain on top in critical touch points. Goldberg is leveraging Fuji music as a springboard, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    AMID dwindling patronage because of recession, many brands in the beer market have been finding it tough to stay afloat. In the last two years, the recession, according to sources, has forced some brands to stop their campaigns while some have not been able to start new ones.

    However, while some premium brands cannot sustain the budget to continue brand activations targeting heavy spenders, some players have resorted to pushing valued brands, which are cheaper through activations targeted at some regional markets.

    For instance, Nigerian Breweries’ Goldberg Lager Beer has consistently explored a Southwest musical genre, Fuji, to push its brand to edge competitors to the corner.

    To remain a top-of-the-mind brand in the Southwest market, Goldberg in the last four years has sustained its Fuji t’o Bam campaign to checkmate other affordable brands  through the promotion of the culture of the people of the Southwest Nigeria.

    Launched in 2012 to discover and celebrate budding Fuji talents, the brand campaign has led to the discovery of many talents. For instance, a Fuji talent, Tope Ajani, after months of thrills and frills, emerged the Wura1 for the 2016 contest.

    The campaign has also brought to the limelight young musicians, such as Akeem Okiki from Osogbo in Osun State, who won the 2015 edition; Twinzobia Twins from Ibadan, Oyo State (2014); and Antenna, winner of the first edition in 2013. The initiative identifies and celebrates the rich musical tradition that contributes to sustaining the cultural values of the people of the region.

    The campaign was launched at a time the perception of people about the music genre was at its lowest ebb. According to brand analysts, the concept has lived up to expectation as many budding artistes have been discovered through the platform, thus, building the brand’s popularity and acceptability.

    Some of the promising Fuji artistes, who spoke with The Nation at an audition in Ibadan, for this year’s contest, said the credibility of the brand activation motivated them to participate. According to them, the annual activation has served as an impetus for young artistes who, hitherto, had lost hope in building career in Fuji music. They said the brand had carved a niche for itself with the annual talent hunt, which has placed Fuji music in the spotlight in Nigeria and beyond.

    One of them, Oritoke Adija (a.k.a Africa Selidon), who has been singing since 1998, said Fuji musicians in Ibadan appreciated the contribution Goldberg was making to develop the music genre.

    Oritoke, the only woman contestant, who participated in the race in Ibadan, said any time Fuji Musicians Association of Nigeria (FUMAN) called for meetings,  artistes were always asked to pray for Nigerian Breweries.

    During  a Goldberg maiden Fuji Roundtable in Lagos, the Corporate Media & Brand Public Relation Manager, Nigerian Breweries, Patrick Olowookere, said Nigerian Breweries respected the socio-cultural values of its host communities.

    “As part of our efforts towards community development anywhere we operate, Goldberg, in 2012, inaugurated Fuji t’o Bam; we respect people’s cultures and values and this forum is a testament of our resolute determination to contribute to the socio-cultural development of the people in the western part of our nation,” he said.

    Impressed by the support the brewer is giving to Fuji music, Chairman, National Project Committee of the Fuji Musicians Association of Nigeria, Sikiru Ayinde Agboola (a.k.a SK Sensation),  commended Goldberg Lager Beer.

    Agboola said the support by Goldberg was second to none and should be emulated by other companies in the country.

    He said Fuji was the only surviving genre of music that has its origin in Nigeria, and stakeholders needed to seek ways through which the genre could be further developed.

    The Portfolio Manager, Mainstream Lager and Stout brands, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Emmanuel Agu, said the brewer always tried to champion, promote and associate with the culture of its host communities.

  • StarTimes boosts content portfolio with FOX Life

    FOX Life, an urban contemporary entertainment channel owned by FOX Networks Group (FNG), and customised for Africa, was launched on StarTimes Channel 071 (Antenna) and Channel 132 (Dish) in Nigeria, on October 1.

    The new channel is expected to boost StarTimes growing entertainment portfolio, spice up viewers experience with flamboyant programming and enrich memorable digital TV moments.

    StarTimes Head of Public Relations Mr. Israel Bolaji said the digital TV network was excited to enrich its entertainment and lifestyle menu for improved viewers pleasure with the launch of FOX Life.

    “The new channel would add a touch of magic to viewers’ experience and enhance memorable TV experience with quality programming including interesting television series, dramas, sitcoms, shows and movies, among others. They include some original programming in Africa. F

    OX Life will showcase latest and compelling Hollywood, Brazilian and African programmes including 2016 blockbuster “Real Housewives of Atlanta”, America’s Next Top Model, Clean House, and other thrilling and emotional dramas such as Empire, and Pitch.

    “FOX Life offers StarTimes subscribers a global entertainment appeal with an interesting blend of lifestyle programmes from local and international scripted and non-scripted content. Asides its array of Hollywood, African and Brazilian series, it is introducing Turkish telenovelas to Nigeria. It also showcases Africa centric programmes and considerations with localised content, focuses on socially relevant positive and local story telling, thereby creating an undisputed perfect home and port of call for young aspirational viewers in Africa, especially female,” said Bolaji.

    The Marketing Director, Mr. Oludare Kafar, added that the new addition is a further step in the digital TV network provider’s quest to continuously enrich its content, grant subscribers more value for their money and offer  refreshing and enjoyable TV experience.

  • Noah’s Ark eyes top spot in Africa’s ad agency rankings

    Noah’s Ark eyes top spot in Africa’s ad agency rankings

    Behind every great brand is a great agency.” This statement, an adaptation of a saying: “Behind every successful man is a woman”, appeared in the first paragraph of Loeries website official ranking homepage category.

    Loeries has remained one of the most-vibrant competitors to Cannes’s Lion, a global marketing and artistic award, which holds in France yearly.

    In the recent Loeries ranking by agency 2016-region, excluding South Africa category, Noah’s Ark occupies the ninth spot. It is also the only Nigerian advertising outfit among the top 15 agencies. With its recent global affiliation with Denstu Aegies Network, the firm has, indeed, has a tall ambition of becoming one of Africa’s top agencies.

    Dentsu Aegies, a marketing communication agency with presence in 145 countries, five continents, 35,000 workers, last week said it would enter into partnership with Noah’s Ark  for a year with possible extension.

    Last year, the agency won the Grand Prix at the Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival (LAIF), organised by the Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAN). It has consistently remained in the top five for five years.

    However, ranked among TBWA/RAAD from United Arab Emirate (UAE);  J. Walter Thompson from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Memac Ogilvy- Dubai, J. Walter Thompson- Beirut, FP7/DX8, Cheil Worldwide- Dubai, J. Walter Thompson-Dubai and Memac Ogilvy- Doha, the Group Managing Director of Noah’s Ark, Mr. Lanre Adisa, said “today, we are the most-celebrated within and outside Nigeria”.

    Now in it is sixth year, the Loeries Official Rankings provides authoritative and independent indication of ‘who is who’ in the brand communications industry across Africa and the Middle East.

    “The rankings are calculated on a methodology that allocates points to brands, agencies and individuals based on results from the Loeries Creative Week, held in August,” said Loeries Chief Executive Andrew Human.

    During an interactive session with newsmen in Lagos last week, Adisa said Noah’s Ark decided to embrace global affiliation to play at the top level in Africa and worldwide.

    “Why Dentsu Aegies? At different fora in the industry, I have been a believer of collaboration. If you want to go far, you go together. I believe to go far, you have to collaborate at the global stage. At various points, I have spoken against isolation.

    “For us, Denstu is one of the best global agencies with the highest growth rate. Right from our first contact with their team in Nigeria, we discovered that they are not just here to mark time. We could see testimony in their local media affiliate agency, MediaFuse Nigeria. Today, it is the biggest media agency in Nigeria and West Africa,” he said.

    Adisa believed that having won local and international awards consistently with its creative outputs for local brands, with some of its unapproved and controversial creative jobs such as Boko Halal among declared winners at various international advertising awards such as Loeries, Lueza’s Archive, which is regarded as the world Bible of advertising, Noah’s Ark‘s ambition to become a top player in Africa is because the agency is no more that small agency that started five years ago.

    “We believe this partnership with Dentsu will make us achieve our dream to be the best in Africa,” he said.

    Also, the Media Fuse Dentsu Aegis Network Ltd Managing Director, Emeke Okeke, said the selection of Noah’s Ark, a Dentsu’s affiliate, is premised on the agency’s impeccable credentials.

    He said the agency has displayed determination to play at the global level, a character that gels with the global agencies.

  • CSR: IDEAS House to touch lives with i-Impact

    IDEAS House, an experiential marketing agency in the country, has re-launched its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, i-Impact.

    The initiative was conceived to give back to society and to touch lives.

    Its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kehinde Lekan-Salami, said at a briefing that his agency had agreed, after deliberation among stakeholders, to position as a brand responsible for the society in which it operates

    Salami said the agency had undertaken an unusual path by introducing “Thank God Its Thursday (TGIT)”, against the norm: ‘Thank God Its Friday”.

    He said the agency had set two Fridays aside monthly for training, CSR outreach and in-market channel research to engage consumers of brands it manages.

    “Our business has grown in a number of ways. The first is that it has grown in terms of ambition, relevance and investment to attain its vision. One of the things we have noticed is that there has been consistent pattern in doing the job and experiential has become popular as a key component of the marketing mix. Narrowing it down to IDEAS House, we have been recognised within the industry where we operate as one of the most reputable and credible agencies. To this end, we feel there was need for us to identify with the larger society more than ever and let them feel our impact,” he said.

    Also, the Account Director with the agency, Oyepeju Adeyinka-Adebayo, said with TGIT, Ideas House now works four days a week and shuts down on Fridays for staff to work from home.

  • Measurement parameter vital to PR, say experts

    THERE is the need to adopt a reliable measurement and evaluation to enhance the growth of the public relations industry, the Country Managing Director, Accenture Nigeria, Mr. Niyi Yusuf.

    Speaking at a workshop to mark this year’s measurement and evaluation month organised by the International Association of for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communications (AMEC) in collaboration with CMC Connect Burson-Marsteller , and a brand intelligence and research firm, Ornico Group, Yusuf said clients were concerned with the measurable results of PR projects beyond the number of press releases published.

    Stressing the importance of measurement to communications, he said PR practitioners should set specific return on investment (ROI) model, saying it would help PR practitioners define measurement and evaluation.

    He advised practitioners to embrace technology,which he described as a disruptor that provides an opportunity to reach a wider audience in conducting research or survey.

    He charged PR consultants to prove the value of PR to clients using quality measurement metrics.

    The workshop, which had as theme ‘Can you measure up?’ brought together experienced communications and public relations experts from various organisations, including Airtel Nigeria, Accenture, Jagal, FBN Quest, Access Bank, Stanbic IBTC, Nigerian Breweries, and representatives of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).

    A representative of AMEC, Mr. Francois Van Dyk, said the Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) method being used by practitioners was wrong.

    Airtel’s Corporate Communications & CSR Director, Mr. Emeka Oparah, said measurement is important in public relations and communications.

    He said a good measurement report positively affects the organisation’s bottom-line.

    Oparah noted that complying with this was one way of positioning the communications department as a value-adding unit to the organisation.

    He advocated the establishment of an independent measuring body for communications practitioners, adding that this would help ensure objectivity in the quality of the measurement and evaluation.

    However, CMC Connect Burson-Marsteller Managing Director, Mr. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, said one aspect of measurement has remained a knotty issue in communications for a long time.

    He said measurement and evaluation would help reinforce the value which the communications department is adding to an organisation.

    Badejo-Okusanya advised agencies to subscribe to a measurement principle endorsed by the global measurement body.

  • Report faults claim of Nigeria’s costly pay TV service

    The Chief Executive Officer, Hi-Impact Media, a content marketing firm in East Africa, Mr. Yinka Agbede, has faulted claims that Nigeria’s pay TV service is the most expensive in Africa.

    He said Multichoice, believed to be enjoying a monopoly in the country, boasts of higher subscription rates in other African countries.

    He said the owner of the Digital System for Television (DStv), has premium subscription rates in Africa with Nigerians paying the second lowest of between $42 and $44, despite the increased exchange rate.

    He said Mozambique (English) pays between $40 and $43.

    According to him, Ghana pays between $80 and $93, Kenya  $76 and $93, while Uganda and Tanzania pay $81.

    While comparing the rates, Agbede said the platform’s two other bouquets-Compact Plus and Compact-Nigerian subscribers pay between N9,300 and N6000 ($28 to $30) and ($18 to $19) for the bouquets while Ghanaians pay between $54 and $67 for Compact plus and ($32 to $41) for Compact, Kenya pays between $52 and $63 and from $30 to $37.

    He said Tanzania and Uganda pay between $54 and $67 and $31 and Zimbabwe $55 for the Compact plus.

    Faced with price war from fringe players, such as StarTimes, CONSAT, Montage, among others, DSTV has over 10.4 million subscribers in Africa, over 1.5 million in Nigeria.

    A PwC report stated that Nigeria’s pay-tv household is expected to hit 3.2 million by 2019, constituting the biggest market share for DStv.

    But with the economic crisis, some players are facing challenges of staying afloat in the market. According to subscribers, ACTV, DAASAT are hardly showing anymore but market reports show that StarTimes is a formidable competitor which has kicked off strong campaign to check Multichoice dominance in the market. It subscribers pays as low as between N800 with the premium subscription (full bouquet) at the rate of N3,600.

    Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Multichoice, John Ugbe, said: “We try to minimise the impact. In Nigeria, we have been very fortunate that after the price we put through on April 1, 2016, we haven’t had to put another price increase into the maket yet.”

    Why Nigerian panic that DStv may increase it rate this year, Ugbe said, “At the moment we have been able to avoid increasing rates in Nigeria, despite increase in exchange rate and that is largely because the government and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, have been strong on policy decision-making.”

    But he said the brand has shown empathy base on the prevailing circumstances. “We also understand that there are times when we do things that are not popular, but we do it in the interest of the business. So , because we are very conscious of the way that the consumers are likely to react, we tend to think quite deeply before we do stuff that is going to result in a negative impact.”

    But, analysts still believe the tide might change as the recession is putting pressure on most businesses to retrench, restrategise or close shop.

  • Campaign of values, moderation

    Campaign of values, moderation

    It is a campaign with a deep message. The Why Add More campaign by Amstel Malta preaches moderation in all aspects of life and promotes healthy social values. Will the public get the message and change its lifestyle? ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI writes.

    What is the Why Add More campaign by Amstel Malta all about? It is about being moderate in whatever we do. Using metaphor and humour to tell its less sugar story, the campaign stresses the need for moderation in social interactions, dressing, and devotion to career at the expense of family.

    One of the narratives in the campaign’s television commercial  (TVC) is on a wedding reception, where the best man gives an eloquent toast, which should have ended with the clinking of glasses for the couple. The toast generates resounding applause, cheers and an affirmative gesture in appreciation of his oratory and sense of humour.

    Impressed by the wedding audience’s response, he adds more jokes which do not go down well with the celebrators and guests.

    The advert starts with a background music as the best man speaks: “And he looked at me and said this is the woman of my dream, and that’s how I knew the missing piece of his heart.”

    Applauded, he decided to say one more joke, which is not well received by the audience as he is the only one laughing. He also shows off his dance steps, but these add-ons fail to get the audience’s appreciation but jeers. As the joke did not resonate with the audience, he realises that he could have ended his speech amid cheers if he had not added more.

    The campaign, which is running on all media platforms, also explores stories of top Nigerian celebrities from Nollywood, and the fashion world.

    One of the celebrities who tells his story is   Ali Nuhu, an actor, producer, director and television personality from the North. The Kano-based actor, popularly referred to in the media as the King of Kannywood, Sarki Ali or King Ali, has appeared in hundreds of Hausa and English films. This has earned him accolades, but it is at the expense of his family life.

    “As a child, my passion for acting was second to nothing. I studied hard in school, but my mind was always racing and I kept wondering how can I achieve my dream of becoming a professional actor? I was elated when I eventually got admission into the University of Jos to study Geography. Hmmm, yes… Geography and not Theatre Arts, or something related to the movies. Of course, I made up my mind to pursue my dream, no matter what.

    “As a Youth Corps member serving in Oyo State, I enrolled with a dance and drama team, still pushing to actualise my acting aspiration. Upon venturing into the industry, I worked hard and smart. As a newcomer in Kannywood, I had to make a name for myself, and I was fortunate to get a break in my first movie, Dijangala. Then I started jumping from one set to the next. I had no time for family, friends or leisure.

    “My schedule became so intense that it started taking a toll on me and my relationships with my loved ones. A close friend drew my attention to this and made me realise I was overdoing it and could lose my most treasured assets – my family – as a result. I quickly adjusted and started planning my time better, so I could spend more time with family, friends and just relaxing. You can’t imagine the kind of joy and peace this has brought me,” he said.

    Also, British-born Nigerian actress, Beverly Naya, shares her lifestyle that resonates with the message of the Why Add More campaign. She notes  that there is a need for moderation in what people wear, eat and drink. There is a need to have balance in everyday demands, among others, she says.

    Her words: “The life of an actress can be quite demanding, and it involves a lot of juggling in a bid to excel on set and appeal to a wide range of viewers. I personally love the buzz and excitement on set, but I often feel the need to adopt a balanced approach to ensure I can go the distance each and every day. It is so important for me to get enough rest before shooting the next day.

    “When you’re tired, it is harder to memorise lines,  react and perform. Enough rest ensures that my brain is fully charged and ready to take on the day ahead. Creativity and spontaneity abound in a rested mind, but don’t sleep too much. Why have more sleep than is required?”

    She further said: “To be comfortable during the filming of a movie, I always try to stay as hydrated as possible. We can shoot for hours, non-stop, so it’s always a good idea to take enough liquid, but not more than necessary. There is no reason to consume more than you have to. Why add more liquid to your body and end up requesting several toilet breaks that disrupt your and everyone else’s rhythm?”

    On her dress sense she says: “I also prefer to wear flat shoes and comfortable clothing on set. Most times, our days start pretty early and are very long, so the less complicated I make my mornings, the better it is for me throughout my day – my sentiments being that adding more in the name of fashion can lead to a very uncomfortable day.”

    While the campaign seeks to educate people on the need to ensure moderation in every area of life, the Portfolio Manager, Non-Alcoholic Drinks, Nigerian Breweries, Mr.Olayinka Bakare, said it touched on a fundamental truth about lifestyle of Amstel Malta consumers.

    With the brand’s less sugar, the handlers believe it will be counter-value to add more sugar to the brand when less sugar is better.

    “The campaign is truly world class and will further reinforce Amstel Malta’s place as the premium malt drink with an original formulation that contains less sugar. It is enriched with vitamins and minerals,” Bakare said.

    Analysing the campaign message as it relates to everyday fashion, a  style consultant, Ruth Osime, said there was a need to build confidence rather than placing emphasis on the outlook.

    She said: “Your inner confidence is a reflection of how you look outside. You do not have to wear large overbearing accessories before you can tell your fashion story. It is important you stay happy inside you.”

    Also, the CEO, Artelier Lifestyle Consultants, Ngozi Princewill-Utchay, advised against over-indulgence or excessive eating. She opined that “our body knows when we have had enough … but many people do abuse their bodies by over-indulging. There is no need adding more unnecessarily.”

    The Senior Brand Manager, Amstel Malta, Mr. Chidike Onuoha, also said the campaign reinforced the less-sugar positioning of Amstel Malta compared to other malt brands. He emphasised the importance of not adding more unnecessarily. “Knowing the right balance is a vital fact of life as is the case in fashion, style, wedding and sports.

    The Corporate Affairs Adviser of Nigerian Breweries, Mr. Kufre Ekanem, said the campaign target was to inspire consumers towards enhancing their wellbeing.

     Campaign strategy

    Will the advert resonate?

    A recent Nielsen global online survey noted that adverts adopted various creative tactics to build buy-in. Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience research showed that highly- successful advert campaign scored well on three dimensions: attention, conversion to long-term memory and emotional engagement.

    Nielsen, in its latest Global Trust in Advertising Survey, asked 30,000 online consumers which advertising themes were most impactful. The findings revealed the types of messages they most enjoyed—and not surprisingly, they differed by region and generation.

    The research stated that adverts depicting real life situations resonate powerfully, quoting 44 per cent of the respondents.

    With the Why Add More advert campaign depicting real life challenges, development communication experts believe it will achieve greater behavioural change as it urges the society to always ensure a balanced approach to day-to-day engagement beyond the core objective of positioning Amstel Malta.

  • StarTimes hosts Chinese cultural festival

    StarTimes, the digital pay television channel, has announced plans to host the first Chinese Cultural Festival in Abuja tagged: “The 2016 Beijing TV Dramas and Movies Broadcasting Season exhibition”.

    Its global Vice President, Ms. Guo Ziqi, in a release, said: “Nigeria is home to the largest subscribers of StarTimes and I believe that this cooperation will further promote the friendship between Nigeria and China.”

    According to him, the event will screen five mega hot series and five star-studded big budget movies such as Chasing After The Love; Woman From The Family of Swordsman; Mazu; Go Away Mr. Tumour; Finding Mr. Right; Beijing Love Story and Back In Time, among others, on StarTimes’ platform.

    He said further: “Beijing leads China in producing TV dramas and movies. It now has more than 3,400 institutions specialising in movie and television production and operation, producing over 3,000 episodes and nearly 300 movies per year.”

    The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television holds the much anticipated Beijing TV dramas and movies broadcasting season in Nigeria, Rwanda and Tanzania this September initially for three months and lasting till September 2017 to further promote and consolidate inter-cultural relations and promotion, particularly on movies and drama series.

    Speaking at the ceremony yesterday, Deputy Director of Beijing Municipal Bureau, Ms. Yang Peili said: “Historically China has maintained a deep and friendly relationship with African countries and the cultural exchange is a sole means supporting the communication between the two sides. The launch of the Beijing television dramas and movies broadcasting season in African countries aims to bring more Chinese stories into Africa and promote the cooperation in film and television industry between the two sides.”

    Also, StarTimes Head of Public Relations, Mr. Israel Bolaji, said: “After two years of development, Beijing TV Dramas and Movies Broadcasting Season has become an endearing and enduring brand in Africa, which helped popularise Chinese culture while facilitating friendly exchanges between China and Africa. Hit Chinese TV drama series and movies dubbed into English, French and five African languages by StarTimes, were aired over last two years.”

  • Auto deal gone awry

    A media agency, Starcom Media Services, is battling auto giant R.T Briscoe Ford for allegedly selling it faulty vehicles. The case has been taken to the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    Brand switching is a common phenomenum in marketing. Commonly referred to as brand jumping, analysts say it is  the process of switching from the routine use of one product or brand to the steady usage of a different but similar product. Much of the advertising process is aimed at encouraging brand switching among consumers, thereby helping to grow market share for a brand, or a set of it.

    However, experts believe that convincing consumers to switch brands is a difficult task.To encourage switching brands, advertisers often use price and superior quality, among other factors. Irrespective of strategies adopted by advertisers, consumers often take the final decision based on circumstances beyond the premise of advertisers.

    But in switching to one brand or another, consumers’experience, whether good or bad, come into play. For Starcom Media Services Limited, a media planning and buying agency, the decision to switch from a leading brand to Briscoe Ford seemed to have gone awry.

    The Managing Director, Starcom Media Services Limited, Mr. Ayo Kupoluyi, told The Nation that based on  strong recommendation, his agency decided to explore a new automobile experience. It ordered seven cars from Briscoe Ford Showroom at 20, Mobolaji Bank-Anthony, Ikeja, Lagos, between February and August 2013. Since the purchase, he said the brand experience had not encouraged the company to make further purchase, saying the firm has been asking for replacement  because of various degrees of malfunctioning.

    He said the firm made its stance known in a letter to the Area Manager of Briscoe Ford, a division of RT Brisoce Nigeria Plc, dated November 26, 2014.

    Kupoluyi said: “Starcom Media based on recommendation from someone very close to the Board of your company (Briscoe) opted to change her official cars from a popular competition to Ford and purchased one Focus, 4 Escape, one Edge and one Explorer in 2013. Since then, it has been stories of woes. In particular is the Ford Exporer. The first one had to be changed due to factory fault, or an error that could not be fixed.

    “In less than one and half years, we have had to replace some parts which never happened with the previous competition we moved away from. At a point, the car broke down mid-way and had to be towed to your garage for repairs staying there for weeks. This can’t be the situation with Ford in other countries. Why Nigeria?”

    For instance, in a diagnosis, according to Kupoluyi, which was carried out at Coscharis Service Centre, one of the cars, 2013 ESCAPE purchased on February 25, 2013, had unresolved Airbag Alert fault, brake pad noise, battery, steering rack, AC vent, smoking-back fires, water shortage, steering assistant, fuel pump, injectors, ignition coil and spark plug faults.

    Other cars diagnosed were said to have recorded various faults which, accordingly, have not been resolved by the automobile firm.

    Also, in a letter to the auto firm  dated January 26, this year, Starcom Media also noted that the agency had  reasons to bring all the brands at one time or the other to Briscoe, but while some of the faults had been resolved, there had been no week the agency hadn’t a reason not to visit Cosharis Group or R.T Briscoe for repairs.

    He said further that apart from the Ford Explorer, almost all the cars it purchased have had one major problem or the other.  ”This is very worrisome and disturbing for the pedigree that Ford Company commands outside this shore,” said Kupoluyi.

    However, the agency said it had complained to the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), saying it is regretable that there has been no reprieve.

    “We have reported to CPC, SON but they have not responded promptly. They said they were investigating the issue but we cannot see any result of their efforts. Our correspondent at SON in a terse response via text said the report was for SON’s use unless otherwise directed by the SON Director General,” he said.

    Meanwhile, Starcom is asking for a trade-in for a new car but yet to receive any response in the last two years. “My plea, this time, is very simple. Since I have lost faith in this car due to its perennial faults and inaccurate diagnosis, I am proposing that I trade it in for a more reliable and trustworthy car. In less than two years, we have had more than four major repairs. I no longer feel safe driving this car. I can’t explain the embarrassment and emotional trauma this has caused me, my family and business. I have to make a special request for pool car to move around. I had scheduled to travel on Saturday, but it was cancelled because there was no vehicle. It is unfortunate that this is happening to me who ensured that our Board changed their position on Toyota cars and opt for Ford cars. I feel very stupid telling them my plight,” said Starcom.

    Also, the agency lawyer, Mr. Temitayo Kareem, said: “They (BriscoeFord) should also not forget that the trade in was necessitated by the recurring faults of the vehicle, and not out of choice for a new ride. Hence some consideration should be put into the figures being presented for the new vehicle. This will be presented to the regulator (CPC/SON) as the case may be for mediation/arbitration.”

    CPC, in a response to the agency last January, said it had commenced investigation into the problem, but the agency said the probe was not bringing immediate result.

    Meanwhile, a spokesperson of Briscoe’s Lekki office, Lagos, Mr. Olorunfemi Eguaikhide, said the company had ensured that Starcom media got the required repairs on some of the cars it complained about as covered by warranty.

    He admitted that the company had not been able to get some parts to fix other faults because of scrcity of forex.

    He noted that the auto firm valued its customers and would not do anything to undermine their interest in their brands.

    “When manufacturers give a warranty there are conditions. If you take the car outside authorized dealer you violate the warranty. However, the Explorer in question has covered more than the required mileage. The issue of Ford Focus semi-automatic transmission is a global issue. Ford is meant to address that. But we do what we can within the available resource and expertise to fix complaints related to that.

    “Starcom has given half truth. They have not adopted every level of engagements they should. The reason why there are delays in addressing some of the complaints is because Ford does not have a warehouse in Nigeria. We rely on their central warehouse in Dubai which services some African countries,” he said.

    He also added that some of the cars developed those fault as a result of usage. “You don’t expect a car that has covered 57,000ml not to develop faults. “Therefore, we have done we hat we can within our customer care to address the issues. And once a car has been taken to a third party it no longer enjoys a warranty,” he said.

    While Ford appears to be making lots of effort to address the ill-feelings of its customer, expert believe the bad experience of the customers may continue to linger and prevent repeat purchase, a situation most brands spend huge marketing budget on to prevent.

     

  • Coca-Cola HBC is sustainability leader

    The Coca-Cola HBC, a leading bottler of  Coca-Cola, has been named sustainability leader of the beverage industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices assessment.

    The company achieved a total  score of 90, which is 40 points higher than the industry average and three points  higher than last year.

    According to a report, this is the ninth year  Coca-Cola  HBC has been included in the global assessment, as a result of its leading sustaina-bility performance  in  2015.

    During the year, Coca-Cola HBC continued to reduce its environmental footprint, posting a double digit decrease of its carbon emissions.

    The company further reduced the amount of water  used for  producing a litre of beverage, as well as the amount of packaging materials, despite higher production and sales.

    Coca-Cola HBC was one of the first 12 companies in the world last year, to establish science-based carbon reduction targets for both direct and indirect operations.

    Putting an internal price on water and carbon in  2015  and committing to accounting for sustainability are practical ways how Coca-Cola HBC supports the global action to reach the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations.