The Nation Newspaper

Category: Brand week

  • Wema Bank rewards young entrepreneurs

    Wema Bank rewards young entrepreneurs

    Wema Bank has rewarded the most-creative designer with start-up funds and SME packages for other participants at the just-concluded Nigeria Students Fashion and Design Week (NSFDW), at the University of Lagos (UNLAG) Indoor Sports Hall.

    The two-day event, sponsored by Wema Bank, showcased over 30 designers that included dignitaries, students from the school and other universities across the country.

    Ashilla Rozae Fashion, led by Rosie Edinen Jacobs, won the first prize while the first runner-up went to Cece Fashion, headed by Okafor Kosiso.

    Wema Bank used the platform to enlighten participants on some the bank’s products,  which includes *945# convenient banking operations, Purple Connect and Wema Card Control, among others.

    The bank’s Head of Brand, Marketing Communications, Mrs Odili Onome,  underlined the organisation’s consistent commitment to sustainable development of its resident communities.

    “As a leading financial institution in the country, the student campuses represent major part of our resident communities and we are proud to identify with the core passion the Nigerian students that constitute a good percentage of our loyal customers across the country.”

  • Alcatel upsets competition with Pixi 4 7-Inch

    Alcatel upsets competition with Pixi 4 7-Inch

    The Nigerian mobile phone market has witnessed many surges in recent times. With a series of products promising high performance but delivering little, consumers appear to be yearning for a brand that will deliver on its promises, which, according to consumer analysts, is far-fetched.

    While phone users continue to part with their hard-earned money to buy latest phones, there is a potpourri of complaints about battery life, designs, photo quality and durability, among others.

    A consumer based in Lagos, John Ekundayo, said he had spent lots of money on latest phones with sleek designs which could not enjoy because of low battery life and poor pictures when taken indoor, among others

    Having bought many leading brands in the market, Ekundayo said though he enjoyed unlimited warranties he was still unsatisfied as after-purchase regrets remain heart-rending for him.

    With mobile phone have become pivotal in fostering interaction among families and friends and bridging social divide, in addition to enhancing bonding between brands and target audiences, an expert said consumers were continually searching for a new experience to satisfy their yearnings.

    Against this backdrop, Alcatel-Lucent of France, makers ofAlcatel mobile phones and TCL Communication of China, have launched its latest brand, Pixi 4 7-Inch, to challenge other players to step up the game of creating new consumer experiences.

    The launch, according to a brand analyst, Joel Agbo, provides a litmus test that could spark a major brand switch among mobile phone users because of certain features in the Pixi 4 7-Inch.

    Described as ‘A Brand of Tablet’, an android tablet that has a 7-inch display with 600 x 1024 pixels resolution, Agbo said Alcatel has offered an olive branch for consumers who hitherto complained of low battery life span and poor picture quality among other features causing their dissatisfaction with other brands.

    While many consumers complain that most phone manufacturers only focus on aesthetics, they often ignore the fact that battery life play a role in making consumers happier.

    In a statement, Alcatel said the phone powered by 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 8 gigs of internal expandable memory, comes with 2-megapixel cameras on the back, as well as VGA which is placed in the front.

    The brand handler said the new phone warehouses 8 GB of internal storage which could be used to store video, music, and pictures. It has an option to expand its storage by up to 32 GB via microSD and microSDHC card,” the release stated.

  • ‘MTN’s Nigeria’s most influential brand’

    • Milo, Close-Up, Coca Cola, others on the list

    For the first time in five years, a research firm, Ipsos Marketing, has listed MTN, Milo, Close-Up, Coca Cola, Peak Milk, Indomie, Etisalat, Bournvita, Omo and Maltina as Nigeria’s 10 most influential brands.

    According to Ipsos, the brands were selected in a survey involving 1,000 Nigerians who assessed 100 brands based on various parameters, such as influence, trustworthiness, leading edge and corporate citizenship.

    However, during the survey, which was administered on consumers in Lagos, Kano, Rivers, Enugu, Bauchi and Abuja, MTN ranked number one, followed by Milo, Close-Up, Coca-Cola and Peak Milk.

    Indomie was sixth; Etisalat (7th); Bournvita (8th); Omo (8); and Maltina (10th).

    “Beyond our own measures, metrics, and surveys, there are a number of other factors very much related to brand influence. Influential brands invest, and this investment pays dividends. A number of the Most Influential Brands have healthy media spend levels. In other markets, Influential brands also show positive trends in share price. When comparing the growth of the DOW/ NASDAQ over the past several years with the stock of our Top Ten Most Influential Brands, it is clear that influential brands have more value and that this is consistently the case,” the survey stated.

    However, each of the brands is the only selected product in its category except MTN and Etisalat which operate in the same category.

    “For the first time in the five years of this global study, we traversed the country to ask 1000 Nigerians to assess 100 brands. We spoke to Nigerians in Lagos, Kano, Rivers, Enugu, Bauchi and Abuja, males and females, aged 18 to 65 years. The selection criteria for a brand to make the list of 100 were based on media spends and also factors such as market share and penetration across Nigeria. What follows next is our Top 10 countdown overall influence index score and the top three influence drivers associated with each brand. We also include some of our own thoughts about why these brands performed so well in this year’s study,” the report stated.

    Underscoring the heritage of the brands, Ipsos said all but two of the brands in the Top 10 were established before the 21st century, adding that these brands have been around for so long and have made themselves ‘part of the family” that Nigerians forget that they are actually foreign brands.

    It also stated that the top 10 brands are big advertising spenders hence bringing positive results to their table in the ranking. “Nigeria’s top Influential brands are all heavy spenders in the advertising and sponsorship space. They are spending millions of Naira every year to continue to be visible to consumers. Continuous innovation and Visibility – Influential brands are still around and successful because they have not rested on their past triumphs but continue to look for ways to remain visible, and above all relevant,” it stated.

  • Euro Global introduces St. Almanac cognac

    Euro Global Foods and Distilleries Limited, makers of Amphora wines, Julius Tonic wine and Sabrina Gin, has introduced St. Almanac  Blended Cognac Brandy into the market.

    The brandy is blended with the finest imported cognac, in wooden casks made from handpicked grapes.

    The Managing Director, Manish Uniyal, said: “St. Almanac is a premium drink that celebrates the age-long tradition of quality cognac. It was carefully crafted and blended to give a distinctive taste that pairs well local and foreign cuisines. We are thrilled to offer this luxury blend to discerning consumers who appreciate quality.

    “St. Almanac represents our desire to provide quality to products to all class of Nigerians. We have quite a number of drinks for everyone for all occasions. These range from soft drinks to wines and spirits. With St. Almanac we have bridged the gap between Nigeria made brandy and the imported ones.

    “The grapes used for this brandy are some of the finest hand-picked grapes from Europe. We are proud to say St. Almanac is much better than some of the products currently being imported.”

  • ‘Policy marketing crucial to national development’

    ‘Policy marketing crucial to national development’

    Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) President Dr. Rotimi Oladele has underscored the importance of policy marketing in the  drive by the government to restore investors and citizens’ confidence in the economy.

    Oladele, who joined other speakers to discuss the imperative of “Leadership, policy marketing and repositioning of the Nigerian Nation,” at Brand Campaign Magazine’s fifth anniversary lecture in Lagos, said successive governments did not put in place the right policies.

    He said Nigeria is fertile for “unbaked, disorganised, rotten policies. The issue of policy marketing is totally neglected as far as policy is concerned,” he said.

    He said development was anchored on the rectangle of policy, law, regulation and infrastructure. “Once these are put in place, you do not need to preach to anybody to know what to do and when to do what is is right,” he said.

    Oladele, however, lamented that the country’s policy does not allow the nation to grow.

    He urged leaders to rethink Nigeria’s policies so that followers can change their mindset.

    Also, Brandish Magazine’s Managing Director, Mr. Ikem Okuhu said the lecture was aimed at awakening in Nigerians the need to begin to think, considering the shallow educational policy.

    The Marketing Mix Limited Managing Director, Mr. Akin Adeoya  said Nigerians should watch the lifestyles of the leaders they choose.

    He stressed that those who create value for the little they have should be preferred against those who are profligate in their lifestyle.

    The Brand Campaign’s Publisher, Mr. Akinwumi Dickson described the birth of the magazine as a child of circumstance that grew to become one of the leading brand magazines in the industry.

  • Viju harps on quality

    Viju Industries Nigeria Limited has reiterated the importance of quality in the industry.

    In a statement, its Marketing Manager, Chief Suleiman Aliu, said it is because the firm does not play with the quality of its products that it has invested heavily in their manufacturing.

    He said since the firm was established in 2005, beside its internal control to ensure quality,  it receives regularly officials of National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), with a visit as recent as July 4, who attest to the quality of its goods.

    He said: “As the pioneer in milk production in this part of the world, ‘the healthy family’s choice’  have lived up to the expectation as it has maintained standard in production, quality and service delivery.’

    ‘’Viju Milk has been adjudged as the most favourite milk drink, liked by children and the youth. This is so because we have and will never trade our quality for nothing. So quality is our language as most company producing milk drink today in Nigeria took after us.’’

    As result of its emphasis on quality, the firm has won some awards both in the country and abroad. He listed these as the City People quality products award in 2009, 2010, Fortune and class milk drink award in 2008 and the Hod Award in Ghana.

    To serve its consumers better, he said the firm built a big factory in Igbesa, Ogun State, and opened a warhouse in Onitsha as well as depots in Cameroon, Ghana and Togo, among others.

    Aliu said despite raw materials challenges and the unfriendly economic environment, the firm remain committed to quality, capital development and standard.

  • Six for Goldberg Fuji t’o Bam final

    The battle for this year’s Wura 1 crown of Goldberg Fuji t’o Bam took a more dramatic and entertaining turn in the city of Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, last Friday — six of the 20 semi-finalists emerged for the final scheduled for Ibadan today.

    The finalists are Shina Akanni; Saheed Ishola; Temitope Ajanni; Kuteyi Sikiru; Alausa Olalekan and Muftau Alabi. They displayed creativity, stage craft, vocalisation, appearance and originality, which are the criteria for assessing all contestants from the audition stages of the competition.

    The night was a gathering of the best of Fuji celebrities and respected Yoruba movie actors such as Odunlade Adekola, who acted as compare for the show; SK Sensation leading the judges in company of Adebayo Faleke (aka Kakaki Olodumare) and Baby Barrister, who made powerful appearances which gave the guests and fans the best that Fuji music had to offer.

    The event started with performances from a troupe of Traditional Ekiti-State dancers who entertained the audience and then Antenna, the winner of the first edition in the Fuji t’o Bam competition ‘watered the ground’ with a scintillating performance ahead of the contestants who later came on stage in succession.

    Meanwhile, the Goldberg team was given warm reception to the city of Ado-Ekiti by Oba (Dr.) Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe Aladesanmi III, the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, who threw its gates open to welcome them.

    The Public Affairs Manager, West and Mid-West, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Tayo Adelaja, expressed his heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for the monarch’s display of affection and hospitality accorded them in the palace.

    Senior Brand Manager, Mainstream brands, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Funso Ayeni, said Goldberg is a brand that respects the culture and tradition of Yorubas.

  • ‘Nigeria’s chances at Leories Awards bright’

    Advertisers have expressed optimism that Nigeria could emerge winner at the 38th edition of the Leories Awards which is expected to hold in Durban, South Africa, between August 18 and 21.

    The advertisers, acting under the aegis of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), say considering some of the works done so far in the industry, Nigeria’s chances of winning the award is bright as most of the advertising campaigns done in the country were of international standard.

    Speaking on the prospects of winning the awards, Chief Operating Officer of  7Even Interactive Limited, Mr. Taiwo Agboola, said there had been consistent growth in the advertising industry as most practitioners that produce campaigns now ensure  they conform to international standards.

    Agboola, however, stated that one of the problems advertising practitioners faced was the manner they entered for the awards.

    He said: “We have done international standard work, some agencies here also do it, but I think, maybe it is the way that we enter for these awards that is different.”

    Also speaking on the issue, the immediate past president of AAAN, Mr. Kelechi Nwosu, noted that Nigerian advertising practitioners had a great chance of winning at the  Leories next month.

    Nwosu however, expressed fears that the dream may elude the country because most of the practitioners did not enter for the awards.

    The AAAN boss noted that the awards was just beginning to gain grounds in Africa since it was introduced the continent a few years ago.

    “Our chances are good at the Loeries, but I don’t think many Nigerian advertising practitioners entered for it. They just started the African session of the Leories three or four years ago, so I think it has not gained a lot of grounds yet. Like I said, our chances are good, but many Nigerian advertising agencies did not enter for the awards categories,” he said.

    Managing Director, SO&U, Mr. Udeme Ufot, said Nigerian adverting agencies could win at the Leories but added that his agency did not enter for the awards.

  • The Nation: 10 years of credible, impactful journalism

    The Nation: 10 years of credible, impactful journalism

    This Sunday, The Nation will be 10. It hit the newstands on Monday, July 31, 2006. The newspaper, which came at a time of high volatility in the media industry, has continued to brave the odds, setting the pace and positively impacting the nation, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    Investing in the newspaper business is considered a risky venture. For those who are close to managers in the industry, it is a volatile zone to put money in. Some investors liken the industry “to fetching water with a basket.”

    The industry has witnessed the rise and fall of many great papers, papers that shaped public opinion and set agenda for policy makers. They now exist only in the archives of national libraries and in memory.

    The demise of otherwise very influential titles like National Concord NEXT, African Guardian, The Post Express, The Diet, NewAge, ThisWeek, TheWeek, among others, has not  encouraged financial institutions to offer financial support to the industry.

    In spite of the tough operating environment, The Nation has continued to rally professionals and experienced journalists and managers to meeting the vision and mission set by its founders.

    When the newspaper first hit the newsstands, sector analysts said no one gave it any chance of survival because the space was already crowded.

    The paper proved critics wrong, as it has moved from the entry point to the centre stage and competing effectivily with those that came to be long before it.

    With three titles, Daily, Saturday and Sunday, it has become a reference point in credible journalism in the country today. It is one of the top three newspapers in Nigeria, in readership and spread, according to MediaFact 2016. For its journalistic excellence, The Nation in 2013, won The Newspaper of the Year prize at the Nigeria National Media Merit Award (NMMA). The next year, it won the DAME Award as Newspaper of the Year. It boasts of multi-award-winning journalists whose works compete favourably at both local and international media excellence awards.

    The former chairman of Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) and Group Managing Director of SO & U Group, a leading marketing conglomerate in Nigeria, Mr. Uffot Udeme, said: “The Nation has defied the odds of Nigerian print journalism. The paper has navigated a minefield strewn with the corpses of failed publications to carve out a space for itself as one of Nigeria’s most authoritative national newspapers with an amazing geographical coverage and broad readership.

    “It is a testament to its journalistic excellence that it’s readership and indeed advertising patronage cut across all sides of the country’s political divide. The Nation is certainly a case study for all media entrepreneurs intending to enter the high risk market in which the paper has attained success these past 10 years. I congratulate the team on the success of these past one decade and urge them not to rest on their oars.”

    The newspaper has carved a niche for itself among its teeming target audience comprising businesses, the political elite, the affluent, the educated, those in leadership positions in all spheres of life; the upwardly mobile and policy makers.

    According to the media fact report published by MediaReach OMD, a global advertising agency; The Nation is a point below Punch Newspaper in terms of readership nationwide, while it leads the paper in Southsouth, Northeast, Northcentral and follow closely in Northwest and  Lagos markets, according to other market surveys.

    Beyond readership rating, the paper has consistently outwitted other papers at various awards for media excellence, such as NMMA, and Diamond Award for Media Excellence (DAME), CNN Multi-choice African Journalist of the Year Awards. Since 2009 when it became second most read newspaper in Nigeria, three years after it made its debut on the newstand.

    The strides achieved by the newspaper have been acknowledged by the rating of Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) and Media Independent Agencies of Nigeria (MIPAN), which are all major players in the advertising industry in Nigeria.

    As the newspaper begins another phase of its race for largest share of the market, observers believe having crossed the five years gestation period of its business lifecycle, there is no doubt that the future is brighter than before.

  • Union Bank supports LEAD Camp

    Union Bank supports LEAD Camp

    Union Bank of Nigeria has supported the Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN)initiate tagged Leadership, Empowerment, Achievement, and Development Camp for 50 girls.

    The 50 girls, in public and private schools across the regions, will be given the opportunity to learn from seasoned industry practitioners in leadership, media and economy among other human endeavours.

    According to the Director, In-school Programmes, Adaeze Oputa, the mission of LEAD Camp is to empower and inspire young girls to become achievers and leaders. This addresses social development goal (SDG) which talks about gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.

    The participants are taken through series of activities administered by HOD Consulting and supported by leading women from the private and public sectors as mentors.

    Oputa said the majority of participants, who come various parts of the country are public school students who may never get this kind of opportunity in their lives. “We are grateful to Union Bank and HOD Consulting for making this possible and to our list of inspiring speakers who have been generous with their time,” he said.

    JAN’s Chief Executive Officer of HOD Consulting/Founding Executive Director, Mrs. Simi Sanni Nwogugu said LEAD Camp was developed in 2001 because, after two years of running JAN, she noticed that some of the girls who were shy or timid at the beginning of the company programme, were more confident by the end and needed just a little more encouragement to secure their new found leadership skills

    On the bank’s support for the initiative, the Managing Director of Union Bank Plc, Emeka Emuwa said developing and grooming young talent is a key focus area for the bank. “The LEAD programme provides an opportunity for us to nurture and encourage an entrepreneurial mindset in these 50 young women who we hope will be the corporate leaders of tomorrow,” he added.