The Nation Newspaper

Category: Brand week

  • New campaign underscores Skye Bank’s exploits

    New campaign underscores Skye Bank’s exploits

    A new marketing communication campaign by Skye Bank Plc for the Q2 has underscored how it rode over storms to build an innovative brand. Highlighting its antecedents and flaunting its achievement, the bank in the new campaign,  re-stated its commitment in a bid to position for future opportunities and threat.

    While the campaign makes an attempt to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its merger and the evolution of the Skye Brand, it also shows impact of the institution on key sectors of the national economy.

    According to a source from the bank, the current campaign, focuses on bank’s humble beginning when it was an unknown brand with no distinct identity, its little market presence, and ranking 23 out of 25 banks in Nigeria’s banking industry by various measure criteria.

    It also underscores classification of the bank as one of the Systemically Important Banks (SIB), and how it later ranks among the top 10 lenders in Nigeria and one of the top 50 in Africa.

    The bank also scripts in its new campaign its contribution and impact on the nation’s hospitality industry. “In 10 years, the brand supported the highest number of international hotels and hospitality chains in Nigeria, as well as several home-grown brands that have attained international standards. In impacting the hospitality sector, Skye Bank has contributed greatly to the development of the nation’s tourism industry and by extension, supported job creation for thousands of Nigerians,” said a brand analyst.

    Also, the new commercial reveals the bank’s exploit in the Agricultural sector. “The bank is known to have rekindled national enthusiasm towards farming and agriculture. In partnership with the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), through the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS), the bank implemented one of the most successful agricultural funding models in Nigeria’s history. The process ensured the elimination of the hitherto entrenched corruption that was associated with the distribution of fertiliser in the country. By 2013, over one million Agro-Allied and Small holder farmers had experienced significant yield in food crops across Nigeria,” said a source from the bank.

    The new campaign also showed the footprint of the bank in the area of SME. The bank source said, “Skye Bank’s footprint is indeed bold, as the lender has supported and nurtured arguably the highest number of SMEs in all sectors of the economy, and in all the socio-economic zones. The bank has supported many one-man-businesses to large industry players and national corporate and even supported many of them to become publicly quoted at the national Bourse, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).”

    Explaining the rationale behind the new campaign, the Group Managing Director and CEO of the Bank, Mr. Timothy Oguntayo is quoted thus “Having clocked a decade of our merger, there is the need to remind stakeholders and the general public how our bank has impacted individual, groups, corporate, government and the society at large through creative and impactful intervention.

  • ‘Creative work can solve social problems’

    ‘Creative work can solve social problems’

    In many cases, scholarships make it possible for people to study which may be out of reach. But, what if a scholarship also makes it possible to play a critical role in a campaign that can potentially save lives in your country?

    Berlin School participant and Executive Creative Director at Nigeria’s Noah’s Ark, Bolaji Alausa, is finding this out first hand. He is the winner of the Global Health Communication Scholarship provided by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

    This unique scholarship not only provides for the full-cost of tuition but also offers the opportunity to play a key role in the development of a communication campaign and strategy that will create awareness of and demand for vaccinations in Nigeria.

    Attending the Berlin School’s Start Module last month, Bolaji answered questions on the scholarship and what motivated him to become involved in such a unique project.

    Addressing the challenges of communicating vaccination coverage, he said: “There isn’t one big challenge; there are layers of big challenges. The creative community spends a lot of time on frivolous campaigns, so mobilising them to do good for once will be a key task. That’s internally. Externally, the main barrier to break is the idea of a conspiracy in some quarters that vaccination is a Western agenda to harm unsuspecting Nigerians. It’s not true; we will have to debunk that.”

    On the use of communication to increase conversation and draw government attention to the raging inferno of insurgency in the northern part of the country, Noah’s Ark in partnership with Boko Halal, a non-profit organisation, spearheaded several initiatives to shed light on the issues, particularly, the kidnapped schoolgirls from Chibok. He was actively involved in the communication, he said.

    “So, when I saw the scholarship requirements, I knew the task wasn’t too far from what I was currently doing for Boko Halal, plus I currently work for SFH (Society for Family Health) an NGO, and had done work for various other NGOs in the past. I knew I might just be able to respond to the brief appropriately.”

    The scholarship won by Alausa isn’t simply a monetary gift. He will be helping an organisation tackle a significant communication challenge. Will his work serve as a model for organisations with similar challenges?

    He responds: “I have had several meetings with the GAVI officials from Geneva already. The paper that won the scholarship has been redrafted and presented to senior stakeholders, so the campaign proper will start sometime soon. I believe it’s a model worth adopting, and not just by big organisations like GAVI, there are several equally relevant Nigerian organisations that need to partner with creatives to solve problems.”

  • Nigeria, South Africa partner on nation branding

    Nigeria, South Africa partner on nation branding

    Nigeria and South Africa are arguably neither friends, nor foes. Since the former apartheid nation appears hinged on undermining Nigeria’s contribution to its struggle against white imperialists, the relationship has become a sort of cat and mouse affair,-at least at citizen-to-citizen level.

    Despite that, the two countries play lead roles in trade, investment and exchange of ideas that could position Africa as the next global hub.

    However, with the growing attention on Africa, the two countries are on a mission to partner on rebranding. Taking a cue from the successful positioning of South Africa as a global brand, the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN) has committed itself to collaborating with Brand South Africa, a company set up by the South African government to manage South Africa as a brand.

    PRCAN will work towards participating actively in the Brand Summit scheduled to hold in South Africa later in the year.

    PRCAN President John Ehiguese, who led his team to receive a delegation from Brand South Africa in Lagos, said there are good things Nigeria could draw from the strategies deployed by Brand South Africa, in kickstarting its own destination branding programme.

    According to Ehiguese, there are salient opportunities for Nigeria to consider arising from the successful branding of the South African nation.  He said: “We suffer from a negative perception externally. The image of Nigeria out there is not what it should be. It is not that Nigeria is as bad as it is often portrayed, but that is the perception generally. We think that there is an urgent imperative to do for Nigeria what Brand South Africa is doing for South Africa.”

    He recalled that the relationship between the Association and Brand South Africa began about two years ago, when the then Chief Marketing Officer of Brand South Africa, Wendy Tlou delivered the second PRCAN Gold Medal Lecture in Lagos. He said that PRCAN was quite glad that even with a change of guard at the marketing arm of Brand South Africa, the conviviality between both organisations continued. “We will be glad to partner with you in any area that will enhance the relationship between both our countries,” he assured.

    He told the delegation that PRCAN is committed to outreach programmes locally and internationally, explaining that the association had entered into partnership with the African Public Relations Association (APRA) to organise the 2016 APRA Conference in Calabar next month.

    He said that being a member of the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO), PRCAN had invited Maxim Behar, ICCO President, as lead speaker on the Consultancy Day of the 2016 APRA Conference.

    Linda Magapatona-Sangaret, Chief Marketing Officer of Brand South Africa, said her team was delighted to be in Nigeria and would explore immense partnership opportunities with PRCAN. She invited PRCAN to get ready to be part of the proposed Brand Summit to be held in South Africa later in the year.

    Magapatona-Sangaret said that Nigeria and South Africa had a lot in common and that the mission of Brand South Africa was to have all of Africa recognise as a quality brand. “Our biggest asset is our people and our rich culture and we must play to our strength in these and other areas,” Magapatona-Sangaret declared.

    In her delegation were Sindiswa Mququ, General Manager for Africa and Middle East for Brand South Africa, and Tope Ogbeni-Awe of TopComm PR, consultants to Brand South Africa, while the PRCAN team included Muyiwa Akintunde, the Vice President.

  • Giant Vitamin Water to reshape non-alcoholic beverage market

    Giant Beverages Limited has launched its range of Vitamin Water variants into the beverage market.

    Unveiled at a briefing at La Maison Faharaheit in Lagos, the company’s Marketing Manager, Mrs. Bose Ogunyemi, said the products were made from demine-ralised water, infused with natural fruit extracts, vitamin and minerals.

    Ogunyemi said the Giant Vitamin Water comes in one bottle size of 500ml with six variants – Blackcurrant-Acai, Lingonberry-Boysenberry, Pineapple-Passion, Orange-Lime, Lemon-Balm, and Prickly Pear-Kiwi.

    She said the product is unlike carbonated drinks made from chemical compounds and sugar, assuring that it does not contain artificial flavours, colours and preservatives.

    The Regional Sales Manager Lagos and South West, Mr. Emmanuel Akpah, revealed that Giant Vitamin Water is now available in all parts of Nigeria.

    ”Giant Vitamin Water is a low calorie drink that actually satisfies thirst, unlike other carbonated drinks. There is no limit to the number of bottles that can be consumed by an individual.  It contains vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to health”, Ogunyemi added.

     

  • On the road to Cannes 2016

    On the road to Cannes 2016

    The race for Cannes Lion, a global advertising and creativity festival, has begun. With plans by the Nigerian creative egg-heads to hold the local 2016 Lions Night and Awards, in preparation for the event holding in France in June, this year’s is expected to produce world best creative and innovative ideas in the marketing communication industry.

    But for Nigeria, the Lions Night and Awards is expected to produce  in three cateogries young professionals who have displayed creative wizardry. The winners will represent Nigeria in the Cannes Lion festival.

    One of the categories is the Roger Hatchuel Academy awards which is dedicated to identifying and nurturing gifted students in tertiary institutions who intend to practise advertising. The second  is the Young Lions Competition, which aims to find, promote and reward the efforts of some of the most brilliant professionals in the industry who are below 30.

    The third category is designed to enable highly talented Nigerians to study on scholarship in Miami Ad School campuses around the world.

    The local organiser, CHINI Production, said this year’s scholarships would be offered for portfolio programmes, Bachelor degree programmes and Master’s programmes.

    “The Roger Hatchuel Academy awards will recognise the best student, who will win an all-expense paid trip to attend the international Roger Hatchuel Academy event in France, the first runner-up will win a sponsored trip to attend the Lynx Academy in Dubai. The Roger Hatchuel Academy awards will also recognise the best teacher and the best performing school or department,” the company stated.

    Meanwhile, the Young Lions Competition will award the best teams in media, film, print, cyber and design categories. The winning teams from each category will represent Nigeria at the Cannes Lions Festival.

    Activities for the Lions Night and Awards began with training for competitors in the media category which began last Friday. It was handled by a resource person from Coca Cola Nigeria, Dozie Okafor. He was a member of the team that won the first Young Lions Media Competition, and represented Nigeria in Cannes.

    A similar training for the creative competitors was held on April 2 and was led by Abolaji Alausa, Executive Creative Director, Noah’s Ark, whose team won the Young Lions film competition and represented Nigeria in Cannes eight years ago.

    The week-long activities will end at the Lions Night and Awards at the MUSON Centre tomorrow.

  • Killing local tomato paste brands

    Killing local tomato paste brands

    Porous borders and ignorance have been  identified as the biggest challenges of growing local tomato paste brands in Nigeria, reports ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    These are trying times for owners of locally-produced tomato paste brands. A recent undercover survey report by the industry has revealed that Nigeria’s porous borders and the poor capacity of consumers to differentiate between quality and substandard tomatoes paste products are the biggest threat to the survival of local brands.

    For local players, Seme and Cotonou in Benin Republic are the conduit through which unapproved imported tomatoes brands flood the Nigerian market, hence, posing a big challenge to local brands.

    “All the 12 warehouses visited eagerly offered to deliver in Nigeria any quantity of any brand chosen within two days if 70 per cent down payment is made. A top distributor in Cotonou, Fedinand Ababio showed us packed consignments he claimed would be delivered to Nigeria that night,” the report stated.

    With Nigeria’s economy dominated by substandard and cheap tomato paste smuggled across the borders, some local brands, such as Vitali, Ric-Giko and Sonia, grapple for survival.

    While unapproved imported brands have penetrated most homes, industry brand handlers are worried that low consumer education remains another challenge to deal with.

    The recent survey revealed that the yardstick used by most consumers to pick their preferred tomato brand is the level of “thickness” and “redness” of the paste.  About 22 housewives and caterers, who were interviewed in three areas of Lagos, said they used these yardsticks to determine their choice.

    However, recent findings revealed by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) showed there is need for massive consumer education on tomato paste brands that are healthy to avoid self-poisoning among consumers in the country.

    The Nation learnt that NAFDAC officials recently visited 27 main markets and four major supermarkets around Lagos and picked 330 samples of tomato pastes for laboratory analysis. The results for 314 were later released. Of 314 released, 286 of these tomato pastes originating from China, representing 91.1 percent, were found unsatisfactory in terms of tomato content. Only 28 returned satisfactory, even though both satisfactory and unsatisfactory tomato pastes had the same red colour.

    “The red in most of the tomato pastes imported into Nigeria indicate an addition of colorant, which is prohibited, dangerous to health and shows that Chinese companies are merely adding colour, rather than the raw material called concentrates, into tomato pastes imported into Nigeria. These colouring stick to veins, arteries and vital organs  accumulate to cause cancer, hypertension and other diseases,” the report stated.

    It was also revealed that majority of the imported tomato pastes in the country do not contain lycopene, thereby exposing millions of Nigerians to cancer and other deadly diseases.

    “Lycopene, is a free radical-fighting antioxidants. Free radicals are damaging molecules that float around in the body disrupting cells and promoting disease. Antioxidants, such as lycopene, destroy free radicals so they can’t attach to your cells and wreak havoc on the immune system. The deception is completed by reducing the content of tomato concentrates and filling up the space with starch to boost thickness,” the report stated.

    However, the President/Chief Executive Officer Erisco Foods Ltd, Eric Umeofia, said activities of nefarious tomato paste importers, supported by an ignorant consuming public are almost bringing the local tomatoes industry to its knees.”We have huge stocks of finished products worth billions of naira in our warehouses which we are not selling due to dumping of these dangerous and substandard brands of tomato paste from China that are cheap and filled with starch and colours,” he said.

    Umeofia also revealed that with about “1,000 containers of tomato coming into Lagos port every week. Nigeria is losing $1 billion to tomato paste importers every year.”

  • Student wins car at Etisalat Cliqfest

    Student wins car at Etisalat Cliqfest

    An HND1 Accounting student of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Ojere, Ogun State, Mr. Ogundeyi  Ayobami,  has won the star prize, an Hyundai i10 Car, at  Etisalat Cliqfest raffle draw.

    An elated Ayobami who praised the telco said it was a wonderful opportunity to experience Cliqfest.  “I never believed that I would win the car today and I am still pinching myself to make sure it’s not a dream,” he said.

    The brand managers said the Etisalat Cliqfest is a strategic engagement with Nigerian youths by leading innovative and youth centric brand with a focus on education, sports and entertainment in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

    The Manager, Consumer Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Debo Agun, described the engagement level with the students of MAPOLY as a great experience for the brand, and pointed out that this is the second time the Cliqfest train will be visiting the school, having debuted at the school last year.

    He explained that through Cliqfest, Etisalat has been to cover 70 institutions of higher learning across the country.

  • ‘Orijin Zero simply agbo jedi jedi!’

    My BBM status reads, “Orijin Zero is simply agbo jedi jedi!”, a comparison of the new product from Guinness Nigeria to a Yoruba herbal concoction for pile. A friend on my BBM contact responded with a sneer – “On top of all the hype!”. I wondered how she came about the scornful response since I didn’t intend it, until I realised she works with a carbonated drink company, one that, as I later figured, must have been calling war-room brainstorming session in response to the launch of Orijin Zero.

    I put more dots together and found that Guinness Nigeria has cleverly positioned Orijin Zero as a healthy and sugarless alternative to sugar-based carbonated (read as – Saccharine) drinks, as opposed to positioning the product merely as a non-alcoholic version of its six per cent ABV senior family member – Orijin. My friend’s sneer is therefore justified – her salary is from selling sugary drinks and the rulebook of petty corporate competitiveness states that one’s competitor’s product remains shitty even in the face of obvious merit.

    Its communication didn’t make claims like “Introducing Origin Zero, Enjoy Orijin Without Alcohol” or “The New Orijin Without Alcohol” “Origin for Everyone…” or something drawn from a copywriter’s chest of glibs. But it packs a punch (no alcoholic pun intended) – “Rethink Your Soft Drink”, a clever proposition intended to stir up the carbonated drink market and to stretch its turf from alcohol/bitters drinkers to health-conscious, sugar-loathing, saccharine-hating, and even alcohol-despising consumers. And the world is never tired of the agitation against sugars! Probably ranks close to agitations around Climate Change.

    I belong to the last group. My teetotaler career is in its 4th year, after it had staggered on-and-off in incidental social settings. I am close to being the patron saint of teetotalers but still struggle with passive aggressive social settings where alcohol intake is part of the social and sometimes business contract. But I’ve mastered how to rock alcohol glasses without sipping and without giving myself away.

    Orijin Zero might as well be targeted at people like me, who may find its non-sugar and herbal component appealing and also because the product is from a renowned brewing company. But of course, one cannot entirely claim there isn’t some “additives”, even if harmless; anything that passes from nature through industries can hardly be free from add-ons.

    Only time will tell if Guinness has a homerun with Orijin and its spinoff. The company’s history in Nigeria is marked with innovative products and brilliant spinoffs but not so much on sustaining innovation. The list of innovative but flailed or flailing market launches includes Gordon’s Spark, Guinness Extra Smooth, Harp Lime, etc.

    This product is simply a deliberate incursion into the soft drink market. Or maybe my imagination is on overdrive. Tantrums

    It also looks like a deliberate attempt to make me lose any chance of being considered for a business (or job) opportunity with my friend’s soft drink company, because of a misconstrued BBM status. That leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

     

    • Ogunlowo is a creative writer and entrepreneur.
  • Airports as tool in destination branding

    Airports as tool in destination branding

    Airports play significant roles in destination branding; but strangely, some countries still do not see any reason to invest in building a befitting airport. Experts highlight how airport branding can drive investment into the country, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    The brand experience of a destination is like the first impression one gets of a person. The English man says it is the real impression; it lasts forever.

    In mo st cases, the experience one gets from a destination makes one to form an opinion about the brand. For a reporter who was a first-time visitor to South Africa to watch the final match of the last Orange African Cup of Nations at the Calabash Stadium, between the Super Eagles and the Chipolopolo of Zambia, the brand experience of the former apartheid enclave came on his arrival at the O.R Tambo Airport in Johannesburg.

    The airport presents visitors with a cherished consumer experience, such as convenience and hospitality. Beginning from the airport, ranked as third in Africa and 28th globally by Skytrax, a United Kingdom-based firm specialising in airline and airport research, everything appeared in order.

    As the plane landed, passing through the Avio Bridge, which leads visitors to the arrival lounge, the adverts adorning the airport walls confirmed why South Africa is leading other African countries in the chase for Cannes Lions, the global advert festivals where the world best adverts are showcased and picked.

    The conduct of the airport officials, spectacular billboards, wall and pillar wraps, airport bus transport, among electrifying indoor boardings, all provided an ambience for brand promotion.

    The quick conveyance of luggage and a fast-tracked immigration counter cut short the amazing experience and sight at the airport. The O.R Tambo Airport is not the best in South Africa. It trails South Africa’s Cape Town International Airport and Durban’s King Shaka International Airport.

    The allure of modern technology in O.R Tambo reflects monster media digital platforms, baggage carousel wraps, mobile media, the Digital Passenger Assistance Service Systems (DPASS) and massive light emission diode (LED) screens enhance traveller’s experience. But most travellers passing through major airports in Nigeria on their way to watch the final match wrote them off. The airports they argued, seem not to reflect the multi-billion naira wasted in rebranding the facilities.

    The Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, like others, has remained a sour point in Nigeria’s destination branding project. From the hassles of travelling through the dilapidated roads to the MMIA, the heat at the departure lounge, the long queues at the immigration points, all the way to the waiting lounge, it’s all about unpalatable experience. A report by Cable News Network (CNN) rating some Nigerian airports rated MMIA as one of the world’s worsts.

    While the airports of countries such as France leave travellers with memories of its Eiffel Tower, New York for its Statue of Liberty, Singapore for its cleanliness, and Malaysia for the Petronas Twin Towers, Nigeria’s touch point remains an issue brand experts are yet to fully come to terms with.

    Mrs. Funmilola Ashaye, a Void and Allocation Officer at Genesis HA, a United Kingdom-based company, will not forget in a hurry her experience when she came home for the Easter. She was apalled that eight years after she left the country, the MMIA remained in bad shape, even worst than she left it.

    She said she has been seeing some pictures and videos of the airports on social media but felt it was mere marketing stunts of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

    “I could see that the ambience is fast changing and it will look better when the current facelift is completed. I think it’s more amazing now. The lounge is looking world class now,” she said.

    Underscoring the importance of airports in nation rebranding campaigns, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), DDB Lagos, Mr. Ikechi Odigbo said the airport is the first touch point to position Nigeria as a brand. “It’s the very first touch point to brand Nigeria at the international market place. Whatever brand message you want to pass across to a first time visitor starts from your airport. Although, it goes beyond the rebuilding but the maintenance must be robust so that visitors can experience convenience,” he said.

    The Chief Executive Director of Noah’s Ark, Mr. Lanre Adisa said airports say a lot about a country. The environments have a way of positioning a nation as a brand seeking good perception.

    “It’s a perception thing. Investing in the airport is a worthwhile venture. To a first-time visitor, it speaks volumes about the government,” he said.

    He said a good airport makes visitors see the country as a good investment destination and a good destination for brands.

    With a recent score card on MMIA by the United States Transportation Security Administration (USTSA) over its compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Standard and Recommended Practices, the General Manager, Communication of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati, said the efforts is aimed at improving the touch points and bringing them to compete with others not only in Africa but across the globe.

    According to him, recent figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) attest to the fact that Nigeria has grown appreciably in recent years; from 13,891,677 passengers in 2010 to 14,899,958 passengers lifted in 2013.

    ”Surely this growth is the outcome of deliberate strategic transformation by the government in the sector and indeed, a key performance indicator that the reforms are yielding positive outcomes,” he said.

    On the perception of the airports by tourists, he said people’s perception cannot be easily changed through talking until people go see and have a feel of the new change.

    However, Adisa, said the effort to remodel and rebrand the airports is a step in the right direction. He added that the culture of maintenance must be imbibed so that the facilities do no slip back to rot years after the completion of the remodeling.

    “An airport experience for travelers should exhibit convenience. The rebuilding will open up the country. A lot of travelers under this new rebuilding will be able to take direct flight to their destination rather than having to come to Lagos from U.S and still take another flight to another state,” Adisa said.

  • Real estate gets digital platform

    Real estate gets digital platform

    A premier online market place, Lands.ng, has been launched to lead  a digital revolution on the real estate industry.

    With over 1.4 million plots uploaded, more than 250 registered and certified agents, multiple enquiries from over 12 states, the platform is set to revolutionise the sector.

    Its founder/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Godwin Ani, said the e-commerce platform would create a secure and conducive online destination and ecosystem for buyers, sellers, land owners and realtors to connect, make informed decisions and connect with ease.

    He said the decision to create the premier platform was aimed at “removing the barriers to land ownership and starts with providing Nigerians the right information and a secured platform for interactions among land owners, agents and buyers.

    ”At Lands.ng, we are using technology to revolutionise the way Nigerians think about real estate – land value chain in particular, and thus providing a long term solution to the home ownership challenges and the living standard of our society,” he said.

    With increased penetration of digital technology, and new owners and investors coming into the land market, he said there is – more than ever – a need for a more robust offering for connecting investors, buyers and sellers, which is what Lands.ng has been addressed with its introduction of advanced technology and security features, a product of its strategic involvement with Ade Digital Media, a leading Digital Marketing Agency in Lagos, Nigeria.

    Also, the Co-Founder/CEO, Ade Digitial Media, Mr. Michael Ebia, said the new platform’s success would rely on technology.