The Nation Newspaper

Category: Brand week

  • ‘Made of Black more than an ad campaign’

    To move Guinness Made of Black campaign to the next level, Made of Black campaign the Portfolio Marketing Manager, Guinness, Ms. Liz Ashdown, has said the marketing effort is more than an advertising campaign; it is a movement.

    She spoke at a media event to celebrate the Guinness Made of Black ambassadors: Olamide, Phyno and Eva. “It’s about the people making bold choices; those who ask why not…; those doing things their way and carving out a path for themselves,” she said.

    Ashdown added: “This year, we turn the camera around and focus on the real made of black heroes in all walks of life across Nigeria starting with our very own brand ambassadors. We showed Nigeria made of black and now we will make you part of it by taking #madeofblack to the street and to the bars.’’

    Listing the features that make the brand ambassadors connect with the new campaign theme,  Ashdown said Olamide, Phyno and Eva have made a positive impact to the #madeofblack movement and wants to make them more pivotal part of the next phase.

    “Hence we are excited to be celebrating them. Phyno is #madeofblack, because he dared to be different, standing up to pursue what he believed in; his dream and not wavering till he got it. Phyno went where many could not succeed and has made immense impact in the music entertainment industry.

    “Eva believes that women can achieve anything they set their minds to and she has demonstrated this by treading a path previously believed to be reserved for men. Eva is driven by her passion to be heard. She dared to challenge the norm, and she is truly #madeofblack.

    “Olamide is a bona-fide game changer. This he has demonstrated not only in his style of music but in the utter dexterity with which he delivers his lines and the passion with which he pursues his career. You can see and feel the raw energy when he does what he is passionate about and it is that passion we celebrate today. Olamide is definitely #madeofblack,” she added.

  • e-marketing firm Pumoh.com unveiled in Lagos

    A new e-marketing business outfit Pumoh. Com has been introduced to the e- marketing business in Lagos.

    Speaking during the unveiling of the firm, its Managing Director, Mr. Francis Osuagwu, said the platform offers prioritised services for merchants and customers.

    He said Pumoh.com would provide  unique services to students and aspiring authors through the Virtual Academy – a platform where students can study to improve their knowledge, and aspiring authors can also achieve the fulfilment of their creative works.

    Osuagwu explained: “The relatively functional infrastructure and change in life style of the populace, including crave for internet services, online payments and point of sale facilities via various bank platforms gives impetus for the development of the nation’s e-commerce values.”

    Underscoring the challenges of online payment, the management has taken a step further to partner with local and international payment gateways and logistics providers offering diverse range of online payment solutions to ensure a well secured and easier online payment for its customers.

    The media launch also included the unveiling of Mr. Sam Uche Anyamele, a Nollywood actor and director as the brand ambassador responsible for the integration of the brand name among relevant publics.

    Executive Director and Legal Adviser, Barrister Umoh Adingwupu, said: “Pumoh will focus on best practices while offering clients and visitors the best of local and international goods. Our aim is to foster continued e-commerce growth in Nigeria, bridging the gap between physically visiting the shop to a truly viable, stress free and sustainable endeavour.”

  • TSA and the rest of us

    It is no more news that over 400 ministries, departments and agencies [MDAs] saddled with the responsibility of overseeing government’s functions in various sectors such as communications and media, economy, energy, intelligence and others must implement the Treasury Single Account [TSA] initiative after President Mohammadu Buhari’s announcement.

    A friend who dines with the financial bigwigs told me that the reason the President is compelling the MDAs to implement the TSA is because there is a history of poor tracking of internally generated revenue [IGR] and other government revenue and inflows. Other reasons advanced by my friend is because of the “non-remittance of revenue by collecting entities, misappropriation of revenue, collections, inadequate and out-right lack of records by the MDAs”.

    However, information from the Central Bank of Nigeria [CBN], indicate that the Federal Government’s Independent Revenue e-collection initiative “is designed to automate revenue collection of MDAs directly into the federal government’s Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) account at the CBN through Remita e-collection platform and other electronic payment channels”.

    The TSA is a unified structure of government bank accounts, which enables consolidation and optimal utilisation of government cash resources. It is a bank account or a set of linked bank accounts through which the government transacts all its receipts and payments and gets a consolidated view of its cash position at any given time.

    Not too long, the CBN had advised all banks in the country to establish necessary systems in their branches and to sensitise their staff on the federal government’s electronic revenue collection scheme (e-collection) because of the commencement of the TSA.

    President Buhari’s latest declaration is clearly a way to curb revenue-related corrupt practices in the MDAs. Following the President’s announcement, many MDAs are already in the process of adopting the TSA. “The President’s pronouncement will significantly affect the volume of liquidity in the banking sector but it would curb corruption.

    Besides, TSA will promote transparency and facilitate compliance with Sections 80 and 162 of the constitution”, a source at the CBN said. TSA would help to block leakages and uncover idle cash, which usually seats in the bank’s high-yielding interest accounts. TSA would also allow complete and timely information of government cash.

    With the TSA now in force, where does that leave the rest of us? Three options: 1. Increase your earnings in the face of declining revenue. 2. Collect your debt and accumulate good debts. 3. Refer to number 1.

  • Google’s new firm Alphabet stirs controversy

    Google’s new firm Alphabet stirs controversy

    Google’s new conglomerate trademark Alphabet has stirred a controversy. With a report saying the name has already been trademarked by BMW, the German auto maker, will Google go ahead to use the name as the parent company for its brands? Adedeji Ademigbuji writes.

    A trademark is any word, name, symbol or design, or any combination thereof, used in commerce to identify and distinguish the goods of one manufacturer or seller from others, and to indicate the source of the goods. It is a property that companies guard jealously and do not toy with if their right of ownership is infringed on. However, the latest announcement of a new conglomerate name, Alphabet, by Google, appears to have toyed with BMW’s trademark for one of its businesses, and it has generated a disagreement. Currently, the last has not been heard on the controversy.

    Last week, Google co-founder Larry Page announced that the conglomerate would adopt a new name – Alphabet – in an attempt to make the company more accountable and cleaner having dragged over one billion users across the world.

    “Our company is operating well today, but we think we can make it cleaner and more accountable. Google is not a conventional company. We do not intend to become one. We did a lot of things that seemed crazy at the time. Many of those crazy things now have over a billion users, like Google Maps, YouTube, Chrome, and Android. So we are creating a new company, called Alphabet,” said Page.

    While the viral community received the news when it was still fresh, a media report said Google’s chosen name has already been trademarked by BMW.

    The surprise formation of Alphabet, a holding company headed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin of which Google is now a part, may have impressed investors, but brand analysts believe BMW is evidently not pleased.

    It’s apparently an issue of nomenclature: the German auto maker owns the trademark Alphabet and domain name alphabet.com, and has no interest in selling either of them. The Nation gathered from BMW Alphabet website that the auto giant’s Alphabet company engages in businesses of funding solutions for operational lease, financial lease, sales and leaseback, motivational lease; fleet management services and advanced mobility solutions for auto users.

    BMW describes its Alphabet subsidiary, which provides vehicle leasing and management packages to corporations, as a “very active” part of its operations, and says it wasn’t informed of Google’s reorganisation plans ahead of last week’s announcement. Furthermore, it was gathered that the car maker hasn’t so far received any offers for the trademark or domain name, a spokesperson told The New York Times. But in the light of this, BMW said it’s in the process of determining whether infringement has taken place.

    Meanwhile Google’s spokesman in Nigeria said why he could not comment on the trademark controversy was because everything Google would say has been published on https://abc.xyz/.

    When  The Nation visited the site, it was apparent that Google’s Alphabet has different arrears of business concerns, hence, might not compete with BMW’s Alphabet, a situation believed would make Google escape any legal sanction for trademark infringement.

    Google’s Alphabet President Sergey said Alphabet is mostly a collection of companies, “the largest of which, of course, is Google.” He said with the new conglomerate name, “Google is a bit slimmed down, with the companies that are pretty far afield of our main internet products contained in Alphabet instead”.

    Page also described Alphabet as businesses prospering through strong leaders and independence. “Alphabet Inc. will replace Google Inc. as the publicly-traded entity and all shares of Google will automatically convert into the same number of shares of Alphabet, with all of the same rights. Google will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alphabet. We liked the name Alphabet because it means a collection of letters that represent language, one of humanity’s most important innovations, and is the core of how we index with Google search! We also like that because it means alpha bet (Alpha is investment return above benchmark), which we strive for! I should add that we are not intending for this to be a big consumer brand with related products—the whole point is that Alphabet companies should have independence and develop their own brands,” he said.

    But there are concerns that Google’s domain name, abc.xyz, is a different story could also get BMW some misdirected traffic opportunities and tough times. “Google appears to have worked around BMW’s ownership by securing abc.xyz. That hasn’t prevented Chinese authorities from blocking it, nor has it prevented BMW’s Alphabet webpage from receiving an overwhelming influx of misdirected traffic, but Alphabet deserves some slack Alphabet’s had a rough time on Twitter, too — the handles @alphabet, @AlphabetINC (account suspended), @abcxyz, and @abc were taken as of yesterday,” says an analyst.

    In the light of this, an article by IT ProPortal report that a BMW spokeswoman stated that neither Larry Page nor anyone else on behalf of Google has contacted them prior to the Alphabet announcement to acquire the trademark or the domain name. BMW is not intending to sell the trademark either.

    Legal experts, however, believe instituting a legal action might not yield any result as both companies are not into similar business.

  • Amosun, others call for national reputation summit

    Amosun, others call for national reputation summit

    Ogun state Governor Senator Ibikune Amosun and public relations practitioners have called for a national reputation summit.

    They spoke during a colloquium and awards by the Ogun State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) at the Olusegun Obasanjo Library, Abeokuta, the state capital.

    The keynote speaker, Mr. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, who is also the chief executive, CMC Connect Group, noted the political history of Nigeria, analysing the primordial factors that have affected its image and goodwill since independence. He said the nation had suffered serious image problem as a result of the decay in the system, adding that it has denied the country of her pivotal place in the comity of progressive nations.

    Badejo-Okusanya, who is also the Secretary-General, African Public Relations Association (APPRA), identified impunity as the bane of Nigeria’s socio-political and economic development. Nigeria, he said, “has suffered moral bankruptcy as a result of corruption that permeates every facet of our lives.”

    He praised President Muham-madu Buhari for making genuine efforts at eradicating graft and corruption in government.

    He also supported the summit, saying it would create a forum for stakeholders and communications to find solutions to the already battered image of the country.

    The chairman of the colloquium, Prof Lai Osho of the Department of Mass Communications, Lagos State University (LASU), said: “The nation is going through a rebirth in the way we think, the way we do things, and in our attitude.’

    He added that Buhari has brought sanity back to governance.

    Amosun, represented by the Deputy Governor, Mrs Yetunde  Onanuga, praised the Chairman of the state chapter of NIPR, Mr. Tope Adaramola and his executives for creating a platform for cross fertilisation of ideas on how to make Nigeria better.

    He emphasised that the Change mantra of the ruling political party, All Progressives Congress (APC), has been the driver of the successes recorded in two months of the Buhari government.

    He called for attitudinal change among Nigerians to make the Nigerian project work.

     

  • Winners emerge in Indomie Flash & Win promo

    The first set of winners in the ongoing Indomie Flash & Win National Consumer Promo has emerged.

    They comprise the N1 million winners and others who won N100, 000 each. They were presented  their cheques at a ceremony at the company’s head office in Surulere, Lagos.

    The event was attended by  journalists and relevant regulatory agencies.

    Brand Manager, Indomie, Mr. Amber Yadav, said Indomie believes in giving back to its numerous consumers. He said: “As a company, Indomie believes in giving back to the society.”

    He said the promo was aimed at  celebrating with consumers. “We want to give them a chance to win something substantial. It gives us joy to give back to our loyal consumers. So far, we’ve had over half a million participants. We have also given out airtime recharge to over 50, 000 consumers,” he said.

    On how to participate in the promo, Amber said consumers were required to buy Indomie 120g Super pack where a unique number could be found printed on the seasoning sachet inside the pack.

    Participants are required to flash the unique number after which their mobile phone number would be registered to take part in the daily and monthly raffle draws where they stand a chance to win N100, 000 and N1million.

    Also, the Manager Public Relations/Events Dufil Prima Foods, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju restated the company’s commitment to continue to reward and give back to its loyal consumers.

    The Senior Public Relations Officer, Consumer Protection Council, Lagos Office, Mr. Nicholas Utsalo, confirmed that Dufil Prima foods Plc, adhered  to its regulations.

  • Electronic collection made easy

    Selling is incomplete until you have received cash for goods sold or services rendered. However, collecting payment can sometimes be cumbersome. Buyers do not always want to pay on time. Sellers do not always find it easy collecting payment for goods delivered.

    Particularly, as revenue continues to decline, sellers – and this include SMEs, government, corporations and e-commerce sites – that regularly interface with customers, are having hard times collecting payment.

    Nevertheless, to get your dues, you need to reinvent yourself. Otherwise, you would be holding the short-end of the stick. You would make sales without making money. You would be all motion and no movement. That is bad news.

    That is why the company I work for is interested in new ways to collect payment. I am keenly interested because I am involved in all the debts and it is in my best interest to recover the debts.

    Some clients owe our company. I wonder if this electronic collection option would be of great assistance. These debtors would have paid, mind you, but they are simply not motivated. Why they are not motivated? They are experiencing declining revenue. Reasons for that could be several factors.

    One of these is unfriendly economic environment, which has made it compelling to explore alternative approaches to shoring up revenue. This is why I think the electronic collection option is a good choice. The Systemspecs electronic payment platform, Remita, which offer six payment options, would suit most companies, either small or big, in terms of electronic collection.

    What more could you ask for, with the platform your clients could pay directly into your bank account at the branch level, through internet banking, through point of sales terminal, through debit or credit card, through mobile wallet and micro finance banks.

    Outside of this, I do not know what else you need to do in order to motivate your debtors to pay you. For me, our company has signed up for the Remita options. I am happy about the results.

    In the same vein, I am aware that several ministries, agencies and departments have joined the platform. As a result, the federal government through the MDAs has increased its collection channels at almost zero cost, got access to reliable and verifiable data planning, improved service delivery and ultimately improved revenue.

    Treasury Single Account received a boost because Remita, as several billion of Naira (I do not have the exact figure) have been collected on the platform. Besides, revenue collection through this platform occurs 168 hours and not 35 hours a week. That is value add if you ask me.

    With the above electronic collection avenues, there are enough payment options to choose. If your debtor still refuses to pay you after you have deployed these alternatives, you will definitely need to visit “kilometre 46” on Ibadan Expressway for divine intervention. May be that would make electronic collection easy for you. Just may be.

  • OAAN gets new president

    OAAN gets new president

    The Outdoor Advertising Agency of Nigeria (OAAN) has elected a new president. He is Mr Babatunde Idowu Adedoyin.

    He replaces Mr. Charles Chijide who has completed his tenure.

    Chijide marked his exit after an election with the inauguration of the association’s house.

    Adedoyin is the Managing Director of Media View Limited.

    Adedoyin won after polling 47 votes to beat Mr. Ladi Sole of Uniksites Nigeria Limited who polled 11 votes.

    Other members of the new executive are Vice President, Mr. Emma Ajufo; General Secretary, Femi Ogala; Treasurer, Atilola Williams; Publicity Secretary, Obi Nnaobi and Mr. Tunde Oyekan as the Assistant General Secretary. The Ex-Officio members are Modupe Lawuyi, Bidwell Okere, and Churchill Nwagwu.

    A member of the American Marketing Association, Adedoyin attended Middlesex Polytechnic (now Middlesex University), Hendon, London where he bagged Higher National Certificate in Marketing Communication in 1980.

    According to Chijide, the completion and opening of the OAAN House is a major achievement, adding: “I really commend the foresight of all my predecessors as they are all men of high-level foresight and they played commendable roles both at different times when they had the opportunity to serve and collectively after their terms to ensure that the dream to have our own House is realised.”

  • Efritin.com unveils classified Ad platform

    Efritin.com, a new online classified platform, has launched a classified advert marketplace for buyers and sellers to exchange used items.

    The Chief Operating Officer, Saltside Technologies, Efritin.com parent company, Mr. Babak Tighnavard, said while Saltside Technologies was founded to build leading online marketplaces in underserved markets, creating sustainable value for the community, Efritin.com has over 50 various items that Nigerians can buy or sell.

    “From mobile phones and home appliances to property and car, Efritin.com aims at disrupting how classifieds are done in Nigeria by addressing a key issue of trust and offering the additional convenience of delivery. The tenacious and growing team is poised to make Efritin.com the number 1 online marketplace for used goods in Nigeria, where they can find great deals on almost everything,” he said.

    A Manager of the company, Mr. Zakaria Hersi, said part of their success story of doing things locally in each market gave rise to the name ‘Efritin.com’ meaning ‘Everything’ in pidgin language.

    He further said Efritin is focused on providing a safer platform for buyers and sellers to meet and exchange their items. It focuses on used items because of the trading culture of Nigerians, the high volume of offline marketplaces and the large economy around unused goods.

    He added that Efritin’s team places high value on offering a safer platform, adding that it is for this that sellers must verified on their platform within 48 hours of posting an advert before it goes live.

  • Digital marketing to hit $10b by 2020

    Digital marketing to hit $10b by 2020

    Nigeria’s digital marketing may hit $10 billion by 2020, the Executive Vice President, Digital of Porter Novelli, a global network of public relations firms, Mr Jesse Soleil, has said.

    He said the value of the platform stands at $2 billion, hence, brands and marketing communications practitioners must incorporate it in their marketing strategies.

    However, Soleil said his network has made some achievements in its digital marketing campaigns because it focused on the needs and behaviours of its target audience.

    During a working visit to Nigeria, Soleil said he observed that the major factor inhibiting the growth of digital marketing is how marketing communication practitioners treat digital marketing.

    He said: “Many marketing communication practitioners focus on the wrong indices – reach, impressions etc. – paying little or no attention to their target audience and what they want. We have to remember that digital marketing is still marketing and putting the digital in front of it doesn’t stop it from being marketing, and think about what the audience wants.”

    He called on practitioners to switch from traditional methods by focusing on the behaviours of our target audience on the mobile, social, and digital media platforms and design strategies that take cognisance of these behaviours to deliver on their objectives and grow the industry.

    Soleil said the future of marketing communications depends on the seamless integration of digital marketing into marketing communication and the use of live experiences to inspire audiences to take desired actions.

    He further said public relations professionals must understand how the digital media work and structure their content to fit these platforms for the successful delivery of campaigns.

    The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, C&F Porter Novelli, Nn’emeka Maduegbuna, said C&F Porter Novelli realises that the importance of digital media in executing marketing communication campaigns, which informed the capacity building for its staff in digital marketing.