Nigerian Breweries PLC appears to have rekindled the hope of many teachers, with its N50 million social marketing investment through Maltina Teacher of the Year Award. But how far can it go in promoting excellence in the educational sector, knowing that Cadbury-Schweppes stopped its cause-marketing investment on Bournvita Teachers’ Awards, which it started in 2002? ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI writes.
The new corporate social investment by Nigerian Breweries Plc, for the promotion of excellence among teachers, is long overdue. The last of such social marketing investment was by Cadbury-Schweppes, which, for over six years, sponored the Bournvita Teachers Award.
The Cadbury, which perhaps Nigerian Breweries is taking a cue from, rewarded many teachers with training abroad, among other prizes, hence, sparking the spirit of competition among teachers across the country. But since the beverage giant suspended the social marketing investment, many teachers wondered why the multinational brand had to stop what marketing experts had described as a case study in the marketing communication industry.
While Cadbury-Schweppes established the Bournvita Teachers’ Awards in 2002, to promote and celebrate excellence in teaching, award-winning teachers received computer, cash prizes, Cadbury products, and an award certificate, among other, motivational materials, to enhance the chain reaction of such excellence on pupils and students.
The awards received great acclaim from teachers while it lasted. With positive media reviews and endorsement, the corporate social investment, no doubt, enhanced the brand reputation of Cadbury and also deepened its penetration among teachers who are influencers in the chain of consumer decision process.
However, since the programme was suspended without any reason from the sponsor of the project, no brand thought of investing their marketing fund on such cause; perhaps, as a result of the huge investment and efforts in enhance a 360 degree marketing campaign for the cause.
”Such project requires so much marketing budget and the effort that goes into enhancing participation across the federation is huge,” a Public Relations expert, who worked with Freddie Scot & Associates, the PR agency that managed the campaign, told The Nation.
However, a new brand in the beverage sector and a top marketing spender, Nigerian Breweries, has announced plans to splash over N50 million corporate social investments on teachers, in a renewed effort to promote excellence among teachers. Using one of its premium Ready-To-Drink (RTD) brand, Maltina, as the platform to deepen the campaign across 36 states, where the Maltina brand is an household name, the initiative, called “The Maltina Teacher-of-the-Year,” is being funded under the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund.
Established as non-for-profit organisation in 1994, foundation through its pool of social marketing funds has driven some of NB’s corporate social responsibility projects in other sectors for sometime but now finds its appalling that the educational sector is in a dire state, hence taken a step further to assist government in alleviating the problems in the sector by instituting “Maltina Teacher-of-the-Year Award” initiative.
Ohiwerei is the first indigenous Chairman of the leading beverage conglomerate which has been operating in the country since 1946. The Trust Fund started operation with a seed capital of N100 million, to contribute to the development of educational sector in the country. Over the years, the company has used the fund to assist over 20,000 students, built 250 classrooms and 22 libraries in both primary and secondary schools across 49 communities in the country.
Speaking to reporters in Lagos, the Corporate Affairs Adviser of NB, Mr. Kufre Ekanem, said from the social investment, CSR project estimated at N50million as prizes and incentives yearly to reward innovation, commitment and diligence to duty by outstanding teachers across the country. He added that the award which, the Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund is sponsoring on the platform of his company’s premium ready-to-drink (RTD) malt drink brand, Maltina is aimed at restoring the pride of teachers and the dignity of the teaching profession.
Ekanem stated further that the Maltina Teacher-of-the-Year Award initiative is designed to recognie, celebrate and motivate teachers in Nigeria, with a first year focus on secondary schools. “We hope that through this initiative, we can inspire this nation to accord our teachers their deserved credit and bring back respect to the teaching profession in Nigeria,” Ekanem said, adding that the objective of the award is to create an avenue where exceptional teachers will be showcased and rewarded yearly and continuously.
He explained how the Maltina Teacher-of-the-Year Award project will be executed, the qualification for entry requirements, and a little expose on judging criteria. According to him, collection of application forms has since opened on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 when NB kicked off the project.
He disclosed further that collection and submission of entry forms for the award will last till Tuesday, June 30, 2015. He said hard copies of entry forms for the award can be obtained from designated collection and submission points as contained in the Maltina Teacher-of-the-Year Award initiative’s flyers, posters and other below-the-line (BTL) advertising materials being circulated across the country. For those who are unable to lay their hands on the hard copies, he advised such interested teachers to download the application forms from the Maltina website, www.maltina-nigeria.com, complete the application and upload to the site or return a printed copy of a completed entry form and submit them via the company’s post office mail box.
Ekanem affirmed that all applications will be subjected to an intense selection and judging process by an external and independent panel of judges which has been constituted to ensure transparency, credibility and objectivity of the exercise. The five-step evaluation process of the entries received, he noted, will result in 37 state and FCT champions, from among which 37 state champions will emerge from which the Maltina Teacher- of- the- Year will emerge.
The state champions and national winners will be celebrated at a grand ceremony on Monday, October 5, this year, a day set aside by the United Nations to mark the World Teachers Day.
According to Ekanem, while first runners up and winners state levels will be rewarded with N500,000 and N750,000, 10 winners from the states who will be shortlisted for the grand finale will also get addition N750,000 each for advancing to the final stage.
The national winner (who emerged the Maltina Teacher-of-the-Year Award) will get N1 million while another N1 million will be paid into his/her account yearly for five years. The Teacher of the Year will also be sent abroad for training.
The first runner-up will take home N1 million, while the second runner-up gets N750, 000. Winners from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) will be given N500,000 each. The school that produces the national winner will also become a beneficiary of infrastructural development projects.
The award has generated an unprecedented interest from teachers across the country. Reports from collation centres across the country indicate that hundreds of secondary school teachers are enthusiastically submitting entries for the coveted award.
The CSR/Sustainability Manager, NB, Emete Tonukari, said the social investment is aimed at promoting excellence in the sector.
Beyond the investment on teachers, the yearly teachers’award is expected to also leverage Maltina brand exposure, especially with the endorsement it received from the Federal Ministry of Education.
Speaking during the visit of Nigerian Breweries Plc’s management team to the Ministry in Abuja recently, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. MacJohn Nwaobiala said the Ministry is happy with NB for initiating such social marketing project.
“We commend Nigerian Breweries for introducing Maltina Teacher of Year, a reward programme that seeks to recognise, reward and train teachers. It is our hope that this effort by Nigerian Breweries will encourage other corporate organisations to identify and support the Ministry’s programmes geared towards development of the education sector in Nigeria,” he said.
Nwaobiala, who welcomed the Nigerian Breweries Management team led by Ekanem to the Ministry as part of sensitisation for the Maltina Teacher of the Year project, added: “The Maltina Teacher of the Year programme because it aligns perfectly with our vision to bring back the glory days when teaching was a respectable profession and people took pride in teaching. We all must join hands to bring dignity and prestige to teachers if we want to see improvement in our education system.”
He pledged the Ministry’s support to ensure the success of the programme. He called on teachers nationwide to take advantage of the Maltina Teacher of Year to improve their career.
While the aim of the project is understandable, experts believe Maltina, a premium brand from the staple of Nigerian Breweries will enjoy massive exposure for as long as the brewer sustains the project.
