Category: Business

Before it was finally premiered in Nigeria, consumers of Heineken and fans of James Bond had waited in anticipation for the world’s leading international premium beer to deliver on its promise to host the movie premiere of the much talked about latest James Bond adventure, SKYFALL™.

It was shown at Silverbird Galleria, Genesis Deluxe and Ozone cinemas in Lagos as well as Silverbird Abuja, Port-Harcourt and Enugu. It was a red carpet night of celebrities and suspense filled entertainment. After the movie, consumers and guests were treated to an exciting after party.

Senior Brand Manager, Heineken, Jacqueline van Faassen said: “When two great brands like Heineken® and James Bond join together, excitement is guaranteed. Heineken® and James Bond are closely linked: both are aspirational, premium, iconic and international. We are proud of our long standing relationship with the Bond franchise.”

The SKYFALL™ movie premiere is part of a bigger Heineken® Bond campaign, a thrilling new TV and digital campaign which sees Daniel Craig bringing his explosive portrayal of James Bond to a Heineken ad for the very first time. Challenging consumers to defy his enemies and ‘Crack the Case’, viewers are taken on an epic train journey alongside stunning Bond girl Bérénice Marlohe. An interactive experience on-line begins where the TV advert leaves off, providing the consumers with the opportunity to be a secret agent themselves and win exclusive prizes.

Chief Commercial Officer of Heineken, Alexis Nasard said: “The creativity and progressiveness of the Heineken® brand combined with the legendary James Bond franchise will provide viewers with high entertainment values. Not only a hero, Bond is the ultimate ‘Man of the World’ – confident, resourceful and ready for new experiences, personifying the values of the Heineken® brand.”

Heineken consumers, who watched the movie, commended Heineken® for hosting the SKYFALL™ premiere. Folashade Ogunshola, a banker said: “SKYFALL™ lived up to its billing and I thank Heineken® for making it possible for me to be among the first people that watched the movie in Nigeria.” Another consumer, Seun Ajayi, an event executive, said SKYFALL™ and Heineken® did not disappoint, “The hype was loud and intimidating and I’m glad it matched the movie which was full of unbelievable stunts and of world class production, Heineken® did well.” Earlier, anticipation was already built, following the appearance of dashing young men in James Bond attire along strategic locations in Lagos doing different James Bond posture.

SKYFALL™ is the 23rd movie in the James Bond series; it features Daniel Craig’s third performance as James Bond, and Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the film’s villain. The film was directed by Sam Mendes and written by John Logan, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.

In the film, Bond investigates an attack on MI6; it transpires that it is part of an attack on M by former MI6 operative, Raoul Silva. The film sees the return of two recurring characters after an absence of two films: Q played by Ben Whishaw, and Miss Moneypenny played by Naomie Harris. SKYFALL™ was the last film of the series for Judi Dench who played M; a role which she had played in the previous seven films. The position is subsequently filled by Ralph Fiennes’ character, Gareth Mallory.

In the plot, MI6 agents James Bond and Eve assist on a mission in Turkey to recover a computer hard drive stolen from a murdered MI6 agent that contains details of almost all undercover NATO agents in terrorist organisations. Bond and Eve chase the killer, mercenary Patrice, and attempt to recover the disk. During the chase, Bond is shot in the shoulder. While fighting Patrice, Bond is accidentally shot by Eve and is later considered “missing, presumed killed”.

The head of MI6, M, comes under political pressure to retire during a meeting with the Intelligence and Security Committee Chairman, Gareth Mallory. On her return from the meeting, MI6 is hacked and an explosion occurs in the offices, killing a number of MI6 employees. Bond, having used his supposed death to retire, learns of the attack and returns to London. Shrapnel taken from his earlier shoulder wound helps identify Patrice, and Bond tracks the mercenary to Shanghai.

Heineken has over the years developed a strong and successful relationship with James Bond movies spanning global partnerships with Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace and now SKYFALL™.

Legend Extra Stout, from the stable of Nigeria Breweries Plc, is one of the few successful brands in the country. With the recent Gold Quality Award won by the Stout at the 51st Monde Awards in Athens, Greece, where Guinness Stout came second, winning a silver, the stage is set for a titanic marketing war in the stout category, writes WALE ALABI.

In August, the global stout market was shaken to its foundation, when Legend Extra Stout clinched the prestigious Gold Quality Award at the 51st Monde award ceremony held in Athens, Greece ahead of its arch rival Guinness Stout. Since then, the stout beer sub-sector has not been the same.

For the marketing egg-heads at Nigerian Breweries (NB), the award on Legend was considered a very remarkable achievement as it sent cold shivers down the spines of brewers of Guinness Stout. Moreover, consumers, who before then see Guinness product as the number one stout, may begin to ask questions whether their preferred brand was actually the market leader in the stout category.

This is so much because the award placed Legend above competitions, including Guinness Extra stout and Guinness Extra Smooth, in the area of taste and quality.

Having spent a better part of its existence in the Nigerian market playing catch up to Guinness Extra Stout, the new status has since redefined Legend as the best black beer that is full brewed from the finest ingredient and bottled under the highest quality standard.

Monde Selection, an international institute for quality selections, is the founder of the annual international event organised to identify and recognise outstanding global brands. The body tests consumer goods from different global markets and grants them internationally renowned quality award based on research and independent quality evaluation of products submitted.

After careful analyses and tests, the jurors of Monde Selection stated came out with the result and declared the NB product as the winner. Meanwhile, other stout brands from the Nigerian market were said to have also submitted products for evaluation, but Guinness Stout; its main competitor, came second, winning silver.

Legend climbing to the top of the market against competition is not a surprise to many as its promoters have laid a good foundation for its success.

Owing to the boring and uninspiring stout market, Nigerian Breweries Plc in 1992, launched Legend to inject excitement into the category. The launch was targeted at the younger generation in a more contemporary manner to associate the brand with already existing stout values; hence the first pay-off line for the stout ‘Light up your life – Put a spark in your life.’

A little over a decade later, NB decided to reformulate and enrich the new Legend with Vitamins to reduce the bitterness and alcohol content of the brand.

According to sources close to NB, the new formulation also removed the observed ‘burnt taste’ that gave the brand the initial unpleasant flavour. With this development came a new advertising pay-off, ‘Legend makes you feel real good’.

Unlike previous activities around the brand, three years later, a new packaging, which involved change of bottle and labels, was introduced to bring excitement to the brand and tickle the consumers.

The brand throughout this period never seemed to get it right in terms of positioning, packaging and quality. But in 2009, Legend was repositioned and repackaged to elevate the brand from savings to mainstream category.

A unique propriety bottle with a new and exciting label heralded a ‘real deal’ communication campaign that eventual by culminated in the brand being certified the ‘real’ brewed stout brand by Monde Selection.

In preparation for the current leadership in quality, Legend has evolved some interesting communications mechanics. The brand debuted with ‘it’s your life, xpress it now’ advertising campaign in 1992 to announce readiness to capture the youth segment of the dark beer category.  A new ad campaign was launched a few years later tagged ‘New Legend Extra Stout-carry Da Torch’. This campaign played around the dynamic flame and torch, which is the brand logo.

Realising that the campaign couldn’t lift the brand beyond its previous status, the brand owners unveiled a new communication campaign to exude youth independence dubbed ‘Xpress Ur Independence Now!’ In 2007, ‘Life’s Much More Fun’ and ‘Correct bros don come!’ were launched, but all these still couldn’t lift the brand.

This was then followed with ‘Legend, the real deal’ campaign, which seemed to have now ended its sojourn in the wilderness. The brand promoters ensured that the campaign went beyond the theme. Therefore, for the first time in the history of dark beer category in Nigeria, a new leader was elected.

Market results shows Legend is the fastest growing beer brand in the country. Within a short time it has climbed up the market ladder to compete head-to-head with other so called major brands that have been in the stout market for decades.

The brand has maintained over 65 per cent increase over the past years and this has continued to rise. How has the Legend brand been able to achieve this rare feat in such a competitive beer market? What factors propelled this brand to the top echelon of the market? These are some of the pertinent questions on the mouths of market watchers.

A cursory look at some of the workings of the Legend brand reveals that indeed the brand merits the position it occupies. One of the most distinguishing factors of the Legend brand is its taste. Legend is regarded as the best tasting stout brand in the country. A blind test with several participants revealed that the taste of Legend was unique and tasted better than all others.

Legend is also the only full brewed stout in the market. Another factor is that of cost. The Legend brand not only tastes better, but it’s also pocket friendly. The unique combination of cost and superior product has played to the advantage of the brand.

Another factor, that has proved significant to the success story of the Legend brand, is its association with entertainment. Knowing full well that Nigerians are fun loving people, the brand in March 2011, introduced ‘Real Deal Nite’ as one of its consumer engagement platforms. The brand has been able to sustain the intensity and excitement of the event far beyond expectations. In doing this, Legend seems to have realized what its consumer’s desire.

Commenting on the Monde Gold Quality Award won by Legend, Marketing Director of Nigerian Breweries Mr. Walter Drenth, said every time Legend calls, it does so to share and celebrate good news.

“You are all living witnesses to the tremendous strides the Legend brand has made over the years, establishing itself as a real stout on many counts and refreshing its outlook uniquely. Over the past 20 years, the Legend brand has continued to position itself as a credible choice of stout, full brewed,  the way an original stout should – giving Legend the credibility to be called the ‘Real Deal,’ – a sincere proposition that has sustained the brand s’ growth since the re-launch and acceptance in 2009.”

He reminded the consumers that the campaigns at the re-launch further rides on the brands’ real brewed positioning with emphasis on the production processes considered desirable for a real stout. This innovation, according to him, has had a tremendous positive impact on the brand’s volume, market share and overall equity.

“Today, Legend has an unprecedented story of being the fastest growing stout brand in the Nigerian stout market, extremely outclassing others in the category. Thanks to the loyal consumers for their patronage and steadfastness. I have no doubt that you are aware of our high performances over the years both in blind tests and several other testimonies from consumers; Legend has remained remarkably unique in taste and quality,”Drenth said.

With the current scenario in the stout market, consumers and industry watchers are waiting on what the next step of marketing egg-heads at Guinness House will be in the market with Legend Stout.

Why do many Africans carry several mobile phones? The leading cause of this attrition is poor quality of service by the mobile network operators. The same goes for banking services. Nearly 60 per cent of customers hold multiple banking relationships. This has made loyalty in the two industries a rare commodity. However, in telecom industry, this could change as several countries such as Kenya, South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria are implementing number portability system.

Number portability would empower phone subscribers to change to other network seamlessly from one operator to another, and thereby save them the hassle of buying a new SIM pack.

However, my focus is not on the desirability or otherwise of portability system in telecoms. It has been proven without doubt that the system works. My concern is whether this system could be adopted by the banking industry.

Like in the telecom sector, the leading cause of this attrition in banking is poor customer service. What really determines the choice of a bank for a customer goes beyond loyalty to a brand.

With the market now flooded with similar products, or what my friends called bankwagon, the choice of whom to bank with boils down to service, quality of experience, and to some extent, personal circumstances such as geographical location or a company-mandated salary account.

Other reason customers have more than one account is that often; it is both cumbersome and expensive to close the old one, especially if it involves terminating a bundled product. But can the introduction of Bank Account Number Portability in the banking system change this? Bank Account Number Portability will enable customers move their bank accounts seamlessly from one bank to another, and thereby save them the hassle of closing and opening accounts, reissuing standing instructions and so on.

For account portability to work, two major variables would need to be established. One, the banks must adopt a standardised practice of account numbering, indicating the bank and code number of the branch owning the account. Two, a centralised database containing the details of all bank accounts of the member banks, which serves as the repository of all porting information would need to be established.

I wonder if Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had account number portability in mind when the regulatory bank implemented Nigerian Uniform Bank Account Number standard (NUBAN) for the banks in the country. With effect from May 16, 2011, all 13-digit account number was replaced with a new 10-digit account number.

The 10-digit NUBAN makes Nigeria fully compliant with the 10-digit account number structure required by the West Africa Monetary Institute (WAMI) towards the economic integration of ECOWAS countries. Whatever Sanusi had in mind about NUBAN, the first step towards bank account portability had been taken in Nigeria. Who will take the next step? When?

• Sola Fanawopo, specialised communications analyst contributed this piece.

LG Electronics, a global leader in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, has unveiled its latest residential air conditioner (RAC), the anti-mosquito.

The launch was held at the Lagos Oriental Hotel. Built to provide maximum comfort and reliable operation, the new model features mosquito-repelling ultrasonic wave technology.

“LG prides itself on tailoring its products and technologies to the specific needs of consumers in Africa,” said Mr Junhwa Jeong, General Manager, Airconditioning and Energy Solutions, LG Electronics.

“In Nigeria, as well as in a number of other African countries, malaria remains a prevalent threat. LG’s Anti-Mosquito air conditioner is a great example of the company’s commitment to improving both health security and the quality of life in Africa by applying technological innovations in intelligent ways.”

Completely harmless to humans, the repellant technology inside the Anti-Mosquito air conditioner deters 64 per cent of the female Anopheles mosquitoes within 24 hours and 82 per cent overall according to Peety Grady Chamber tests. (Females of the genus Anopheles are malaria transmitters).

Aside from offering greater peace of mind, LG’s anti-mosquito AC also comes with all the advantages of LG’s advanced air conditioning technologies; it delivers powerful cooling and is remarkably reliable even in extreme temperatures.

“Every region poses different challenges from an engineering perspective. In Nigeria and other West African countries, the sun is hotter, dust build-up tends to be greater and the electricity supply is unpredictable,” said Jung. “By matching technologies directly to these region-specific challenges, we can create real solutions that will help bring about profound and meaningful changes to consumer lifestyles.”

Designed specifically for areas with unreliable power supply, the technology in the Super Automatic Voltage Switcher (Super AVS) is another example of a tailored solution for the West African market.

Power blackouts and surges play havoc with electronic devices; the Super AVS guards against this havoc and protects the compressor from being damaged by fluctuations in the electric current.

Billed to showcase the creative works of practicing graphic artists in Nigeria, the KekeAds Creative Arts & Graphics Annual competition promises to reveal the creative energy, vibrant colours and the attraction the Keke Advertising Display system in communicating various social causes by displaying creative works from the creative advertising practitioners in Nigeria on the advertising panels inside and outside the vehicles.

Marketing Edge magazine, as well as top advertising agencies – Noah’s Ark, Yellow Brick Road and Advertange Ltd have signed up to support Smate & Smate International Ltd, the patent holder for the Keke Advertising System to introduce a new Creative Arts and Graphics competition, CAGAC 2012 in collaboration with the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), that would address the various social problems affecting the nation. Renowned figures in the Nigerian advertising community will select the works submitted for the competition, which will be a juried competition on works addressing social causes and issues submitted by practicing creative and graphic artists in Nigeria.

CAGAC will promote the works of developing creative artists and at the same time draw attention to various cause related messages. Featuring imaginative works and the diverse skills of the photographers, copywriters and graphic artists in Nigeria, the CAGAC project will aim to regenerate Creative Arts in Mass Communication in Nigeria and among other objectives be an instrumental factor in making social causes an important aspect in the lives of Nigerians as they commute daily, encourage Social Responsibility in Nigeria, provide an opportunity for the public to become more aware of the issues that affect them and enhance the perception of the media as a powerful communications tool amongst the commuting public.

The organisers are hopeful that the competition will also focus on capturing the imagination of the public, improve the awareness of the causes, help to commercialize the works of the participating graphic artists, assist in protecting lives, promoting healthcare, and help with engendering behavioural change among Nigerians.

Managing Director, Smate & Smate International Limited, Mr. Esona Onuoha said, “It is about time the public were made aware of the many social problems and issues affecting the country. The competition will be the catalyst required to encourage a legion of creative professionals in the industry to showcase their skills and their belief in the power of the synergy the Keke motor tricycle has with commuters in addressing these issues. We are expecting the public to support this competition by voting for the favourite campaigns on-line, which is free and come out to show our talented, up-coming graphic artists that we support their development.”

The average Nigerian leads a tough life. Long hours in heavy traffic, packed commutes and the hustle and bustle of urban living can make it hard to keep things in balance. Kekes play a vital role in restoring the equilibrium, providing affordable transportation to the millions of people who live and work in Nigerian cities. By bringing the images of the many issues that Nigerians confront to life, the competition will encourage the awareness of social problems such as corruption, security, road safety and health not just in the minds of Nigerian commuters but spreading its wings beyond the nation and the continent.

Works from the competition will be brought together and presented on-line at the KekeAds website and on the social media platform, facebook, where people all over the world can vote for the most inspirational works, then culminate in a gala of an exhibition of the finalists’ works and talks from leading figures in the advertising sector from different parts of the country at the Akwa Ibom International Trade Fair (AKWAFAIR 2012).

The KekeAds Creative Arts & Graphics Annual 2012 is expected to expand the creative art world, promoting the awareness of the concepts and artists to a public that has been left without much cause related advertising art related activities for quite a long time. The maiden exhibition opened on November 17 and will last until December 1 when the finalists will be awarded some cash prizes for their works.

Examining a few facts on social problems in Nigeria, economic degradation has a severe effect on health, especially for children as up to 20 per cent of Nigerian children die before the age of five, primarily from treatable diseases such as malaria, measles, whooping cough, diarrhoea, and pneumonia. Less than one-half of infants are immunized against measles, and malnutrition affects more than 40 per cent of children under the age of five. Adults are equally affected and only 20 per cent of rural Nigerians, 52 per cent of urban Nigerians have access to safe water and 30 per cent have no access to health care.

Diabetes can affect anyone yet many are unaware of the deadly consequences of leaving it untreated. Seven million people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes each year. The Keke panels have been highly effective in communicating health related programmes of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Nigeria through its support of the Love Health Foundation’s initiative in improving diabetes awareness in Nigeria.

Crime in Nigeria has been on the rise as a result of unemployment, economic decline, and social inequality, which are abetted by inefficient and corrupt police and customs forces. More than half of all offenses are thefts, burglaries, and break-ins, although armed robberies and recently, kidnapping are also prominent. Participants will be expected to come up with designs that can help combat crime whether by informing the public of the number to call, crime fighting initiatives or the vigilance required to in the war against crime.

Smate and Smate as part of its corporate social responsibility, recently launched on its advertising display system, call centre telephone numbers for the Lifeline Care Association (LCA), which provide ambulance services and rescue missions in the FCT for emergency purposes. The numbers are promoted through the back panels of the tricycles all over the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Road safety is one of the aspects expected to get a number of entries and the organisation has reach out the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to join the project in promoting safety on the roads, use of seat belts and discouraging drink driving in order to save the lives of road users.

Smate & Smate and its partners in CAGAC 2012 are also as concerned as the rest of the nation at the ruthlessness with which the country is being attacked and brought into a state of chaos by terrorists. Not only are the dastardly acts bringing Nigeria into disrepute to the international community, they are destroying the hopes of Nigerian citizens many who are now unable to conduct their affairs freely as they fear for their lives and mourn the loss of loved ones.

Nma Nwosu, Marketing Manager, Smate & Smate said; “We would like to become one of the country’s strategic media choices using our patented ‘Keke’ display system of transit advertising which is rapidly becoming the most effective out-of-home mass communication media in the country.

Terrorists operating in the various regions are less likely to be stopped by people who watch the television advertising campaigns funded by the government and are more likely to be discouraged by creative multi-lingual messages displayed to the millions of commuters who use the Kekes daily.”

She further stated that “The Kekes which would carry various messages across the country could be utilized in giving out important numbers of the security agencies and in reminding people to be on the lookout for suspicious activity. We are pleased to make a contribution towards meeting the commitment to protecting the lives and property of Nigerians.”

The KekeAds inside panel and leaflet distribution system are visible to the passengers inside, to further enhance any campaign and disseminate critical information educating Nigerians on the right action to take to defeat terrorism and tackle other social problems. The back panel will make an impact on motorists and their families, whenever they are behind a Keke in a traffic jam or on the move. Smate & Smate have estimated that over 30 million people would see the messages daily in a national campaign.

The challenge will be the required catalyst to encourage a legion of creative people in the industry to showcase their skills and their belief in the power of the synergy the Keke motor tricycles have with commuters.

The competition will be the first of an annual project for the Creative and Graphics Arts which will encourage public enlightenment on social problems affecting the nation.

CACAG holds between 17th of November and the 21st of December 2012 when the prize awards will take place at the Akwa Ibom International Trade Fair (AKWAFAIR 2012).