The Nation Newspaper

Tag: campaign

  • ‘Bonding with consumers target of campaign’

    ‘Bonding with consumers target of campaign’

    Basking in the success of Share a Coke campaign, with only just about ten weeks into it, the Marketing Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Bolajoko Bayo-Ajayi, opens up to Jill Okeke on the many aspects of the campaign, including the strategies, challenges and the initial reactions of consumers.

    What business factors or research inspired ‘Share a Coke’?

    When you look at our core targets, which are the teens, we had to look at a campaign that will resonate with them. And when I talk about the teens, they are people that are born mostly post year 2000. For them, they are people that are restless, they want something that can connect with them. You know when you connect with them, you can’t miss it; they just get you. And so, for us, we were looking for that campaign that will be disruptive and at the same time resonate with the teens.

    Before now, they were used to the conventional ways brands communicate through promotions, and other ways, but this was the disruptive campaign that we wanted to use to catch their attention and the good thing about the campaign is, in as much as our focus was primarily on the teen, we also looked at it as an all inclusive campaign, so it doesn’t alienate anybody.

    Why did you choose this time/period to introduce this campaign to this market?

    When you have something new and something as big as “Share a Coke”, you don’t want to sneak it in, you also want to do it at a time people are most receptive to your campaign.

    So, we, in a subtle way, introduced the campaign towards the end of December last year, tying it to the season.

    It’s also for us a good way to set the tone for the year in terms of what is expected from the company and from the brand coke.

    So, at the beginning of January, we started off the campaign extensively across the country.

    What inspired the choice of names for the campaign?

    You know that as Nigerians we are very creative with names. We recognised the fact that there are lots of names out there. So we got these names and validated these names with our guys out there on the field. So if you are working in the north, we believe that you are more conversant with people from the northern part of the country. We also recognised the fact that though a person is a northerner, it does not mean he/she lives in the north. So, I may be a northerner but I live in Lagos; I may be an easterner and I’m in the north.

    After getting these names which cut across, we now had to segment it by region and the segmentation was; the first filter was looking at people predominantly from that area. If I am a westerner, there is more likelihood that I live in the west; some other people may live in the northern part of the country.  In Lagos, for example, it’s like everybody’s land, northerners, easterners, foreigners all live here; and so there were a lot of considerations, we didn’t just use one filter across. We looked at regional peculiarity; we looked at the market needs. We also recognised the fact that we cannot have everybody’s name on the pack. We also have experiential campaign that we started up which is where people have the chance of personalising their own can, so it’s going round the country.

    On our social media space, we are also informing people about the venues where they can go and personalise their own can of Coke. But beyond just the physical pack which bears your name, there is also opportunity to go online and create your own virtual can.

    While choosing the names, did ethnic/religious differences prove a barrier?

    Not particularly, our focus wasn’t about religion. It was really about getting the right name in the different locations.  The major consideration wasn’t let’s get 50% Christian names or 50% Muslim names. We were particular about the names that are very popular.

    You decided to focus on the teens originally, but from what we see, the campaign has caught on with the adults too…what are your thoughts on this?

    As I said, the primary focus was on the teens but this is all inclusive and even in our campaign, we made sure that we did not just do things because you know every brand has their primary target that they communicate with, but we know that Coke is for everybody; it is a universal brand.

    Why we focused on teens was basically from the communications perspective and also because we need to recruit more people into our franchise.

    What was the initial reaction from consumers and indeed the market, when this campaign broke till now?

    When we started off the campaign, we started ceding off to influencers in December towards Christmas. What we did was to make names of a lot of celebrities, media people, and it was more like a teaser and we presented it to them like “from Coke to you”. Now, reading a few comments online, people felt it was just for Christmas, that we were giving those people a special gift for Christmas and so people were like, ‘oh… is it only these people you are giving, what about us?’

    And then subsequently, we started rolling out to trade.

    I think beyond our own expectation, consumers have helped to embellish the campaign, which is the beauty of marketing. You tell the consumers things and they take your story and run with it.

    So would you say that the campaign has been widely accepted by consumers?

    I think that goes without saying, really.  And like I said, beyond what we expected, consumers have done a lot. There was the guy who proposed with bottles of Coke. That proposal went viral. That was awesome. A lot of opportunities are opening up from the campaign and I just think the acceptance is beyond our expectation, really.

    So are you saying people can now come directly to make orders for their events?

    As it is now, one of the attractions for this campaign is the fact that consumers can get it at a price in which they would ordinarily get a Coke even though the cost of producing a personalised bottle is a lot for the company.

    However, for us, it’s about putting the consumers at the heart of our business. But beyond the individual packs that we are giving out, like I said, there have been opportunities and request for those special event, so we are working on that and we are trying to put in mechanism in place to be able to satisfy those demands, so until then we will know how the logistics and the prices will go.

    What metrics are used to measure the impact of SAC?

    There are different metrics; there is the metric from the consumer angle in terms of acceptance; in terms of how unique the idea is; in terms of the love they have for the campaign. There are also metrics from the business perspective, because at the end of the day it is about the bottom line. So is it translating into sales? What is it looking like? And so far, we are just about 10 weeks into the campaign and the result is already above projection.

    What other exciting innovations should consumers expect from Coca-Cola?

    As I told you, we started off this year with this bang, which is a way of announcing that we have a lot to offer this year. I can assure you that we have other exciting campaigns that we are going to execute this year. We are asking consumers to suggest names they want to see on the pack, which is a way of driving excitement for the campaign. For example, names that are really not out there or popular, people have the opportunity online to drop those names that they want to see on the Coke pack which we will then try and inject into the campaign as we progress.

    What differentiate this campaign from others?

    I have worked in two big multinationals; I have seen a lot of campaigns and it’s not because I now work with Coca-Cola, but I haven’t seen a campaign like this. In fact, somebody was telling me over the weekend that we should continue with the campaign forever. That’s how far people love this campaign. And the reason is not farfetched; it’s like tapping into an innermost need of people. Everybody no matter who you are wants to be recognised; everybody wants to feel a sense of identity, in the sense that they matter. So it’s like going on the shelf and seeing your name, I mean nobody needs to define it for you; you get the feeling that you are part of the campaign.

    What does it cost to personalise Coke?

    It’s a technology which is also innovative in itself and which also costs us more money. I may not be able to give you absolute value. But we are paying like multiples of what we would normally pay, because the normal label is one wheel that shows Coca-Cola all the way. We are now talking of putting one name at a time. So it costs us more than what we would ordinary pay for the label and it also requires some technology which we have also leveraged on. It’s also our own way of showing that it’s really about the consumer; that our consumers matter to us.

    You know we could have told consumers to pay 20 percent more and they will be willing to, but for us we are looking at the campaign as a means of getting attention of the consumers and bonding more with them and that is the primary objective. Yes, at the end of the day it translates into money because people want to buy. But I’m being very honest with you; one of our objectives wasn’t driving money, because the money would come, it’s more about the affinity.

    So, again to reiterate all that I have said, the campaign is in line with Coke’s mission to inspire shared moment of happiness for the consumers and their loved ones, and that is the whole essence of this campaign; to give back to the consumers, showing them recognition and showing them how much we value them. Nothing really can be more personal than your name and what can be more personal than your name swapped with the iconic Coke logo.

  • Beauty queen takes campaign up north

    IT wasn’t just a poster advert when Queen Sarah Obongha from Cross River State, who is the present face of culture Northern Nigeria 2014 organised a poetry competition for government primary schools in Abuja Municipal Area Council. Her mission was simple; to use education to promote and project the Nigerian culture. Hence, she titled her Pet Project “showcasing arts and culture academically and beyond”.

    The poetry competition which was powered by the Face of Culture Organisation, started on December 8, 2014 and came to fruition on February 11, 2015.

    The poem competition was meant for pupils in Primaries 4 and 5 and was titled “Our Culture”. They were guaranteed cash prizes of N60, 000, N40, 000 and N20, 000 for the first, second and third place winners respectively, with consolation prizes for the other 13 outstanding participants.

    A total of 68 entries were thoroughly assessed and supervised by the Universal Basic Education Board representative, Mrs. Uche and the competition was approved by the Ministry of Education.

    Amira Aliyu from LEA Primary School Utako, Abuja, Momoh Mercy from LEA Aleyita, Airport road, Abuja and Dominic Mercy, also from LEA Primary School, Kado Estate, Abuja , all in Primary 5, took 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.

    “They were judged based on their stanza arrangements, pattern and figurative languages, rhyme and similarity of words, punctuation marks and spellings,” said Obongha who added that “all 68 participants had a certificate of participation with various gifts as well.”

    Engr. Leye, a philanthropist, was moved by the impressive performance of the overall winner that he opted to sponsor her entire secondary school education. This remarkable gesture has gone a long way in meeting the needs and uplifting the dreams of a brilliant, but less-privileged Nigerian school girl, which of course was made possible with the “Queen Sarah Obongha’s poetry competition”.

    The award giving event which was hosted by the winner’s school, was graced by all head teachers and representatives from the 17 schools that participated in the competition, UBEB representatives and the media.

    “The winners were delighted and everyone present encouraged the growth of our culture especially the constant use of the Nigerian language which is our identity. Cultural dances and poem recitations were presented by the schools which graced the occasion. Everyone in attendance left with souvenir’s to share with friends,” said Obongha, who noted that she was also applauded and congratulated for a job well done.

    The beauty queen also promised to conduct more educational projects if given firm support from the Federal Government, Ministries, Corporate Organisations, the Media and any interested persons. She unveiled a project she would be working on soonest for secondary schools which would be an art competition and the campaign of school farms for students to aid the growth of the agricultural sector which is one of the Nigeria’s oldest cultures.

    Expressing her future desire, Obongha said she wishes and hopes to work with the First Lady of Nigeria or that of any northern state on the agricultural project. She noted that it will train students on how to cultivate food crops and meet the needs of their families, irrespective of their career plans and ambitions. She said farm tools, crops, fertilizers and financial aids will be guaranteed for the would-be beneficiaries.

    Looking back, Miss Obongha expressed gratitude to her family for their support, while also acknowledging the help rendered by people and organisations such as Arc. Daniel Osuala (D-Designs) for all the creative designs, Mr. Williams Oche(DGP resources limited), Prince Godswill Osim (Eddyliz), Amb. Collins Adeyemi (P-Man’s Gov.), Indomie, Coca-cola, Face of Culture Organisation.

  • Will presidential election be decided by hate campaign?

    Will presidential election be decided by hate campaign?

    For nearly three months now, the two main contending parties in the presidential election, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the main opposition party, and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), the ruling party at the centre, have been seriously engaged in vigorous electoral campaigns for support in the forthcoming presidential election. There is a lot at stake for both parties and a hard fought and robust election campaign is an essential part of the democratic process. The electoral situation is more fluid today than ever before. Marginal votes are likely to be significant and these can swing the election one way or the other between the two main contending parties. Despite this, the public still expects that the election campaign should be conducted in a civilised and civil manner, with the main focus being placed on the critical political and economic issues of the day.

    Sadly, this is not the case now as this is increasingly looking more like a rancorous, hateful and divisive campaign, instead of one with the real focus on the critical issues of the day. It is perfectly understandable that the two main contending parties, the PDP and the APC, should engage themselves in a robust manner in the election campaign. But this is no justification for the resort to the kind of foul language the public is being treated to in the course of this electoral campaign. All decent persons must find this development reprehensible. We have been having elections in Nigeria long before independence in 1960 and after. But I cannot recall previous election campaigns in Nigeria that have generated such hateful and indecorous language as this one. Nigeria’s four pre-independence leaders, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Sardauna, and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, refrained during election campaigns from calling one another names, or heaping insults and vile attacks on their political opponents. The political rivalry among them was very intense, but they deliberately refrained from personal attacks on one another. Whatever their political differences, they were decent men and conducted themselves decorously. Only during the disgraceful era of Akintola/Fani-Kayode’s dirty politics were the electorate and the Nigerian public treated to such scurrilous and foul attacks on their political opponents as we now have it.

    In this current campaign climate of hate, and resort to ethnic and religious divides, the PDP, the ruling party, has been guiltier than any of its political opponents. Shopworn lies are constantly being concocted, fabricated and peddled by some of the party’s roughnecks, veterans of street fighting and, beerhouse brawls.  Femi Fani-Kayode, head of the PDP publicity in the elections who like his deceased father, Remi Fani-Kayode, is a Cambridge educated lawyer, has constantly hauled personal attacks and insults on General Muhammadu Buhari, the APC presidential candidate. He is certainly not a proud product of Cambridge, that genteel and sedate university. President Goodluck Jonathan has not yet disassociated himself from this hateful campaign. In fact, he seems to encourage it.

    Femi Fani-Kayode claimed falsely that Buhari did not have the school certificate, the basic requirement for contesting the elections. When he was proved wrong, he came up with other incredible lies regarding Buhari’s Chatham House lecture, which were equally debunked. More recently, he claimed that the fuel crisis in the country was the handiwork of the APC, the main opposition party. Again, his allegation proved to be false as the crisis was due to the refusal of the oil marketers, who were being owed money by the PDP Federal Government to import refined oil. Femi Fani-Kayode has neither admitted his mistake in this regard, nor apologised to the nation for his misleading remarks. Governor Ayo Fayose has been equally totally unrestrained in his verbal attacks on General Buhari, going as far as to warn that if he won Buhari would die in office. This is most uncharitable and has been roundly condemned in the country. It is a real pity that Jonathan has chosen these indecorous propagandists to lead his campaign. They have done his campaign more harm than good. But what else should we expect when President Jonathan himself irreverently dismissed former President Olusegun Obasanjo as ‘a motor park tout’. How can he then call his men to order?

    In contrast to the desperate campaign of the PDP, the opposition party, the APC, has been more restrained in its approach to the electoral campaign. It has conducted a brilliant, skilful and impressive electoral campaign that has fully exploited the weakness of the PDP Federal Government. It has refused to be drawn into personal attacks on President Jonathan, Buhari’s opponent in the election. Instead, it has identified the main issues on which the elections should really be fought, namely massive corruption in the PDP Federal Government, colossal mismanagement of the national economy, Nigeria’s woeful infrastructure, the increasingly violent Boko Haram insurgency that has led to thousands of death in Nigeria, the vast number of the internally-displaced refuges in our country and Jonathan’s Abuja land grab.

    To some extent, ensuing economic and political events have also been broadly favourable to the APC. The falling oil prices, the 30 per cent devaluation of the naira, the continuing dispute over how much money exactly is missing from the national accounts, and the inability of the PDP Federal Government to maintain security, law and order in the country have all contributed to the growing unpopularity of the PDP in the country. The APC has wisely anchored its campaign on the inherent incompetence and inability of the PDP to run a clean, honest, transparent and effective government in the country. Its poor record on employment, creation of jobs, reduction of poverty level in the country has been its Achilles heel. The Nigerian economy may be the largest in Africa. But Nigeria, under this PDP government, has one of the lowest par capita incomes in Africa. Evidently, the man in the street is mystified that the country is so rich but that its people are so poor, and that there is still such mass poverty in the middle of such opulence in the country.

    The resort to vile language and personal insults by agents of the PDP shows quite clearly that its campaign has no real merit and that the party cannot defend its appalling record in office. Vast sums of money, most of it public funds, illicitly acquired, are being expended by the party to bribe the churches, the mosques, and the traditional rulers. But it is doubtful, given the structure of Nigerian politics, that this will have any effect on the electoral fortunes of the party in the March elections. In the case of Afenifere that has so shamelessly and so strangely declared its support for President Jonathan, its support is worth little or nothing to the PDP. Afenifere is no longer the formidable political organisation or movement that it once was. None of its present leaders can win elections in the Southwest. They have become irrelevant in the politics of the Southwest where their political influence has fallen considerably. Equally, the traditional rulers in the Southwest that President Jonathan has been trying desperately to woo have little or no influence on the electorate in the region. Even in Ife, the Ooni, the leader of the pack, has little or no political influence now. So trying to bribe the Obas is a waste of money, time and effort. They cannot deliver the votes Jonathan needs to win the elections, if they are free and fair.

    Instead of focusing its attention on the real issues of the elections and defending its record in office, the PDP has been trying desperately to scuttle it. First, it fraudulently procured a shift in the date of the elections. Then it rejected the use of the voters’ card reader for which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was provided by the PDP Federal Government with the necessary funds. Then its leading spokesmen, particularly Chief Edwin Clark, the self-acclaimed ‘god father’ of President Jonathan, attacked Professor  Attahiru Jega, the fair-minded chairman of INEC, demanding his premature suspension from office. Altogether, the PDP has run a negative electoral campaign, which is counterproductive. It has alienated quite a lot of the few uncommitted voters and will not secure for Jonathan the marginal votes he needs to win the election.

    It must be said to the credit of Buhari that he has stood above the petty electioneering of the PDP propagandists. He has looked more confident, charismatic and presidential than Jonathan, his main opponent. He has refused to be drawn into any negative campaign, preferring instead to focus on the main issues of the day. He has his own faults too, but on the basis of his campaign strategy and his steady and unwavering commitment to defining the real issues of the elections, many consider him to be a far better candidate than Jonathan. He deserves to win the presidential election.

  • ‘Say No Campaign’ calls for hitch-free election

    ‘Say No Campaign’ calls for hitch-free election

    The ‘say No Campaign’, an NGO committed to sentisizing Nigerians on the need for peaceful election organized a voter education forum for stakeholders in Akure, the Ondo State capital recently. DAMISI OJO was there.

    AS the rescheduled 2015 general elections draw near, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) “Say No Campaign” has stressed the need for Nigerian youths and electorate to eschew violence to pave way for a peaceful poll.

    The group gave the charge during a Town Hall meeting on non-violent electoral participation which it organized in Akure, Ondo State capital to educate members of the public, especially the youth on the importance of voting and making their votes count in the rescheduled elections.

    The objective of the group is to promote non-violence and prevent electoral fraud ahead of the forthcoming elections.

    The South-West zonal Coordinator of the group, Mr. Abiodun Ajijola said the project is aimed at promoting citizens’ participation and deepen democratic governance in Nigeria with the objectives to support citizens, especially, youth to participate effectively in a violent free electoral process.

    Ajijola noted that most of the violence that occurred before, during and after 2011 general elections, was perpetrated by youth a repeat of which he said they have started again in the build up to 2015 elections.

    He said peace is a major ingredient toward achieving any meaningful development by any country.

    He added that conducting credible, violence free and fair election was one of the ways to achieve peace by any nation saying “Electoral violence, whether before, during or after, will always disrupt the needed peace that will be the catalyst for the desired growth and development of a nation”.

    Highlights of the seminar include voter education to members, questions and answers on Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) collection, new dates for the elections, voting process and what constitute electoral offences.

    Addressing the gathering, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Segun Agbaje said the journey towards consolidating and deepening the country’s nascent democratic process should be the collaborative efforts of the Civil Society Organizations.

    He explained that to foster effective security for the conduct of the coming general elections, the commission had established the inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security in the state.

    Agbaje said the committee had mapped out several strategies towards ensuring that the elections are conducted in a rancor free environment.

    He said:” For the avoidance of doubt, only PVC shall be used for voting during the 2015 General Elections. The Temporary Voter’s Cards (TVCs) shall not be used saying “No PVC, No Voting”.

    The President National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Ondo State, Kowe Odunayo who also spoke at the event appealed to students not to compromise their future by saying no to corruption and election rigging.

    He noted that politicians would want to gain their support by offering them money, decrying a situation where students would be allowed to remain in school during the general elections.

     

  • Jonathan, Mu’azu clash as PDP’s hate campaign backfires

    Jonathan, Mu’azu clash as PDP’s hate campaign backfires

    A NEW crisis has broken out in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The crisis has been sparked by the party’s presidential campaign organisation’s and First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan’s attacks on some of the North’s prominent politicians.

    The hate campaign has ignited a row between President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu.

    Specifically, Mu’azu and other Northern leaders in the PDP have kicked against the unrestrained vulgar attacks by the First Lady and Jonathan’s campaign spokesman, Femi Fani-Kayode, against All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    Mu’azu and other party chieftains are said to have taken exception to Mrs. Jonathan referring to Gen. Buhari as being “brain dead” without a word of caution from the President. The First Lady’s position was echoed by Fani-Kayode, who re-stated that “yes, truly, Buhari is brain dead”.

    Similarly, Mrs. Jonathan’s reference to “people in the North who breed more children than they can cater for” during one of her campaign stops in Calabar, Cross River State, is also said to the causing disquiet within the party’s leadership.

    Mrs. Jonathan had said: “Our people do not give birth to uncountable children. Our men don’t give birth to children they dump in the streets. We are not like people from that part of the country (North)”.

    In that instance, Mrs. Jonathan was apparently referring to the Almajiri system in the North, a lower stratum of children whose situation her husband claims to be addressing with the establishment of Almajiri schools in some states in the North.

    Some prominent citizens including some clerics, have continued to register their indignation over the First Lady’s utterances, wondering why Mu’azu and other Northern leading lights in the PDP would keep quiet over what they consider an assault on their collective cultural values.

    The Northern establishment is said to have taken the silence by Mu’azu and other prominent Northern chieftains of the party on Mrs. Jonathan’s verbal assaults as acquiescence or approval.

    Faced with opposition from his home base, the PDP National Chairman was said to have voiced his objection to the affront and is said to be exhibiting a lukewarm commitment to the President’s campaign.

    This is said to have caused divisions between Mu’azu and some prominent chieftains of the PDP on one hand and President Jonathan and a horde of party chieftains from the South on the other.

    But the party’s National Publicity Secretary  Chief Olisa Metuh, has denied it all. In a statement he issued on Monday, Metuh dismissed the report as “spurious” and an attempt to drag down the party chairman.

    Metuh said:”As one of the founding fathers of the PDP, the National Chairman has continued to add immense value with his mature and decent approach to issues in keeping with the tradition and vision of our great party, a disposition that has continued to attract massive support across board for our presidential flag bearer, President Goodluck Jonathan.

    “Indeed, we are aware that the aim of those behind the mischievous report is to sow seed of discord and cause confusion within our ranks, distract the leadership and undermine our presidential campaign, which is now coasting swiftly to victory to the chagrin of the opposition.

    “It is incontrovertible that the National Chairman has been at the forefront of our presidential campaign train and enjoys an excellent working relationship with President Jonathan as exhibited in their bond at rallies, visits and meetings with stakeholders across the country.

    “Whereas we recognise the zeal and enthusiasm of some of our supporters who are repaying the opposition in their own stock, our National Chairman, as the face of the PDP, has remained restrained despite numerous unwarranted provocations, a stance which does not in anyway detract from his commitment to the campaigns but reinforces our values and dedication to unity, peace and stability of our dear nation.

    “This exemplary style of politics played significant role in reducing the tension in the polity ahead of the elections and has also endeared our party to a majority of Nigerian citizens and key stakeholders in the electoral process.

    “It is to the credit of the National Chairman that his leadership stabilised our party at its critical moment and successfully achieved unity among our leaders and members while strengthening the confidence of Nigerians in the PDP as the only vehicle to deliver democracy dividends to them.”

    “Also indisputable is his deft application of wealth of experience and far-reaching connections to galvanize the entire party structure in adopting President Goodluck Jonathan as our sole presidential candidate, a project to which he has remained unflinchingly committed.

    “Since the commencement of the campaigns, our National Chairman has evolved and maintained a dynamic structure that involves members of the National Working Committee engaging in personal and group campaigns as well as strategic meetings with critical stakeholders in their respective states and zones to ensure the success of President Jonathan and other candidates of our party in the elections.

    “This is in addition to effective coordination of party structures in all the zones, states, local governments and wards across the country.

    “Finally, we wish to state categorically that the PDP remains resolute as one united family and no amount of media fabrications and malicious insinuations will distract us from our focus ahead of the elections”.

  • Ad Council brings competing brands together for a campaign

    Ad Council brings competing brands together for a campaign

    The Ad Council of United States is uniting competing firms for a campaign called “Love Has No Labels.”

    Together, the Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Allstate and State Farm are hoping to start a conversation about prejudice and unconscious biases.

    The idea stemmed from a conversation one of Coca-Cola’s top marketers, Wendy Clark, had last spring with then Ad Council President Peggy Conlon.

    “She wanted to see if this is a topic we would want to take on,” said Lisa Sherman, the non-profit organisation’s current president. “As we approached some of our partners it was clear that there was a number of partners interested.”

    The campaign, from digital shop R/GA, is meant to draw attention to “implicit biases.” People will be prompted to examine their own preconceived notions of others. The idea is to jolt those who believe they are not prejudiced.

    “Implicit bias refers to the way people unconsciously and sometimes unwillingly exhibit bias towards other individuals and groups,” said Rachel Godsil, co-founder and director of research at the Perception Institute in a statement.

    “The good news is that once we are aware of our biases, we can begin to take action to reduce the effects they can have on our behavior and ultimately, to reduce the biases themselves.”

    The Ad Council – whose public service announcement legacy includes well-known slogans like “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires,” “A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste” and “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk” – has historically worked on a single issue with just one organisation at a time. With this new program it will be collaborating with eight non-profit organisations, each representing a class that is discriminated against.

    Those who visit www.LoveHasNoLabels.com can take an online quiz to evaluate their own level of prejudice. Then, they will be prompted to help the Anti-Defamation League, Southern Poverty Law Centre, National Women’s Law Centre, Human Rights Campaign, American Association of People with Disabilities, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Muslim Advocates or AARP.

    “It’s timely,” said R/GA Global Chief Creative Officer Nick Law. “There are lots of stuff happening. Not just domestically but globally.”

    The campaign will be seeded on social media platforms by the brands and non-profit partners involved, with each expected to temporarily replace its profile image with the official campaign logo designed by Mr. Law.

    The simplicity of the design speaks to the overall message. “One of the original creative ideas was using the product and taking the labels off…  this idea of taking away superficial labels or superficial impressions. This idea of the absence of something,” Mr. Law said. “To take brands that in business compete but are all dedicated to specific values.”

    A TV spot will be produced at a live installation in Los Angeles on Valentine’s Day and will air in March. There will be additional support from print, as well as significant pushes on digital and social media platforms – which factored into the Ad Council’s agency selection.

    “Engaging communities of people felt very important to our strategy,” said Ms. Sherman. “R/GA was a great creative and strategic partner – it thinks holistically but is very digitally-centric.”

    Though there are some natural time periods throughout the year where it will make sense to promote the effort – like LGBT Pride Month – the hope, according to Ms. Sherman, is to create an evergreen campaign.

    “The creative and the idea have the makings of creating a social movement that will bring people together,” she said.

  • FRSC takes campaign to churches, mosques

    FRSC takes campaign to churches, mosques

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), has sought divine intervention in ensuring sanity on the roads.

    At a church service at Rhema Christian Church in Sango, the Ota, Ogun State Unit Commander of FRSC Mr. Olufemi Olonisaye said taking safety campaigns to churches and mosques were part of the strategic measures for meeting the Corps’ 2015 target of reduction of crashes.

    He said: “Members of the corps have been mandated to embark on aggressive enlightenment campaign that would include churches, mosques and schools. We have to ensure that motorists know and adhere to the safety tips while driving and should not violate traffic rules and regulations.”

    Olonisaye urged motorists to always drive to stay alive, saying the non-use of seat is of concern to the commission.

    Seat belt, he said, have proved to reduce injuries as they are designed to hold people back on their seats during a crash. Seat belts also minimise contact between the occupant and vehicle interior and significantly reduce the risk of ejection.

    The commander said rear seat occupants, should also wear their seat belts for their safety as this poses serious challenge to the corps’ concerted efforts to address the menace of crashes in the country.

    Motorists, he said, should also observe child safety precautions both inside the vehicle and on the road.

    He said the Corps is promoting children’s acquisition of safety skills on the roads which would come handy while using or crossing the road.

    Olonisaye advised the expectant mothers to always wear seat belt, saying the best way they should wear it is: “to place the diagonal strap between the breasts with the strap resting over the shoulder, not the neck; and to place the lap belt flat on the thighs, fitting comfortably beneath the enlarged abdomen and over the pelvis not the bump.”

    It is wrong, he said, for them to wear “lap-only-belt” as this is known to have caused grave injuries to unborn children in the event of sudden accident.

    Olonisaye also warned road users against: overspeeding, wrongful overtaking, driving under the influence of alcohol/drug, indiscriminate parking, poor vehicle maintenance culture and contending with big lorries especially on the highways.

    He urged drivers to always concentrate while driving, noting that some drivers engage in things that distract them, such as, talking with passengers, answering phone calls, eating and gesticulating.

    Bishop Taiwo Akinola hailed the FRSC for their efforts in reducing crashe.

    He urged road users to always obey rules to ensure safety of all.

     

  • APC campaign: Jonathan’s harsh tax policies killing industries

    APC campaign: Jonathan’s harsh tax policies killing industries

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) has said the harsh tax regime and high electricity tariff under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Federal Government are forcing many industries to close shop.

    The APC campaign assured Nigerians that the party would not impose any harsh tax regime on Nigerians, but would rather employ existing tax policies of government to fund its people-oriented programmes.

    Director of Media and Publicity of the APC Campaign Organisation, Mallam Garba Shehu, said in a statement in Abuja that under the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, the people and the business community were reeling under multiple, discriminatory and harsh tax regime.

    He said: “The prevailing harsh tax regime under the PDP government has caused untold hardship on the population while manufacturing industries are threatening to shut down their operations because of the high electricity tariff imposed on them when they depend largely on generating sets to power their factories.

    “An APC administration will make life more bearable and manageable for both the citizens and the business sector by entrenching discipline in public administration across all sectors of governance.

    “Second, the party will plug all loopholes through which public funds are being lost. When these loopholes and accompanying wastages are plugged and corruption reduced to a minimum or totally stamped out as promised by our presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, the government will have reasonable quantum of funds for social investments programmes in education, health, and safety nets such as free school meals for children, emergency public works for unemployed youths and pensions for the elderly.

    “Third, an APC government will seek to ensure that all existing laws and policies on taxation will be implemented judiciously while tax authorities and administrators will be encouraged to do their work with the utmost transparency.

    “The PDP is obviously scared of the credible alternative, which the APC represents and will go to any length to lie to Nigerians on any issue, including those on which the APC has not expressed a position. The majority of Nigerians are looking forward eagerly to the advent of an APC administration as a panacea to the deceit and fraud that has characterised the administration of the PDP in the last 16 years.

    “In view of the mood of the nation and the glaring cases of stealing, corruption, fraud and looting that is the character of the administration, we advise the PDP spokesperson to save his breath and make the burden of change and power transfer lighter by advising his party and their government functionaries to start preparing hand-over notes”.

  • Borno pastor: CAN got N7b to campaign against Buhari

    Borno pastor: CAN got N7b to campaign against Buhari

    The allegation that some pastors collected money to campaign against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, has taken another dimension, with Borno State born Pastor Kallamu Musa Ali Dikwa reaffirming the allegation.

    The Director-General of the Buhari Campaign Organisation and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi alleged that some unnamed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders paid N6 billion to Christian clerics to campaign against APC.

    Amaechi’s allegation generated uproar among the Christian clerics, with the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and the Northern State Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) challenging Amaechi to name the church leaders who collected the money.

    But, Pastor Dikwa, who is the executive director of the Voice of Northern Christian Movement, confirmed the allegation to a group of reporters in Kaduna.

    He said: “It was N7 billion that was given to the CAN leadership.”

    The money, he said, was shared N3 million to the state chairmen of the CAN. The money was handed over to the CAN leadership on January 26, 2015.”

    He said N3 million was given to the CAN executives in each state.

    “Actually, the money is not N6b; it is N7b. This is what I know. One of the CAN officials from Abuja told me that they collected the money,” Pastor Dkiwa said.

    “They are now threatening Christians in Borno State that they will deal with anybody who refuses to vote for Jonathan. And the CAN officials are campaigning that if Buhari emerges president, he will Islamise Nigeria, and that Osinbajo collects money from Islamic world, and the same Osinbajo will resign soon after Buhari wins to give way for Tinubu to emerge vice president,” he added.

    But, CAN’s Director of National Issues Sunday Oibe said the body will react to the allegation today.

    “We ‘ll react appropriately to the allegations and Nigerians will know the truth,” he said.

  • Campaign finance and abuse of incumbency

    The abuse of State and Administrative Resources (SARs) in the context of electioneering campaigns has been a recurring decimal in Nigeria’s electoral democracy since the first republic. Yet the links between campaign finance rules and misuse of incumbency powers have not been receiving significant attention it requires until much recently. Perhaps, given the undue advantages derived from incumbency factors, especially in the context of campaign finance, it becomes very important that the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) start tracking the misuse of SARs for electioneering campaigns purposes.

    The stakes are always high whenever the incumbents contest as candidates as immense public resources are often deployed towards retaining power at all costs. As long as an election presents a possibility of defeat for the ruling parties, the same perverse techniques perfected at every turn, would be called into use to avert the imminence of defeat. This perversion is seen as a symptomatic of a political culture in which competitive party politics is equated with either a zero-sum game or warfare by which one’s enemies (sorry, opponents) must be annihilated.

    Again, the ongoing electioneering campaigns have thrown up the issue of misuse of incumbency factors where the ruling parties at all levels overtly exploiting public resources and privileges attached to their offices for undue personal political ambitions. For example, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has not disavowed the use of SARs attaches to the office of the President for his re-election campaigns. For instance, there were many credible news reports in both the electronic and print media that the ruling PDP held series of partisan political meetings in the State House (Presidential Villa), including a fund-raising dinner for the President/PDP, or using presidential aircrafts, motorcade (convoys of SUVs), state house facilities and other paraphernalia, including deploying publicly paid presidential aides/staffers for electioneering campaign purposes. Undoubtedly, this remains an abuse or misuse of privileges by the incumbent as other candidates or parties have no access to similar governmental facilities and or resources for their electioneering campaigns; as such, they might have to source for fund in order to hold similar meetings in hotels/event centres.

    Aside the federal level, the employment of SARs for election campaigns has also been played out by the incumbent state governments even in the All Progressive Congress (APC) controlled states. For instance, the APC controlled Rivers State government reluctantly accepted the PDP to use its 40,000 capacity (Adokiye Amiesiemeka) Stadium in Port Harcourt for the party’s South-south presidential rally.

    Estimating the market value (or cost) of using, for instance, the Banquet facilities at the State House, Abuja, could be benchmarked at the cost of hiring either the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel or International Conference Centre, Abuja. The rates charged for hiring Transcorp Hilton Congress Hall is given at N2millon excluding food and drinks. A three-course meal at the prestigious Hotel is N7300 per head, when this rate is multiplied by the total number of over 500 guests that was reported to have attended the PDP presidential fund-raising dinner on Saturday, December 20, 2014, more than N6million could have been expended on only the venue and meals; not to talk of accommodation and honorarium for event managers, performing artistes and live coverage of the event on three major news television channels (AIT, Channels Television and NTA). The same simple costing can be done for estimating other monetary value of all SARs items like chartering of aircraft, vehicular convoys/motorcade and accommodation for Presidential campaigns entourage using the market value or cost of the items in question.

    More so, abuse of public resources by the ruling parties in their electoral campaigns also include the coercive, regulatory, legislative, institutional (human/material), and financial resources, etc. for example, the opposition APC has accused (and even taken) the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to court for shutting down its online fund-raising SMS platform. Media reports had it that the chair of APC fund raising committee for the Buhari/Osinbajo presidential campaign, Governor Babatunde Fashola, accused the NCC of shutting down the SMS platform set up by the party for interested Nigerians to donate to its campaign fund; noting that the commission had even threatened to sanction any service provider that runs political advertisement or promotions which could portray them as being partisan. Suffice to say that the same NCC that couldn’t flex its regulatory muscles on the avalanche of complaint over daily bombardment of unsolicited SMS on subscribers quickly remembers its regulatory powers to sanction erring GSM service providers!

    More recently, the opposition APC has had course to accuse the Federal Government of planning to use the State Security Services, SSS, and the Police to harass and intimidate its leaders. While noting the threats of arrest on its leaders by key government officials and the collaboration of the security agencies, the party said it was clear that the Jonathan administration was set to crackdown on the opposition. Although the presidency dismissed the allegation as baseless; and stressed that it was part of APC’s agenda to malign the President.

    The tussle between the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) and the state Police Command may amount to infraction in terms of the SARs as other federal authorities purportedly ban outdoor ads on all federal roads in the state even against the backdrop that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage (DOAS) has been doing similar removal of unauthorized political campaign materials without any hindrances. The Lagos Police command was reported to have threatened LASAA officials with arrests for allegedly destroying campaign posters and billboards of opposition parties within the state.  The police said it was being bombarded with series of complaints from candidates of other political parties (apart from APC), alleging mass destruction of their posters and billboards by LASAA.  The police thus said it won’t take lightly the report of anyone caught in such act as it was ready to ensure a level playing field for all political parties and their respective candidates seeking any elective office in the forthcoming general elections.

    In a nutshell, the issue of party and or campaign finance remain integral to sanitize Nigeria’s growing electoral democracy given the corrosive influence of dirty money and abuse of state and administrative resources on our electoral geography. It is at the root of political corruption as campaign corruption has been noted to take three main forms; namely: Quid Pro Quo donations where parties or candidates receives campaign resources in return for favourable treatments (which the World Bank considers as the foundation of state capture); use SARs where incumbent candidates or parties overtly exploit their official paraphernalia unduly; and bribery of voters (apparently decipher in sudden charitable gesture by candidates now termed stomach infrastructure) and election officials. The need for a level playing field for the various contending political parties and their candidates cannot be achieved if some candidates enjoy undue advantages attached to their offices for electoral gains. Thus, the level of openness or otherwise of funding for political parties and the effectiveness of campaign finance rules remain very important to contain the abuse of SARs and corrosive impact of moneybags (and their dirty money) on the electoral process.

    • Salman writes from Kuje, Abuja.