It is reward time for customers in the Grand Oak promo – a marketing and distribution arm of Lexcel Group.
Grand Oak is the manufacturer of Calypso Coconut Liquor, Lord’s Dry Gin, among others.
The promo, an in-store and in-bar campaign, kicked off at the same time in Lagos, Calabar, Port Harcourt, Onitsha, Uyo, Warri, Ughelli, Agbor, Enugu, Abakaliki, Aba and other cities.
Sales canvassers dressed in branded T-shirts were in select markets with assorted gifts worth millions of naira and gave them to customers for every purchase of Lord’s Dry Din or Calypso Coconut Liquor made.
Consumers’ response had been massive with leading Lagos bars and clubs, such as Ice Lounge, Surulere; Admirals, Surulere; O’jez, National Stadium; Lounge, 37, Surulere, La Mango-GRA, Ikeja, AY Bar-WEMPCO Road, Ogba and Illumina Banilux-Sabo, Yaba, being in the forefront of the activation.
Others were the Officers’ Mess-Sabo, Yaba, Kingston Joe- Apapa, Metro Park-GRA, Ikeja, The Hub-Adenyi Jones, Ikeja, Grasshoppers- Festac, Cynergy Hotel& Bar-Amuwo Odoffin, Stephane’s Place-Apapa, Ember Creek- Ikoyi and Xover Lounge in Lekki.
According to the firm’s General Manager, Marketing, Mr. Brajesh Kumar, the promo was designed to further connect the company with its customers in the Southsouth, Southeast and Lagos and to strengthen its leadership position in the spirit and wine segment of the alcoholic beverages market. The exercise, which has so far recorded high level mileage, Kumar explained, was aimed at brand penetration and rewarding of loyal customers, stressing that the target group is the retailers in the open market.
Apart from the prizes won, consumers are also learning some tricks about the production process of their favourite drinks. For instance, a consumer, who simply identified himself as Stephens at the O’Jez, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, said the brand activation has given him the opportunity to learn how to make beverages.
“It has given me the opportunity to learn about cocktails. I now know that with the Lord’s Dry Gin, you can come up with various cocktails of delight and savour for discerning consumers with taste and fashion.”
Donald Johnson, who was savouring a glass of the gin in bar in Lekki-Lagos, said he never knew the Lord’s Dry Gin was tasteful. “It tastes nice and is better enjoyed when served cold, I used to think it is very hot. I might consider going into the sale shortly, many of my friends will surely like the fine smooth taste, it is not what we thought it was, it is pleasing and enjoyable,” he said.
A trader, who sells the product at Mushin, Moji Adisa, was specially excited at her gifts from the canvassers, exclaiming: “This is wonderful; though I have been selling various Grand Oak and Calypso coconut liquor products for some time, this is the first time I will get these gifts from them. I appreciate them. They will inspire me to identify with them more, because the demand from people who love it increases daily. I will be stocking more henceforth,” she said
Brand Manager, Grand Oak Limited, Jacob Akaade, scored the the promo high, adding that the response from consumers has been impressive.
“They have been responding in droves, they are associating with the brand, clubs and bars not covered in this exercise so far are mounting pressures on us from all over the place, asking us to come and replicate it in their places,” Akaade said.
Lord’s Dry Gin and Calypso Coconut Liquor are premium brands from the stable of Grand Oaks Limited.
Other leading brands from the foremost spirit marketer in the country are Regal Dry Gin, Bacchus Tonic Wine, Dark Sailor, Rum and its flagship brand, Seaman’s Schnapps.
