Ifeoma Agu is the brand manager of Malta Guinness and premium non-alcoholic drinks at Guinness Nigeria. A member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing,she holds a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. In this interview with GBENGA ADERANTI, Agu talks about her journey into marketing, branding and her passion. Excerpts:
What were you doing before joining Guinness Nigeria Plc.?
Just before joining Guinness Nigeria Plc, I was working with Visafone Communications as a customer care consultant, managing one of the retail customer care outlets. Prior to that, I had worked with Guaranty Trust Bank as a commercial banking executive managing corporate accounts sign on, driving exceptional customer relationship management, and profiling key customers for specialized services.We delivered on all monthly balance targets with over five hundred (500) clients recruited as customers of the bank.
Why are you so attracted to branding and marketing?
I would say I discovered the world of branding and marketing very early in life, I was drawn to adverts and brand packaging as a child. I remember how I used to compete with my siblings reciting tv commercials and radio jingles being played back then. However, my first formal introduction to the world of marketing was at Zus Bureau, where I had worked as an intern trainee coordinator at the age of 18 during my undergraduate first year summer holiday. The CEO of Zus Bureau,Chris Doghudje, also former APCON Chairman schooled me on the tenets of brand management and marketing and I was privileged to access the trainings and materials most company brand managers and CEOs paid to attend as a trainee coordinator. It was at Zus Bureau I discovered my flair for marketing and I have nurtured this passion ever since then. So to improve on what I had learnt, I made a decision to find a placement in different companies during the summer holidays through my four years course in Botany at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Hence I worked at Daily Independent newspapers as a marketing executive for three months during my second year holiday and then Equinox International Resources, Ikoyi, as a marketing executive/sales analyst after my final year exams, and all this experience has helped to shape me as an exceptional marketing professional by the time I was ready to hit the job market.
What did you do to improve on the brand?
Malta Guinness being a premium malt drink has been the nation’s favourite malt drink with a strong brand equity. To further improve the brand, I would say we have dialed up the emotional benefits of the brand by leveraging opportunities to showcase Malta Guinness as an enabler to fuel the can do spirit of Nigerians by walking the talk in our communication and brand activations. For example, we recently launched the Malta Guinness “Go Get It” National Consumer promotion to reward over 800,000 Consumers with N100,000,000. This is a platform we are providing for our consumers to fuel their greatness- we know Nigerians are go getters, we have the can do spirit, so Malta Guinness is giving them the energy and the opportunity to achieve their dreams by giving out weekly cash prizes of N100,000 and N1,000,000 to lucky winners for 13 weeks and also instant airtime and N5,000 cash prizes daily. In the past five weeks, winners have emerged from different parts of the country and the cash prizes have helped many consumers actualize their dreams. Many of our winners are small scale business men and women, farmers, fashion designers, etc.Their winnings have provided opportunities for them to aim higher, expand their businesses and make them more profitable.This is what Malta Guinness exists to achieve:giving our consumers the opportunity to turn the Malta Goodness into Greatness!
What did you find challenging about this job and how did you manage to surmount it?
Having to work in a dynamic organization with tiers of internal and external stakeholders and getting everyone aligned to the business objective for the brand is very challenging:from the brief to the creative agency, to the media planning, PR, digital engagement and the bringing to life the platform idea in our BTL activations.Ensuring all are in sync and delivering on spelt out KPIs is challenging. I have had to bring in my project management and exceptional stakeholder management skills in leading these teams to deliver on called out objectives and consistently delivering great performance for the brand.
Tell me the bad, the good and the ugly sides of your job
The best part of my job is the fact that I love what I do. I am simply following my passion, hence, work is as good as engaging in my hobby, only that I get paid for it. I won’t really say I have an ugly side because my job is fun yet very tasking. I would say having to put in a lot of work into developing marketing strategies, planning and execution of campaigns and the desired spike in results does not appear immediately.Sometimes it can be depressing but the consolation comes in the fact that some of the work we do as brand managers reap its benefits in the long term as brand building is not a day’s job, it’s a continuous evolving task especially in this dynamic new age where everything is changing so fast.
As a woman, what does it take to excel in paid employment?
You have to work twice as hard, be hungry for success, stay focused and grow yourself. Nobody will cut you a slack just because you are a woman.Instead you must show them what you are made of and leave no room for mediocrity. Women are, no doubt, God’s special inventions.He carefully crafted us to handle more and that is why you see a woman being able to multitask; take charge of the home front; her marriage; and her career and still stand tall. As a woman, I tap into my daily source of strength ,which is the word of God, to inspire and guide my steps; I then find motivation in the outcome of my work, hence I work diligently to achieve set targets and objectives. Constant improvement,either through formal trainings, education or skill acquisition, goes a long way to open doors of opportunity, hence keep growing and keep improving yourself.
Unlike before, women are economically buoyant than men and more successful in terms of career.In your own opinion, what could have been responsible for this?
I cannot say categorically that women are more buoyant than men or more successful.However, there has been a significant shift from the days of our fathers when very few women had access to education and this can be attributed to increased awareness in the importance of child education and especially the sensitization around the girl child education. Parents are becoming more aware than before ,the need to give both genders an equal right to education, hence we see more women advancing into being career women. It has become quite evident that more and more women are advancing in the career world with great accomplishments all around the world. This, definitely, serves as a source of motivation to women to take on inspirational goals to become successful.
Tell us about your career in Guinness Nigeria?
Having resolved to build my career in marketing, I applied as a graduate management trainee in sales in Guinness Nigeria Plc in 2010 where I started as a retail development manager for 18 months.I made significant accomplishments and initiated the ‘Malta Goes to Church/Mosque & Bazzaar Schemes’ which drove significant growth for the brand. Then I moved to customer marketing as a commercial planning and activation manager where I managed the National In-bar Promotions and major BTL Activations for the Guinness portfolio brands for two years. Then I got promoted to Portfolio Strategy Manager responsible for developing and deploying winning Loyalty Programs for both retail and wholesale channels (Guinness Collabo and Aspire to Profit respectively) to foster GNPlc’s competitive advantage in the market. On completion of the Guinness Collabo and Aspire to Profit Scheme Projects, I moved to another role – Channel Development Manager, Retail and Off-trade – where, I must say, Guinness Nigeria Plc has given me the opportunity to grow through regular trainings and on the job experiences. I have been privileged to lead innovative projects, take on managerial responsibilities and grow through the ranks. The culture here is very inclusive and the value system is one that is unmatched in the FMCG industry. I have a proven track record of consistently delivering great performance having received several company awards and recognition to attest to the deep sense of professionalism and responsibility I bring to my work- some of which include: Nominee- Make a Difference Award- April, 2017; Marketing Award Winner –“Obsessed with Winning Category”- March, 2015;Guinness Nigeria- Dubic Star of the Quarter Award- June, 2012; Make a Difference Award- April, 2012; Super Sales Man Award- December, 2011; Nigeria- Hero of the Month Award- April, 2011.
Would you have preferred to do something different if you had the opportunity?
Chuckles… I don’t think so. Whatever I do will still be embedded in brand marketing. It’s the drive that gets me up in the morning and keeps me going. I will eventually retire to my own business which will ultimately require bringing together all these experiences and harnessing them to build a credible and profitable business.
Men are believed to be aggressive in your line of business, do you sometimes feel intimidated and why?
Intimidation can only arise when you are not good at what you do.For someone like me who is grounded in the crux of what I do, intimidation has no place in my vocabulary. When people get to experience what you have in the quality of your work output, there will be no need for any form of aggression; rather, what you get is respect and acknowledgement and sometimes- humility, as some will eventually approach you for guidance or to seek your opinion on ideas.
Why is it that most organizations prefer women as brand managers?
I do not think it is a gender race, although I do not think that might be true of most companies. However, it is no doubt that women are increasingly taking on more managerial positions and excelling at them. I believe women are becoming more involved and competing favourably in the job market.It is a case of let the best candidate get the job, and where a lady excels at the interview, it only makes good business case to give her the job because she is best fit for the role and not because she is a lady.
What is Malta Guinness ‘Go Get It’ all about?
At Malta Guinness, we believe dreams don’t just run on drive, they require energy to sustain and make real, hence Malta Guinness will be providing Nigerians with the energy needed to make their dreams come true, turning the Malta Goodness into Greatness. We want to give consumers the chance to fulfill their dreams in the new Malta Guinness “Go Get It” Consumer promotion. This initiative is embedded in the brand purpose of Malta Guinness which exists to fuel the can- do spirit of every day Nigerians who relish their daily challenges with optimism while focusing on their big dreams.
As an innovative brand, Malta Guinness is the first brand to launch an “Under the Can ring-pull” consumer promotion along with an “Under the crown” promo. This is to say we are the first to run a national consumer promotion on cans and bottles- making this promo accessible to all our consumers.Whether you like to enjoy your favourite Malta Guinness on the go in a can or you like to relax with a bottle of Malta Guinness, we have got you! The mechanics of the promotion is really simple.To participate in the promo, simply look out for special promotional cans and bottles of your favourite Malta Guinness variants (Malta Guinness Classic and Malta Guinness Herbs Lite), SMS the code under the crown or can ring pull with your name to 32011 for a chance to win a share of N100,000,000; for example: SMS 4ATY3UPW JENNIFER to 32011. (Just in case you are wondering how to find the can ring pull, it is the ring at the top of the can where you pull to open the can).
Every week, one lucky winner will win N1million and three lucky winners will receive N100,000 each. Furthermore, consumers will win N5000 cash prizes plus airtime worth millions of naira daily. Malta Guinness has partnered with Interswitch Group to deliver seamless cardless withdrawals using a paycode and pin on ATMs nationwide for the N5,000 daily cash prizes. So far, we are very happy to have held six weekly draws and are already fueling the dreams of our consumers. The winnings are a testament of our commitment and loyalty to our consumers and very importantly, it shows that the promo is genuine and winners will continue to emerge each day in the course of the promotion.
So far, six millionaires have emerged.Eighteen people have won N100,000, over 400 people have won N5,000each and over 200000 airtime winners in the Malta Guinness “Go Get It” Promotion. This promo will last till the 6th of November, 2017.
What is your undergraduate experience you will never forget?
I belonged to a conventional Christian dance group comprising close friends who shared like minds with respect to ministering to fellow students through dance. Dance was a cool thing and a major touch point for youths at the time and we used the medium to minister during school shows and different church and fellowship activities. It was really uplifting and good use of my time plus we had to keep fit to perform the different stunts required.I was the only lady in the group and it was very fulfilling.I cannot forget the experience.
When your faith comes in conflict with your profession, what do you do?
I resort to no compromise with my faith. My self-integrity is more important to me and this has been inculcated in me since I was a child. I have had instances where I either turned down a job or walked away and I have never regretted my actions as it always pays off on the long run. It is important to stand for what you believe is right and like the Bible says “the truth shall set you free.” Compromising will put you in perpetual bondage, so why trade your freedom and integrity for a cheap gain that does not last?
How do you balance your work life with family?
I once asked a senior colleague how she achieves this and her answer was there is no balance, you only learn the art of prioritization. I have come to understand the glass ball principle and how one must cherish and value family above all other aspects of life. I work hard and play hard with my family. I have had to prioritize at different points to manage workload and family requirements and I must say that the only way I have been able to crack this is with the help of a very strong support system comprising my ever supportive husband and family and I have been able to manage both fronts pretty well.
How do you unwind?
I play volleyball to unwind with friends and colleagues whenever I can.I also spend time with family and friends.
You still play volleyball?
Yes, I still do.It is my safe haven when I need to cool off. I also recently participated in the female volleyball championship organized by Guinness Nigeria Plc in May, 2017. It is a yearly employee engagement scheme where staff of Guinness Nigeria Plc come together to participate in different games ranging from chess to table tennis, volley ball, football, etc and each of these leads up to a final competition tagged “Guinness Cup”. My team of volleyball players have bagged this cup consecutively for the past two years with me emerging as the Most Valuable Player in the volley ball category. I also won the gold medal for Female Table Tennis championship during the last Guinness Cup 2017.
How do you remain young and youthful in spite of the stress of the job?
First, I am eternally grateful to God for the gift of life.I do not have the answers to how I have remained young and vibrant:it has been God all the way. On my part, I have tried to keep a healthy lifestyle and I engage in sports as often as I can: table tennis, volleyball and swimming. And of course I keep my Malta Guinness close.It definitely helps to fuel my energy and vitality, giving me the kick to relish my daily challenges with optimism.
