The Nation Newspaper

Tag: marketing

  • NFF adopts measures to boost marketing strategy

    NFF adopts measures to boost marketing strategy

    The Executive Committee of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has resolved that due regard and appropriate honour be accorded to all partners and sponsors at all of the Federation’s events and programmes, including matches of all the National Teams.

    It is the first time ever that the NFF is making a policy decision to give its partners and sponsors appropriate treatment and to facilitate the companies’ derivation of maximum mileage from all NFF programmes.

    NFF President Amaju Pinnick led the charge, following a presentation by the football body’s marketing consultant, Mr. Mike Itemuagbor.

    “We are determined to give all our partners and sponsors their due regard henceforth. They put their money into supporting the Federation’s programmes and deserve every respect and honour at all our events,” he said.

    “Certainly, we need more corporate bodies to partner with us in our efforts to seriously improve Nigeria football. But prospective partners will normally do a check on how you treat your current allies before deciding to pitch tent with you. It is natural.”

    Even before Itemuagbor’s presentation, which dwelt on the imperative of taking into consideration the interests of partners and sponsors before making important decisions, Pinnick, Vice Presidents Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko, and chairman of the Marketing Committee, High Chief Emeka Inyama had been pushing for new and refreshing attitude towards sponsors.

    Weeks ago, the Executive Committee adopted a comprehensive document tabled by Inyama for an entirely different approach to marketing, as well as to sponsors and partners.

    Pinnick said on Wednesday: “I have said over and over again that what we are doing presently is to focus hard on what needs to be done and summon the courage to do those things. We are carefully putting in place the building blocks for a sustainable football culture, while not forgetting the mission of turning around the National Teams in order that they will always do the country proud at international level.”

  • Marketing pitch: Controversy trails emergence of winners

    Marketing pitch: Controversy trails emergence of winners

    Winning a business pitch in the public relations, media and advertising industry is not always a game of luck. So many things go into getting a business aside being a leading agency. In the last few months, some agencies have lost business while some have added to their portfolio. Controversy has also trailed the emergence of one of the firms. In all, it is different strokes for different folks, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    Getting an agency to manage public relations, advertising, media or experiential marketing account is not always an easy task for brand owners. This is because it is a process that is cumbersome for both clients and agencies especially when an incumbent who understands the brand suspects that another agency might be hired. The agency will do whatever it could to retain the account.

    Going out to the market place is full of several risks and costs are also involved as brand owners try to impress the prospective brand. At the end, when pitches are concluded and winners announced, losers go home disappointed considering the prospect of the account, investment in external costs such as consumer research, animatics (for creative agencies), external artwork and the likes put into presentations. In the Nigerian marketing communication system, every agency is afraid to tell the media that the clients refused to pay pitch fee for fear of being blacklisted.

    These, perhaps, are the cases of losers and gainers in recent pitches in the last few months where some PR and advertising agencies have won and lost businesses as the winners commence work for the second half of the year.

    For MTN accounts adjudged one of the most juicy accounts in the telecoms sector, sometimes in March decided to review its marketing communication businesses. The incumbent, MarketingMix Ideas Limited, had for 11 years managed the business, supporting the brand with various communication solutions against some of the telco’s PR challenges in the country. Propelled by the need to reconfigure its PR strategy, the telco called for pitch early in the year and appointed new agencies-Brooks & Blakes and DKK Associates.

    The two agencies emerged out of nine that presented their pitch for the account. The other agencies that competed for the account include JSP Communications, Mediacraft & Associates, Black House Media (BHM) and Lead Communications. Others are Soulcom Communications, a subsidiary of SO & U,  and the incumbents –Marketing Mix and XLR8.

    It was gathered that a week later, precisely on March 26 and 27, few hours before the presidential election, presentations were made by the various agencies. Participating agencies were told to expect result one month after in line with global practice.

    Eventually, Brooks & Blakes and DKK Associates emerged winner. The emergence of these firms is still being debated by leading PR practitioners.

    DKK is being queried for winning a PR business while it is not a registered PR agency. While the controversy over the agency’s locus standi to manage a PR business, the winners have commenced work.

    Meanwhile, after losing the juicy MTN PR business, XLR8 is not stranded.  The agency recently won Guinness Nigeria corporate brand account. Its emergence followed an extensive selection process that included an open pitch for credentials presentations followed by panel discussions. Taking over the account from The Quadrant Company (TQC), its Corporate Relations Director, Mr. Sesan Sobowale, said: “Throughout the selection process, we were impressed by XLR8’s industry and market knowledge and we feel confident that the organisation possesses the wherewithal to add value and provide support as we partner to achieve our business objectives.”

    The Chief Executive Officer of XLR8, Calixthus Okoruwa said: “Any organisation that has been able to build a brand and sustain its iconic status for more than 250 years deserves all the respect and adulation it gets.

    “We are indeed, humbled by this opportunity to be of service to this formidable organisation and will continue to seek to justify the confidence which it has reposed in XLR8.”

    The Guinness PR business is split into two-Corporate and Brands. While XLR8 manages the corporate Brooks & Blake will continue to handle the brands portfolio.

    Etisalat Nigeria PR pitch result is yet to be announced. About six agencies are currently on the hot seat waiting for Etisalat to decide. The agencies are The Quadrant Company, the incumbent agency on the account, Chain Reactions, Brooks and Blake, XLR8, MediaCraft and C&F Potter Novelli. C&F.

    C&F is the pioneer agency on the brand before the business moved to TQC three years ago.

    “The struggle for Etisalat’s PR account could be a straight fight between TQC and C & F. The two agencies parade robust profile and seem to understand the brand more than their counterparts,” one sector analyst said.

    However, having won the MTN PR business, Brooks & Blakes appear to be making tactical withdrawal from the race.

    Meanwhile, so much business has also moved in the advertising industry from one agency to the other. Releasing its pitch result recently, Airtel arrived at the agency of choice from a list of five agencies invited for the main pitch. After credential presentation, it was gathered that Insight Communications, Centrespread Advertising and Noah’s Ark Advertising were selected winners ahead of the pack of agencies that contested for the creative business. According to reports, the telco, however, arrived at the final two winners and would be custodians of the business, after the review entered into the financial stage. This warranted prospective handlers to submit and defend their financial requirements with a view to availing the client opportunity to align demands with its realistic budgets and financial projections. Airtel certified Centrespread and Noah’s Ark to manage the brand’s creative in Nigeria at least for the next two years.

    In the same way, Centrespread is expected to use the business to improve its rating and pedigree in the industry especially after a lull occasioned by the loss of some senior hands. It was gathered that the  agency has since commenced a reorganisation and repositioning  aimed at creating a youthful brand out of the over three decades old agency.

  • Okhma wins marketing rights for Calabar Carnival

    Okhma wins marketing rights for Calabar Carnival

    After a series of presentations by several marketing companies seeking to handle The Calabar Carnival account, the Cross River State Carnival Commission, the agency responsible for overseeing the annual event have announced Okhma Global Limited – a marketing consulting firm based in Lagos as the Lead Marketing company for the carnival.

    Their responsibilities include increasing the fund drive by more than eighty percent of revenue accruable from marketing and also provide Marketing and PR Consultancy/advisory, strategy implementation, Media Content creation, production, Advertising and Sponsorship/partnership acquisitions.

    Calabar Carnival festival in Nigeria, also tagged: “Africa’s Biggest Street Party”, was created as part of the vision of making Cross River State in Nigeria, the number one tourist destination for Nigerians and tourist all over the world.

    The carnival, which begins on every December 1 and last till December 31, has boosted the cultural mosaic of Nigeria people while entertaining the millions of spectators within and outside the State, and boosting industry for all stakeholders.

    This year marks the eleventh edition of the multi event carnival that has garnered the reputation and multiple awards of Nigeria’s biggest and best-organised tourism event. The 2015’s coincides with the commencement of the new administration of Governor Ben Ayade, who said: “The Carnival is a big brand not only in Nigeria. My biggest wish now is to make it even much bigger. I would like to see the Calabar carnival evoke same depth and passion as the Rio carnival in the international tourism market. We promised our people of our state economic transformation. It will gladden our hearts to have tourists visit our state and witness the good things happening here while they also take time to bask in the abundance of our offerings at the carnival. And that we will surely do.”

    The Managing Director of Okhma, Mary Ephraim, however, promised the commission that her marketing team would exceed their expectations.

    “For me, leading the marketing effort isn’t business. It represents an opportunity for me to contribute my professional bit to improving an event and culture I had been part of as a young girl growing up in Calabar. This is something I had always wanted to do. We are grateful to the commission for the opportunity”.

  • ‘Embrace digital brand marketing’

    The Managing Director of MediaReach OMD, Mr. Tolu Ogunkoya, has advised marketing communication practitioners who are yet to embrace digital brand marketing to do so.

    Ogunkoya spoke during the Google Day organised by MediaReach and Google as part of efforts by both firms to improve clients’ businesses with digital brand marketing tools.

    He noted that there were still  players who are undecided about the relevance of digital brand marketing despite its importance in  marketing communication.

    His words: “It is high time we decided to take active steps in the interest of our corporations.”

    He said the deal between Google and MediaReach was meant to exchange ideas on the survival strategies for  brands now that the players were faced with stiff competition not only in Nigeria, but also in other parts of the world.

    Addressing staff members of the two companies, the Country Manager, Google, Juliet Chiazor, said it was imperative for any organisation that would survive to develop a strategic marketing campaign that could stand out in the competitive market.

    She noted that customers were faced with about 2,000 marketing messages streamed on various communication platforms daily.

    Chiazor said for any player to excel, its communication must be appropriate and target at the right audience.

    She said Google upholds innovation in its dealings because it is aware of dynamism of various markets the world over.

    Chiazor said Google has solutions that corporations could use to achieve their goals in the target markets. Some of those solutions, according to her, are: Google Voice Search; Google Maps; Google Now; and Google Photo Sphere.

    She declared that television viewership was declining as audiences were shifting online.

    Specifically, she said there was an increase of 60 percent of online video streaming that customers are faced with.

    “Brand building elements still entail awareness and emotional engagement just as the case with traditional marketing platforms”, she added. Based on this, she advised that video should be seen as an integral part of brand building and should be used more in brand communication.

    Meanwhile, the Chief Digital Officer of MediaReach OMD, Patrick Gomes, has acknowledged that social media has a very important role to play in placing corporations ahead of competition in the market.

    His words: “At MediaReach OMD, we are aware of the new trend towards digital marketing as the future of brand communication. We already have channeled our process towards the development and our clients have started benefiting from the initiative.”

  • Deepening word-of-mouth marketing in the East

    Deepening word-of-mouth marketing in the East

    To further deepen its share of the dark beer market in the Southeast, Nigerian Breweries is banking on its consumer oral promo, Legend Extra Stout ‘Taste & Tell’, to capture new fans and boost brand engagement, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    Consumers have always valued opinions expressed directly to them. Marketers may spend millions of dollars on elaborately-conceived advertising campaigns, yet, what often makes up a consumer’s mind is not only simple but also free: a word-of-mouth recommendation from a trusted source.

    As consumers, overwhelmed by product  choices, tune out the ever-growing barrage of traditional marketing, word-of-mouth cuts through the noise quickly and effectively. This, perhaps, may have informed the Nigerian Breweries’ decision to push its dark stout, Legend Extra Stout, into the eastern market through its national campaign, Taste and Tell, to underscore the importance of experience and word-of-mouth in marketing. While ‘Taste’ is about brand experience, ‘Tell’ is a word-of-mouth recommendation from a trusted source who has experienced the brand. The experience could be positive or negative.

    The importance of ‘Taste and Tell’ in brand marketing cannot be undermined. A marketing analyst, McKinsey’s Ole Jørgen Vetvik, says 20 to 50 per cent of all purchasing decisions is based on word-of-mouth. “Indeed, word of mouth is the primary factor behind many purchasing decisions,” he said.

    While adopting this approach on Sunday, March 22, at the Owerri leg of the second edition of ‘Taste & Tell’ campaign, an in-bar activation powered by Legend Extra Stout after the first edition was held across Lagos state and Benin, the experience shown in Imo state is unprecedented. The excitement in the air around Umunkoto along the ever busy Nekede Road, was conspicuous. As early as 7:30pm, the event section of the Winter Suite Hotel had no empty seat available. Bottles of the brand had already served on the tables as the quests, mostly consumers, are plunged into the contemporary hit songs blasting from the giant speakers strategically mounted around the event arena.

    Like the Lagos and Benin activations which featured Yoruba and Benin cultural performances respectively, the Owerri leg also featured a performance by Nna Nyelu Ugo cultural group to connect the brand with the people. The group took the audience, which had the Igbos in the majority, back to their roots with their soulful rendition of traditional folk songs.

    The high point of the event, however, was when the audience took centre stage to play the ‘Taste & Tell game. The ‘taste-and-tell’ game, involved a blind taste game where volunteer tasters tasted several drinks poured into cups marked ‘A’ to ‘C’ after which they were asked to identify the cup that contained Legend Extra stout. Participants who correctly identified the cup were rewarded with prizes such as 9.5kva generating set, LED TV and a refrigerator among other things.

    The game was conducted in batches of three volunteer tasters. Two out of the three tasters- Vitalis Chilaka, a 300 level under graduate of Quantity surveying, Federal Polytechnic, Uwana, and Augustine Chukwuebuka, and upcoming artiste correctly identified the glass that contained Legend Extra Stout after tasting the unidentified drinks in the first batch. For their feat, Vitalis and Agustine were rewarded with a 32’ inch LED TV and refrigerator respectively.

    Reacting to their winnings the duo attributed it to their loyalty to the Legend brand for a long time during which they become accustomed to that taste of Legend Extra Stout. “I volunteered to play the game because I knew I would win. I have been a Legend Extra Stout loyalist for years now, so I was sure I won’t miss that unique bitter taste and the feel of that rich foam head,” Vitalis said.

    Also, Augustine said, “Legend has been my best drink for over four years now. You can’t be loyal to a brand like that and fail to distinguish it from other brands even when blind folded. Almost all stout brands have bitter taste, but the bitter taste of Legend Extra Stout is unique”.

    A 500L medical Student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka Gift Chukwuoti, emerged the winner in the third batch and was rewarded with a 9.5kva generating set for his feat. Reacting to his winning, visibly elated Gift was full of praises for Legend Extra Stout for the gift and confessed that he never expected that he would go home with such a prize as he had just come to the venue with no prior knowledge of what was going on.

    “This is quite surprising for me; I’m really short of words. I came in here not knowing something like this was going on but here I’m going home with a giant generating set. I want to thank Legend Extra stout for this”, said Gift.

    Asked how he was able to identify the brand from among many unmarked drinks, Gift was quick to say, “I’ve been a Legend Extra Stout loyalist for four years now, so I couldn’t have missed that unique bitter taste that only Legend possesses”.

    A psychologist, George Silverman, pioneered word-of-mouth marketing when he created what he called “teleconferenced peer influence groups” in order to engage physicians in dialogue about new pharmaceutical products. Silverman noticed an interesting phenomenon while conducting focus groups with physicians in the early 1970s. “One or two physicians who were having good experiences with a drug would sway an entire group of skeptics. They would even sway a dissatisfied group of ex-prescribers who had had negative experiences!,” he observed.

    Speaking about the activation, the Marketing Manager, Lager (Gulder, 33 export, Life & More) and Stout (Legend, Turbo King &), Nigerian Breweries Plc Emmanuel Agu, explained that the in-bar activation was introduced last year after Legend Extra Stout was repackaged as the brand.  He said that it will also serve as a medium to engage and reward its teeming consumers for their support over the years. “We started the Legend Taste & Tell activation last year after the brand was repackaged and we are continuing with it this year because it is a unique way to engage and reward our teeming consumers for their continued support for the brand. It also provides platform for us to reinforce in consumers the unique great taste of Legend Extra Stout despite the brand’s repackaging, and also serve as a medium to reinforce in them those key attributes of the Legend brand that makes it stand out,” he said.

    In 2014 Legend Extra Stout was repackaged in Stanoil foil and metalised labels. In the same year Legend Extra Stout via its National Consumer Promo, took 30 Nigerians to an all-expenses-paid shopping spree in Dubai, United Arab Emirate.

    Agu, who disclosed that the activation train will touch designated locations across the country from March to June, 2015, enjoined consumers to look out for when the train will stop in their cities and join the fun.

     

    Competition as the driver of Taste & Tell marketing activation

    The competition in the stout marketing is reaching a fever pitch especially between Guinness stout and Legend extra stout. The market, which parades old rivals, such as Guinness Extra Stout and Legend Extra stout; and the brands for the low-end markets such as such as ‘Castle Milk Stout’, Dark Ale and Turbo-King, is becoming more competitive following the ever-changing taste of consumers. With the renewed effort by low-end brands to stimulate demand, the story of the old rivals has continued to follow the narrative of the Biblical David and Goliath, mustering enough marketing budget to fight each other through innovative marketing approach.

    The Marketing Director of NB, Mr. Walter Drenth said: “I don’t think we are responding to any competition; as stated earlier, innovation is in the DNA of Legend and we believe this will progressively push the brand to its deserved place at the top. A quick flash back about our support for Legend in the last few years will convince all that rather than responding to others, other players are following our footsteps. This explains why the brand has, in the past years, remained the fastest growing stout in the market. We have to keep growing; we want to give consumers the best by emphasising the quality of our brand. This is part of our strategies. And again, I want to reiterate this; it’s part of our ways of showcasing a premium quality.”

  • BHM launches social and digital marketing agency

    BHM has launched a new company called ID Africa.

    The new agency, headquarted in Lagos, is a social and digital marketing agency, according to founder Ayeni Adekunle.

    BHM is a major advocate of social PR – a practice that prioritises the use of C2C conversations in driving advocacy and telling brand stories. The agency is a digital PR leader in Nigeria, in an industry that’s just slowly waking up to the opportunities technology and trends provide.

    ID Africa is a creative, social and digital marketing agency specialising in the customisation of brand communication to specific target markets, and the use of stories and conversations to engage audiences.

    The company is part of the BHM Group, which is home to Nigerian Entertainment Today and BlackHouse Media.

    Last year, BHM introduced Nigeria’s first mobile application in the media and PR industry, and, according to data from its digital department, the company recorded over one billion (1bn) social impressions from different campaigns during the year.

    Ayeni said: “Brands should not only tell their stories, they must have a passionate community of consumers who are believers and evangelists, happy to share their experience and convert even the worst skeptic. The combination of great social technology and cool content are the sine qua non to achieving this.”

    ID Africa aims to fill the gap left by digital marketing firms across Africa who currently offers only the most generic of marketing and digital ad services. This it hopes to achieve by leveraging on the often-overlooked Internet business community in Nigeria reported to be growing by up to 50 per cent yearly.

  • Making a living from multi-level marketing

    Some Nigerians are earning a living  from  multi-level marketing. One of them is Abiodun Mustapha. Daniel Essiet reports.

    Abiodun Mustapha is a wealth empowerment consultant. It was in his quest for financial freedom that he came  about multi-level marketing (MLM).

    An Islamic  and Integrated  Science  teacher, the  graduate of Federal College  of Education (FEC), Akoka, Lagos was not fulfilled.

    This is because at the end of every month, his take-home pay could not take care of the needs.

    He thought of a way out. He recalled that at college, he was introduced to network marketing.  Then, he began with  selling GNLD products. He finally pitched his tent with Trévo, where he claimed, he made over N160 million in less than four years.

    He said Trévo is network marketing firm with an attractive compensation plan for marketers.

    Mustapha said the company offers eight ways for independent marketers. They include simple retail sales, group volume, bulk pack commissions, pool bonuses, leadership bonuses and charity bonuses. There are also rewards of luxury cars and opportunities to travel abroad.

    The rewards for participating in the Trévo business, he said, are many, including the potential for growth in one’s business.

    What makes the company unique is its compensation package. According to him, almost all the genuine MLM opportunities have a structure where one can earn  residual income.

    By residual income, he meant income that would continue to flow even after one has resigned. This kind of income is earned by sponsoring other distributors.

    According to him, one must make time to recruit new distributors,  if one  is  to enjoy the MLM. For him, MLM is a game of numbers. That means, one would want to add as many people to the organisation as possible. Getting paid a fraction of the work the team does a month, he noted, really adds up if one has a large team.

    This is how some people continue to earn huge cheques, though they do not see build their network marketing business anymore.

    Mustapha said since he joined the firm in 2012, he has been going from place to place, holding seminars on MIM.

    This is an idea he wants unemployed Nigerians to embrace in 2015.

    Such Nigerians must be ready to work. For determination is very important in MLM business.

    Meanwhile, he has got  a follower in a mobile phone repairs, Alhaji Kareem Bankole. Bankole told The Nation he was looking with a lot of hope and confidence in the opportunity the programme is offering.

    Less than eight months in the business, Bankole has made N800,000.

    An ex-banker, he said there are  many MLM firms. But what distinguishes them is their products and  compensation package.

    He sees network marketing as a platform where the ordinary man can do extraordinary things if he understands how it works. If one is patient to build it, it is a system he recommends for people who want to grow capital, people that are determined to succeed.

     

  • Cause marketing: Taking social issues a notch higher

    Cause marketing: Taking social issues a notch higher

    ‘Hope Rising’, a cause marketing by FirstBank Nigeria Plc, aimed at helping people living with Down Sydrome, has ended. More firms are embracing the initiative to give back to society, reports ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    Cause marketing is becoming a trend among top brands to help address some social problems. It is an initiative under which corporate brands spend part of their marketing budget on a campaign with a theme of social relevance. The aim is to raise awareness about social issues.

    It is often deployed by the fast- moving consumer goods sector but banks are now also embracing it to build their goodwill. “Unlike corporate giving or philanthropy that involves a specific donation that is tax deductible, cause marketing is a marketing effort that sustains relationship that is not necessarily based on a donation. It’s an investment on social causes in the market where you operate and enjoy great marketing deals. It is becoming a fad among private companies in Nigeria,” says Boye Omotoye, a brand communication/Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expert.

    Last year, FirstBank kicked off a cause marketing campaign tagged Hope Rising. Its Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Folake Alli-Mumuney, explained why the bank invested on this  campaign. She said it was created to sensitise the public on the plight of people living with with Down Syndrome and engender positive social transformation.

    Though it is relatively new in Nigeria, it has enjoyed acceptability globally for four decades. The first known case of cause marketing in the United States was in March 1974 when Carr & Associates International, a United States (US)-based tax and financial consulting firm, was formed by John T. Carr to “give back” to society by engaging in charitable causes and businesses to support each other.

    The organisation was promoted by Carr; it focused on enlisting businesses to give back referral fees on what they should have spent on marketing; and direct those funds toward the charitable cause of the buyer.

    FirstBank kicked off its Hope Rising campaign on radio with 13 episodes. The programme, which took off on September 2, last year, aired on Rhythm 93.7 Lagos on Tuesdays ( 9 – 9.15am) with repeat broadcast on Fridays (9- 9.15am). It ended in November.

    According to Alli-Mumuney, it was designed to give hope and add value to its diverse stakeholders. She said the campaign highlights the challenges of Down Syndrome and explores efforts at combating the disorder, through advocacy and public enlightenment.

    She explained that the disease was selected by the bank, based on its enduring deal with the Down Syndrome Foundation, which began in 2009.

    She said the Foundation was established in 2001 to champion the cause of people living with the disorder but have not been able to  tackle the misconceptions associated with it, due to its little knowledge by the public.

    Some of the objectives of the campaign, Alli-Mumuney explained, include engaging stakeholders, such as the government in promoting awareness, advocacy and education on the Down Syndrome disorder, developing and nurturing a culture that promotes the employment of preventive measures, as well as the importance of treating the down syndrome.

    For instance, all the episodes educate the listeners on the disorder through the various characters used in the drama series.Greg and Maryam, the major characters in the first episode of the series, typify the average couple through which most of the information about the disorder is disseminated. Through the couple, the listener is informed that contrary to the notion about down syndrome being a disease, it is actually a genetic condition that causes delays in the way the child develops both mentally and physically.

    With an attempt to demystify the disorder, the radio campaign explores education as one of the pivot on which Hope Rising delivered the campaign message to enhance impact. “Hope Rising educates on the disorder and called them to action on the need to go for regular checkups to ascertain the health status of the unborn child on time,” she said.

    Also, GTBank has been investing in campaigns to educate people on autism – a neural development disorder that impairs social interaction and leads to repetitive behaviours. Autism, like other challenges, arises from insufficient development of a child’s physical, emotional or intellectual capacity.

    GTBank, however, launched a yearly Autism Support Initiative tagged GTBank Orange Ribbon,  aimed at creating awareness for this condition using various foundations who have expertise in autism to drive the campaign.

    The recent interest in cause-related marketing may have stemmed from American Express, which coined the phrase in 1983. Following various pilot schemes in 1981, American Express developed a campaign, which donated funds to some non-profit organisations as part of the San Francisco Arts Festival.

    Essentially, every time someone used an American Express Card in the area, a two cent donation was triggered and each time new members applied for a card, a larger contribution was made. The marketing goals that American Express had for this programme were exceeded. Card use was reported as having increased significantly and relationships between American Express and their merchants also improved as a result of the promotion.

    Citing an IEG, Inc. study, $1.11 billion was spent in 2005, an estimated $1.34 billion in 2006, $1.44 billion in 2007 and $1.52 billion in 2008 and $1.57 billion in 2009 as total marketing budget for cause marketing across the globe.

    Experts believe that this is so because “cause-related marketing is a useful marketing tool that business and non-profit organisations are increasingly leveraging.”

    Also, according to the Cone Millennial Cause Study in 2006, 89 percent of people (between ages 13 and 25) would switch from one brand to another brand of a comparable product (and price) if the latter brand was associated with “good cause”.

    The same study also indicated that a significant percentage surveyed would prefer to work for a company that was considered socially responsible.

  • Driving anti-counterfeiting with marketing activation

    Driving anti-counterfeiting with marketing activation

    The colour of Christmas and New Year festivities took a different form in Lagos as Kasapreko Company Limited, makers of Alomo Bitters rolled out a weeklong marketing activation aimed at boosting consumer knowledge of the brand against imitations, writes Adedeji Ademigbuji

    As part of efforts to enlighten its consumers during yuletide especially in Lagos, the makers of Alomo Bitters, Kasapreko Company Limited, has rolled out a weeklong marketing activation aimed at boosting consumer knowledge of the brand.

    The marketing initiative, which will be ongoing till mid-January 2015, is also intended to deepen consumer consciousness about their wellness and safety by encouraging them to make healthier consumption choices amidst the euphoria of the yuletide.

    To support this, a well branded activation truck and a team of Brand Ambassadors have been deployed to strategic touch-points in the city of Lagos to educate consumers on the safety features of Alomo Bitters as distinct from the imitated version and other bitter brands in the market.

    For days, the ambassadors have been moving from social events to street carnivals and jams, market areas and neighbourhoods across the city of Lagos to drive the brand key message of Alomo Bitters as the “authentic African herbal bitters.”

    The ambassadors also distribute flyers which contain vital product information. Radio hypes anchored by popular On Air Personalities and a television commercial that has been specifically produced, are also running on selected city stations just to ensure the consumers are equipped with adequate information they need on Alomo Bitters, thereby safeguarding them  from harmful imitated products in the market.

    According to officials of the company, the rationale for the initiative is that as Nigerians shop and catch fun of yuletide, they could also be assisted in making healthy choices while they also get some incentives for their loyalty to the brand over the years.

    The Managing Director, Kasapreko Company Nigeria Limited, Mr. Kojo Nunoo, said the marketing initiative is part of steps to empower consumers to have access to genuine Alomo Bitters at all times against the backdrop of the criminal faking of the brand.

    “Criminal faking of the original Alomo Bitters has been a major challenge we face in Nigeria. As a safety, health conscious, ethical and responsible corporate citizen, this bothers us a lot, hence this campaign is aimed at helping the consumers to know the things to look out for when buying Alomo Bitters,” he said.

    While stressing that the campaign also affirms the company’s conviction in the time-honoured dictum that consumer is king, Nunoo said the safety and wellbeing of consumers are of utmost importance to the firm.

    “This is why we leverage the Christmas and New Year festivities to bring the flagship Alomo Bitters closer to the Nigerians, so they can know more about their favourite Alomo Bitters, made in Ghana by Kasapreko Company Limited. We are delighted to use the occasion of the year-end to also share love with Nigerians and to promote friendship, a key brand personality attribute of Alomo Bitters,” he declared.

    Corroborating, the Sales and Marketing Director, Mr. Sam Osafo, said the consumer activation aligns with Kasapreko’s vision of care which flows in every sip of Alomo Bitters which people take. “This consumer contact programme re-assures lovers of bitter drink that any time they drink Alomo Bitters, they are not only drinking to enjoy; they are also drinking to stay healthy because of the medicinal qualities of Alomo Bitters,” he said.

    The Marketing Manager, Mr. Peter Adegor, on his part explained that taking the brand right to the consumers where they are, is an important aspect of the wholesome qualitative process that goes into the production of Alomo Bitters.

    According to him, “we ensure that the quality of our product is consistent from the point of sourcing the ingredients to the production stage and all through to packaging and delivery. The intent is that the consumers have the finest Alomo Bitters in their hands, hence this initiative to get the consumers well informed about the original Alomo Bitters is consistent with the quality assurance value chain that stands out our brand of bitters from others.”

    In order to deepen consumer experience during the weeklong activation, Adegor  said free brand collaterals such as flyer, T-shirt, face cap and ball point pen among others were given out in addition to huge discount enjoyed by consumers at the point of purchase.

    It would be recalled that the Group Chairman and Managing Director of Kasapreko Company Limited, Ghana, Dr. Kwabena Adjei, recently denounced the faking of Alomo Bitters by unscrupulous cartel which has resulted in significant loss of market share and revenue. He called on relevant authorities in Nigeria to wade in.

  • Marketing in 21st century is challenging, says ADVAN President

    Marketing in 21st century is challenging, says ADVAN President

    The 21st Century customers are global citizens resident in your neighbourhood. Many of them are connected to the internet and can compare company prices with competitors. You fail them they switch to other brands,” the President of Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN)/General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN, Mr. Kola Oyeyemi, told about representatives of various advertisers at this year’s edition of ADVAN award for marketing excellence.

    With growing understanding of how consumers are changing the marketing game, Oyeyemi said the growth of internet and mobile phone penetration, 21st Century consumers have been transformed and as a result, the marketing landscape is being forced to gravitate towards the consumers.

    “They are so powerful such that they are brutally demanding and they know the global standard. They are not emotional and no longer loyal. If you fail them they switch their loyalty. This transformation has changed the marketing landscape in the 21st Century. Research variables and methodology too have changed with technology innovation. You no longer wait for long to get research results because of technology,” Oyeyemi said.

    He noted that the change has also collapsed the historical product distribution structure as mega malls; adding that e-commerce and new generation of logistics companies are also changing the marketing game.

    “Historical distribution structure are collapsing as mega malls, e-commerce are up. Night markets are disappearing and new generation of logistics companies are springing up. We are all aware of how traditional advertising is under threat. Internet penetration in Africa is changing marketing. Mobile device, social media are creating one of the most destructive impacts on the marketing industry,” he added.

    He noted that to avoid the wrath of consumers, advertisers must co-create product proposition with consumers. He said when consumers are involved in brand development from conception, packaging to the end result, it will be easier to relate with consumers in the 21st Century.