Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Brand Ambassador: Who Really Does The Cap Fit?
Everyday, consumers are exposed to thousands of voices and images in magazines, newspapers, on billboards, websites, radio and television. Every brand attempts to steal at least a fraction of a person’s time to inform him or her of the amazing and different attributes of the product or brand at hand. The challenge of the marketer is to find a hook that will hold the subject’s attention. In helping to achieve this, brand custodians sometimes deploy the marketing devise of using celebrity endorsement or brand ambassadors to achieve their goal. Thus, celebrity endorsement in advertisement and its impact on the overall brand is of great significance. In this process, the brand owner hires celebrities from a particular field to feature in its advertisement campaigns. These celebrities are called Brand Ambassadors. A brand ambassador is usually actresses, actors, sports players, singers and similar celebrities who symbolize a brand in a positive manner and carries the message of the brand out to the public. Brand ambassadors endorse products for which they get huge royalties. They also participate in marketing and launching campaigns of the product. The management board of a company connects its product with certain qualities of the celebrities figure. The promotional features and images of the product are matched with the celebrity image, which tends to persuade a consumer to fix up his choice from a variety of brands. Although this sounds pretty simple, but the design of such campaigns and the subsequent success in achieving the desire result calls for an in-depth understanding of the product, the brand objective, choice of a celebrity, associating the celebrity with the brand, and a framework for measuring the effectiveness. Virtually all brands have one or more ambassadors in Nigeria. We have quite a number of brand ambassadors with Globacom - both in the movie and in the music industry. While other brands like Mortein insecticide has the sensation singer, Omawumi, Hapic toilet cleaner has Chioma Chukwuka Akpote, Good Mama Detergent has Funke Akindele and the list goes endless. The recent signing of the new entrant into the music industry, Davido by MTN as an ambassador to the MTN Pulse package has continued to generate controversy as some consumers are not comfortable with their idea of signing an artiste who doesn’t even have a single music album to his credit. What really is the idea behind brand ambassadorship? What are the pains and gains of the act to a brand? A brand ambassador directly interacts with potential customers and is able to give consumers more “feet on the street” without the extra cost of hiring employees all over the country. A brand ambassador can play a powerful role in the development of a brand and will definitely help emerging brands establish themselves far quicker that they otherwise might. But what most brand owners neglect is the fact that as with all communications, the wrong person could do the product and brand more harm than good. The brand ambassador relationship is, to some extent, symbiotic. It relies on PR – that’s media relations rather than public relations and unfortunately most brand owners in Nigeria are not fretful of this. Basically, a brand ambassador should be a darling of the media, the kind of person who has created a niche for him/her self in the chosen industry not just a ‘flash-in-the pan’ celebrity, whose future career blink and not well reported in the media. The signing of Saka, real name Hafeez Oyetoro by Etisalat as an ambassador was what many subscribers applauded looking at the actor’s pedigree in his chosen profession. The comic artistic attitude of Saka in all the commercials, his pedigree as a successful actor coupled with other unique qualities makes many not to question the authenticity of the free blackberry promotions. Most consumers are not against the usage of a musician as brand ambassador because many of them applauded the signing of the likes of Sammy Okposo and other talented young musicians by Globacom. Who really are the target audience of MTN pulse package? How well can Davido connect with this target audience? Though, at this point, some industry watchers and many music lovers might think he is a flash in the pan, yet only time will tell how much impact Davido will make as the face of MTN Pulse compared with the success of Saka and others who have helped their brands to drive consumer traffic. Highlighting the essence of brand ambassador, David Aaker n his book ‘Brand Leadership’ said ‘Because of their fame, celebrities serve not only to create and maintain attention but also to achieve high recall rates for today’s highly cluttered environments. Similarly, every product has an image. The consumer tries to consume a brand which has the maximum fit with his/her own personality/image. The celebrity endorser fits in between these two interactions, where he tries to bring the image of the product closer to the expectation of the consumer, by transferring some of the cultural meanings residing in his image to the product. A good brand ambassador is the one who is interested in the product that they are endorsing. The brand or product that has less competition and enjoys a good market share has less need for a brand ambassador compared with a product which has many strong competitors. What is obtainable in terms of brand ambassador in our community is slightly different as some brand owners, out of pure sentiment engaged celebrities as brand ambassadors. Commenting on the act of brand ambassadorship Yinka Olaito, an Executive with Michael Sage Consulting said there are other factors brand owner should consider when choosing a brand ambassador. His words, ‘Brand ambassador concept was first developed in the western world. It is a concept or process whereby a brand identifies a known person whose attributes aligns with its brands and selects that individual to serve as its representative. In some cases brand ambassador may be a person of influence in the market the brand has influence. So for the brand it will help to use the ambassador's goodwill to penetrate the market. Some brand ambassadors are paid while some are glad for the recognition and association. “For instance Kanu, DBanj are noted UN ambassadors.. Having said this, One huge disadvantage of this practice for the brand is appearance of character failure in a brand ambassador since the attitude of the ambassador may affect brand’s image. For example Tiger Wood immoral affairs greatly affected the brand he was associated with then. So, for the brand ambassadors, their lifestyle can affect brand positively or negatively’. He said. On the part of Muyiwa Akintunde, CEO/lead Consultant at Lead Communications he claims the motive behind having a brand ambassador is connecting with the market segments that acknowledge such an ambassador as a role model. He explained that “the more acceptable or credible the ambassador is to the core targets, the more the brand equity is enhanced. Most people would like to adopt the same lifestyle, products and services that their icons identify with. It therefore adds significantly to the bottom line of the brand in the long run”. Commenting on negative effect brand ambassador can have on a brand, Akintunde said ‘When a celebrity gets involved in scandal or otherwise loses reputation, the brand he/she represents is dragged down along in the mud, if crisis containment strategy is not immediately activated’. Brand ambassador serves as the face of the company and offers an opportunity to the company to make an excellent impression on prospects. Brand ambassador describes the qualities of the product with an impressive personality and magnetic charm as well as shape the fortune of products. The success of a brand relies on customer satisfaction, quality, marketing, and somewhat on brand ambassador. So the companies select famous personalities to endorse a product which help in building brand demarcation and rapid awareness as well as connect with the consumer. The brands and products that are launched newly get the utmost publicity and attention of the public when they have shining celebrity as brand ambassador. The brand ambassador’s positive trademarks get relocated to the brand as the patrons begin to view the brand in connection with the brand ambassador. Brand ambassadors guarantee the patrons to trust in the reliability of the brand. Brand ambassador endorse names of brand and products through interacting with sales prospects, business partners, customers and the media.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Malta Guinness Low Sugar Officially Launched Guinness Nigeria PLC has officially launched Malta Guinness Low Sugar, a new lower sugar variant of the nation’s favourite Malt drink. The event took place recently at the Darlington Hall, Lagos. According to the maker, this new variety has been developed in response to the growing demand from consumers across Nigeria for a great tasting, lower sugar variant of the nation’s number one malt drink to satisfy the desire to lead a healthier lifestyle. Mr Devlin Hainsworth, Managing Director of Guinness Nigeria PLC said: “We know that people across the country love our classic Malta Guinness. Today’s launch of Malta Guinness Low Sugar is not a replacement to the country’s number one malt drink, but an alternative offering for those people that want a lower sugar beverage that still tastes great. “We have seen that there are an increasing number of people in Nigeria who are becoming more health conscious when it comes to diet and exercise, and Malta Guinness Low Sugar will meet the demands of a lower sugar alternative on the market while still giving the same goodness of their favourite malt.” Earlier this week, Guinness Nigeria PLC also announced that Arsenal Football Club has chosen Malta Guinness to be the Official Malt Drink of the club in Nigeria for the next three years. As part of the partnership, new Malta Guinness Low Sugar will be the Official Malt Drink of the Arsenal FC tour in Nigeria in August this year. Guests at the event were thrilled to view specially recorded messages from Arsenal Football Club. Head of Global Partnerships, Vinai Venkatesham, said: “We have a huge following in Africa, and Nigeria in particular. We are looking forward to working with Malta Guinness and Guinness Nigeria to connect with our many millions of fans in the region during the tour and beyond. To kick off our partnership, we are delighted that new Malta Guinness Low Sugar will be the official malt drink of our tour in August.” Devlin Hainsworth added: “Malta Guinness is proud to partner with Arsenal FC in Nigeria and for new Malta Guinness Low Sugar to be the Official Malt Drink for Arsenal’s Tour. “The Club’s great history and exciting style of play is set to energise and inspire Nigerians when they tour here in August whether they be fans of the club, fans of football or simply fans of the good things in life. We look forward to giving them great receptions on their first ever visit to Nigeria and to showing them the passion we have for our football as well as the vitality and energy of Nigeria and its people”. Arsenal FC Club Captain, Robin van Persie delighted guests with a special pidgin message urging fan to get ready for their arrival. As part of the tour, Malta Guinness and Arsenal FC will be providing malt drink lovers across the country with a variety of opportunities to interact and get involved.
PRODUCT LAUNCH: What Determines its Success?
The very word "launch" brings with it, mental images of a forceful and powerful forward thrust that will catapult new product far ahead of the ordinary. But is it actually possible in this age of information overload to launch a product with such finesse and direction that it absolutely hits the Intended target market? The answer to that question is a resounding yes. A Product Launch is a process that has a lifecycle and this exercise is the result of years of scientific research, trial and error and precise formulas. Breaking a product launch down into its simplest terms for guaranteed success is not as difficult as some brand owners make it seems. Many people think of a product launch as an event only, something that happens with a big bang. There may very well be a launch event as part of a launch process, but it is just one of the things that are part of a successful launch. David Daniels, president of Launch Clinic in America in his book “6 Secrets to a Winning Product Launch” highlighted the following as the key factors to hosting a successful product launch. They are: matching product capabilities to market needs, clear positioning and messaging, setting clear launch goals, using the power of leverage, priming the pump, timing the launch to maximize sales. Summarizing the keys, the writer said a winning product launch starts with matching the capabilities of the product (or service) to the needs of target market. ‘You have to know that your product is solving real problem that buyers are willing to pay you to solve. You can’t just believe there is a problem that needs to be solved. A winning product launch can’t happen if the market wants one thing and you are delivering another. The perfect storm is to have your product ready, your partners screaming at you to ship, your buyers foaming at the mouth in anticipation, and the media wanting all they can get. It’s a good day’ Giving professional details on how a product launch should go, Kunle Onime, Managing Director of Marketing Promotions Company (MPC), the first indigenous experiential marketing agency in Nigeria mentioned steps to put in place to achieve a successful product launch. He highlighted basic steps that must be in place and that event launch shouldn’t be given too much priority as its common today. ‘There are basic steps that must be in place for a successful product launch and they include the prelaunch, seeding your market, obtaining endorsements among few others. The prelaunch is about planning for your product. Advertise without giving every detail away. Build some anticipation. It will work wonders. Then follow up seeding your market, how do u do this? Once you've conducted your prelaunch it's time to seed your market. Get your product into the hands of influential consumers. Offer limited trial offers, send out free products to review sites and saturate your target market with prizes, discounts and freebies. This will stimulate sales and build credibility. Obtaining endorsements gives credibility. Credibility is a key factor to product launch success. Take the time to meet with influential industry leaders, analysts and of course-the media. Let's face it, if you can get an industry leader or a highly recognized figure to put their seal of approval on the product, you are home free. The product launch event shouldn’t over shadow the whole essence of the launch and its unfortunate that what its obtainable in our society today’ he revealed. Also Demola Adedoyin, Managing Director of a group of company that has Integrated Troops as the experiential outfit is of the opinion that consistent delivery on brand promise is very salient for survival. He made mentioned of distribution and Visibility as key factors to follow immediately after product launch. ‘Product launch is to build sales momentum. Sales momentum enables your company to grow and prosper. You will add more customers, expand your influence, hire more people and grow even more momentum. When a consumer believes that you won't leave them hanging if they have a problem, your product is poised for success, that’s brand promise. A strong support base with excellent customer service will give your product the high powered forward thrust it needs. We live in an IT world; this is probably the most important step because it will keep your product from experiencing the fifteen minutes of fame syndrome. Have a killer website built that is pleasing to look at, easy to navigate and even fun. Once your site is set up, do everything you can to reach your customers and develop meaningful relationships with them. Listen to their suggestions and grow with the changing times. Website is a 'must have' in today's ruthless market. Distribution and visibility are key factors. Why will you launch a product that in the next few months you can see it again in the market? i don’t want to mention names but there are a lot of such in this country’ he claimed On his part, the Managing Director of Neo Media & Marketing Limited, Ehi Braimah who recently launched the new Omo Multiactive detergent is of the opinion that the launch event should be given appropriate consideration and there must be comparison of market share before and after the event. ‘The Launch event should be considered. Its all about Where, When and How the launch will be done. Key Industry Personnel should present at the Launch because this will serve to promote credibility for brand image and third party endorsements. The quality of PR coverage received also is key. Scope of amplification and talkability generated and availability of the product in the market after the launch must not be ignored. Another thing that must be considered with product launch is that the creative direction of the advertising and media deployment pattern must be the one that matches the product. Then the brand owner can ask:: will the launch influence favorable long term perception? Consumer engagement activities after the launch and how the product gets to consumer must to be taken with levity. There must be comparison of market share before and after the event to determine the future of the product’. David Tyreman,a brand expert who launched the likes of Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike, Guess and Disney some years ago said before launching new product there are considerations that must be accounted for to assure product launching success. On his blog, he mentioned factors that are very important as they consequently mold the assets of sales after launching. ‘(1)Timing of the launch You may want to launch your product as an add-on to a product you are already launching. Try to avoid launching a new product at the same time your competitors do unless you are sure that your products is far more superior to theirs. (2)Introductory price A great idea is to lower your preceding price for the launch period, then conjure it again later. Every choice has its pros and cons, and you must think hard about this particular factor. (3)Relevance Maybe your product was relevant at the time of its conception but this may have changed at the time of the launching, you should always keep your finger on the pulse of the market and target audience, so that even if your product loses some of its relevance, you can fix the problem with a few tweaks here and there before the launch.(4) offering a second item on the purchase receipt of the first item Perhaps you should think about allowing your customers to return faulty new products after launches and immediately give them a working replacement. This will remove any bad feelings about the business or the product and will help your launch success despite having a bumpy start.’ He concluded with these words ‘Be careful not to force or pressure people to buy from you. Your launch campaign should meet potential customers where they are and move them through the buying process. Remember that people are interested in your product because it solves a problem in their lives. In addition it will take consistent, sequenced communication to increase their buying interest. How will your launch campaign help people move along the buying process should be your primary target’.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

‘WE ARE THE LEADING WINE & SPIRIT DISTRIBUTOR IN NIGERIA’ – Wilson Theodore Roosevelt, 26th American president, youngest ever though said “The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it”. These words rightly describe, Paul Wilson, the Managing Director of Brain Munro Limited, makers of the famous Campari spirit. Paul Wilson’s leadership style is like that of Mahatma Gandhi who said leadership is not about muscles but it means getting along with people. In this exclusive interview, the MD, who treats his members of staffs as one big family, reveals the secret of the success of brands in Brain Munro’s spirit and wine collections, and gave details about the ongoing promotions on Campari among other issues. Excerpt You’ve been in the Nigerian market since the 60’s but you’ve been silent. Is this your selling tactics or strategy? We have a dichotomy, a manufacturing company where we produce our own range of nutritional products. And in addition to that, we import a wide range of wine and premium spirit. Which we‘ve been doing from the 60’s. Its not necessarily our startegy. We are not an ostentatious company; we’ll like to think while our brands do the talking for us, Brain Munro is really about that premium brand. We can say with complete confidence that no brand that Brain Munro handles is anything other than a premium global brand. What Brain Munro enjoys is a good reputation, code of conduct and a good ethical behavior in the trade and the market place. We don’t blow our trumpets, we like our products to speak for themselves. We are the leading spirit and wine distributor, even in Africa. Which are the brands that you have under Brain Munro? Starting with the premium spirits, we have the Campari groups of spirits which include Campari, a brand that has been in Nigeria for many years. We are celebrating the 250th anniversary of Campari and with its wonderful profile; these products have been known in the Nigerian market. We also have whiskey, American honey (a mixture of whiskey and honey etc. We also have a wide range of Faustino wine and spirit, the popular B&G wine with many varients How challenging has it been operating in Nigeria? Life is full of challenges. There are lots of challenges and it’s been competitive; It’s been challenging especially since the subsidy removal issue began and one has to economize with minimal budget. Brain Munro has been in Nigeria for 60years now and we try to promote our brand in spite of these challenges. In your words, what gives you the competitive edge in the Nigeria? We have a lot of experience, our staffs are well trained and highly motivated people. I think we have a well rounded strategy and work with credible people who are loyal; it’s a good chemistry How have you been combating counterfeits of your products? That’s a very good question. Our products are hard to be faked and we advise our customers to be vigilant. Another thing is that we work very closely with the traders in order to detect counterfeit products. But the most important thing is that if you have a quality brand and its in supply, you don’t give room for counterfeits. It is important that as you build brand you popularize them in the market place. You also support the distribution channels. One can never say that 100% you can keep mischief makers out. If you can provide good products and sustain its availability in the market, then you can curb the activities of counterfeits. Lets talk about Campari, You are presently running a consumer based promo, what propels such a promo? Campari is a well established brand in Nigeria. Its the first choice quality drink in the Alcohol and Spirit category to launch a Consumer and Trade promotion across five major cities in Nigeria. These cities are Lagos, Aba, Onitsha, Port Harcourt and Warri. The 8 weeks promo aims at rewarding Campari loyal consumers and stockist it kicked off on the 28th of March 2012 and will end on the 28th of May 2012. The Promo is taking place in open markets, grocery supermarkets and bars. Campari is an alcoholic spirit obtained from an infusion of bitter herbs, aromatic plants and fruits in alcohol and water with its distinct color and flavor. It comes in 20cl and 100cl bottle. For the Trade promo, wholesalers and retailers will be encouraged to stock and creatively display Campari; points will be awarded to traders daily based on the quantity and creativity of Campari displayed. Prizes to be won by traders with the highest creative display are Deep freezers, Generators, Nokia phones, to mention a few. For the Consumer Dare To Mix promo, consumers will be encouraged to purchase shots and bottles of Campari, which they can mix with their Beer, Stout or Chapman. Consumers who purchase a shot of Campari will be issued one raffle ticket; the purchase of 20cl bottle will attract three raffle tickets and face cap; the purchase of 100cl bottle will attract seven raffle tickets, T shirt and face cap. Consumers are to keep their corks safely to exchange with raffle tickets at designated Campari Dare To Mix Collection Centre’s. There will be weekly draw in each city at a designated location where prizes to be won includes; I-pads, Blackberry Phones. At the end of promotion, a grand draw will be held in Lagos where a winner will emerge to win the grand prize of a brand new Kia Rio. We think that if we have broad base grass root approach, it will create brand awareness. We like to reward and engage the retailer and distributors of our products. There has been a very nice display around the market and I’m confident it is doing well. Apart from the promo we are support other activities the will add to the mileage of Campari. One of such is with the Organizer of Anioma Cultural Festival for this year. The Anioma cultural festival is an annual event of the Anioma people of Delta State organized by OFAAC to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the people. The sponsorship was born out of the desire to promote the rich culture and historical achievement of the Anioma people. Campari being a brand with a strong heritage, it is important that we recognize the significance of culture in the overall development of a nation. This year’s Anioma cultural festival which was the 9th edition, show cased dance, songs, drama, traditional wrestling and folklores to remind fun lovers present the rich culture of the state and Campari, an alcoholic spirit obtained from the infusion of bitter herbs, aromatic plants and fruit in alcohol and water which is nature too was happy to be part of it. Apart from keeping the equity of Campari as a brand, what are your plans to bring other brands of the company to the same level in the face of consumers? Campari is just one brand in our stables and we are have several others, our job is to make sure that every brands is as big or even bigger than Campari, we started the journey with B&G red wine and we have seen transformation on the brand, it’s now an household name in the wine industry. We are transforming Campari brand and we are looking at every opportunity possible.we have started the journey with Campari and with time it will be the turn of other brands on our shelves. In five years from now, as the managing director of Brain Munro, what are your projections for the company? We will continue to be the leading wine and spirit brand in Nigeria, and my projection is that Campari becomes the number one. The essence of the campaign is to showcase the product which has a great quality; It has a very unique flavor. It has the potential of being the number one brand in the federation of Nigeria.
ECOBANK INAUGURATES OMNI In direct response to the newly introduced Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Cash-lite policy, Ecobank launches a new product Ecobank OMNI, an integrated electronic banking platform designed to provide cash management solutions for corporate customers. Speaking at the occasion, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Jubril Aku said Ecobank Omni offers a comprehensive suite of flexible online Cash Management solutions – all designed to enhance productivity, manage cash flow and maintain efficient management of a company’s working capital cycle. Ecobank is now a stronger bank with presence in all the 36 states of the federation. “We carry out your banking transactions at any of the more than 600 Ecobank Nigeria branches across the combined network in Nigeria, making your banking more convenient and more accessible.” “Customers can now use their debit (ATM) cards free of transaction charges across all 890 Ecobank ATMs as well as use their debit cards free of charge at all POS terminals in the country.” He added. The Group Corporate Bank Head, Charles Kie said Ecobank is bringing you a world of added convenience, better, simpler, faster, and safer banking with OMNI, corporate internet banking platform. He said the product comes as a direct response from the constructive feedbacks received from Ecobank’s numerous customers - corporate, institutional and public sector. “We are grateful for the continued partnership with Ecobank. In each of our markets in Africa, the Ecobank Group differentiate ourselves by making customer focused products and services. OMNI is the latest addition to why we make value added products to cater for the needs of our customers. “With the introduction of the CBN cash-lit policy, this product will modernize the hand to hand payment of our people. “This product ensures the ability to initiate a wide range of payment instructions such as transfers between accounts at Ecobank, domestic inter-bank transfers, cross-border or international transfers, and cheques or drafts in local and foreign currency. “Multiple payments and currencies within one file upload for processing of payments out of accounts in different countries. Beneficiary Remittance Advices with references fully captured” he said. The Head, Corporate Products, Ecobank, Emile Sagna explained the key features of the product. He said it has customizable workspace supported by local language and time zone, with comprehensive, but easy to use intuitive navigation. On the Integrated access, he said it has single sign-on giving access to information on accounts at Ecobank or other banks. Multi-geography,multi-language, multi-currency and fully integrated. It Supports all your payments, collections and liquidity management needs. On the System Security of the product, it has multiple tiers of firewall to prevent unauthorized access to our servers. 128 bit SSL encryption – Secure communication protocol that encrypts client information during transmission over the internet. “Role-based security implementation with each user configured to access certain accounts or perform specific tasks as per their designation within the company, “he said. He noted “that it has real-time transaction information and customized reports for reconciliation, planning or forecasting. Statements are available on operating, investment and loan accounts. Information on transaction history can be downloaded in formats including CSV (comma separated values), Excel, PDF, AFB 120 and MT 940. MT940 reporting and download is both on Ecobank accounts and also on accounts at other banks. Same cross country, multi-geography reporting into a single base currency and balance reporting.”

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Heineken Thrilled Fun Lovers At Intercontinental Night 25th Anniversary Poised to align its premium value to event that depicts what it stands for, Heineken, a premium Intercontinental lager brand sold in over 170 countries thrilled fun lovers present at this year edition of Intercontinental Night. Heineken represented Holland, its home country at the event which took place at the Lagos Motor Boat Club. The all night socio-cultural event had nationals of various countries in attendance showcasing food, drinks, culture, dance and more from each participating countries with the aim of exhibiting and promoting intercultural relations. The night, according to Kehinde Ebuoma, Assistant Brand Manager, Heineken who represented Jacqueline Van Faassen, Senior Brand Manger, Heineken was filled with fun and fanfare as guests moved from stand-to-stand sampling delectable cuisines from participating countries and sharing cultural tips of their country with people from other countries. Her words “This event, which has in attendance hundreds of foreign nationals is another way for Heineken, a premium beer to connect with its consumers across the world. Heineken is sponsoring this events is in tune with it’s tagline, ‘Open Your World’: opening consumers’ world to connect to other people from different cultural background to see many things around the world to show that there is much around that can be shared together”. Also speaking at the event was Brain Hills, ex-commodore of the Lagos Motor Boat Club who applauded Nigeria Breweries Plc, makers of Heineken lager beer for the unsurpassed initiative of been one of the prominent sponsors. He said ‘what can I say than to say thank you Heineken? Thank you for helping to bring various nationalities together to share culture amidst fun. To us at the boat club we are glad to have the premium beer, Heineken to be part of us again, we are really glad” Apart from guests including tourists from different nations and members of the Lagos Motor Boat Club and their families, moving around freely, gyrating to the sweet music from the disc jockey, the highlight of the night was the food tasting segment where guests were allowed to go round the stands of any country of their choices to taste the foods and beverages on display at no cost. Nations represented include: Lebanon, Indonesia, Scotland, United States of America, South Africa, Nigeria, Turkey, Switzerland, Germany, England, India, China, Spain, Republic of Benin, Holland etc. Another interesting part was when there were presentations of prizes to the best decorated stand which had England coming first and Switzerland and Lebanon coming second and third respectively. The Heineken’ stand at the occasion was however the busiest as majority of the guests, kept besieging the stand for refreshing glasses of free chilled Heineken beer. The Intercontinental Night is an annual international cultural display that brings people of different climes together under the ambience of fun, leisure and festivity. It is organized annually by the Lagos Motor Boat Club which has been in establishment for 25 years.
Mars Named Cannes Advertiser of the Year Mars, the confectionery, petcare and food giant, has been named Cannes Lions Advertiser of the Year, previously won by the likes of Unilever and adidas. The award is presented to advertisers who have distinguished themselves for inspiring innovative marketing of their products and who embrace and encourage the creative work produced by their agencies. Mars, which is nearly 100 years old, won its first Cannes Lion in 1990 and a Radio Grand Prix in 2007 for its Snickers "hoedown" ad. Its total haul of 77 Lions includes 11 Gold. Paul Michaels, president of Mars, said: "We are grateful for the recognition of the Cannes Lions Advertiser of the Year Award. This award is a testament to the fantastic work of our Mars Associates and our agency teams at BBDO and DDB." Mars brands include M&Ms, Skittles, Pedigree, Whiskas, Uncle Ben's and Wrigley. Philip Thomas, Cannes Lions CEO, said: "Mars' creative and skilful approach to the brand communication of its diverse product portfolio has been rewarded at Cannes for many years." "Lions have been won for work from countries as diverse as France, the US, the UK, Brazil, South Africa, Portugal, Chile, and many more – a testament to a company which truly embraces creativity and demands outstanding work from its agencies." The trophy will be presented in Cannes to Bruce McColl, chief marketing officer at Mars, during the Film, Film Craft, Branded Entertainment and Content, and Titanium and Integrated Lions on Saturday 23 June.
Top PR Agencies Scramble for Guinness Account One of the heavyweights in the brewery industry, Guinness Nigeria Plc has thrown its doors opened for agencies to pitch for the management of its public relations account. At the last count, it was gathered that among the four agencies so far jostling for this juicy PR account include two Ikeja GRA based agencies, one agency operating from a Suburb near Ikeja and another agency operating from Lagos Island. It has been revealed that this latest move by Guinness is to reposition the brand to match competition in the extremely vibrant brewery sector. Guinness Nigeria who recently launched a new beer, Dubic lager beer deems it urgent to invite experts to handle the company’s corporate reputation and that of her brands after it has become obvious that the representations of the brewery house is gradually sliding. Although some of her brands are presently facing poor media presence, brands like Guinness Foreign Extra stout and Malta Guinness are among of the trail blazing brands in the country. Among the agencies that are scrambling for this mouth -watering account are new entrants into the PR Consultancy profession and older agencies with affiliations in the country. It could be recalled that agencies like the present custodian, Richardson & Bricks, TPT, JSP, Brooks + Blake among others have worked on the Guinness brands in the last two decades. Apart from telecoms operators, the brewery industry is the next most vibrant brand conscious industry, spending whooping amounts on all aspects of marketing communications. The Manufacturing and Banking sectors are considered by many analysts as third and fourth respectively.
Harp Lime Extension: Partying on Slippery Dance Floor? When Al and Laure Ries declared in their book “22 Immutable Laws Of Branding”, that marketing techniques like brand extension, mega branding, variable pricing and a host of others, employed by contemporary brand owners are being used basically to milk consumers rather than build brands, many brand analysts found it somewhat difficult to agree with the duo. The two, while elucidating the first law in the book, ‘Law of Expansion’ declared that, many brand owners who utilize most of the above marketing techniques do so for short term gains. This, Al and Laure Ries believe will, in the long run, wear down the brand as the brand would, subsequently lose her distinct personality before finally going into extinction. Even if some brand experts disagree with AI and Laure Ries, carcasses of brands that ventured on this slippery ground called brand extension litter the entire Nigerian market space. This list of extended brands that met their doom cuts across all sectors. They include brands like Guinness Extra Smooth, Fanta Orange and Pineapple, Diet Coke, Indomie Pepper Soup, Maggi Crayfish and many others. The usual trend is that these extended brands are introduced with great pump and fanfare, and then they gradually fizzle out of the market totally or only exist as “living- dead” brands. If records have shown that brand extension as a marketing technique does not always add long term value, why do manufacturers engaged in it incessantly? With this anticipation, what is the future of Guinness Nigeria’s newest extension from the harp family, Harp lime? Is Harp Lime rushing on a path other brands tread but failed to make positive impact? Why are some brand analysts so apprehensive about the market success and even longevity of extended brands? What could be responsible for this trend? Why has brand extension repeatedly not flourished on the good name of their mother brands? Nigeria is described by some brand experts as a market with some of the most incoherent brand extensions in the world. Statistics indicating that only a negligible percentage of extended lines thrive in the market; seem to position these pessimists on the right path. Just like a new born baby, jubilations and celebrations always follow the launch of a new product or its extension, like the one witnessed when Harp lime was introduced into the market. The presence of this new entrant for many is like a blank sheet waiting to be inscribed on, with the most beautiful story. And it is perhaps with this thought in mind, many people often wonder aloud: what will this brand become someday? It is soothing that Harp Lime is doing fairly well in the market presently. However, some brand analysts see this recent brand extension initiated by Guinness Nigeria as unnecessary. Putting it bluntly a brand commentator, Michael Otons a graduate of Orange brand Academy in Lagos says it is “an ill-informed experiment based on the premise that the mother brand, Harp lager, is fighting a tough battle to adequately position itself in the market against a formidable rival brand, Star lager, and as such extended brand will only drain the effort of the mother brand.” However, Yinka Olaito, an Executive with Michael Sage Consulting, feels this is not exactly the case because brand extension is a tactical approach by a successful brand to extend its line of products to gain more market. In his words, ‘The logic behind this is to use the already known brand and goodwill the brand enjoys now to increase corporate revenue drive. A brand may deceive us by playing the card of wanting to help and satisfy the needs of their clients. But as we know, revenue drive is at the foundation of brand extension. Even if Harp has a strong competitor, the brand’s level of acceptance and followership can still make this step a success. “As much as this is a good step, many brand extensions fail after awhile, because a brand represents something in the minds of the consumers. With line extension or what is known as brand extension, many brands often dilute its image in the minds of its consumer. Most times, that leads to confusion. Not many brands have been totally successful after a long while of line extension. There may be a couple of successful stories like Virgin group and Procter and Gamble”. Olaito concluded that a brand can extend her product line if it has discovered it has gained enough goodwill and loyalty that can sustain the new product in the market. He opined that, the failure of most brand extension in Nigeria may not be totally different from what obtains elsewhere. His words “Brand custodians must learn not to confuse popularity with loyalty. If a brand intends to make a line extension to become a household name, the brand owner should make sure it is a new market that can get early mover advantage, have solid business brand strategy that can weather the storm, work and build loyalty from current and established client who can become word of mouth advertisers, budget for brand communication, continually build strong relationships and appeal to customers emotions and use every media to appeal to clients emotions.” John Ehiguese, Managing Director, MediaCraft, a PR firm, is of the opinion that no brand really needs extension. He claimed it is up to the brand handler to decide if they want to extend the brand. “There are several reasons why brand extension fails in this country: If the equity of the mother brand is enough to support an extension, the extended brand is competing and thereafter eating into the market share of the mother brand, the extended brand does not enjoy enough marketing support, then there is no need for an extension. The brand extension strategy is rather tricky to use and is often a risk to take. I feel the Harp line extension is a big risk. You can never really predict whether it’ll work or not until it has been executed. As a general rule though, I believe that if all the factors I enumerated earlier are in place a brand handler may consider brand extension. But I want to reiterate, it is always a gamble.” Giving a contrary opinion, Ade Gooding, a marketing communication expert with Cooks House Brands, said that the strongest brands occupy a clearly defined and well focused position in customers' minds and they dominate their categories without limiting single category. “Brand Extensions are one of the hottest topics in brand management. They have spawned a rich and intense body and research. Some experts keep claiming that brand extension should be avoided, however, today, most companies, even those that were culturally the least prone to engage in brand extensions, have extended their brands. Brand extension is a necessary strategic move at some point in the life of a brand. It’s an essential way to sustain the brand’s growth once other approaches had been explored and Harp has the liberty to explore this advantage.” He said. Giving details on what to put in place to make brand extension a success, Ade mentioned the need to enhance growth first, by increasing the volume of purchase per capita of present customers. With this, new product development and line extension can increase the brand’s relevance and address the needs of more specific targets or situations. According to Ade, “The brand extension perspective introduces two radical modifications. First, it maintains that a brand is a single and long-lasting promise; but this promise can or should be expressed and embodied in different products, and eventually in different categories. Second, it asks us eventually to redefine the historical brand benefit by nesting it in a higher order value. Brand extension exemplifies the move from tangible to intangible values, from a single product-based promise to a larger brand benefit, thus making the brand able to cover a wider range of products.” In addition, unlike mere line extensions, brand extensions are associated with diversification, so there is a sizeable impact on the company as a whole. Managing brand extensions is about identifying the growth opportunities. It aims also at maximizing the chances of success of the new product launch, while increasing the value of the parent brand. This entails managing the whole product range: to maintain its equity. In a similar vein, Mrs. Aderonke Adebule, Executive Director in JSP Communications claimed that a brand needs an extension to meet the various needs or lifestyle of its target audience. “A brand extension is also necessary to checkmate competing brands in the same category. Brand extension is necessary to create room for variety- ‘as variety is the spice of life!’ Also when a brand is doing great, extension may be necessary to leverage on the success of that existing brand. Brand extension is a natural by-product of any brand. We see it playing out not only in Nigeria, but all over the world. Especially when the brand is doing well, the lure to extend it is irresistible” Mrs. Adebule however pointed out that Brand extinction may arise even in the Harp lime extension if there are no clear brand differentiations. Poor communication may also affect brand extension. Inability to adequately ascertain consumer preferences and taste may lead to failure in brand extension. In Nigeria, some brand extensions have failed because of the 'me too' syndrome. In an attempt to play catch up or ‘me too,’ some brands do not pay attention to brand fundamentals and end up worse than when they started. I’ll suggest that any brand that thinks extension is the next move for its brands, the brand owner should consider good strategies like conducting proper consumer research institute an effective feedback mechanism highlighting product differentiation, protect the mother brand at all costs”. Chairman/CEO of C&F Porter Novelli, Nne’emeka Maduegbuna harangued that brands do not always need extension. However he said when an established brand chooses to extend its reach into another product category, or is desirous of increasing its brand equity or believes that creating further revenue streams would be beneficial, then an extension could be done. He feels this must have guided the decision to bring in Harp lime. “Above all, it should be a well grounded strategic decision and not a half-baked one. The Brand extension has to be carefully considered: there is a risk that the core brand image may be diluted and damaged. So long as the core brand is strong and the product variant is consistent, there should not be too much of a problem. However the correct strategies must to be utilized. As with any brand extension, it takes time for the brand to become a household name so it requires careful consideration. Before a brand launches its extension, a careful research of the target audience is required alongside in -depth planning, before strategies and messaging can be developed.’ Maduegbuna argued.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

CAP PLC UNVEILS ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY PAINT RANGE OF DULUX TRADE ECOSURE As part of continuous efforts to produce environment-friendly paints without compromising on quality and standards, Chemical and Allied Products (CAP) Plc has unveiled a revolutionary new water-based paint range of Dulux Trade Ecosure. Speaking at the unveiling event in Lagos, Managing Director, CAP Plc, Mrs. Omolara Elemide, said a good way of minimizing the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is to encourage production and patronage of eco-friendly products that do not harm the environment. She said: “Living in a polluted atmosphere brings with it a negative impact on the health of human beings. Consequently, it is highly recommended for people to do their bit in minimizing the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. A good way of doing this is to encourage the production and patronage of eco-friendly products – products that do not harm the environment, whether in their production, use or disposal. “To meet this challenge, Dulux launched a project in 2007, which eventually led to the emergence of Dulux Trade Ecosure. It is a fact that conventional Dulux Trade Paints have long enjoyed a reputation for quality and performance. However, when it became evident that ‘going green’ has become the panacea to global warming and its disastrous impacts, Dulux was confronted with the task of strengthening the sustainability profile of its products without sacrificing quality.” Mrs. Elemide, noted that the introduction of Dulux Trade Ecosure has once again demonstrated our genuine commitment to ensuring a safer environment for all. Ecosure, a water based paint in all the available finishes, including gloss, has very low volatile organic compounds with less emission of green house gasses throughout the production cycle. The product combines sustainability and performance; reduced environmental impact with no compromise on performance. Dulux Trade Ecosure Paint is presently in four finishes: Matt, Eggshell, Gloss and Undercoat, The Executive Director, Corporate Services, UACN Plc, Mr.Joe Dada, representing the Group Managing Director, UACN Plc, Mr. Larry Ettah, said CAP Plc is making the world a better place with the revolutionary water -based paint range of Dulux Ecosure. He encouraged people who talk about having a good environment to join hands to save and protect our planet by being aware of safety, health and environment issues.
OMO Multiactive Mix: Just another Breakaway Brand?
According to the book “The Breakaway Brand- How Great Brands Stand Out” by Francis Kelly and Barry Silverstein, qualities of breakaway brands include being positioned for success, and connecting with its audiences among others. The emergences of breakaway brands are never new even in an under developed economy like Nigeria, but their success is what really lies in their ability to build the qualities highlighted by the writer of the above mentioned book. The detergent industry in the country is saturated with different products, either homemade or imported. Though some of these detergent brands died at birth, some are positioned to take the lead in the market place considering their years of existence. One of such detergent is Omo detergent from the stable of Unilever Nigeria Plc. OMO, one of the best stain removals in Nigeria recently marked its 50th year Anniversary with an event filled with glitz and glamour. Local production of OMO began in Nigeria in 1962 at the Lever Brothers Factory, Aba. The brand has grown with Nigeria over the years, and has made several improvements on its formulation to bolster its cleaning properties and ensure that it is consumers’ detergent of choice. Speaking at the re-launch and its Jubilee celebration, the Managing Director of Unilever Nig Plc, Mr Thabo Mabe; stated that OMO has had a unique history in Nigeria, and has over the years been the detergent of choice for numerous Nigerian families. In his words, “Unilever places a very high premium on the satisfaction of our consumers; that is why we never compromise on quality. We are also unrelenting in our drive to ensure that our products are of the highest standards by consistently making improvements that create more value for our consumers.” Present at the event were the Ogun State Commissioner for Commerce & Industry; Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, The Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce & Industry, represented by the Director of Commerce, and the President, Manufacturers Association Of Nigeria, Mr Yinka Akande. One of the most memorable part of the Celebration, was the unveiling of an enhanced mix of this dynamic brand, The New Improved “Omo MultiActive Mix” with Maximum Cleaning Particles and the capacity to remove dried-in stains in one swift step. This new formulation still comes at the same price with other Omo variants now in the market; a noteworthy evidence of Unilever’s commitment to quality and consumer satisfaction. The book mentioned earlier said a breakaway brands maintains its leadership position because consistency is a pervasive concept within the brand owner’s organization. Omo, with this new variant has made a remarkable effort to maintain its leadership position by remaining consistent in the mind of its consumers, besides making a steady making market presence with quality that has very little to do with the brand’s age. How long this will continue will only show in chance of time.
Life Lager Beer Re-launched in Onitsha After a successful acquisition and passing through a thorough brewing process, Life Continental Lager Beer, one of the latest additions to the brands on the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc was recently re-launched at the prestigious De-Lumen Suit in Onitsha. The event reinforced the heritage embedded in the product and its connection with the South-east consumers. Life has been in the Eastern part of Nigerian market for the past twenty nine years, available only in one packaging format, and industry bottle. Life Larger beer comes with a distinguished attractive Packaging (New Crown Cork, New Bottle, New Labels and New Crates) and improved product quality. At the colourful trade briefing, the new brand was revealed to the key partners. The atmosphere was filled with melody and rich cultural ambience. From stand up entertainment to the calligraphic display by the Atilogu dance group of Onitsha. It was a celebration of life with the nine villages which make up the city of Onitsha. The people of Asagwali Omekpo, Aje Ukadiugwu, Osuma Afah, Onya Nyaka-nyaka, Odua Ngu, Ogene Onirah, Ogbuoba Anyalagbon, Onoli Oguda and Owelle Asowanya were all well represented. According to Mr. Walter Drenth, Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, “the company is pioneering and innovating with the hope of bringing satisfaction to our consumers in Nigeria while supporting our customers’ business. And our sole aim which is very important is to delight them with the perfect beer experiences”. Mr. Drenth reassured the people of Onitsha that Nigerian breweries will continue to support their businesses as they rewrite history together. “The drive for excellent contributions to global businesses is what resulted in the rebirth of a local brand. The addition of Sona Groups and Life Breweries to the company has produced brands like Life Larger Beer, Gold Beer and Malta Gold”, he added. As part of the re-launch activities, a courtesy visit to the Obi of Onitsha’s palace witnessed the official presentation of the first bottle of Life larger beer produced by Nigerian Breweries for royal blessings and as a mark of respect to the eminent traditional ruler. The Aje Ukadiugwu of Onitsha, Chief Benedict Osita Adibuah received the gift items on behalf of the Obi of Onitsha, HRM, Igwe Alfred Nwaemeka Achebe. Chief Adibuah affirmed that the people are happy with the presence of Nigerian breweries in Onitsha through Life Beer and also commended the contributions of the company during the annual Ofala festival in Onitsha. It would be recalled that Life Breweries Company Limited, former brewer of Life lager was acquired by Nigerian Breweries in January 2011. The brand which is brewed to attain a rich feel, crisp distinctive taste and well rounded aroma comes in a 60cl bottle with choice grains, premium imported hops and the purest of waters and is pocket friendly. . As a major brewing concern, Nigerian Breweries encourages the establishment of ancillary businesses. Many of these organisation and individuals depend largely on the company for their means of livelihood. These include the manufacturers of Bottles, Labels, Crown Corks, Cartoons, Plastic Crates and such services as Hotels/Clubs and our key Distributors.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Subomi Balogun's FCMB Shuts Down Branches …Sacks 300 Workers In the latest down-sizing effort ravaging the banking industry, First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Plc has sacked 300 staff of Finbank Plc, who comprises 30 per cent of the staff strength. About 43 branches of Finbank have also been closed. Announcing the development at the weekend, managing director of FCMB, Mr Ladi Balogun said 70 per cent of the workforce of Finbank was retained, adding that the dismissed workers would be adequately compensated with an attractive package. “We have provided a very healthy severance package for them,” he said. “We retained their medical; they will also be allowed to keep the bank’s assets; gratuity is also retained; we will provide proper counselling and training to manage the disappointment that they were not retained by the bank. In fact, the rationalisation exercise was painstaking.” When the exercise is done, FCMB, which initially had 139 branches, will have 278 and a staff strength of 3,000. Balogun confirmed that the latest mass sack is the last in the bank’s rationalisation exercise, since 250 staffers of FCMB were laid off last year. One of the branches closed down was located within the Lagos State University. “The merger, billed to be concluded in June, would create more jobs in the next two years and catapult the retail banking niche of the enlarged FCMB to a mass market,” he enthused. “Customers in the closed branches have been briefed. While some of the affected branches were not profitable, others were overlapping, that is, located near FCMB branches. However spokes person who was contacted explained the reason for the development. He further explained the sack and the closure of some of the bank’s branches are part of ongoing process of strategic growth of the bank. Subomi Balogun's FCMB Shuts Down Branches …Sacks 300 Workers In the latest down-sizing effort ravaging the banking industry, First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Plc has sacked 300 staff of Finbank Plc, who comprises 30 per cent of the staff strength. About 43 branches of Finbank have also been closed. Announcing the development at the weekend, managing director of FCMB, Mr Ladi Balogun said 70 per cent of the workforce of Finbank was retained, adding that the dismissed workers would be adequately compensated with an attractive package. “We have provided a very healthy severance package for them,” he said. “We retained their medical; they will also be allowed to keep the bank’s assets; gratuity is also retained; we will provide proper counselling and training to manage the disappointment that they were not retained by the bank. In fact, the rationalisation exercise was painstaking.” When the exercise is done, FCMB, which initially had 139 branches, will have 278 and a staff strength of 3,000. Balogun confirmed that the latest mass sack is the last in the bank’s rationalisation exercise, since 250 staffers of FCMB were laid off last year. One of the branches closed down was located within the Lagos State University. “The merger, billed to be concluded in June, would create more jobs in the next two years and catapult the retail banking niche of the enlarged FCMB to a mass market,” he enthused. “Customers in the closed branches have been briefed. While some of the affected branches were not profitable, others were overlapping, that is, located near FCMB branches. However spokes person who was contacted explained the reason for the development. He further explained the sack and the closure of some of the bank’s branches are part of ongoing process of strategic growth of the bank.
Nigerian’s Tea drinking Habit Is On The Rise - Onubogu Drinking tea plays such a central part in human lives, it is such a universal phenomenon with millions of people the world over enjoying their tea on a daily basis, that it’s hard to imagine a world without tea and yet while the Eastern world has been using tea for more than 4500 years, for most of this time tea was unknown in the Western world. Tea was only introduced into the West a relatively recent 400 years ago. Discovered in China, tea has exerted a profound influence on societies and cultures throughout the world so that there are unique ceremonies in various cultures and most parts of the world have social etiquettes concerning the preparation and drinking of tea as well as social customs regarding how, when and where to drink it. Quenching African taste and passion for tea, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, makers of notable brands of tea, Top Tea recently launched four new variants of the tea into the Nigerian market. In this interview with Mr. Onyekachi Onubogu, Marketing Director, he spoke on the company’s efforts to inculcate the act of drinking more tea daily by consumers and new corporate projection of Promassidor in years to come. What’s your Overview of the Nigerian tea Market? We launched four variants of Top Tea recently: two variants, which are ginger and lemon/lime flavours, the black tea in the round pack as well as the black tea variant that is packed in an envelope with tags designed for hotels and people who want specialized brands. The tea market in Nigeria is very interesting and primarily dominated by Top Tea and the brand from Unilever. Top Tea is a brand that has been accepted by changing consumer habits. If you realized that about 10 or 15 years ago tea options depended on what you drink at that time. You ordeal was primarily hot beverages, coffee or tea. What has happened in these past years is that you have been given options that come in different packs and that have changed the conventional breakfast brand of hot beverage or coffee. So the market has consolidated but has not been growing as fast as other brands and categories. Because the market is dominated by key players, we decided to energize and excite it because what you see in the market historically has been a dull market and then you have a second player that came with Top Tea and we really brought dynamism into the market and we are trying to further grow presence in that market. But it is a market with potentials because aside what you know as tea that is in many markets in various parts of the world, tea has evolved much more than what you drink hot and also what you drink cold. It has also evolved to other segments like carbonated soft drinks so you have different variants like the Iced Tea drink, we have not gotten there yet in Nigeria but it’s something that is in the works. Well I must say that the best tea brand is the Top Tea brand, and I am not saying it because I work with Promasidor but because it’s a brand that is built on quality. First of all we get our tea leaves from the finest tea locations in the world and we have the best processing facilities so I think we have the best tea in the market and our recent launch has also lend credence to that because like I said at the launch we are the first indigenous tea company to roll out flavoured variants like these in the Nigerian market. I know some do have their flavoured variants in the market but most of them are imported. In terms of innovation, we are the first tea company to launch round bags and now we have the flavoured variants all to meet the consumer needs. What are the health benefits of tea? Our job is to let the people know the benefits of tea. As Nigerians we love our lives. So if I know something is good for me I will take. After all people drink agbo (local herb drink) without being told to do so because they believed that it’s good for their health. My challenge is to let people know the benefits of drinking tea. That it is more than drinking coke or cold water. If we all know that tea is good for our health and again people say that the Asian, Chinese live longer because they consume more tea and suffer less hypertension and again they live longer primarily because of the quantity of warm tea they consume and if we know that and communicate it to consumers that, there is a good chance that they will try it because everybody wants to live long. I challenge people to go and read up the benefits of drinking tea and if they do, they will drink more tea than you even dreamt of because we have those who want to lose weight, those whose food does not digest well or those who are worried about heart attack and tea in its real form, helps address these issues. If you read about the benefits of tea as an individual whether anybody convinces you or not, you will start drinking tea. Nigerians are very knowledgeable and discerning people and will do what is important if you give them the quality of life they want. Tea is not expensive. It is significantly cheaper than any other beverage you want, a pack of tea top tea for instance gives you 26 packs of tea for N110, if you drink one tea bag every six hours you can drink four tea bags divided by 26 and you can have it for one week and since one tea bag will make two cups, you can have eight cups of tea for ten days on a N110 because the only thing you mix with your tea is water. If you really want to take it what you need is hot water. In fact even if you don’t have hot water, the nutrient will come out. So for N110 that’s for a pack of Top Tea, it can give you eight mugs of tea for one week and that’s less than two bottles of coke. It is still the cheapest drink you can get because whether you are rich or not. That is what we need to do to tell people about the benefits and value of tea. In all our communication for Top Tea what we are driving are the benefits and values of tea so that people will know what tea is all about. That’s the biggest job we have to do in this category. N100 airtime how many minutes will you talk for before it finishes, but N100 tea will last you for one week and give you a better chance of having a better quality life. Is there a growing interest in tea drinking in Nigeria? Before we embark on any project, we do massive consumer research. We have quarterly massive consumer research also that analyses consumers trends and understands consumer trend. So every category has its own. And before we go into specific projects like this, we codes groups and consumers panel research to understand what the consumer wants and what the taste offering wants and when we develop tea before we launched it we tasted it with consumers to see if the taste meets the consumer needs because they might say they want ginger and the ginger may not be the same as they want some might say it’s too hard or small. Even in our research, there are other variants and tea options consumer wants of course we cant launch all of them in one day but we are gradually developing options. This is a journey we started in the next couple of years, we will change the face if tea in Nigeria. In terms of pack options, flavor based, delivery technology, we will change the entire face of the category in Nigeria. Because we can and we are not doing anything that can’t be done we are doing what must be done because that is what Nigerian consumers deserve. A lot of things have been done and a lot that we know consumers still want but if I ask you am sure that you will give me some tea that you have taken from somewhere maybe your aunt, mom or uncle we know all that and gradually we will take this brand to where it ought to be. We spend lots of money on research but I won’t give you the exact numbers because its confidential information but it is in the hundreds of millions. We spend a lot of money on research every year because it is the bedrock of our business. We launched TopTea recently and we have begun massive ATL activities to drive the brand. Over the next one or two months, you will see massive distribution gains for the brand. We launched it one week and I want to see what the results would be in one month time. We will also track our distribution gains so in about a month’s time I am sure you will see Top Tea in your neighborhood and again we have started lots of adverts on radio and TV. One thing that has grown up is the name. A lot of women like lemon tea in fact people like lemon tea in Nigeria the reason is that with lemon tea, you really don’t need milk it gives you the tea and also the flavor that goes well. Lemon and lime has their own benefits and taste. They give the taste that people like especially women so we are offering them their tea and lemon and lime with it. So that really helps and it has its own benefits. For ginger, we have the health benefit combining them with tea. Men like ginger because ginger has ‘strongness’ benefit. Ginger gives you lot of male potency. Ginger itself has lots of health benefit. But we are not counting the health benefit because at the end of the day, tea is still tea and that is what we are selling. What we are selling is Top Tea, the number one brand in Nigeria. What we did is to enhance not just giving you the benefit of tea but you also get the benefits of the other variants of tea. What are the challenges you encountered in the marketing of the existing Top Tea that you intend to leverage on for the new variants you have just introduced into the market? When we entered the Nigerian market, we encountered massive challenges because there was already an established market and we had to convince consumers that this brand we are offering was good enough for them to try. You need to build a product that is superior in terms of performance, superior in terms of taste, superior in terms of diffusion than what they already have in the tea bag market. Because consumers want a tea bag that when they put it in water it should diffuse well, has excellent quality, they want colour that’s the thickness of the original colour so they can make one or two cups from it. Our round tea bags can make two cups well, that is what we call thick. Our tea bag diffuses much faster and last much longer than the competition. So we needed to develop a product that will have an edge over the competition already in the market. But that has its own cost implication. But it was good because our vision in Promasidor is to constantly develop products that will meet the needs of consumers. Then there was distribution challenges, we are going against a company that has been in existence in Nigeria since colonial days and they have massive distribution networks and loyalties and goodwill with the Nigerian market and it had to change and to change that goodwill, you have to make your product available and make sure when consumers taste your products they are not disappointed and then keep pushing the product and keep spreading the message of consistency. Top quality is our watch word and that is what has driven Top Tea to where it is now and I guess my challenge will be to take a bag of Top Tea and take a bag of the other competitor and put it in the same mug of hot water and see how fast it diffuses and then taste it. Our brand is significantly better than the other. Given the low disposal income of consumers, do you think the tea market is growing? Your points are very valid because tea cuts across all the economic class so it’s not about where you come from. It now cuts across from the guy on the street to the man in the office, we all drink tea. What has happened now concerning tea drinking in Nigeria is that you now have different options to pick from. When we were growing up I mean 25, 30 years ago the only thing we had on our breakfast table was tea, and tea being coffee or chocolate beverages. Today lots of kids will like to take caprisone or flavoured milk for breakfast. We didn’t have flavoured milk when we were growing up but today there are 30 or 40 flavoured milk options available. Even with the tea, there are lots of hot beverages. So what has impacted the tea market is that one, there are now lots of options that accompany breakfast. Secondly, the industry has not been dynamic, before Top Tea came to this country what we had was one tea brand that existed and that was in the same format for 50, 60 years. Every other place in the world there has been change in packaging, in format and in the quality of diffusion, in flavors there has been massive change that has had to keep up with the evolution in consumer choice all over the world. But in Nigeria it has not been the same, so you move from where you were dominant in terms of backwards behavior some people had. Some people had complex of options and you have done nothing else to show consumers that look we understand your needs and am providing solutions that meet your needs and that is why the tea segment has not been growing as fast as it ought to. Top Tea has come to change that in terms of the product they deliver to consumers, in terms of the options available for consumers and what is important to the Nigerian consumer is that we provide solution to meet their needs. In recent times what you see people do is that they take lemon grass blend it and add to their tea. People wanted tea that had lemon and that didn’t exist in Nigeria and the MD of Promasidor said look what the consumers want and what is important to them and in understanding what is important to them we have gone ahead to say that we will constantly review products that in every consumer need, we have it met. One of the things that consumer wants is taste and flavor, and we will give them taste and flavor and even multiple flavours, if that is what they want. We will give them a brand that they can take not only at breakfast time. If you look at our communication now we are saying that there is something new with Top Tea. We also want to change the habits that tea should not only be drank in the morning because possibly the healthiest drink you can have in life depends on the options you have in tea and it is because that’s where the Chinese are always looking healthy because they can drink ten or more cups of that tea in a day because tea is good for your health. Some say, it is good to help manage heart attack because if you drink warm tea regularly it will reduce the ability of cholesterols from clotting and all that. There are lots of benefits in drinking tea and remember tea is from leaves. So it makes it clear that we should always drink a lot more of tea. But you know Nigerians we only drink tea in the mornings. What we want to change is that we should actually drink tea at every point in the day whether in the morning or afternoon or in the night whenever we have a break, we should drink tea. Because it is important, we need to inculcate the habit, we need something healthy as a people and as a nation. What is the market share of Top Tea? We are the number two brand in the market and in the next two or three years or so we will grow faster than the number one brand. So our vision is to be the number one tea brand in the market in the not so distant future. But today, from the reports, we are two brands in the market. Knowing that one, we are a young brand and we were launched 1998 and we have spent only 14 years in the market and we are competing against a brand that has been in the market for 50 or 60 years. Apart from keeping the equity of Cowbell as a brand, what are your plans to bring other brands of the company to the same level in the face of consumers? Cowbell is just one brand in our stables and we are have over seven brands, our job is to make sure that every brands is as big or even bigger than Cowbell, we started the journey with Loya and we have seen transformation on the brand, that was why the brand won the most transformed brand in 2011 as voted by ADVAN. We are transforming that brand and we are looking at what we are going to do with our Top tea brand in this 2012.we are started the journey with Cowbell and now it’s the turn of Top tea and the rest of them will follow.
Maltina: Two Home Winners Emerge In Sharing Happiness Promo Three weeks after it made a promise of rewarding five lucky Nigerians with brand new homes in Lagos, Maltina, the nation’s number one malt drink from the stable of Nigerian Breweries plc is set to redeem the promise as the first set of winners have been picked. 18 year old Adeyinka Adeola from Mbiama, Rivers State and 22 year Moses Edewor from Yenegoa, Bayelsa State were picked in the first draw held in Lagos on April 15, 2012. The promo which is in line with the brand promise of “Sharing happiness,” has been generating entries nationwide because of the magnitude of the prizes which is the first time any brand in the malt sector is giving out a furnished home in the country. The remaining three homes are still up for grabs as the promo continues. Adeyinka is a secondary school student of Government Secondary School, Okarki, while Moses who recently graduated from Mein Grammar School Ogobiri, Bayelsa State and just wrote the Joint Admissions’ and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination, is optimistic of gaining admission to a tertiary institution in the country after scoring 247. The new homes are situated at the high brow Lekki-Ajah axis of Lagos. The duo could not hide their excitement when they were contacted on phone by the hostess of the draw, Kemi Adetiba and a Journalist with Businessday newspaper, Daniel Obi. They poured encomium on the brand for causing a radical turnaround in their fortunes. Adeyinka, who said he lives in a one room apartment with his parents and four sibling thanked Maltina for providing them a new home that is truly a home. On his part, Moses who lives with his married elder sister and four children said they live in an uncompleted two room house, “this house from Maltina is God sent, we pray that your business will grow in leaps and bound.” Moses said. It would be recalled that the Corporate Affairs Adviser, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Yusuf Ageni had given the reason for the promo as the domino effect of the huge success of the 2011 re-launch of Maltina with a new packaging upgrade, new communication and revised positioning which had a positive impact on the brand’s volume, market share and overall equity which also rubbed off on the consumers who shared in the good fortune, smiling home with fantastic prizes. The success of that year and the yearnings of consumers was what prompted the promo. The promo, according to Mrs. Ngozi Nkwoji, Senior Brand Manager, Maltina will run from April 2nd to May 25th 2012 and is crown cork based with two categories of winning crown corks, ‘instant winning crown corks’ and ‘alphabet code crown corks’. For the ‘instant winning crown corks’ whatever is seen under the crown cork is what the consumer gets instantly! The prizes are shown under the crown corks and prizes can be redeemed at any of our 1200 redemption centres located across Nigeria.” The instant prizes include N1 million, N100, 000 cash which will come in form of a Maltina branded ATM card and other brand memorabilia which include wrist watches, millions of free drinks and others. The second category he outlined is the Alphabet code combination crown corks which would win the grand prize of a Luxury Home. It would consist of the following letters; S – M – I – L- E. “In order to win the grand prize,” according to Ageni, “a consumer is expected to collect a combination of crown corks that spell the word S-M-I-L-E. Maltina shall be giving out a total of 5 houses. Under the letter ‘M’ crown corks; there will be special differentiated alphanumeric codes. These codes qualify consumers for weekly raffle draws. The 5 houses will be given out in three weekly raffle draws as follows: 1st Raffle- 2 houses, 2nd Raffle- 2 houses, 3rd Raffle- 1 house.” Holders of the raffle draw crown corks, the Senior Brand Manager said can enter the raffle draws by either sending their code, name, sex, age and address (address should include state) to 30380 or going to any of the 1,200 redemption centers to register their names and contact details. “Holders of the S-M-I-LE crown corks will be expected to keep them as the ultimate proof of ownership. The SMS will work with all major telecoms operators.” The Maltina brand is noted for exploring creative avenues to consistently engage and reward its consumers. One of these creative consumer engagement platforms is the popular and highly rated Maltina Dance All (MDA) TV reality show, a platform for sharing happiness, promoting family values and bonding. Since it hit the Nigerian market in 1976, Maltina has consistently satisfied its consumers with high quality natural malt drink, fortified with essential vitamins and minerals. It is the first and only malt drink officially endorsed by the Nutrition Society Nigeria. This provides Nigerians the vitality and superior nourishment necessary for their daily activities - including those special fun moments shared with friends and loved ones.
P&G Appoints New External Relations Leader for West Africa Procter and Gamble Nigeria (P&G) has appointed Mrs. Tope Iluyemi, a graduate of Pharmacy from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, as its new external relations leader for West Africa. She started her career with P&G Nigeria in 1998 as an account executive. Since then she has distinguished herself with consistent outstanding results, earning her leadership positions in different roles within the organization. Some of Mrs. Iluyemi’s previous roles include customer business development management, supply chain management both in Nigeria and also in South Africa. Prior to her taking on the additional role of the Head of External relations for P&G in Nigeria, she led the same role for 22 other countries in the P&G West Africa cluster. Mrs. Iluyemi assumed her new role in March 2012. The new role will see her managing all P&G external relations disciplines including government relations, brand public relations, corporate communications, consumer relations and regulatory affairs for the 23 countries in West and Central Africa. Mrs. Iluyemi is happily married with two children and in her spare time enjoys travelling, reading and dancing. She is also a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and is involved in various local community projects.
Ecobank Inaugurates Diaspora Account As part of efforts to affirm its role as the leading pan-African Bank, Ecobank Nigeria has launched Diaspora Account, a product designed for people who work away from their home country. Speaking at the launch event, Managing Director of Ecobank Nigeria, Jubril Aku, represented by Dele Alabi, the Executive Director, Finance and Risk, said Africa Diaspora Account satisfies the need for a bank account back in your home country and country of residence. He said: “At Ecobank, we ensure that our role in financial intermediation impacts the everyday life of the customer. This we do by creating special windows that support our customers’ daily living. “This is the reason behind the conception of the Africa Diaspora Account. This special product is targeted at the African professional who works outside his or her home country and demonstrates the Ecobank passion for providing convenient, accessible and reliable financial products and services for all our customers wherever they may be in the world. “Africa Diaspora Account satisfies the need for a bank account back in your home country and country of residence. It is an excellent product for the man or woman, the engineer, the medical doctor, the teacher who has left his home country to work in another country, and is determined to provide for those at home. At Ecobank we say the ‘African in Diaspora is a HERO’”, he added. The Executive Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Kingsley Aigbokhaevbo, also speaking about the vision behind the Ecobank African Diaspora Account revealed that “African immigrants living and working outside their home countries have been on the increase from year to year. Typically, the African Diaspora follows a discernible pattern – a drift from developing economies to relatively stronger economies. This trend is also now pronounced within Africa in the form of economic cooperation amongst member states of ECOWAS and the rest of Africa. This, no doubt, is facilitating movement of goods, services and labour mobility.” According to the Product Manager, Africa Diaspora Account, Vivienne Ijomah, the account is a multicurrency deposit liability and transactional product which facilitates creation of banking relationships with African migrants within and outside Africa. Given the immediate and future scope of Ecobank Africa Diaspora Account, we will roll out the product in two phases “Phase one (which we are now experiencing) focuses on Africans living in Africa but outside their home country, that is, those living within Africa. We have the capacity to do an end-to-end processing of a non-resident account through Ecobank designated branches in our affiliates. Phase two will focus on those living outside Africa. She noted that Ecobank Diaspora Account is targeted at Africans working away from home, especially Embassy staff of countries where Ecobank is represented; staff of international organizations and multinational companies with regional presence across Africa.
New Product: Can Dubic Lager Break Through The Clutter? A notable quote from Scott Talgo, a renowned brand expert says "A brand that captures your mind, gains behaviour; a brand that captures your heart, gains commitment". Across the world, Guinness is seen as a world class brand, and her products are household names, capturing minds, behaviors and gaining commitments from consumers. It is in line with this that Guinness Nigeria Plc; one of the leading brewing companies in Nigeria, recently launched Dubic Extra Lager into the Nigerian lager market. Dubic Extra Lager, a unique beer with a refreshing taste, wearing a royal purple logo, is the latest addition to the stable of Guinness Nigeria Plc. The colourful event which took place in Aba and Ibadan simultaneously was received by consumers amidst pomp and fanfare. At the event, the Managing Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Devlin Hainsworth said “Guinness Nigeria has a tradition of continuously delivering great brands to our consumers. Dubic Extra Lager is a premium value brand that will not only bring excitement to consumers but will also give them the opportunity to connect with their heritage. With a refreshingly unique taste, Dubic is the beer consumers deserve’’. As part of the launch activities, the company paid courtesy visits to the governments of Abia and Oyo States. In Umuahia, the Chairman of Guinness Nigeria, Mr. Babatunde Savage accompanied by Mr. Sesan Sobowale, Corporate Relations Director and Prof. Joe Irukwu, Executive Director Guinness Nigeria, officially presented the brand to Prof. Mkpa Agu Mkpa, the Secretary to the Abia State Government in the presence of the traditional Council of Elders. In appreciation of the gesture, Prof. Mkpa thanked Guinness Nigeria for their commitment to the Nigerian economy and her consumers. In response, Mr. Savage acknowledged the Abia State Government’s support for Dubic Extra Lager and promised the company’s continued commitment to quality. “We appreciate your support for our company and our brands. Guinness Nigeria will continue to give our consumers the best quality products they deserve”, he said In Ibadan, the Oyo State Governor Senator Abiola Ajimobi expressed his delight that Ibadan had been strategically chosen to launch Dubic Extra Lager. “It is a privilege to have Guinness Nigeria launch Dubic Extra Lager in Ibadan. Guinness Nigeria is a great company with a great heritage as Ibadan is also a city with great heritage. We are honoured to have you here with us,” he said. Later that evening at the unveiling of Dubic Extra Lager, Ruairi Twomey, Marketing and Innovation Director revealed that Dubic Extra Lager had signed a sponsorship deal as the jersey sponsor for Enyimba International Football Club of Aba and Shooting Stars Football Club of Ibadan. Twomey remarked that “Dubic Extra Lager is a brand that connects with the heritage of our numerous consumers. We found this legacy of heritage in these two great football clubs. Enyimba FC was the first and still remains the only Nigerian football club that has won the CAF Champions league twice, consecutively. Shooting Stars Football Club is a great club with large followership which dates back over four decades. We are proud to be associated with these great club sides.” The multi-million naira deal is the contribution of the brand to the growth of sports in Nigeria. As part of the deal, selected players of the club were signed as brand ambassadors. The sponsorship deal is one of the ways the company can contribute to the growth of football in Nigeria. “We are really excited with this sponsorship deal. We have signed a deal with two foremost clubs in the history Nigerian football. “Football remains a major attraction amongst our consumers and our consumers in Ibadan and Aba are supporters of these two great teams. Our consumers are emotionally attached to the Oluyole warriors and the Aba Elephants. So we believe Dubic’s support for these teams reflects this” ” Twomey added. Speaking on the sponsorship deal, Oyo State Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Hon. Dapo Lam-Adesina expressed excitement with the development. “We appreciate this kind gesture from a company like Guinness Nigeria Plc. This sponsorship deal is unique because it comes at a time when we are restructuring 3SC for greater heights. We are seeing the essence of private partnership...We promise as a team to reciprocate by performing well in the league and consolidate on our status as a great club”. Mutiu Adepoju, Club Manager, 3SC Football Club, said the deal will further add value to the club. “We are very happy that Dubic Extra Larger has chosen to partner with us. They are our partners in progress. 3SC has been rejuvenated by this sponsorship. We promise to fly high the flags of Dubic Extra Larger, to do our best in the league and also qualify for a continental ticket so we can give the brand the leverage it needs” In Aba, Chairman, Enyimba International Football Club, Chief Felix Anyansi Agwu also expressed his excitement and commitment to showcasing the brand. “I believe other corporate organisations can emulate Dubic Extra Larger in contributing their quota to the growth of football in Nigeria. This sponsorship is well appreciated by me and my club, Enyimba FC and we promise to represent the brand positively wherever we play our football.”
Reality Shows: Expanding Brand Equity via Promotional Engagements. In 1948, when Allen Funt, the originator of reality shows in America emerged with Candid Camera, little did local stakeholders as well as international brand and communications analysts realize the huge impact realty shows would make globally in a matter of years. In almost all free market economies today, reality shows, especially in the last two decades, have become great instruments for brand building. Internationally, there are notable reality shows, some which have been adapted for the Nigerian audience. They include: Making the band (2001) (US), Street Mate (2002) (UK), Blind date (2002) (US), Big Brother (1999) (Netherlands), “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” (1999) (US), Survivor (2000) (US), Ultimate Challenge (2006) (Pakistan), America’s next top model (2003), America’s got talent (2006). In the marketing world today, the challenge to search for the perfect way of attracting the attention of consumers is very crucial in the minds of brand owners. Marketing experts are compelled to invent creative brand promotional tools that can transcend the limitation of traditional marketing, which is losing appeal rapidly. Most of these bottled-up creative instincts are released through entertainment-laden communication tools like realty T.V show. They have become strong and powerful consumer engagement platforms for most brands. According to Uche Aligbe, a reputable brand analyst, “reality shows appear to be the preferred choice of advertisers lately because of their interactive nature and ability to create genuine suspense. This explains why many brands are already patronizing this platform for brand equity building.” It seems most brand owners have realized that the traditional media/above-the-line advertising elements like radio, TV, Outdoor, press, cinema etc; do not create the much needed impact in marketing communications, as well as connect target to their brands, hence the rapid use of entertainment reality shows and programmes on TV to give additional support to various brands and also to make brands stand out for proper visibility among competing adverts on TV and by so doing build on their equity. As a result of this, big brands in the telecommunications sector, banking, soft and fruit drinks, foods and beverages, and beer in Nigeria, have used entertainment TV reality shows to further connect with their target especially in the youth segment of the market in order to stand out. In the words of eminent brand scholar and publisher, Chris Ogbechie, “unlike a product pitched in a commercial, which can be skipped, zipped through or zapped, a product peddled through branded entertainment is almost always noticed because it is an intrinsic part of the show thus, bringing the experience of the brand to the consumer and does not rely on just a commercial.” Since the inception of reality shows in Nigeria over a decade ago, brand builders in their numbers have leveraged on various reality shows to drive more patronage for their products. These reality shows include: the now rested Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO), The next Movie Star, Dragon’s Den, The Entrepreneur, Apprentice Africa, Star Quest, Maltina Dance All, Idols West Africa, Project Fame, The Interns, Fash FC Football Show, Angels, Gulder Ultimate Search, Celebrity Take Two, Big Brother Nigeria, who wants to be a millionaire? Etc. However some communication experts feel the rave for reality shows is nothing but a façade. Dr. Phil Osagie, a leading PR consultant in Nigeria believes that even though reality shows are making impact today the effect will not last. In his words “A reality show portrays the day-to-day life of people, so consumers can easily connect. But brand builders must watch well not to get caught up in the fad. I do not personally see it as a big deal anymore. Initially, it was quite creative but now they are just riding on the waves of the initial success which would soon subside with time. It simply can not substitute traditional marketing”. This notwithstanding, the Nigeria’s dance and music industry will always remain grateful for the entry of reality shows into the nation’s marketing sphere. Ever since, the phenomenal feat garnered in the music industry on the platform of reality show has been enormous. This innovation is now synonymous to the discovery of raw, budding and promising music talents with the aim of nurturing them into stardom. Almost in the fashion of an eagle that clawed its prey in style, a new wave of youth empowerment campaign through reality shows has swept through the country. Consequently, corporate agencies and brands have been falling over themselves to provide the platform for singers, dancers and musicians to express themselves and further break into limelight and alternatively rubbing off their brands. The frills and thrills generated by the just concluded music reality show Nigerian Idol, season2 confirms the above assertion. Mercy Chinwo who emerged the new Nigeria idol carted home the grand prize: a brand new SUV from Etisalat and a mouth -watering sum of N7.5 million. Rotimi Pedro, the CEO of Optima Media Group, organisers of the show who spoke on the essence of the reality show said. “It has been an amazing journey so far. Season 2 has truly kept its brand promise of being bigger and better. We have brought together Nigerian’s best young talents and transformed them into excellent musicians and performers in their own rights”. The Nigerian idol season 2 recorded a huge followership on TV and online to the delight of all the brands involved. A staggering 26 million hits on the official website was recorded and 40,000 followers were recorded on facebook. A dramatic transition from 2,000 followers to 6,100 followers on Twitter is indicative of the reach of reality shows for Etisalat, Pepsi and Sony who powered Nigerian idol. Another unique reality show that has made remarkable impact and has also become a theatrical masterpiece and a must-watch spectacle for millions of Nigerians is Maltina Dance All (MDA). Apart from the unique initiative by organizers to promote togetherness in families, MDA has also put smiles on the faces of these families whose lives have been transformed as a result. Senior Brand Manager, Maltina, Mrs. Ngozi Nkwoji spoke extensively on the impact of consumer engagement on an excellent brand like maltina. “We are a happy brand family that strongly connects with our numerous consumers through Maltina Dance All and other promotional activities. Our strength lies in the reputation the brand garners through some of these engagements. Today, Nigerian families have bonded with MDA and they can obviously not wait for the next season”. Essence, a popular singer in Nigeria’s music scene also has strong perspectives about reality shows in Nigeria. In her words, “I personally feel it is a blessing for us because it has helped develop more talent. Many present day artistes like Timi Dakolo, Omawunmi, Jaywon, KC presh and others would not have been discovered but for the power of reality shows in Nigeria. For the multi talented artiste and one of the raves of music industries, Ice Prince, “Reality shows in the country for me are instruments of blessing because that was what gave me the first major opportunity to showcase my talent to the world. What I think it does is to give you the major lift, then you can leverage on it to climb up.” TV realty shows, at least for now, have created positive impact on our youth in terms of talents development and deepening their attachment to these brands as well helping the brands explore exclusive media zones to break through media cluster which has now opened prime advert window for them. But how long will this rave last? Only time can tell.