Quadrant, CentreSpreadFCB Clinch New Accounts The Nigeria marketing communication industry is getting robust as more brand owners engage the services of account handlers for proper projection of their brands. The latest of such engagement is the signing on of CentrespreadFCB to handle the advertising angle of Keystone bank and The Quadrant Company (TQC), one of the companies within TROYKA Group to now work on Dana Group. Following the recent crisis of Dana Airline, the Dana Group employed the services of Quadrant to project the public relations angle of both the airline and the group. The account, which was managed in-House by the company was said to have been clinched by Quadrant without opposition. This account joins others like Etisalat, Standard Chartered bank, Virgin Nigeria, Emirates Airline, Nigerian Breweries plc, iTouch, Champion Breweries, TSKJ Oil and Gas, among several notable brands. The Bolaji Okusaga led Quadrant Company recently won an award from the largest PR awards competition in the world, 2012 Superior Achievement in Branding and Reputation (SABRE) Award. The Quadrant Company, which started operation in 1990, is Nigeria’s first full service PR consultancy. On the part of CentreSpreadFCB, the Keystone account was clinched after keen contest from about nine agencies. CentreSpreadFCB emerged as the winner and the first job executed was to break a ‘New Dawn’ campaign with an audio/visual commercial of the bank that will hit the television screen in few weeks time. The Kola Ayanwale owned CentreSpreadFCB had worked on accounts like SkyeBank, Moneygram, and some state government among others.

Keystone Bank Rolls Out ‘Never say Never’ Campaign To strengthen the bond between the brand and its patrons, Keystone Bank has taken a fresh step towards creating a new aura around the brand. The bank launched its new campaign tagged ‘Never Say Never’, a promise to customers and commitment by the organization. Speaking at the launch, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Mr. Oti Ikomi said in the last 10 months that the bank has existed, a lot of strategies have been embarked upon to reposition the bank. “Keystone Bank has not only kept to that promise but has proved through innovation that its newness is nothing but a mark of freshness and better service offering. The new campaign is a story to inspire all stakeholders of the bank and Nigerians in general that the bank can still break into new horizons if they dare not give up. In view of the gloomy socioeconomic landscapes Nigeria is witnessing as at the moment, the campaign says that bank can only be relevant to people by inspiring them never to give up on their dreams’ he revealed. At the launch, a TVC, a brilliant execution of a modern story that it’s a wider screen ready with emotional music and world-class production was unveiled to show the bank new disposition towards challenges. Speaking on the theme and its relevance to the history of the bank, the Creative Director of CentrespreadFCB, Mr. Kenny Badmus, said it was conceived to let the banking public knows that the bank is never tired to give consumers the best. “The Television commercial is a journey of a mountaineer who keeps climbing a mountain that seems impossible to surmount. In the end, we discover that the mountain he is climbing is actually a financial graph of the Keystone. The print version of the ads looks into human history and shares the stories of great people who didn’t give up on their dreams” he claimed. Commenting on the TVC, Mr. Oti Ikomi said “That’s the spirit of our people and we can share this story because we know what it means never to say ‘never’. Look at the history of the bank, especially the fears raised by many but today, we are promoting staff.”

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.

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’.

‘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.”