In the early 70s there were two very interesting brands that were launched into this market with so much pomp and fanfare – Mercedes cigarettes by Phillip Morris International and Metex by Cadbury. The strapline for the latter, if I remember correctly, was ‘Metex replaces meat’.
In spite of the huge budgets deployed to support both brands, they failed abysmally within a short time and both brands had to be withdrawn. The reason? At one kobo a stick, the consumer could not relate a cigarette brand with the most premium car brand in the country, a car with a global heritage and reputation for being premium. In other words, at one kobo a stick, the brand profile of Mercedes (the cigarette) was very far from the brand worth of the Mercedes Benz car that most Nigerians adore. The proposition was just not credible. The consumer simply felt that a Mercedes cigarette could not deliver on expected benefit.
Metex on the other hand did not only taste like synthetic rubber, its nutritional values were questionable. Claiming that ‘Metex replaces meat’, as both the headline and strapline of its advertisement screamed, was a lie that could not hold. While the novelty factor, the substantial marketing investment and the short-term commodities shortages of the third quarter of 1975 made consumers try it, Metex’s death knell was the fact that repeat purchase never happened. Again the brand failed not only on account of performance but credibility.
So my point is where brand truth becomes questionable, brand collapse is inevitable. A lot of factors could be responsible for this happening – one of which is the depth of knowledge, skill and experience of those charged with the responsibility of nurturing brands. I hope the National Institute of Marketing in Nigeria rises up to the occasion by addressing this serious deficiency amongst its practitioners. When half-baked marketing practitioners interface with ill-equipped marketing communication professionals, what you find is the specious quality of marketing solutions we tend to find these days.
Once upon a time in this country, marketing companies genuinely partnered with their marketing communication service providers, sharing knowledge and expertise; with both parties working so hard to ensure that the partnership produced successful brands in the market place. The multinational companies played key roles in this regard – UAC Nigeria Limited, Wellcome Nigeria Limited, Nigerian Breweries, Lever Brothers, Sterling Products, GSK, Guinness, CAPL, A.C. Christlieb, Cheseborough Ponds, J. Allen, Coca-Cola, Merck Sharpe & Dohme, E.M.I., Singer, Nicholas Laboratores, Esso, African Petroleum, Nasco, to name just a few. It explains why people like the late I. S. Moemeke, Banjo Solaru, Kehinde Adeosun, Olu Falomo, Ted Mukoro, Biodun Sanwo, Femi Williams, Mac Obiagele, Akin Odunsi, Steve Omojafor, Ayo Owoborode, Tunde Adelaja and my humble self remained active in the business for decades, becoming lifetime friends of the client contacts we made in the process of working together.
Today what one sees and hears is different and gives one cause for concern. Nothing is more false than a marketer thinking he is doing his marketing communication company a favour by allowing him work on his brands. It is this mentality that results in clients not building long-term relationships with their service providers and brands not building an enduring relationship with the consumer given the inconsistent messages being churned out regularly. When you look at the top four holding companies of global marketing communication companies, what you find is very long tenures on clients’ rosters. It explains the very deep understanding of the brands which result in breakthrough communication, the type that not only builds consumer affinity but awes us all.
As if to reinforce this view, in this week’s edition of the UK’s Marketing Week, the highly celebrated journal for those in marketing, McDonalds UK Marketing boss Alistair McCrow was quoted as saying that part of the reason for the 43 consecutive quarters of growth is a reflection of a “new way of marketing” where the agency is put at the heart of the business. McCrow concludes that “it’s part of the joy of having long-term partners”. It is instructive to note that McDonalds advertising agency, Leo Burnett, was appointed in 1981, some 36 years ago.
Marketing Nigeria
Not knowing what the client’s brief was, I have always refrained from commenting on efforts made to “market’’ Nigeria in the past. So whether it is the “Good people, great nation” or the current one under President Muhammadu Buhari – “Change. It begins with me”, I find it inappropriate to criticize the campaigns. But if we all subscribe to the fact that a brand must mean something specific to the consumer, then it behoves us to find out how a consumer is likely to react to a country brand that ranks amongst the lowest scoring countries globally in the ability of its citizens to enter other countries and other nationalities being able to enter theirs.
So with Nigeria scoring 41 points opposite Germany’s 158, according to Arton Capital, the global advisory firm that rates countries, how does one market brand Nigeria – a country of almost 190 million people that’s in recession, with electricity generation at less than 5000MW megawatts, weak infrastructure, inflation at 18.8 percent, a vibrant but mostly jobless youth, GDP at $521.8bn, a mono-cultural economy? What does one use as the hook for a brand promise in marketing such a country? What is its brand essence?
A recent holiday in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, rekindled in me hope that we can actually market this country only if we are diligent and apply the right discipline for arriving at a compelling brand idea. The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti to the west. It is known for its beaches, resorts and golfing. With a population of 10 million people and its capital at Santo Domingo, this country thrives on tourism. Its GDP exit 2016 is $71.46 billion and per capita $7,083.
Given that tourism is big business in the world, ranking 4th perhaps after banking, automotive industry, and IT, not necessarily in that order, isn’t it time that we used brand Nigeria to play in this turf?
Being text of the investiture lecture delivered at the NIMN on Friday, 17th February, 2017 at Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos
Biodun Shobanjo
Shobanjo is Chairman, Troyka Group.
