‘Brands are created to satisfy an identified market’

John Ajayi, Publisher of MarketingEdge/Marketing Consultant

The Carbonated Soft Drink, CSD segment market is witnessing intense competition where only consumer-centric brands will survive. John Ajayi, Publisher of MarketingEdge/Marketing Consultant, spoke on marketing strategy and branding activities of CSDs, while using the Share-A-Coke campaign as example. Princewill Ekwujuru reports.

Branding efforts by organizations

Looking at Nigeria’s marketing environment, one can say without any equanimity that branding efforts by most organizations are not yet it for now. In this area, I want to categorize businesses in Nigeria in to two – the indigenous and multinational businesses. For the multinationals, one can say they are trying as they are marketing driven. They have supported their businesses with good branding efforts. - See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/03/brands-are-created-to-satisfy-an-identified-market/#sthash.suBjIKeK.dpuf

But when you look at indigenous businesses in Nigeria, they are still doing more of trading. They don’t believe in branding efforts. They don’t believe on how to get to the consumer and creating identity for their products.  Most   Nigerian indigenous brands are still operating at the periphery of product marketing.

Peripheral play

It is a challenge of perception. How do they see marketing and branding.? Do they see it as a waste of resources or an opportunity to ambush the consumer out there by creating products? Unfortunately some of the products remain ‘me-too’ when there is no clear cut identity for them in the market place. But for multinationals, when they develop their products, they make every effort to create a niche area for it and create identity for it.

They also make the brand to represent something before the consumers. This goes a long way to drive profitability and market success for the brands. Local businesses are still in a state of indecision of really driving their business with genuine marketing efforts.

Marketing strategy and branding

This will occur if all the marketing plans and activities are in sync. At the end of the day, what you achieve as a company matters. You have a product and corporate brand and the ultimate motive is to satisfy an identified need in a particular market and it was because of that the product was created. That product must have offering such as value, excellence and promise.   The totality of the efforts including packaging and other marketing ‘Ps’ are a key in terms of marketing strategy.

And when you want to do your branding, all these elements must be in sync so that at the end of the day you have a brand. You see how Cowbell introduced its products and called it ‘Cowbell our milk’.   They came with sachet that resonates with people. Not only that the brand was visible to consumers. Promasidor was able to perfect its marketing strategy with branding efforts.

Perfected marketing and branding strategies

Another one is Orijin bitters drink from the stable of Guinness. The coming of Orijin into the market is something that is great. Before them, we had different variants of bitters and some of them were poorly branded. And some of them did not have credible and authentic connection with majority of bitter consumers. But the brand owners of Orijin conducted research to identity the brand need of the consumer to create a product.

In marketing, a brand can choose marketing strategy good for it either below the line or above the line. As a marketing person, you must be able to identify the element in the mix that would work well for your brand promotion.

Assessing CSD campaigns

In all honesty, in this sector there is no other brand that comes up first than Coke. The history of Coke is interesting because Coke was major brand that remained in the conscioussness of the consumers during world war. At that time, other brands were not advertising but Coke kept on advertising. Till tomorrow, Coke has been a leading brand globally. According to Interbrand rating, Coke remained number one not that it is the most profitable, but because of top of the mind awareness creation.

Though in Nigeria, there have been some lull in its marketing efforts, but only recently it came again more radically and more creatively in such a way that it has a bonding relationship with consumer. I am talking about their Share a Coke campaign. You now see different names on the Coke. The significance of this is that the average consumer will be appreciative of the innovation. You can now see a brand that seeks to parade your name as consumer sees it as customization. This makes the consumer more affectionate to the brand.

Innovative campaign

You cannot foreclose such adaptation by others because there are copy cats in every market.  But anybody within the CSD market that does it will be seen as lacking in originality and will be indirectly de-marketing its own brand. But other sectors can borrow from it if it fits their marketing strategy. Marketing is about creativity.

Personalization as marketing and business aid

It is good if other sectors believe in it and see it as a necessary strategy that would help them out in achieving their marketing and corporate objectives. It will help the consumer to associate directly with the product. It makes businesses to be seen to be consumer centric. If you are consumer centric, there is tendency for you to be a success because the consumer will be the focal point of your strategy, policy and efforts.

Perception of the Share a Coke Campaign?

As I said earlier, it is a good initiative and creative and ingenuous campaign. Coke has been noted for marketing ingenuity and has also come up with this concept. I can get the names of friends expected at my function and customize Coke drinks for them. It makes parties to be stylish.

- Culled from: http://www.vanguardngr.com