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| Mr. Otis Ojeikhoa |
Managing Director of Footprint Communications, Mr. Otis Ojeikhoa spoke to Raheem Akingbolu on increasing patronage of experiential solution in today’s market
Focus on Experiential Solution
In every life endeavour, there is always what we call evolution, which revolves around a particular time, when an individual or group takes a particular step in achieving a positive development.
Experiential is not all that new in the Nigerian marketing communication landscape, except that it has been redefined in recent time, with more understanding and more professionals, who are ready to handle things differently to add value to what their clients bring into the table.
In those days, there is direct mailing which is a leg of experiential marketing. These days, consumers have become more sophisticated and segmented, which tend to make business owners appreciate the need to approach the market through various approaches, depending on which class of the market one is targeting.
To me, experiential is an offshoot of advertising, which also tries to create awareness for brand and appeal to consciousness of consumers.
Role in Positioning Strategy
Like I said, primarily, experiential create awareness but beyond that it create a bond between consumers and brands. All marketing solutions do different things; if for instance, a business owner intend to reach let’s say thirty million consumers in a day, experiential may not be the tool to achieve that but Radio, Television and newspaper ad may solve the problem.
To me, experiential is an offshoot of advertising, which also tries to create awareness for brand and appeal to consciousness of consumers.
Role in Positioning Strategy
Like I said, primarily, experiential create awareness but beyond that it create a bond between consumers and brands. All marketing solutions do different things; if for instance, a business owner intend to reach let’s say thirty million consumers in a day, experiential may not be the tool to achieve that but Radio, Television and newspaper ad may solve the problem.
But if the target is to communicate a brand’s message to a particular set of people or area, then you turn towards experiential means. In short, experiential makes it easy for consumers to interact with brand or have firsthand experience about it.
Experiential marketing is the only true marketing tool that can answer all the brand questions. It may not be all of them at the same cost, but it will basically tick all the boxes. Experiential marketing is experience of the brand. It is marketing by lifestyle and marketing to the consumer by experience.
A lot of brands that use experiential marketing to sell their brands give the consumers the opportunity to understand their brand more. Experiential marketing is selling the brand using human experience of response, sense of sight, smell and taste and hearing to drive the brand messages.
Consumers cannot interrogate other messages but they can engage with experiential communication and get the feedback which enhances their propensity to buy if they understand. Experiential marketing is basically marketing a brand by driving understanding of the product through human senses.
Challenge of Competition
Competition is an aspect of life that tells a man or an organisation that there are other names in the market place that are doing what you are doing. In business, you cannot possibly do without competition because with it you are permanently on your toes, thinking of how best to solve a problem and be unique.
Challenge of Competition
Competition is an aspect of life that tells a man or an organisation that there are other names in the market place that are doing what you are doing. In business, you cannot possibly do without competition because with it you are permanently on your toes, thinking of how best to solve a problem and be unique.
One of the advantages of competition is that it makes you think differently, it makes one to be innovative and it makes one to be creative. In our industry especially, where there is little or no entry barrier, one has to be on top of the game to have competitive advantage.
Here, someone can wake up tomorrow and carry a laptop and say he has started offering experiential services. In this type of market the best approach is to daily be involving ideas, which I can say has been our core strength in the market.
Landmark Achievement
Personally, I often restrict myself from talking about my clients but to answer the question we have embarked on many mouth-watering events, which have positively impacted on our clients.
Here, someone can wake up tomorrow and carry a laptop and say he has started offering experiential services. In this type of market the best approach is to daily be involving ideas, which I can say has been our core strength in the market.
Landmark Achievement
Personally, I often restrict myself from talking about my clients but to answer the question we have embarked on many mouth-watering events, which have positively impacted on our clients.
Let me give an example. There was a time a client, who thought a particular product was not doing well and approached us to endear it to the market. The brief was to speak to about 30,000 consumers and engage each one of them in discussion about the brand for three or five minutes.
In a short time, we grew beyond the target and later sent sms to those we interacted with to get their feedbacks. Our expectation was that a few people would react but we were surprised to receive calls and sms messages from several consumers, who passionately expressed their feelings toward the brand.
At the end, the brand in question became accepted in the whole of Lagos. With the initiative, we shored up its market share from zero level to between 30 to 40 per cent of the total share in the segment.
Hitches in the Industry
One, there is general challenge, which all the players in the marketing communication industry are daily contending with. There is infrastructure problem and shrinking in marketing budgets of many companies, which has reduced billings on the general outlook.
In our own industry, the major one at the moment is the insecurity in the North, which has made experiential marketing difficult to explore in that region. There is constant fear of the possibility of attack of both the field workers and ad-hoc staff on parade. As a result of this, we are suffering in silence and daily losing millions of naira.
Candid Assessment
Like I said at the beginning, the entry level to the market is low and that makes it open to all sorts of entrants both trained and untrained. Individual practice therefore reflects the standard of the operator.
You have a mix of those who are experienced in marketing communication and above the line agencies who are experienced. But where you have untrained experience, the standard will be a challenge but not to say that it is declining. It is a growing business.
Measuring Experiential Solution
From every brief or work that comes your way, the client has some objectives; therefore, experiential marketing is measured by the level of achievement against what was set as objective at the beginning of your activation.
Hitches in the Industry
One, there is general challenge, which all the players in the marketing communication industry are daily contending with. There is infrastructure problem and shrinking in marketing budgets of many companies, which has reduced billings on the general outlook.
In our own industry, the major one at the moment is the insecurity in the North, which has made experiential marketing difficult to explore in that region. There is constant fear of the possibility of attack of both the field workers and ad-hoc staff on parade. As a result of this, we are suffering in silence and daily losing millions of naira.
Candid Assessment
Like I said at the beginning, the entry level to the market is low and that makes it open to all sorts of entrants both trained and untrained. Individual practice therefore reflects the standard of the operator.
You have a mix of those who are experienced in marketing communication and above the line agencies who are experienced. But where you have untrained experience, the standard will be a challenge but not to say that it is declining. It is a growing business.
Measuring Experiential Solution
From every brief or work that comes your way, the client has some objectives; therefore, experiential marketing is measured by the level of achievement against what was set as objective at the beginning of your activation.
For example – a client’s set objective in market activation is to sample one million people and the experiential marketer should spend at least 2-3 minutes with each person and get feedback from such a consumer.
If at the end of the activation, I am not able to either sample one million or spend 2-3 minutes with each person educating the consumer on what the brand is all about, then I have not achieved my objective. Another client objective could be to communicate with the consumer, who must buy and if you speak to 10, the client wants to get 50 per cent conversion of sales.
If at the end of activity, you get 20 per cent conversion, you cannot say you have achieved the result. Objectives should be set at the beginning and at the end you measure the result versus the target. I had a client who said it is concerned about moving unaided (spontaneous awareness) from 35 to 50 per cent.
This can be done through research. For you to achieve this, you as an experiential marketer must do certain things that will make the consumer not to forget the brand easily. Brand managers have different objectives.
Professional Training
Again, like I said earlier, it is part of advertising; the only different is that in our sub-sector, you are selling the brand using sense of sight and other senses. You need to understand the way the consumer behaves or respond to a particular message. Your level of acceptability for one message will be challenged depending on space and time.
Professional Training
Again, like I said earlier, it is part of advertising; the only different is that in our sub-sector, you are selling the brand using sense of sight and other senses. You need to understand the way the consumer behaves or respond to a particular message. Your level of acceptability for one message will be challenged depending on space and time.
Experiential marketing has always been done in FMCG, one would have expected, for instance people in the public service to be deploring it as well.
Without any contradiction, I can assure you that it goes beyond the MMCG. Some experiential marketers have clients in government and other sectors. Experiential marketing is across segments and sectors. In telecoms, there is high net worth individuals who occupy about 2-3 per cent of the population and still the brand targets them.
We create platform for those people to be engaged. We can bring these high net worth people who are successful but have hunger for more success and want value added to their business. For them to remain that wealthy, they need to work harder. They pay attention to people who can make them sharpen their swords.
Objective on Entry
In our company profile, there is an opening statement. Others normally start with vision and mission statements most of which are basically not founded on market reality. People just write stories. What we did before Footprint was formed was to look at the market and we asked ourselves what gap we can fill in the marketing communications industry.
This gave rise to the reason Footprint was established in 2007. Since then, it is glaring how much we are able to achieve some of the objectives. It was a joint venture between ESP and Lowelintas.
Afterwards, it was bought over by a South African firm. Today, it is a full subsidiary of Macro of South Africa. On the gap we came to fill, I cannot say we came to fill any gap. Ideas are not residual in one person’s head.
No one has the creativity of ideas. There is something certain about us. For the fact we want to be a leading agency through delivering c Mr. Otis Ojeikhoa
No one has the creativity of ideas. There is something certain about us. For the fact we want to be a leading agency through delivering c Mr. Otis Ojeikhoa
Managing Director of Footprint Communications, Mr. Otis Ojeikhoa spoke to Raheem Akingbolu on increasing patronage of experiential solution in today’s market
Focus on Experiential Solution
In every life endeavour, there is always what we call evolution, which revolves around a particular time, when an individual or group takes a particular step in achieving a positive development.
Experiential is not all that new in the Nigerian marketing communication landscape, except that it has been redefined in recent time, with more understanding and more professionals, who are ready to handle things differently to add value to what their clients bring into the table.
In those days, there is direct mailing which is a leg of experiential marketing. These days, consumers have become more sophisticated and segmented, which tend to make business owners appreciate the need to approach the market through various approaches, depending on which class of the market one is targeting.
To me, experiential is an offshoot of advertising, which also tries to create awareness for brand and appeal to consciousness of consumers.
Role in Positioning Strategy
Like I said, primarily, experiential create awareness but beyond that it create a bond between consumers and brands. All marketing solutions do different things; if for instance, a business owner intend to reach let’s say thirty million consumers in a day, experiential may not be the tool to achieve that but Radio, Television and newspaper ad may solve the problem.
To me, experiential is an offshoot of advertising, which also tries to create awareness for brand and appeal to consciousness of consumers.
Role in Positioning Strategy
Like I said, primarily, experiential create awareness but beyond that it create a bond between consumers and brands. All marketing solutions do different things; if for instance, a business owner intend to reach let’s say thirty million consumers in a day, experiential may not be the tool to achieve that but Radio, Television and newspaper ad may solve the problem.
But if the target is to communicate a brand’s message to a particular set of people or area, then you turn towards experiential means. In short, experiential makes it easy for consumers to interact with brand or have firsthand experience about it.
Experiential marketing is the only true marketing tool that can answer all the brand questions. It may not be all of them at the same cost, but it will basically tick all the boxes. Experiential marketing is experience of the brand. It is marketing by lifestyle and marketing to the consumer by experience.
A lot of brands that use experiential marketing to sell their brands give the consumers the opportunity to understand their brand more. Experiential marketing is selling the brand using human experience of response, sense of sight, smell and taste and hearing to drive the brand messages.
Consumers cannot interrogate other messages but they can engage with experiential communication and get the feedback which enhances their propensity to buy if they understand. Experiential marketing is basically marketing a brand by driving understanding of the product through human senses.
Challenge of Competition
Competition is an aspect of life that tells a man or an organisation that there are other names in the market place that are doing what you are doing. In business, you cannot possibly do without competition because with it you are permanently on your toes, thinking of how best to solve a problem and be unique.
Challenge of Competition
Competition is an aspect of life that tells a man or an organisation that there are other names in the market place that are doing what you are doing. In business, you cannot possibly do without competition because with it you are permanently on your toes, thinking of how best to solve a problem and be unique.
One of the advantages of competition is that it makes you think differently, it makes one to be innovative and it makes one to be creative. In our industry especially, where there is little or no entry barrier, one has to be on top of the game to have competitive advantage.
Here, someone can wake up tomorrow and carry a laptop and say he has started offering experiential services. In this type of market the best approach is to daily be involving ideas, which I can say has been our core strength in the market.
Landmark Achievement
Personally, I often restrict myself from talking about my clients but to answer the question we have embarked on many mouth-watering events, which have positively impacted on our clients.
Here, someone can wake up tomorrow and carry a laptop and say he has started offering experiential services. In this type of market the best approach is to daily be involving ideas, which I can say has been our core strength in the market.
Landmark Achievement
Personally, I often restrict myself from talking about my clients but to answer the question we have embarked on many mouth-watering events, which have positively impacted on our clients.
Let me give an example. There was a time a client, who thought a particular product was not doing well and approached us to endear it to the market. The brief was to speak to about 30,000 consumers and engage each one of them in discussion about the brand for three or five minutes.
In a short time, we grew beyond the target and later sent sms to those we interacted with to get their feedbacks. Our expectation was that a few people would react but we were surprised to receive calls and sms messages from several consumers, who passionately expressed their feelings toward the brand.
At the end, the brand in question became accepted in the whole of Lagos. With the initiative, we shored up its market share from zero level to between 30 to 40 per cent of the total share in the segment.
Hitches in the Industry
One, there is general challenge, which all the players in the marketing communication industry are daily contending with. There is infrastructure problem and shrinking in marketing budgets of many companies, which has reduced billings on the general outlook.
In our own industry, the major one at the moment is the insecurity in the North, which has made experiential marketing difficult to explore in that region. There is constant fear of the possibility of attack of both the field workers and ad-hoc staff on parade. As a result of this, we are suffering in silence and daily losing millions of naira.
Candid Assessment
Like I said at the beginning, the entry level to the market is low and that makes it open to all sorts of entrants both trained and untrained. Individual practice therefore reflects the standard of the operator.
You have a mix of those who are experienced in marketing communication and above the line agencies who are experienced. But where you have untrained experience, the standard will be a challenge but not to say that it is declining. It is a growing business.
Measuring Experiential Solution
From every brief or work that comes your way, the client has some objectives; therefore, experiential marketing is measured by the level of achievement against what was set as objective at the beginning of your activation.
Hitches in the Industry
One, there is general challenge, which all the players in the marketing communication industry are daily contending with. There is infrastructure problem and shrinking in marketing budgets of many companies, which has reduced billings on the general outlook.
In our own industry, the major one at the moment is the insecurity in the North, which has made experiential marketing difficult to explore in that region. There is constant fear of the possibility of attack of both the field workers and ad-hoc staff on parade. As a result of this, we are suffering in silence and daily losing millions of naira.
Candid Assessment
Like I said at the beginning, the entry level to the market is low and that makes it open to all sorts of entrants both trained and untrained. Individual practice therefore reflects the standard of the operator.
You have a mix of those who are experienced in marketing communication and above the line agencies who are experienced. But where you have untrained experience, the standard will be a challenge but not to say that it is declining. It is a growing business.
Measuring Experiential Solution
From every brief or work that comes your way, the client has some objectives; therefore, experiential marketing is measured by the level of achievement against what was set as objective at the beginning of your activation.
For example – a client’s set objective in market activation is to sample one million people and the experiential marketer should spend at least 2-3 minutes with each person and get feedback from such a consumer.
If at the end of the activation, I am not able to either sample one million or spend 2-3 minutes with each person educating the consumer on what the brand is all about, then I have not achieved my objective. Another client objective could be to communicate with the consumer, who must buy and if you speak to 10, the client wants to get 50 per cent conversion of sales.
If at the end of activity, you get 20 per cent conversion, you cannot say you have achieved the result. Objectives should be set at the beginning and at the end you measure the result versus the target. I had a client who said it is concerned about moving unaided (spontaneous awareness) from 35 to 50 per cent.
This can be done through research. For you to achieve this, you as an experiential marketer must do certain things that will make the consumer not to forget the brand easily. Brand managers have different objectives.
Professional Training
Again, like I said earlier, it is part of advertising; the only different is that in our sub-sector, you are selling the brand using sense of sight and other senses. You need to understand the way the consumer behaves or respond to a particular message. Your level of acceptability for one message will be challenged depending on space and time.
Professional Training
Again, like I said earlier, it is part of advertising; the only different is that in our sub-sector, you are selling the brand using sense of sight and other senses. You need to understand the way the consumer behaves or respond to a particular message. Your level of acceptability for one message will be challenged depending on space and time.
Experiential marketing has always been done in FMCG, one would have expected, for instance people in the public service to be deploring it as well.
Without any contradiction, I can assure you that it goes beyond the MMCG. Some experiential marketers have clients in government and other sectors. Experiential marketing is across segments and sectors. In telecoms, there is high net worth individuals who occupy about 2-3 per cent of the population and still the brand targets them.
We create platform for those people to be engaged. We can bring these high net worth people who are successful but have hunger for more success and want value added to their business. For them to remain that wealthy, they need to work harder. They pay attention to people who can make them sharpen their swords.
Objective on Entry
In our company profile, there is an opening statement. Others normally start with vision and mission statements most of which are basically not founded on market reality. People just write stories. What we did before Footprint was formed was to look at the market and we asked ourselves what gap we can fill in the marketing communications industry.
This gave rise to the reason Footprint was established in 2007. Since then, it is glaring how much we are able to achieve some of the objectives. It was a joint venture between ESP and Lowelintas.
Afterwards, it was bought over by a South African firm. Today, it is a full subsidiary of Macro of South Africa. On the gap we came to fill, I cannot say we came to fill any gap. Ideas are not residual in one person’s head.
No one has the creativity of ideas. There is something certain about us. For the fact we want to be a leading agency through delivering creatively well-thought through process and well executed processes, we also wanted to be responsible for what we claim we can do.
No one has the creativity of ideas. There is something certain about us. For the fact we want to be a leading agency through delivering creatively well-thought through process and well executed processes, we also wanted to be responsible for what we claim we can do.
There was a gap in the market where agencies could say that they will do certain things and they don’t have any accountable measurement or guidelines to hold them to those deliverables. We are the first in holding ourselves accountable to the claims on deliverables and we challenge the clients not to pay us to the percentage of what we did not deliver from our commission.
Performance and Deliverables
This is part of the gap we saw in the market. There were not any standards of measurement. But for instance, this year, we have been to six pitches and we won all of them. That is how you measure creativity and cutting-edge ideas. We have gone with compelling ideas to clients that make them raise budget, sometimes, three times.
Future Projections
In the next five years, our core objective is to be stronger in the system. We want to make impact in terms of our ability to support our clients and grow our business. We have actually grown tremendously from where we started.
In the next five years we must have grown our business, employ more people and give support to our clients, be relevant in the Nigeria’s economic landscape and expand to other economies. We now have business presence in Ghana and we will consolidate. We have been here for a long time as an international business with local relevance.
reatively well-thought through process and well executed processes, we also wanted to be responsible for what we claim we can do.
There was a gap in the market where agencies could say that they will do certain things and they don’t have any accountable measurement or guidelines to hold them to those deliverables. We are the first in holding ourselves accountable to the claims on deliverables and we challenge the clients not to pay us to the percentage of what we did not deliver from our commission.
Performance and Deliverables
This is part of the gap we saw in the market. There were not any standards of measurement. But for instance, this year, we have been to six pitches and we won all of them. That is how you measure creativity and cutting-edge ideas. We have gone with compelling ideas to clients that make them raise budget, sometimes, three times.
Future Projections
In the next five years, our core objective is to be stronger in the system. We want to make impact in terms of our ability to support our clients and grow our business. We have actually grown tremendously from where we started.
In the next five years we must have grown our business, employ more people and give support to our clients, be relevant in the Nigeria’s economic landscape and expand to other economies. We now have business presence in Ghana and we will consolidate. We have been here for a long time as an international business with local relevance.
source:thisday
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