In times of trouble and great challenges, especially with the
Nigerian economy in recession, it is more important for entrepreneurs and
enterprises to stay true to their vision and purpose, keeping this as a
priority, while managing short term obstacles.
This, according to the Marketing Director of Friesland
Campina WAMCO, Tarang Gupta, is one of the key principles of managing brands
and business during a crisis situation.
According to Gupta, like any marketer would say, the last 28
months have been the perfect storm in Nigeria, due to a shrinking economy,
diminishing consumer spending, operational challenges (due to forex), rising
inflation, high input cost, etc. Personally, the most important learning I have
had during this period is the balancing act of short term and long term. But he is also optimistic with the
early signs of recovery in the economy.
He shared his experience: I have learnt three (3) key
principles to manage brands and business during a crisis; Staying True: always
stay true and honest to your consumer. Never think that a consumer does not
know what you are doing. In WAMCO we ensure that we sustain our product quality
to ensure our consumers get the impeccable quality they deserve.
Secondly; being balanced: During moments of crises, organisations
and business managers shift to short term goals and KPIs; thus losing sight of
long term purpose and vision. It is important that in time of crisis, to stay
true to your vision and purpose and keep that as a priority, while managing
short term obstacles.
And thirdly; think positively: The most important asset any
business has is its people and it is this asset that can be the competitive
advantage for any organisation, especially during a crisis – where the team can
either get blocked by the gloom or find opportunities from the challenges and
among the issues.
The marketing team of WAMCO in last two years has followed
the latter and believe in the ‘Power of Positive Thinking’.
To Gupta, every market in the world is unique because its history,
culture and people define it, and Nigeria is no exception. However, there are a
few things that are quite distinctive about Nigeria: the three-in-one country:
The cultural diversity between North, East and South (+West) makes Nigeria
quite unique. It also poses a challenge for national brands to stay regionally
relevant, nationally connected both via type of content and media channels.
Still gushing on the unique business climate in the country, Gupta
cited what he described as Nigerians ‘No Wahala’ attitude saying: “I have
personally been surprised looking at the positive attitude.” He maintained that
they know how to stay happy even in tough times. “This is extremely important
for brand communication, where brands should connect with consumers mirroring
their belief and outlook to life, rather than putting pressure and juxtaposing
gloom (even if that may be the reality).”
According to the marketing director, the generation of Nigerians
between 18 years (60% and 25 years) is massively digitally connected and
globally aware. Thus brands need to keep in mind that the future evolution of
this country would be much faster and steeper than any comparable benchmark.
He further stated that religious beliefs are strongly entrenched
in the country and it defines how the country operates – ‘on Hope’. Thus
marketers need to ensure they connect to this deep-rooted belief system and not
stay superficial.
In his assessment of the Nigerian market in terms of marketing
communications and brand building experiences, Gupta volunteered that the Nigerian
marketing communication is still more traditional but evolving at a rapid pace.
“What makes it unique and interesting is that to reach a Nigerian
consumer the media strategy needs to be wide and cut across channels –
traditional and new age. Also the media consuming habits are highly diverse and
segmented between regions and demographics. Following the principle of ‘How
Brands Grow’ by Byron Sharp, my strong recommendation is to leverage
traditional media to create awareness and reach and digital (especially among
youth and in the South and West of the country) to create engagement. In terms
of creativity, I think Nigeria stands to be highly upbeat, music oriented and
emotional. The route to the head of a Nigerian consumer is through his heart.
Thus in terms of creative content marketers, focus on ‘Touching the Heart first
and then Connecting with the Head.’
Nigerian consumers are one of the most responsive consumers and
the impact of the communication can be felt immediately, if well supported with
distribution. Nigerian consumers are also believers rather than being skeptics.
They trust the brands and take the message at face value. While this is a big
advantage for the advertisers, it also comes with a huge responsibility of
being truthful and honest.
“In my last three years in Nigeria, I have noticed that those
brands that ‘Touch the Heart’, are the ones which have an instant traction and
faster response from the consumers, compared to ‘functional – Talk only to the
Head’ messages.”
For him, brands need to ensure they emotionally engage consumers,
satisfy their esteem besides being pocket friendly because from the economic
slowdown we have witnessed in last 28 months, it was evident that the Nigerian
consumer is down trading and is highly price conscious.
Reflecting on what has been the toughest aspect of managing two
top dairy brands in the Nigerian market, he said, “when I was a sportsman in my
youth days, my coach always told me that reaching the top is easier than
staying at the top. Friesland Campina WAMCO’s brands, Peak and Three Crowns,
are not just iconic but are part of the culture and life of the Nigerian
consumer. Peak is synonymous to milk but also seen as the gold standard in the
minds of the consumers. For us what is most important is to not lose the
thought leadership in the category and trust with our consumers. This has
always been our endeavour and we as a team strive everyday to ensure we give
the best to our consumers – best in quality, best in taste, best in experience
and always being honest. I think this is the responsibility of the market and
thought leader in any category,” he said.
To him, brands should not be described by their DNA but rather by
their ‘purpose’, i.e. the reason for existence. What role the brand plays in
the life of a consumer should be over and above the functional gratification.
For Peak, the purpose lies in its name itself, ‘to help Nigerian
consumers unlock their potentials and reach for their peak.’ Peak believes
‘what goes in comes out’ and which is why Peak provides high quality milk to
give the Nigerian consumers the nutrition they need to succeed and reach their
peak. Peak has been there for several generations and will continue to be for
all the future generations providing both encouragement and nutrition for
Nigerians and Nigeria to keep growing and keep reaching their peak.
The impact of the PECADOMO campaign, which stands for “Peak
Can Do More”, he said, is not just a campaign but also an initiative to
expand the usage of milk in Nigeria. Nigeria, not being a dairy producing
country, the usage of milk is not as diverse and entrenched as compared to some
of the other countries like India, Holland, etc. During this economic slowdown,
the consumption and usage occasions of milk were reducing. Thus, PECADOMO was
introduced by the category leader, Peak to help and show consumers that milk
can be much more versatile than just being used in tea or cereal. Peak milk not
just adds to taste but also significantly improves the nutritious value of the
dish and thus having double advantage.
The response to this campaign has been extremely positive both
from the consumers and from the industry. Since this is about creating new
habits, we will continue to educate Nigerian consumers on usage of milk and
expand the category’s sphere of relevance, because with Peak ‘You Can Do More’.
According to him, “What has excited me the most is the creativity
among the Nigerian consumers. We have received some very innovative ideas on
how our consumers have found different ways to use Peak Milk in their dishes.
During the 2017 World Milk Day celebration, I was impressed with the exciting
variations done by the school kids. Some of these recipes have been put on our
website: www.peakmilk.com.ng
On whether more people have been inspired by the campaign to
consume more milk, Gupta offered, “based on our syndicated research we have
seen impact on usage and consumption.”
On the role of Three Crowns among Nigerian diary brands,
Gupta said Three Crowns wants to inspire mothers to stay healthy so they
can stay fit and take better care of themselves and their families. The woman
of the house is the pillar of the family and the stronger the pillar, the more
stable the family would be. Three Crowns supports and nourishes this pillar so
it can keep the family healthy and happy. Three Crowns milk with low
cholesterol and great taste is the ideal partner to the woman of the family in
keeping herself and her family healthy and happy.
In assessment of his tenure as Marketing Director, he said credit
for some of the fabulous and award-winning creatives goes to the entire
marketing team and agency partners. “It is the result of their zeal, passion
and relentless rigor. These awards are a sign of external recognition and
motivate us to keep raising the bar. We sincerely thank different institutions
and bodies for honouring us with these awards and appreciation.”
In an overview of Nigeria’s dairy industry, Gupta said,
futuristically, the per capita consumption of milk in Nigeria is a fraction
compared to some of the other more developed countries, and I personally
believe that this segment would continue to rapidly grow. Moreover, with health
consciousness on a rapid rise, dairy solutions will continue to have increased
relevance in the lives of consumers – for different occasions (in and out of
home). Also, I anticipate increase in local sourcing of dairy. Friesland
Campina has already pioneered this with its Dairy Development Programme.
In the narrative of his foray into marketing, Gupta said
having lived in three (3) continents and 13 cities around the world,
diversity is part of his DNA. “Likewise, the last 15 years of my career,
started with my marketing career in Unilever India, then Global Marketing with
Sara Lee responsible for Personal care for Asia Pacific and finally joining
Friesland Campina global marketing in 2010 before moving to Nigeria.” Further
reflecting, he said, “My most self-enduring times have been in Nigeria, in the
last three years with the economic crisis. But I am happy to see how we as a
team have not just sailed through the storm but have grown stronger and sharper
to take our brands to the next level. I am really fortunate to have a great
team that believes ‘I m possible.’”
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