Nigerian Celebrities and Brand Promotion

Various Blue Chip companies in Nigeria, operating in diverse spheres including Manufacturing, Telecoms, Banking, Consumer services are arising with fresh concepts that will put them in advance of their rivals. The post Independent epoch (1960 till date) has witnessed the continuous influx of companies both local and International into the marketing arena, desperate to compete within the Nigerian open market Championship. A yearly event held to find out which companies products/services thrived probably the most from the Nigerian Market. Their performances were rated from the profits posted during the Companies Annual General Meetings. A few who started the race at its inception are still in contention to the golden prize, while their counterparts have fallen along the way side.

Your competition to dominate the Nigerian market is growing tougher each and every passing year, and firms have deployed various marketing strategies "in and out from the box" inside a bid to steal the market. Including the regular using promos by companies luring customers to purchase their goods and consequently wining whooping monetary rewards with an array of consolation prizes, game shows/lottery, where juicy monetary packages are available by customers who participate and obey stipulated instructions are becoming rampant. These 'over flogged marketing strategies', have propelled a few to take a look towards the direction with the celebrities (in particular those inside the Entertainment circuit) to invoke a Sales- Reload had to thrust them far ahead of their competitors.

From the eyes with the public, celebrities have emerged as being a rare unique breed of Homosapiens who maneuver around having an aura of greatness, and share the golden touch capable of transforming the standard into extra-ordinary within a splitting second inside their respective chosen career. They develop the capability to keep ones eyes riveted to them, igniting the star struck syndrome on the fans. They easily awaken excitement from the crowd with some cringing their necks much for the nerves discomfort, in a bid to trap a peek at them. This phenomenon is better described during live concerts done by popular artistes in the event the crowd goes into a frenzy, with the babes naturally screaming their names(if they are guys) and shouting "I Adore you X", amazingly shedding tears, and quite often handing out or nearly handing out on the slightest physical exposure to the celebrities or else.

The posters of those great women and men who wield the financial wands within their hands are kissed and spoke to by their fans who may have them hung inside a corner of their rooms, and dream endlessly about how precisely good they may have been together, profess their undying passion for them, adoring, idolizing them, thereby provoking the nice Lord to jealousy. Celebrities by reason with their popularity naturally develop the capacity to influence customers to swap loyalty on the endorsed brands, making such adverts to linger continually within their memory data banks. On a wider pedestal, celebrities for example James Earl Jones endorsed "CNN", Catherine Zeta- Jones "Elizabeth Arden", and Pepsi has continually made use of International best footballers and artistes to market its brand.

In Nigeria, the thought of using celebrities in promoting various brands was at its lowest ebb just before 2007. Advertising companies about the pay roll of rival companies delightfully used "Unknown faces" to try and lure prospective customers into buying the products being projected or maintain customers loyalty or initiate a cross carpeting towards the technique displayed products, from the Electronic media(dominantly TV).

4 REASONS WHY CELEBRITIES WERE HARDLY USED TO PROMOTE BRANDS A long time ago

1. IGNORANCE: Most Advertising practitioners just weren't conversant using the notion of using celebrities to promote the brands. We were holding hired to only advertise, showcase these products of the clients to viewers, that they did. They were not deeply associated with any online strategy to out do brands from rival companies.

2. INDIFFERENCE: Several somewhat indifferent, adopted a lackadaisical procedure for the concept, since they believed that the usage of celebrities didn't have relation to the standard production of the adverts produced, so why bother utilizing them?

3. UNWILLINGNESS To shell out: Most Clients were not wanting to pay for the fees needed to hire the services of the celebrities in promoting the brands within the advert (which has been significantly less expensive in comparison with what obtains today). Just one or two consented for the soliciting and eventual use of celebrities like the now defunct Universal Trust Bank (UTB advert: Chief Zebrudaya and Jegede in the New masquerade TV series fame), Visine eye drops (Regina Askia), Morning fresh (Bimbo Oloyede), Panadol ( Ovuleria, Akpena inside the Tv show from the New masquerade), New Elephant Blue detergent (Chief Zebrudaya, Samanja)

4. LOW COMPETITON: A handful of companies with rivals producing brands within the same sector existed. In the 80's we basically had two known rival brands of products used by different spheres for eg Detergents "Omo and Elephant Blue", Soaps "Lux and "Cussons Imperial leather", Sodas "Coke and Pepsi", Cars "Peugeot and Volkswagen". However a couple of companies produced brands that went unchallenged for example Okin biscuits, Peak Milk, Maltina, Robb, Thermocool fridge/freezers.

The action has recently changed with Companies eagerly parting with cash to ensure celebrities are effectively utilized to promote their brands using the electronic media (still dominantly TV) according to its large viewership base, and in some cases paper media can also be used.

Report on NIGERIAN CELEBRITIES Employed in BRAND PROMOTION:

1.Omo detergent (Adesuwa Oyenokwe - TV presenter ) 2.Chivita ( Jide Kosoko- Nollywood actor) 3.Chi Exotic (Sunny Neji - Artiste) 4.Peak Milk ( kanu Nwankwo- International footballer) 5.Hollandia Milk( Ali Baba- comedian, Julius Agwu- comedian, Omotola Jalade Ekehinde- Nollywood actress, Bukky wright- Nollywood / TV actress) 6.Lux (Genevive Nnaji- Nollywood actress) 7.Amstel Malta (Dakore Egbuson- Nollywood actress) 8.Onga (Kate Henshaw- Nuttal- Nollywood /TV actress) 9.Robb( Julius Agahuwa- International Footballer) 10.Harpic ( Nkem Owoh- Nollywood actor, Bukky Wright- Nollywood/TV actress, Joke Silva- Nollywood / TV actress ) 11.La Casera (Ikponwonsa Osakhiodua- Radio presenter) 12.Power Fist (D'Banj- Artiste) 13.Ok Sweets ( Osita Iheme, Chinedu Ikedieze, both Nollywood actors) 14.Mimi Noodles ( Bukky Ajayi - Nollywood/TV actress) 15.Guinness (Tu Face Idibia- Artiste) 16.Zain (Bryan Okwara- Mr Nigeria) 17.Yoyo Bitters ( Jide Kosoko- Nollywood actor) 18.Damatol (Desmond Elliot- Nollywood actor) 19.Lagos State around the payment of Tax ( Kate Henshaw- Nuttal, Bimbo Akintola, Funke Akindele, (all Nollywood/TV actresses, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer in the Redeem Christian Church of God) 20.Malta Guinness (Basket Mouth- comedian) 21.Etisalat ( Banky W- Artiste) 22.Glo (RMD, Joseph Yobo, John Utaka, D'Banj, Ego, Madam Kofo, Sunny Neji, Funke Akindele, Basket Mouth, Ramsey Nouah jnr , Monalisa Chinda- Richards, Ini Edo and much more

It's true that some customers alert to the tasty take home pay tucked safely inside the kitty in the celebrities, are certainly not moved through the adverts believing more and more quite often today the celebrities don't use those products in any respect, opting rather to make use of products from rival companies or those made by companies in other countries that are yet to be established here. Regardless of hype made currently about their presence inside the adverts, having them endorse the items won't automatically bestow a "snail proof seal" around the sale with the products. First, it really is germane that this celebrity being utilized must ideally fit the manufacturer that's being projected, other wise called the "product match". Therefore factors including physical aspect, charisma, credibility, acceptability, attraction sparks relating to the celebrity and also the target consumers, are fundamental and will not be waived aside, so that you can generate not simply the customers desire for the merchandise but in addition to look at practical steps in purchasing it.

Such as the utilization of Nkem Owoh (male) inside the Harpic advert would have been a mismatch. As a norm in Nigeria, males do not clean toilets at home, as it is deemed the main domestic duties of the woman. Therefore, the audience to promote any toilet cleaning products are "women". The application of the celebrity was hinged on outstanding success recorded as being a Nollywood star, hence they felt his popularity would effectively promote the brand and tremendously boost sales. They must have remarked that using him would have been a wrong move as women considered it as only advertorial propaganda include them as purchase the product. His stepping aside brought on board the remarkable Bukky Wright, though following her predecessor's formulaic advert. Women easily heated to her, and the stereotyped message became realistic, casting out earlier doubts for the product's effectiveness that have lingered on within their minds prior to celebrity swap. Joke Silva has also adopted the emblem promotion reins from he,r regrettably with the monotonous advert. Imagine using a man to get a diapers advert, or one targeted at promoting a variety of baby or cosmetics! No matter how attractive he is, regardless how humorous the advert actually is, at the best it might translate into a nicely packaged splitting seconds side show applauded from the women folk.

The effect Akin ( Chinedu Ikedezie) and Pawpaw (Osita Iheme) stated in promoting "OK Sweets" would not have been exactly the same if the "adult looking" celebrity acquired a trial in internet marketing. Children regard the duo as "Children stars" to whom they can relate with, though naive about their real ages, or their inability to comprehend that they are "little men" with child like facial and physical features who've lit up the lives of Hollywood fans. Children have gladly embraced these products prompting their parents to buy the treasured sweets.

"Etisalat", a Telecoms company that made its debut to the highly competitive Nigerian Telecoms market in 2008 was facing view of dealing with a few major players "MTN", " ZAIN" and "GLO", though not under rating the existence of other individuals who could allow them to have a run because of their money like Starcomms, Multi Links, Visa Phone, Reltel , Intercellular. That they had hitherto resorted to marketing aggressively, with assorted adverts spearheaded by unpopular faces promoting their brand through electronic and print media. Some slack might have been termed to own been achieved when "Banky W", the sensational R n B artiste with all the hit track "Ebutte- Metta" which made waves in the music front was utilized in promoting the company. His smooth velvety voice along with the closing lyrics "080,0809ja for life" did the trick. Nigerians took a fantastic liking on the song and in different quarters, children and adults were heard reeling out your "0809ja for life song", soaring the Etisalat brand to raised heights.

Celebrities enables you to introduce a fresh brand, break the cycle of sales stagnancy which had hitherto held the item bound, and dispel nose diving sales rumors being peddled by rivals. Using celebrities sometimes has a devastating effect on sales where the celebrity endorses one brand name is seen while using competitor's, or suffers a significant set back in his/her profession. If the sole aim of using Nigerian celebrities in adverts to advertise the companies brands, using a view to achieving the prior set projected sales profit and also surpassing same continues to be attained, lies coded for the mysterious sales card that the companies have held securely in their hands abiding doggedly with the principle of "for our eyes only".

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