Brands and Marketing Archives — Page 11 of 14 — Business Bells

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Category: Brands and Marketing

  • NIMN Swears-in Disciplinary Tribunal Members, Gears Up for Annual Marketing Conference/AGM

    NIMN Swears-in Disciplinary Tribunal Members, Gears Up for Annual Marketing Conference/AGM

     

    In its quest to build a very strong and highly professional marketing institute, the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) has inaugurated a Disciplinary Tribunal and Investigating panel as envisaged in the NIMN Act 25 of 2003.

     

    The inauguration came on the heels of approval received from Attorney  General of the federation and Minister of Justice of the Rules,  “as to the selection of members of the Disciplinary Tribunal for the purposes of any proceedings, the procedure to be followed and the rules of evidence to be observed in the proceedings before the Disciplinary Tribunal.”

     

    Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of panel members in Lagos, the President and Chairman of the Council, Tony Agenmonmen said the Tribunal has full status of a court except that it can only try marketing practitioners for infamous conduct relating to breaches of the provisions of the NIMN Act and the NIMN Code of Professional Marketing Panels.

     

    Agenmonmen noted that appeals relating to directions of the Tribunal can only be lodged at the Federal Court of Appeal as the Federal Republic of Nigeria official Gazette setting out the rules has been duly published. 

     

    Members of the Disciplinary Tribunal sworn in were Dr. Ify Uraih as the Chairman, while other members were Prince Femi Oyewole, Dr. Onyekachi Onubogu, Mrs. Evelyn Nwosu, Mr. Chidiebere Nwakpa, Adebowale Adebayo and Prof. Mike Ikupolati.

     

    The Investigating Panel included Mrs Angela Ukara-Makinwa, Chairman, while other members were Mr. Chidiebere Nwakpa and Mr. Adebowale Adebayo.

     

    While thanking all the appointees for accepting to give up some of their time to serve the institute, the NIMN President noted that with the inauguration, the institute has witnessed another milestone as it has now joined the elite club of the very few institutes that have such set-up.

     

    In the same development, the President announced the institute’s plans and readiness to hold its 2021 annual marketing conference, Annual General Meeting (AGM), as well as 2021 Council elections.

     

    Agenmonmen disclosed that this year’s event would hold physically on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 May at the Radisson Blu Hotel,  Ikeja, Lagos State with protocols of the COVID-19 being strictly observed.

     

    He stated that this year’s annual marketing conference with the theme: “SMEs in Post-Covid -19 World”, was prompted by the knowledge that SMEs play indispensable roles in the economic and social lives of the nation, in the creation of employment, alleviation of poverty, and immense contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).

     

    Stressing further, the president said: “It is therefore important to bring to the fore, the challenges being faced by these SMEs in the country which has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

     

    He added: “In so doing, we intend to share practical insights on how SMEs can adapt and thrive in the Post-Covid -19 era.”

     

    The lead speaker at the conference, according to Agenmonmen is Mr. Alex Okoh, Director-General, BPE at the Presidency.

     

    Following the presentation by the lead speaker, there would be a moderated panel discussion on his paper while a communiqué is expected to be issued at the end of the conference.

     

    Significantly, the NIMN boss stated that this year’s AGM will serve as a platform to present the accounts of stewardship of the 4-year tenure of the out-going executives for the year ended 31 December 2020, as this will mark his last AGM as the Chairman of the Council.

     

    “This will be an opportunity to present the accounts of our stewardship for the year ended 31 December 2020. This would be my last AGM as President and Chairman of Council of our great institute. Therefore, I will use the occasion to present my stewardship for the slightly over four years that I have had the privilege of leading my colleagues in council, to lay a solid foundation and an irreversible growth for the Institute,” Agenmonmen disclosed.

     

    Speaking further, the outgoing president revealed that the AGM will also witness the 2021 elections to fill the positions of the president and two Council seats, whose debates are scheduled to hold on May 15 /16, 2021, for both the Presidency and Council contestants.

     

    Highlighting on some of his achievements, Agenmonmen maintained that nobody can ever say he has fully reached his objectives because it is always work-in-progress.

     

    He noted that his tenure has been able to rebuild the morale of its members and also improved the equity of the brand – the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, which he said he is very satisfactory with.

     

    Speaking on his expectations, the Institute boss urged the incoming president to ensure the same, even though he has his own agenda for the Council.

     

    “NIMN is on the march again and on the right trajectory to greatness. Things are looking great. It has been a long and tough road to get here. We are not exactly where we want to and should be, but we are  certainly not where we use to be. I am confident that the next President will build on the solid foundation we have laid and take the Institute to heights beyond compared to the pride of all our members. “

     

     “I think that the most important thing is we have to connect to strengthen equity as well as ensuring unity to keep the family together,” he stated.

  • COVID-19 Made Outdoor Advertising Get Little or No Allocation -LASAA MD

    COVID-19 Made Outdoor Advertising Get Little or No Allocation -LASAA MD

     

    The Managing Director of the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), Prince Adedamola Adekunjo Docemo has disclosed that the Out of Home advertising got little or no allocation as companies were badly hit by COVID-19 pandemic and as such, advertisers cut down on budgets drastically. 

     

    The Managing Director made this known recently in Lagos during an interactive session with Brand Journalists where he disclosed: “Because people were not moving around so we had a lot of vacant boards but gradually, things are beginning to pick up and normalize again. People have resumed their businesses physically and the roads have become busy again which automatically means OOH advertising is getting more patronage than what was obtainable when the economy was newly hit by the pandemic.

     

    Speaking on the level of compliance in terms of registration and permit fee payment from clients during the pandemic, he pointed out that, “the compliance was commendable and appreciated the practitioners.

     

    According to him, “we are very considerate and empathetic people in LASAA. We understand what is happening globally, hence, we display same understanding to our clients when approached, but to our amazement, they have been very cooperating in terms of registering their structures and making payment for permit fees. The response to compliance is even more than the previous years because, last year, LASAA was rated the 4th outstanding revenue generating Agency in Lagos which is a testament to the fact that our clients are cooperating regardless of the resultant effects of the pandemic.”

     

    On what the agency is doing for Clients to ensure ease of doing business, he stated, myself and my team members are seriously in tune with best practices obtainable in other contemporary organisations which includes ease of doing business.

     

    “Our application processing time is short, such that when a client registers, within a very short time, we issue approval. Now, we have even gone online so as to have less paper work. Clients can now download our application form for any of our products from our website, view rates therein and even pay online without needing to come to our office.”

     

    “Instead of having to come from far and near, we have functional communication channels such as telephone lines, email and social media handles where they can ask questions remotely and be promptly responded to.

     

    To enable our very numerous clients to afford our rates, we recently reviewed them downwardly and also had vacant board policy wherein practitioners are allowed to pay conveniently in three installments where their structures are empty and without advertisement.” He added.

     

    While comparing radio, television, and online advertising with outdoor, he stated that, outdoor still has advantages because it not everybody that watches the television and listens to the radio but they easily see adverts displaying on billboards while in traffic, while driving and they can easily be seen in streets wherever they are displaying.

     

    Continuing, he pointed out that, “the number of people who see them is more than those who have access to online advertisement. Moreover, the traffic of those who listen to radio and television is low compared to those who see and read advertised products on billboards.

     

    With much vacant boards across Lagos, he said the encouragement the agency is giving to practitioners is that, “we have also had downward rate reviews.

     

    First, there was a 35 percent decrease in the rates for LED advertising structures then there was 30 percent reduction done on other third-party structures. We have also waived three months of permit fees for practitioners to cushion the effect of the Covid 19 pandemic.”

     

    “The Agency had a vacant board discount policy in the past which is under review  for a win-win benefit for the Agency and practitioners. So, we believe all these will serve as motivations for outdoor practitioners to do more in meeting their statutory obligations.

     

    He further stated that, “LASAA is much open to the public. We are in 25 local government offices across the State wherein our well trained staff members operate professionally by attending to Clients and ensuring that no business opens without registration.”

  • Surendran Replaces Ogunsanya As Managing Director/CEO Of Airtel Nigeria

    Surendran Replaces Ogunsanya As Managing Director/CEO Of Airtel Nigeria

     

    Airtel Networks Limited (Nigeria), a subsidiary of Airtel Africa plc, has announced the appointment of C. Surendran as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD and CEO) of Airtel Nigeria with effect from 1 August 2021.

     

    In addition, Mr. Surendran will be appointed to the Executive Committee (ExCo) as Regional Operating Director, reporting to the CEO of Airtel Africa plc, and onto the Board of Airtel Networks (Nigeria) Limited.

     

    Mr. Surendran replaces Mr. Olusegun (Segun) Ogunsanya.  Mr. Olusegun (Segun) Ogunsanya will become Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Africa plc with effect from 1 October 2021, with a transition period from 1 August 2021.

     

    Mr. Surendran has been with Bharti Airtel since 2003 and has contributed immensely in various roles across customer experience, sales and business operations.

     

    According to a statement by the telco, in his most recent role as CEO Karnataka, which is the largest circle in Airtel India with over $1bn in revenue, Mr. Surendran delivered exceptional performance with significant movement in Revenue Market Share (RMS) over last few years, currently at 54%.

     

    Surendran has over 30 years of business experience, including 15 years at Xerox.

     

    He will transition into his new role from 1 June 2021 and spend the time onboarding into the business until 31 July 2021.

  • MTN Loses 5 Million Subscribers, Records $385.1bn Revenue In Q1 2021

    MTN Loses 5 Million Subscribers, Records $385.1bn Revenue In Q1 2021

     

    Telecom provider, MTN has recorded a service revenue growth by 17.2% YoY to N385.1 billion during the first quarter of 2021. This is up 5.4% from the N365.2bn of the previous quarter.

     

    Karl Toriola, MTN CEO announced: “We made good progress in the first quarter of 2021 despite the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

     

    As revealed in its reports the tremendous feat can be credited to the huge growth of data and voice revenue despite the impact of the pandemic and a decline in subscribers.

     

    The report further reveals that voice revenue, which generated 63% of the total sum, grew by 8.0% from N226.5Bn to N244.6Bn. This growth was supported by the 8.7% increase in traffic and customer value management initiatives. Data revenue saw even higher growth. The report shows that it maintained the positive momentum from Q4 2020, rising by 42.6% YoY to N105.6Bn.

     

    Expenses rose by 14.8% to N180.7bn, mainly driven by a 19.2% increase in operating expenses arising from an accelerated site rollout and the effects of Naira depreciation on lease rental costs.

     

    Similarly, Capital expenditure in the quarter was N89.9 billion, up 19.3% mainly due to site rollouts, while free cash flow increased by 18.9% to N114.7 billion.

     

    MTN explained that the effect of the SIM ban on voice revenue was offset by increased usage by active SIMs in its base and migration to a higher quality of experience.

     

    This was fueled by increased usage, traffic, the boost in 4G penetration and increased network capacity following the acquisition and activation of an additional 800MHz spectrum in March 2021.

     

    Insights from the report show that that data traffic increased by 86.7% with the addition of the 800MHz spectrum enhancing output by 79%.

     

    With the huge revenue MTN raked during the quarter, its profit should have been higher than the N73.7 bn reported. The dropped was caused by the double-digit growth in expenses.

     

    The telco however said the overall increase in expenses was partly mitigated by the comparatively moderate growth of 7.8% in the cost of sales following the suspension of new SIM sales and activations.

     

    Additionally, the report also shows that Mobile subscribers declined by 5 million to 71.5 million while Active data users declined marginally by 71,000 to 32.5 million.

     

    According to the Telco giant, the 4-month NCC ban on new SIM sales and registration effectively curtailed subscriber growth. During the ban, MTN lost a total of 9.2 million subscribers – representing 75% of the 12.2m subscribers it added in the entire 2020.

  • ExperientialNG Holds Free Strategic Training Programme for Top Executives in Africa

    ExperientialNG Holds Free Strategic Training Programme for Top Executives in Africa

     

    ExperientialNG, in line with her goal of providing world class professional dynamic capabilities to Marketing professionals across Africa, would be organising free Strategic training sessions for top African Executives.

     

    In the words of Dr Rotimi Olaniyan, founder and Publisher of ExperientialNG, “It is a programme marketing or services leader would not wish to miss”.

     

    The executive learning sessions would be delivered via ZOOM on May 1, a public holiday in most African countries also tagged workers day.

     

    From the quality of registration so far, the programme is poised to witness a unique assemblage of senior executives, and accomplished leaders in sales and marketing, as well as marketing and creative services agencies.

    STUART HAMILTON

    From the highlights given by the organisers, the programme would be a half day of World Class Professional Marketing discourse and practical conversations.

     

    The discussants are expected to showcase valuable learning content from academy’s forthcoming Management & Leadership Skills Development Series, which is an initiative intended to help deepen workplace skills for firms looking to drive strategic advantages and growth through innovation, strategic thinking, top-notch research and practical commercial leadership.

     

    According to Dr Olaniyan, this session is still the academy’s premium master class though free, so it is only open to a select group of attendees that meet the academy’s criteria for relevance, potential impact and contribution.

     

    The three principal speakers for the May 1 programme are Stuart Hamilton, Austin Ufomba and Rotimi Olaniyan.

     

    Stuart Hamilton is an International business and trade development specialist with over 40 years’ experience across multiple sectors, with specific involvement in construction, oil & gas and IT. He has strong background in international trade and in tendering for large contracts.

     

    He currently oversees Business Development and trade missions for the Scottish Chambers of Commerce which is a coalition of over 30 chambers of commerce with membership made up of 12,000 companies including some of Europe’s most successful companies. In addition to this, he is a commercial leadership trainer and consultant, working with small and medium sized firms focussed on achieving breakthrough transformation.

     

    Stuart shall be speaking on the realities of practical commercial leadership, with lessons that can be learnt from European growth firms.

     

    Austin Ufomba currently serves as CEO of the Tytron Group with interests in real estate, mining and manufacturing. He has over 24 years professional and diverse working experience in Sales, Marketing, Strategy, General Management, Public Private Partnership, Business Advisory, Project Management spread across diverse career experience including Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Banking and Public Sector.

    AUSTIN UFUMBA

    He has served as Marketing Director at Coca-Cola Nigeria as well as Guinness Nigeria Plc, (A Diageo Company) two of Nigeria’s most prestigious consumer marketing companies. Austin shall be speaking on the imperatives of strategic thinking for today’s marketing leaders.

     

    Dr Rotimi Olaniyan is founder and Publisher of ExperientialNG, which is set up to serve as a capacity development and resource platform for practitioners and firms playing in the marketing and allied services space. He has over 32 years of commercial experience across four countries working for firms such as Colgate-Palmolive.

     

     Between 2000 and 2017 he served as agency head and Managing Director of three marketing services firms including Proximity which he founded. He also sat on the board of Paga, a mobile money company. His work currently has him straddling both the UK and Nigeria. He currently serves as a senior member of the Marketing Faculty at Nottingham Business School where he leads the full time MBA course and conducts research in the field of Entrepreneurial and Services marketing. He is also Principal at Apex Advisors, UK an independent consultancy with commissions in the UK and Nigeria.

     

    Rotimi shall be speaking on how to develop learning organisations and prepare future commercial leaders as reflective practitioners.

     

    Dr Olaniyan also stressed that the May 1st webinar will hold from 9.00 am to 12 noon. Joining instructions to the ZOOM platform would be sent to registered participants 48 hours to the sessions.

     

    Although it is a free master class, attendance is still subject to terms and conditions, so prospective participants are please requested to click the link below for registration.

  • Nigerian Breweries Shareholders Approve N7.52billion Dividend Payout

    Nigerian Breweries Shareholders Approve N7.52billion Dividend Payout

     

    Shareholders of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Nigeria’s foremost brewer have approved the dividend payout of N7.52 billion for the 2020 financial year.

     

    The approval was given at the 75th Annual General Meeting of the company held at MUSON Centre in Lagos on Thursday, April 22, 2021, even as the company assured the shareholders of its commitment to continually improve the return on their investments.

     

    Speaking during the AGM, shareholders noted that the total dividend payout comes as a result of the exceptional performance recorded by the company for the 2020 financial year.

     

    They stated that the 2020 results contained in the audited report and the 100% dividend payout is a strong reflection of the company’s stability as well as its resilience in the face of the global pandemic and operating challenges in the economy.

    L-R: Non-Executive Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mrs. Adeyinka Aroyewun; Company Secretary/ Legal Director, NB Plc, Mr. Uaboi Agbebaku; Chairman, NB Plc, Chief Kola Jamodu and Finance Director, NB Plc, Mr. Rob Kleinjan during the 75th Annual General Meeting of the company held in Lagos today

    Shareholders who were in attendance expressed appreciation to the board and management of the company for exhibiting the great capacity to keep the company going and stable amid the global pandemic and other operating challenges confronting it.

     

    Speaking during the Q and A section of the meeting, shareholders gave kudos to the company for making a total dividend payment at a time when most listed companies find it hard to pay dividends to their shareholders.

     

    One of the shareholders, Mr. Boniface Okezie who spoke at the meeting hailed the board and management of Nigerian Breweries Plc for helping to maintain a strong and healthy balance sheet amidst recession and inflation that had affected businesses and the Nigerian economy in general.

     

    According to Okezie, the fact that the company remains competitive despite the huge impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses demonstrates the uniqueness of the cost-saving measures deployed.

     

    “Despite the impact of the recession and COVID-19 pandemic, the company was still able to maintain stability. This goes to show the quality of leadership at the company. I must confess that the board and management have done well to keep to its promise of paying dividends. We can only hope that they keep up the tempo so that we can receive higher dividends in the next financial year”, he said

     

    In his remarks at the meeting, the Chairman of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Chief Kola Jamodu explained that each shareholder would receive a final dividend of N0.69k at an ordinary share of 50k, having received an interim dividend of 25k.

     

    On his part, the Company Secretary/Legal Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Uaboi Agbebaku disclosed that the 2020 financial year recorded a significant boost in sales volume even though the cost of sales rose from N191.76billion to N218.36billion.

     

    Agbebaku who was optimistic about the growth of the company going forward noted that the company would continue to give utmost priority to the welfare of its shareholders in its decision making.

     

     A breakdown of the company’s audited results shows that its Profit after Tax (PAT) recorded for the 2020 financial year stood at N7.52billion while net revenue increased sharply from N323 billion to 337.01billion between 2019 and 2020, representing a 4.3% rise.

     

    Marketing and Distribution Expenses reduced from N77.70 billion in 2019 to N70.7billion in 2020, while Administrative expenses also dipped by 1.79% from N19.30 billion to N18.96 billion, which was largely informed by the elimination of bad costs.

     

  • OAAN, ICL Collaborate On Audience Measurement For OOH Sector

    OAAN, ICL Collaborate On Audience Measurement For OOH Sector

     

    In pursuance of the aim of providing solution to the age-long marketing industry need for offline measurement, the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) and Interaction Channel Limited (ICL), an advertising technology company have embarked on a strategic collaboration to provide a currency of measurement for the OOH sector in Nigeria using the innovative ‘Moving Audiences’ platform.

     

    The collaboration was announced at the press briefing in Lagos held on Thursday 22nd April where the two parties disclosed that they will leverage best in class global technology, data and tools to drive strategy, planning and buying of Out-of-Home Advertising for advertisers and brands.

     

    To bring the technological innovation to the Nigerian market, ICL had partnered Moving Walls, having signed a deal with the international agency to provide upscale location intelligence for media and marketing services.

     

    The President of OAAN, Emmanuel Ajufo disclosed that the innovation is timely considering the challenges of providing adequate data on audience engagement with its boards and others. He stated that it is a new dawn for OOH advertising in the country and it will further help practitioners and its members to offer unique and measurable services to clients.

     

    Adding that the association is strongly in support of the initiative, he stated that it will transform the sector as practitioners will offer more value to clients.

     

    “The association is behind this whole initiative, we want everybody to know that the collaboration is for the good of the industry. For us our interest is value for our client and we are set to deliver much more with credible audience measurement in place.”

     

    Similarly, the Managing Director of ICL, Tosan Omagbemi stated that the OOH advertising industry can now boast of having standards of measurement in line with global best practices which will further help it grow remarkably.

     

    “It is evident that OOH Advertising delivers results. This is what the OAAN/ICL collaboration intends to amplify through global best standards of measurement. OOH now has measurement in Nigeria!

    L-R:  President, Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), Femi Adelusi; Director, Regulation, Monitoring and Enforcement, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Ijedi Iyoha; Managing Director, Interaction Channel Limited (ICL), Tosan Omagbemi and President, Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), Emmanuel Ajufo at the press briefing to announce the OAAN and ICL collaboration on Data Standards for Out-of-home advertising, held in Lagos today

    “At Interaction Channel Limited, we believe that we are engaging an ever-dynamic audience. Brands that intend to get the right space per time within the consumer/media ecosystem must employ dynamic solutions which our advertising technology company is all about – dynamic solutions for a dynamic audience. This is the next phase for brand custodians that would not only deliver their numbers, but be part of the consumers’ play,” he explained.

     

    He added that its upscale location intelligence platform leverages 5th Generation cutting edge technology to offer a marketing lifestyle solution for OOH strategy, planning and buying, Mobile Advertising, Retail Analytics and Events Measurement. “Using these tools, brands will be able to deploy their consumer initiatives with an unprecedented higher level of precision. A robust synergy is now also possible across media types, for example OOH Media + Mobile. Furthermore, advertisers will be able to customize audience segments and leverage day-part understanding to reach specific audiences especially on DOOH.”

     

    Commending the initiative, the President of Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), Femi Adelusi  had some words to say: “In line with the MIPAN’s tradition, we are delighted to see the arrival of credible media audience measure on OOH. The ICL platform provides an end-to-end planning for Moving Audiences from Strategic/Planning to Buying and Measurement on the OOH media.

     

    “I am convinced that Advertiser and first tier advertisers, who continue to invest about 40-55% of DME in Outdoor Advertising in Nigeria over many decades, are super excited by the availability of a credible means of measuring and substantiating their investment on the OOH channels.

     

    “The job of the media /marketing professionals will also be made more exciting with this technology and data enabled decision making tool which will ultimately drive better effectiveness and efficiencies,” he concluded.

     

    In the same vein, the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) Registrar, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo who was represented by the Director, Regulation, Monitoring and Enforcement, Ijedi Iyoha, applauded the partnership and assured them of the council’s support, stating that the collaboration will help boost advertising industry in the country.

     

    She added that it came at a right time APCON has been directed to manage the audience measurement of media which also includes OOH. “APCON is giving its 100 percent support to this. I want to believe that with this collaboration if it is well implemented it will go a long way to enhance growth and innovation in the industry.”

  • Top 100 Global B2B Marketing Leaders: Interswitch Group CMO, Others Receive International Recognition

    Top 100 Global B2B Marketing Leaders: Interswitch Group CMO, Others Receive International Recognition

     

    Cherry Eromosele, Group Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Interswitch Group, has been recognised as one of the Global Top 100 B2B Marketing Leaders in Technology in 2021 in the latest annual list released by the global business leadership community, HotTopics.HT.

     

    HotTopics.HT rewards individuals who are trailblazers in the use of new technologies to drive innovation within the marketing function. 

     

    It also recognises ambassadors for the B2B marketing community inside and outside of their own organizations, as well as those who have demonstrated empathy and transformational leadership during these extraordinary times.

     

    Announcing its list of Global Top 100 B2B Marketing Leaders in Technology 2021, The international platform recognized leading marketing professionals across global markets practicing in the technology space based on selections of an international jury of marketing leaders which included Lisa Gilbert, Chief Marketing Officer and GM of IBM Marketing Services, Mehul Kapadia, Global Head of Marketing at Vodafone Business and Matt Preschern, Chief Marketing, Global CMO at Forcepoint.

     

    Interestingly, only two females of African origin made the global list. They are Interswitch Group’s Cherry Eromosele from Nigeria and South Africa’s Bernice Samuels, Group Executive and Chief Marketing Officer at MTN.

     

    Speaking on the nomination, Cherry expressed her delight and gratitude to the organizers for the special recognition, stating that it will further spur her to continue delivering excellent marketing leadership and to the quest to continue to break new ground in the exciting space of fintech marketing, further building on the work she’s done at Interswitch over the last seven years.

     

    The Interswitch Group Chief Marketing and Communications Officer also expressed appreciation to her team for their support and commitment to delivering innovative marketing solutions. She said: “Whilst my career trajectory and quest for continuous learning and improvement may have played defining roles in the journey to this point, I have also been fortunate to have worked with brilliant and supportive marketing professionals from the inception of my career; and their impact has contributed to my growth trajectory. I am indeed grateful to them all, including my unique marketing team here at Interswitch and the organizers for this special recognition.” 

     

    Cherry, a dynamic and performance-driven professional with over 25 years of versatile, multi-industry functional and leadership experience, has distinguished herself professionally with a proven track record of success in product and marketing innovation, hence her recognition as one of the amazons changing the landscape in the global marketing space.

     

    Prior to this nomination, Cherry has been awarded in several capacities including; Marketing Personality of the Year in Nigeria by Marketing Edge and special recognition amongst the Top 50 Marketing Professionals in West Africa at the 7th edition of the annual Marketing World Awards held in Accra, Ghana. Following her enthusiasm and support for women empowerment and girl child development, Cherry was recently named as one of the #100 Most Inspiring Women in Nigeria by ‘Leading Ladies Africa’, a compendium honoring phenomenal Nigerian women.

     

    This global platform has continued to celebrate B2B marketing leaders who have excelled in their contributions to the growth of marketing across the world. Following the selection and publication of the final 100, the successful B2B marketers will be invited to a Thought Leadership event to share insights and innovation with their peers.

  • Jumia Employee Taking Pleasure in Meeting Ecommerce Needs of Rural Dwellers

    Jumia Employee Taking Pleasure in Meeting Ecommerce Needs of Rural Dwellers

     

    By Ilerioluwa Phillps

     

    Though rural Nigerian communities are plagued with erratic internet service which limits accessibility to ecommerce, there’s increasing level of acceptance and usage of ecommerce in these communities, thanks to efforts of associates of ecommerce brands like Jumia who meet and engage with residents at the local levels.

     

    Loads of obstacles are surmounted daily by these associates in their quest of treating rural natives to online shopping experience. A lot of effort goes into teaching and exposing these natives to basic internet and online shopping tips. At times, knowledge of native language is needed to drive home the point.

     

    After successfully bringing customers onboard the ecommerce train, next is the challenge of road networks in getting orders delivered at their various locations. Majority of roads in rural communities are fault traps for vehicles, hence riders are mostly deployed for easier maneuvering. For the riders who brave the odds to access the area, they are confronted with yet another huddle, as they still have to engage in house searching to ensure packages are delivered at the right place.

     

    Malik Suleiman, a delivery associate for Jumia Nigeria solves these sorts of problems on a daily basis. Malik has been working with the company for three years most of which he has been deeply involved in taking ecommerce service experience to rural residents.

     

    “There are some challenges we face while delivering packages to these rural areas. Two of these challenges include the fact that most of the roads aren’t motorable. The second is that based on the house numbering system, we find it kind of difficult delivering packages to some addresses,” he explained.

     

    Despite the challenges faced daily on these local routes, this Jumia employee says he’s excited about the inclusion of the rural dwellers in accessing ecommerce services. “The good side of it is that buying things online prevents people living in these areas from going all the way to the town to get these things from the local market. So when I finally deliver these packages to customers despite the challenges, I see the joy in their eyes and I feel fulfilled,” the smiling rider said.

     

    It will definitely take more devoted workers like Malik to bring more rural dwellers into the ecommerce market, but many will agree that African ecommerce brands are on the path to achieving this with continued sensitisation, partnerships and logistics investment targeted at local residents.

  • Coca-Cola Promotes Environmental Sustainability With “Cash 4 Trash” Initiative In Lagos

    Coca-Cola Promotes Environmental Sustainability With “Cash 4 Trash” Initiative In Lagos

    Coca-Cola Nigeria has launched its “Cash 4 Trash” initiative in Lagos, as the leading total beverage company partnered with Initiative for the Advancement of Waste Management in Africa (W.A.S.T.E Africa) and Mental and Environmental Development Initiative for Children (MEDIC) which formally kicked-off operations on Friday, April 9th, 2021 at the Badore Jetty, Lagos.

     

    This development follows the official launch ceremony which was held in August 2020 where The Coca-Cola Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company, partnered with W.A.S.T.E AFRICA to launch its novel “Cash 4 trash” initiative in 5 communities across Abuja, FCT. This bold initiative is targeted at promoting a waste-free world through waste recovery, recycling, and economic development.

     

    In her opening remarks, Director of Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability, Coca‑Cola Nigeria, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe said, “A greener environment remains a priority area for Coca-Cola as evidenced by the numerous initiatives launched and supported by The Coca-Cola Foundation. The Cash 4 Trash initiative presents an opportunity for us to ensure a reduced carbon footprint across Nigeria and an improved attitude towards waste management”.

     

    “Cash 4 Trash is an initiative that not only ensures our streets are clean, but also provides monetary rewards to individuals. The incentivised nature of the project will ensure buy-in from all stakeholders and reconcile the best interests of all parties involved”, she added.

     

    Also, speaking at the event, the Founder of MEDIC, Doyinsola Ogunye remarked, “It is a pleasure working with The Coca-Cola Foundation and W.A.S.T.E Africa to directly impact the lives of women and youths. We believe that with this initiative, even young children will imbibe the culture of waste management within the community. With the Cash 4 Trash Initiative, the whole community has a role to play in ensuring the economic and environmental wellbeing of the society”.

     

    Present at the launch event were the Secretary Eti-Osa East LCDA, Hon. Sanni Saheed; Supervisory Counselor Chieftaincy and Community Affairs Eti-Osa East LCDA, Hon. Agbalaya Abiodun; Founder EMR Consult, Wunmi Ogunde; Founder MEDIC, Doyinsola Ogunye; and Director of Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability, Coca‑Cola Nigeria, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe amongst others.

     

    Cash 4 Trash is a recycling scheme designed to empower communities while ensuring cleaner environments. This initiative will also be executed by leveraging cutting edge technology using the Pakam app, through which recyclers will request pick-up of plastic waste collected. With the continuous funding of recycling initiatives in Nigeria and smart waste collection, Coca-Cola continues to work towards its goal of building a World Without Waste.

     

    Since its launch in 1984, The Coca-Cola Foundation’s donations to sustain local communities around the world has reached $1 billion. The Foundation offers community support programs that have led to the improvement of the quality of life of people and communities across the world.