P+ Measurement Services, Nigeria’s foremost Independent Public Relations measurement and evaluation agency, celebrates its sixth year of effective operation with qualitative offerings for its numerous clients, as it rebrands with a new business logo, website, and office to deepen penetration.
The leading company has in the past six years engendered the needed growth for its clients, and the rebranding is part of efforts aimed at sustaining its leading position in the sector, having worked with over 47 brands and 17 Public Relations agencies in Africa’s largest economy.
The logo with new colours depicts the innovation and creativity of the brand, as also shown on its new website with the agency service rate, to enable brands and agencies to make faster decisions in budgeting.
As the only AMEC Member in Nigeria, P+ has strong partnerships with the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and Reelforge Media Monitoring, the biggest media monitoring agency in the East African region, covering more than five countries.
Speaking on the company’s new development, the Chief Insights Officer, Philip Odiakose, said P+ is strongly positioned to effectively deliver on its offerings, with state-of-the-art structure, process and highly skilled media analysts in an exceptional and value-driven business model in line with global best practices.
“Our Measurement and Evaluation report is in-depth, robust, and flexible to accommodate valid metrics that brands desire to see reflected in their customized reports, and also based on the AMEC Standard in accordance with the Barcelona Principle 3.0. We deploy the P+MCA (media content analysis) methodology for media evaluation and analysis based on qualitative and quantitative metrics in analyzing media exposure,” Odiakose affirmed.
He said the new office would serve as a hub in the country and the West Africa sub-region, where the company will provide media monitoring, measurement, evaluation, and performance audit services for brands, media agencies, government agencies and NGOs.
Also as part of its efficient services, the measurement and evaluation company introduced “Get-Reports,” a novel product that allows the purchase of PR performance audit reports in key sectors.
The “Get-Reports” product spans across different industries which includes the 22 Commercial Nigerian Banks PR Performance Audit Report, Top Nigerian Insurance PR Performance Audit Report, Top Nigerian Digital Banks PR Performance Audit Report, and Top Online Streaming Services PR Performance Audit Report.
Experts in the business of brands and marketing communications in Africa gathered recently to chart a new course for businesses targeting female consumers, on how best to reach and engage them in this challenging times.
They also proffered solutions on how the female gender can maintain a work-life integration in their quest to smash the glass ceiling that seem to prevent them from reaching their peak in their different fields.
These were the key talking points at the annual Women in Marketing & Communications Conference/ Awards (WIMCA) held last Wednesday at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.
The theme for this year’s conference, “Women in Leadership: Building a strong Professional PIE (Performance, Image, and Exposure)” was crafted in line with this year’s theme of the International Women Day (IWD): “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”.
The event which is in its fifth edition, is powered every year by Brand Communicator, a leading Brands and marketing publication in Nigeria. In his welcome address, the convener of WIMCA and publisher of Brand Communicator, Joshua Ajayi stressed that, “’women have been acknowledged as some of the most effective leaders during the pandemic, even when they remain woefully under-represented at all levels of decision-making worldwide.”
He added that Forum Research has revealed the efficacy of the ‘role model effect’ which is helping to close the gender gap. It is with thisgoal of expansion that platform will soon become pan-African.
His words: “Indeed, we are planning to expand this platform beyond a yearly one to a pan-African platform that will create a sustainable community that members can interact daily. Details on this plan would be released soon.”
L-R: Bukola Shobowale, Business Director, Insight Publicis; Iquo Ukoh, Managing Director, Entod Marketing; Dawn Rowlands, CEO of Dentsu, Sub-Sahara Africa; Joshua Ajayi, Convener, WIMCA and Publisher, Brand Communicator; Ayodele Otujinrin, Head of Marketing, West Africa, Godrej; Ilyas Kazeem, Group Marketing Director, Eat ‘N’ Go Africa; and Charity Ilevbare, Category Lead (Life Care), Seven Up at the Women In Marketing and Communications Conference/Awards (WIMCA) held recently
In her presentation, the keynote speaker, CEO of Dentsu, Sub-Sahara Africa, Dawn Rowlands spoke on “Engaging Female Consumers in Challenging Times” . She stated that the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges have forced many businesses to evolve and look for better ways to connect with their consumers.
She explained that because of the pandemic, many women work from home, combining multiple roles from work and taking care of their family. She called on brands that understand this reality to look for suitable means to engage women creatively at this time.. She equally urged brands to allocate a reasonble chunk of their budget to gender balancing and women empowerment.
She added that women will be the greatest activists for change, and brands need to be on the lookout for ways to deliberately engage them.
The panelists who spoke in the session attested to the power of storytelling in engaging women and also revealed how their brands have keyed into trends to further arrest the attention of women.
L-R: Adebola Williams, GM Marketing, UAC FOODS; Adebola Williams, Group CEO, Red| For Africa; Tokunboh George Taylor, Managing Director, Hills+Knowlton Strategies; Joshua Ajayi, Convener, WIMCA and Publisher, Brand Communicator; Steve Babaeko, CEO, X3M Ideas; Funmilayo Falola, Head, Marketing Communications & Investor Relations, Wema Bank Plc; and Victor Afolabi, GCEO, GDM Group at the Women In Marketing and Communications Conference/Awards (WIMCA) held recently
The panelists are Ayodele Otujinrin, Head of Marketing, West Africa, Godrej; Iquo Ukoh, Managing Director, Entod Marketing; Ilyas Kazeem, Group Marketing Director, Eat ‘N’ Go Africa; and Charity Ilevbare, Category Lead (Life Care), Seven-Up Bottling Company and Bukola Shobowale, Business Director, Insight Publicis.
In the second segment , Victor Afolabi, GCEO, GDM Group who spoke on the sub-theme “Maximising work-life integration in the new norm and creating a personal brand beyond smashing the glass ceiling” said the world is faced with a ‘double disruption scenario, with automation and COVID-19, according to the World Economic Forum.
He explained that the barriers for work-life integration are lack of management support, the flexibility stigma, the presentism culture among others. To achieve work-life integration he advised that organisations should “prioritise, co-create, and compartmentalise personal time and delegate”
He added that “To progress beyond the glass ceiling in the workplace and into senior management positions, you must be intentional about who you are, what you do, and who you do it for. You must have extreme value in yourself that is, having a brand that elicits demand.”
Other speakers who equally shared insight during the session are Steve Babaeko, CEO, X3M Ideas; Adebola Williams, GM Marketing, UAC FOODS; Mr. Adebola Williams, Group CEO, Red For Africa; Funmilayo Falola, Head, Marketing Communications & Investor Relations, Wema Bank; and Tokunboh George Taylor, Managing Director, Hills+Knowlton Strategies.
In line with its culture of recognizing and rewarding deserving brands and female professionals in the IMC industry who have distinguished themselves in exemplary leadership, professionalism and contribution to the sector, WIMCA also recognised some outstanding ladies in the industry.
Olubunmi Oke, CEO of LadyBird Limited who was a former President of the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (AAAN) and Pioneer Managing Director of 141 Worldwide (now NITRO 121) was given the Lifetime Achievement Award for her many contributions to the IMC industry. Similarly, consummate marketing communications professional, Folake Ani-Mumuney, Chairman, Board of Directors of FBN Insurance also received the WIMCA Lifetime Achievement Award. The amiable Folake who also leads the marketing and communications function of FBN Holdings globally was also awarded for her contributions to the IMC sector over the years.
Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, MD/CEO of Fidelity Bank also bagged an award for the CEO of the year at WIMCA. Access Bank’s sustainability Amazon, Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan who is Head of Sustainability for the Bank and Chima Afe, Group Head, Retail Marketing and Analytics for Access Bank were also recognized and awarded for their contributions in their various spaces.
Other individual awardees include Caroline Oghuma, Executive Head, MultiChoice Nigeria; Ayodele Otunjinrin, Head of Marketing, Godrej West Africa; Bridget Oyefeso, Head Marketing and Comms., Stanbic Bank; Cherry Eromosele, Group Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Interswitch; Sade Morgan, Corporate Affairs Director, NBC and Tolulope Adedeji, Marketing Director, Ab ‘In’ Bev, among others.
Aside individuals, deserving brands and organisations also had different recognitions as far marketing to, and impacting women to leadership is concerned. These brands and organisations include Access Bank, Mediafuse Dentsu International, Darling Hair, Knorr, FirstBank, LAPO Microfinance Bank, Molped, Mamador, Morning Fresh and Sunlight detergent.
One of Nigeria’s leading creative advertising agencies, Noah’s Ark Communications Limited, has once again proven its mettle as arguably one of the best creative agencies in subregion by emerging the only West African agency to win an award at the recently concluded Loeries Creative Week 2021; the most coveted award event across Africa and the Middle-East.
The Loeries, a proudly not-for-profit company, promotes and supports creativity by helping marketers, agencies and consumers appreciate the value of fresh thinking, innovative ideas and outstanding execution.
As Africa and the Middle East’s premier award that recognises, rewards, inspires and fosters creative excellence in the advertising and brand communications industry, winning a Loerie is the highest accolade for creativity and innovation across our region; and is definitely not regarded as an easy feat.
Noah’s Ark Communications was awarded a Bronze in the Print category for a campaign called ‘The StopCut Project’ for Hacey, an NGO. An audacious campaign, considering its objective of tackling the age-old cultural practice, by creating awareness about the existence and harm of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and by extension, trying to enlighten the enablers, perpetrators, and sympathisers of the act about its consequences; both from the perspective of the mental and health effects for the victims as well as from the legal consequences for the enablers and perpetrators.
The print series likened the FGM culture to the act of rape, showcasing the similarities of both acts in robbing victims of their innocence. The 4 print ads called out the enablers and perpetrators who typically tend to be relatives or close family friends and as a result tend to believe their act is being done for the good of the girl child. This view is primarily due to cultural beliefs that have been held over generations that these close relations are reluctant to see ended in their time, thus ensuring that the act persists.
Visually, the prints tried to capture the barbaric nature of the FGM act showing the perpetrators pinning the girl child down and performing the act under the guise of knowing what’s best for her, albeit robbing her of her innocence; similar to being raped.
According to the Loeries CEO, Preetesh Sewraj, “the brand communications industry, across Africa and the Middle East, faced strong headwinds over the past year, but the finalists are a testament to the power of creativity to prevail against the strongest challenges,” as he recognised the finalists of the Loeries awards for their hard work.
The Loeries Creative Week 2021, which commenced in Cape Town on Wednesday, 20 October, had hundreds of creative minds from across Africa and the Middle East converging to enjoy a programme of Loeries Creative Hour Live masterclasses and the Loeries Cinematic Experience; with various agencies across the region entering their works for the chance of winning awards.
Speaking on the award, the Chief Executive Officer/CCO of Noah’s Ark Communications, Mr. Lanre Adisa, commended the resilient spirit of the team for bringing home one of the most prestigious creative awards in Africa and the Middle-East.
Adisa added that the Agency will not rest in its quest to continue to put the Nigerian creative industry on the global map by continuing to create great creative ideas that not only give the brands in the Agency’s portfolio an invaluable edge over their competitors, but also elicit conversations and effectively pass the communication messages to their target audience.
Former editor of Brand Communicator, Adetunji Faleye has floated Brand Impact (www.brandimpact.com.ng), an online publication.
Brandimpact.com.ng is a platform reporting and analysing news about brands making impacts and disrupting the marketing landscape.
With an array of seasoned journalists and analysts, Brand Impact offers incisive news reporting, up-to-date analyses to keep readers abreast of current trends in the industry.
Adetunji is a seasoned journalist who brings to bear 15 years of professional journalism to Brand Impact.
He started his journalism career with Financial Standards Newspaper in 2007 as a proofreader and rose to become sports reporter for the newspaper before joining BillboardWorld Magazine in 2010. He was also News Editor at News Direct Newspaper. His foray into journalism took him to Marketing Edge in 2013 as an assistant editor. When he left Marketing Edge, he worked briefly with Reference Newspaper before the publication was rested.)
Faleye’s career in reporting brands and marketing began with BillboardWorld magazine and Marketing Edge. He moved to Brand Communicator where he blossomed and served meritoriously as the editor of the magazine from October 2015 to March 2021, spanning a period of 5 years and 6 months.
While he was the Editor of Brand Communicator, he contributed his level best to make sure that the magazine became Nigeria’s multiple award-winning, foremost and most consistent marketing, brands and CSR publication.
Among other achievements the magazine recorded while he was the editor are: first runner-up in 2017 and 2018 at the prestigious Sustainability, Enterprise and Responsibility Awards (SERAs). Best Company in CSR Reporting for 2020 at the SERAs.
The platform was also named PR magazine of the year 2017, 2018 and 2019 by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Lagos Chapter.
Also, Brand Communicator became a partner to the biggest creative advertising shows on the continent, Loeries Africa Middle East, awards that he covered in 2018 in Durban, South Africa.
Facebook has changed its corporate name to Meta as part of a major rebrand.
The company said it would better “encompass” what it does, as it broadens its reach beyond social media into areas like virtual reality (VR).
The change does not apply to its individual platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, only the parent company that owns them.
The move follows a series of negative stories about Facebook, based on documents leaked by an ex-employee.
Frances Haugen has accused the company of putting “profits over safety”.
In 2015, Google restructured its company calling its parent firm Alphabet, however, the name has not caught on.
‘Reflects who we are’
Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg announced the new name as he unveiled plans to build a “metaverse” – an online world where people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment, often using VR headsets.
He said the existing brand could not “possibly represent everything that we’re doing today, let alone in the future”, and needed to change.
What is a metaverse?
“Over time, I hope that we are seen as a metaverse company and I want to anchor our work and our identity on what we’re building towards,” he told a virtual conference.
“We’re now looking at and reporting on our business as two different segments, one for our family of apps, and one for our work on future platforms.
“And as part of this, it is time for us to adopt a new company brand to encompass everything that we do, to reflect who we are and what we hope to build.”
The company also unveiled a new sign at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on Thursday, replacing its thumbs-up “Like” logo with a blue infinity shape.
Mr Zuckerberg said the new name reflects that over time, users will not need to use Facebook to use the company’s other services.
The word “meta” comes from the Greek word meaning “beyond”.
People in a metaverse
To an outsider, a metaverse may look like a version of VR, but some people believe it could be the future of the internet.
Instead of being on a computer, people in a metaverse might use a headset to enter a virtual world connecting all sorts of digital environments.
It is hoped the virtual world could be used for practically anything from work, play and concerts, to socialising with friends and family.
Facebook said it intends to start trading it shares under the new stock ticker MVRS from 1 December.
Africa’s leading e-commerce platform, Jumia, has published its first Africa e-commerce report, Jumia Africa e-Commerce Index 2021 with a Nigerian section, which leveraged data from the company’s platform to illustrate the importance of shopping online in a pandemic context.
The shift to everyday products during COVID-19, is part of a broader economic transformation led by the continent’s young, urban and tech savvy population.
Groceries and everyday essentials were the best selling products on Jumia during the pandemic.
The effects of the pandemic, combined with dedicated commercial and marketing efforts on the Jumia side, led to a shift in its product category mix with everyday product categories including Fashion, Beauty and FMCG categories accounting for c. 57% of GMV in 2020, up from 44% in 2019.
Jumia Nigeria CEO, Massimiliano Spalazzi said: “Since the COVID-19 outbreak, e-commerce has played an important role by supporting sellers, consumers and communities. Many businesses have joined Jumia to keep their business running and to grow. Consumers used Jumia for their daily needs and seeked convenience and competitive prices on the platform too.”
E-commerce played an important role during the pandemic by providing solutions for both businesses and the communities they serve.
Jumia’s partnerships with various brands and organizations have enabled SMEs to connect with millions of consumers online.
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), internet businesses in Africa, including e-commerce which sits at the heart of the digital economy, could add US $180 billion to the continent’s GDP by 2025.
“COVID-19 led to a surge in the use of digital solutions, including e-commerce. This was particularly demonstrated with domestic sales rather than cross border e-commerce. Food delivery, essentials, and pharmaceutical goods were among the top performing online shopping categories,” said Torbjorn Fredriksson, Head of E-commerce and Digital Economy, UNCTAD.
Lagos city leads the list of cities with the most volume of orders on the Jumia logistics Network in Nigeria.
Jumia Nigeria has more than 11,000 sellers, having achieved gender parity with 51% of sellers on the platform as women. 81% of Nigerians shop online with their smartphones, with 19% access the online platform through desktops.
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Inuwa Kashifu Abdullahi said; “E-Commerce is critical to any digital economy because when you consume a service, you need to make a payment and you can only do that through e-commerce.”
Many consumers turned to JumiaPay, the payment platform for the first time during the pandemic, mainly for safety reasons and for the enhanced services on the app like bill payments.
The report was done in collaboration with UNCTAD, IFC, Mastercard and others partners, highlighting the impact of e-commerce on the African economy.
Members of the online shopping community will attest that charting items and checking out is just one aspect of the service.
What actually completes the whole experience is the final delivery of the shopped items at the preferred destination of the customer. This encompasses timeliness, attractive packaging and the charisma of the delivery agents.
The logistics machinery thus occupies a very crucial space for a successful e-commerce value chain. This explains why major online shopping platforms invest heavily in their logistics services to ensure their brand value is maintained till the goods are delivered at the doorsteps of the customers.
For these delivery agents, filling this important space requires more than possessing driving skills and knowledge of the road networks.
A Jumia delivery agent in Benin City, Victor Osamudiamen provides insight into what goes into his daily delivery efforts.
“For me it’s not all about the money, but the delivery satisfaction which is a core value for Jumia. In all we need to have that positive mental attitude to always deliver happiness because in delivering happiness is where you make your money, Jumia is happy and the customer is happy. For us all, it’s a win-win situation,” he said.
According to Victor, who makes his delivery with Jumia van, bad roads, and poor numbering are some of the obstacles delivery agents deal with daily in their quest to deliver the ease and seamless value proposition of online shopping to customers. “Down the line, there have been some challenges; bad roads, funny customers, poor numbering systems, and sometimes faulty vehicles.”
He also talked about his 6 years journey with the e-commerce brand which he said has left him with no regrets. “I joined Jumia in january 2015, and by the grace of God, it’s been an amazing experience. I used to work as a sales executive with a production company but had to let go in order to join Jumia, and I’ve had no regrets.”
It will definitely take more devoted agents like Victor to bring more Nigerians into the online shopping space, but many will agree that African e-commerce brands are on the path to achieving this with continued sensitisation, partnerships and logistics investments.
Recent data showed that more than 22% of Jumia deliveries in 2020 were done in rural and secondary cities. This gives credence to the increasing rate of e-commerce adoption in rural settlements.
The Advertisers Association of Nigeria, ADVAN has rejected the implementation of the new Advertising Industry Standard of Practice, AISOP.
ADVAN submitted that the AISOP makes an unconstitutional attempt to infringe on the rights of private entities to determine their contractual terms.
However, while ADVAN said it is very supportive of the plan to create a Standard of Practice for the advertising industry, it noted that a key objective of the association is to facilitate and support progress in the advertising and marketing communications industry.
Bunmi Adeniba, Acting President, ADVAN, in the statement signed by him noted; “ADVAN is excited to be a part of any initiative towards the development of industry best practice which will facilitate business and economic growth.
“The Supreme Court has in many decisions, pronounced that the rationale for freedom of contract is founded on public policy: i.e., parties of full age and competent understanding are deemed to have the utmost liberty of contracting, and that their contracts when entered freely and voluntarily must be held sacred and be enforced by courts of law.
“Furthermore, as principal benefactors of Advertising services our role and input with regards to this AISOP has not been fully onboarded, the current AISOP is void of critical elements that protect the rights and interest of the ADVAN community.
“It is the submission of ADVAN and all its members, that the current AISOP does not serve collective interest, but rather permits unfair authority of certain parties over others and creates an unfriendly business framework. It portrays a clear indication of discriminatory standards where the AISOP document in section 5 sub section b (Discounts and Commissions) states that “No party will unilaterally dictate or impose rates on another party except as may be mutually agreed by upon by the parties” however in the summary submitted to the press there is a clause that states “Media rates may be increased at any time provided that at least 30 days’ notice is given prior to implementation”. Latter of which was not included on original documents, further portraying an inconsistency in expectation.
ADVAN requests that in all instances, the condition of a mutually agreed terms by both parties be upheld and not only as it applies to expectations from Advertisers.
Government has a specific and critical role in supporting industry development by providing fair and enabling legislation and guidelines for ethical business practices, this involvement however, should not overrule the constitutional rights of business entities to conduct legitimate business activities.
The perception of a discriminatory regulatory system will be counterproductive to the collective objective of creating a conducive business environment.
Consequently, in the interest of creating an inclusive free, fair, and transparent industry standard of practice, ADVAN has sent in a clear representation of expectation. ADVAN is on standby for the acknowledgment of this position and further engagement on a standard of practice framework that is in the mutual interest of all.
A Jumia partner, and CEO Topik M&F Kollection, Ekhomalomen Innocent, has described the recent move of the e-commerce firm to have pickup stations in locations close to customers, as ideal for promoting online shopping culture, especially in rural and secondary cities in the country.
Innocent explained that the initiative will improve confidence in online shopping in a settlement like his, which has many skeptics of online services.
“I am an investor and I partner with Jumia. I own Benin-Ugbor Pickup Station. This neighbourhood is actually dominated by artisan people and we also have other individuals that live here and a lot of them like to shop online.
Having a pickup station close to people is 100% ideal because they will have the confidence, as some do not believe in online shopping,” he said.
On how he benefits from the partnership, Innocent said every package that gets to his station fetches him commission from Jumia. “I am sure of the commission on every package that drops in my pickup station, so with Jumia I make a lot of revenue,” he explained.
The initiative has seen Jumia embark on strategic partnerships with hundreds of SMEs across different regions of the country in recent months.
According to Innocent, his shop In the Ugbor community, which also serves as the pickup station, is currently treating residents to a new delivery experience. “We are about three months old, and I can say to you that every month an average of 150 packages are picked up by customers.”
Speaking further, the entrepreneur expressed optimism about the partnership. “I know the packages will increase rapidly because our presence has tremendously grown,” he said.
In a bid to continue in its Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) and development of public schools over the years, X3M Ideas, a foremost marketing communications agency has shown support to students and teachers of Oregun Junior High School as it recently refurbished a science laboratory in the school.
Making this known, Steve Babaeko, President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) and CEO of X3M Ideas, posted on his social media handles how the school’s science lab has been transformed through his agency’s CSR intervention.
The post read: “Here’s how Oregun Junior High School’s Science lab went from before to after. We renovated the school’s science lab and gave it some life for our 2021 Corporate Social Responsibility.”
At the commissioning of the Lab, the Governor of Lagos state Babajide Sanwo was represented by the Hon. Commissioner for Education, Folasade Adefisayo.
The post continued: “The Governor of Lagos state @jidesanwoolu ably represented by the Hon. Commissioner of @lasgeducation, joined us at the commissioning of the science laboratory facility for Oregun Junior High school, Lagos.”
Speaking in an interview, the agency boss said: “We recognise the importance of the youth in the future of our great nation and empowering them has become a goal for us at X3M Ideas. As a product of the public school system in Nigeria, I recognise the importance in empowering students, enabling their dreams, bolstering their confidence and giving them renewed hope for a better tomorrow.”
He added: “Over 40% of the roughly 200 million residents in Nigeria, Africa’s most-populous country, are youths. Confident, fervid and enterprising, they want to chart their own course and are hopeful for the future of the nation. Considering how important STEM is to the growth and development of Nigeria, the number of graduates in scientific disciplines is horribly low. We’re aiming to drive a change in this regard by enabling the science-related dreams of the students in Oregun Junior High.
“Our business is 9 years old and every year since inception, we have renovated a school; it’s our modest way of supporting the community.”
He concluded: “Finally, to the best team on this side of the continent, TeamX3M, thank you for everything.”
Recall that in 2015 X3M Ideas touched lives at the Lagos State Boys Reform home where it donated brand new toilets and bath facilities with complete lighting system while in last year, Ikeja Senior High School got a brand new library courtesy X3M Ideas’ CSR project 2016.
