Sunday 23 December 2012

Taking Your Brand to Greater Heights


For anyone that dreams of assailing great heights in pushing forward or marketing his product or service, there are golden rules that are required for excellence: This is also called BRAND MANAGEMENT.

To begin with, you need to have a thorough knowledge of the term “brand”. It includes developing a promise, making that promise and maintaining it. It means defining the brand, positioning the brand, and delivering the brand. Brand management is nothing but an art of creating and sustaining the brand. Branding makes customers committed to your business. A strong brand differentiates your products from the competitors. It gives a quality image to your business.

Business Manager

Brand management includes managing the tangible and intangible characteristics of brand. In case of product brands, the tangibles include the product itself, price, packaging, etc. While in case of service brands, the tangibles include the customers’ experience. The intangibles include emotional connections with the product / service.
Branding is the assembling of various marketing mix medium into a whole so as to give you an identity. It is nothing but capturing your customers mind with your brand name. It gives an image of an experienced, huge and reliable business.

The aim of branding is to convey brand message vividly, create customer loyalty, persuade the buyer for the product, and establish an emotional connectivity with the customers. Branding forms customer perceptions about the product. It should raise customer expectations about the product. The primary aim of branding is to create differentiation. You must cut a niche for yourself, stand out of the crowd and be different.


Strong brands reduce customers’ perceived monetary, social and safety risks in buying goods/services. The customers can better imagine the intangible goods with the help of brand name. Strong brand organisations have a high market share. The brand should be given good support so that it can sustain itself in the long run. It is essential to manage all brands and build brand equity over a period of time. Here comes importance and usefulness of brand management. Brand management helps in building a corporate image. A brand manager has to oversee overall brand performance. A successful brand can only be created if the brand management system is competent. If you run a small business of your own – perhaps one-man outfit, then see yourself as the image maker or brand manager/marketer of your business or trade. It does not matter. But packaging is all.


By Morgan Nwanguma


Wednesday 19 December 2012

CRIME IN THE POLICE FORCE

Five policemen were recently sentenced to 25 years imprisonment in Nigeria for robbing a lorry. This is at least a right step in the right direction for once. It is high time the government authorities re-focused in the way and manner men and officers are recruited into the Nigeria Police Force.

Not withstanding the fact that the policeman is the most powerful individual on the road, the police ought to be your friend. But the reverse is the case in this country he is a threat instead! And so because of the wanton abuse they exhibit, the new Inspector General had since abolished the erection of road blocks on the Nigerian roads. But even at that, it does not seem to have restrained or curbed the excesses of the police enough. But perhaps, again, it seems the nation deserves the kind of police it gets. The level of corruption that has bedevilled this country especially in high places leaves just too much to be desired.

But at least this is one good step taken to check the brazen criminality of this police force. Invariably, the Nigeria police personnel need urgent attention in terms of training and re-training, as well as proper remuneration and equipping.

By Morgan Nwanguma

Monday 10 December 2012

REACH OUT WITH LOVE THIS CHRISTMAS



This is a season of love, giving and caring. The reason for this season is all of the above, and most importantly – sacrifice. And so I often wonder why there is so much aggressiveness, anxiety and even fear ‘created’ around this period of the year especially in Africa or Nigeria where and when everybody sort of goes into a frenzy unnecessarily.  

Christmas Gifts


This season of CHRISTMAS should rather make us to be more reflective of our being, the love of God, and human co-existence. If only we will get to know the reason for this season, there will be more joy, loving and fullness of peace on earth, in our homes and society as well as our inner selves.

Victim


Let us remember as well as pray for the less privileged in our midst, and other parts of the country and the rest of the world. There are people in war ravaged areas, disaster zones; in crises stricken, disease infested, and impoverishment. Let us use this yuletide period to rather share a thought and reach out to these who do not even know it is Christmas.


By: Morgan Nwanguma

Thursday 6 December 2012

FOLORUNSHO ALAKIJA - THE RICHEST BLACK WOMAN IN THE WORLD


Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija – a Nigerian has just been named as the current richest black woman on earth according to the latest assessment this week thereby ousting the very famous Oprah Winfrey of America. This illustrious daughter of Nigeria and Africa is rated to worth at least $3.3 billion mostly accruing from her engagements in the oil and gas activities. Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, the oil & gas tycoon is also a popular fashion designer, and in fact used to be the official or personal designer to the late wife of former dictator - army general, President Ibrahim Babangida. Mrs. Alakija, a philanthropist ,now 61 years old once worked as a secretary in the now defunct International Merchant Bank of Nigeria in the 1970s and later resigned to go to England where she studied fashion designing. By the time she was back, she set up Supreme Stitches, a high profile fashion outfit in high brow location in Lagos,

in the 1980s, which catered for a long chain of choice high profile clientele.

 

Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija

In May 1993 Alakija applied for an allocation of an Oil Prospecting License (OPL). The license to explore for oil on a 617,000 acre block – (now referred to as OPL 216) was granted to Alakija’s company, Famfa Limited. In September 1996, she entered into a joint venture agreement with Star Deep Water Petroleum Limited (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Texaco) and appointed the company as a technical adviser for the exploration of the license, transferring 40 percent of her 100 percent stake to Star Deep. Subsequently, Star Deep sold off 8 percent of its stake in OPL 216 to Petrobas, a Brazilian company. Folorunsho Alakija and her family owned 60 percent.

According to a popular online magazine – Ventures Africa report, it is also claimed that Alakija has a real estate portfolio worth over $100 million. Earlier this year, Nigerian and British media announced that Alakija acquired a property at One Hyde Park for $102 million.

She owns a private jet (Bombardier Global Express 6000) which she bought earlier this year for a reported $46 million. She is the founder of the Rose of Sharon foundation, a Christian-based charity which gives out small grants to widows. Folorunsho is married to Modupe Alakija and they have four grown-up sons together. She also has a grandchild from her first son. Modupe Alakija, her husband is the Chairman of Famfa Oil. Her sons jointly run the company.




By: Morgan Nwanguma