#BrandTori4Town: Many things changed last week.
As a young boy who grew up in Port Harcourt, you can imagine the look on my face when I visited a flow station for the first time with my dad, and he pointed at something he called a “Christmas tree.” Omo, it was far from the other picture I knew of, the one with Santa in red and white and a green tree.
I was in Izombe, an oil-producing community in Imo State, and that was the closest I got to see the process of refining crude. For context, a Christmas tree is a piece of equipment that provides flow control on an oil or gas well.
So, I have been used to stories of oil exploration, joint-ventures, friend’s relatives working in rigs and coming back with plenty of money et al. And so the NNPC logo is a familiar one for me and would be one of the brands I will discuss in this editions of #BrandTori4Town.
NNPC
Established in 1977, after the Nigerian National Oil Corporation and the Federal Ministry of Petroleum and Energy Resource merger, the NNPC is solely responsible for upstream and downstream development in Nigeria. They are also responsible for supervising and regulating the oil industry on behalf of the Federal Government.
But my focus is branding, so I will stick to that.
The company has many reputational issues, including but not limited to allegations of corruption, nepotism, mismanagement, wastage, etc. And it is not even whether these are true or not, but that is what many people believe.
And as such, I would have expected the rebranding process to be more inclusive — take into consideration the company’s reputation in campaign objectives and a more contemporary logo that properly exemplifies the tagline, “Energy for today, Energy for tomorrow”.
By inclusive, I mean, instead of just scattering everywhere with a banner picture (I think it was an egg, I cannot even remember) telling us of a rebranding, we could have had quality messaging around what the new guy on the block represents and efforts to tackle some reputational damages the old skin used to have. For most people, it just looks like old wine, in a new skin, waiting for it to burst.
However, it is significant progress from where it used to be, simpler, and can score a few points for “distinct,” but I do not know of memorable. A major low point would be the character, but that is also arguable.
I wish the new company well and much success because if they win, Nigeria wins too.
Now, in the other News, a juggernaut has rebranded–Parkway.
They are evolving from just providing best-in-class software solutions to financial institutions across Africa to laying the blocks for the future of the continent’s financial system.
One of the hallmarks of a good rebrand is how the internal team takes it.
I was lucky to be around the office when they unveiled the new logo to the internal team and mehn, you need to see and hear the screams. Happy and smiling faces, taking pictures and making subtle jokes on the fittings of their new swags on each other.
It was beautiful to see.
For anybody who knew the company as it used to be, the renewed energy I saw on those faces means that they are regrouping for something more massive, and I cannot wait to see what it is.
Now for the last but just as exciting for the day, a fresh stare at Stears.
Our very own Stears Business (I no follow for people wey dey call am our own Bloomberg) is now on mobile for premium subscribers. If you have followed them over the years since they launched, you will know that nobody does an analysis of Nigeria’s economy and the business activities in the country better than them.
But you see those email update stuff; there is nothing that cannot lost inside. Last week I wanted to have a miro session with a friend, and after adding him to the board, he asked that I share the invite live via IM because opening his email would affect productivity as plenty of unread, abi unseen abi unwanted emails dey that land.
So, this changes everything.
And e be like say I get push notifications from Yesterday still waiting to be read sef.
I think the app changes the dynamics of getting value for money cos the last one pain me say I got the company to pay, and I am not sure I read up to 10 articles 😭.
But with the app, I go just open am like pocket, enjoy myself and get on the way. Navigation, too, is more accessible.
Anyway, that is all the tori I can take for today.
I almost missed writing this week, but mehn, to hack this consistency thing, I need to decide to do it, whether I feel like it or not.
Until next time on the show, bye for now 😂
