Brand Tori for town: Wetin I see last week.
Back in the day, most of the official cars for most of the government offices were Peugeot. So, it is no surprise that for the University of Lagos, officials at the time used it too. As a result of this, most of the repairs were done from inside Works/Services, which stretches from the back of the Petrol Station and amphitheatre to the other side.
For someone like me who is not a UNILAG student, this and many more Peugeot-related brand materials around the place caught my attention once or twice. I just assumed that the school had some partnership of some sort.
However, on a recent visit to the campus, I saw a new LED brand signage that caught my attention: Nord Motors. The only place I used to see that was on Lekki/Epe Expressway. And I am like, shey, this place used to be for all things Peugeot, a brand with so much history associated with the Nigerian automobile sector, and it struck me that this is powerful positioning.
Sometimes, it is not what you say or do in terms of marketing/comms or even adverts that help you take some real estate into the minds of people. It is what you do, how you come in, and even where you situate your brand.
Peugeot was the last major international car assembly company in Nigeria, with significant investments. Governments used them, and they ran a timeline as the unofficial car for official purposes before things changed. To see Nord light up the sky from UNILAG and in a place formerly used by peugout sends a strong brand message, “We are here for the long run,” “We are not just about building cars but building people who will build cars and that there is more to come.”
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I have heard a few complaints about Sterling Bank, but I saw a move that struck me as really brilliant. The first time I wrote about sterling was when “big brother” went to report them for going to the moon 😂.
But after seeing pictures of Cafe One online, I had an impromptu meeting and was looking for a place to work, so I checked out the one at Ozone. As I walked in, the first thing that caught my attention was the price difference for usage between Sterling Bank customers and non-customers. I immediately went, “What a strategy! Providing non-banking value that can keep people coming back.”
For a lot of brands, not understanding how to develop emotional and ideological benefits beyond their everyday functional use cases is a hurdle to have to pass in building loyal communities.
Although I struggled to open the Sterling account (as I continued to get error messages), the lady who attended to me was courteous and understanding. If I would get a sterling bank account (if they finally hack the online account opening), it would be because of this cos I no sure say I need another bank.
Smart move.
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We are used to Fela’s hit: “Water no get enemy” 🤗.
Better song with acceptance across different generations.
Then, throughout the last week, we have been inundated with adverts on social media, radio, and TV of Aquafina premium water screaming #AquafinaPadiOfLife. If sampling dey happen for brand comms, na this kind way 😂.
First, the Ads were dope with exciting story angles, and secondly, it fits into an experience or vibe that we are used to. Familiarity is an integral element attracting attention, which is the first phase of AIDA(Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action) — an advertising effect model that identifies the stages that an individual goes through during the process of purchasing a product or service.
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Every week I will try to write about amazing brand communication efforts that I see around. For some, I will do a little bit of analysis on why this works and an effort that should have stayed in the folders, but for most, I may just beam the spotlight on how amazing it is.
But na try I go try, any week wey I no see anything, make una no vex abeg 😂.
