Evergreen brands that still resonate with Nigerian consumers (2)

To a brand expert, Yinka Ogunde, a brand is like a baby that must be consistently nurtured. According to Ogunde, every brand has a product cycle and once a product hits plateau,’ it takes time,  consumer insight, right strategy, right message and right channels to grow the brand to maturity and then get it ‘born again’ to sustain its  relevance.

“It is a matter of time and getting the right strategy, what we call consumer insight. A lot of work has to be done to ensure that the taste of the consumer has not shifted and is still receptive of the brand. That goes hand in hand with the kind of message that you are crafting to support that brand. It also involves how that brand is being managed at various channels.”

Going by Ogunde’s submission, it is a mix of time (committed to nurturing), consumer insight, communication, innovation and proper management of its channels that have kept relevant the likes of Lipton, Dettol, Maltina,  Peak Milk, Blue Band, Lipton, Lux, Milo:

Lipton

Almost as old as Nigeria, Lipton was first imported as a product of the Van Den Bergh Foods company in 1959 but  Unilever acquired the brand in 1972  however, Unilever acquired the world wide Lipton Tea Business but Lipton became Unilever Nigeria’s brand only in 1985.  They continued to import the tea from Kenya though it is packaged it at its Agbara factory.

The Lipton brand has sustained relevance in the tea market and has been able to stave off the onslaught of competitors like Top Tea from Promasidor and other imported brands via promotions(e.g Open surPRIZE’ promo), advertising campaign and other consumer engagement platforms(the Lipton Tea party).

Recently (2013), the brand added six new variants of the product to the classic pander to varying consumer taste.

For consumers like Chinedu Oduka, it is the ‘alertness’ effect of the Liptop Tea that has kept their lips cleaving to the tea.

“I have been taking Lipton for years. I like it because it keeps me energised. I drink it first thing in the morning and at night when I need to keep alert. I also boil it with line to treat malaria,” volunteered Oduka.

Dettol,

Dettol, disinfectant brand was born over 50 years ago of British parentage, Reckitt Benckiser that was incorporated as Reckitt and Coleman Nigeria Limited in 1962. first the product was limited to use by health professionals during medical procedures but today is the most popular protection against germs and bacteria.

Today, the brand equity of dettol is so strong that it has been explored by the brand owners to create other products.  Dettol Soap and Dettol Sanitizer which became very popular during the Nigeria’s Ebola episode owe their soar-away success to their older sibling.

“It (Dettol) is a good product. I have been using since I was a teenage,” revealed Ogonna Oko, a housewife. “It helps when you are treating rashes or you want to bath with water that you are not or you want to soak your underwears.”

Maltina

Maltina, the non-alcoholic malt drink produced by Nigerian Breweries Plc has been around for decades. First launched as Maltona in 1976, an ‘energy’ drink for the tired person. Its advertising campaign soon changed to ‘refreshing drink for lively living.’ Other advertising themes explored by the brand handlers include, “Maltina cares for you,” ‘Nourishment for life’ etc

The Maltina brand also offered its consumers added value when it enriched the product with essential vitamins including Vitamins B complex, C and A. It also introduced variants like strawberry and blackcurrant among others.

Despite episodes of brand wars with its ach-rival Guinness Malta which came in 1990, Maltina has remained a leading malt drink brand in the market.

After decades of being in the market, the brand owners in a bid to inject freshness in the brand changed the bottle and its label while jerking up the volume  from 27 cl to 33cl  between 2003 and 2006. It introduced the Maltina Dance All (MDA), an off-shoot of its

“Sharing Happiness” campaign as a platform to engage consumers.

Peak Milk

Peak Milk, is another evergreen brand that have been around for 6 decades and yet, is not fazed by either competition or market dynamics. Produced by FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria, the diary product was first introduced in 1954 but its local production started in 1975.  60 years on, the high quality milk cherished by Nigerian consumers across board has remained the market leader via innovations that kept later arrivals trying all the tricks in their marketing kits to beat.

At the heart of Peak Milk’s sustenance of its market leadership is relationship-building.  A few years ago, it adopted ex –international, Kanu Nwankwo as its brand ambassador as a way of leveraging on its association with the much-loved football star to bond with consumers. It won consumers with consistent quality and have never violated the trust they have on it. Rather, Peak milk has sought to give them new reasons to keep faith with the brand. The product was fortified ’28 vitamins and minerals.’ When reality shows became to choice platform for consumer engagement, peak jumped on the wagon with the Peak Talent Hunt’ which is an extension of its thematic campaign, “It’s in you”