Have
you ever tried to buy a laptop and hp product comes to mind? Have you tried
searching for something on the internet and the first thing that you think of
is Google? or have you ever been to the supermarket to buy groceries and the
goods that come to mind are Milo, Peak milk, Coca-Cola, Morning Fresh, Omo detergent,
Blue Band etc…? Well, these are not mere coincidence. Whether we choose to
believe it or not everything is branded from what we eat, what we wear, programs
we listen to or watch on TV, the people we interact with, the house we live in,
and even our everyday activities. The world is a branded place and this is as a
result of brand activation. This is especially true in Nigeria from time past
and even now.
Let’s
take a quick look at the definition of brand activation;
Brand
activation is a marketing process which is sometimes called brand engagement;
it focuses on building a longer term emotional connection between the brand and
the customer. It is a marketing process of bringing a brand to life through
creating brand experience.
Brand
activation is all about creating a big concept of enforcement and also reinforcing
the idea with positive stimuli to ensure that the customer begins to accept and
appreciate the brand. This involves making sure that the brand connects on an
emotional and positive level with the customer.
The
stronger the emotional connection, the better off the brand will be. A close
relationship between the customer and the brand can be built through various
marketing strategies. These strategies are aimed at educating, informing, motivating,
persuading and interacting with the customer.
However
the importance of brand activation when it comes to shaping the brands future
cannot be over emphasized, in the sense that
·
Brand
activation increases the amount of repurchase of the brand by customers: A good
brand activation process is supportive of customers, encourages further
discovery of the brand by customers, encourages knowledge of brand, encourages
customers to like the brand, convinces customers, and eventually promotes the
buying and re-buying of the brand.
·
Increases the
brand salience: The particular brand will always be in the mind of its
customer, most people are so connected with a particular brand, that if it is
not available they rather not buy another type of brand. Take for instance, at
a phone store where I was working last Christmas; a customer walked in asking
for a Tecno phone, while the store already ran out of it, this particular
customer waited 3 hours for new arrivals. Though in between the 3 hours
waiting, I suggested other brands with the same amount of money but she
declined and insisted on a techno product. Therefore salience is an added
advantage when consumers are making a brand choice decision at the point of purchase.
·
Communication:
It increases the ability of the brand to communicate in the market; it gives
the brand a cutting edge and a position in the market place with its target
audience. It also triggers interactivity and empowers consumer activation. An
example is Maltina’s (Maltina Dance All).
·
Increase
profits: Successful brand activation will allow businesses to increase their profits
and reach their strategic goal which is every organization or business’ dream.
·
Provides
Platform for sponsorship: effective brand activation most times creates room
for more business opportunities from different and large scale organizations.
·
Trust: Most
importantly brand activation assist in creating trust between the customer,
the product and the society at large And trust is one of the key factors
to every business in fact to everything in life. Coz it creates loyalty between
the two parties. It assists in strengthening ties with customers.
When
the brand activation process is successfully implemented, the brand is able to
convince more customers while still maintaining its position in the market.
When this process is wrongly implemented, the result is a poor performing
brand. This can lead to the brand diminishing in the market… Take a look at this example;
In 2008, Etisalat telecommunications came into Nigeria from UAE with a big
bang, and not only did they launch different and interesting packages, but they
made their way into the hearts of Nigerians and the Nigeria market using
different brand activations. They achieved this by using almost all the
different advertising strategies and emotional appeals. They talked, they sang,
walked, and danced their way in; pushing through so many other telecoms brands
in the market. And they did not stop there or are not stopping there because
the market is a battlefield and all the brands are at war with each other and a
major weapon is the brand activation.
Just
like Etisalat, when an effective brand activation process is done, it must
change and adapt to current norms in the market. The process must always remain
relevant and updated in order to become effective. The
best process will always take in the customers preferences (at that time),
listen to responses from customers, and make appropriate changes.
If you are thinking of
advertising in Nigeria, please contact PoiseMedia Communications at www.poisemedianigeria.com or check our contact at the bottom of this blog. We can help you
identify your market and reach them. We apply both BTL and ATL strategies to
project our clients’ brands to the right audience. We can do same for you at
very affordable price.
Lilian Izuorah
Business Development Officer
PoiseMedia Communications Ltd
Business Development Officer
PoiseMedia Communications Ltd
