Nation Branding, Corporate Nigeria And The Way Forward - 2008-09-22

The issue of repackaging Nigeria as a brand fit for the international market, has become a topical one in recent time. With her image seriously damaged by a perennial corrupt system, bad leadership and other socio-political rots, the country can be said to be suffering from severe negative brand rating amongst the comity of nations. For Corporate Nigeria, this is something to worry about. If foreign investments cannot be accessed due to the brand demise of the country, where is the future? It becomes glaring then that something urgent must be done to arrest the ugly trend.

      It is at this backdrop that a stakeholders' forum was recently organized to chart a way forward for the nation. Organized by Heartlink Ventures Limited, an events and human resources consultants firm, and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), the two day event which held at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, provided a platform for branding, PR, media and other corporate Nigerian experts to rub minds together and carve a way forward for the nation. Dumbiri Frank Eboh was there and now reports.

When experts in their various fields gathered at Sheraton Hotel and Towers, on the 10th and 11th of September, to deliberate on how to re-brand Nigeria and market her to the international community, not a few participants expected the best to come out of the forum. And it turned out that they were not disappointed as speakers after speakers dealt dexterously with the need to repackage and market Nigeria to the international community as a way of attracting foreign investments to the country.

       The event was kick-started by Chief Paul Onyia, the Marketing Director, Sun Newspapers, who made a clarion  call  on Nigerian governments at all levels and corporate Nigerians to first join hands to re-brand the country before thinking of marketing it to the international community. Chief Onyia, who was delivering a paper titled “Effective Marketing of Brand Nigeria  Means to Enhance Foreign Investments in Nigeria,” noted that investors would not come into the country if they perceive the business environment as being unsafe to invest in. According to him,, concerted efforts must be made to reposition the country in order to woo investors into the country.

     “It is not enough telling people you are good. They must be able to see that goodness reflect in you and your every day living to be able to believe you. The same is true in nation branding. Before we can market Nigeria, the brand must be very good,” Onyia stated while also acknowledging the fact that it would be difficult to market the country if governments government does not provide an enabling environment for corporate Nigeria to leverage on in re-branding the nation. He identified inconsistency and lack of continuity on the part of government amongst others as the bane of evolving the ideal Nigerian brand.

    Earlier in his welcome address, the Honourable Minister of Commerce and Industry, Engnr. Charles Ugwuh, stated that the federal government, having realized the role of energy in the promotion of a virile business environment, has taken steps to boost that sector

   “The federal government is working tenaciously to give more attention to energy and other vital sectors of the economy so as to enhance the growth in the business sector. In other to bring a turn around on our economy, the government has targeted to achieve in 2008, 3,000 megawatts of electricity and 6,000 megawatts at the end of 2009,” he stated.

    Mrs Anniet Ibe, Zonal Director, South West, Nigerian Tourism Development Commission (NTDC), was on hand to give an expose of the various tourist attractions with which the country is blessed and how these could be deployed to attract foreigners which would in turn boost foreign direct investments.

     Highlight of the second day, was a presentation by Mr Akin Adeoya, the CEO of Marketing Mix and Publisher of M2, who presented an incisive paper on “Environment Appreciation of Public Relations.”  Mr Adeoya informed the participants that PR is simply “doing good and communicating it.”

He explained that he had no desire to make the presentation academic, but practical because everybody needed PR lessons, both individual and corporate.

According to Mr Adeoya, while advertisement is clearly understood by all as self-opinion, and therefore cynically received, PR has the advantage of third party endorsement, which makes it more plausible and easily acceptable to the ordinary mind.  He suggested that businesses that desire winning must explore the two.

He maintained that while a business is established to make profit, dedicating a portion of the profit made to PR  planned communication of what good the business does in an articulated manner, that helps build a good reputation for the business in the minds of people, will  drive in more profit.  He opined that each family should consciously communicate to the children what family values are, whom the hero should be and why.  According to him, “it is important that your children know whom to adopt as hero: Arnold Schwazenegger, the actor or Arnold Schwazenegger the governor of California.”

Speaking further, he stated that the issue is not just communicating but communicating as carefully planned, drawing attention to some Governors in Nigeria, whose faces are seen everyday on television, but still fail to create the image they crave in the minds of the populace.  “Creating the desired image in the minds of the people is where, a professional PR Manager becomes a sine qua non, to carefully plan and implement the communication strategy”, he said.

Other papers presented at the occasion include: “Effective Security, as it Affects Corporate Nigeria's Survival and Growth” by Supol Frank Mbah, the PRO of the Lagos State Police Command.  Supol Mbah submitted that effective security is not the responsibility of the Police only, but that of all citizens, giving kudos to the people for supporting the Police in foiling a massive robbery at a bank in Lagos, recently.

Mr Kunle Sulaimon of Gateway Holdings, in a presentation titled “Government Policies Crucial for Business Success”, highlighted various policies of the Otunba Gbenga administration in Ogun State to attract investors.  Mr Sulaimon revealed that the Ogun State government has created a conducive atmosphere to businesses so much so that the state is referred to as “Chinese State”.  He pointed out that the state has three free trade zones, the only state in Nigeria to evolve such policies for the thriving of businesses.

-Additional report by Kenneth O. Eze

- Pix by Rotimi Adekunle