Consumers key into Gulder consumer promotion as brand deepens engagement
Consumer promotions have taken center stage in some companies marketing activities, especially in Nigeria’s fiercely competitive alcoholic beverage market. It is not uncommon for beer brands to aim to reward consumers’ loyalty and recruit new ones through consumer activation and reward schemes.
The brands offer consumers extra bottles as compensation for the ones they may have consumed or give them the opportunity of winning gift items via certain processes. The Gulder on-going National Consumer Promotion is one of such campaigns. The consumer promotion was launched amidst fun and fanfare in Enugu on August 24. During the launching, the brand also unveiled world’s largest poster to draw a connection to the event as Nigeria’s biggest consumer promotion. The brand also introduced its brand ambassadors viz Yemi Blaq, Ill Rhymz and Ebuka Obi-Uchendu. Gulder is also rewarding its consumers on three fronts. The first is via an instant prize regime. Consumers who buy the Gulder and are able to find free drinks and airtime codes under their crown corks can immediately receive their prizes.
Gulder is giving out a total of 15 Hyundai Elantra vehicles, brand new of course! In total, five of these cars have already been won by lucky consumers. But two of the five cars were won via the Gulder raffle draws. Under the Gulder raffle draws, consumers have to look under the crown corks for alpha-numeric codes with the insignia Raffle Ticket. Consumers have to text the alphanumeric codes to 20388 for an opportunity to win brand new cars and other prizes such as N200,000 and N100,000 cash prizes, refrigerators, generators, home theatres and so on. Chibueze Gift Chukwuoti and Francis Njoku have already emerged winners since they were lucky enough to have their crown corks picked at the electronic raffle draw. They have since received their cars. During the raffle draw, the brand also gives out gift items to consumers present. Gulder’s third channel for rewarding its consumers is one which deserves commendation for innovation and creativity. Tagged the Ultimate Chase, just as the name goes, it is a chase. To participate, any individual above the age of 18, male or female, is required to assemble at designated Chase venue centres with six crown corks of Gulder, marked ‘Ultimate Chase’. They are then to run from a location to another location where they will see 500 boxes. Inside 200 of the boxes are gift prizes such as home theatres, mobile phones, TV sets and so on. Here’s the catch, any consumer that opts for the prize forfeits the chance of vying to win the car.
Due to the seemingly less rigorous means of participation, consumers come from far and wide just to get the opportunity to participate. Three consumers have so far emerged as winners in the Gulder Ultimate Chase: Chuka Nnabuife, Chinedu Odimgbe and Chinedu Ifezue. Of the three, only Chinedu Odimgbe won the car in Enugu where he resides. The Gulder Ultimate Chase enables the brand to connect with the consumers on various levels.
Before the competition, the participants are subjected to medical tests as a prerequisite for participation in the promo, to determine their current state of health. Successful participants that scale the health check are given Gulder bibs to adorn, to prevent incursion from outsiders during the race, which usually spans a few miles.
Emmanuel Agu, Marketing Manager, Gulder, 33, More, Life and Stout category – Nigerian Breweries Plc. Explained that engaging consumers in a light physical activity in their quest to win a brand new car was based on a consumer
insight: “People usually jog for fun. They engage in either light or heavy physical exercise activities, depending on their strength, stamina and purpose. Some people jog for fun, to maintain a good healthy lifestyle. Gulder is saying, come and jog for fun and in the process, you may win a car or other mouth-watering gift items.”
With the Gulder Ultimate Chase, the Gulder brand appears to have almost perfected the art of consumer engagement. With less restrictions for participation, consumers disqualified on health grounds usually show little resistance as the rationale for their disqualification is glaring. They can read their vital statistics as reflected during the medical tests.
The short distance the participants have to run is eye-catching and bears semblance to a parade. The glaring Gulder bibs lighten up the city. Gulder Ultimate Chase picks up from city to city. Many of the contestants have vowed to go every location where the Gulder Ultimate Chase will be held if need be, as their eyes are fixated on winning the brand new car. With this increased number of consumers, Gulder is building its brand loyalty.
The Nigerian Marketing Communications industry has a lot to learn from Gulder’s Ultimate Promo. Very few promotional activities attract the attention and engage consumers in a manner in which the Ultimate Chase has done. It deserves a place as a veritable case study in consumer engagement in the annals of Nigeria’s Marketing Communications industry. It will still continue to generate the buzz for years to come.
Daniel Obi