Nigeria should anchor branding on strengths, driven by strong communication – experts
In the comity on nations, Nigeria as a brand has over time been characterised by complexities and mix-up, with people branding it in their different colours. This is largely due to non-recognition of the nation’s rich unique selling points marketed by a pragmatic and sustainable approach.
Speakers at a recent symposium on Brand Nigeria organised by Brand IQ, a brand magazine, agreed that Nigeria, for unexplainable reasons, has remained passive in projecting its visions, strengths and points of differentiations from those offered by other destinations.
“All that we need to do is take a really deep probing of our identity strength; relative to our context, and out of this equation, we will find first our genus loci – the distinctive atmosphere or pervading spirit that characterises our nation,” said Biodun Shobanjo, chairman of Troyka who was the lead speaker.
According to him, Nigeria should anchor its branding on certain pillars such as tourism which he said contributes over 9.1 percent to global GDP. He also said that Nigeria needed to embrace diplomacy and its ancillary concepts beyond logos, and sloganeering. Laying emphasis on tourism, he said it was necessary for a nation to celebrate the value of what it had been endowed with.
He said tourism was big business, in fact, the third biggest industry in the world after banking and automotive business. “Tourism is not about smiles, the feelings and beaches, it is about the economy”, he said.
Emphasising that Nigeria needs to make economic capital of what it has and employ appropriate marketing vehicle for branding, Shobanjo said branding was the designing of messages that take valuable memories and emotions that people heard about whatever the nation is marketing.
In the process, he said the nation needs to “design deliberate spin on our national meaning, by employing story telling at painting an enchanting imagery on the senses of our prospects and customers in such a way that we stimulate their desire for our assets – spiritual and material – in order to make a choice of destination Nigeria; and, of course, to the rejection of our competition”.
Listing the process of branding, Shobanjo said it should begin with an audit of the brand assets which would be the valuable aspects of what we, as a nation have, and want to communicate, in more appropriate words, distilling a point of differentiation, determine the target audience for the communication, usage of tone in communication and designing graphic devices of communication.
Shobanjo, who is a communication expert, believed that nation branding must be the application of marketing strategies to individual countries with the aim of creating and promoting a distinct self-image and international reputation that will most effectively serve Nigeria’s interest. “This is with the aim of influencing foreign affairs, foreign investments, facilitating trade, improving private sector competitiveness and securing geo-political influence”.
According to him, what successful branding efforts have done everywhere is to play on the insight that people invariably buy with their hearts; rather than with their heads.
“They play on the ‘greener pastures’ sentiment; which is the deepest motivation for anyone to leave their natural context in the first place. Isn’t that why Nigerians check out? You can see that they are now checking back as the dynamics of the global economy are changing. This should underscore the need for the marketing communication industry to be made to realise the country’s identity strength. Our raison d’etre should be about personal and national prosperity”, he said.
By: Daniel Obi and Hope Akporowhe