Port Harcourt Star consumers bubble on account of ‘Win & Shine’ programme

Almost every brand wants good return on investment, but it is those that get the marketing strategies right that will achieve the result. The consumer significantly is at the centre of this strategy. It is therefore only brands that, through marketing research, understand their consumer coupled with good marketing mix and drive that could significantly increase consumer loyalty and sales. Experts have described brand loyalty as a guarantor of profitability, market share growth and sustainable success in the marketplace.

Leveraging this consumer understanding and marketing strategy, brand owner of Star Lager Beer brand recently introduced a marketing promo that would involve 100 parties scheduled to hold across the country, as part of this year’s edition of National Consumer Promo, tagged Star Win and Shine promo. At each of these parties, 50 people will go home with fabulous prizes including N100,000, N50,000, LCD TVs, DVD Home Theatres, Blackberry phones, Star branded rug carpets and lots of European club side jerseys.

At the Port Harcourt consumer engagement held last week, the brand was able to create converts and deepen its relationship with consumers. Those who defiled the rain showers to attend the event described it as a unique mix of curiosity and excitement. Despite the high price of N300 for a bottle of Star at Osmosis, along NTA Road in Port Harcourt, the consumers bought with apparent purpose of drinking and winning valuable prizes staked.

For Dumo Briggs, a Port Harcourt businessman; 23 years old Obinna Chukwu, a barber, and Uroghome Steven, a petty trader, they wished the event was held almost every week as they all won prizes.

Obinna won N100,000. For him who has lost both his parents while in JSS2 and subsequently had to drop out of school for lack of funds, Star has just given him a new lease of life. Obinna who presently lives with his elder brother, who has been responsible for him, had come without much hope of winning anything. “It’s so surprising. I thought the best I could win might be a jersey or Blackberry. N100,000 was just way out of my expectation, but I thank God and Star people,” ecstatic Obinna said.

His plans for the money? Obinna plans to start off on his own barbing salon. His words: “I’m going to use this money to start off my own barbing business. I stopped schooling and learnt barbing when I lost my parents and there was no money to take care of my education. Since I finished learning the job I have been working for people who pay me peanuts, currently my employer pays me N7,000 monthly.”

For Dumo Briggs, another winner of N100,000, said he was neither a night crawler nor the drinking type, much less a party freak, making a N100,000 in one short deal was however good. The Port Harcourt businessman is said to be doing very well in his oil services business. But, according to him, two reasons made the first Port Harcourt Star ‘Win and Shine’ draws party memorable for Dumo who exuded excitement.

“First of all, I came here purely to hang out with a friend just to catch up on lost times and not for any draws. But to add to our fun we decided to try our luck, and since both myself and my friend are not good drinkers decided to buy some bottles for the guys on the table with us, but we kept the crown corks.

“Secondly, like many other guests, tonight we had lost confidence in the draws because some names were repeatedly announced winners. In fact, we concluded that the whole thing was being stage-managed, we gave out our tickets and began to protest openly, along with other guests who also felt the same way. We were ready to leave when suddenly I heard one of my numbers and my name announced. That was a defining moment, it suddenly hit me, this is real after all,” he offered.

For the money, Dumo said, “I’m so excited; I have already started sharing it out to friends.”

Uroghome Steven was the first to emerge the grand prize winner in Port Harcourt. For the father of four children who are at different levels of education, how to pay the children’s school fees for the new term had been nothing short of a nightmare until that day. Steven and his petty trader wife have been looking for money to pay their children’s school fees but to no avail.

His words: “I feel so happy and grateful to God for this night. This is quite beyond my expectation, more so when I consider it has cost me close to nothing to win a N100,000.” On his plan for the money, he said, “I have been looking for money to pay my children’s school fees but God has used Star to do it for me tonight.” Steven, who resides in Elelenwa, came to the Star party on the invitation of a friend.

Besides these three grand prize winners, the draws which were satisfied transparent by David Oduru, a lawyer and tax consultant, also produced other winners in the other prize categories in the first and second sessions of the night’s draws.

Victor Monday, a student of Rivers State College of Education, went home with an unexpected N50,000. Victor plans to use his money to help his parents and get some of the text books he needs in school. Also in this category is Daniel Okafor, a driver. Daniel said his winning money will help in paying his house rent, which is already due. Ade Oluwajana who lives and works in Port Harcourt won a Star branded rug carpet. Ugochukwu Nwachukwu, Ambrose Nwogbo and Anthony Okafor carted away DVD Home Theatres.

The compere of the night, Gbenga Adeyinka described the Port Harcourt event as massive, as consumers defile the rain to attend the programme.