When premium product, Bournvita re-brands

Marketers are obsessed with brand loyalty because of its contribution to market share growth, profit and its importance to continuous success in business. Brand loyalty, according to experts is the positive affinity between consumers and products, which influences the consumers’ continuous buying of the product rather than competing brand.

To achieve brand loyalty or sustain brand equity, marketers in organisations engage in various activities, which include market research to understand the consumer changing habits. Experts believe that marketers need to probe deeper into the world of the consumer to understand their motivations, needs, aspirations, belief systems and other deeper values they hold dear and which could hold the key to the levers that when pulled could open the door to customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Marketers also engage in repacking, re-branding, repositioning, media hypes about the product, re-launching and other actions around the product especially in a dynamic and competitive environment to scale up their brand loyalty intensity.

It was therefore not surprising why Cadbury Nigeria recently re-launched and re-branded its flagship Bournvita brand.  However, according to some consumers, it was initially unexpected why popular Bournvita should be re-launching the product in a market the product has existed for about 50 years.

Bolanle Ambode, the wife of governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode expressed this feeling when she wondered why popular Bournvita is being re-launched but received consolation in the understanding that competitive industry favours launching, re-launching and constant re-branding as a major strategy to keep afloat in business.

While commending Cadbury for its various CSR projects, Bolanle noted that Nigerians including her children consume most of the company’s products, which attests to the company’s good quality products.

To add colour to the re-launching, the multinational company also unveiled world’s largest chocolate inflatable jar as the company remains unbendable in growing the country’s food industry with market penetrating products.

The managing director of the company, Roy Naaman, offered further explanation for the re-branding. Firstly, he  presented a background that the company has a great commitment to growing the Nigeria food industry and remaining steadfast despite the very challenging environment.

Naaman who said that the company has always stood ahead of innovation curve with its power brand, Cadbury Bournvita reiterated the company’s commitment to its consumers. “As the needs of the consumers evolve, they trust that we would also evolve and provide them with better and improved experience.

“Keeping this responsibility in mind, we have improved the new Cadbury Bournvita with the aim of providing the very best in nutrition and vitality. This has been achieved by infusing the product with vitamins and minerals which aim to develop both the body and mind”, Naaman said.

On the largest Cocoa-Beverage inflatable jar, Naaman explained that Cadbury is attempting to set a world record by unveiling the jar measuring 30m tall.

At the milestone event, Yetunde Oni, the Acting Director General of National Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), admitted “Cadbury has been in Nigeria for over 50 years and has become a household name. This is partly because of its range of fast moving and innovative consumer goods.”

While congratulating Cadbury for its commitment to growing the Nigeria food industry and remaining steadfast despite the very challenging business environment, Oni urged the company to keep up with the good work and continue to remain compliant in all regulatory activities.

The NAFDAC boss reminded manufacturers whether cottage, small, medium, or large scale that they remain the engine room for growth in a developing economy such as Nigeria. “They have a great role to play in partnership with government especially towards growing of industries while abiding with regulatory requirements for food and related products, thereby promoting   food security and creating employment which is the thrust of the present administration.

In her message, Ngozi Nnam, President, Nutrition Society of Nigeria, NSN, said the Society is delighted on the achievements and re-launching of the Bournvita by Cadbury Nigeria, which is aimed at producing nutritious products that will help in the fight of malnutrition in Nigeria.

“Malnutrition rate in Nigeria is at 37 percent, this means 37 percent of Nigerian children are malnourished. They are therefore not having adequate height for their age. This means that they are not growing properly, not just physical growth, but all round development. If we allow this to continue, that means we will be bringing up children that are not well developed mentally and physically to take up leadership roles in Nigeria and that will adversely affect the nation.”

According to Ngozi, the product by Cadbury is rich in multiplicity of nutrients, particularly in micronutrients like the calcium, iron, B-complex, vitamins and zinc among others. She was also concerned on over- nutrition which has consequences as under nutrition, as she challenged Cadbury to also come up with products that will be suitable for people living with conditions like diabetes, hypertension.

Reiterating the nutritional value of Bournvita, Munir Taufiq, senior category manager, Cocoa Beverages, West Africa, said the Brand still contains the essential vitamins and nutrients, which have distinguished it over the years, but has been reformulated both in and out to deliver on the value to the consumers.

“In Nigeria, Bournvita is a family name that gives vitality for winning every day. The nutrients contained in the drink support millions of Nigerians every day, keeping them fit, healthy and nourished. With this new package, our consumers can be rest assured of more in terms of value for their spend,” said Munir Taufiq.

Market analysts believe that the re-launching of Bournvita with added value is coming at an appropriate time, when other companies are cutting marketing budget due to harsh economic environment.

In a competitive market, continuous customer satisfaction is key to brand loyalty and profitability. With Cadbury’s re-launch of value-added Bournvita to exceed customer expectation, the analysts believe that the product which already enjoys top of mind awareness is likely to jerk up its consumer brand loyalty with expected impact on profitability.

Daniel Obi