The Senior Brand Manager for Maltina, Elohor Olumide-Awe, on this interview, speaks on how brands can build loyalty and the roles of influencer advertising and marketing, amongst others.
As a advertising and marketing knowledgeable, how can brands build loyalty? And what’s the place of influencers in advertising and marketing?
Building loyalty comes with, to start with, having a high quality product; a high quality product that individuals can consider in and belief, as a result of in case your product just isn’t proper within the first place, you have already got a problem. Then, second can be being clear on the model’s function within the client’s life. I have to really feel that this model I’m utilizing performs a task in my life. If it’s nourishment you’re providing, state it clearly and make it possible for no matter you’re doing round your model speaks to that nourishment that you simply’re providing to the patron.
Have a transparent model identification as a result of customers work together with the product and the experiences it brings to them. So, these are the 2 main issues I’ll discuss.
In phrases of influencer advertising and marketing, we’ve seen the rise of influencer advertising and marketing over time and I feel notably throughout this COVID and submit COVID period, we have now seen it virtually triple or quadruple in relevance. It could be very key, however you additionally need to just be sure you are utilizing it tactically, you can’t put all of your advertising and marketing technique on influencers as a result of if something occurs to the influencer tomorrow, it has an oblique affect in your model.
Also, whenever you’re utilizing influencers, it’s important to decide influencers that suit your model. In phrases of character, you’d be shocked how far-reaching these impacts go on the model. The particular person has to suit your model by way of character as a result of each model has an identification.
For occasion, Maltina is all about being caring, household, igniting happiness and additionally it is a enjoyable model. So, it’s essential to discover folks which are capable of mannequin a few of these attributes in order that in addition they match very nicely. And so long as you utilize influencers, it’s important to information them on how they current your model and the way they infuse your model of their content material.
So, it needs to be a wedding between genuine content material coming from the influencer, but additionally with the hindsight of what the model is seeking to obtain. So, there needs to be a really clear technique on the way you need to have interaction your influencer; what interval do you need to preserve them and naturally, the totally different engagements you need to use them to attain on your model.
So, influencer advertising and marketing is essential, nevertheless it additionally must be managed correctly, so that you simply don’t simply have a misfit on your model after which it throws you off target.
What was the affect of COVID-19 in your model and the way had been you ready to make sure relevance through the interval?
COVID impacted lots on what we’d usually do. I feel now we’re capable of do much more. Even although we couldn’t do bodily engagement, what we tried to do was to remain on high of the thoughts. So all through 2020, we did plenty of digital engagements. Even after we launched our new flavours in 2020, we actually went heavy with a digital and influencer-led strategy to unveil the product and plenty of out of dwelling promoting.
We additionally engaged folks through the fasting interval. We knew folks couldn’t are available in giant numbers to the mosque, however they might nonetheless be in contact with their imams. So, what we did was to accomplice with over 60 imams in several areas, and we despatched drinks – our merchandise – to the mosques to succeed in the customers that would wish Maltina to have the ability to break their quick and issues like that.
We additionally did some digital coaching programmes. We partnered with a girl on the drink referred to as Northern hibiscus and we had been capable of practice over 2,000 northern entrepreneurs on how one can enhance their enterprise and issues like that.
Even right here within the West, we partnered with some mosques.
Our radio marketing campaign was consistently on simply to proceed to remind them and we tailored our communication to inform the customers that though there’s COVID, you can nonetheless keep secure and keep refreshed.
Lagos State had plenty of neighborhood markets, so, we had our gross sales group arrange shops in a few of these neighborhood markets, and so they had been capable of nonetheless promote Maltina and a few of our different merchandise as nicely to the communities round.
And instantly we noticed COVID restrictions start to ease up across the Christmas interval, we had a large Christmas engagement with our customers.
So, it’s actually about remaining related and letting customers know that you’re not solely there when issues are good however that you’re additionally there when issues usually are not so good; that we’re that dependable model that may all the time be there to assist them.
The model has been recognized with academic programmes corresponding to Maltina’s Teacher of the 12 months, faculty video games in addition to celebration of festivals, what’s the philosophy behind these initiatives?
Our greatest philosophy in Maltina is about igniting blissful connections and that sits very nicely inside our model essence as a result of right here we build brands and our brands are inbuilt a means that they’re a part of folks’s lives – we don’t simply need to place ourselves as one thing they solely simply purchase and drink, however see it as one thing which means one thing to them, that connects with them.
Therefore, our main model essence, as I discussed earlier, is about igniting blissful connections with our customers. And that signifies that at each level the place we see a chance for customers to return collectively and join with households and associates and family members, Maltina desires to be a part of that connection and be the enabler for no matter they’re celebrating. So, that’s actually what drives what we do as Maltina.
The training programmes nonetheless come out of our model essence. We have two main platforms which are extra upscale; the place we give again within the academic system. That doesn’t additionally take away from different engagements that we do. For occasion, we sponsor plenty of inter-house sports activities competitions throughout faculties, enjoyable days and different programmes.
These are issues that we do virtually on a month-to-month foundation however the large platform the place we’re capable of leverage and actually carry out what we stand for, as a model is our Maltina’s Teacher of the 12 months as you rightly talked about and naturally, our Maltina School video games. We are collaborating in these two platforms as a result of additionally it is some extent of connection.
The youngsters come to highschool, and so they join with one another and their academics. The academics are those that join with them to impart data. And so, we consider that plenty of instances these academics are neglected, they don’t seem to be given the precise motivation to proceed to offer their greatest to those youngsters and the reality is that our youngsters spend plenty of hours with the academics in class, and, in truth, generally they even depend on what the academics inform them much more than what the mother and father inform them at dwelling.
So, for the academics to have the ability to affect them positively, they want good motivation and that’s the place Maltina is available in to say, “we recognise what you do by way of imparting and constructing the subsequent era”. It is a nationwide competitors amongst academics, the place they get to put in writing essays about what they’re doing of their totally different faculties to affect the lives of youngsters, share examples and every thing.
We do it in partnership with the ETF (Educational Trust Fund) after which there’s a panel that truly judges the essays which are despatched in by all of the academics and on the finish of the day, the highest instructor per state is rewarded.
There’s all the time a winner from every of the 36 states within the nation in addition to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, after which, there’s the nationwide winner as nicely.
https://dailytrust.com/how-brands-can-build-loyalty-olumide-awe
