Many Banks Suffering From Cultural Complex, Says Lolu Akinwunmi

Lolu Akinwunmi

Immediate Past Chairman, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, APCON and CEO, Prima Garnet Africa Group, Mr. Lolu Akinwumi, has slammed many Nigerian banks over their new trend of television commercials, describing them as new wave of colonial mentality and inferiority complex.

Akinwunmi stated this Wednesday in a post on his Facebook timeline.

He said after his conclusion of a personal study and appreciation of campaigns by Nigerian banks, except for a few, it is quite clear that many are suffering from a cultural complex.

“In concept and execution, many of the TV and print ads are clearly not targeted at Nigerians. The messages (in the TVCs) are too highbrow and lose comprehension within the Nigerian society which is the primary target,” noted Akinwunmi, who had also at a time headed the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, AAAN.

He added: “The models are foreign-looking and speak with irritating affected accents. The locations and scenes are obviously too foreign. Even if they were trying to be aspirational, surely they have gone too far. You cannot link what they are showing and saying with anything in our local environment. The sense you get these days is a fierce competition on who produces the most foreign – looking campaign!”

The Prima Garnet boss also frowned at the fad of having almost all TVCs looking like what are being aired on other western capitals like New York, London and Paris.

“We travel around a bit. You should see South African and Indian ads. They are made for South Africans and Indians. And they win international awards. Now many of our banks and a few other clients have foreigners write and develop these ads for them for use in Nigeria. How on earth will it work? Is this the new standard of sophistication?” he queried.

He however challenged them to undertake a post-campaign comprehension study and they will be amazed that millions of naira are being spent on campaigns that are not resonating with the target audience.

In recent times, many banks MDs are now appearing as the lead in their institutions’ TVC campaigns with highly elitist messages.

This has made industry watchers wonder if they are actually communicating with average Nigerians that provide the revenues for those banks, while others query the role of APCON in this regard.

“This love for foreign taste go beyond the business realm. It has indeed permeated even family lives and general behaviour. We now have parents who do not speak their mother tongues to their children….the list is endless. My description of this is not colonial mentality…I’ll rather call it “inferiority complex” mixed with mental indolence both on the side of the clients and the Agencies,” said Joko Okupe, a senior advertising professional.

Sharing same sentiment, another industry player, Yomi Layinka said more than its economic consequences, this craze for foreign concepts and production values has a much more psychosocial impact on our cultural values and their consequent national self-confidence.

He said, quoting Lloyd Weaver: “…TV adverts inevitably advertise a people’s current economic desires, their extant language of communication (both verbal and non-verbal) as well as their costumes and artifacts. TV advertising as a critical tool of cultural signification cannot be left in the hands of people who do not understand their significance. So, let all who know come to the rescue in whatever ways we can before we all rue the ramifications of our inactions.”

Culled from PMNEWS

ThisDay Political Editor, Wale Olaleye Set To Marry

Olawale Olaleye, debonair political editor of ThisDay newspaper has find love.

The highly cerebral Wale, fondly called 'Akanbi The Duke' or 'Esho', by his close friends, would be walking down the aisle his pretty heartthrob this weekend. 

The dude made the announcement on 2 August via his facebook page with series of photographs and captions: "Unveiling Mrs. Olaleye...It's official!...Behind a beautiful woman is a confident man...innit?

Already, Wale's wide network of friends and family are upbeat and waiting to ease the amiable journalist out of bachelorhood and welcome him into the marital club at a wedding ceremony holding at an upscale event centre in Alausa CBD, Ikeja on Saturday 8 August.

Wale already has two boys from a relationship. 

We wish the fabulous couple a happy marital life.

Photo credits: Wale's Facebook

Funke Akindele, Kate Henshaw, OC Ukeje, Others Present 'London Life, Lagos Living'

Funke Akindele

Have you experienced the mannerism and attitude of some London returnees in Lagos? If not, then you will have an opportunity to have a feel of these returnees as top Nollywood actors are set to re-enact those acts in a stage play titled “London Life, Lagos Living".

Cover of the book

The new stage play, an adaptation of Bobo Omotayo's book, is a spectacle that will bring together a potpourri of A-list actors who will give members of the audience “not to forget in a hurry” performances. They include Kate Henshaw, Funke Akindele, OC Ukeje and Wale Ojo.

OC Ukeje

The play is scheduled to hold from 1-4 October at the Agip Recital Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos. It is presented by the Make It Happen Productions, produced by Kemi Lala Akindoju and will be directed by Kenneth Ophopho. “We are very excited to bring the production of Bobo Omotayo’s ‘London Life, Lagos Living’ alive on stage,” said Akindoju, CEO, Make it Happen Productions.

Kemi Akindoju

According to Akindoju, a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and drama teacher, who has also produced the international play 'V. Monologues', Bobo Omotayo’s book captures the experiences of the Nigerian who lived in London and moves back home. 
"The adaptation is hilarious and entertaining, we are therefore honoured to be producing it this year,” she concluded.

Also featuring in the stage play are Chioma 'Chigurl', Kemi Lala Akindoju, Lami Phillips, Patrick Diabuah and Adebola Williams.

The book itself is a 200-page volume which contains great short stories layered with 'naija-izms', great iconic images of Lagos with illustrations and design.

Media Consumers Now Have More Power Than Ever Before, Says Adekunle Ayeni

Adekunle Ayeni, BHM Group boss

Ayeni Samuel Adekunle is the PR practitioner, journalist and businessman behind Black House Media Group, a public relations and digital communications agency based in Lagos, Nigeria, with offices in London, UK. He founded BHM Group in 2006 from humble beginnings, building it to a chain of businesses that manage strategic communications programs for companies with interests in entertainment, lifestyle, financial services and fashion, media, consumer goods and ICT.

While working towards his degree in Microbiology from the University of Ibadan, Ayeni began his career with Hip Hop World magazine, and worked subsequently with Encomium Weekly, Thisday and The Punch, leaving to fully concentrate on the BHM Group. He founded Nigeria Entertainment Today, a niche website on November 23, 2009, five months before launching its print version in April 2010.

Since 2013, Ayeni has convened the annual Nigerian Entertainment Conference, the largest gathering of artists and professionals in Nigerian entertainment, and in 2014, he led the BHM Group to conceptualise and build BHM App, Nigeria’s first PR mobile application.

With over two decades of experience, Ayeni’s savvy knowledge of African audiences has ensured that the BHM’s clients span a host of sectors and countries, including MTV Base, Nigerian Breweries, Nickelodeon, Hennessy, Interswitch, Verve, as well as global entertainment brands BET and Comedy Central.

In this interview, the young media entrepreneur fondly called “Ayeni The Great” gives a rare peek into digital marketing agency ID Africa, his latest business venture, which will see a spread of the BHM Group’s clientele and content across more nations on the African continent
 

How did BHM Group begin?
BHM Group started in 2006, while I was still a reporter, from my two-bedroom flat in Akute (Lagos). My wife and I had no furniture so I bought a small chair and table, and could only afford to pay someone to assemble a computer. We started out working for musicians, actors and record labels that had smaller budgets, so it was tough but fulfilling work.

A few years later, my friend Ayo Animashaun (owner of Hip TV and The Headies) gave me a desk in his office from where BHM operated. Eventually, we had to rent our own office space and today we have 60 employees and various consultants across the world. In 2009 we began working for corporate clients, and they tapped into the experience we had built with entertainers and young people. It has never happened in Nigeria that an organisation with experience solely in entertainment  - working for artistes and actors – to begin working for various multinationals. That’s our story and we are proud of it.
 
You recently launched ID Africa, a digital agency and subsidiary of the BHM Group? What do you hope to achieve?
With Digital Marketing, disparate uptake rates exist. Brands across regions in Africa are very late to the party, while those trying to get into the party are not in the appropriate attire; I mean they are not using the right tools to speak to, or listen to the people. Africa is a continent of up to 2000 languages from numerous tribes, with over 1 billion people becoming increasingly globalised, yet retaining the peculiarities that categorise their individual heritages - the status quo is changing. We all know that the latest arrivals to a party can still make the atmosphere electric, so this is an opportunity for practitioners.

We are fortunate to have an extensive understanding, based on our PR background, about people who consume and publish content on the Internet. We know what they are looking for, so we have an understanding of how to use that social space better to create the kind of conversations that can help people meet each other and have a nice time, whether it’s a brand meeting the consumer or just consumers interacting, or even brands needing to engage with each other.  

ID Africa is the digital agency that can make this happen because it is not just a service agency; more of Africa’s audiences need to be communicated with and listened to via channels and outlets that best conform to their social, cultural and personal proclivities.

So, what are your experiences as you roll out ID Africa with more continental clients?
I cannot divulge research data we have obtained at prohibitive costs, but I will share some insights.
To successfully communicate with the diverse audiences and demographics that constitute Africa’s cities and navigate the sociocultural nuances therein, all brands- entertainment or corporate- must treat the term media very loosely. If I can get on a Mutatu in Nairobi or a Danfo in Lagos and speak to 50 passengers, and try to get them to try or understand my new product, then that bus as far as ID Africa is concerned, is as valid a media vehicle as social media is in Johannesburg.

We know for a fact that unlike in-store shoppers seeking a specific product or seeking inspiration via window-shopping, online shoppers will Google a category, or go on websites to choose categories closest to what they want. Without relevant search categories, or a sufficiently detailed gamut of categories present, the African shopper aiming to save data costs and time will shift to a more promising seller’s website - and stay there. These are some of the little things make the biggest difference in bottom-lines for brands.  

Are there any insights regarding Public Relations you wish to share?
With PR, our approach has always been to understand how the media landscape has changed, is changing, and therefore ascertain what tools we need to use to deliver value to brands and audiences alike. 
Before, the media was a brick wall you had to pass through, to get to the consumer. Today, every consumer, every brand, is a publisher and recipient of content. Just as there are billboards on the roads, there are digital billboards to draw in and engage the consumer, but their construction for Africa-focused demographics is a whole different field which we are excited to have the privilege of labouring in.So ID Africa is here to further the premise on which the BHM Group itself is built - ensuring that as manufacturers and consumers, we do not lose sight of the ‘social” in social media, and the “media” in media communication.  

Nigeria Not The World’s Biggest Champagne Consumer After France

Do Nigerians pop nearly as much bubbly as the French themselves? What started out as a forecast on new champagne consumption has taken on a life of its own: Researched by Mina Demian

On what do Africa’s super-wealthy spend their money? Much the same things that rich people around the the world do, according to BBC Africa.

Starting at a “luxury and wealth” summit in Johannesburg, reporter Milton Nkosi took viewers on a tour of a sports car dealership and a posh property.

One of the interviews was with the head of the Southern Africa Luxury Association, Silvana Bottega. She said: “In the sector of champagne, it is very well-documented that Nigeria has now become the second largest consumer of champagne after France.”

Africa’s most populous country overtook South Africa as the continent’s largest economy last year, but do Nigerians pop nearly as much bubbly as the French themselves?

Origin of the claim – most likely a forecast

Bottega pointed Africa Check to news reports published in 2013 in The Guardian and the Japan Times. But these articles said that Nigeria is expected to show the second fastest growth in new champagne consumption during the period 2011 to 2016, and not that it was the second largest consumer after France.

When Africa Check questioned Bottega about this, she said: “I have sent you the links. Have you read them? You can put those two articles down as the source of my claim,” and hung up.

The forecast in the two articles was attributed to Euromonitor International, a market research company based in the UK.Their website contains a blog piece by “senior alcoholic drinks” analyst, Spiros Malandrakis.

Titled “Nigerian Chic and European Doldrums”, Malandrakis described a talk he gave at a champagne conference in February 2012: “It was the last slide that did it. Looking at the list of the markets expected to post the strongest actual gains in total champagne volumes over 2011-2016, most of the usual suspects were there. However, what did come as a surprise was Nigeria’s second place in these global rankings, and the audience’s disbelief was palpable.”

Malandrakis told Africa Check that they based their forecasts on expected oil revenues in emerging markets in West Africa. At the time of analysis, when the oil industry was thriving, the company predicted that the wealth gained from these revenues would drive consumption of status symbols, such as champagne.

“Somehow that [forecast] turned into ‘second biggest market’,” The Wall Street Journal’s West Africa correspondent, Drew Hinshaw, tweeted at BBC Africa.

Certainly by 2014, media institutions like Business Today in the US and Mail & Guardian Africa reported that champagne consumption, or sales, in Nigeria was the second largest in the world. City Press then wrote earlier this year “Nigeria is fast becoming the second champagne capital in the world, trailing only France – which actually produces the bubbly.”

So where does Nigeria rank?

Nigerians do love French champagne, to be certain. Data shows Nigeria ranks just outside the world’s top 20 depending on the measure used.

Looking at imports, Nigeria was the 23rd largest champagne importer in the world in 2014. The country imported 768,131 bottles, Brigitte Batonnet told Africa Check. She is a researcher at the Comité Champagne, a trade association that represents growers and producers in France.

The top three countries on their list was the UK (around 34 million bottles), the US (19 million bottles) and Germany (around 13 million bottles).

The UK and US have maintained their top two positions for the past several years, Batonnet said. “[Nigeria] has never appeared in the top 10. But Nigeria has been, for some years now, the [top] importer of champagne in Africa.”

Counting bottles sold, Nigeria came in 22nd in 2014, a market analyst at the International Wine and Spirits Research, a private research company, told Africa Check. Daniel Mettyear said his company has recorded 1.1 million bottles of champagne sold in Nigeria – compared to 162 million bottles in France.

Actual sales could be higher, though. “A lot of exports are under-declared in order to avoid taxes, particularly with luxury goods such as champagne,” Mettyear said.

Conclusion: Nigeria is Africa’s top champagne importer, but not world’s second biggest consumer

The claim that Nigeria is the world’s second largest consumer of French champagne is “one of those imperishable evergreen stories”, Howard French, associate professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, tweeted.

French said so in response to the claim resurfacing in a BBC Africa report about luxury spending on the continent. It’s most likely a distortion of a forecast that new champagne consumption would grow the fastest in Nigeria, aside from France, for the period 2011 to 2016.

Nigeria is the top importer in Africa, though. But its recorded sales of 1.1 million bottles last year is positively dwarfed by that of France – where 303 million bottles were sold.

Hints Publisher, Ibe Kachikwu Is The New NNPC Boss

Dr. Ibe Kachikwu

Celebrity publisher of Hints, Hello & Complete Fashion, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu has been appointed the new Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, by President Muhammadu Buhari . 

Dr. Kachikwu, who was the Executive Vice Chairman and General Counsel of Exxon-Mobil (Africa), is to take over from Dr. Joseph Thlama Dawha with immediate effect.

Dr. Kachikwu hails from Onicha-Ugbo in Delta State. He is a First Class Graduate of Law from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the Nigerian Law School. 

The new NNPC Chief Executive also has Masters and Doctorate Degrees in Law from the Harvard Law School. 

He started his working career with the Nigerian/American Merchant Bank before moving on to Texaco Nigeria Limited where he remained for about eight years before joining ExxonMobil.

When he was installed as the Odogwu Of Onicha Ugbo In Aniocha North LGA Of Delta State

Here are 12 of the man's secrets, according to YES International Magazine's investigation:

He was born some 58 years ago.

He hails from Onicha Ugbo, in Aniocha North local government area of Delta State.

He is married to two women, Elizabeth and Mariam. The first wife, Elizabeth has three children – Nkem, Emeka and Uche.

He holds the titles of Odogwu and Omeudo of Onicha Ugbo

His country home is one of the most beautiful and costliest in his homestead. It’s called Eden Retreat.

He is a first class graduate of Law, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the Nigerian Law School.

He is an author of three legal books as well as the publisher of the popular Hints and Chanelle magazines.

Respected writers like Toni Kan, Reuben Abati, Kayode Ajala, etc cut their teeth writing for his papers.

He last worked for Exxon Mobil as Vice Chairman and General Counsel. But before that, he was with the Nigerian/American Merchant Bank and Texaco.

He has a Masters and Doctorate in Law from Harvard Law School, USA and graduated with distinctions.

He is a staunch Catholic.

He’s fun loving and once bought the latest Mercedes Benz which his father, a Justice, refused to lend him money to clear on arrival.

Julius Agwu Plans Big for 10th Edition of London Crack Ya Ribs

Julius Agwu praising God

As he gets his groove back after a successful brain surgery in the United States couple of months ago, ace comedian and one of Nigeria’s best comedy exports, Julius Agwu is pulling out all the stops to stage a superlative 10th anniversary of his annual comedy show, Crack Ya Ribs at the Hackney Empire in London on Sunday 30 August. 

The exciting London annual comedy concert will feature performances from top rated entertainers like Okey Bakassi, I Go Dye, Korede Bello, a London based Ghanaian comedian-Kojo, AY, Seyi Brown, Oyinbo Princess, among others. As a tradition with the show, the ace comedian will start the show with praise and worship.

Speaking ahead of this year’s show, Julius said the 10th anniversary of the event is a confirmation of God’s faithfulness and grace over the years.

“In the last one decade, we have been staging Crack Ya Ribs show in London to the delights of the people and built great followership. Aside being the first Nigerian entertainer to stage such shows in London, we have stayed committed to the cause of laundering Nigeria’s image with it positively and consistently in the last 10 years. Like I always say, entertainment still remains the only way to promote the country’s image positively around the world due to the immense attention we are currently receiving,” Julius said. 

He added that his choice of Korede Bello as the focal musical act of the event is because God miraculously healed him and that could be only interpreted in Korede’s latest hit, God Win.

Julius

 On what will make this year’s event spectacular, Julius didn’t mince words to state that it will be one of the best shows of 2015. “As I speak with you right now, a lot has gone into this show already and we are still preparing very hard towards it because it is the 10th anniversary. The excitement from this year’s event will be so much that people will continue to remember it in a long time to come. The show will be full with lots of exciting performances and great surprises as usual including a surprise act. There will also be recognitions and appreciations of those who have supported the show in the past,” he assured.

The London show will be preceded by a comedy gig in Aberdeen, Scotland on 22 August at The Beach Ball Room.

Since inception, Crack Ya Ribs have been hosted in different parts of Nigeria, Europe and United States of America with attendance from top personalities and other socialites.