The President of the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), David Okeme, has called on associations and groups within the marketing communications industry to look out for ways they can work better collaboratively.
He said this recently when top officials of Advertising Agencies Association of Nigeria (AAAN) paid a courtesy visit to the National Secretariat of ADVAN.
Receiving the august visitors at their Salvation Street office in Lagos with other ADVAN executives, Okeme noted that the move by AAAN to collaborate at a bigger level with ADVAN was a good development for brands and the industry in general. Explaining that relationship building sits at the edge of client and agency connection, Okeme promptly endorsed the desire of the two industry associations to look at ways that they can connect effectively.
The AAAN delegation was led by the President, kayode Oluwasana. The Vice- President, Ikechi Odigbo and Executive Director, Lekan Fadulapo were also part of the delegation from AAAN.
Speaking on the visit which he sees as a decision by two key stakeholders in the industry to foster the spirit of corporation and collaboration, AAAN President, Kayode Olowasana philosophically pointed out that the two bodies are two sides of the same coin which means the two must consciously work together to always remain a coin. He explained that the vision of his new exco is to foster stakeholders understand and that is why they see the meeting as very strategic.
His words, “with this visit and the fantastic discussions that we have started, we believe we are both committed to the same vision, which we believe is lofty and in the interest of the two bodies. In fact, we don’t want to have two parties anymore; the brand is what is central. The two parties are one, in favour of the brand. I expect that going forward, we will do many things in common. There will intermittently be areas we need to align and clarify issues but the spirit that is on now is for increased understanding, collective agreement and promotion of noble visions. Each of these is what we are starting today”.
Oluwasana went further to share with ADVAN Executives some key areas, like the Advertising Academy, that will be the major focus of his new executive team.
Acknowledging that advertising plays a major role in the growth of the industry because it helps build trust of the consumers in brands, ADVAN President, David Okeme declared that his team will align with and support fully all the programmes from the stable of AAAN.
“The setting up of advertising academy for instance will build capabilities within member companies as they continue to enrich consumers experience to help them make right choices in the country’s marketplace” Okeme explained.
Okeme also shared with his visitors some successes and plans ADVAN has on the drawing board. He spoke about his plan to give more value to stakeholders, especially now that Nigeria has a very challenging economy. He also spoke about his plans to set up an industry dialogue platform to intermittently dissect challenging issues in the industry and proffer solutions to them.
Star Auto unwraps brake pads, linings factory
In a renewed effort to strengthen the industrial base in Nigeria, Star Auto Industries Limited, a leading manufacturer of spare parts, has inaugurated a new factory to produce brake pads and linings. The factory, which is located at Navy Town, Lagos, is established by the 24-year old company in line with the aspiration of the current administration to encourage made in Nigeria goods.
The Managing Director, Star Auto Limited, Mrs. Ngozi Ukachukwu, said in her opening address that company was committed at manufacturing brake pads and linings for Nigerians at competitive prices. She expressed the determination of the management of the company to serve Nigeria and Nigerians with the new factory in the area of revenue generation, employment opportunities and manufacturing of quality products for Nigerians.
She said: “Star Auto is going to create jobs; we previously had over 200 staff and we intend to grow to levels and the capacity exists to increase our strength in the near term. Our operations are also in line with the current monetary and fiscal policies of the government of the day. About 60% of our raw materials can presently be sourced locally. We expect that our optimal operations will reduce the amount of foreign exchange demanded for the importation of brake pads.”
Ukachukwu further stated that the company is currently partnering with a government agency and a couple of educational institutions to carry out independent research and testing. According to her, these include research in local resin production and replacement of certain materials with local alternatives extracted from Palm Kernels. It is expected that these efforts would yield results and further reduce the company’s imported raw materials component to 20% over the next two years.
The Managing Director, who disclosed that the foundation of the factory was laid in January 2015, stated that the company has mapped out some business and marketing strategies that would enable it survive the tough economic regime the country is currently undergoing.
Declaring the factory opened, the Director General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council, Engr. Aminu Jalal, commended the effort of the chairman of Star Auto Industries Limited, Mr. Chidi Ukachukwu and his team, for their consistent and commitment to the manufacturing sector, despite the economic challenges currently facing the country. Jalal, who expressed the desire of the council to partner with Star Auto to take the company to the next level, called on Nigerians not to shy away from patronising products made from the company.
Etisalat wins 2016 Market Friendly Operator Award
ETISALAT Nigeria, one of Nigeria’s leading telecommunications companies, was at the weekend recognised for its commitment to innovation and quality of service. The telco emerged winner of the ‘Market Friendly Operator of the Year’ award category at the 2016 edition of the Nigerian Telecom Awards, held in Lagos.
According to the Panel of Assessors and Judges of the Nigerian Telecom Awards, Etisalat beat other operators to clinch the coveted award, having been adjudged as the network that excites consumers with pocket-friendly offers and excellent customer relations, among other parameters set for the keenly contested award category.
Receiving the award on behalf of Etisalat Nigeria, its Head, Environmental Compliance and Public Relations, Oluseyi Osunsedo said the award further affirmed Etisalat’s commitment to continuously put the over 22 million customers on its network at the heart of its operations by making sure they enjoy better services at pocket friendly prices.
“At Etisalat, we value our customers as part of our most treasured asset to have and to keep. This award affirms our unrelenting commitment to excellence in customer service, and to ensure we continue to satisfy them by offering them world-class positive customer experience through innovative products and services that are not available elsewhere”, she said.
Mrs. Osunsedo added further that, “at Etisalat, we continue to create unique consumer touchpoints that promote purposeful interaction with our customers. We also have a unique customer reward system in place through which we reward all categories of our customers for their loyalty from time to time.”
She also disclosed that in further recognition of the significance of excellent consumer relations, Etisalat organizes Customer Forum, a quarterly interactive platform through which the company takes feedback as well as inputs from customers. “The Customer Forum has been a remarkable feedback mechanism that enables us feel the pulse of our customers. It is one of the initiatives that have consistently made Etisalat the network of choice among Nigerians”, she concluded.
Speaking at the award ceremony, the Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, commended players and stakeholders in the Nigerian telecommunications industry for the growth of the sector.