Stakeholders advocate better services for customers
From (L-R) Bolaji Okusaga, CEO, Precise Limited; Mrs Ugo Geri-Robert, CEO, Millward Brown Nigeria; Princewill Ekwujuru, Chairman, BJAN and Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communications and Public Affairs Manager, West Africa, Google. At the 2019 World Consumers Day Celebration, theme; Building Trusted Brands:The Nigerian Experience held in Lagos.
By Amechi Obiakpu
Stakeholders in the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) have called on brand owners to afford their numerous customers better services. They said that, since customers are the reason why they are in business, it will further strengthen the brand patronage if the customers are treated as the king in terms of service delivery and not in mere rhetoric.
The stakeholders said this at the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN) organised World Consumer Rights Day Celebration 2019 special symposium last Friday, in Ikeja, Lagos.
They spoke on the theme: “Building Trusted Brands: The Nigerian Experience”.
Mrs Ugo Geri-Robert, Chief Executive Officer, Millward Brown Nigeria, said every brand has promise and it is when trust is built before patronage can be earned.
“In reality, who is paying your bills? who do brand owners design their products for? If its for the customers then the element of trust has to be included in the relationship. There has to be consistency, reliability and customer experience,” she said.
Continuing, she said: “Trust is a journey with knowledge and it takes time. You can not build trust without knowing it does not happen over night and that it happens at different levels.”
Highlighting the principles of brand trust, Mrs Robert said brand owners should: “Act quickly to gain competitive advantage; Be the first to mind when it matters and identify what drives sales now and into the future”.
Mrs Ugo Geri-Robert, Princewill Ekwujuru and Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade.
On his part, Bolaji Okusaga, CEO, Precise Ltd, said: “Culture would always eat strategy for lunch so it’s very good that you engender the culture of love and trust that on the long run is more sustainable for brands”.
Speaking on the side of brand improvement through technology, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communications and Public Affairs Manager, West Africa, Google, said: “One advantage with technology is to make things better, irrespective of the hours involve. It also helps to scale, so brand owners has to take advantage of the trend to improve on customers relationship and deliverables”, he affirmed.
