Celebrity Endorsement/ Brand Ambassadors.

Hello Reader,

I am excited today because its Monday and I get to share my views with like minds and also receive feedback.

Today, I'm writing about Celebrity Endorsement.

Celebrity endorsement is a form of brand or advertising campaign that involves a well known person using their fame to help promote a product or service. Some celebrity product endorsements are such natural fits that we have a hard time envisioning the product without the celebrity’s face smiling next to it. Think of  Michael Jordan and Nike   

In recent times, with the advent of social media, celebrity endorsements aren't done based on the fit with the brand, but with their social follower-ship. Not to ridicule Olympia milk, but I don't see a brand fit between one of the Psquare brothers and a dairy product, I am sure they were trying to match what Loya did with Don Jazzy, I don't see the brand fit there either, but I hope it reflected in their KPI. 

Celebrity endorsements deliver on brand equity, ad resonance, and it has the ability to make people feel that by using a product a celebrity has endorsed, they can attain "super-star" status. 

Telcos in Nigeria have multiple brand ambassadors and it gets confusing. These brand ambassadors even switch from one telco to the other.

The downside of celebrity endorsement is that celebrity images change. For example, Toke Makinwa was a brand ambassador for Maggi. I didn't see the fit, however, she is referred to as Tokstarr and Maggi has a star logo- Not good enough but... she also has a huge female follower-ship on social media. Recently, she had a public break up with her husband, this is not so good for the brand. She's a frequent patroniser of sushi bars in Lagos, nothing about her depicts her as someone who has a passion for cooking or any of that.

Kemi Adetiba would have been a perfect fit for the brand, although single, she shows off her culinary skills on instagram. She has a passion for home made food and loves to cook. They both have a huge follower-ship of females, but the latter fits perfectly with the brand.

I love Knors' new brand ambassadors. It is a perfect fit. it addresses both the young and old generation. The brand will be perceived as one that is being passed on from generation to generation. 

What are your thoughts on Celebrity Endorsement/Brand Ambassadors in Nigeria? Do we get it right?

Please drop your comments below and share with your friends. 

Regards,

Joko.

Referral Marketing

Hello Reader,

I trust you had a wonderful weekend.

An experience I had inspired this post..

Referral Marketing is neglected a lot and this shouldn't be the case. Why? you might ask, not to worry, I will tell you.
Study after study has proven that referral marketing is one of the best forms of marketing when it comes to sales and conversion. Naturally, we all tend to share our experiences with friends, be it good or bad. Let me say before I proceed that a good customer experience is not tantamount to a referral. That being said, it is important to not leave referral to chance, We must bear in mind that good marketing is about deliberately influencing the process. DELIBERATELY. Referral Marketing is about deliberately encouraging referrals by consumers that have experienced your product/service(s)

Referred customers are less likely to leave, what does this translate to? Stronger loyalty. Referral Marketing helps attract  customers who are more loyal and profitable. The strength of referral marketing lies in the ability to target precisely, this is because people know their friends and family pretty well. This in turn helps the brand message spread more effectively than most other marketing channels.

In addition, the consumer feels safer trying a product referred by a family or friend. This is because the consumer doesn't feel he or she is being sold on something. For a family or friend to make a referral, it must have been tried and trusted.

Referral marketing includes but is not limited to family and friends. Some other forms of referral marketing are News publications, customer reviews, influencer opinions and testimonials.

Let me tell you how I got a few free and comfortable taxi rides. A friend of mine called me one evening and sounded really excited. "Joko, please, I will send a link to you on whatsapp, please download it. Its a taxi app, when you download it, I will get a free 2k ride, and so will you on your first ride" I had no reason to object because I know how expensive it is to get a taxi in Lagos, and a 2k discount was really attractive.

I downloaded the app, and yes, I did get a free ride, The drivers take the shortest routes, and even give you a bottle of water, plus, the rates are cheaper than the regular rickety Lagos taxis. I have referred 5 friends and I have gotten 5 free rides. No commercial, No billboard, No press ad. Just 1 referral.

Now I am referring you too. Go to www.uber.com/invite/jokoo2ue.

What are your thoughts? Have you ever had a good experience with any brand and referred them? Kindly drop your comments and share.

Regards,

Joko.