sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9/sitemap.xsd BrandArena: September 2011

Friday 30 September 2011

Coca-Cola Rolls out a New Global Campaign, Move to the Beat

Inspired by the sounds, spirit and culture of the host city of London, Coca-Cola today unveiled its global integrated campaign for the London 2012 Olympic Games, Move to the Beat – aligned with the vision to make London 2012 a Games to inspire the youth of the world.
The ambition of Move to the Beat is to bring teens closer to the Olympic Games and to sport in general. Harnessing teens’ passion for music, and drawing inspiration from London’s musical heritage, the campaign fuses London music with Olympic sport to connect young people to London 2012.

The core element of the campaign will be a music anthem created by Grammy award-winning producer Mark Ronson and chart-topping British vocalist Katy B, the anthem fuses the sounds of Olympic sports with the beat of music. Before the global release, the process of the song creation will be captured in a 60-minute documentary. The anthem will also be the soundtrack for TV commercials, mobile and digital platforms and Coca-Cola events during the Olympic Games.

Coca-Cola’s campaign launch event was held yesterday at the new Olympic stadium in East London. Mr. Ronson and Katy B performed the anthem in front of a select audience of 1,000, including students and the young athlete ambassadors. According to Ad Age, Mother London is creating a global spot around this live performance.

Another important part of the campaign global activation will be sustainability. During the London 2012 Olympics, all Coca-Cola products will be served in 100% recyclable packaging and every empty bottle recycled at the venues will be turned back into a new bottle.

adidas and Basketball Star Derrick Rose Promoting the adiZero Rose 2

adidas has launched a marketing campaign to promote Derrick Rose‘s new signature basketball shoe, the adiZero Rose 2. The campaign features a 60-second spot, ‘The Bull’ that celebrates the basketball star and his sporty skills on the unusual background of a bullfighting arena.

adidas said “Derrick is one of the most iconic and explosive athletes from Chicago to Shanghai, and we wanted to showcase his signature shoe in a unique way that puts the basketball world on notice, and the adiZero Rose 2 is built specifically to enhance Derrick’s game, tell his story and provide players with a shoe that gives them instant style and speed.”
‘The Bull; debuted yesterday on YouTube after the adidas Basketball Facebook page challenged its fans to unlock it for an early premiere. The ad will start running on TV on October 5 on ESPN and Cartoon Network programming, and during NFL broadcasts on CBS, NBC and ESPN. The campaign also includes print, online and mobile activation, with fans invited to continue the social conversation through facebook.com/adidasbasketball.

Created by 180LA, the spot, filmed in Madrid, features authentic Spanish bullfighters in traditional costumes. The music is by DJ/producer Araab Muzik.The adiZero Rose 2 will appear in the USA stores on October 6 and roll out in five additional colors through December 22. The shoe will be exclusively sold at Foot Locker and Eastbay for $110.

Earlier this month, adidas introduced a new collection for F/W11 season by Stella McCartney.

Glo Naija Sings Season 3 Commenced in Grand Sytle

After several weeks of search around Nigeria, the top 10 contestants who will compete at the final stage of the third season of popular musical reality TV show, Glo/Naija Sings have emerged.

The music concept sponsored by the 'rule your world' company, Globacom and produced by TV content provider, M-Net Africa, the contestants were picked after keenly contested performances in Lagos by the Top 24 winners who emerged earlier from the regional finals held in Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Benin, Enugu, Abuja, Kaduna and Lagos.
After a two-stage performance by the contestants, who the judges say have raised the standard of the competition much higher than last year, Tee Songz, Christian, AM Ok, Mattade, Oni, and Vickiola emerged as the first to qualify as they displayed their talents to viewers.

Others that qualified for the finals are Oluwakemi, who described her selection as “the best birthday gift ever”, Vicky, Lynn and Precious, who somehow impressed the judges with his performance of Seal's “Kiss from a Rose”. He described his surprise selection for the finals as the “best news” in his life.

Viewers should tune in to watch the first performances at the finals of Glo Naija Sings this Sunday on M-Net at 7pm with repeat transmission on Mondays and Tuesdays at 9.30pm and 4.10pm respectively.

MTN Power of 10 Concert Rocks Ilorin, Abuja & Port Harcourt

Telecommunication giant, MTN has continue to celebrate its 10 years anniversary in Nigeria in grand style through its 'MTN Power of 10 Concert' to show its appreciate to the teeming youth in the country who have consistently remain loyal to the brand since it commence operation in the country.

9ice thrilling the crowd
Wizkid doing his thing...
Chidinma
Sir Sina Peters entertaining the teeming youth...

Thursday 29 September 2011

Osolo of Isolo Honours Promasidor for its Support to the Community

In recognition of the enormous contributions of Promasidor Nigeria Limited to the Isolo community in Lagos, the Osolo of Isolo Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Aafin Alayeluwa will this weekend honour Chief Keith Richards, the managing director of the company with a chieftaincy title of Aare Baaladun of Isolo Kingdom .

The chieftaincy title will be conferred on Richards at the Palace of the Osolo of Isolo kingdom in Lagos on Saturday, October 1st, 2011.

The traditional title is being conferred on Richards because of the remarkable support the company has given to the community over the years.

Promasidor has been immensely beneficial to the Isolo Community. Its support cuts across various sectors from healthcare to education.

Some of the company’s corporate social responsibilities to the community included support of Isolo Economic Summit, donation of medical equipment to Isolo, construction of security gate and water boreholes, building working relationship with the civil authorities that operates in the community –Police, LASSA, LASTMA, VIO as well as creating opportunity for Children from the community to also participate in the Cowbell National Secondary School Mathematics Competition (NASSMAC).

Keith had also been honoured by another community in Nigeria before now because of his social relationship with the people of that community.

Besides this, Keith Richards has also received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from the Queen of England on her birthday at Buckingham Palace in November 2010 for his services to UK/Nigerian business interests and charitable activities in Nigeria.

Gucci Opens Museo in Florence

As part of marking its 90th anniversary, Gucci has opened the Gucci Museo in the heart of Florence, Piazza della Signoria.

Located in the ancient building of Palazzo della Mercanzia, which dates back to 1337, the museum offers 18,460 square feet over three floors of Gucci’s history. The Gucci Museo is arranged by theme, not in chronological order. There is also a private basement with the Gucci archives.

According to reports, the first floor is dedicated to the representation of different Gucci themes, e.g. the Flora World, the iconic motif that has been interpreted many times on a range of items. The handbags exhibit recollects historic handbag models and cult objects. Travel items are another, central theme for the house, which was founded by Guccio Gucci in 1921.
The Evening room is dedicated to the evening gown and the special red carpet creations worn to prestigious events. The Precious room displays unique clutches and rare valuables whilke the second floor is called Logomania and displays a variation of the double G monogram. The Lifestyle and Sport items—accessories for tennis, golf and horse riding, picnic baskets from the Fifties, chess and card sets and armchairs—are showcased in the final section of the museum.

Pinault family’s French group PPR, which controls Gucci, also plans to exhibit a series of contemporary art installations. The first one is by video artist Bill Viola. “It’s important to have a window on contemporary art in a city as rich in art as Florence,” di Marco said. Tickets cost 6 euro and fifty percent will go to support the restoration of artistic monuments in Florence.

Tuesday 27 September 2011

Winners Emerge In Ecobank Salary Promo

The second draw of the Ecobank Salary Promo has produced another set of 30 winners, making it a total of 61 winners who have so far emerged from the promotion. The Star prize winner, Ajayi Davis Oloyede of Ecobank Apapa Wharf Road Branch has also won a brand new Kia Soul car.

Speaking at the draw which held in Eket, Akwa-Ibom State, the Head Asset and Liabilities Product, Olanike Kolawole said the salary domiciliation promo was introduced to reward loyal customers and encourage a savings culture. She added that this is a demonstration of the bank’s commitment to empower people financially. While congratulating the winners, she emphasized that the promo is still on and open to all salary account holders with the bank.

Also speaking, Ecobank Regional Head South South and South East, Godwin Eton pointed out that the winners emerged through an automated random selection process which is certified by the Consumer Protection Council and the National Lottery Regulatory commission.

Representatives of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Mr. Rukevwe Ben who witnessed the draw commended Ecobank for holding the second draw in Eket which reflects the truly Nigerian spirit of the bank. The climax of the draws saw the presentation of the Kia Soul from the prior draw to Mr. Unyoke Efiok Nyong who poured accolades on the bank for initiating the promotion.

Samsung Builds Equity with Samsung Week

Samsung, one of the fastest growing brands in home and office appliances, is providing customers and prospects in Nigeria an opportunity to enjoy innovative and excellence service delivery through the Samsung Week 2011.

The open exhibition slated to hold at two different locations is set to further exploit the cordial relationship between customers and the organization with focus on Port Harcourt and the ever growing Lagos market.

The Samsung Week 2011 will give consumers an opportunity for first hand product sampling, free service on Samsung products and sales promotion on products on display.

The Lagos edition which took place on Thursday September 15th to Saturday September 17th, 2011 at the Lagoon Restaurant in Lagos from 11am to 5pm daily has moved it train to the garden city, Port Harcourt, where the Samsung week will commence from September 29th to October 1st, 2011. Consumers will have the opportunity to experience the latest innovative and environmentally friendly products from the Samsung range, from the Smart TV to the Safe Surge LCD/LED TV designed for power surges to the Solar Net book NC-215 powered by solar to the Dura Cool Refrigerator designed to conserve power and work optimally for 3 hours without power.

According to the Managing Director, Samsung Electronics Nigeria, Idorenyen Enang, “Samsung Week is driven by Samsung‘s philosophy of Smart living and its commitments to advancing quality of the life through innovations in technology and energy efficiency. Our products not only make people smarter and more enjoyable, they also contribute to solutions for social and environmental problems. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is also a key point of the Samsung Week. Samsung is passionate about care for its Consumers and host communities.”

...And Ekubo Family Emerged As Maltina Dance All Season 5 Winner

After 20 days of stiff competition among 15 families, the Ekubos made their way to the final five which also included the Owolabi, Utogo, Ngwu and Dare families.
The grand finale of the popular Maltina Dance All reality TV show which took place last Saturday, September 24, 2011 at the Eko Hotel and Suites kicked off with the Owolabi family’s performance followed by the Utogo family then the Ekubo’s who choreographed to the gospel group Infinity’s hit song ‘Olori Oko’. That was followed by the Ngwu family and lastly the Dare family.
Ebimene Ekubo is the family representative of the Ekubo family. He qualified from Port-Harcourt region and has been able to escape possible eviction all through their stay in the academy. They have succeeded in bringing in creativity and energy. Blessed with a “little angel” in the family, Glory Ekubo has been able to impress the Judges with her charm. She emerged Salsa dancer of the night and Ebimene was the dancer of the night for the Paso-doble performance.
The contesting families had one more set of hip-hop genre performances before their scores were tallied and ranked. The performances were described as brilliant and captivating.
But it was the surprise performances from the judges – Michael Adegoke, Janell Burgess and Muyiwa Oshinaike that got everybody screaming as all three stepped on the dance floor to show and prove!

The Ekubos were presented with the grand prize – a five million naira cheque and a brand new SUV. An overexcited Kemi Adetiba tweeted ‘And it’s over guys!!! EKUBO’s win!!!‘

First runners up position went to the Dare family while the Utogo family came third.
MDA Season 5 judges
Hmmm...Congrat!
skip! skip!! skipp!!!

Monday 26 September 2011

GUS 8: It’s 26 episodes of non-stop action

The adventurous TV reality show, Gulder Ultimate Search 8, enters its second week last weekend on selected local TV and cable stations promising to be another period of fun, suspense and excitement for TV viewers across the country as the broadcast of the first wholly Nigerian local content reality TV show.

In Episode One, Dare ‘Art’ Alade was formally introduced as the co-anchor to Bob Manuel Udokwu. There was also a recap of previous seasons of GUS, with particular focus on the disagreements and conflicts which made the reality TV show tick. Some of the grueling tasks which the contestants had to go through were also highlighted.
Viewers were also taken down memory lane to the defining moment of every GUS season: the discovery of the various treasures by the winning contestants, from seasons 1 to 7. Rounding off Episode One was a focus on the regional physical exercises in Abuja and Benin.

Episode Two touched on the regional physical auditions in Owerri and Lagos. It showed how the final 30 contestants were chosen at the final selection party held in Lagos. Show hosts, Bob Manuel-Udokwu and Dare Art Alade then explained how the GUS 8 competition will play out among the 30 contestants.

Transmission of GUS 8 is syndicated on NTA, STV, Sound City on DSTV, CTL, Real Stars on StarTimes and Africa Magic. There will be a recap of the Saturday and Sunday episodes on Thursdays in all the aforementioned stations except STV. AIT, on the other hand, will air the Gulder Ultimate Search recap on Wednesdays.

Lovers of the reality TV show are in for a bumper harvest as 26 episodes will be aired over the three-month duration of the reality TV show, as opposed to the previous tradition of 21 daily episodes.

This year’s GUS contestants entered the Ososo forest in Edo State on Tuesday, September 13, 2011. They had earlier been treated to a grand reception by the governor of Edo State, represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Egberanmwen Odubu.

Brandy, The Game, D’banj To Perform At MTN Project Fame Season 4

The fourth season of the popular MTN Project Fame West Africa reality show is about to kick off and organizers have announced that US artistes Brandy, The Game will be performing at the talent show! Also, Nigerian acts D’banj and ex-project fame stars Iyana, Mike Ayansodo, Chidinma and Praiz will also light up the stage as they perform their songs. Veteran disc jockey DJ Jimmy JATT will be on the wheels of steel.

According to reports on BN, Brandy has confirmed her forthcoming performance via a voice drop over the weekend.

‘Hey everybody this is Brandy. I’ll be performing at the opening gala at MTN Project Fame West Africa season four at the Eko Expo Center on Sunday, October 2nd. It’s gonna be fire and my first time in Nigeria, so I’ll see everybody there. Bye’ Brandy delightfully said.

The opening show is set to take place at the Expo Center, Eko Hotel and Suites on Sunday, October 2, 2011.

BMW Launch ‘Award for Intercultural Innovation’

In an attempt to foster imagination and creativity to build collaboration among cultures, UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and BMW Group are set to explore in a joint initiative, the ‘Award for Intercultural Innovation’. The award represents a new kind of partnership between the private sector and the UN system.
Innovative projects that promote exchange and cross-cultural understanding will be selected and supported with money prizes. The ten most significant projects will be awarded for the first time in an award ceremony held during the fourth Annual UNAOC Forum in Doha (Qatar) on December 12.

An agreement was signed on September 23 at the UN’s New York Headquarters as part of the 66th UN General Assembly by President Jorge Sampaio, UN High Representative for the Alliance, and Konstanze Carreras, Senior Official for Corporate Social Responsibility of the BMW Group. The signature took place in the presence of ministers from over 130 countries and international organizations and the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon.

According to reports, the awardees will receive $50,000 (split between winners), guidance, potential partners, IT support, legal advice as well as increased visibility. In addition, the winners will be supported by services from the ‘World Intercultural Facility for Innovation’ (WIFI), a program initiated by the UNAOC in cooperation with the BMW Group. This will help award-winning projects become more efficient and expand to other places.

Star Lager Beer to Stage Mega Promo in October

In an attempt to further reward its teeming consumers, foremost lager beer brand in country, Star from the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc is set to unveil a striking consumer promotion with mouth-watering prizes.

The new promotion aptly named the ‘Star Mega Promo’ will commence on October 1 and would last till November 30, 2011. Consumers stand a chance to win prizes of various categories including 24 Brand new latest model of the Toyota Corolla salon car.
According to the ‘share the brighter life’ brand, the sole objective of the 2011 Star Mega Promotion is to appreciate the brand’s numerous loyal consumers across the nation.

The eight-week promotion is cork based with rewards in two categories, the instant prizes and grand prizes categories. For instant prizes category termed “What you see is what you get”, all star consumers have to do is check under their crown corks for instant prize inscriptions which includes instant cash prizes of N50,000, N20,000 for 400 and 240 consumers respectively. Other instant prizes also include T-Shirt, face caps; 3 million bottles of Star lager beer and many more with could be redeemed from any of 1200 redemption centers nationwide.

The grand prize category however requires consumers to assemble four corks with the letters S, T, A , R to win one of the 24 Toyota Corolla salon cars after simple authentication measures at the redemption centers.

GTBank Introduces ‘Instant Payment Service’ Product

As part of its efforts to make banking more convenient and value adding, one of the foremost innovative banks in the country, Guaranty Trust Bank has upgraded its Internet Banking platform to now provide “Instant payments to other banks”.

This new service enables consumers’ transfer funds from their Guaranty Trust Bank account to beneficiary accounts in other banks within Nigeria in seconds. It is an online real-time platform that allows consumers to confirm the beneficiary’s account details before consummating their transfers, which can be done from anywhere in the world.

The bank pledged to sustain its principle of professionalism and financial excellence in the banking industry.

Friday 23 September 2011

Footwear giant Staccato launches in Sydney

Global footwear and accessories brand Staccato has arrived in Sydney. After first launching in Hong Kong in 1998 it now boasts more than 1,000 stores worldwide.

According to report from Ragtrader, today the chic global retail giant, which offers shoe lovers straight off the runway looks incorporating flats, wedges, kitten, high heels, clogs and boots, has launched the first of its four new stores.

The new shops can be found in Westfield Bondi Junction and Westfield Burwood and another will open later this month in Westfield Sydney, followed by one more in November at Westfield Chatswood.

“Popular across the world for its huge fashionable yet affordable range, the spring/summer 2011-12 collection features graceful silhouettes, bold colours and ladylike elements to transport you seamlessly from casual daywear to elegant nightlife,” a Staccato spokesman said.

“Our global reach means product drops are monthly so that’s more than 280 styles per season.”

From strappy sandals with strong ankle detailing and comfortable stilettos featuring Staccato’s signature cushioning, to knee-high Roman sandals studded with diamante square gems, the store has a wide range of footwear for all tastes.

‘Shapewear’ brand Nancy Ganz goes for Hollywood glamour in new ads

Shapewear brand Nancy Ganz goes for Hollywood glamour in new ads SHAPE YOUR LIFE portrait8 234x330Tummy-tucking underwear brand Nancy Ganz has launched an advertising campaign to coincide with the launch of its online store.


According to mumbrella, the campaign will feature across outdoor, print, online and social media and directed by Sydney design agency Studio Woo and shot by fashion photographer Jez Smith.

”We wanted to create scenes that exude romance and Hollywood glamour to show that by slipping into Nancy Ganz, women can step out feeling confident, glamorous and sexy, whatever the occasion,” said Dianne Taylor, group brand marketing manager of parent company Gazal.

A video was also created for the brand’s website.

Coca-Cola Company, United Nations Women Form Global Partnership to Accelerate Women's Economic Empowerment

The Coca-Cola Company and UN Women today announced a partnership to promote women's economic empowerment. Responding to both UN Women's Strategic Plan and The Coca-Cola Company's global 5 BY 20 initiative, this partnership aims to enable the empowerment of women entrepreneurs by building upon the strengths of both organizations.

The Coca-Cola Company's 5 BY 20 initiative seeks to enable the economic empowerment of 5 million women entrepreneurs across the Coca-Cola value chain by 2020. Specifically, the Company is developing and implementing programs to help break down barriers for women entrepreneurs in the small businesses that the Coca-Cola system touches. Examples of businesses include fruit farmers, shopkeepers, recycling collectors and artisans.

"We believe there is no better time to invest in women as engines of economic growth and sustainable development. Women are the fastest-growing economic force, and no business or economy will be able to grow without them," said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. "This partnership with UN Women, which leverages their extensive expertise, will greatly impact our efforts to enable the empowerment of women around the world."

UN Women's Strategic Plan lays out a range of initiatives that it will support, from promoting laws and policies that provide women protection and equal rights, to employment, income-generating opportunities and access to economic resources. UN Women is also encouraging companies to sign the Women's Empowerment Principles - Equality Means Business, a set of measures geared to promote women's empowerment in the workplace and marketplace.

Facebook’s Timeline, Gestures and Apps: What does it mean for brands?

It has been a week of suspense and speculation regarding changes to Facebook that began rolling out at the start of the week. At the F8 developer conference in San Francisco, the company revealed a new way to integrate applications that reproduce content without the user having to leave the site. We have also seen user profiles updated, new applications for playing music and watching video and social news apps.

Three of the main changes are Timeline, Apps and Gestures.

Gestures. Facebook believes that users are not entirely comfortable clicking ‘Like’. They think that more people will share more things if the button they click doesn’t imply personal endorsement. As Mashable points out, “More people will click a button that says they’ve ‘Listened’ to a song or ‘Watched’ a video, rather than simply liking it. From Facebook’s F8 conference onwards, developers will have the power to create their own actions/buttons.

The new Timeline pages allows a user to feature any content – videos, photos or other updates – in reverse chronological order. Timeline transforms the list of status messages and comments into a scrapbook of a user’s entire Facebook history. (But this doesn’t apply to branded pages).

As for the new Apps; Facebook’s new class of social applications include media-centric apps — music, movies, news, books and games — and what it calls lifestyle apps. Rather than just ‘liking’, the new category of applications will allow users to ‘read, watch and listen’ to the integrated media services. This means that you can listen to your favourite music while stalking people.

So what does this mean for brands?

Using the Gestures feature, brands can build their own customized buttons. Imagine a website with buttons like ‘Dare’, ‘Cheers’, ‘Fair dinkum’.

But the most immediate implications are for ads. Now that users can share what they are consuming (videos, news, music) through media partner applications, marketers can get mentions and give them wider distribution through sponsored stories – a new kind of behavioural advertising.

These apps present brands with a completely new way of targeting Facebookers. Depending on what sort of content users are consuming, ads can be filtered and served accordingly. For now, this new form of targeting will only be available through Facebook Ads’ API and its direct sales team. But I suspect that it’ll be rolled out for more advertisers very soon.

Other benefit includes: watching TV and movies, listening to music, and reading news with your friends—all this is now possible within Facebook due to its partnerships with different media companies, such as Spotify, Yahoo or Hulu. Posts can now be as long as 5,000 characters – ten times the previous maximum length, birthday reminders appear in the upper-right side, near where you see poke notifications, part or the entire navigation bar will remain on-screen even when you scroll down the page.

Increased users engagement means for Facebook only one thing—adding up to its revenue, which eMarketer predicts will clear $3.8 billion from advertising this year.

Wednesday 21 September 2011

Heineken Announces New Corporate Visual Identity

HEINEKEN is rolling out a new global company visual identity, making another move in the company’s renovation activities, which include the recent launch of the updated Heineken bottle and can design.

According to the press release, this change “reflects the significant transformation of the HEINEKEN business” over the last ten years. The globally recognized Dutch brewer, which operates 140 breweries in more than 70 countries, wanted its corporate logo to be distinguished from the visual identity of its flagship product, the iconic Heineken beer—so, starting September 19, the company name is typed with capital letters (HEINEKEN), while the logo design of its major beer brand remains the same (the name of the beer goes as ‘Heineken’).

Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO, Jean-François van Boxmeer, said “HEINEKEN has evolved significantly during the past ten years. Today, our company has the most global footprint of any brewer, we have a portfolio of more than 250 beer and cider brands and we employ more than 70,000 people. The new identity differentiates the company from the Heineken brand. In doing so it better reflects who we are today and the company we aim to be tomorrow."
Since December 2010, the company has also launched a series ?? hilarious adverts under the ‘Open your world’ tagline, kicked off the ‘Occasionally perfect’ promotion this summer and, as a long-term partner of the UEFA Champions League, started the ‘Legendary Football’ campaign last week.

Google+ Social Network Has Been Opened To The Public Today

Google's new Social Network called Google+ (Goole Plus) has been opened for everybody. After being invite-only for nearly three months, it moved from “field trial to beta, and introduce our 100th feature: open signups,” said Vic Gundotra, Google’s Senior Vice President of Engineering in the official company’s blog.

Other extras include screensharing with other users, the sketchpad for drawing or doodling together and Google Docs for common sharing. Search both on the web and in people’s profiles is also possible now, as Google has brought its search expertise to its social platform.
Google+ gained an extreme popularity when the service first launched in July and functioned only ‘on invitations’. The service attracted 20 million visitors in its first month, offering features that were not available on its biggest rival platform, Facebook. In comparison, Zuckerberg’s brainchild now has 750 million of users.

However, since then, Facebook has also launched a number of features that challenged Google’s offering. The leading social network improved Friend Lists and made changes to the News Feed, both of which equalize it with Google+, offering its Circles feature.

Facebook Upgrades News Feeds for Users Not to Miss Important Information

Facebook launched a series of changes to the its recently updated News Feed. It introduced a series of improvements designed to keep users always up to date on the important events in your friends’ lives. Now it’s possible even if you haven’t logged in for a few days.
The first change is about the possibility to see all the big events in your friends’ lives since your last log in. It doesn’t matter whether it’s been three minutes or three weeks. Facebook has removed the ‘Top Stories’ and ‘Most Recent’ links on the top of the News Feed and replaced it with a smarter feed that adjusts content based on the last time you checked it. It allows you keep an eye on the important relationship status changes, photos or big life events. The social network is also giving you the ability to tweak the top stories in your News Feeds by marking or unmarking updates as a ‘Top Story.’

“When you pick up a newspaper after not reading it for a week, the front page quickly clues you into the most interesting stories. News Feed will act more like your own personal newspaper,” says Mark Tonkelowitz, an engineering manager at Facebook in a blog post.

The second update regards photos and how they are displayed in the News Feed. Photos will be larger and more prominent.

Last week Facebook rolled out two big changes: a revamp of Friend Filters and the launch of the Subscribe Button. More news are surely to come this week during the f8 developer conference, where it is expected to unveil a music and media-sharing platform and even a major profile redesign.

Tuesday 20 September 2011

Durella becomes Chevalier Brand Ambassador

The 'Shayo' crooner, Oluwadamilare “Durella” Okulaja has become Brand Ambassador for Chevalier Brandy, an alcoholic drink from the stable of Grand Oak Limited during a glamorous launch of the brand recently at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Lagos.

The managing Director, Grand Oak Limited, Manufacturers of the drink, Fatai Odesile, says the brandy is targeted at upwardly mobile young men and women, a class, which Durella purportedly represents.
Odesile Further says, “The repackaged Chevalier brandy now comes in a squat balance handy romantic bottle with a Light brown and beautifully designed pack with some of the finest natural ingredients and distillation process.

In his reaction to the endorsement deal, Durella says, “I always take Chevalier whenever I need to be in the mood”. He notes further that while growing up, his grandfather used to take the drink to seduce his grandmother.

Winner of the 2008 MTV and Zain Advance warning contest, Durella has continued to establish himself as a singer to watch and court but the similarities in style, mannerism and voice he shares with D’banj have ensured he remains the shadow of the latter.

Product Repackaging: How Does It Affect Brand Patronage?

According to brand scholars, repackaging is one of the indispensable marketing promotion lifelines for the sustainability of any competitive-driven product. It is a tool, consistently explored by multi-billion dollars conglomerates to sustain there brands’ irresistible appeal to consumers.

Since a brand’s packaging is its most enduring and accessible brand communication vehicle, it is important that a repackaging campaign conveys the brand experience through innovation and novelty. While it is important to keep the brand packaging fresh, appealing and relevant to the customer, the brand’s heritage should be fully leveraged upon while revitalizing the packaging process.
Ribena the nutritional health drink rich in Vitamin C from GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria Plc was repackaged into a Ready-to-drink PET bottle. This, the brand custodians did to strengthen the connection between it and her teeming consumers.

Consumer attitude was also superior when the offering was presented in an appealing packaging. It has been discovered that exposure to attractive packaging elicits a positive response towards an offering because of the beautiful is good stereotype that permeates everyday thinking while Cadbury Nigeria Plc also recently repackaged it beverage, Bournvita.

Lending credence to the indispensability of brand repackaging for sustained patronage, a Lagos-based Human Resources Consultant, Sochi Ezinne, said attractively re-packaged brands could be interchangeably taken for credible content. According to her: “I am likely to pick the fancier one, or the cookies pack with nicer pictures of the cookies on it because it looks more mouth watering in the picture. So, I, as a consumer, will go for the brand that considers it attraction a priority.”

Cannes Lions Rewinds Recognises Ads Industry Leaders

The Registrar and CEO of the Advertising Practitioner’s Council of Nigeria, Alhaji Garba Kankarofi, the managing director DDB Lagos as well as the managing director, MediaReach OMD, were recognized during the 2011 edition of the Cannes Lions Rewinds, which took place in Lagos last Monday. They were reognised for their contributions to the development of future creative leaders in the industry using the platform of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The CEO of APCON was honored for the council’s role in organizing the selection of students from tertiary institutions for the Roger Hatchuel Academy and sponsoring the winner to the Festival. DDB managing director was recognized for his role in training creative young people, ensuring that his agency produces a team annually to represent Nigeria in youth competitions in Cannes. DDB is also the only agency that has produced a Young Lions Cyber team to represent Nigeria in Cannes. The Managing Director of MediaReach OMD was commended for his company’s role in training young professionals, running an in-house academy and ensuring that the best of the academy compete to represent Nigeria in Cannes annually in the Young Lions Media Competition category.

In a personal letter written to the awardees recently, the Cannes Lions chairman, Terry Savage said: “I offer this letter in recognition of the work you have done and the commitment you have shown in lifting the profile of creativity in your country specifically by working with Chini Productions in advancing the profile of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in Nigeria.

“It is efforts such as yours that will eventually see the level of creative excellence in your country rise and of course this will result in someone standing on stage from your country picking up its first ever Lion.”

The event was attended by a large number of advertising professionals from across the industry. Advertising agencies whose representatives were present include Capital Media, DDB Lagos, EXP Marketing, Insight Communications, Lowe Lintas, MediaReach OMD, Noah’s Ark, Novelpotta, 141 Worldwide, PrimaGarnet, Rosabel Leo Burnett, SO&U Saatchi & Saatchi, STB McCann, TBWA, Verdant Zeal and many more.

Monday 19 September 2011

Starcomms Introduces Student, Weekend Data Plans

As part of its plan to continuously provide innovative packages for its teeming customers, Starcomms Plc. has introduced an exciting student data plan as well as a weekend data plan offer.

The student data plan will save the customer the sum of N3, 000 from the original cost of procuring a modem and one month internet access. The objective of this is to confirm Starcomms’ commitment to availing Nigerian students unlimited internet access to aid their research.

According to the company, the student data plan would serve as a ‘welcome back to school offer’ for students while the weekend data plan is a competitive data tariff plan only for the weekend, and it is meant for customers who want to make the most of the weekend surfing.

The student data plan offer comprises USB plus 2 GB data plan valid for 30 days at a price of N8, 999. Before a student can acquire this data plan, there will be verification of such student’s identity card, and once this is verified, the SIM registration would be done immediately and only available to students who possess a student ID card, only one unit of sale will be allowed per student, decrying any attempt to engage in multiple sales.

The weekend data plan comprises of a ZTE USB MODEM + Weekend Plan, which will be valid for 30days at a price of N9, 999 while the weekend renewal plan will also be valid for 30 days at N4, 999.

The leading CDMA giant also stated that the weekend plan is aimed at new subscribers, especially the segment of consumers that may have full internet in the office during the week but will also need the internet during the weekends, adding that, this plan is only valid for 30days, and it is renewable by sending *253*data device number*1234# to 37938 for IZAP Or *153*data device number*1234# to 37938 for 1X .

Tantalizers, NGC Introduces “Rain of Gifts” promo

As part of its ways to further identify with its teeming loyal customers, Nigeria’s foremost Quick Service Restaurant, Tantalizers Plc in collaboration Nigerian-German Chemicals (NGC) Plc introduces “Rain of Gifts” promo.

The promo which begins on September 12 will run till November 2011. It offer a variety of gift items to patrons of the reputable quick service restaurant, who buy meals worth between N750 and N5,000 or above with any of NGC’s brand of beverages.

Some of the gift items to be won instantly upon purchase of such meals are branded T-shirts, football, umbrella, fez cap, free meals, air fresheners, note pads, and wristband.

Having gotten clearance from the regulatory authorities including the Consumer Protection Council , the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), among others, the eatery which is listed in the Nigeria Stock Exchange said it was one of the measures adopted by both firms to reward their loyal customers over time and aimed at giving their teeming customers value for money and ultimately to re-emphasize the brands’ passion for ensuring total customer delight.

NGC’s products on offer in the promo at all Tantalizers’ outlets are Sparwasser table water, Sparwasser sparkling flavour drink and Vimto sparkling fruit drink. Stating that the partnership with NGC, would be beneficial to the two firms and their customers because first class range of products and services are being offered to patrons of Tantalizers across the country.

Diamond Bank to reward more customers in SavingXtra Season 4

One of the leading new generation banks in the country, Diamond Bank Plc has upped rewards for its customers in the season four of its SavingsXtra Reward Scheme promo from N500 million in season three last year to a heartbreaking N606.5 million this year.

A total of 753 lucky customers will benefit through the weekly, monthly and three special draws. Speaking with the media during the unveiling of the season four in Lagos, the bank stated that 15 winners will emerge every week, and three winners monthly.

Out of the 15 weekly winners, one lucky winner will get N1 million, 10 will get N500,000 each and four will get N250,000. For the three monthly winners, one will get salary for life (N100,000 monthly for twenty years), one lucky winner will get N5 million and the one will get N2.5 million.
He said this season will commence with the special Diamond Bank’s 20th Anniversary/Independence Draw on September 30, and 20 lucky customers will win N1 million each.

The other special draws include; December 30, to usher in the new year where 50 lucky customers will win N1 million each, while the special half year draw on June 29, 2012 will also reward 50 lucky customers with N1 million each.

Thursday 15 September 2011

Twitter Launches Web Analytics Tool, Change Its Advertising Policy

Twitter has allowed brands to insert ads into the timelines of non-followers to increase advertiser reach. With this step, Twitter is developing the Promoted Tweets platform, which was launched in 2010 but until now has restricted each advertiser’s potential reach to consumers who have followed the brand.

According to report from Popsop, the restriction was a reason for a low revenue growth. But now advertisers will be able to target users who Twitter decides have matching interests to their existing followers.

“Of this group, we will only show Promoted Tweets to people from advertisers relevant to their interests,” a Twitter representative said in a statement. “We are carefully measuring how users respond to and engage with these Tweets; based on this response, we will roll this capability out to a wider audience in the coming months.”

The first advertisers to try the new platform are MovieTickets.com, Disney, Yahoo, Lionsgate, and AMC Theaters. Non-media brands include American Express, Sephora, and Red Bull.

Another highlight presented also yesterday is Twitter Web Analytics, a new tool aimed to help clarify the information on content distribution for website owners relying on the information network, says Clicz. Twitter launched the Web Analytics tool powered by BackType, its social analytics company, to give website owners more data on the effectiveness of their Twitter integrations. With help of new tool users will be able to understand how much of their content is being shared on Twitter, how much traffic Twitter is sending their way and how well Tweet Buttons are performing.

In August, Twitter rolled out another users attracting feature called User Galleries. Late last week Twitter announced it has crossed 100 million monthly active users around the world, who collectively author and/or retweet 230 million messages a day.

Life Inside MDA 5 Academy

The much anticipated, biggest ever Maltina Dance All 5, kicked off on a very high note on September 4 with 15 families selected from across the regions having to go through the MDA boot camp. The camp saw the 15 families go through intense and grueling exercise sessions over a period of time. They were also tutored in different dance styles by seasoned professional dance directors.
After the rigours of the booth camp, the 15 families went up against each other to vie for the 10 available slots in the Academy. The first performance and eviction show to determine the families that would make it to the famed MDA Academy was declared open by the gorgeous compeer, Kemi Adetiba.
The Ukadike family opened the show exhibiting their dancing skills, soon the Omukoyem family followed suit and so did the Edoho, Ekubo, Ojueromi, Owolabi, Efe, Dare, Anigbogu, Obi, Ngwu, Utogo, Anosike, Adekpe and Chidi families in that order.
The families entertained with their performances to the extent that the three Judges in the persons of Janell Burgess, Michael Adegoke and Muyiwa Oshinaike, found it a herculean task selecting the 10 families that would be admitted into the Academy. Eventually the 10 families that were selected are; the Ekubo, Efe, Edoho, Ngwu, Chidi, Anibogu, Utogo, Dare, Adekpe and Owolabi families. The 5 families who did not make it into the Academy were; the Ojueromi, Anosike, Omukoyem, Obi and Ukadike.
The 10 families that made it were immediately absorbed into the Academy and were subsequently introduced to the “Wazobia” dance style (contemporary Nigerian dance style).
After undergoing series of rigorous rehearsals, the 10 families went through a balloting process to choose themes and tracks for the “Wazobia” dance and were thus ready for their first performance in the Academy. The Anigbogu family was the first family to hit the stage with the “Hausa Farmers dance” followed by the Edoho, Ekubo, Chidi, Owolabi, Dare, Efe, Adekpe, Ngwu and Utogo families respectively in that order.
The family representatives got together in the evening and battled it out in the “thug of war” game. The female contestants gave their male counterpart a good contest, but the male team won the game in the end.

Mothers were not left out as they also engaged in a Fashion parade. They hit the runway in colourful attires to the amazement of everyone. Fathers also had their own share of the fun as they came up with surprising ideas to entertain the families at the “Daddy’s talent show”.

With three families; Chidi, Efe and Edoho already up for possible eviction after the “Wazobia” performance, the tension in the academy was palpable. The families had rehearsed thoroughly for the Salsa competition and were ready to show the Judges the stuff they were made of. The stage was enlivened by the Utogo family followed by Ngwu, Adekpe, Chidi, Ekubo, Anibogu, Dare, Edoho and Owolabi families.

With the number of families up for eviction rising to 5, it therefore beckoned on them to try and perfect their routines and prove to the judges that they had what it takes to remain in the MDA Academy at the first eviction show performance. The eviction show involved the 5 families presenting the Wazobia and Salsa dance styles. The first dance category at the eviction show was the Wazobia dance and it was opened by an entertaining performance by the Utogo family and subsequently followed by the Efe, Chidi, Edoho and Anibogu families respectively.
At the end, after much deliberation, the judges unanimously decided that, the Anibogu and Chidi families fell short of demonstrating what it would take to progress further in the academy and were therefore evicted from the MDA Academy.

Starcomms Launches S-Credit Service, Reduces Net-call Tariff to N5

Leading Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operator in Nigeria, Starcomms Plc has launched another value added service called S-Credit, a service that is designed to ease subscribers of the problems associated with recharge card purchase and distribution, especially when there is need for emergency calls, and access to recharge cards is difficult or impossible.

According to the company, the S-Credit service, otherwise known as bridging credit, allows pre-paid subscribers a post-paid lifestyle where airtime can be accessed at critical times and will be paid back the next time a customer recharges.

With S-Credit, customers can top up their airtime 24/7, make calls at critical periods and can also initiate calls even when their balance is zero naira. This allows the customers to do more with their mobile phones while alleviating credit downtime at critical periods.

Recently, the company introduced Awuff and Awuff Plus, giving its customers a reduced on-net tarrif of N5.00 per minute on pre-paid, Virtual Private Network (VPN) and post-paid for a period of one month following the successful outcome.

The new tarrif of N5.00 per minute represents a drop of 44.4 per cent on the existing tarrif on net-calls of 15K per second. The new tarrif would be applicable on all tariffs and customer base that is VPN, post-paid, Telemax and Awuff.

Puma signs Man City striker Sergio Aguero

Sportswear brand Puma has signed a long-term sponsorship contract with Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero as it looks to steal share from Adidas and Nike in the lucrative football market.
According to a report from MarketingWeek, Aguero will become a "central" figure in Puma's forthcoming global marketing campaigns for the coming years. The Argentinean international will also wear Puma's line of football boots for a long-term period, beginning with the Speed v1.11. The value and length of the deal was not revealed.

Aguero signed for Manchester City from Athletico Madrid for £38m, a record signing for the club whose previous highest transfer fee had been £32.5m for Brazilian striker Robihno in 2008.
Christian Voigt, senior head of global sports marketing at Puma, says: "Signing a player of his status and reputation is another important step in the implementation of our football strategy."
Puma is a shirt sponsor for Tottenham Hotspur and the Italian national football team and also has a deal with former Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o, who now plays for Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt signed the "biggest ever sponsorship deal in athletics history" with Puma in 2010, thought to be worth more than £20m.

Fanta Ends Mini Car Activation with Excitement

After several weeks of exciting and exhilarating treat, the mini car activation from the number one orange flavour drink in the world, manufactured by Coca-Cola Company, Fanta has finally come to an end in style; given the final winner, Abiola Abdul-Rahman a treat which he described as 'special and memorable experience'.

The 18 years old, who recently completed his secondary school education at Adebayo Mokuolu College at Ogba, Lagos emerged as the final winner recently. Abiola said he heard about the activation through a flier and decided to give it a try. Fortunately for him, he emerged as the final winner after inviting 45 friends to the 'Fanta Play Zone' page on social network site, Facebook.

Pictures of other winners:
Abdullahi Jubrilla, 2nd winner Abuja
Bridget Biem, 1st winner Abuja
Iliasu David, 6th winner, Lagos
Merlin Caren Cue and friends