P&G, Awesome Communications’ forum educates women in Marketing Profession

Women in marketing profession in Nigeria have been advised to give due priority to networking if they really want to succeed in their career. The former Managing Director of Africa Magic and Principal Partner of Biola Alabi Media, Mrs Biola Alabi gave the advice at the maiden edition of Women in Marketing Conference & Awards (WIMCA).

The event, which held at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos was sponsored by the World’s leading fast moving consumer packaged goods (FMCG) manufacturers, Procter & Gamble (P&G) Nigeria Limited in conjunction with Awesome Communications.

Mrs Alabi said for any woman in the marketing profession to succeed, the person must pay due attention to three basic principles - networking, courage/boldness and focus. According to her, these are ingredients aspiring woman-marketers must imbibe as innate character if they must succeed.

“Networking is one of the most important things in this industry. If you can’t network, you can’t be in this industry. You must find a way to build your own circle of friends; you must build your own support group. Nobody is going to do it for you,” she said.

She added that self development through reading, learning from others and being adventurous with knowledge acquisition are also essential prerequisites to attaining success in the industry. “You have to read any and every available materials relating to the industry. You have to pick interest in every marketing event in and around your world to keep yourself up to date always in order to be on top of your game; you have to learn. There is no other way to it”, she stated.

Mrs Alabi also advised participants at the occasion to remain focused and be courageous enough to tell their stories themselves. “We cannot afford to always take the back seat. Nobody will tell your story better than you will. And as I said, always focus on your mission and what you are doing,” she added.

Similarly, the Associate Director, Brand Operations of Procter & Gamble (P&G) Nigeria Ltd., Mrs. Ehinomen Enekabor, explained that the main goal of P&G is to alleviate the pains of members of its host communities, particularly women and children. She therefore described women as essential actors in social life adding that smart marketers across the world usually target their communication and marketing messages towards the womenfolk. “Eight out of ten purchase decisions in every home today are made by women. It then follows that women are the centre-point of marketing and marketing communications today. If you are smart with you marketing plans and strategy, then you must target your ads and communication messages towards women. At P&G Nigeria, this has also greatly influenced our communications plans and strategy,” she disclosed.

According to her, P&G was happy to collaborate with the organisers of the event, particularly as it addressed some of the pressing challenges facing women in marketing business and in marketing profession in Nigeria. “As a company, it has always been our pleasure to alleviate the pains of the inhabitants of our host communities, particularly as it concerns women and children,” she said.
Other participants at the event include: Sir Steve Omojafor, Chairman of Zenith International Bank; Idorenyen Enang, Managing Director, L’Oreal West Africa; Mrs. Bunmi Oke, immediate past President of AAAN; Mr. Kola Oyeyemi, General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN Nigeria; and Mr. Onyekachi Onubogu, Executive Director, Commercial, Promasidor Nigeria Limited.