MasterCard to bring UEFA Champions League to Nigeria

MasterCard, a proud Official Sponsor of the UEFA Champions League, is running a spectacular competition that will bring all the action and excitement of the UEFA Champions League right into the heart of Nigeria.

According to a release by the brand, its teeming customers that uses either Debit MasterCard or MasterCard Verve could win tickets to watch the UEFA Champions League 2012 Final, live in Munich, Germany.

There are also 800 second prizes for tickets to watch the final in our exclusive VIP UEFA Fan Park in Lagos where its customers can catch the Final and soak up all the Champions League action.

The participating banks are Guaranty Trust Bank, Zenith Bank Plc, Skye Bank, United Bank of Africa, First Bank, Wema Bank, StanBic, Unity Bank.

This Competition commences on 1 March 2012 and closes on the 14 May 2012.

Entry to this Competition is open to all persons over the age of 18, being resident in Nigeria, and holding a valid Participating Bank-issued MasterCard card.

Entry to the Competition is made via MasterCard card usage - the more customers use thier MasterCard card, including MasterCard Debit or Verve cards, the more chances they have of winning.

By entering the Competition, participants agree to receive additional communications via SMS from MasterCard and the Participating Banks.

Participants are automatically entered in the Competition upon purchasing or making ATM cash withdrawals (in Nigeria or abroad) during the Competition Period, but only if such transactions or withdrawals utilise or pass through the MasterCard system and a MasterCard card was used to facilitate the transactions or withdrawals.

The first three cardholders who record the highest value of transactions or withdrawals during the Competition Period, will each be awarded a 'Grand Prize' being a single ticket to attend the UEFA Champions League Final 2011/2012, a travel package for two people including return business class flights between Nigeria and Germany, accommodation for three nights at a three or four star hotel in Munich and return airport and stadium transfers.

Grand Prizes are subject to change at MasterCard's sole discretion. All other expenses will be paid by the Grand Prize winners. All winners must have a valid visa for travel to Germany. MasterCard will not offer compensation in the event that a winner is not granted a visa to travel. MasterCard reserves the right to transfer the Grand Prize in the event that a winner is unable to travel.

The next 797 MasterCard cardholders who record the highest value of transactions or withdrawals during the Competition Period, will be awarded a 'Prize' (being a ticket for two people, the winner and a guest, to attend a restricted access event at the Eko Hotel and Conference Centre on 19 May 2012 to watch the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final.

Prize winners will be notified via SMS (to the mobile number in the Participating Bank's records) before 19 May 2012. The SMS will constitute the invitation the Event and must be retained by the Prize winner. The SMS will ask each Prize winner to reply "YES" to accept the invitation. Guests will be verified on the door on the evening of the Event.

NIPR Ogun State Chapter Holds Annual General Meeting

In an attempt to continuously treat the profession challenges and prospect in the State, Ogun state chapter of Nigeria Institute of Public Relations recent held its 2012 general meetings tagged: 'Sustaining political goodwill for credible governance in Nigeria: challenge and prospect'.

The guest speaker, Prof. Lai Osho, stated that political goodwill is needed for governance to work. He asserted that for government to enjoy the goodwill of the society there must be adherence to social contract which he reiterated as being the binding force between the government and its citizenry.

Speaking further, he said: "There is no way we can sustain public goodwill without recourse to good political leadership". He maintained that for goodwill to be achieved, effort must be made by government officials to perform better. He criticized the social-ills like regional violence and grievances; "if the rich would not allow the poor to eat, then the poor would not allow them to sleep at night" he quipped.

The event witnessed the presence of the bigwigs in the profession in the state such as NIPR State Chairman, Mr. Femi Dokunmu, General Manager, Ogun State Broadcasting Corperation (OGBC), Rev. Tunde Awolana, Head of Mass Communication Department, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Alhaji Goke Raufu; Mr. Fatai Opebiyi, Permanent Secretary Ogun State Ministry of Information and Strategy among other personalities.

Glo Rocks Lisabi Festival with Rock'n'Rule

As part of its support to culture and tradition in the country, Telecommunication Company, Glo has showed its commitment once again with the sponsorship of Lisabi Festival, a cultural festival in the ancient city of Abeokuta, Ogun state.

The festive event which last for a week will today feature some A list artiste in the country such as Sound Sultan, Wande Coal, Terry G, Goldie, Eedris AbdulKareem, Davido, DJ Jimmy Jatt among others at June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto Abeokuta.

The event will also hold Miss Lisabi Beauty Contest in which the winner will cart away with mouth-watering prizes.

An unscratched N500 recharge card will admit interested audience into the venue. Cards will be perforated at the venue and returned to holders.

HP Introduces World’s First 27-inch All-in-One Workstation

HP has unveiled the world’s first all-in-one workstation with a 68.6 cm (27”) diagonal display. Designed like no other, the display of the new HP Z1 Workstation snaps open so users can easily swap out parts and make upgrades without any tools required. The new HP Z1 Workstation is expected to be available in Nigeria in April.

The HP Z1 combines a sleek industrial design with accelerated performance featuring Intel Xeon processors, NVIDIA Quadro graphics, support for more than 1 billion colors and HP’s world-class reliability. Built for computer-aided design, digital media, entertainment, architects, education and independent professionals, the HP Z1 provides blazingly fast rendering and performance. It offers a full range of workstation-class graphics cards and processors, and is thoroughly tested and certified to work with today’s leading industry applications.

Whether it’s an engineer creating 3-D components, an architect designing buildings, a videographer editing event footage or photographer finishing photo shots, the HP Z1 gives creative professionals the power they need to bring ideas to life faster.

“The revolutionary HP Z1 creates a new category of workstations elevating the standard for design, performance, upgradability and serviceability,” said Fulvio Dona, HP Workstation Category Manager. “With its game-changing design and an experience that optimizes visual and computing performance, the HP Z1 will help attract new customers and expand our market leadership.”

Workstation performance without compromise. It features professional NVIDIA Quadro graphics, ECC memory, quad-core Intel Xeon processors, independent software vendor solutions and whisper-quiet acoustics. Tool-less chassis: Users can easily add a hard drive, upgrade memory or access the graphics card by snapping open the chassis to swap out parts. Workstation-class storage: Users can choose from a variety of storage types, including 7.2K and 10K SATA, SSD, optional RAID configurations, a multiformat media card reader and optical drives.

Have face-to-face meetings and see every detail right down to the twinkle of an eye. Also captures HD-quality video, front-facing dual-cone speakers and SRS Premium Sound offer high-fidelity audio, 68.6 cm (27”) LED-backlit display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 supports more than 1 billion colors and features a wide, 178-degree viewing angle and an in-plane switching (IPS) panel etc.

Registration for Cowbell Maths Competition First Stage Exam begins

Students of junior and senior secondary schools across the country have been urged to commence registration for the first stage examinations of the 2012 Cowbell National Secondary School Mathematics Competition (NASSMAC). The call was made in Lagos by the Marketing Director of Promasidor Nigeria Limited, makers of Cowbell milk, Mr. Kachi Onubogu, stressing that the competition is open to all students between 10 – 18 years of age in JSS3 and SSS2 attending full time secondary education in government approved schools in Nigeria.

According to Onubogu, the best three students in both categories, i.e. junior and senior would represent each school for this year’s edition, noting that the schools can collect their registration form from Promasidor Head office / depots across Nigeria, all state ministries of education, Neo Media and Marketing Limited and can be downloaded online at www.promasidor-ng.com

The forms must be properly filled, stamped and signed by the school principal and presented by the student to the officials at the examination centre on the examination day and entry into the competition is absolutely free.

The first stage examination will hold on Saturday March 17, 2012 in 200 centres across Nigeria and details of the 200 centres will be stated in newspapers. The examination will be supervised by officials of the State Ministry of Education and Promasidor personnel in all the centres.

Students, teachers and head teachers are required to check their examination results on the company’s website: www.promasidor-ng.com as from Wednesday, May 23, 2012.

Students with the highest scores in both the junior and the senior categories from each state will be invited for the second and final stage examination from where the national prize winners shall emerge. The best three students in each category at the state level will receive the following cash prizes for their outstanding performance at the first stage examination: first prize N25,000, second prize N20,000 and third prize N15,000.

In addition, the winners will receive branded gift items like school bags, T-shirts, pens, notebooks and certificates of recognition. The mathematics teachers of the winning students will not be left out. A cash award of N15,000 each will be given to teachers of the first prize winners in each state for both senior and junior categories.

The NASSMAC has been approved by the Federal Ministry of Education. The Cowbell NASSMAC started in 1998 with the aim of helping students to demystify mathematics. The competition creates a credible platform for identification and celebration of outstanding students and recognition of exceptional ability.

The competition has become a reference point in Educational CSR in Nigeria and over the years, however, the coverage of the competition especially in the print media has been perceived as conservative.

Bank Mergers: Some Customers Remain Reluctant to Bank

Despite continues marketing communication strategies applied by bank brands who recently acquired their competitors, some customers still remain skeptical and reluctant to operate their bank account of the acquired banks.

Investigations carried out by BrandArena revealed that some of the customers are worried about the lack of stability of the bank brands, banking policies among other challenges facing the sector generally.

According to Lekan Agbede, a Businessman, the acquisition of Intercontinental Bank by Access Bank still remains a nightmare to him. His words: “I was out of the country when I heard from some of my clients that Access Bank had acquired Intercontinental Bank. I have been operating my Intercontinental since it commenced service and I am still skeptical about operating the account anymore because I know little about their Access Bank before now.”

A lady who craved anonymous asserted that she has been having some challenges cashing a Intercontinental Bank cheque at Access Bank branches in Abeokuta. The depressed lady revealed: “I have been trying to cash a cheque in order to pay for my apartment but it’s been challenging to get the money. It’s quite frustrating. ”
Olufemi Amoo, a student said: “Operating my Intercontinental bank account since the acquisition saga is not quite encouraging considering the pathetic delay in all transactions. For example I have requested for an ATM card getting to four weeks now but I have not been able to get it till this very moment. Now that Access bank has finally taken over, the transaction situation is deteriorating.”

Speaking further, he said: “To me, this is a ridiculous excuse; a customer that makes huge daily transactions feels the heat of these acquisitions more. I believe that the two banks like others ought to understand that many people in the country survive on their daily bank transaction activities.”

Felicia Amusan, a Businesswoman said: “I think its tiring to see the banking sector experiencing these again. I never envisaged that Oceanic Bank will be no more. I am yet to decide to keep operating my account or open a new account in one of the consistent banks around my area”.

A customer of Oceanic Bank, who simply identified himself, has Francis also expressed his hesitant: “I just hope Ecobank has not bitten more than it can chew. Two customers had to exchange blows on the queue due to stress, tension and exhaustion. Really my experience that day was bad but I think the situation is gradually changing.”

Felix Emeka, a Trader claimed that he has decided to invest his money into real estate and properties because he is skeptical about the instability of banks. “I’m always worried when ever my bank has to merge. In the past, I have had such experience and I end up leaving those accounts; this time I have decided to go into real state and property acquisition” he stated.

Like Emeka, Stella Bamidele also revealed that she now use her money for business because she had to closed down her banks account due to poor customer relations she had experience in bank merge in the past. She asserted that, the Central Bank of Nigeria should try to unsure that the sector is consistent and help with policies that will help the poor man on the street.

Economics Analyst, Fagbemi Daniel, believes the integration in the sector in recent years have brought more development economically and can only continue to get better. He maintained that though the some banks are still struggling but will over some their challenges over time. “Nigerians are some time reluctant to accept certain socio-economic change. It is natural for an average trader who only goes to the bank to save his or her little money, to wonder what the merge is all about again. It is a good development that will favour our economy in a long run,” he said.

Etisalat Rewards Outstanding Distributors at Heroes Awards

In a bid to continuously appreciate its outstanding Distribution Partner in Nigeria, Telecomm. Company, Etisalat, once again put a smile on the faces of its Distributors by gaving out awards and prizes at an awards dinner held at Oriental Hotel, Lekki Lagos, recently.

The yearly event which is known as the Etisalat Heroes Awards is an avenue to express appreciation for their support over the past year and also reward the best performing Distribution Partners who contributed to the growth and business success of the Etisalat brand in Nigeria.

According to the Company, year 2011 was an eventful and fruitful year for the brand, stating that its business increased from a subscriber base of about 6.8 million at the beginning of the year to a closing figure of 10.8 million subscribers at the end of December 2011. “None of these would have happened without the hard work, enterprise and good business acumen of you our valued partners”, it stated.

Partners were rewarded in nine categories namely; Distribution Partner with Highest SIM Activations; Best E-Top Up Distributor; Best Trade Key Account; Distribution Partner with Highest Airtime Sales; Best Data Distributor; Distribution Partner with Best Dedicated Outlet; Distribution Partner with Highest SIM Registrations; Distribution Partner with Highest Dealership Growth and Distribution Partner with Best Overall Performance.

The winning partners were presented with glittering plaques, certificates and prizes ranging from exotic cars – Mitsubishi Pajero and Toyota Prado – to trade utility vehicles, refrigerators, inverters, laptops, heavy duty generators, solar notebooks, among others.

Adidas names 2013 Africa Cup of Nations ball

Adidas has announced the official match-ball name for 2013 African Nations Cup tournament, which South Africa will host. The ball that will be used in South Africa has been named the Adidas Katlego, and will be the fourth consecutive sponsorship of the Afcon official match ball.

Katlego, which over a three-week period beat alternate names khanya (which means light) and motswako (which means mixture/medley) as the official match-ball name, was chosen by African football fans – via an online competition – across the continent.

It will be Adidas’ fourth consecutive sponsorship of the Afcon official match ball.

“Adidas is proud to be at the helm of the production and the naming of yet one more South African-inspired official match-ball following the resounding successes of both the Kopanya and Jabulani balls, which were launched for the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup and the 2010 Fifa World Cup respectively,” Zobuzwe Ngobese, PR manager at Adidas South Africa, told Kickoff.com.

“This will be adidas’ fourth official match-ball for the Afcon since its partnership with the federation in 2008.” The overall design and the technology utilised in the making of Katlego will be officially unveiled in October 2012.

“We are confident the 2013 Afcon tournament will be a resounding success as the name of the official match ball suggests,” added Ngobese. South Africa will host the biennial competition in place of Libya, which is experiencing political problems.

Heineken to Sponsor 5 Consumers for Champions League final

As part of its promise to provide an enduring consumer experience to UEFA Champion’s league followers in Nigeria, Heineken, a premium brand from the stable of Nigerian Breweries has announced its plan to sponsor five lucky Nigerian Heineken consuming football fans to this year’s final in Germany.

The winners will enjoy an all expense paid trip to witness the final match of the UEFA Champions League at the Alianze Arena, Germany on May 19, 2012.

During a press briefing held in Lagos recently at the premium Heineken Champions Planet, the brand outlined several exciting programmes to give its consumers a premium experience. These programmes includes among others, the StarPlayer game, an innovative interactive digital game to further engage all visitors while matches are in progress.

All Heineken consumers in Nigeria stand a chance to be part of the exclusive experience at the Heineken Champions Planet. In premium bar spots across the country, invitations for the Heineken Champions Planet, UCL devices other high value gifts can be won by our loyal Heineken consumers. More so, quizzes will be held at half-time during live UCL match nights on AIT and at the Heineken Facebook page where invitations and prizes can be won.

According to the brand, the pleasure and stimulation of the competition will not be limited to the Champions Planet alone but also bring all the matches to Nigerians through a terrestrial TV sponsorship.

All the excitement happening at the Heineken Champions Planet will be shared across the nation through episodes during the UCL match nights on terrestrial and cable TV.
Heineken Champions Planet has incorporated the brand’s innovative interactive digital game, StarPlayer, in a demo room on the first floor. The game will offer the users the chance to further enhance their UEFA Champions League viewing experience by trying to anticipate what will happen next in a particular game in order to score points and will be running a number of leagues throughout the season with exclusive prizes on offer to winning players.

Samsung Challenging iTunes U with Galaxy Learning Hub

Samsung Korea has introduced it is to roll out a new learning platform for its Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9. The Learning Hub platform will offer educational content including 6,000 textbooks and videos from 30 different education service providers.

According to a release by the company, the Hub training platform from Samsung featuring the first 30 major domestic and international education as a service provider in partnership with 6,000 U / is expected to provide free content. In addition, a variety of multimedia teaching and learning along with the hub.

Problem solving through interactive materials, automatic scoring, incorrect notes, such as learning management capabilities to support a self-guided learning environment.

In Korea, elementary education textbooks genius / lectures, emergency education and secondary materials of Vita Edu / Teaching, YBM language textbook / lecture, edyuwil. Certification courses, lectures, etc. hyunet literacy to adults of all ages from elementary school to learn a variety of education is planning to offer content.

Tablets, smart phones, mobile learning, such as eco-system: Learning Hub gaelreoksitaep 10.1 and gaelreoksitaep 8.9 LTE in tablet applications, such as Smart Edu or samseongaepseu through you will be able to download and use.

"Samsung smartphones such as the future in order to support the terminal will expand. Running through the hub, as well as a small training companies, private operators can anyone provide educational content that will help enable mobile learning market is expected".

"On the other hand, MWC 2012, as demonstrated in the booth decorated like a real classroom receiving instruction through learning hub so you can enjoy the same user will experience", it reads.

Interbrand Releases 2012 Best Retail Brands Report

Interbrand, the world’s leading brand consultancy has released its 2nd annual global report dedicated to the retail sector. The Best Retail Brands report ranks the top 50 U.S. retail brands by brand value, as well as the top retail brands from the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, and the Asia Pacific region.

The U.S. brands are valued for the fourth time in collaboration with Interbrand Design Forum, Interbrand’s retail experience group. Findings show that U.S. retailers are continuing on a path of steady growth, with online retail spending making up to almost 9 percent of all U.S. retail sales, a jump from 7 percent from 2011.

Interbrand is one of the world’s largest branding consultancies. With nearly 40 offices in 25 countries, Interbrand’s combination of rigorous strategy, analytics and world-class design enables it to assist clients in creating and managing brand value effectively across all touchpoints in all market dynamics.

Looking beyond the U.S. list, Tesco (UK), Carrefour (France), Aldi (Germany), Zara (Spain), and Woolworths (Asia Pacific) are ranked as the number one retailer in their respective markets—all holding their top spots from 2011. Across Europe, leading retailers are gaining a competitive edge and winning customers by investing in new omnichannel strategies and in the overall in-store brand experience. In Asia, retailers are placing a renewed focus on quality, personalization, and after-sales services in an effort to rebuild and bolster consumer confidence following the natural disasters and economic turmoil that plagued the region in the past year.

Retail is a highly competitive marketplace. Consumer spending is scattered due to the myriad ways of making purchases. Manufacturers are becoming retailers, and new rivals - often in the form of both small companies and international players entering new territories - are continuing to fragment the market. In such a climate, every customer interaction becomes crucial.

“Today’s retailers have entered an era of infinite competition,” said Jez Frampton, Global Chief Executive of Interbrand. “These Best Retail Brands understand that every channel matters in the new landscape – and prove that though a multichannel approach is certainly more complex, if done strategically, it pays off.”

Brand-led companies are proving to be resilient by continuing to bolster their digital experience, while simultaneously finding new ways to reinvigorate the in-store brand experience. “One of the most compelling lessons from the list is that the best brands didn’t stand idly by, waiting for further signs of recovery. They contributed to it by anticipating their customer’s desire to return – not to shopping as usual – but to something better,” said Bruce Dybvad, CEO of Interbrand Design Forum. “For the most part, companies have invested in better store experiences and put more capabilities into the hands of their shoppers.”

image source: interbrand.com

Africa's own Social Network ready to Soar

Africa's home-grown social networking site, Yookos, was unveiled in Lagos, yesterday - and it's ready to grab the hearts of Africans in the continent and in diaspora by offering a value-based platform that talks directly to African issues.

Yookos - for You Own Your Cosmos - has been flying under the radar for the past year while it readies itself for launch, and Chief Executive Officer, Tomisin Fashina believes the market is ripe for the new entrant.

"Our early experience suggests there's a huge need for a quintessentially African social network that helps Africans interact, socialise, share information and access entertainment that is relevant to them, whether they're in London, New York or a remote village in Nigeria," said Fashina, a former banker tapped to head up the rapidly-growing operation.

The site, www.yookos.com, already has some 6 million users, and growing by the day. Fashina is aiming for 20 million active users within a year, and believes this target is eminently reachable as the site continues to add content, functionality and additional languages.

Fashina says social media penetration remains low in many African countries precisely because it lacks local relevance - and he believes Yookos has a vital role to play in breaking digital barriers, making the continent social media-savvy and providing social relevance in a networked environment.

"We believe in the continent, and are investing in its future," said Fashina. "For us, Africa's challenges are its opportunities. Our emphasis is on social development. Our biggest challenge in the continent is illiteracy, and we'll be looking to find ways to be part of the solution. We care about Africa and uplifting the people, whether that's through giving students access to educational materials or putting families in contact with their loved ones on the other side of the world

Yookos was born as an online platform for Christ Embassy head Pastor Chris to share prayer points with his followers - but Fashina says they quickly realised the potential of the platform. The result is that Christ Embassy is one user on the burgeoning site, with Yookos forging its own identity across the continent.

"We're proud of our roots, but what Yookos is a social network designed to reach out to all Africans, regardless of religion, politics, gender or where one is. This is a meeting place for all Africans to come and be educated, entertained, and interact," said Fashina. "More than 40 other churches and community organisations are already using Yookos as a platform to reach their communities, and we're hoping to grow that significantly."

Yookos believes its positioning as a values-based platform will also be attractive to many Africans put off by more liberal Western platforms: "We don't want pornography, foul language or violence. This is a place where people are comfortable to come and talk about everything from football to music in a comfortable environment. We want to be about things that add to you and lift you up, not things that pull you down!"

The way of the future is undoubtedly mobile, says Fashina. For millions in Africa, mobile phones are the main and often only connections to the Internet - and a way to put Yookos in every hand. To this end, Yookos has developed a unique yet easy to use mobile app for mobile users to connect their world through Yookos.

Winners Emerge in the Red Star Express Scratch For Gift Offer

Winners have emerged from the first month of the Red Star Express Plc “Scratch for Gift Offer”. Loyola Jesuit College from Abuja won the star prize of a plasma television while Adebayo Macaulay, a representative of an engineering company in Ibadan went home with the second prize of a smart phone. The third prize of a refrigerator went to Bankole Adeniyi, a representative of VDT communications Limited in Lagos.

Commenting on the Red Star Express Plc “Scratch for Gift Offer”, the Executive Director, Mr. Muyiwa Olumekun, disclosed that the Promo was mainly targeted at promoting customers stake in Red Star Express success story over the years.
>It was revealed that customers from all over Nigeria have benefited from the Red Star Express Plc “Scratch for Gift Offer” through their outlets across the country. “We are excited to be able to connect with our customers through the promo as it has availed us the opportunity to give back and say ‘thank you’ to them for their patronage and loyalty over the years.” said the Managing Director.

It is expected that more customers will participate in the Red Star Express Plc “Scratch for Gift Offer”.

Red Star Express “scratch for gift offer” is targeted at cash customers that send Domestic and International packages through Red Star Express offices nation-wide. Every customer qualifies to win an instant gift on their third transaction. Bumper gifts winners will emerge at the end of each promo month.

The winners all expressed their happiness at emerging the winners in the Red Star Express Plc “Scratch for Gift Offer”. They also thanked the company for coming up with such promo to reward their customers. The promo which commenced last November has also rewarded so many other winners with consolation prizes including T-shirts, notepads, pen, towels, etc.

Red Star Express Plc is a licensee of FedEx, the world leading air express company with over 650 aircrafts and more than 250 delivery destinations worldwide. FedEx has consistently been rated among the top 10 most admired companies in the world over the past 10 years.