Connectnigeria Articles

With the projected surge of 35% by 2015 in global experiential marketing budgets, the marketing communication industry in Nigeria must re-strategize to maximally benefit from this trend, Redbutton International has advised. The increase in the budget, according to the company, signifies a slight restructure of conventional advertising budgets, with a view to supporting experiential marketing initiatives, as growing convergent technologies will keep encouraging digital-experiential bodies to invest in real-time, on-premise consumer connection points. To further strengthen the industry and position the players strategically, Redbutton International is organizing a two-day national conference in Lagos with the theme: “The Experiential Marketing Paradigm- What Today is saying about Tomorrow”. Spokesperson for Redbutton International, Funmilayo Elliott, said the Conference whose details are contained in www.xmc.com.ng, will discuss trends in the marketing communications industry and how experiential marketing is set to take center stage. “The link between conventional, digital and experiential marketing as exists in international communities will also be exposed and discussed. There will be exhibition points for brands to showcase their products and services”, she added. She listed speakers expected at the conference scheduled for the Civic Centre, Lagos on the 28th and 29th of June to include renowned global speakers and Experiential Marketing gurus, Erik Hauser, a chief experiential methodology strategist, Executive Creative Director Epicenterx USA, Founder Experiential Marketing Forum and Founder International Experiential Marketing Association (IXMA) and Max Lenderman, Executive Creative Director MDC Partners. He’s also the Director Outeractive at Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, an author, and a global speaker on subjects of strategic branding, experiential marketing and emerging global business trends. Indigenous speakers include Folake Ani-Mumuney, Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, First Bank Group. She previously served as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the Dangote Group, and held various roles with British Airways Plc., managing diverse portfolios. Folake has vast understanding on creating brand experiences with consumers and Dele Anifowose, the Marketing Director, Kraft Foods Nigeria. He worked as Group Account Director at Insight Communications, served at senior and managerial levels at Nigerian Breweries and Globacom Limited, and was also the Managing Director, spearheading affairs at FKG2 Nigeria, one of the foremost experiential marketing agencies in Nigeria. The Conference which is expected to become the largest yearly experiential marketing conference and exhibition in Africa, inviting international participants from America, Europe and Asia, will attract strong opinion formers and key influencers in the marketing communications industry like Company Directors, CEOs, Marketing Managers, Brand and Communications Managers, Account Directors and Managers including entrepreneurs and SMEs. As an add-on to the Conference, Elliott said Redbutton International seeks to reward top agencies in 2012, for experiential marketing ideas developed and executed for their clients that created strong top of mind awareness and recall and great impact on brand growth, sales and equity in the market. Winners, she said, will be announced on the final day of the conference and presented with winners’ plaques. According to Elliott, Experiential Marketing is now one of the major marketing communication tools that have gained strong grounds globally, during the recession, saying most brands are seeking ingenious means of saving operation and marketing cost, yet making significant impact in the market. For the strong multi-nationals, she said they have continued to woo the market with strong above-the-line communication strategies. “However, the biggest of them still know that the experiential window must be fully explored in order to avoid external and competitive forces from churning up their market shares. It is under the backdrop of this positioning strategy that the struggle for one-on-one connection with the consumer has continued to open on-premise experiential channels aimed at consolidating conventional advertising”, she added.