In what looks like a strategic move to cushion the effect of months of lockdown, which has dampened the morale of consumers globally, promoters of Dangote brand have unveiled a special consumer promo to produce 1,000 millionaires in Nigeria within 16 weeks. Raheem Akingbolu writes
For most consumers and brand owners, the year 2020, would remain memorable because of the challenges thrown at them by the enduring Pandemic, which has crippled the global economy. But despite the challenges, savvy business owners are keen about sustaining relationship with their customers. This explains why many companies and governments are now resorting to the idea of giving palliatives to members of the public.
Considering the place of consumers in brand growth and its sustainability, brand managers are thinking out of the box to race the stake and sustain brand loyalty, which can only be guaranteed thorough understanding of the consumers and deploring of reward system to satisfy their expectations.
In a renewed effort to reinforce existing relationship with their customers, the management of Dangote Cement Plc, has unveiled plans to produce nine millionaires daily in its new Spell and Win “Bag of Goodies 2” Consumer Promo. Beyond the common objective to ride on the exercise to enhance patronage, the company has indicated that the exercise was rolled out this season to reward Nigerian consumers and improve their livelihoods.
Process and Criteria for Winning
According to the company, the promotion, scheduled to run from Wednesday, July 15, to November 15, is expected to produce 1,000 millionaires within 16 weeks. Besides, consumers also stand a chance to win tricycles, motorcycle, television sets, refrigerators, Dangote Food Goodies packs, recharge cards and many other exciting gifts.
To be a part of the promotion, “all the consumer needs to do is to buy any promo bag of Dangote Cement during promo period, pick out the scratch card inserted in the bag, scratch open the inserted card to see what you have won, go to the nearest redemption centre to collect your prize. To win a million naira, the consumer is expected to collect cards to spell, D-A-N-G-O-T-E and win star prize of N1million,” the company disclosed.
The manufacturing giant also noted that the Dangote ‘Bag of Goodies 2’ Consumer Promo is a huge investment aimed at rewarding new and existing consumers, especially in this period of COVID-19 with the much-needed palliatives.
At the unveiling of the promo in Lagos, the Group Managing Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Michel Puchercos, in his remarks, said it was part of the company’s strategies to continuously reward consumers who are the backbone in the cement business
“It is to reward valued consumers for their unflinching partnership in ensuring that our range of cement products remains today the first choice for construction purposes across the country,” he added.
Puchercos stated: “The prizes we are offering in the promo are specifically tailored towards changing the living standards of consumers who are the end users of our products. These prizes have great economic value as they can be used to kick off small scale businesses especially in the face of the COVID-19 global pandemic with many families losing their source of livelihood.
“Dangote Cement ‘Bag of Goodies Promo Season 2’ is to serve a dual purpose, allow consumers of our products to continue their projects while at the same time stand a chance of becoming a millionaire or proud winner of prizes such as tricycle, motorcycles etc.
“Here in Dangote Cement, we adhere strictly to best global standards in producing our range of cement which makes them the best in the market. Our products; BlocMaster, 42.5R, 42.5N and Falcon are all top-of-the-range brands developed to ensure that cement users have a choice on the type of product suitable for their projects. Much research and tests went into the development and production of these products as we are determined to offer consumers the best quality and experience either in building personal houses or in commercial construction works.”
Explaining the reason for staging the consumer promo, Dangote Cement Marketing Director, Mrs. Funmi Sanni, said consumers were important and fundamental factor of production without which the company’s ability to remain in business becomes impossible.
According to her, “to grow our business, we must constantly create value in terms of quality, product, service, competitive pricing and depositing in consumer’s emotional bank accounts in order to become their preferred choice of brand at the point of purchase.
“As a business, we recognise the importance of every member of our value chain- distributors, wholesalers and retailers, as such, we have invested in growing their businesses through various empowerment schemes,” she said
Endorsement
Though, the primary reason for promotion is to ensure brand loyalty and generate profit, representatives of various regulatory bodies present at the unveiling event, admitted that the promoters of the Dangote brand have taken it a notch higher.
Speaking at the event, the Head of Lagos office of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Mrs. Susie Onwuka, said the government agency was present to ensure that consumers interest are protected.
“As the premier consumer rights organisation in Nigeria, we are here to make sure that Dangote Cement Plc followed due process in the exercise. Having witnessed the previous promotions initiated by the company and certified them to be decent, we are hoping that this would be another transparent and rewarding exercise that would sincerely put smiles on the faces of the consumers,” Onwuka stated.
While commending the organisers for coming up with such consumer promo despite the current challenges facing businesses, the FCCPC boss urged the company to maintain standard while the exercise lasted.
For the Chief Executive Officer of Lagos State Lotteries Board (LSLB), Mr. Bashir Abiola-Are, the soaring brand equity of the Dangote brand speaks for the business conglomerate. He expressed his gratitude to the management of the company for stepping out to identify with consumers and restore hope at this critical moment.
“The Lagos State Lotteries Board is here to validate and study the process. With the accomplishment of the Dangote brand in the market, we are not in doubt that this will again be a success story all through. At the moment, with what consumers are going through, you will all agree with me that a million naira would make tremendous difference in their lives and give them hope of a better tomorrow.”
In the same manner, the Deputy Director and Coordinator, Lagos Zonal Office of The National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Mrs. Nkiru Onuzulu, shared the goodwill message of the commission’s Director General, Mr. Lanre Gbajabiamila, who she said had special regard for the Dangote brand.
“At NLRC, Dangote brand and its activities are not new to us. In particular, our DG, Lanre Gbajabiamila has special regard for the group. Having said this, I will appeal to the organisers of this unique promo to stand by the promise made by upholding basic principles associated with consumer promo, especially in the area of transparency,” she added.
Sustaining Brand Loyalty
In a competitive environment like the Nigerian market, consumer loyalty is pre-requisite for success but more important to customer reward and promotion is the drive of value and trust. To this end, it is important to sustain the already built brand loyalty and create new ones by deploring a strategy that revolves around consumer promo.
This is what Dangote brand has done over the years to maintain prime position in the Nigerian cement market. Last year, in an unprecedented move to empower millions of its product consumers economically, the company launched a jumbo consumer promo tagged “Dangote Cement Bag of Goodies”, which was designed to produce 21 million winners across the country.
The promo, which ran for three months saw consumers won prizes worth billions of Naira. At the end, lucky consumers won 43 cars, 24 tricycles, 24 motorcycles, 550 refrigerators, 400 television sets, 300,000 Dangote foods goodies packs and recharge cards for all networks. Like this year edition, the 2019 promo was also a pan Nigeria activity.
According to the brand promoters, both initiatives were aimed at rewarding the brand’s esteemed consumers and to further strengthen the existing bond with the consumers while also reinforcing its brand positioning as a major player in the cement market.
The Head, Corporate Communications & Public Relations at the company, Mr. Anthony Chiejina, in a chat with THISDAY, described the 2020 edition of the promo as an expression of appreciation to consumers who have remained loyal and committed to the brand over the years.
He said: “We are in business because our teeming consumers have chosen to remain loyal and committed to our brand, the Dangote Cement brand. The promo is based on deep insight which reveals what our customers want at the moment.”
