Advertising in Nigeria

TIPS ON HOW TO RUN LOW BUDGET ADVERTS IN NIGERIA

2012-01-24T10:40:00.003+01:00

One mistake that small business owners in Nigeria usually make is saying “whatever is left over, we’ll use for advertising”, assuming they have such plans to advertise at all. Advertising is an investment, not an expense. Although it may seem like an expense when you have to count up the Naira notes to pay, but, trust me, it is not and will be exceedingly useful to your business in the long run.

Before we go into our tips, let us look at some basic strategies of successful advertising that you can apply:
1) In order to be successful, your advertising must provide a consumer benefit or solve a problem. In other words, your advert must present your product in a way that creates a need for the product. A wonderful example to note here is Dettol advert. Dettol soaps and disinfectants are advertised in a manner that alerts the consumers of the presence of dirt and germs everywhere and that a constant use of Dettol soaps and disinfectants will clear the germs and protect the household from any infections.

2) That benefit or solution must be wanted by the consumer. The need your advert creates in the mind of the consumer must be something they can relate to. As discussed above, everyone in Nigeria knows that germs will cause sicknesses which will lead to hospitals, so a cheaper alternative is to use antiseptic solutions that have promised protection against germs, and in this case, Dettol.

3) The product or service you are offering must be tied directly to that benefit or solution. Your product must be able to address the need that you have created in the minds of the consumers. Nigerians are very skeptical consumers; our word-of-mouth testimonies can either make or break the success of a product. So regardless of how much money you have spent on adverts, if your product or service does not deliver the promises made in the adverts, you may not make a headway in your business as far as the Nigerian market is concerned.

4) The benefit or solution must be distinctly communicated through medial advertising. In other words, be clear, do not add too much glitz and make sure the message isn’t lost in the advert. In Nigeria, we don’t have a flair for long or over-glamorous adverts. Don’t use too many big words to describe what a simpler word could have said. Avoid too much drama. The golden rule: Keep It Simple.

Now that you are familiar with what it takes for your advertisement to make a meaningful impact, let me run you through the tips that can make your business grow and ease your pockets at the same time:
1) The first thing you should be aware of is the fact that in Nigeria, nothing helps you sell faster than good customer service. Even if your clientele is low at the moment, why not take the very best care of them and offer them services fit for royalty? You’d be surprised at how fast word will travel about your good customer service, and before you know it, your clientele grows! It sure works like magic because one satisfied customer will inform ten about your business, and ten satisfied customers will of course spread the word further than you can imagine.

2) Who are your very best customers? Aim your adverts to talk directly to people like them. A good example of a brand that does this is Indomie Noodles. Because the largest consumers of their products are Nigerian kids, their adverts are usually packaged in a way that appeals to kids, and most times, takes a while to be forgotten.

3) Small businesses can seldom afford saturation advertising. You must be selective in the media that reaches your customers. Consult your advert agencies and make them show you exactly how their media reaches your target audience.

4) Exploit the media you use to the fullest. If your message is verbal, you don’t need TV. Use radios, handbills, fliers and even complimentary cards to the fullest.

5) Some national chains like Nestle Foods, De United foods, Coca-Cola and a host of others provide outdoor signs for small and medium businesses around the country. You could also create indoor signs that you write on with special markers to advertise your special offers.

6) Try finding out from your suppliers what you can get by way of point-of-sale materials, e.g posters, handouts, etc. Some companies like Nestle, CWAY, MTN, Airtel and a host of others use this medium to promote small businesses in Nigeria. If you find a poster outside a store that says “Thirsty? Quench that thirst…Coca-cola sold here”, it gives you an idea that Coke is sold in the store. Some have excellent display racks that you can use e.g Dettol, Always, etc.

7) Can you sponsor or partner with events? Take your time to scout and study events that can fit into your budget. Sponsoring events or programs that enjoy radio, TV or press coverage is also a good way of advertising your products without spending too much on either medium. Even if you cannot compete with the big shots like Skye Bank that sponsors Celebrity Takes Two, or Malta Guinness that sponsors the Malta Guinness Street Dance, you could partner with events like Dynamic Awards, This Day Awards, or even Easter or Christmas Children Funfairs. Your name may not be prominently displayed but in most cases the positive exposure will bring in more customers.

8) Also reduce the size of your advertisement or length of your radio spots. A 60 second spot is obviously twice as much as a 30 second spot but you won’t get twice as many customers for a 60 over a 30. Going with small adverts or shorter spots in our radio stations will allow you to do more adverts which normally interest more customers and will bring them to your doorstep.

9) Always give the customer more than you promised and more than they expected. Be careful not to over-promise and under-deliver. Because we have the ‘jara’ (extra) culture in Nigeria, go the extra-mile to put that little ‘something’ that will get you the needed loyalty from your customers. Maybe this last tip is the one you really need.

I hope these tips will help your business grow, although not all may be relevant to your particular situation. If you need more advice on your low budget adverts in Nigeria, please don’t hesitate to mail me. And if you have tried all these and you still need more help in getting customers, please contact me to plan your advertising campaign. My contact is on the lower side of this website. Good luck in running your low budget adverts.

Written by:
Adekoya Oluwatomisin - PoiseMedia Communications Ltd

LETTERS TO VICTOR ARIYIBI-OKE

2011-10-19T04:20:00.008+01:00

I have received couples of emails from people seeking my advice on advertising their product in Nigeria; I have decided to publish a few for you to read from. I hope you enjoy this.

Dear Victor,

I came cross one of your masterpiece on the newspaper circulations in Nigeria with superb statistics on sales figures and their attendant returns.

Sir, I am also a cub publisher exploring the industry with an entertainment, lifestyle and sports paper. I have done a couple of editions in the past which seems to attract a remarkable reading audience.

However, my concern is the distributors and news agents. After registering with their various units, many of them are elusive when it comes to returning their proceeds. This has become so frustrating that I have decided to stop publishing for sometime.

My question are:

1. Are there alternatives to circulating the newspapers aside without recourse to the news agents?

2. Are there measures one can take to reclaim ones proceed and forsetall a repeat in future.

These are my worries because I have come to realise that there are no respite for young publishers like us in the industry.

Thanks

Francis

Hello Francis,

Thank you for following my blog posts. People like you always give us the inspiration to write more.

Although, I'm not a professional publisher like you because I only write for my blog. I'm a brand consultant majored in advertising, training and media buying for corporate organizations. However, I will be advising you from previous experiences and experience from working with other publishers.

I can imagine the frustration in trying to get content, publish and circulating your magazine at the same time. This can be a very tough challenge especially for a growing publishing firm. Here is one or two advice I like to lend if you don’t mind.

1) Why not outsource your Magazine distribution to another marketing company: This will ease out the burden of trying to provide content, publishing and distributing at the same time. There are several marketing companies that can take up the challenge of marketing your magazine and get you back your returns at agreed terms.

2) Develop your own distribution outlets: You can get your own marketers to distribute your magazine. Castle magazine practiced this when they started and they are still doing this because it’s working for them. They use their own channel of distribution to circulate their magazine.

3) Try getting Subscribers: M2 magazine and a couple of other magazines only use this medium to spread their magazine circulation. They don’t use vendors at all. All you need to do is to advertise for subscribers and even give volume discount for bulk advance purchase. Then you can be sure how many people want your magazine in advance, this will even guide you into how many copies to print before going to the press.

4) Don’t base the success of your magazine on sales: The mistake that most magazine publishers make is to base the success of their magazine on sales alone. Successful magazines will not do this, even though the sales of the magazine form part of their profit. You must be able to get enough adverts to take care of your cost of production. That is why some magazine can afford to publish for free. So you should work hard in getting enough advertisement sponsorship for your magazine, so that the sales doesn’t have to determine if you can publish or not.

I will advise you to keep the last advice and the proceeds from circulation will only be an added incentive. I have not seen your magazine, but I believe your content will be great, please send me copies of your previous editions so that I will know what the magazine is all about as the quality of your content and productions goes a long way in determining how successful your magazine will be.

I wish you all the best in your magazine production.

Cheers

Victor

Various ways to promote your business at no cost in Nigeria. (Lagos, Abuja, Porthacourt)

2011-07-27T05:00:00.003+01:00

Do you want to start a business of your own and get more customers for your business, and you don’t know how to go about it?

Funds may be difficult, but the more conventional means of advertising might not be in your budget right now.

This is usually the case for most small business in Nigeria today. I have spoken to hundreds of people who want to know cheap but effective ways of advertising their business in Nigeria.

I want to advise you to consider these steps below to get free advertising and exposure for your business. Enjoy!

1. Online Classified Ads

There are several classified advertising directories on the internet were you can post your advert for free, two of such sites being www.nairalist.com and www.nairaland.com.

2. Send out press releases.

People into small business think getting press coverage is impossible. However a good story submitted well has every chance of making the news, and best of all its free. You will be so surprise that press releases are not supposed to cost you anything. You start by contacting the local newspaper on line such as www.punchontheweb.com or www.ngrguardiannews.com etc.

3. Start your own blog

Starting a blog is the best way to attract both existing and new customers.However, create more time and give your best to blog by giving your target audience free advice and suggestion that can help them achieve specific things in your field. You can Google more on starting your own blog or simply start by using www.blogger.com or www.wordpress.com.

4. Participate in relevant forums

Participate in online forum based around your industry ,they are used and viewed by hundreds of people .Be part of this by making relevant posts-many forums allows you to indicate a link to your company in your signature.

5. Use the signature part of your mail

You can talk about your business in the signature part of your email. For every email you send out, people are forced to read about what you do. This has worked for some people.

6. Search Engine Optimization

People may never come across to your site if you run an online business and you don’t have high search engine rankings. Search engine optimization is expensive if hire but it can also be learnt with sufficient time and dedication. Start by including some key words in your key word section of your blog. Please Google more about this topic for further assistance.

7. Write articles

The days of articles and giving them to hundreds of website, and watching your website visitors rocket are gone.however, articles written for specific websites’ that your target audience views can be highly effective. Provide useful content for website based around and suggest an article for them in return for your link being placed at the buttom of the article. Sometimes, you will need to give in order to receive.

8. Place videos online

After filming an amusing or clever viral video, submit it to video websites such as YouTube and MetaCafe. Viral marketing has been the marketing buzz word of 2011 and whilst huge viral hits are rare (and usually carefully planned by a viral marketing agency) there is still room for lower budget viral videos to generate awareness. Do a good video and place in on YouTube and watch the response.

9. Give a presentation

Public speaking may seem difficult but with a little practice anyone can begin to master it. Local organizations and clubs are often looking for external speakers to liven up their next meeting. If you run a local business why not put yourself forward as a speaker at their next event.

10. Use Social Networking Websites

Websites such as Facebook and Twitter are ideal for being able to reach huge numbers of people free of charge. In particular, people on facebook are very open to being approached by new people and checking out new products. The ability to target people in certain locations also makes it an ideal mechanism for promoting local businesses. You can even create a fan page for your business, even though you’re just starting.

Go ahead and practicalize all I’ve mentioned and watch your business grow without spending a dime. If you need more advice on your advertising campaign in Nigeria, please don’t hesitate to mail me. And if you have tried all these and you need more customers in your business, then be ready to spend a little on your campaign. You can also call me to help plan your advertising campaign. My contact is at the lower part of this website. Good luck in your advertising campaign.

ADVAN’s Newspaper Circulation Report: Why the Figures Remain Controversial

2011-06-27T09:04:00.003+01:00

Here is an article I read a while ago and I thought more people should read this and form thier own opinion. Happy reading...

"Expectedly, the fireworks have continued as newspapers desperately defend their investments, insisting that their sales figures couldn’t be as bad as the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) have made it look, after an independent Reports. The Report which was done over a period of six weeks, between March and April, portrayed an alarming slide in the patronage of newspaper s. According to the study done across the country on about 15 newspapers, the daily sales figure of all the newspaper was less that 300, 000, meaning that only one in every 470 Nigerians buy newspapers daily. That ratio apparently doesn’t consider persons and organizations that buy between 2-10 newspapers daily. By this, it may be more appropriate to say that one in every 500 Nigerians buy newspaper daily.

The angry reaction of the newspapers is understandable as these figures could greatly jeopardize their advert revenue, which constitutes the bulk of their profits. No newspaper in Nigeria can survive only by it circulation revenue, “each of the newspapers will need to sell at least 200 000 units to survive on circulation alone,” Nasir Ramon, a senior corporate communication staff of UBA said. And while they have disputed the ADVAN survey, none of the figures they declare as their circulation figures come anywhere near that of ADVAN. Punch, the highest selling, according to the Report, have previously claimed a figure of between 120 000 to 150 000. Others claim they do between 50 000, 80 0000, and 100 000 copies, and advertisers have since been working based on that.

That is why till date, only The Nation, which surprisingly came second in the ranking, has published the report. Others have declined in apparent protest. Punch’s rating as the number 1 selling national daily merely confirmed the obvious. However, instead of 120 000 or 150 000 copies claimed by Punch, it was said to circulate only 34, 264 copies, which is barely a fifth of what their claim. The Sun was ranked third with 25, 632 unit sales. Vanguard got 25, 241, while Guardian and Thisday, two of the newspapers with the largest advert revenue in Nigeria, came 5th and 6th respectively, with 25, 222 and 21, 703 daily sales.

The assessment also had Daily Trust, the most popular newspaper up North with 11, 672 daily unit sales. Tribune, the oldest surviving newspaper in Nigeria, was another surprise, managing only 8, 314 daily sales. The above mentioned dailies constitute what is known as the top 8 in the standing. The others combined, including Compass, Daily Independent, Leadership, National Life, New Nigeria, Mirror and Westerner, could barely rake up 1,600 daily sales, according to the ADVAN reports.

The decision to do the newspaper circulation Report became imperative due to the absence of an independent Report of newspaper figures in Nigeria. Over the years, actual newspaper sales have been shrouded in secrecy. This vacuum has made it difficult for marketers and advertisers to plan, execute and truly ascertain the level of impact of their marketing and advertising campaigns. According to the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria president, Funmi Onabolu, “We are all accountable and we need the right figures to work with. More collaborations of this sort are needed in the industry for us to come up with research data verifiable fact and figures to run our businesses.”

“Nigeria is the only country in the world where you don’t have an independent data for planning. For the print media all over the world, the Report Bureau of Circulation has always been the bedrock for media planning. The ABC allows you to know what the circulation figure of every newspaper and magazine is,” said Dele Shobowale, Newspaper Columnist and Marketing Research Consultant, who was a key member of the ADVAN Report committee.

This survey is obviously a defining moment in the administration of the new ADVAN president, Idoreyen Enang. He told the press during the public presentation of the Report that the study was necessary to fill a vacuum in advertising planning. “The new figures released are expected to impact campaigns planning positively and also help with appropriate media pricing. This is expected to positively contribute to the productive capacity of all concerned,” Enang remarked.

Enang’s expectation is, however, still far from reality, given the intensity of debate the Report has generated. Two of the newspapers that have categorically rejected the study are Compass and Tribune. Their grouse is that it is not possible to have an authentic survey without consulting the stakeholders in the industry, in this case the newspapers. Compass argued that they were never consulted by ADVAN. They also contended that the Report did not take cognizance of sales by subscription.

That argument is not likely to sway opinion because, according to Chris Doghudje, chairman of Advertising Practitioners’ council of Nigeria and one of the Reportors, the newspapers were to blame for making the study a one sided affair. He blamed them for pulling out of the Report at the final moments, when it was time to sign an agreement, because they didn’t want the public to know their actual sales figures. Sobowale told M2 that Nduka Obaigbena of Thisday never favoured the Report from the outset; he was soon joined by Goddie Ibru of Guardian before others followed, except for the Punch MD who rooted for the Report until the last minute. “To be fair, Ogunsola was not happy about the action of his colleagues; he almost resigned as NPAN president in protest,” Doghudje said.

That was not the first time the print media had frustrated an Report. “Nigeria tried it once in 1976 or thereabout. Only about five newspapers participated. Some of the big ones didn’t,” Doghudje informed. But this time, ADVAN was more determined to go ahead with the counts. So, when the newspapers pulled out, they adopted an alternative, which involved getting the supply and sales records of all the 45 newspaper distribution centres across the nation, where all newspaper and magazine outfits submit their copies for onward distribution to vendors and agents across their states.

With Sobowale in the team, the bureau got enough cooperation from the distribution centres, because he had worked closely with them during his years with Vanguard, where he managed the company’s circulation for many years. “I am the only person who is known to every agent in Nigeria. I have always been with them,” he said. When M2 spoke with him, he showed evidences of all the daily record that were filed in from the distribution centres.

That is why the Reportors have stood by their figure challenging the newspapers that feels aggrieved to counter them by agreeing to the establishment of an ABC like it’s done in other countries. They also waved off the subscription complaint as fallacies because “99 per of newspaper sales are done through agent who keep records,” Doghudje insisted, adding that even the subscribed papers are sent through agents.

The Reportors conceded that it could be difficult to be 100 percent correct using their method, but insisted that they are near perfect and challenged the newspapers to show more transparency and cooperate with ADVAN as they seek to ensure proper figure for their advertising planning.

Sobowale, a sales expert and a key figure in the Report, have been collating newspaper sales figure for years. He first did it as an employee of Vanguard, where he was charged with finding out the company’s market share, and is now working on a book that focuses on newspaper circulation in Nigeria. In trying to defend the authenticity of the Report, he told M2 that he took advantage of the very close working relationship he had with agents across the country while he was in charge of Vanguard’s circulation. “In Nigeria, there are circulation centres in every state.. The only exceptions are Abia which has two, Delta which also has two, and then Lagos which has seven. All the other states have one. People actually monitored each of the centres for the six weeks of the survey,” he said.

Prior to the cover price increase around November last year, total national circulation figure was around 315,000 but as at March, immediately after the increase, the figure fell to just over 270 000. As at the time of the study, The Nation was yet to increase its cover charge like Punch and Vanguard had done, so some of Punch’s customers temporarily switched allegiance to The Nation.” If the studies were carried out now, I’m sure the situation will be different,” Sobowale explained.

And while the newspapers have dismissed the Report, none of them have accepted ADVAN’s challenge to submit to an Report. Some of the newspapers including Vanguard, Champion and even Guardian, are yet to make an official statement. Only Punch came close by promising to open it books to the Reportors on the condition that others agree to do same. Indeed, ADVAN believe that a number of factors are responsible for the poor newspaper sales. Sobowale noted that circulation decline is a global phenomenon as the newspaper industry in America, Europe and even Asia is also affected. This is primarily due to the impact of internet, which guarantees quick news for free. Records showed that several newspapers around the world have shutdown as a result. For instance, 75 provincial newspapers in the UK have closed shop as a result.

Yet Sobowale agreed that it is no justification for the industry not to record up to 300 000 copies daily sales in a country of about 140million population, labelling the situation as pathetic. Topping the list of all the causes is the crashing local economy, which has greatly reduced the purchasing power of most Nigerian. According to the United Nations, Nigeria is one of the poorest nations on earth and about 70 percent of her population lives on less than one dollar per day. Sobowale also noted that the increase in cover charge contributed to the sharp drop in sales. In a chart he showed to M2, between 2003 and now, sales figure has dropped from 570 000 unit per day to less than 300 000 unit, signifying almost 50 percent drop. As it were, the only hope of a rise in circulation income for the newspapers is the coming election. As revealed by the Report, from 1999, elections have always ushered in improved patronage. Therefore, with the 2011 around the corner, newspaper sales could gallop soon.

But still, the figure is not likely to go anywhere near the 200 000 copies needed to sustain a newspaper, without adverts revenue. Sobowale also blamed managerial inefficiency for the problems of the media. He insisted that the cost structure of almost every newspaper in Nigeria does not make sense from the standpoint of managerial economics. The cost is too high. In trying t recover the cost, the cover charges are too high also, he said. He said that if newspapers were tightly managed, the cover price will not be more that N50 and that will result in bigger sales. “For example, many newspapers in this country have printing presses that are designed to print a million or more per day. But no newspaper in Nigeria today prints half a million. So they have installed capacity that is far in excess of their operations. That is inefficient,” he said.

“They put 500 copies of newspaper in a van that can easily accommodate up to 500 000 copies if properly bundled and stacked. The cost of transporting the papers and the wear and tear on the vehicle is more than whatever money they are going to make from the newspapers,” he said.

And, like what was done in the banking industry, he advocated for merger of some of the print media in Nigeria, arguing that Nigeria as a nation does not require more than three newspapers. “Some newspapers are just monumental wastes. Someone should go and close shop,” he declared.

But that may be a real bitter pill for some of the media houses to swallow even if their circulation revenue in a month is barely enough to fuel their publishers’ cars over the same period".

By Joseph Ekeng

USING BULK SMS TO ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCT IN NIGERIA

2011-05-02T13:16:00.005+01:00

Nigeria has a population of over 140 million people. As telecommunications advance in Nigeria today, over 50 million Nigeria now has access to a mobile phone. In Nigeria today, both primary and secondary school students also have access to mobile phones as well. Due to the bloom in the telecommunication industry, it has form a major form of revenue for Nigerians. This also makes it a very effective channel for advertisement using bulk SMS platforms.

Bulk SMS is not a new form of advertisement; however, most people don’t consider it an effective form of advertisement. You will be so surprise what you will achieve using bulk SMS and knowing the right set of people to target with your advertising campaign. This method of advertisement is ridiculously cheap and extremely effective. Just recently my company needed to put up a quick cheap but result yielding advert to a website for a client, the bulk SMS method was employed and to my pleasant surprise the turnout was mind blowing. The client got lot of calls and responses for weeks.

The bulk SMS ad method has a lot of credit to its system because in an unusual way it stand out of all the known methods of adverts used here in Nigeria. Here are some of the many advantages you get from using bulk SMS to advertise your product…

ADVANTAGES

Cost effectiveness : You can send thousands of text messages to consumers at wholesale prices as low as N1.50k per SMS.

Time saving : Instead of crafting a message and then sending it to each mobile subscriber, one message is created and then sent to a whole group of subscribers.

Tracking Abilities: Tracking of delivery and responses is effortless, while delivery of the text messages is almost immediate.

Easy Accessibility: With printed media and other types of marketing such as television or radio, the consumers must for instance, listen to the radio or watch the television for the ad to reach them. With bulk SMS advertising the mobile unit doesn’t even have to be switched on to receive a message. The users receive their messages as soon as the phone is on air.

No Geographical boundaries: Unlike printed media marketing, bulk SMS advertising is not limited to geographical boundaries, which makes it possible to use it in conjunction with existing websites. Users can subscribe on your website to receive text messages regarding promotions and specials.

Fast response time: Most mobile phone users have their phones with them most of the time and check their incoming messages before deleting them. Many consumers store the messages on their phones until a later date and then make use of the specials. The response time on average is however, within 24 to 48 hours of receiving the promotions. This means that sales conversions can be reached within a short period.

Distributed to other consumers: Subscribers frequently forward the text messages to friends and colleagues and thus provide a viral marketing function for which your company doesn’t have to pay extra. With incentive schemes for the forwarding of the promotion and getting other people to make use of the promotions or visiting your site, you create a full scale viral marketing system when you make use of bulk SMS advertising.

DISSADVANTAGES

Lmited Words Per Time: SMS generally has limited word capacity, or you will have to spend more to send more messages. Even with that, it’s still limited word. So you can’t compare the information on it to that of a Press Ad or Handbill.

Challenge of Phone Numbers: With bulk SMS, you will need to know the people you want to send it to. If for example you sell a premium product, and you need to send bulk SMS to the rich. How do you identify these categories of people when you have over 30miilion phone numbers? That is always a challenge. And for some people, they don’t even have much contact to send the bulk SMS to.

If you are thinking of using the bulk SMS to promote your product and services, we can help you identify your market and reach them. We have access to over 20million phone numbers and we do this at very affordable price. Contact us today for your advertising campaign using bulk SMS, good luck in your advertising campaign.

BRT BUSES IN LAGOS NOW HAS LED SCREEN TV FOR ADVERTISEMENT

2011-04-07T06:21:00.005+01:00

Riding BRT Buses in Lagos will NEVER be the same experience in Lagos as LED televisions are now positioned in the buses. I wrote earlier on my blog on a part of the effort of the Lagos State Government to improve lives of the dwellers, the government has introduces a new system of transportation by luxurious buses popularly known as the BRT bus system. The government introduced over five hundred buses (500) all over Lagos in blue and red colours and they are both ran by two private companies. I mentioned how advert placed on the buses is changing the outdoor advertising world in Lagos state and generating more funds for the transport companies apart from the regular funds generated by transporting Lagosians. For more on advertising on BRT bus in Lagos State, please read http://victorariyibi.blogspot.com/2010/04/bus-branding-and-advertising-in-lagos.html/.

As a part of the effort from the bus company to improve lives further, LED Screen TV are now being introduced inside these buses, running the most popular music channel (Sound City) in Nigeria on these bus network. These screens engage people in the bus never like before, however in the middle of these music entertainment, an advert would ‘buzz in’ unannounced. This is amazing for the advertisers because at least thirty thousand (30,000) people are sure to see the Ad each day.

This new amazing innovative advertising platform gives advertisers a broader reach within the Lagos metropolis area, and this low cost advertising medium gets advertisers closer to the target audience within minutes of entering these buses. Lagos has a population of over fifteen million people (15,000,000), over thirty thousand (30,000) people use these BRT buses every day.

Benefits of Using the BRT Bus TV Network

This medium captivates the attention of passengers in a comfortable and alert state of mind.
It is a great value for your campaign because you can incorporate visual and sound.
The replay of advertisements, promotions or campaigns, 2,800 times daily all through a network of 50 LAGBUS buses on a daily 14hours/day shift will make it impossible for passengers to miss your ad.
The network has partnered with Soundcity Music Channel to play music videos as a form of entertainment for passengers which makes it even more captivating.
Over 70% of Lagosians make use of public service transport, and because the BRT is cheap and fast, passengers will consider BRT for their journey before considering other alternative form of public transportation in Lagos State.

Disadvantages

There are limited BRT buses compared to the population of Lagos State, so you will still be reaching a limited number of people.
You will be reaching more of the middle class, and a lot of the lower class, because the upper class drives their own cars in Lagos State.
The BRT buses have a limited numbers of road networks compared to other commercial buses.

If you are ever considering placing advert in these BRT buses using the LED screen TV, please contact us to help you achieve this. Good luck in your advertising campaign.

MOBILE LED SCREEN NOW AVAILABLE ALL OVER NIGERIA

2011-03-26T07:06:00.006+01:00

Just when you thought you've seen it all, then a new one is introduced. This is election period in Nigeria and candidates are looking for innovative ways to outdo one another. They have almost exhausted all forms of advertising known to them such as, Outdoor billboards, LED screen, BRT Bus branding, Radio, TV, Newspapers, Posters, Fliers, Road show campaign and so many others. However, very few of them then ask, what has no one ever used...then the idea of the Mobile LED Screen came to play. This technology is new and different, very few own it in Nigeria. So, this idea is not just for political campaign, it can also be used for product and service launch etc.

ADVANTAGES:

There are several benefits of mobile LED trucks such as...

LED video screens are easily viewed in daytime conditions.
It can be easily setup, no matter the location or distance.
It can be used for multiple function such as touring events with multiple locations (a political rally or a music concert), product or service launch etch.
The size dimension is 7.37sqm ( W3.84m by H1.92m) LED screen
The screen is Dual sided (LED screen on both sides), which makes the coverage wider.
The screen can elevates up to 6ft from bed of truck.
The screen is all weather proof LED screen.
And Last but not the least, sound option is available, so it is audio visual display.

DISADVANTAGES

They are quite expensive to hire.
The maintenance is high.
There are very few in Nigeria, so you have to book like a month ahead.

So if you are ever considering the Mobile Led truck is Nigeria for campaign, please think of us. Contact us today for advice and enquiry.

Cost-Effective Advertising for Small Businesses in Nigeria

2011-03-09T05:17:00.004+01:00

I meet growing entrepreneurs’ everyday asking me on cheap ways to advertise their products and services. Not everyone can afford a full page in Guardian or Punch Newspaper. To advertise on a quarter page (which is the size of an A5 flier) in most dailies, you will still need about N100,000 naira (USD 667) at least, even if it’s a black and white Ad. That is the entire budget some small business has planned for their Ad campaign. Radio, TV, Billboards, all these ATL ads can be very expensive for small businesses, because of the amount involved in running them to make maximum impact. Even some big businesses still complain about this.

Most companies are looking for the best, inexpensive ways to advertise because they don't have millions, or even thousands, to spend on advertising. Make the most out of the ad Naira you do have, no matter how limited you are. These cheap ways to advertise give you a variety of options to choose from when you're on an ad budget diet while giving you a good return on your advertising investment:

Create a Flyer

Creating your own flyer to advertise your business is simple, inexpensive and it's a great way to generate buzz about your company. If you really want to make your flyer an effective advertising tool, offer incentives or discounts to people who bring in your flyer. This also gives you an informal way to track how many people are coming in just because they saw your flyer.

Advertise on Cable

Wait! Before your eyes skip over this section, thinking it's just for those who can afford a TV commercial, keep reading. You can advertise on cable through crawls, full screen ads and above program listings. These alternative advertising methods are very affordable. Crawls can cost under N1,500 a day. There are other cables that have wide coverage apart from DSTV. You should try My TV Cable, Star Times etc. Their coverage is also good and very effective, sometimes more than DSTV, because they are cheaper to maintain, so more people use these cables.

Use Your Web Site to Advertise Your Business

Many business owners think they only need a Web site if they sell products online. No matter what type of company you have, you need a Web site. Potential customers hit the Internet looking for companies in their local area. If your competitor's online and you're not, guess who has the advantage. Build a Web site that's beneficial to customers, though. You want to make a positive, lasting impression and having a poorly built Web site is a terrible way to advertise your company.

Post Your Commercial on YouTube

If you do have a TV commercial, get more shelf life out of it without having to pay for more air time. YouTube is an often-overlooked advertising vehicle. It costs nothing to post your commercial on the site and you can promote it on your own Web site so customers in your area can watch your commercial(s) online. You can even put this link on your flier or facebook page.

Cross-Promote Your Business Through Partnering

National companies partner every day because it's an excellent ad tool to reach new customers and cut the advertising costs at the same time. But partnering isn't just for corporate giants. Going in with other businesses helps you save advertising money while increasing your exposure to customers. You can watch out for events or programs that have close affiliates with what you do and seek partnership with them. Sometimes, the partnership takes you just giving a few winners sample product or free services.

Produce a Newsletter

A newsletter helps you keep in touch with your current customers and tap into a market of potential customers. Your newsletter shouldn't be used to send ads to your customers, though. Use your newsletter to provide your customers with valuable information that makes you the company they remember when they're ready to buy.

Don't let the advertising game intimidate you. There are so many opportunities out there for you to advertise your company that don't involve millions of Naira. If you're willing to do a little legwork, you'll save money and find the best, inexpensive way to advertise your company.

For more tips on how to promote your product and services, you can give us a call to day or send us an email. Good luck in your advertising campaign.

MY INTERVIEW WITH NATIONAL MIRROR NEWSPAPER

2011-02-18T17:36:00.005+01:00

‘Brand promises must be kept’ –Victor Ariyibi-Oke

The need to measure brands according to promise has become significant in recent times owing to issues of brand delivery, in this interview with ELLA OLAMIJU, the Operating Executive of Poise Media, Mr. Victor Ariyibi examines some of the issues.

Question 1: There is a growing concern that some Brands don't measure up to the Promises made in their Advertisements, do you agree with this?

Answer;

Yes, that is a very well known fact; most Brands make what we call ‘bogus promises’ in their Advertisement. Nigeria is a country that people do so many things and get away with it, but this is fast changing because consumers are now getting conscious of the promises brands make in their advertising campaign. This problem is caused by what is call a ‘brand gap’ between Advertisers and their Advertising agencies or Brand agencies. A brand gap occurs when there is a breach in communications between Brand agencies and their Client companies. In order to close brand gaps, the Brand Manager needs to work hand in hand with their Advertising agencies on the brand message. Because Advertising agencies want to create ‘MAGIC’ with their Ad campaigns; they tend to exaggerate some of the features of the brand while not putting into consideration that consumers tend to take them very serious.

Question 2: What do you think is responsible for the situation?

Answer;

Like I mentioned earlier, this is caused by a gap in communication between the Brand Company and the Brand’s Department of Advertisers.

Question3: How can the situation be managed or corrected?

Answer;

Let’s first establish the definition of Branding, what exactly is a brand? A lot of people have different misconception of what brand is all about, first let me dispel some myth that people believe in: a brand is not your company logo, a brand is not your company’s name, it is not your company’s Identity or colour, a brand is not even a company’s product or services. A brand can simply be defined as the consumers’ perception about a particular product or service. A brand is not what a company say it is, but what the consumers say it is; so consumers defines a brand. Companies can influence consumers’ opinion, but cannot define their own brand. Consumers always base their decision on TRUST. Trust comes by meeting and exceeding consumers’ expectations, and trust comes from keeping your brand promises to consumers. Brands are promises that consumers believe in, so WE ARE ALL IN THE BUSINESS OF SELLING PROMISES. The reason why people will buy a certain ‘XYZ’ product is because of the promises attached to such a brand. These promises are made in various forms such as; the message on the advertising campaign, the information on the brand packaging, mission and vision statements, company’s core values and so on. Getting back to the question asked on how the situation can be managed and corrected; advertising agencies and brand managers should work as one in their advertising campaigns. They should focus on the strength of the brand, enhancing the brand’s strong points without necessarily telling a lie.

Question 4: There is a place for regulatory oversight, be it in advertising or brand management, would you say they have indirectly contributed to the aforementioned situation?

Answer;

I will not particularly blame regulatory bodies for brand gaps, because regulatory bodies don’t have the power to control the message of an advert, the role of regulatory bodies be it APCON or AAAN is not to monitor the content of ad campaign except it is vulgar or not appropriate (among other functions).

As much as the regulatory bodies have their short comings, I will not particularly blame them for bogus brand promises made by Advertisers. However, I think brand lies arises as a result of intense competition among brands, brands wanting to outdo the other and also trying to generate more patronage. They think one of the ways to go about it is making bogus brand promises in their ad campaigns.

Question5: Let's talk about internal branding, what does it entail?

Answer;

Internal branding is a process of branding from inside out. A lot of people have asked the question, what is internal branding? What people are conversant with in this part of the world is external branding. Companies that are experiencing brand crisis spend millions of money, year in year out on external re-branding such as; changing their logo, changing their slogan, changing their uniforms, repainting their building, spending on advertising campaigns and lots more (don’t get me wrong, all these are also important). However most times, some companies do all these afore listed things and still experience the same brand crisis all over again. What they fail to realize is that every brand has what is called ‘brand character’. What most companies are supposed to be spending money on is not just on ‘external branding’ but also on the internal branding process. As much as it is important to change the way the brand looks and feel, it is also paramount to influence the way the brand behaves. You can change the way a man looks and not influence the character. Let me give you a real life scenario; imagine picking a mad man from the street, take him to a beauty parlour, cut his hair, give him a clean bath, clean cloths, perfumes, most expensive after-shave, and the best of anything available on earth. If you put the same man on the street, he will return to his old ways because he is still fundamentally a mad person. This same principle applies to external branding without proper internal branding process. Internal branding starts from the moment the customer walks into your company or comes in contact with your product. I can’t really exhaust internal branding in this interview because it is a complex course on its own. People can visit www.victorariyibi.com for more information on the internal branding training for their organisations.

Question 6: How do you think a brand or company can effectively balance what it offers and what it promises in its promotions and advertisements?

Answer;

I mentioned earlier that your brands are promises consumers believe in, I also mentioned that we are all in the business of selling promises. For instance; if I am stuck in traffic and I’m thirsty, the natural thing to do is to buy bottled ‘Pure water’. If I peradventure call a street hawker and ask for a particular brand of bottled ‘Pure water’, I am expecting the water to be pure if not cold, because it is called ‘pure natural water’. After buying the particular brand of bottled ‘Pure water’ and I find particles swimming in it, that brand has failed in delivering its promises of ‘pure bottled water’. The next time I see such bottled water, no matter how thirsty I am, I will not buy and also discourage as many people as possible from buying it. That particular brand has generated one ‘bad brand ambassador’ and I will make it a point of duty to discourage as many people as cared to listen that the bottled water in question is bad. This is the same principle that applies, when you make promises you cannot live up to.

Therefore, I would advise brand agencies to inform brand owners not to make promises they can’t keep. So many companies especially in Nigeria are in the habit of making such bogus promises. For instance a promise of complete satisfaction; (satisfaction is something you cannot give a general measurement for, what satisfies ‘Mr. A’ may not necessarily satisfy ‘Mr. B’ and the truth is that one man’s food maybe another man’s poison so it is advisable to just say ‘an assurance of satisfaction’ instead of promise); other examples are ‘tested and trusted, first and the best, one customer company, committed to serving you, selfless service, best customer service, etc’. Please don’t quote me wrong, these pay off lines or brand messages are good, but let companies be ready to work as hard so as to equate their brand messages.

These are all statements used by organizations in their advertising campaign and they see it as ordinary slogans but consumers see them as promises that they have to live up to, the principle in branding is “IF YOU CAN’T ACHIEVE IT, DON’T PROMISE IT”

Question 7: What would you describe as a bogus claim in advertising?

Answer;

I already mentioned some of these claims in my previous response but like I said bogus promises are promises that you can’t live up to which is call ‘BRAND LIES’. The problem with some companies is that, they don’t carry their organization along in their advertising campaign. If you have made a promise of customer friendliness which is in your company’s core values, it is simply ideal that you inform your customer service team about the promise you have made on their behalf. If you have made a promise of cheap and affordable product, don’t make your product a premium for the ‘RICH only’ because consumers will hold you to that promise. I have seen some organization promise effective and qualitative service and they are not necessarily fast but they keep their promise by simply delivering qualitative and effective service slowly.

Question 8: To what extent should advertising claims get?

Answer;

I will say as far as the brand can keep. Which means advertising companies should not make promises that the brand cannot live up to, this opinion does not mean to stiffen the creativity of an advert agency. There is always a level of exaggeration allowed in advertising but it should always be kept in moderation so that it does not result in a ‘brand lie’.

Question 9: How do you enlighten consumers on how to sift these bogus claims in advertisements?

Answer;

Unfortunately we are all victims of bogus claims in advertising because we all tend to judge every product either by the package design or the advertisement; where there is no luxury of recommendations or word of mouth. The only way of knowing a bogus claim is by asking for people’s opinion (people that have tried such product or services before).

Question 10: What's your advice for brand managers who have gaps between their brands and the advertisements?

Answer;

My advice to brand managers is to pay attention to every single detail in their advertisement because when they generate one ‘brand ambassador’ that believes in their product and the promises of what they can deliver; the brand ambassador will in turn generate other ‘brand enthusiasts’ who will patronize and publicize such product and service.

When giving advertising agencies free hand for creativity, they should also be warned to be conscious of what is the company’s core values, corporate philosophies, the vision and mission statement; all these should reflect in their advertising campaign.

This interview is Also available on http://nationalmirroronline.net/interviews/5921.html

Relevant of Advertising in Your Business in Nigeria (Lagos, Abuja, Portharcourt)

2011-02-09T06:41:00.001+01:00

Be it a small company or a very big one, when it brings out a certain product, there is a need for promoting it. Promotion and advertisement are directly linked to marketing because the promotional campaigns tend to have a huge effect on the reception of the product. Good marketing is something that helps your business grow bigger. With every product you launch, you have to generate a certain kind of public enthusiasm so that they tell their friends and associates about your product. This kind of mutual interest for a product is very important before its launch. This is where advertising plays a major role. Good advertising can go a long way in creating the interest about a product and also in telling more and more individuals about the product after its launch.

Businesses exist to sell products and services to the public for a profit. If the public does not know that your business exists, finding customers to make enough purchases for your business to survive will be a failure without some additional help. It is an important factor in business because it gets the word out about your company and establishes a presence and a brand about what you are offering.

One of the best ways to advertise is by word of mouth, also known as referral marketing or referral advertising. When other people hear good things about your business or they have a positive experience shopping with your business, they become walking billboards for your business without you having to spend additional money on ads to create it. Nigerians are known to like gossip, which is why gossip magazines sell a lot. If you want your business to grow really big in Nigeria, satisfy one person at a time.

Advertising locally through newspapers and fliers as well as billboards can be an effective source of it when your business is up-and-coming, but expanding your advertising sources becomes important as you grow. You can extend your advertising approach out to television commercials as well as radio in order to reach wider audiences, but the revenue from your business should be able to pay for it costs for these methods to bring you the value you are looking for.

Creating an assortment of advertising and marketing techniques will help you to reach many different customer bases. Identifying a target market to advertise your business to is also very valuable, because a target market of customers will be more interested in your business than trying to appeal to masses of people with varying interests. Making sure that enough people know that you exist who are naturally interested in your product as a target is a great way to bring in customers and increase the profit of your business.

Creating an impulse in potential customers to purchase your product is very important when it comes to advertising. It can be easy to create it that puts your customer in a mindset not to purchase your product, either by unintentionally avoiding the sale of your product by focusing on information or topics that draw attention away from your product. Be sure to study the needs of your target market to get the best results.

Businesses exist to sell products and services to the public for a profit. If the public does not know that your business exists, finding customers to make enough purchases for your business to survive will be a failure without some additional help. Advertising is an important factor in business because it gets the word out about your company and establishes a presence and a brand about what you are offering.

If you are considering advertising in Nigerian, remember to contact Victor for the best rates you can get. Good luck in your advertising campaign

Fresh Tips on Advertising in Nigeria For 2011

2011-01-20T06:43:00.005+01:00

I know that right now people are looking for fresh advertising tips in this New Year. Some people didn’t get their advertising campaign right last year, however this year is another year to try again, and that is why I’m writing on fresh advertising tips for the New Year. Nigerian companies are just settling down and there is not much activities going on yet, but people are putting together their media plan for the year. Before you conclude on your media plan for the year, here are few tips that should help you decide on which media to use and not to use for your advertising campaign.

Advertising decisions should be based on research:

Many businesses place advertising without a clear cut out plan, this is why adverts that don’t work are considered as the most expensive! And this can be reduced by proper planning. So before placing your advert on TV, radio, newspaper or outdoor billboard, do a proper research on the best way to reach your target audience.

A detail marketing plan should be developed:

It is best to negotiate details and specials in advance of placing your own advertising. A good marketing plan and research will help you identify and target your best audiences. A good marketing plan and strategies would also help you determine if a particular media or media provider is right for you.

An advertising calendar should be planned in advance:

Your advertising calendar should be planned several months in advance to enhance creativity and a professional touch. Figure out a particular day in your calendar to determine when to reach out to your target audience. If you are having problem drawing out a media calendar, contact victor or Poise Media for support.

Advertising copies and ads should be tested:

Trying and testing your ad copies is not a bad idea because as a result of trial and error, helps set a baseline as to the best response rates for your ads and copy. Finding out what works best for you keeps you in the right course.

Professionals should be involved:

You can lose a lot of money while trying to act as your own expert. You will need to concentrate your time and efforts in areas of your business that you are proficient in. agencies are experts, they have charge for their time and experience and have one goal in mind: to get the best results for their client in order to keep those clients. Contact us or any local agencies around you for professional advice.

Use creative briefs:

A creative brief is a summary of all the factors that will affect your advertising from your company’s current business situation, your competitive situation, through your targeted audiences’ characteristics and buying habits. You will save on wasted creative designs by using a creative brief.

The Agency involved should be provided with as much information as possible:

In order to write the most persuasive copy and to design the most effective ads, it is important for your agency to know what has worked in the past and what has not. Using information from previously successful ads could help in giving consistency from printed collateral.

Focus should be on target audience:

Speak in your audience’s language and in a way that they can understand. Big words and words that are not easily understood should be avoided. The stereotype of the target audience should also be put into consideration. Like Starcomms Nigeria will say in their slogan ‘we speak your language’.

If you are considering advertising in Nigerian, remember to contact Victor for the best rates you can get. Good luck in your advertising campaign.

Merry Christmas and Happy New year

2010-12-20T19:20:00.011+01:00

This is to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. To everyone that has followed my posts and to all our Clients at PoiseMedia Communications. We couldn't have gone through this year without you.

Special Thanks to all our Clients that has made this year a dream come true, those that trust us enough to get their job done in timely fashion. To all those that trust us enough to send down funds to us without seeing us first. I salute your trust and faith in us, not to run away with your hard earned money. Special thanks again to all our Clients for still having a little faith in a Nigerian despite all negative reports from CNN about Nigeria (Laugh). You guys are great, and I promise not to let you down EVER!

Special thanks to Clients such as...

Sharp Electronics Japan.

CreAds Advertising Singapore.

African Beauties, Europe.

Dalumco Nigeria Ltd

Integrated Corporate Services (ICSL), Ilupeju.

Integrated Media Concept (IMC), Ikeja.

Vionergy Nigerian Limited.

VIP Express

Lagos State Government

E-Bible Fellowship, USA.

Anayas Consulting

Katawaga Progressive UK.

Gaudy Apple Drink

The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos.

And to so many others we fail to mention. Not because we've forgotten about you, but time will fail me to do so.

Many thanks to people I worked with this year on various accounts, like Anne Fabrigas of CreAds, May Rose Fatunilla of CreAds Singapore, Folashade of Star fm, Lagos, Paul of African Beauties UK, Peter Akindeju of ICSL , Joseph Benu of Guardian Newspaper, all the press men, Peter Ojemen, Kunle, Valentine Ottis, Gbenga Ekunola and So on.

To all the staffs of PoiseMedia, I couldn't have done it without you. To all my blog readers, thank you for the phone calls, emails and word of encouragement. Those words kept me going.

Special Thanks to God Almighty (Jesus Christ), the reason for the season. Thank you for making this year a beautiful one to celebrate. Special thanks to my lovely wife and baby girl. I love you guys so much, thanks for the encouragement and support throughout this year. If you want to see their pictures, add me on facebook.

If your advertising campaign did not go the way you want it to go this year, next year is another year. Call us for free tips and best advice in advertising in Nigeria.

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. I love you all.

Cheers

Recommended Outdoor Advertisement in Nigeria (Lagos, Abuja)

2010-12-10T08:26:00.003+01:00

Lagos State has a population of almost 20million people. Lagos is a place where people spend more time in traffic than in their homes or offices. As the population of Lagos State increases, more traffic is caused. Due to this overwhelming situation of traffic in Lagos city, the government has provided over a thousand comfortable, air-conditioned Buses (AKA BRT Buses) with special lanes for the people of Lagos metropolis.

There is no better platform to advertise than on the long luxurious busses that are always contending the roads with you. These BRT buses shuttles everywhere in Lagos from Lagos mainland to Lagos Island.

As outdoor prices rises in Nigeria, top brands are now focusing their advertising campaign medium on the BRT Buses. Top brands such as Samsung, Nokia, Etiselat Telecommunications, 7up bottling company, MTN, Zain ETC, are now leveraging on the BRT bus branding.

I have taken time to list some of the benefit of the BRT bus branding in Lagos.

If you are also considering advertising on the BRT Buses in Nigeria, remember to contact Victor for the current rates. Enjoy

BENEFITS OF ADVERTISING ON THE BRT BUSES

BRT has special lanes in Lagos which makes the Advert on them very visible

The BRT buses can get to places billboards cannot get to.

The advert on the BRT buses will always be on people’s faces when held in traffic.

The BRT buses get to Lagos Island where billboards are mostly prohibited.

The BRT works for over 18hrs per day, 7 days a week, even on public holidays.

The BRT buses are big, so it is like advertising on a 40ft by 60ft Unipole for the price of a 10ft by 20ft 48 sheets billboard.

Using the BRT Bus Branding is like having three (3) 48sheet Billboards on a single bus.

Unlike other kinds of advertising, like TV or Press, people cannot just switch the channel, flip the page or throw it out.

The ad on the BRT Buses is simply in front of people as a part of the environment!

TV Stations Rating in Nigeria (Lagos, Abuja, Portharcourt). Part 3

2010-12-07T05:56:00.002+01:00

Lots of people have been mailing to ask for TV stations ratings in Nigeria. I have taken time to list the top 10 TV stations for the various regions in Nigeria. Like I mentioned in my earlier post, this report is the outcome of a research company here in Nigeria, it does not mean it is the final authority. Several factors should be considered before deciding to use a particular TV station for your advertising campaign, for example, not all the TV stations reach out to the same class of people. You have to decide who your target audience is before settling for a TV station. I will always advice, do your own research before deciding which TV station to advertise on in Nigeria.

I present to you top 10 TV station for 2009/2010. Read more on advertising on TV stations in Nigeria at http://victorariyibi.blogspot.com/2009/04/television-commercial-in-nigeria.html.

If you are also considering advertising on Nigerian TV stations, remember to contact Victor for TV Stations current rates, and the best price anyone can place the advert for you. Enjoy.

Nigerian Top 10 Radio Stations 2009/2010

Lagos

AIT Lagos.............................36.24%

TV Continental (TVC)..................24.16%

Silverbird TV.........................23.68%

Galaxy TV, Lagos......................23.20%

LTV, Channel 8........................21.96%

MITV Lagos............................16.68%

Super Screen..........................15.63%

Channels TV, Lagos....................15.44%

NTA CH 10, Lagos......................14.57%

NTA 2, CH 5...........................11.60%

South East

NTA Enugu.............................13.85%

NTA Awka..............................8.51%

NTA Owerri............................7.52%

NTA Aba...............................6.04%

EBBS TV Abakaliki.....................5.99%

ABS Awka..............................5.99%

NTA Abakaliki.........................5.64%

NTA Asaba.............................4.70%

ETV Enugu.............................4.62%

IBC TV Owerri.........................3.88%

North East

NTA Bauchi............................17.81%

NTA Maiduguri.........................17.73%

BATV Bauchi...........................11.58%

BRTV Maiduguri........................9.64%

NTA Jalingo...........................8.66%

NTA Gombe.............................8.18%

NTA Damaturu..........................5.71%

TTV Jalingo...........................4.51%

Gombe State TV........................3.38%

NTA Abuja.............................3.08%

North West

AIT Kano..............................9.80%

NTA Katsina...........................9.64%

NTA Kano..............................8.42%

Katsina State TV......................7.91%

NTA Gusau.............................6.73%

NTA Sokoto............................6.30%

NTA Kebbi.............................5.46%

AIT Kaduna............................5.06%

CTV CH 67, Kano.......................4.97%

Sokoto State Television...............4.60%

South South

AIT Port Harcourt.....................18.52%

AKBC Uyo..............................16.50%

NTA Port-Harcourt.....................14.60%

NTA Uyo...............................14.54%

RSTV Port Harcourt....................14.24%

CRTV Calabar..........................5.23%

NTA Calabar...........................2.67%

NTA Yenegoa...........................2.49%

Bayelsa TV............................1.79%

NTA Aba...............................1.08%

South West

OSRC Akure............................10.75%

NTA Akure.............................7.92%

GTV CH 25, Abeokuta...................7.10%

AIT Lagos.............................6.99%

BCOS CH 28, Ibadan....................6.22%

LTV, Channel 8........................6.06%

NTA CH 4, 5 & 7, Ibadan...............5.86%

NTA Ado-Ekiti.........................5.56%

Ekiti TV..............................5.46%

Galaxy TV, Ibadan.....................5.37%

North Central

AIT Abuja.............................13.05%

NTA Lokoja............................10.11%

NTA Yola..............................9.35%

NTA Abuja.............................8.89%

NTA Plus, Abuja.......................8.37%

NTA Minna.............................5.83%

NTA Jos...............................5.34%

PRTV Jos..............................5.27%

NTA Makurdi...........................4.94%

AIT Jos...............................4.63%

Advertising on Radio in Lagos (Nigeria)

2010-11-24T12:25:00.003+01:00

Radio Stations Recommended by Victor (Personal Recommendation)

I got a call from Dan Foster and Charles B, popular radio presenters on Inspiration fm radio, asking like several other people that have mailed and called me to ask for the source of our statistics on the Top 10 media to advertise in Nigeria. I explained before in my earlier post that the statistics given are the opinion of a research company in Lagos, it is not a final authority. The truth is that, I have the list of my own favorite radio stations and I usually recommend these stations to my Clients depending on what they are trying to push into the Nigerian Market and their target market. To be very sincere I have more than one favorite radio station, and they all reach different set of people. I don’t mean to step on toes with those statistics, but that is the findings of a research firm. I have listed my own recommended radio stations with my own evaluation of their performance and target audience. You are free to debate this if you have a different opinion from what I have here. The purpose of this report is to guide your advertising campaign when considering radio stations to advertise on in Lagos/Nigeria. I hope you find this useful.

If you are also considering advertising on radio stations in Nigeria, remember to contact Victor for Radio Stations current rates, and the best price anyone can place the advert for you. Enjoy.

Inspiration FM

Nigeria’s #1 family radio station 92.3 INSPIRATION FM. Inspiration Radio serves the needs of the residents of Lagos State in Nigeria for promotions, intensive inspiration, and music 24 hours a day.

92.3 Inspiration FM is borne out of the need to inspire Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 50 to live their dreams and achieve their potentials. The station plays the finest blend of Local Nigerian and International Music.

The Inspired News Desk delivers the freshest news and sports in a fair, balanced and objective manner. The station has seasoned and brilliant broadcasters like Dan Foster, Chaz B, Wale Scott, Etoma Edu, Thelma Ilems who thrills the audience to exciting moments.

Every aspect of the content broadcast on Inspiration Radio is subjected to intricate systems of screening and scrutiny to ensure our content meets the highest standards. Every song, commercial, promo, and possible personality talk is designed to be “Family Friendly” and to meet the specific needs and wants of our listeners.

(Extracted from Inspiration fm radio website, www.inspiration-radio.com)

Best Known For: Best Nigeria’s family radio station

Exposure: About 10 million people tune to the station daily.

Reach: Lagos Island, Lekki, Apapa, Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Ikeja, Epe, Badagry, Agege, Egebda, Alimosho, Igando, Ota Etc

Target Audience: Children, youths, & adults (18 and 50yrs)

Class Audience: A, B, C, D, E

Rhythm F.M. Lagos.

Best Known for: Entertainment radio station in Nigeria

Exposure: About 20 million people tune to the station daily.

Reach: Lagos, Epe, Abeokuta, Badagry, Shagamu, &Ijebuode

Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt, Benin, Awka, Jos, Yenagoa and adjoining states

Target Audience: Children, youths, & adults below 55yrs.

Class Audience: A, B, C few Ds

Cool F.M. Lagos.

Best Known For: Entertainment radio station in Nigeria. It early morning show has grown to be very loved, because of its interactivity and presenters.

Exposure: About 17 million people tune to the station daily.

Reach: Lagos, Abuja, Enugun, Calabar, Uyo, Epe

Target Audience: Children, youths, & adults below 55yrs.

Class Audience: A, B, C few Ds

Star F.M. Lagos.

Best Known For: One of the best current entertainment radio stations in Lagos state. Star fm early morning news program by Moyo and Mofe Oyatogun has reposition the radio station as a radio of choice to listen to in the morning as the mix entertainment and news.

Exposure: About 14 million people tune to the station daily.

Reach: Lagos Mainland, Lagos Island, Epe, Abeokuta, Badagry, Shagamu, &Ijebuode.

Class Audience: A, B, C, D, E

Target Audience: Children, youths, & adults below 55yrs.

Wazobia F. M. Lagos.

Best Known For: Rated high due to its grassroot, pigin English, and Comedy appeal

Exposure: 9 million people tune to the station daily.

Reach: Lagos, Epe, Badagry, & Shagamu.

Target Audience: Children, youths, & adults below 55yrs.

Class Audience: Grassroots , C, D and E. A and B that loves local contents.

Classic F. M. Lagos.

Best Known For: Best known for their classic appeal and Old school Entertainment radio station in Nigeria

Exposure: About 8 million people tune to the station daily.

Reach: Lagos Island, Lekki, Apapa, Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Ikeja, Epe, Badagry, Agege, Egebda, Alimosho, Igando, Ota Etc

Target Audience: youths, adults below 80yrs.

Class Audience: A, B, C, D, E

Radio Stations Rating in Nigeria (Lagos, Abuja, Portharcourt). Part 2

2010-11-19T06:20:00.004+01:00

Last week I listed the top ten most read Newspapers in Nigeria. I got lots of responses from that post, people asking what the source of our statistics is. I responded by saying ‘they are responses we got from interviewing people at various regions in Nigeria and this research was carried out by a top research firm in Nigeria. Part of the job description of this research firm is also to help you track and monitor your advertising campaigns, please don’t forget to contact me in you ever need such service.

This week I will be listing the top 10 Radio stations in Nigeria. We believe this report is supposed to help you plan your advertising campaign. I also want people to bear in mind that this statistics can change from time to time depending on other external factors. For example; the class of people you are trying to reach can influence the station you should place your advert in. Not everyone will listen to a vernacular speaking station and not everyone will want to listen to an all English speaking station either. Every station has their target audience. You have to also do your investigations and research to determine which station is best suited for your advertising campaign. For more on ‘Advertising on Nigeria radio stations’, visit this link http://victorariyibi.blogspot.com/2009/04/radio-advertising-in-nigeria.html/

If you are also considering advertising on radio stations in Nigeria, remember to contact Victor for Radio Stations current rates, and the best price anyone can place the advert for you. Enjoy.

Nigerian Top 10 Radio Stations 2009/2010

Lagos

Cool 96.9 FM Lagos................................19.65%

Radio Lagos 107.5 FM (Tiwantiwa)..................14.57%

Eko 89.75 FM Lagos................................11.41%

Raypower 100.5 FM, Lagos..........................9.88%

Star 101.5 FM, Lagos..............................9.40%

WAZOBIA 95.1 FM...................................8.34%

Choice 103.5 FM, Lagos............................7.00%

Rhythm 93.7 FM, Lagos (Silverbird)................6.71%

Radio Continental 102.3 FM........................5.75%

Brilla 88.9 FM, Lagos.............................5.47%

South East

ABS FM, Awka......................................11.13%

Cosmos Radio 105.5 FM, Enugu......................9.62%

Unity 101.5 FM, Abakaliki.........................5.57%

BCA AM, Umuahia...................................5.32%

EBBS 98.1 FM, Abakaliki...........................5.03%

Heartland 100.5 FM, Owerri........................4.73%

Purity 102.5 FM, Awka.............................4.73%

Coal City 92.85 FM, Enugu.........................3.97%

Orient 94.4 FM, Owerri............................3.62%

Lion 93.9 FM, Nsukka..............................2.55%

North East

Radio 95.3 FM, Maiduguri..........................14.10%

FM Bauchi.........................................13.78%

BBC Hausa Service.................................8.83%

Pearl 98.5 FM, Bauchi.............................8.77%

TSBC Jalingo......................................8.72%

Peace 102.5 FM....................................7.20%

GSBC, Gombe.......................................6.25%

BRC AM, Bauchi....................................6.20%

YBC Damaturu......................................5.05%

BBC World Service.................................4.26%

North West

Freedom Radio 99.5 FM, Kano.......................17.20%

Raypower 106.5 FM, Kano...........................7.94%

BBC Hausa Service.................................7.71%

Radio Kano FM.....................................7.61%

Radio Zamfara.....................................5.55%

Companion 104.5 FM, Katsina.......................4.68%

Radio Kano FM.....................................4.67%

Freedom FM, Dutse.................................4.63%

RIMA 97.1 FM Radio, Sokoto........................4.62%

Supreme 96.1 FM, Kaduna...........................4.49%

South South

AKBC 90.5 FM......................................20.35%

Treasure 98.5 FM, Port Harcourt...................10.59%

Ray Power 2, 106.5 FM.............................9.38%

Family 97.7 FM Port Harcourt......................6.57%

Rhythm FM Port Harcourt...........................6.07%

CR Radio-2 (105.5 FM), Calabar....................3.80%

BBC World Service.................................2.95%

Radio Bayelsa, Yenegoa............................2.70%

Ray Power 2, 106.5 FM.............................2.03%

Pacesetter FM, Umuahia............................1.99%

South West

Adaba FM.........................................10.01%

Positive 102.5 FM, Akure.........................7.17%

Gateway 90.45 FM, Abeokuta.......................5.67%

Progress 100.5 FM, Ado-Ekiti.....................5.14%

OSBC 89.5 FM Osogbo..............................4.89%

Splash FM, Ibadan................................4.79%

Voice of Ekiti 91.5 FM, Ado-Ekiti................4.74%

Paramount FM, Abeokuta...........................4.52%

Living Spring FM Osogbo..........................4.21%

DBS Asaba........................................3.89%

North Central

Grace 95.5 FM, Lokoja............................12.11%

FM 94, Lokoja....................................11.19%

ABC2 FM Yola.....................................6.44%

Peace 90.5 FM Jos................................5.71%

ABC1 Yola........................................5.28%

Rhythm 93.7 FM, Makurdi..........................4.73%

Benue Radio (FM) Makurdi.........................4.66%

Aso 93.5 FM, Abuja...............................4.35%

Ray Power 100.5 FM, Jos..........................4.15%

Radio Rivers 2 99.1 FM Port Harcourt.............3.91%

Newspaper Ratings in Nigeria (Lagos, Abuja, Portharcourt). Part 1

2010-11-11T06:03:00.003+01:00

Lots of people have mailed and called me, asking for media rating or statistics in Nigeria. I know lots of people are confused as to which newspaper to advertise in and get the best response in Nigeria, I always advice people that it depends on their target market and where they are located. That is why I have taken time today to write on the media statistics you should consider before placing Newspaper Ad in Nigerian Newspapers. These statistics are people’s opinion taken on the street. We are not claiming to be absolute with these figures, but the statistics are from a research firm, that has taken timeout to take surveys from people on the street. We hope you find this information useful. I intend to publish for other media later in the month. You can read about Newspaper Ad and the benefits in Nigeria on this link http://victorariyibi.blogspot.com/2009/04/newspaper-advertising-in-nigeria.html .

If you ever have to place a Newspaper Ad in Nigeria, remember to contact us for their current rates, and the best price anyone can place the advert for you. Enjoy.

Nigerian Top 10 Newspapers 2009/2010

National (Nigeria)

The Punch........................4.89%

Complete Sports..................4.30%

The Sun..........................3.98%

The Guardian.....................3.88%

Daily Trust......................3.20%

Vanguard.........................3.10%

Soccer Star......................2.78%

The Nation.......................2.65%

Nigerian Tribune.................2.56%

Daily Independent................2.33%

Lagos State

Complete Sports..................15.34%

The Punch........................11.45%

The Guardian.....................6.70%

Soccer Star......................4.45%

PM News..........................4.30%

Alaroye..........................3.88%

The Sun..........................3.60%

Vanguard.........................3.34%

Nigerian Tribune.................2.99%

Nigerian Compass.................2.67%

South East

Vanguard.........................6.55%

The Sun..........................5.98%

The Guardian.....................5.55%

The Punch........................3.45%

Daily Independent................3.34%

Champion.........................3.20%

The Nation.......................2.98%

Daily Trust......................2.32%

This Day.........................2.30%

Soccer Star......................2.20%

North East

Daily Trust......................5.30%

The Punch........................4.34%

The Guardian.....................4.20%

Soccer Star......................2.98%

Vanguard.........................2.90%

New Nigerian.....................2.89%

The Sun..........................2.80%

Complete Sports..................2.76%

Daily Independent................2.50%

National Daily...................2.23%

North West

Daily Trust......................3.90%

The Sun..........................3.21%

New Nigerian.....................2.65%

The Punch........................2.62%

Complete Sports..................2.40%

Vanguard.........................2.30%

ThisDay..........................1.82%

The Guardian.....................1.80%

Soccer Star......................1.70%

National Daily................... 1.70%

South South

The Punch........................4.07%

Complete Sports..................3.31%

The Sun..........................3.08%

The Guardian.....................2.75%

Pioneer..........................1.75%

Vanguard.........................1.74%

Soccer Star......................1.28%

Daily Independent................1.26%

Business Day.....................1.22%

ThisDay..........................1.17%

South West

The Punch........................4.55%

Nigerian Tribune.................3.63%

Complete Sports..................3.13%

The Nation.......................2.82%

The Guardian.....................2.72%

Vanguard.........................1.68%

The Sun..........................1.63%

Alaroye..........................1.15%

Soccer Star......................0.99%

Compass..........................0.63%

North Central

The Sun..........................5.92%

Daily Trust......................5.13%

Soccer Star......................3.25%

The Punch........................3.02%

The Guardian.....................2.41%

The Nation.......................2.22%

Vanguard.........................1.44%

ThisDay..........................1.40%

Nigerian Tribune.................1.32%

Daily Independent................1.27%

HOW TO KNOW YOUR BUSINESS ADVERTISING IS EFFECTIVE IN NIGERIA (Lagos, Abuja, Portharcourt)

2010-10-30T13:36:00.001+01:00

Lots of small and medium scale businesses don’t believe in Advertising. One can never over emphasize the role of advertising in any business. I always tell business owners that having a business and not advertising it is like hiding your business from people, YES, it’s that bad.

And then I have seen some other business owners advertise and not monitor their advertising campaign, to know if it’s effective or not. That is why I am writing on this subject. It really does amaze me the number of businesses who advertise purely for the sake of advertising. If you were to randomly ask ten business owners why they advertise, nine out of the ten will most likely say, because everyone else does or something similar.

This may seem like a strange thing to do but it is a serious challenge that is rarely addressed, especially by the smaller business owners. The real question that needs to be answered is; are you potentially tipping vast amounts of your hard earned profits down the drain because of ineffective advertising campaigns?

The best kept secret in the world of advertising is that most business advertising does not work. However, don't expect anyone who sells ad space to tell you that. Because most businesses don't monitor how well or badly any particular advertising campaign is doing, very few are aware of this fact.

Recently, a client of mine insisted on doing radio advertising to promote a website. I advice the client to make press ad instead, because I feel majority of their target market will read Tuesday Guardian before listening to the radio. They insisted they wanted a radio, so we did radio. At the end of the day, I got a very upset client, who claimed the advertising was not working. Who get blamed for this?

Just because you have advertising budget doesn't mean you have to spend it without knowing what return you are getting. There are a multitude of sins committed when it comes to publicity but here are three key elements that you absolutely must get right every time if you are to avoid profit depletion.

Always Test and Measure

It is paramount that you test and measure any advertising. This applies to all forms of promotion, TV, radio, newspaper, magazine and any other medium you use. It would seem like an obvious thing to do but very few businesses actually do it. A focused plan has to be in place so that you know, with absolute certainty that the ad you are running is worthwhile and producing a return on investment. If it is not stop it!

Again this would seem obvious and logical but it doesn't always happen. Some companies will run ads for weeks and months, spending millions of hard earned Naira with absolutely no idea if the ad is producing a profitable outcome.

Watch Your Headline

Your headline is the most important part of any ad. If the headline does not catch the readers attention, your ad will not get read, period. I see ads all the time, where the headline is the company name and logo. The truth is nobody cares about your company name or if you've been established for 125 years. The headline must always appeal to your targeted audience and where possible include a benefit. Which headline is more likely to attract your attention?

The moral of the story is, take care with headlines. They can make or break your return on investment. Getting your headline right can increase your response rate by as much as 50% to 100%.

Use Media Trackers Services

Most business owners always make mistake to assume their campaign is running, just because they’ve paid for it. The work of an ad agency is to represent you, advice and guide you in making the right decision in your advertising campaign. After agencies have made media buying for you, they assume you are tracking your own campaign. They also assume your campaign is running because they already paid the media. It is your duty to ensure the campaign you paid for is running. This is really common with most media in Nigeria especially Billboards, Radio and TV. Most times, you will know if your press ad is running or not. However, some of the billboards you have seen pictures and approved has stopped running after a month or two, whereas you paid for six month. It is the duty of the media trackers to ensure all your billboards are still standing. That your radio spots runs at the right time scheduled and that the number of spots you paid for what is what is played. Same goes for TV campaign. Don’t just keep spending money and wondering why you are not seeing the effect of your advertising campaign, your campaigns are probably not running any more.

In conclusion, before you embark on your next advertising venture think about this. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results" - Albert Einstein

Thinking of advertising in Nigeria, contact Victor today, his number is at the contact Victor page of this blog.

MOBILE TRUCK ADVERTISING NOW OPERATING IN LAGOS (Nigeria)

2010-10-20T05:33:00.003+01:00

The caption on this ad truck reads ‘Your customers don’t stand still, why should your advertising'. Do you agree with this statement?

People are looking for new methods of advertising in Nigeria today, which is why some people are also committed to inventing new methods of advertisement. The mobile ad truck is a dynamic way of introducing your product to a targeted audience in Lagos, because it is not static, you can decide you want student to see your ad today, and change your mind that you love doctors to see it tomorrow. This ad can go wherever you want it to go, isn’t that interesting?

It’s in the name - mobile advertising is an ad that moves around a city, state or country. Ordinarily, these mobile signs are placed on the sides of trucks. A billboard can actually be placed on the flatbed of a truck and driven around for maximum exposure. There are a vast variety of advantages to outdoor mobile billboards.

Ready For Your Viewing Pleasure
An eye-catching design with bright colors as researched by professionals, heading down the highway is quickly and frequently noticed by drivers. Nine times out of ten, this results in drivers taking time to view and read the full ad. Additionally, pedestrians passing mobile truck advertising are more likely to be attracted to the design and will take the time to read the ad.

Unavoidable
The channel can’t be changed and the ad cannot be crumpled and thrown away. It is there, bold and unavoidable. The individual has no choice but to take note and read these mobile signs.

Repetition
Outdoor mobile billboards can be consistently displayed in one area at one time of consistently for repetitive exposure. For example, mobile truck advertising can be driven along a particularly busy highway during rush hour every day so the same commuters will see it again and again. The message will eventually sink in. Practice makes perfect!

Flexibility
The advertising message is easily and cheaply made as are any necessary changes. To prevent boredom, a company can have their mobile ad changed and improved on a regular basis keeping the public curious for what may be coming next. Another component of flexibility is location. The ad can be moved on a frequently to the areas where it will be most effective and generate the most response.

No Competition
Mobile ads are usually displayed and seen by potential clients without any distractions from competitors' advertisements. The mobile advertisement can be strategically positioned so there is no competition to be seen for miles.

GPS Tracking
Mobile advertising vehicles generally all have a GPS system in the vehicle. The route of the ad can be tracked to be sure the correct roadway is being covered at the right time and in the right place with this device. It also determines which part of a route is more effective in generating customers making that a noted target location for future advertising.

Ad Selections
Mobile ads come in various selections. A standard flat ad that is typically the most common. 3D adds are also available as are scrolling billboards which can be animated or have colors that can be changed. This is an incredibly unique and effective eye catching tool.

Targeting
Mobile ads can be strategically located to areas where the target audience is mostly likely found. For example, a company that produces health products might do well to station their mobile add near a busy government hospital. It will have a better chance of being seen by the type of people that will frequent this establishment or buys the product.

If you are interested in placing a truck ad in Lagos today, please give us a call.

Taxi Advertising in Lagos, Abuja (Nigeria)

2010-10-09T08:22:00.003+01:00

Taxi advertising is becoming the talk of the town in the advertising world in Lagos today. Taxi companies are springing up everywhere using brand new, fully air-conditioned, modern car as a form of transportation in Lagos today. Taxi companies springing up in Lagos are RED Cab, Metro Taxi, Lagos cab, Yellow Taxi (etc), and they all uses brand new cars such as 2009/2010 Toyota Camry, 2009/2010 Toyota Corolla, 2009/2010 Toyota Yaris, 2009/2010 Nissan Altima etc. Taxi Advertising has become an indispensable tool, regularly utilised by marketing departments of most major national or global companies who wish to build a corporate brand awareness and recognition. It is a high profile medium with excellent levels of recall because taxis tend to concentrate their activities in or around city centre especially in Cities like Lagos and Abuja, and lots of other strategic destinations as compare to other mediums.

Let's do a quick review on common advertising mediums:
(1) Advertisements in the newspaper are rarely seen more than once and then discarded.
(2) Bus advertisement is normally seen only on certain permitted routes.
(3) Radio airtimes and TV advertisements are heard and seen at a certain point of time.
(4) Billboards and Road Banners advertisements are often limited to certain permitted locations, etc.
Despite the fact that all the above mentioned common advertising activities often incur huge budget costs for a very short time frame, why companies still opts for them?? Why not try new innovative taxi advertising? That is the purpose of this write-up, to let you know about the benefits of Taxi advertising.

Imagine how many streets are covered on a daily basis by a taxi. Imagine the pedestrians and motorists who see the taxi. Then imagine your company's advertisement proudly displayed as the taxi moves through town, stops at traffic lights, stops to pick up customers, pulls into shopping centres’ and many other popular strategic locations from Kuala Ikeja to Victoria Island to Ajegunle to Egbeda or even travelling interstates.

THE FACTS ARE:
No other medium delivers your message more effectively. Taxi ads work for you especially in lagos that we have traffic everywhere, from very early hours of the morning to late in the night, almost 19 hours a day, seven days a week.
It builds product/service awareness within days. Imaging 100 - 200 taxis carry your ads and message where it counts; close to the point of purchase - downtown market districts, offices and shopping centres, entertainment outlets and other strategic areas where other form of media are not permitted.
Taxi routes coincide with high population densities and strategic destinations from all corners ensuring that your ads get the maximum exposure, and imagine Lagos that has a population of more than 15million people and still counting.

So, if you are considering placing Taxi ad in Nigeria, give us a call today and we will make sure your product or services are well exposed!

LED Outdoor Billboard Advertising in Nigeria (Lagos, Abuja, Abia, Portharcourt)

2010-10-09T08:19:00.004+01:00

As a part of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) contribution in making Lagos a mega City, lots of the old fashion ordinary billboards are being removed, and being replaced with a more modern technology in outdoor advertising. The old fashion 40 sheet is already faced out and being replace with much neater backlit 48 sheets, ultra display and LED LED screen billboard.
Outdoor advertising in Lagos and Abuja has even gone a step further into the digital age by the introduction of this large screen LED billboards, that are popping up in hot places like the MMA2 (Muritala local Airport 2), Allen Avenue junction, Maryland, Surulere, Victoria Island, Ikoyi etc, and are proving to be quite the success. In fact, many prefer digital outdoor advertising because of its large impact and efficient pricing. Look out for these bright LED billboards as they set the tone for outdoor advertising now in Lagos, Abuja Portharcourt and Abia states in Nigeria..

These brilliant digital displays offer effective, high impact, targeted, and flexible advertising campaigns. These digital displays are widely accepted as the new advertising medium, because of their myriad advantages such as: dynamic creative elements and interactivity, guaranteed delivery and scheduled display, multiple advertisers with no clutter, co-op revenue opportunities, instant digital changes for season, price, or promotion, rapid ability to update content, timely insertion of trailer loops with advertising content, instant digital programming with informative and entertaining content, and the ability to deliver specific messages to specific audiences in specific locations.

The flexible LED (light emitting diode) medium allows instant message uploading via the Internet, so Amber Alerts, community event messages, public service announcements can run on the sign when they are needed. Today, outdoor advertising is a vital element in well-conceived marketing plans.

In today's society older methods of advertising, such as newspaper and radio, are on their way out, whereas outdoor billboards are becoming increasingly effective. Next to the internet, outdoor advertising is the fastest growing medium and continues to gain strength.

The animated advertisements can be set in a loop to continuously show a set number of messages. And when a change is needed, instead of sending a crew to tear down the old and pain the new, it just takes the click of a mouse! Needless to say, look out for digital media as the future of outdoor advertisement.

If you are interested in placing your ad on LED outdoor in Lagos or Abuja, please give us a call today.

LED Screen Now on Lagos Taxis!

2010-10-09T07:49:00.005+01:00

Futuristic, sleek, and aerodynamic, those are the word I will use to describe this development of LED screen on Nigerian Taxi’s. Nigeria is fast becoming a changed nation as new technological development is being introduced into the advertising world. When we saw the LED display on outdoor billboards in Lagos and Abuja, we thought we’ve seen it all, now we have LED display Outdoor screen on Lagos Taxi's!

Last week, I was invited to the unveiling of this new wonderful technology that is being introduced to the streets of Lagos.
Over 200, highly functional, brand-new, air-conditioned cars were launched at this unveiling. The LED Taxi attempts to provide a comfortable alternative to the old rickety cabs, ubiquitous in most Nigerian cities, thereby providing cheap and comfortable means of transportation for both the rich and the poor.
The LED mobile taxi is the mobile digital platform on which goods and services are displayed in their brightest and most natural colours. Appearing as a rectangular, rooftop, double-face LED screen, measuring 40 inches by 16 inches, it provide advert services through the display of these digital images in their most natural colours. The location of this screen shall be the roof of the POD Taxi and its unique double-face feature affords a dual view every time. The Screen is built in accordance with defined scientific specifications and standards to make it water-proof, sun-proof and environmental friendly.
The advert spot on the Taxi runs simultaneously on all the 200 taxi operating in the street of Lagos. This is another good avenue to convey your messages to the inhabitant of Lagos and Abuja (where we have this taxi’s for now)

Here are some benefits of the LED Screen Taxi
The advert on the Diamond Screen can be seen by people on all the streets and roads as the minimum viewing distance is only 4 metres.
The Screen is double sided to afford a dual view every time.
It weighs only 30kg and does not affect the balance of the taxi irrespective of number of passengers in it.
It is weather proof, stone proof and environmental friendly.
It can display exact same adverts on all the screens scattered about at the same time.
It is a highly durable screen as it can run for 10,000 hours non - stop, that is, approximately 5 months.

If you are interested in placing your advert spot on these taxi’s, please remember to contact us for more information.

How to Beat Your Competitors in Your Advertising Campaign in Nigeria (Lagos, Abuja)

2010-10-02T03:37:00.004+01:00

When you start thinking about competitive analysis, ask yourself this question: What do your customers see when they compare you to your competition? After all, your customers' perspective is the only one that counts. Knowing and understanding what the customer sees is the most important competitive analysis you can do.

The Customers' Perspective: Competitive Analysis

One part of being a professional advertiser is thinking like the prospective customer. Your customers and prospects do not live in a vacuum. They are sophisticated shoppers. Their perceptions of price, value, quality, and service are very high. What happens when they compare you to the competition?

Sometimes you can focus so much on what is special about your own company that you forget about your competition. But your customers and prospects will see and read your competitors' marketing materials. They are going to talk to them on the phone. They are going to price their products, review their guarantees, and meet with their sales people. Your customers will conduct their own competitive analysis.

You must do the same thing. It is very important for you to make these same contacts with your competitors so that you can understand what the customer sees. You need to know where you stand in comparison to your competitors from the customers’ perspective. Conduct your competitive analysis the way your customer would.

Here are some competitive analysis questions:

1. How do your advertisements compare to the competition?

2. How do your other marketing materials compare?

3. What other promotions are your competitors running? In many industries, published consumer advertising only represents a small part of a companies marketing budget. How else are your competitors reaching your prospects? Direct mail? Telemarketing? Incentives and specials? promos? Call and ask.

4. How good is your customer service compared to your competitors'? How often are prospective clients treated when they step into your office, or have to wait on queue for so long without being attended to? How soon do you return their call? How does this compare to your competitors?

5. How good are your competitors' salespeople? How professional are their presentations? How slick are their marketing materials?

6. What do they talk about? What marketing materials do they give to the prospect?

7. What time, volume, or seasonal incentives do they give?

8. Do your competitors follow up? How soon? How aggressively?

9. How good is their offer? How do they build value into their offer? What are their guarantees and return policies? How good is their customer service?

10. How do they stay in contact with customers? How do they follow up?

11. What do they do poorly? Why do customers leave them?

Conduct your competitive analysis so that you get the answers.

More Competitive Analysis

You don't conduct a competitive analysis to copy the competition. You could be copying systems or methods that do not really work that well. This is about understanding what your customers and prospects see, think, and understand.

And don’t worry if you can’t afford to sell the same way a large corporation can, because you probably don’t want to anyway. It is how you differentiate yourself from your competitors that counts. Your competitive analysis should determine how you are different and special, not how you are the same.

What differentiates you from your competitors from the customer’s perspective? What strengths and weaknesses do you have? What strengths and weaknesses do your competitors have? What is your potential customer seeing and thinking? The answers are probably found in the difference between your advertising and marketing materials, and your competitors'.

The answers are at your fingertips. The best competitive analysis you can do is to compare your brochure to your competitors'. How good is the copywriting? How professional is the presentation? You must run a competitive analysis on all of your competitors' marketing.

Without knowing the answers, you can never take advantage of your strengths, or compensate for your weaknesses from your customers perspective. Because you can be absolutely sure of one thing - your customers will conduct their own competitive analysis.

Do you really want to beat your competitors? Make sure that what your potential customers see about you is better than what they see about your competitors. Plan your marketing materials and presentations to take advantage of your strengths and of your competition's weaknesses.

Plan what your potential customers see when they compare you to your competition. Get the insight into your customer’s wants, needs, and desires, and market your company to address their concerns better than your competition does. Make sure your competitive analysis is done from the customers' perspective.

Competitive Analysis - Easy Examples

If your competitors are bad at answering the phone, and you use a great employee to answer your phones, you win. If people are calling from your ad campaigns, or anyplace else for that matter, then the single most important thing you can do is improve the quality of your phone skills. Your competitive analysis will tell you how good your competitors' are. First impressions count.

GTB bank in Nigeria won over LOTS of customers by providing a friendly and professional customer service. Bet you never though about that. What do the customers see? What’s important to them? What are the impressions you make versus your competitors? Your competitive analysis will tell you.

Take a good look at your brochure versus your competitors'. Is it twice as good? What company would the customer choose if your brochure was twice as good as your competitors'?

More than this, do your competitors even have brochures, or something to send or leave with potential clients? Don't think a cheap flyer will do the trick, but if you are the only company distributing brochures, or refrigerator magnets, or coupons, or information booklets, then you will win the business. People need to think, reference, and read before they decide. Give them what they need. Your competitive analysis will show you the way.

And just how slick are all of your marketing materials? How good is your presentation? First impressions count. It is natural to be impressed by a high quality presentation and superior marketing materials. You must conduct a competitive analysis on your own company. Remember, customers are conducting their own competitive analysis - How do you compare?

Competitive Analysis: Ask for Help

As always, we strongly recommend that you hire professionals for your printed materials, and ask a marketing professional to help plan and review the work. And it’s the best investment you can make if you can modify what your prospective clients see and think about your company versus your competitors'.

We also recommend that you contact a marketing professional to help you conduct a competitive analysis. In an hour a professional can give you some real insight into the quality of your marketing materials, how they compare to your competitors', and what you can do to improve them.

40 Sure Ways to Succeed in Advertising in Lagos (Nigeria) Part 1

2010-06-01T10:18:00.006+01:00

Make Sure You Write a Marketing or Business Advertising Plan: Please think about this. Marketing is probably your company’s only source of income. In turn, your marketing plan is probably one of the most important document you have.

Don’t make advertising Promise You Cannot Keep: Your customer’s opinion is the only one that ultimately counts. Your promise should match their needs and wants. Ask for their opinion, and tailor your offer to their desires. And feature well-known, branded products in your business advertising that are in high demand. This will bring in the customers.

Always Advertise with the Right Frequency: You will waste more money in business advertising by running ads too infrequently than by running them too often. Don’t try to save money by reducing advertising frequency. You must stay in contact with your customers.

Always Advertise the Benefits to Your Customers: Everything must be relevant to your customers. Always talk customer benefits, not product features. For example, ‘My Product is available in all sizes’ in a feature, but ‘My product can save you more money and you have FREE 50kg extra’ is a benefit.

Always Provide Enough Information In Your Ads: If you don’t specifically list each product or service you offer, customers will assume that you don’t have it. You must list every category of goods or services that are important revenue sources to your company. Essentially, you want to give all of the relevant information required in your business advertising so that the customer will respond in the desired way. This holds true for every type of media.

Set Goals For Your Business Advertising: Advertising is an essential investment, and it is hugely expensive. Without a clear set of goals for your investment, your return will be limited. Remember - You only get what you measure. An extra 1% compounded annually makes all the difference over time. Goals and objectives will help you to maximize your business advertising return on investment.

Create A Business Advertising Budget: This is a major reason why marketing fails. Your advertising message must stay in front of your customers on a regular basis. Your budget must be sustainable. Purchase your most important media first, and make sure you budget for it over time. Don’t buy anything else until you fully fund your primary media. Do not spread your business advertising thinly across different media. Do not try one-shot ads. Do not sporadically advertise. These are formulas for failure.

Don’t Set Unrealistic Expectations For Your Ads: Consistent, long-term business advertising builds a clientele. Running a few ads will not bury you in new customers. You need patience and determination. As a general rule, look for your advertising to impact on your business after six months. This is reality. Business advertising is an investment, not a miracle.

Advertise To a Specific Market Challenge: A little research can go a long way in determining the actual demand for your products or services. If there is no demand, advertising cannot create it. Business advertising can make people aware of solutions to their problems, but people will not buy solutions for problems they don’t have, no matter how much you advertise.

Think Of Advertising And Branding As an Important Part of Your Business: Why do you think some Multinationals in Nigeria that can afford an in-house agency, still contract their advertising arm out to an advert agency. That is because it is a very vital part of their business. So, think of advertising and branding as important part of your business because without it, people might not even know about your business.

Watch out for the concluding part of this article later on. If you are in need of a professional advertising agency or Counselling in Nigeria. Please contact Poisemedia communications Ltd. Our address is at the contact us part of this blog. Direct line is 2341-8716673.

Effective Ways of Using Advertising Media in Lagos (Nigeria)

2010-05-24T09:52:00.007+01:00

How to Pick the Best Media

When you are in Nigeria, there is always a tendency to be confused as to what advertising media to use for your advertising campaign, because of the cost involved in the various medium. So the question everyone always asks is ‘’what is the best and cost effective advertising media to use to promote my business?’’It’s Simple. Use the one that is most influential and believable, and that comprehensively reaches the highest percentage of your target audience for the lowest cost.

Is that easy? No.

There are many advertising media options for reaching your target audience. My past articles covers the relative strengths and weaknesses of different types of advertising media, and in the next couple of weeks I will specifically explains how to choose the most effective printed advertising media.

The information will help you to plan your advertising and to get better results, even if you are only choosing what local paper to run your ad in. That’s what Professional Advertising is all about. I will always advice you to pick a professional agency to work with, because they understand the market you are competing and they are in a better position to guide your advertising campaign. If you are still looking for an agency to work with in Nigeria, you can contact us at PoiseMedia, our address is at the contact us page of this blog.

The first thing to do is to pick An Advertising Media Category: The first decision to make is what category or combination of categories of advertising media to use [newspaper, magazine, radio, direct mail, television, telemarketing, direct sales, yellow pages, outdoor, etc.]

Note that I did not say that the first decision was what the company could afford. It is a fundamental mistake to buy any advertising media that you can’t afford to use effectively, or that will not generate the volume of sales you need to stay in business.

Many companies decide what advertising media to use too fast, and they base the decision on too little information. Don’t make assumptions about what you should do until you get some information. And you absolutely do not want to make media decisions based on what media sales decides to do.

A clearly defined set of goals for your advertising campaign will help you to choose the best advertising media available. Know what you want your advertising to do, so that you can measure the results and make decisions accordingly.

A realistic budget should indicate which advertising media could be effectively used for your campaign. And understanding the relative strengths and weaknesses between the different advertising media will help you to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time.

Please try to read the follow-up articles on this, to know the various advertising ways to exploit.

8 Reasons Why the Re-Branding Nigeria Project Failed!

2010-04-13T07:53:00.004+01:00

The re-branding Nigeria project was engineered by Professor Dora Akunyili, the current minister of information of the Feral Republic of Nigeria. Her idea was a fantastic concept, and she certainly deserves applause for thinking in that direction.

However, as much as her motives for the project might be just, the project was certainly a failure as far as the text book definition of internal re-branding is concerned. As much as I will not want to condemn the entire exercise, may be because of the billions of Naira of tax payers’ hard earned money spent, it is just so sad to see that things did not just work out. Thinking about the whole charade, it is my pleasure to highlight what I saw as the loop hole in the entire process and possible solutions to them. I believe this will help us bring things back into perspective and give us the possibility of a way forward. Without much ado about nothing, I present to you from my opinion ‘8 reasons I feel made the entire operation a failure’.

Wrong sense of what branding is all about: It is so sad because I feel the very people called to re-brand Nigeria do not have the slightest idea of what branding is all about; at least it seems so. There are so many steps taken in the wrong direction to prove they don’t have the slightest idea of what branding is all about. I will define branding, by first highlighting what branding is not.

A brand is not a Logo: (A new logo was created)

A brand is not a Name:

A brand is not a slogan: (Good people, great Nation)

A brand is not a product:

A brand is not an Identity:

A brand is not your advertising campaign: (TV and radio jingle)

What is a brand? A brand is people’s perception about who you are. (Layman definition) A brand is simply defined as what other people think about you. A brand is not what you say you are, it is what people say you are. So, you don’t define and call yourself a brand, people decide. You can consciously influence people’s decision by trying to create a unique brand perception in people's mind, but at the long run, people still decide if you are successful or not.

So, I believe the re-branding Nigeria process was not a success, because people don’t think it was, (if you seriously doubt what I am saying, please type the word ‘Re-Branding Nigeria in www.google.com/ search engine, and find out for yourself). Sad, but true, because trying to create a new brand identity like logo, slogans, music, TV commercial etc doesn’t really re-brand Nigeria, it like doing a facelift for a very sick person. The process should have been a lot deeper than that.

Lack of proper Corporate Social Strategies: Every country, company, organization, family, individual need to work with a corporate social or business strategy. As much as this may sound ridiculous, the secret to most developed nations of the world is the use of corporate social and business strategies to tackle social and economic problems battling with their system. They tackle a nation as though it were a corporate organization, because almost the same principle governs both systems. You will be so surprise how far the use of vision, mission and corporate cultural philosophies can go a long way to help a nation’s economic structure if enforced and imbibed by the leadership and citizens of any nation. Corporate social and business strategies involves, having a proper action plan that will be effective to developing every sphere of the nation’s economy. What most people fail to realize is that, once a nation's economy improves, then the brand image of such a nation will automatically change. What true re-branding can be more effective than this?

Wrong chain of Brand Structure: The right chain of brand structure states that ‘you brand from upward-down and inside-out’. I think our leaders have it on the reverse; they try to brand from downward-up, and outside-in.

Until the Lagos state governor ‘Babatunde Fashola (SAN)’ stopped planting flowers, and started making policies that affect the lives of the citizens of Lagos state, Lagos states was not perceived as a changed mega city. It will take more than planting flowers to effect those changes; if any reformation is not affecting the lives of the people you lead positively, there will be no transformation. He changed his strategies from planting flowers to making roads, health care reform, transportation, jobs etc. That is when any re-branding concept can work in the nation. If you don’t train or cause change in the life of the people you govern, they will in turn destroy every facelift you are putting in place. So, you have to brand inside out.

You also have to brand from upward-down. That means, you have to start enforcing and obeying policies from the helm of leadership. Any rebranding process that excludes the leadership of any organization, cannot work! You don’t try to enforce from the grass root. Most of our law makers are law breakers, and a true re-branding process cannot work under such conditions. You start the process from Aso-Rock and let it spread to every household in various parts of Nigeria. That is the way it works and not the other way round.

Wrong motives and divided purpose: This is a tricky one, because I cannot really judge Dora’s motives for wanting to rebrand Nigeria, but what about the people she is working with. Most of them are out for their pocket and not for the success of the program. For there to be a true re-branding process, people should be ready to make sacrifices. We all need to make sacrifices and work selflessly. I know there are some people that will do everything to sabotage such wonderful effort, but what is the motive of the people involved. This will bring us to the next point.

It takes a village to raise a child: It takes a community to rebrand. It is not something Mrs. Dora’s can do alone; it takes the support and cooperation from every Nigerian. We all need to work together to make Nigeria a great Nation, starting from those in the helm of affairs, our President, the Vice-President, our Senators, Ministers, Governors, Local council chairmen, leaders of corporations, family heads, organizational heads, group heads, School heads etc. if leaders can be an example to their followers, I don’t see the reason why things will not change. Our leaders were a never a part of this process. It takes collaborative efforts to build a house, the same goes for building a nation.

Starved and deprived Citizens: I don’t see the re-branding working when the system is down. Until we start making policies that transform the lives of the citizens, things will not change. Can you imagine us as a nation spending billions on carnival, when people are hungry? Holding carnivals to give a false perception to Nigerians in Diaspora is not a true rebranding process. A good re-branding process will always factor in, how to make policies that will transform the lives of the people. If the people still lack basic life amenities like housing, good road, electricity, food, jobs etc; all re-branding efforts will be wasted. The perception of Nigerians in Diaspora will always be negative as far as all the harsh condition in the country remains the same. When the country is fast developing, you turn your citizens into patriotic brand ambassadors that will go all around the world telling other people about their country. But when you don’t take care of your citizens, you also create 140 million negative brand ambassadors that will also go telling the entire world, I don’t know what kind of effect any TV or radio jingles can do to correct such an image. So, I will advise that we stop spending those billions of money making TV and Radio jingles; we should start using the money to implement policies that will in turn transform the lives of the people; that is a true internal branding process.

Non Availability of professional brand consultants: A project such as re-branding Nigeria, I believe should involve at least a professional consultant in the field of branding and not just advertising and communications. You can't just put together some people that have an idea of media and advertising and expect to have a positive output. If we are to do things again, I will suggest we get it right. Why do you think a bank such like GTBank in Nigeria will go all the way to UK to have institutions dedicate entire case studies in studying and researching on ways of improving on GTBank services? The airport management in UK outsourced some of their research to Harvard business school the United States, because they will do anything to have professionalism in their system. I am not saying we should go to the UK or USA, but I believe there are professionals we could have consulted for research and strategies when wanting to re-brand Nigeria.

Re-branding at every level not factored in: You cannot re-brand a part of the Nation and call it re-branding Nigeria. I expect if we truly wanted to re-brand Nigeria, we should run internal brand training essence at every Institutions, Universities, elementary Schools, government offices, military etc. Leadership and internal branding training for our senators, house of representatives, local governments chairmen, councilors etc. We needed to have trained everyone on what the process was all about. There is an adage that says “you can’t send an untrained military to battle field”.

These are some of the problems I feel didn’t make the Re-branding Nigeria project work out. Please do not hesitate to revert back to me, with your comments and further suggestions. Enjoy.

Bus Branding and Advertising in Lagos (Nigeria)

2010-04-07T09:09:00.010+01:00

Lagos is one of the busiest and biggest metropolis city in the world and a very good place to advertise your business. That is why it is becoming more and more competitive advertising in Lagos, Nigeria. Billboard rates are becoming more and more expensive and very few billboards to advertise on. That is why, I am writing an article on Bus Branding and Advertising in Lagos State. With the administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), more than 300 metro-buses have been provided for Lagos residents, with a special BRT lane provided for the air-conditioned luxurious buses. These buses are cheaper and faster than taking your private car out of home, so Lagosian will rather take BRT buses than take their cars some times. The BRT bus advert is one of the most effective places to place your outdoor advertisement in Lagos Nigeria. I am not saying the medium is cheap, but it is certainly very effective. With 15million Lagosian on the road everyday of the week, there is no way to miss these BRT buses, even if you are driving your own vehicle.

Advertising on buses is a great way to get your message out to the market in Lagos, Nigeria. Advertising on buses or on taxis is one way to get your message out to a broad audience repeatedly and on a consistent basis.

Unlike other kinds of advertising, like TV or Press, people cannot just switch the channel, flip the page or throw it out. The ad is simply in front of them as a part of the environment!

From this standpoint, advertising has the advantage of being able to successfully hit a large number of people without being too costly. When used in conjunction with other media outlets, advertising on buses is an effective way to strengthen your marketing campaign.

Here are some ways to increase the success of your marketing campaign by advertising on buses, and a few pointers to avoid the pitfalls as well.

Be brief. You must remember that most of the time either the bus or the audience will be in motion. That means that you only have a couple of seconds to make your point. Keep your slogan as short as possible.

Be bold. The shortage of words in a bus advertisement means that your pictures or logo really need to be memorable. Keep it simple, but don't be afraid to use bold and bright colors.

Be sensible. Because your ad will be seen by people of all ages and all walks of life, you need to makes sure that the ad is rated "G" - appropriate for all audiences! If your ad offends anyone, you will find that being the "talk of the town" is not always good news for your business!

Be smart. Before you sign that contract, determine who your target audience truly is. It is possible that certain bus routes are better suited to your campaign than others because of the types of neighborhoods that they drive through. If your product is for the high profile people, you might want to target buses going to Lagos Island, Ikeja etc.

While advertising on buses must be short and to the point, its success is based on repetition. When people see the same ad day after day on more than one bus and in more than one media venue, eventually the message will stick with them!

If you are interested in running Bus campaign in Lagos, Nigeria, please don’t forget to give us a call today.

Billboards In Lagos (Nigeria)

2010-03-11T09:10:00.003+01:00

It has been a very interesting 3 years for Outdoor Companies in Lagos State metropolis as LASAA (Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency ) has changed the face of Billboards in Lagos State. LASAA an agency that was constituted by Lagos State government to monitor the state of Outdoor and signage’s in Lagos State has suddenly become a terror to the Outdoor association (OAAN).

LASSA mission is to keep Lagos State clean by getting rid of all unwanted and disorganized billboard, Signages and all outdoor Posters in Lagos State metropolis. LASAA’s mission started by destroying about 80% of all billboards and signage’s in Lagos State. Outdoor companies then have to re-register their billboards before mounting billboards on Lagos streets. This tactics worked like magic because within a short space of time, Lagos metropolis became really clean and tidy, but little did outdoor companies know that, they will also pay dearly for this.

Prices of Outdoor skyrocketed by almost 800% in Lagos metropolis area because LASSA levy (TAX) was about 500% more than the formal prices. According to LASSA, this will make it possible, that we only have few billboards in Lagos State. Little did companies and advertisers also know that they will also bear the brunt of it all. LASSA has now become a major competitor in the outdoor industry because, now LASAA which is supposed to be a monitoring body, now owns about 40% of outdoor billboards in Lagos State. While prices of billboards has gone up by more than 800% of what the price used to be. Recently, other States in Nigeria like Abuja, Ogun and Portharcourt are adopting this strategy. Lots of outdoor companies have already folded up, while the very few left standing are barely surviving.

So, the question is ' Is LASAA a friend or a foe'? Please decide.

How to Advertise in Lagos (Nigeria) using Flyers

2010-01-07T05:51:00.003+01:00

When you first start out on your business venture, money is usually tight but you still need to advertise. One of the most affordable, yet very effective, ways to begin your advertising campaign in Nigeria is with flyers. Flyers are simply full page ads that are distributed directly to your potential customers. There are several ways in which they can be distributed.

You can either make the flyers yourself or have them made professionally like calling on us at PoiseMedia. There are several points to remember when designing your flyer, just as in writing ads or any other sales copy.

1. You want your flyer to get people's attention, so don't just use your boring, standard white paper. Use bright, alive and cheerful colors to bring out the message you are trying to convey; although you have to be very careful though, so that the flier doesn’t riot with colours. I will always suggest you give the design to a professional, even if you intend to print it yourself.

2. The flyer's purpose is to sell, not to let everyone know your name. The flyer is not a business card. On the flyer, you want to highlight your problem solving product/service.

For example: Are you looking for professional drycleaners? We can get rid of tough stains and dirt’s on your fabric. Give us a call today!

3. Use incentives and/or closing dates to get people to act NOW!

Call NOW and get 10% Off our Regular Price!

4. Adding a few testimonials to the flyer can also be very effective. Highlight comments of past satisfied customers. List your qualifications as well, making sure to set yourself apart from other similar companies.

5. Another good idea is to encourage referrals. Having a statement such as, " If you are not in need of our product or service, please pass this along to someone who is." You might be pleasantly surprised at how many customers this one line can bring in!

6. Don't forget about the back of your flyer. Take advantage of this space as well. List some of your specials, sales, more testimonials, incentives, etc.

7. Do not stop at one try. You MUST follow-up!

8. Test your flyers as well. Use different incentives, headlines, paper colors and see which ones get the best response.

9. Distribute your flyers in targeted areas. If you offer a business opportunity, try distributing them at the unemployment office. If you offer weight loss products, visit the local gyms and exercise studios.

There are several ways you can distribute your flyers, once you have designed them and printed them out.

Post your flyers on Public Bulletin Boards found in grocery stores, community centers, banks, post offices, laundromats, etc.

Hand them out outside of targeted buildings such as stores, unemployment office, restaurants, etc. Never push your flyers on anyone. If they hand it back, smile and accept it back. Do not block doorways or sidewalks! If handing flyers out in stores, malls, etc., be sure and get permission.

Parades and other public events are great places to hand out flyers. Do not engage in conversation, just smile and offer the flyers. If they do not take it, move on.

You can also distribute your flyers door-to-door. Leave the flyers on the doorknob, not in mailboxes!

Talk with apartment building owners, real estate offices. People just moving into the area are always in need of this type of information.

Check with your town's ordinances. Leaving flyers on people's cars might not be allowed in some places. Be sure and know all local laws before starting your flyer campaign!

Cheap and effective ways to advertise your business in (Lagos) Nigeria

2009-08-02T04:29:00.001+01:00

I get Lots of calls and mails from people all the time asking for cheap ways they can use to advertise their business in Nigeria, especially Lagos. I just thought about it, that it will be a good idea if I write about it too.
Lagos, Nigeria is said to be one of the fastest growing city in the world, with an average population of 14 million people. It attributes are very similar to Newyork city in USA, and almost anything can see, if you know how to locate your market. There are all kid of people in Lagos, from extremely rich (A class) to extremely poor (F Class), so take your pick of the market.
All kinds of people reside in Lagos from various walks of like, Americans, Asians, Latinos, Africans etc. I am not writing about Lagos, but the enormous potentials which the market presents.
Despite the huge market which Lagos present, most people still don’t know how to advertise their business in Lagos. Lots of people try to only stick focus of their advertising campaign on the internet. As much as that is a very fantastic idea for a white collar person, most Nigerian don’t trust the internet as a good source for information, so you might need to go the extra mile. While the Web allows you put information about your company and products where it can be found by millions of people, it's not the answer to every marketing problem, especially Nigeria.
Potential customers aren't going to find your web site unless you tell them about it and give them a reason to want to visit the page. In other words, you have to market the Web site or your product.
So what can you do to market your business at low cost in Nigeria? Here are some proven methods to help get your business off the ground without spending a fortune.

1) Make a good Business Card: Your business card is the first window people are going to get to peep into your business. If you don't have a business card and business stationery, have them made up -- immediately. Your business card, letterhead and envelope tell prospective customers you are a professional who takes your business seriously. A very good business card can also do an extra MAGIC for your business. If you give some one a business card that is not attractive, there is a high tendency; they will keep it for long. Most people remember business card or business stationeries that make a statement. A good business card will contain your company logo, your contact details and what you do.
If you don’t have a good business card, call an expert to design and print one for you today or give us to call the discuss how to get a very good one. Our direct line is 234-8029879354.

2) Get your business card into as many hands as possible. Call your friends and relatives and tell them you have started a business. Visit them and leave a small stack of business cards to hand out to their friends.

3) Talk to all the vendors from whom you buy products or services. Give them your business card, and ask if they can use your products or service, or if they know anyone who can. If they have newsgroups where business cards are displayed (printers often do, and so do some supermarkets, hairdressers, etc.), ask if yours can be added to the board.

4) Attend meetings of professional groups, computer user groups and groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, or civic associations. Have business cards in a pocket where they are easily reachable. Every time you start to say "My name is," reach in your pocket for a business card. By the time you get to "I run a..." (type of business), your business card should be deposited in the hand of the person with whom you are speaking. Don't forget to ask what the people you speak with do, and to really listen to them. They'll be flattered by your interest, and better remember you because of it.

5) Become actively involved in 3 or 4 of these groups. That will give you more opportunity to meet possible prospects. But remember: opportunists are quickly spotted for what they are, and get little business. While you won't want to become involved in activities that require a lot of your time in very many organizations, you can -- and should -- make real contributions to all of them by offering useful ideas and help with small parts of one-time projects;

6) Look for something unusual about what you do, and publicize it. Send out press releases to local newspapers, radio stations, cable TV stations, or magazines whose audiences are likely to be interested in buying what you sell. To increase your chance of having the material published, send along a photo (but not to radio stations) with your press release. Editors of printed publications are often in need of "art" (drawings or photos) to fill space and break up the gray look of a page of text. You can contact us if you need help in placing advert in any of the media in Nigeria. Read our article on placing advert in the newspaper.

7) Write an article that demonstrates your expertise in your field. Send it to non-competing newspapers, magazines, and Web sites such as the Business Know-How Web site. Be sure that your name, business name, reference to your product or service and phone number are included at the end of the article. If the editor can use the article, you get your name in print, and possibly get your contact information printed for free, too.
Here are some tips on cheap and effective ways to advertise your business. More are going to be coming your way very soon, you can check this site again very soon for update and the conclusion of this article.

ICS Press Conference organised by PoiseMedia

2009-07-13T09:35:00.002+01:00

Integrated Corporate Services (ICS) Press Conference started in grand style in the ICS ultramodern hall located in their premises. Present were members of the press from two (2) TV stations and four (4) Newspapers. Present were TV Continental (Golden Moments), Channels Television News crew, Guardian Newspaper, Punch Newspaper, Business Day Newspaper and Thisday Newspaper. The press conference started exactly 10:00am and lasted for 45minuted, with the chairman of the board taking the opening address. The MD (Mr Femi Olatide) took the welcome note, while the head of corporate services (Mr Peter Akindeju) took questions from members of the press. The purpose of the conference is to launch the new face of ICS which includes the logo branding and unveiling. The conference was organised by PoiseMedia.

PLANNING AN EFFECTIVE PRESS CONFERENCE IN (LAGOS, ABUJA, ETC) NIGERIA

2009-05-31T11:24:00.004+01:00

A press conference provides an opportunity to get coverage for your products or services on television, radio and in the papers in Nigeria. However, in order to be successful, press conferences must be well-organized and present newsworthy information.
Just to clarify, advertising is the paid promotion of goods and services. Advertising is an outlet for your creative message. Advertising is about reaching consumers. While reaching consumers is important, the message that’s delivered to those consumers is what makes them wish to do business with you instead of your competition. A good press conference will guarantee that with style.
Advertising is reaching consumers. Marketing is communicating with consumers. We shouldn’t be having conversations about just how to reach searchers and serve ads to them. Instead, we should be having conversations about how to connect with consumers once they have seen the advertisements.
A press conference provides that platform for you to be interviewed about your products or services, an avenue for you to share the uniqueness of your product or services. A press conference launches you into the media and limelight in a short because it put a face behind the brand. People tends to trust a brand that has faces behind it.

Here are some factors to consider when planning a Press Conference in Nigeria

Make News:
You will need to provide new and interesting information at your press conference. You should talk about how you intend to impact the community with your product or services. Let it look like you’ve already identified some problems, what do you intend to do about it and what expanding solutions are you adopting.

Location:
Your location should be easy for the media to access. You should think about the backdrop for television cameras—and about potential weather concerns if you are considering using an outside location. The backdrop will also serve as extra publicity for you because it will likely stay for the duration of any speech.

Timing:
Timing is very important for press conferences. Make sure that there are no other events happening at the time of your event. Is the President or Governor giving a big speech? Is there a protest planned that day? The best days of the week for coverage are Tuesday through Thursday. Press conferences work best in the mornings and early afternoons so that reporters can meet their deadlines.

Breaking news:
You can have the best-organized press event in the world – and something major can happen and your story won't get covered as everyone rushes to cover this other "breaking" news. Don't get discouraged if this happens. Try to reschedule your event or reach out to journalists on a one-on-one basis to generate a few stories in the days to come.

Program, Publicity and Logistics you will have to Consider
Inviting an audience:
In order to attract an audience for your press conference, you will need to get your partner organizations (Media Agency in Charge of your Advertising Campaign) to mail or email details about the event to their membership lists and encourage them to attend. You can also consider inviting potential clientele to your press conference.

Inviting policymakers:
If you want to invite local policymakers to attend or speak at your press conference, you should send them an invitation as early as possible. You should follow-up with a phone call.

Inviting media:
To invite media to your press conference, you should contact local journalists who are interested in advertising news, business and political and statehouse reporters. Make sure your media list includes television, radio and print reporters. You should send them a media advisory a few days before the event and then follow-up with a phone call.

Set-up:
The set-up for a press conference should include a podium and a microphone for the speakers to use when delivering their comments. Depending on your venue, you can provide chairs for the audience or they can stand. If your press conference is indoors, remember to leave space for television cameras at the back of the room.

Sign in:
You should have a sign-in table where you can welcome the media and have them fill out a sign-in sheet with their information. This sheet will help you track which media outlets are attending your event.

Visuals:
You should consider the visual impact of your event—especially for television cameras. You may want to display a banner behind the speakers with your organization's name on it, or put a sign on the front of the podium. In addition, you may want your audience to reflect your issue

Press kit:
You should put together a press kit to hand out to media at your press conference. Contents of this press kit could include fact sheets, a press release and other background material on your issue.

Media:
Expect television cameras to arrive up to half an hour early for your press conference to get their equipment set up. In addition, you may want to find a quiet space where outlets can interview individuals separately after the event.

Moderator:
You should select a moderator for your press conference that can introduce the speakers and facilitate Questions & Answers with reporters.

Speakers:
You should select no more than three people to speak at the press conference. Each of these speakers should have a specific topic to cover—and should have prepared talking points before the event. Other people can be present to answer questions after the press conference.

Agenda:
Begin your press conference on time. The moderator should introduce the speakers and then each speaker should talk for no more than 5 minutes. If you invite a policymaker to speak, they should be allowed 5 minutes as well. The moderator should then facilitate a short Question & Answer session with journalists.

Practice:
It is a good idea to have a "dress rehearsal" the day before your press conference to make sure the speakers are ready for the event.

If you need help in Planning an effective press conference in Nigeria. Please contact us for support and all the help you might need. Our contact detail is at the top of this page.

WAYS OF INTRODUCING YOUR PRODUCT TO THE (LAGOS) NIGERIAN MARKET

2009-05-25T06:50:00.000+01:00

Introducing your product into the Nigerian market requires exceptional product knowledge, creativity, imagination, persistence and energy. Now, in some cases, your "product" may be you!
Do you have a product or services you want to sell? Are you about getting a franchise for a fast moving product abroad and you want to introduce it into the Nigerian market as soon as you finalize all your plans? Are you about starting a production or service company of your own? These steps will guide you in some basic steps you need to take, and if you take these steps you might be able get your product into the Nigerian market in record time.

Create a Marketing Plan
An excellent marketing plan is essential and serves as the blueprint for your business success. Begin by confirming that there is in fact ... a market for your product.
Many overlook this and end up making one of the most expensive mistakes of their lives. If there is a market for your product, get the most recent market synopsis for your business.
Do your research online and at your local library or bookstore. There is a excess of information and literature available to help you succeed. Speak to individuals who operate businesses like yours, or call people in Nigeria that have done it before (We can also help you with information).
Next, do your homework. Write down your specific goals, objectives, and desired outcome for your business. After you've done this, you're ready to create your marketing plan. Be sure to include your:
• Product description
• Target market
• Customer demographics
• Price
• Competition
• Promotion
• Advertising
• Profit percentage
• Product Guarantee
• Product/liability Insurance
• Budget
(We can also help you to create a marketing plan)

Set a Launch Date
What is the exact date your product goes on a shelf, in a rack, in front of an audience, or online? Write it down.
Your launch date not only gives you something to aim at, it helps keep you accountable. Your Launch Date is considered your debut, or grand opening. It is the day your customers line up for the first time to be the first in line to buy your product.
The launch date is typically set far enough ahead for a full-steam ahead marketing effort. Setting a launch date six months in advance is the minimum I would suggest for a strong marketing campaign. Anything less would compromise your efforts and results. Six or more months out increases the likelihood for great previews, reviews, blurbs and other publicity mediums. And be sure to arrange press interviews and personal appearances with radio and television stations. (Click here to read more about brand launch in Nigeria)

Work With a Brand Agency or Small Group
Everyone can benefit from the guidance and support while putting their product on market. A brand agency or a business support group can help you reach your destination. You can't help but benefit from the shared experience and knowledge of others.
These resources can also help you hold yourself accountable for reaching your daily goals and objectives. The primary goals include helping you grow, and stay in business. You can meet once a week, once a month, or even once a quarter. It's up to you.

Take Action Every Day
This tactic requires discipline and is one you cannot afford to overlook. You must do something everyday which moves you closer to putting your product on the market.
Be sure you are advertising and utilizing both online and offline resources to do so. Go out and network and establish business relationships in Nigeria.
Join trade association if you can. Approach your niche market everyday with the intent to advance.
Be creative, daring and tenacious. Pick up the phone and tell the people about you and how your product can change their lives for the better.

Run Publicity Campaigns
You might also consider running some form of publicity, but that is really depending on your budget. You can also have an advertising budget. However, your budget doesn’t have to be so much. You can be strategic in your advertising campaign and you will not have to sp spend so much. For example, not every business need to go the TV media, you might just need to have a few billboards in Nigeria, and all you need might just be few fliers in the area you are concentrating your product. The product you are introducing determines the kind of publicity you need to throw. You can contact us for more of advertising in Nigeria or just read my later articles.

Sell, Sell, Sell!
Sell, sell, sell. But not without a specific strategy.
Depending on your product and respective marketing plan, you may want to focus selling to individuals first, then small businesses. As you reach your goals, you are more than likely to open up to retail or wholesale. Business-to-business selling is fundamental in the success of many products.
Illustrate the low cost and benefits of your product. Break down the price to its smallest increment and make the benefit clear. For example, "Enjoy delicious, high quality, hot bugger delivered to your home for less than N600.00 a day."

4 Ways You Can Boost Sales in Your Business in (Lagos) Nigeria

2009-05-18T06:53:00.002+01:00

The complaint of most business owners in Nigeria is that “Business is not moving well as before”. This is a major concern to so many small scale businesses and corporate organizations. These four proven ways will help you focus on some things you have probably ignored in your business. Whether you operate a service business, retail shop, wholesale service or online business, this article can give your company an edge.

Educate Your Customers about your business
There is value in education, especially when it comes to sales. You can educate your customers about the different services you render by using business brochure, or by offering articles related to your products and services inform of a newsletter. For example, if you own a dry-cleaning business, you can publish an article on the dangers of chemicals in many cleaning solutions and the effects on the body. However, let your articles be based on facts and not fictions. To compliment this effort, make sure your marketing efforts highlight the fact that you use safe solutions that are not harmful to their body.

Educate Your Employees about your Vision
So many businesses have closed down because the staffs do not understand the vision of the owner of the business. The staffs need to understand the vision and mission of the business especially those that deal directly with your customers. Multinationals and local organization spends so much money education their staffs about customer service and ways their staffs can treat customer better. Trainings are excellent way to train your sales team. Educate your staff on business policies or improve customer service. Let your staff know that “Customer is King, even when the customer is wrong”.

Run Advertising Campaign
Having a business and not telling customers about it, is like putting on a light and hiding it under a stool. Running advertising campaign is very fundamental to the growth of any business. Running a campaign does not necessarily means you have so much money to spend; you can run strategic campaign that would not cost you so much. I will not advice a local food restaurant for example to spend money on a TV commercial, because it is going to be a waste of resources that can be put to more effective use. I will rather suggest campaign fliers (handbills) to the local community where the restaurant is located. In the fliers, we will educate people on what will be gained, if they decide to stop to eat at the restaurant.

Run Sales Promotions
Sometimes, you don’t even need to spend money on publicity. I once advice a lady who runs a local gift shop to spend the money she intend to use on advertising campaign to buy extra bonus gift for her present customers. She did just that and her customer base increased by 300% in 6 months. You will ask how? Her present customers she gave free gift told the whole community about her store, and that is the power of “Word of Mouth (WOM)”. WOM has proven to be the most effective form of advertising campaign in the history of man, because most people that buys a product, mostly do by recommendation. So, run sales promotion today because people love FREE gift, and your gift bonuses will go a long way to make ways for you.

PRODUCT LAUNCH STRATEGY IN (LAGOS) NIGERIA

2009-05-15T08:18:00.005+01:00

Planning a product launch in Nigeria can be one of the best ways of informing consumers about your new product or services. Lots of people don’t know the benefits of a brand launch, but I will just list a few…

- A good product launch helps you to set a tone for the media to follow.

- A good product launch, put faces behind the brand so that people can trust it.

- Good product launch helps you win new clients and convince new customers about your product.

A well planned new product launch strategy can result in a very successful business. However, often people do not plan the product launch well enough to get enough publicity and generate enough interest in the new product. The more initial buzz and interest you generate in your product the greater your initial success will be and the more money you will have to market your products and create an even bigger impact.

The very first part of your new product launch strategy should contain a well written press release. It is very important to make your press release newsworthy. You can organize a product launch at a trade show which will create additional buzz and interest. If you do this right you can generate substantial interest and free media coverage which could be worth tens of thousands of Naira in advertising.

The next step of your new product launch strategy is to announce the product launch to your list. Your list already knows and trusts you. If it is something that interests them they will buy your product. You can create a video which advertises the benefits and this will increase the interest level in the product.

A well executed new product launch will result in an initial rush of new business helping you to maintain a stable business with a lot of cash flow. The importance of this cannot be underestimated.

You should always know the right people to invite to attend your new product launch. Most people planning a new product launch sometimes invite the wrong crowd to attend. Imagine the product launch for a premium brand suits and you have mostly students in attendance. What will they do with such an expensive suit and how can they afford it? You need to have the right set of people in attendance.

You also need to have a budget for a good product launch. Planning a product launch in Nigeria can be quit expensive and time consuming. There lots of logistics involve in it, from venue, to souvenirs. Sometime the budget can get between N5m (Five Million Naira) to about N40m (Forty Million Naira) depending on how big you want it and what kind of people you are planning it for. If you are also the kind that knows how to cut down on lots of unnecessary expenses, you can reduce your budget to the barest minimum. However, if you are not so much of a expert in planning one, you can waste all the money you spent on your product launch. You might then consider working with professional, to help you invite the right people and set the right tone for the media to follow.

Would you like us to help you with your product launch in Nigeria today? Call us on the numbers above this page,

Producing TV Commercials in (Lagos) Nigeria

2009-05-09T02:13:00.004+01:00

Television advertising has become much more affordable over recent years but if it doesn’t work it can still be a very expensive exercise. The success of your television advertising campaign depends on the level of targeting and the quality of the commercial.

The following tips helps to avoid the potential pitfalls and create a television commercial that gets results.

Decide on a Budget
Without knowing your total budget for the whole campaign it’s impossible to know how much to spend on your commercial. Decide on a set budget and stick to it. The budget of a TV Commercial in Nigeria is determined by several factors. You have to decide on if you want to use a production house or you want to shoot it yourself (However I will always advice you give to professionals in order to truly save cost). You also have to decide if you are giving the whole job to an advertising agency; an agency which will probably prepare a script and contact a production house. You also have to decide if you want to use models or it’s just special effects, animations and motion graphics you want in your commercial (most low budgeted commercial use basically this for their commercial, so they would not have to pay models, location managers, production managers etc). However, professionally done TV commercials in Nigeria usually falls within the range of N1.5m and N40m (check the world currency converter for the current dollars equivalent). The cost break down usually depends on what and what is needed in your TV commercial.

Hire a Production Company
Few companies in the Nigeria produce their own television commercials in-house but this isn’t recommended. The agency you are using to plan your campaign should be able to recommend a good quality production company. Bear in mind that they are probably receiving a commission for making the recommendation so always do your own research.

If you’re searching for a production company on your own don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s best to arrange a meeting to discuss the commercial, as this also helps to identify who are the third-party agencies who simply receive your brief, pass it over to a production company, and charge you a fee for doing so.

Before confirming anything arrange for a contract to be drawn up that states the objectives of the commercial and a breakdown of the costs. This prevents any extra unexpected costs arising once the commercial is being produced.

Finally, after hiring a production company don’t take a hands-off role. They may be professionals, but they are professional producers, not marketers. Make sure that they always have the original concept and vision in their minds; otherwise they may drift and produce a fantastic visual commercial which simply doesn’t sell the product.

Decide on the Type of Response Required
There are two main types of television commercials – immediate response and branding.

Immediate response commercials are common in Nigeria and focus on encouraging the viewer to take action immediately, usually through phoning a number.

Branding commercials focus on image association, where the aim is to make viewers feel good about a brand through the imagery. Most commercials in the Nigeria, focus on branding.

The advantages of immediate response commercials are that you can tell instantly whether the ad is working through simply checking call statistics. The downside is that it only tends to work for business products and services, and some local consumer services if the commercial reaches a highly targeted audience.

Realistically, branding commercials are most suited to large firms advertising commercial goods. The resultant brands can be very powerful but it takes a lot of time and money to reach the desired result.

The Quality of the Commercial
The quality is likely to be linked to the size of your campaign. It makes little sense spending 50% of your budget on producing a great commercial, but at the same time you don’t want your campaign to fail because of a poorly produced one.

In general, keep the cost of producing the commercial to less than 20% of your total television advertising budget, and take into account the type of commercial that you’re producing and your product. Branding commercials tend to be more expensive to produce, and if you’re promoting a product where quality is an important attribute it may be worth spending a little extra on the commercial to ensure that the correct image is portrayed.

Take Length into Account
The standard length of a commercial is 30 seconds but you don’t have to stick to this – short commercials can be just as effective. Whatever happens don’t be tempted to add on an extra second or two at the end to try for the sake of a better commercial. This will just simply create problems when trying to edit to ad.

Use People in the Commercial
People relate to other people and one of the goals of an advertisement is to build up a rapport with the prospect. Including people in your commercial will make this much easier to achieve.

The Script
You have a very short time to capture peoples’ attention and get across your message. Therefore stick to short, punchy sentences. Don’t forget about the audio – any music or background noise should support the commercial so that people can recognize it’s your advertisement even when not present in the room.

The Next Stage
With your commercial produced the next step is to make sure that the frequency of your campaign is right. Television advertising isn’t as demanding as radio advertising when it comes to repetition, but you should still aim to make sure that your target audience sees your commercial at least twice.

Also, branding commercials require greater repetition whereas you should be able to assess the effect of an immediate response commercial after the first couple of times it is aired.

(If you need to write a script, draw up a story board, direct or produce your commercial in Nigeria, you can contact us and we will be willing to help)
Also check out www.hotadsafrica.com for couples of sample ads produced in Nigeria)

Newspaper Advertising in (Lagos) Nigeria

2009-04-23T20:04:00.002+01:00

Paid-circulation newspapers are a popular advertising medium for most local businesses. They are the oldest forms of mass media, and they continue to be one of the largest, as measured by volume of advertising dollars. Industry giants, as well as the local convenience stores, use newspapers to advertise. Every community has its own newspaper. There are over 20 paid-circulation daily newspapers in Nigeria and several additional local weekly papers as well.
Every advertising medium has characteristics that give it natural advantages and limitations. As you scan your local newspaper(s), you will notice a number of businesses that advertise on a regular basis. Observe who they are, and how they advertise their products and services. More than likely, if the advertisements are repeated, the ads are working.
Consider this media if you are selling to a general market, because newspapers are generally bought by all segments of the population. Even though the newspaper no longer enjoys its former role as the almost exclusive source of news, they still remain a strong factor in their specific sphere of influence.

Benefits of Newspaper Advertising

There are a number of characteristics of paid-circulation newspapers that make them especially appealing to advertisers:

•Most paid-circulation papers, both daily and weekly, reach the majority of homes in their primary city or town.
•Almost every home in the United States receives a newspaper, either at the newsstand or by home delivery.
•Newspapers permit an advertiser to reach a large number of people within a specified geographical area.
•The printed advertising message has both permanence and desired obsolescence. A reader can refer back to, or even clip and save, a particular ad, yet tomorrow’s edition is new and fresh and as eagerly sought by the same reader.
•The newspaper offers a predictable frequency of publication: once, twice or up to seven times a week.
•Newspapers have immediacy. You can place an ad on Monday and be getting results before the week is over. Short deadlines permit quick responses to changing market conditions.
•People expect to find advertising in their newspapers. In fact, many people buy newspapers just to read the ads from the restaurants, movies and discount stores.
•Reading the newspaper has become a habit for most families. It has something for everyone.
•You can reach certain segments of your market by placing your ads in different sections of the paper such as: sports, comics, crosswords, news, classifieds, etc.
•An advertiser has flexibility in terms of ad size and placement. Production changes can be made quickly, if necessary, a new insert can be added on short notice.
•Advertisements can be examined at leisure. Exposure is not limited, so readers can take their time reading the messages.
•It offers a great variety of ad sizes. If you don’t have a large budget, you can still run a series of small ads.
•Many options are available. Copy alone; copy with graphics; black and white; or full color.
•Newspaper supplements often feature certain subjects that readers pull out and save.

Newspapers in Nigeria

Guardian Newspaper
Vanguard Newspaper
The Sun Newspaper
Businessday Newspaper
Dailytrust Newspaper
Punch Newspaper
Thisday Newspaper
Compass Newspaper

Radio Advertising in (Lagos) Nigeria

2009-04-14T19:28:00.004+01:00

120 million Nigerians own more than 200 million radios in Nigeria and, contrary to the predictions of doom, radio still fills a strategic advertising role for businesses both large and small. It is a relatively inexpensive way of reaching people, and it has often been called the “theater of the mind” because voices or sounds can be inexpensively used to create specific moods or images.
Nigerians love listening to radio a lot, because of the epileptic power supply in Nigeria. The level of traffic holdup in Lagos state all make lots of people listen to the radio. Most people when they are held up in the traffic jam will rather listen to the radio for press report, sport and other programs. Radio offers information such as: news, weather reports, traffic conditions, advertising and music. Radio is the most selective of the media, with individual stations providing access to target audiences of almost every demographic description. Many stations have positioned themselves to reach specific audience segments instead of the total market. In one marketplace, one station may only play local music, another contemporary music, a third only sports, while others feature 24-hour news broadcasts or talk shows.
To some degree, radio has become an integral part of the Nigerian culture. Millions wake to the sound of clock radios, and for many, the radio is the last sound they hear before going to sleep. As a medium, it brings a sense of urgency that is second to none. It offers a form of entertainment that attracts listeners while they are working, traveling, relaxing or doing almost anything else.

Benefits of Radio Advertising

•Radio, like television, has the ability to quickly reach a large number of people. It efficiently targets narrowly defined segments of the market. Especially the lower class Nigerians.
•It is relatively inexpensive (both in terms of airtime and production costs) and because deadlines for placing radio advertising are relatively short, it provides advertisers with increased flexibility.
•Advertising on a given station can help reach additional audience segments to help expand a firm’s total market capability.
•The unlimited array of radio program formats allows an advertiser to focus on any target audience. By advertising in concentrated flights, an advertiser can appear to be much larger than he really is. After several days, listeners will think the company is advertising all of the time.
•Station personalities have a good rapport with their listeners. If a radio personality announces your commercial, it is almost as effective as an implied endorsement.
•Radio supports your printed advertising. Messages can be twice as effective by including phrases such as: "See our ad in the Sunday Times."
•Advertising can be purchased on stations whose listener characteristics most closely approximate the profile of your company’s current customers.
•The advertising message need not be limited to a monologue. Vocal and instrumental music, as well as sound effects of every imaginable type can be inexpensively added, either individually or in combination.

Radio Stations in Nigeria

Cool fm, Rhythm, Eko fm, Radio Continental, Unity fm ETC.
For more information about making a radio jingle or buying media spots on radio, please contact us on the address above the screen.

Television Commercial in (Lagos) Nigeria

2009-04-12T22:04:00.007+01:00

Watching TV is the most common leisure activity in Nigeria today. It is the medium where the consumer spends the most "attentive" time. A number of surveys report average daily television viewing time as high as five to six hours. No wonder it has grown into a giant advertising medium.

While the newspaper may cover the city’s general metropolitan area, TV offers the greatest possibility for creative advertising. With a camera, you can take your audience anywhere, and show them almost anything. The power of television is in its ability to simultaneously appeal not only to sight and hearing, but to strengthen interest through the dimensions of movement and the realism of full color. It is comprised of pictures and words, but of the two, the pictures are infinitely more important.

TV advertising can show and tell many people about your product or service, and actually demonstrate the benefits of ownership. Since they see how it works and how it is packaged, every time they see it they will be psychologically reminded of their desire to have it.
Television always has been a popular medium for large retailers, but because of lowered production costs and the ability of cable to reach smaller market areas, its use by small and medium size businesses is becoming more popular. Television is often referred to as the "king" of the advertising media. It has proven its power to influence human behavior again and again. But it is also the "king" of advertising costs as well.

Benefits of Television Advertising

Some advantages of television advertising include the following:
•Television reaches very large audiences - usually much larger than the audience your local newspaper reaches, and it does so during a short period of time.
•Since there are fewer television stations than radio stations in a given area, each TV audience is divided into much larger segments, which enables you to reach a larger, yet, more diverse audience.
•It has the ability to convey your message with sight, sound and motion, and can give a product or service instant validity and prominence.
•You can easily reach targeted audiences. Children can be reached during cartoon programming, housewives during the afternoon soap operas, and insomniacs after midnight.

The "glitz and glamour" associated with producing a television commercial makes it one of the most appealing advertising methods. Carefully consider your budget and other options; however, to be sure a TV ad makes sense for your company.

Television Rating in Nigeria

(1) African Independent Television (AIT). No 1 TV Station in Nigeria in term of coverage and viewership. AIT is also available on DSTV
(2) Silverbird Television (STV). No 2 TV Station in Lagos State in term of coverage and viewership. STV is also available on DSTV
(3) Galaxy Television. No 3 TV Station in Lagos State in term of coverage and viewership. Galaxy TV is not available on DSTV
(4) Other TV station are MITV, MBI, LTV (owned by Lagos State Government), TVC, Superscreen etc. All these other stations are equally good.

You can contact us for a more detailed and comprehensive report on TV Commercial production and media buying in Nigeria. You can write or call us with the contact on top of the screen.

Factors to Consider when Planning an Effective TV Commercial in (Lagos) Nigeria

2009-03-30T19:36:00.004+01:00

Put People in Your Commercial

People relate to other people. Putting people into your commercial can help draw your target audience in as opposed to a 30 second shot of your building's interior, exterior and the parking lot. You don't want your commercial to look hokey so you do want to be careful about having people waving at the camera or standing there smiling. Have them doing something that relates to your business so your commercial doesn't look like a photo that's come to life.

Plan Out Your Video

Using a furniture store as an example, you may have ten different kinds of recliners, eight living room sets and six bedroom suits you want to feature. You're going to have to narrow those shots down because you simply can't get them all into a :30, :45 or even a one minute commercial without flashing so many different pieces of video on the screen that your potential customers will feel like they're in a lightning storm. Wide shots of your showroom are good to get a bunch of your furniture displayed at once and you can select a few items you want to be featured alone. It's crucial you not cram a bunch of video into the small amount of time you have for your commercial. Your video should tell the story about what you're advertising even if a customer has their volume turned down.

Writing the Script

Make sure your commercial's script times out to 30 seconds (or however long you have bought air time for). Use short sentences that grab your potential customer's attention. You've got a very limited time frame to capture your audience and you need to get your message across quickly. Don't get wrapped up in long sentences. Keep them short and punchy. Your audio should also tell the customer what you're advertising even if the customer is in another room and can't see the TV when your commercial airs.

Audio and Video Must Match

When writing your commercial, you must make sure your audio and video match. When you're talking about new car models arriving, you don't want to see video of the current year's make. When you're talking about your big showroom of furniture, you don't want to see the building from the street. You must merge your audio and video to create a powerful sales tool.

Never Forget Your Call to Action

Your call to action gets customers to buy or act now. Don't get to the end of your commercial and leave off your call to action. You want to tell customers to visit today and give your complete contact information, including Web site address, phone number and street address (giving a quick line about how to find you if possible). For example, "That's Simple Designs, located next to the old train depot downtown."

Stick to Time

You've bought a :30 commercial package. As tempting as it might be to squeak in an extra few seconds, you just can't do it. Your commercial must time out to the exact time you've paid for. Going over will only get your all-to-important call to action clipped because those last few seconds will be cut off when your commercial airs.

Hiring a Production Company

Of course, you want your commercial to be professional. You can hire a production company or many television stations have their own production companies in-house. They can handle all aspects of your commercial, including writing, shooting and editing your commercial. Shop around for prices. Some production companies are able to offer you a commercial package for as low as $100 that will include still pictures shot with a high quality video camera.

Scheduling Your Commercial

Placement of your commercial is very important. It determines who will see your commercial and how much you will pay for its air time. Having your commercial air at 3 a.m. will save you money but if you don't reach your audience it's not money well spent. The same holds true for the station you're airing your ad on as well. If you're advertising your maternity clothing store, you don't want schedule air time on ESPN with your local cable company.

Frequency

Television is less demanding on frequency than radio but it still deserves more than a one-shot deal. If you were advertising during the Super Bowl, that would be a completely different story. But on the local level, you need to identify the key times your ad should run and buy enough air time for your commercial to reach your audience at least twice. More times would be ideal.

Consistency

Use the same announcer, jingle, fonts, colors, etc. to keep your commercial consistent. This helps people start to get to know your company by all of these factors. The more you recognize the lady pitching the hair salon down the street, the more you know exactly what that company's name and address is before she even speaks in the commercial.
You can contact us for your TV Commercial. We help you plan from A to Z.

RE- Branding Nigeria (Don’t you think we have taken enough of this SH**T)

2009-03-27T10:06:00.002+01:00

A group of Big Bros came together claiming they are re-branding Nigeria, but my question is what do these people really know about branding? Who made them an authority on this matter? How many brand consultants are in the committee? I feel they even miss it from the beginning, so there is no future in their re-branding process. The true definition of branding does not even include all the things they have started with.

Error #1: A Brand is not a logo (This people came up with a logo which I am sure must have cost us like a few million naira to make because the re-branding process budget is pegged at some few billions. The logo is not what defines us as a good country. America, Great Britain, Japan and other developed nations are not respected because of the Logo)

Error #2: A Brand is not a slogan (Nigeria: Good People, Great Nation)
We should have taken a queue from other developed nations of the world. The true definition of a brand is what other people’s perception is about the product or services. So you are not the one that defines your brand, people have to define it for you. Changing our logo and slogan does not change who we are as a nation. There are some fundamental issues that alter our brand image in the international community and if those issues are not dealt with, our case will be like a mad man dressed in beautiful apparel. As far as I am concern this is another way some people want to embezzle our money. Imagine what Donald Duke did in Calabar or what Governor Raji Fashola (SAN) is doing in Lagos state, if he continues this way, Lagos will emerge a very strong brand that foreigner will love to visit and invest in. True Re-branding start inwardly and it then reflect on the outside. What perception do people have about our country is the outside community, when we are re-branding and yet we’re still living in the dark, the roads are very bad, 70% of our people are still living below poverty line and the list is countless. The perception of the people in the international community calls for much more deeper attention than trying to create a new logo or a new slogan for us. I think our re-branding process should start with a campaign on how we can make our country a better place to live in. Let remind them that “ A HEALTHY NATION IS A BRANDED NATION”.

Please let me know your thought about this. You can also check my advertising blog on www.victorariyibi.blogspot.com or mail me at poisemedia@gmail.com.

Magazine advertising (Lagos) Nigeria

2009-03-26T19:51:00.005+01:00

Today, I will be writing on Magazine Advertising. Although this form of advertisement is not too common in Nigeria, because of the reading habit of Nigerians, when it concerns magazine; yet there are some magazine that has come to stay in Nigeria and companies do advertise in them. The advantage magazine has over the newspaper is that, most magazines are weekly, bi-weekly on monthly, so they tend to stays longer in peoples hands than newspaper. This advertising idea can be a very effective way of reaching a target market. The trick is to choose the magazines that best match the market you’re targeting. See you tomorrow.

Newspaper advertising (Lagos) Nigeria

2009-03-25T10:24:00.005+01:00

Yesterday we spoke about the ‘Yellow Pages’, today I will write on the ‘Newspaper Advertisement’. In Nigeria today, the Newspaper is one of the most reliable ways of advertising your product and services. The average reading mode for Nigeria’s paper is in ration ten to one newspaper. Nigerian looking for job never misses the Tuesday and Thursday Guardian’s newspaper, and most business men love to read the daily newspaper for update on news and stock market. Besides box ads and advertising inserts, local newspapers also often offer special advertising features showcasing particular businesses – all powerful small business advertising opportunities. Don’t overlook special interest newspapers as an advertising idea if they exist in your area. They may be delivered to exactly the audience you want to reach. For placing an advert in the Nigeria Newspaper, I can advice you on the best one to place your advert for maximum impact.

Ways you can use to promote your ‘Business Beyond Word of Mouth’

2009-03-20T08:46:00.004+01:00

For those who are followers of my blog. I want to apologize for the inconsistent in my articles. It is due to some project that takes me out of town from time to time. I promise to be more consistent in my message to you on several ways you can promote your business especially in Nigeria.
I will be writing on 17 (seventeen) ways you can promote your business beyond Word f Mouth. Word of mouth is excellent small business advertising strategy, it is the oldest and still remains the best way to promote any business – but it’s slow, and may be practically non-existent for new businesses. If you want to grow your customer base more quickly, you have to advertise.
This collection of small business advertising ideas presents both the tried and true and advertising ideas you may not have tried yet – advertising ideas for your small business to effectively reach your target market and attract new customers.
Tried and True Small Business Advertising Ideas

The Yellow Pages.
As much as this might seem it’s not in existent in Nigeria, it actually is and it is very effective too. Small business can advertise their business in Nigeria on-line yellow pages and people that have Yellow Pages Company. There’s still a lot of people who use the yellow pages to find the businesses they’re looking for – and they won’t find you if your small business isn’t listed there. One time a friend of mine paid about N5,500.00 to buy a yellow booklet some time back, because he was looking to make new business contact. There are so many people like my friend that still depend on the yellow books for business contacts. Get the biggest yellow page ad you can afford; the more visibility the better. If you need to contact the services of some yellow pages in Nigeria, contact me for their address.

HOW TO GET CONSUMERS TO PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR ADS

2008-11-21T15:34:00.003+01:00

ADVERTISE SOMETHING THAT GETS THEIR ATTENTION!

Again researchers are showing us anew what common sense has said all along. People pay attention to stuff if they already have an interest.
A new study by researchers from the Netherlands and the University of Michigan used eye tracking and timing equipment to measure what really got subjects attention. The answer: their attention went to where their interests lay.
What is the lesson here for us trying to market our brands? It’s to find channels of communication that have the greatest access to people who we know are interested in our product.
Old school: spend heavily in mass media, broadcast your message to as many eyeballs as possible and hope for the best.
New school: narrow your communications channels to those outlets where you are most likely to find customers actually interested in your product.

Best Thing happening to Advertising in Nigeria (Hot Ads Africa)

2008-05-06T15:41:00.004+01:00

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR AN AGENCY TO WORK FOR YOU OR
YOUR AGENCY NEEDS NEW BUSINESS CONTACT

HOTADSAFRICA

Hot ADS AFRICA – is the first on-line database of African commercial repository serving the commercial TV advertising production in the African community.

Hot Ads Africa.com is an information provider focused on the African advertising industry. We have partnered with leading advertising, modelling and outdoor agencies, brand consultants all around Africa, especially Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana.

Hot Ads Africa is used by advertisers, large and small, when they are in the process of selecting a new agency for their advertising campaign or for other agency research needs. Our Hot African Ad library is used by lots of industry professionals to keep on top of important creative work, prepare for client reviews and pitches, inspire new ideas and other creative research needs.

Our database also serves as a way of storing past, present and future African ads. We believe these media materials can be used by advertisers and appreciated by consumers. It also serves as a ways of promoting the brands and the agencies involved.

Hot Ads Africa.com and Hot Commercials TV show are both initiative of PoiseMedia Company Ltd, a company founded in 2005 and incorporated in Nigeria. PoiseMedia is a multidisciplinary communications and media company whose areas of core competence include advertising journalism and business communications solutions that are hinged on web management and multimedia TV productions.

Website
There are more than 2,000 agencies on our agency list. HotAdsAfrica.com has 20 main sections, each perfect for targeted advertising: (ADS) Latest African Ads, Hot African Ads Library, Spotlight, Top 5 African Ads, Submit an Ad, (AFRICAN LIBRARY) Television, Radio, Billboard, Press, Prints, (AGENCIES) African Agency Profile, Submit an Agency, Update Your Agency, Model, News, Forum, Advertising Awards & Festivals, E-store and Downloads.

Email newsletter
HotAdsAfrica.com has a free weekly email newsletter with our Top 5 African Ads and Latest African Ads. More than 30,000 people receive it, and the list is growing by about 500 per month Subscribers. Invite your team to subscribe.

Africa
HotAdsAfrica’s Africa portal has so far launched into the following African territories: Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Any contributions relating to all African countries can be sent to africa@hotadsafrica.com.

Your Agency can make New Business Contact on Hot Ads Africa and enhance your team:
A well informed team would consistently achieve more. Invite your friends, colleagues, suppliers, customers and partners to subscribe to our free newsletter.

List your company for FREE in the Agency directory
You can list your agency for free in our Agency directory or Upgrade your account to either a Platinum, Gold or Silver agency, depending on the size and works your agency has produced. This service is FREE for now. All you have to do is to send a DVD copy of your agency work to Hot Ads Africa in Nigeria. When your works are approved, your activation code will be sent to your inbox of the e-mail address you supplied during membership registration. For further detail on upgrading your Agency, please contact support or view our ‘Becoming a Premium Agency’ Section of our website.

Use our Forum
Our Forum is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to generate awareness and promote your business online. You can share your opinion with other forum users and you don’t have to register to discuss in our form. It is that easy.

Advertise cost-effectively with us
Options include exclusive section sponsorship, banners and newsletter ads for any period or budget. Click here for options and rates.

Other FREE services
News archive
Events
New accounts
Jobs offered and jobs wanted
Forums
Downloads
Distribute our news

If you have any questions or comments, we will love to read from you. Contact info@hotadsafrica.com , or use our online contact form.

MTN Nigeria launches 'Go' campaign

2008-03-20T08:54:00.003+01:00

MTN Nigeria Communications Limited has launched its new campaign pay-off known as 'Go' in a ceremony attended by the crème de la crème of the society including Onari Duke, the wife of the immediate past governor of Cross River, Donald Duke.

Duke told the gathering that MTN has over the years developed its campaigns, adding that in the new pay-off, people are encouraged to "'Go' for whatever they desire, aspire for higher achievement, 'go' against the tide, 'go' start something, 'go' be the man or the woman, 'go' lend a hand, whatever you do, don't stand still, give it your best."

According to Duke, the telco started with 'The Better Connection' as its pay-off line in 2001, then to 'Your Best Connection,' but in April 2005 it launched 'Everywhere you Go' to harmonize and create a universal brand promise in all MTN operations across the continent.

Meanwhile, the general manager of consumer market at MTN Nigeria, Kola Oyeyemi, said the launch with the theme 'GO', positions the telco as a company that encourages men and women to go and conquer the world, knowing that man desires to live a better life, desire a secure future, progress and change.

Oyeyemi noted that the 'Everywhere you Go' brand philosophy portrayed the MTN brand in the manner of an enabler in the life of the consumer.

"It was founded on the core MTN values of leadership, integrity and can-do spirit, and so on, which aptly explains why MTN continues to dominate the telecom sector of the Nigerian economy," he said.

In addition, he pointed out that due to the company's leadership on coverage and market share in the Nigerian market, consumers' interpretation of the pay-off was more from a geographical than from a brand philosophy perspective.

"There was, therefore, a need to migrate people from their perception of 'everywhere you go' being geographic, to seeing it as a philosophy of the brand. It was for this reason, that the company restrategised and began last year the launch of another brand value proposition, that is, 'Moving You Ahead' and the subsequent campaigns," he said.

He explained that the 'Moving You Ahead' pay-off was meant to take consumers from one level to another as long as they remain with the MTN network, adding that to lend credence to the telecom giant's value proposition, many Nigerians have been empowered economically.

"In the various promotional activities being undertaken by MTN, many people's lives have been changed. People have won cars, cash prizes, to name a few. The company has also organised seminars for entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs to empower them to 'GO' out to fight and conquer poverty, simply because they have remained with the MTN network," he said.

The MTN Group in Africa and the Middle East, he said, believes that consumers have the ability and the capability to be what they want to be if they have the needed encouragement and support.

By: Remmy Nweke, Published by: Highway Africa

Advertising on Nigeria Television

2007-10-24T15:57:00.006+01:00

THE ADVERTISING BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

Nigeria forms the third largest advertising company in the whole of Africa, South Africa being the first, followed by Egypt and Nigeria. The total advertising campaign expenditures spent in Nigeria each year is approximately Twenty one billion naira (N21,000,000,000 according to the report of Bovee Aren on ‘Contemporary Advertising’. 35 percent (35%)of this capital expenditure goes on Television commercials, 20 percent (20%)on Radio campaigns, 15 percent (15%)on Billboard Ad, 8 percent (8%)on Press Ad, 12 percent (12%)on shows, 5 percent (5%)on below the belt like Posters and Hand bills, while the remaining 5 percent (5%)is on Point of sales Ad. Large multinationals and indigenous companies like MTN, Celtel, Glo, Cocacola, Pepsi, Nokia, Motorola, Procter & Gamble, Cadbury, Liver-brothers, Unilever, Nestle, Guinness (etc) budget as much as almost 10-30 percent (10%-30%)of their entire budget on advertising campaign each year.

Television commercials

Television commercials share the largest percentage of these total expenditure expended into advertising campaign in Nigeria. It is an amazing discovery that the budget allocation used in producing a 45 to 60 seconds TV commercials is much more than what is used in making a full length 2-3 hours home video in Nigeria. Multinationals like Guinness, MTN, Glo (etc) go as far as South Africa to shoot some of their TV commercial, paying flight fee, world class production fee, hotel accommodation for their Staff, Ad Agency Staff and Models, Model fees etc. Companies sometimes spends as much as three to forty million Naira (N3,000,000-N40,000,000) on a single 45-60 seconds TV commercial.

Advertising on Nigeria Television

Watching TV is the most common leisure activity in our country today. It is the medium where the consumer spends the most "attentive" time. A number of surveys report average daily television viewing time as high as five to six hours. No wonder it has grown into a giant advertising medium.

While the newspaper may cover the city’s general metropolitan area, TV offers the greatest possibility for creative advertising. With a camera, you can take your audience anywhere, and show them almost anything. The power of television is in its ability to simultaneously appeal not only to sight and hearing, but to strengthen interest through the dimensions of movement and the realism of full color. It is comprised of pictures and words, but of the two, the pictures are infinitely more important.

TV advertising can show and tell many people about your product or service, and actually demonstrate the benefits of ownership. Since they see how it works and how it is packaged, every time they see it they will be psychologically reminded of their desire to have it.

Television always has been a popular medium for large retailers, but because of lowered production costs and the ability of cable to reach smaller market areas, its use by small and medium size businesses is becoming more popular. Television is often referred to as the "king" of the advertising media. It has proven its power to influence human behavior again and again. But it is also the "king" of advertising costs as well.

Television is often called "king" of the advertising media, since a majority of people spend more hours watching TV per day than any other medium. It combines the use of sight, color, sound and motion...and it works. TV has proven its persuasive power in influencing human behavior time and time again.

Some advantages of television advertising include the following:

1. Advertising on television can give a product or service instant validity and prominence.

2. You can easily reach the audiences you have targeted by advertising on TV. Children can be reached during cartoons and housewives during the afternoon soap operas.

3. TV offers the greatest possibility for creative advertising. With a camera, you can take your audience anywhere and show them almost anything.

Producing a commercial is also an important variable to consider. On the whole, television audiences have become more sophisticated and have come to expect quality commercials. A poorly produced commercial could severely limit the effectiveness of your message, and may even create a bad image in your customer's mind.

Advertising agencies or TV commercial production facilities are the best organizations for creating a commercial that will be effective for the goods or service you are offering. But the cost of a well-produced commercial is often more expensive than people think, ranging from $7,500 to $240,000 per commercial! Some TV stations will claim they can put together commercials for "almost nothing." Before agreeing to this, find out what "almost nothing" means. Then, determine if the commercial quality and content they are proposing will represent your organization's image.

Creativity: A Vital Element

When you advertise on TV, your commercial is not only competing with other commercials, it's also competing with the other elements in the viewer's environment as well. The viewer may choose to get a snack during the commercial break, go to the bathroom or have a conversation about what they just saw on the show they were viewing. Even if your commercial is being aired, viewers may never see it unless it is creative enough to capture their attention. That's why it's so important to consider the kind of commercial you are going to create...and how you want your audience to be affected. Spending money on a good commercial in the beginning will pay dividends in the end.

Consistency is Key

If you're running TV and radio commercials, keep them consistent. Use the same announcer and music for your commercials. Use the same tag line. You want to keep everything consistent so your potential customers and/or donors start identifying your tag line, your colors, your font, your announcer, jingle - everything that relates to your organization's ad campaign.

Television Advertising - Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages of Television Advertising

• Television reaches very large audiences - usually much larger than the audience your local newspaper reaches, and it does so during a short period of time.

• Since there are fewer television stations than radio stations in a given area, each TV audience is divided into much larger segments, which enables you to reach a larger, yet, more diverse audience.

• It has the ability to convey your message with sight, sound and motion, and can give a product or service instant validity and prominence.

• You can easily reach targeted audiences. Children can be reached during cartoon programming, housewives during the afternoon soap operas, and insomniacs after midnight.

Disadvantages of Television Advertising

• When you advertise on TV, your commercial is not only competing with others, it is also competing with the viewer’s environment as well.

• Even if your commercial is being aired, viewers may never see it unless it is intrusive enough to capture their attention.

• A minimum amount of airtime provides limited length of exposure and ad clutter.

• The message comes and goes, and that’s it! Unless you buy additional time, the viewer doesn’t see your commercial again.

• Multiple exposures are required to achieve message retention and consumer action. If you don’t reach your viewer at least 5-7 times, you are just throwing money away.

• No station loyalty; Viewers have little or no loyalty to the station itself - especially since cable can bring dozens of viewing alternatives into the home. For example, viewers will watch a given channel for a program they know will be aired at a specific time. If a football game, popular movie or some other preferred form of entertainment appears on another channel, the viewer will not hesitate to switch channels without leaving the couch.

• During a commercial break the viewer may choose to get a snack, go to the bathroom or have a conversation about whatever they were just watching.

• Because of a larger "area of dominant influence," the relative cost will be higher - both the terms of airtime and production.

APCON REMOVED ILLEGAL BILLBOARDS IN NIGERIA

2007-09-18T15:32:00.000+01:00

- You should be careful whom you give your billboard jobs to. Recently APCON (Advertising Practitioner Council of Nigeria) removed lots of billboards displayed in Lagos, because most of the people displaying billboards in Nigeria, are not registered APCON members and most of the jobs displayed are either not paid for before mounting or not approved by NAFDAC (in case they are consumables).
- APCON has put a general fee on every concept displayed either on Billboards or Television Ads. When a brand has multiple concepts, all the concept visual or story board in case of a T.V Commercial, must be paid for and approved before display. (For confidential reason, we will not display pictures of illegal billboards removed by APCON)

BILLBOARD PRICES RISES IN NIGERIA

2007-09-17T09:14:00.001+01:00

The Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OOAN) released a new rental rate for outdoor advertising which took effect from the 1st of April 2007. The rates have been reviewed every month, and the rise is between 20% to almost 50%in some states like Abuja. Several reasons were stated for the increase, this includes:
• high cost of materials arising from high exchange rate,
• multiple taxation by various levels of government,
• vandalization of properties and outrageous demand by area boys (thugs).
Others are increased cost of office accommodation and increased cost of sanitizing the outdoor environment.

Some areas were affected more badly, like Abuja (The Federal Capital Territory). The billboard rates in Abuja right now are outrageous and only big brands can afford outdoor advertising in Abuja.
Some other affected areas were Lagos, Rivers, Edo and Delta State, where the increase was just about 30%. The increase in the rates of all the other remaining states was just about 20%.

The billboard formats released by OOAN are as follows:
1a) 40 Sheet (Existing Model)
1b) 40 Sheet Super Structure
2a) 48 Sheet conventional
2b) 48 Sheet Super Structure
3 ) 48 Sheet Ultrawave
4 ) 96 Sheet Ultrawave
5 ) 96 Sheet (Conventional)
6 ) 96 Sheet frontlit
7 ) Backlit (4m x 8m Aluminium)
8 ) 4m x 8m (Conventional)
9 ) Spectacular (Tower) frontlit
10) Spectacular (Tower) Backlit
11) Neighbourhood Signages: 3m x 2m (16 sheet)
12) 4 Sheet/ Directional Sign.

BRIDGE SITES
4’ x 72’/80’ x 96’ Solus (Pedestrain)
6’ x 72’/80’ x 96 Solus (Vehicular)
6’ x 6’/96’ Super (Vehicular)
6’ x 108’ x 120 Jumbo (Vehicular)

ABUJA F.C.T
Street Lamp post
48 Sheet Super Structure
Ultra wave digital board
96 Sheet spectacular (Non Illuminated)
Light box (Backlit)
Spectacular (Unipole)