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| Uzoma Okoye, Managing Creative Director, Etu Odi Communications |
Etu Odi Communications is a full service creative agency,
combining insightful brand strategy, creative communication and engaging
experience in helping organisations chart the course from awareness to loyalty
in the minds and hearts of its customers.
In this exclusive interview with
OLUWAGBENGA BANKOLE of BRAND INFO, Managing Creative Director of the firm Mr.
Ezeuoma Okoye speaks on success story of the film, the role of advertising and
experiential marketing in building a brand and advertising industry among
others .
Kindly tell us the success story
behind Etu Oti Communications
We started
very small in 2009 and since then we have been growing organically. Currently
we see ourselves as one of the most creative agencies in Nigeria and one of the
new breed in the industry.
The
Landscape, mindset and technology have changed; people are now looking for
something different. We offer services beyond what you might get from some of
the bigger agencies. We are no longer small agency; we have drastically grown
up in the last five years.
Since you have started what has been
your competitive edge over other agencies in the industry?
Every agency
has a particular way of doing things. Ideas and creativity are what we sell and
we don’t just focus on creativity for us it is about effectiveness. In the same
vein we called it creative effectiveness. We believe that ideas are the
strongest tool we have in growing business and developing a brand. It is not
just to be creative or ideas for ideas sake but making sure it impacts on
client business.
Every agency
has its own methodology. We believe that for a brand to be successful firstly
it has to stand for something. The brand must understand what is offering in
the lives of consumers. We have a feedback-loop. Anytime we are communicating
we always try to know if our target audience understands us and if we discover
that they didn’t understand we will try to adjust the way we speak to them. We
constantly monitoring our target audience and also adjust our communications
accordingly.
What are the responses of your
clients to your services?
We have done
very well in the sense that whenever we got an account we always make sure we
hold on to it. We have always been consistent in offering creative solutions
and in everything that we do we offer world class delivery. I think that was
what made us to maintain our relationship with (erstwhile Consolidated
Breweries now known as) Nigerian
Breweries plc. ‘33’ has been one of our greatest success stories. We have been
working with them for three years and in that three years the brand has grown
phenomenally. Last year there was 25% increase in the volume and revenue for
the product despite the fact some brands are declining, ‘33’ has grown and
expanded.
Last year Etu Odi Communication was
on the Medal’s table at the annual LAIF award and you also won African Crystal
Award in Morocco. What is your growth projection this year?
It was only
last year we have let people know what have been doing. We have grown quietly
and hardly anybody heard about us. I believe that it is the work that speaks.
It would have been foolish if we start making noise that we are here when we
don’t have work to back up what we are saying. We felt it is not a mere thing
for a company to be five years in the industry. We tried our best in ensuring
that we build a good body of work.
It is a good
achievement to be on the medals table at the 2014 LAIF award but we would have
love to won more medals than what we had. African Crystal Award is a good thing
for us. It was only one agency from Nigeria that has won the award before we
won it last year to make it two.
Award is a
reward for doing good work and this year we believe we are going to win more
awards considering the number of good job we have done.
What are the roles that advertising
and experiential marketing can play in bringing a brand back to the lime
light?
Although
adverting and experiential marketing have roles to play, but when you are
building a brand there are so many different factors. The first thing is a
brand has to understand who it is and who it is to the targets.
Secondly a brand has to understand that market
changes. There is a kind of arrogance with big brand in Nigeria when it is
almost like monopolistic environment where you are the key player and you
become complacent.
Understanding
who your target is very important. This is why I think that experiential
marketing which brings brand experience is very important particularly in
Nigeria.
In bringing
a brand back to lime light, advertising will ensure you are top on the minds of
your target audience, while experiential marketing will ensure you go down to
the level of your customers, meet them directly and been able to know what they
are saying about your brand, respond and reward them accordingly and build a
relationship with your key targets
What do you think APCON can do in
making sure professionals handle advertising in Nigeria?
APCON is
trying their best considering some of the regulations they have brought in
place to sanitise the market to make sure that it is registered agencies that
are engaging in advertising.
How do you see the industry with the
new government coming on board?
Since the
beginning of this year everybody has been waiting for the election and thank
God it has come and gone. We are looking forward to an increase investment into
the country. This a very positive time for Nigeria
and we are hoping that this quarter thing will accelerate.
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