Business leaders, marketers, Policy-makers converge on PH to re-imagine new consumer market

As the consumer landscape is fast changing, informed by digital adoption and economic realities, the Nigerian marketing community, business leaders, and academicians will gather in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, next week at the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), annual marketing conference, to rethink and re-imagine the new consumer market.

With the theme: ‘Community, Culture and Connection: Re-imagining the new market’, the conference comes at a crucial time when brands are seeking better ways to remain connected to consumers who are asking deeper questions and seeking more relationship and connection in business transactions.

It has become obvious across industries that today’s consumer wants more as they interrogate brand values and demand authenticity.

The NIMN conference scheduled between June 18 and 20 is therefore a wake-up call for marketers and business leaders to understand and be able to integrate community values and cultural diversity towards engaging better with today’s consumer.

It is also expected that after the three-day conference, marketers and business leaders will have a new actionable focus in relating with the consumer to improve the business bottom line as “traditional marketing playbooks are no longer enough to relate with consumers”.

Explaining more about the theme of the conference while briefing the media recently, Bolajoko Bayo-Ajayi, President and Chairman of NIMN, said that marketers and business leaders must understand that consumers want to be treated beyond the passive way in which they are being treated.

According to her, business relationships are shifting to a point where consumers are becoming co-creators in the brand conversation and “so it is no longer a one-sided conversation. They are now coming together to co-create and to co-build their brand, which is really driving inclusion”

She further said that consumers are asking for connection, “they want to be culturally relevant to the conversations” she said noting that gone are the days when brands would adopt a campaign that works elsewhere or an idea that worked elsewhere and bring it to another environment.

Brands need to be authentic to the local people and speak to them in a way that connects to their culture. According to her, authenticity is more important to an average consumer now as they are looking for meaning where brands or engagement are concerned.

Bolajoko Bayo-Ajayi said different stakeholders, including policy makers, industry practitioners, academicians, marketers and students, will be in attendance at the conference.

The institute has lined up an array of speakers from the industry and academia for the conference.

Chizo Malize, CEO of FITC, who is the guest speaker, will discuss macroeconomic realities shifting consumer behaviours, while Uchenna Uzo, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) of Pan Atlantic University, is expected as the keynote speaker.

The institute said the choice of Port Harcourt for the conference is deliberate as it offers a better environment for the conference of this nature at this time.

NIMN, which is the body backed by law to regulate the practice of marketing in Nigeria, through this conference, is advancing the marketing profession in Nigeria.