Some events in the Nigerian beverage market especially the beer category are pushing good observers to sometimes question the creativity in the industry. Some of the major players are repackaging old and waning brands with new identity, copying or just want to be seen as following trends with introduction of new products with little efforts to rejuvenate the old brands.
NBL recently launched series of new products including Tiger and Stella Beers but its Ace Root which it launched in 2015 as a response to Guinness Orijin bitter drink is either consumed by competition or perhaps performing poorly in the market. It seems there is no effort to revitalise the product.
Also, Guinness Nigeria recently entered the market with Guinness Gold, a brand new larger beer. At the launch of the new brand, Adenike Adebola Marketing Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc. was reported saying that the company is “thrilled to see the great interest in Guinness Gold”
While delighted about the launch of Guinness Gold, Adenike may have avoided talking about the fate of Harp, Gordon Spark and Satzenbrau, its beer brand that was launched in early 90s with so much elaboration and pomp but which unfortunately had a short market life span.
One of the major challenges of Satzenbrau was aiming to challenge Gulder by NBL instead of creating its own value for consumers. This is the same root Ace Roots took. The consumers of Satzenbrau also had their complaints against the ‘Final Word’ that made the brand lose large appeal in the Nigerian market but whatever the complaints were, some analysts believe that the brand owners did not really tap into the Nigerian consciousness.
Today, it is not sure whether the new Guinness Gold is repackaged Harp, Gordon Spark or Satzenbrau , but the brand owners said the new product is infused with crystal malt and amber malt and that Guinness Gold has a depth of flavour that no other lager beer anywhere can lay claim to.
The question is why does Guinness need to introduce new product in the market when it is struggling to invigorate some of its other brands in that beer category? Perhaps its plan is to re-enact its magic with Orijin. Though research can motivate the introduction of new product in the market to meet consumer needs, but a brand owner also needs the same consumer insight, backed by research to keep old products alive in the market place. After all, the introduction of those old products was informed by market research.
Guinness Nigeria had in 2013 introduced Orijin bitter drink which recorded huge success in the market. Packaged in glass and pet bottle, the drink unlike beer, does not contain barley or hops, rather it was marketed as “a bittersweet blend with flavours of African herbs and fruit. The drink resonated with desires of consumers especially African men.
“Folks have been buying and drinking Orijin. The patronage and love shown towards this brand is so strong it could almost be patriotic! Everyone has a good story to tell about Orijin. It is not sure if Guinness ever knew what was going to happen about the brand at the time of launch. They could never have. Although learning points may have been taken from how competition in the brand of Alomo Bitters has been able to make hay in Nigeria, Guinness would never have imagined the instant success that greeted Orijin’s take off.
“Each passing day, more and more people have been switching. And as the switch happens, stories around the brand keep getting more excitingly intricate. Stories of libido and health enabler are some of the strongest here. People associate the brand with sex enhancement. They also say it has cleansing effects on excess body sugar”, a brand analyst said.
It was amazing how Orijin, immediately after launch, gained such instant acceptance, but it appears that taste rather than advertisement was the magic for Orijin. If not, how come many advertisements on TV, newspapers and billboards failed to jolt the consumption of other brands such as Harp, Gordon Spark and Satzenbrau. This does not mean that advertisement is not a stimulus but advertisement that resonates with consumers coupled with taste.
It is not known the strategy which Guinness Nigeria wants to employ this time to create the necessary traction for its new Guinness Gold product which it did not apply to Harp, Gordon Spark and Satzenbrau brands. But one thing is sure; Guinness Gold will meet strong competition in the Nigerian marketplace.
If Guinness Nigeria is serious to push Guinness Gold to be competitive in Nigeria’s intensive beer war, the international company needs to shift from its conservative approach to marketing to be more open- minded. Perhaps, Guinness needs to re-examine itself, its marketing strategy and its engagement with various stakeholders including its teeming consumers and the media. The Diageo subsidiary seems to be too cautious and conservative with its engagement with the public in an internet-dictated world when the youth, with its large population wants to bubble.
Kola Oyeyemi, a marketing expert has always believed that: “Technology is reversing age-old marketing conventions. The era of competitive advantage is gone”
“The youthful profile of the Nigerian market is redefining how companies sell their products and services. How to speak to, attract and sell to these young chaps is a new challenge for firms. The young folks of today were born to the technology era. If we are going to serve them then we will have to unlearn a lot of things…mobile and social devices and systems including Big Data analytics tools and technologies will certainly help us to achieve this.” Proper engagement in all fronts and touch points is absolutely essential.
It is acknowledged that Guinness Nigeria is a respected brand but the firm appears to be dictated to or taking some of its marketing strategies either from London or approved from London for other markets.
This may have its merits and demerits, but locally generated marketing strategies are likely to resonate more with specific markets especially in Africa. Guinness therefore needs to step up and rejig its consumer-engagement drive in specific countries like Nigeria with locally developed ideas and country-specific concepts that will engage and resonate with consumers.
As Guinness thinks of retracing its steps in reclaiming lost grounds, it needs to think outside the box and create programmes that will resonate with the public the way ‘Udeme My Friend’ did. The days of conservatism in marketing are over. This is the time for the youth. They need appropriate engagement to connect properly with the brand. Guinness Gold can become another ‘Orijin’ in terms of acceptability in the Nigeria’s competitive but bourgeoning beer market if appropriate marketing is done.
Daniel Obi
