Connecting with Consumers
Title of book: Connecting with consumers: insights engagement conversations.
Author: Akachi Ogbonnaya Ngwu
Publisher: Consumer Scores International Limited
Year published: 2018.
ISBN: 978-978-967-535-7
Book Review: Martins Hile, Executive Editor, Financial Nigeria Magazine.
The author of this book is a core marketing communication professional, yet he is also a writer. And we must commend him for adding to the body of literary works in Nigeria and seeking to promote a reading culture among his colleagues in the industry.
As I said in my endorsement of the book, it is a “relentless reminder on the need to professionalize the local industry, while also providing refreshing insights on emerging technological trends and global best practices in the marketing communications industry.” The book consists of 20 incisive chapters, which are arranged into four carefully delineated sections.
The book is a decisive call-to-action for a new way of thinking about marketing communication and consumer advertising. With the advent of digital technologies, the age of creative disruption is upon us. We have seen this phenomenon play out in banking, retail, transportation and other sectors. There is a disruption also sweeping across the marketing communication landscape. The fragmentation of content across multiple channels is a challenge for media organisations and advertisers. And given the proliferation of mobile devices, the attention span of the 21st century consumer is very limited.
The author of this book calls the attention of brand owners and their media agencies to find creative and innovative ways to grab the attention of these restless and ever-mobile consumers. One way he proposes for this to happen is for advertisers to know and understand their target audiences – in terms of their demographic, psychographic and behavioural statistics.
In providing a clear and concise understanding of the practical aspects of marketing communication and the emerging trends in consumer advertising, the book emphasizes the need for service providers to offer services that enable their clients to achieve their campaign objectives.
The author goes to great lengths to inform us that marketing communication is no longer a one-way affair. Activating consumer patronage requires an active engagement with the consumers and the market. In fact, a whole chapter is dedicated to the dynamism of engagement marketing as an effective way to build brand equity and loyalty. He discusses emerging and innovative forms of marketing communication such as branded content marketing, influencer marketing, and utilizing brand touchpoints to attract patronage.
He also makes the important distinction between old and new media. Indeed, digital and social media advertising are the new frontiers in advertising. But he does not suggest that the old is being replaced by the new. On the contrary, as you read the book, professionals in the industry are invited to leverage the opportunities that media fragmentation and creative disruption present. There is a marriage that is proposed to integrate both traditional and digital media to deliver exceptional value to advertisers and improve the utilization of the various media platforms.
Out-of-home outdoor advertising plays a strategic role in the domain of advertising. The author knows all about this as someone who has worked in that space for years and being the Founder/CEO of Consumer Scores International Limited, a Lagos-based in–store advertising solutions provider.
The call-to-action in this book also includes the urgent need to address unethical corporate governance practices in the Nigerian advertising market. The author emphasizes the need to improve employee welfare.
Effective regulation of the industry will address unsavoury practices in the industry. Regulatory agencies also have a responsibility to provide an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. I hereby invite everyone to not only get a copy of this book aptly titled “Connecting with consumers” but also recommend it to your colleagues and friends.
