Bringing Innovation to Sponsorship Leveraging

Raheem Akingbolu writes on sponsorship in brand building and how business owners are leveraging it to connect stakeholders, citing the example of the 2021 edition of Nigeria Idol, sponsored by Rite Foods’ Bigi Drinks

Companies and brand custodians could leverage visuals to tell their stories in memorable and vivid ways that may deliver more impact and emotion than words alone. Artful, custom and unique photography can transcend the mundane observable facts of a scenario.

It is for this reason that Bigi carbonated drinks, sponsors of the current Nigeria Idol has revealed by its innovative brand tactics is way ahead competitors in the industry.

Many brand enthusiasts and critics have commended the aggressive and creative approach the brand has adopted in leveraging the idol global music platform.

Moreover, many food and beverage companies are making straightforward and honest efforts to rebuild trust in the industry via improvements in sustainability practices and the treatment of people, among others.

However, because more consumers are checking the facts themselves, if any of this is not communicated in an honest, transparent and dynamic way, it may have little impact or build distrust.

One way to get ahead of this is to be proactive with such changes. Brands that improve formulas, clean up labels, reduce nutrition negatives and make sustainability improvements without waiting for government regulation or public pressure demonstrate an elevated care for the consumer. When this is communicated properly, they will overshadow competitors.

For a brand that is targeted at consumer satisfaction, analysts believe the adoption of the platform in the first place is a coup well plotted and delivered against competitors in the sector, music has no doubt, continue to grow, on this backdrop that the recent Grammy won by Burna Boy is a major step to the validation and many growth to which the music in Nigeria has expanded.

According to Managing Director, Rite Foods, Seleem Adegunwa, ‘’Bigi’s inclusion into this act of the youth is not only considered a well-thought-out decision, its exploitation of the platform is driven through innovation and unusual brand activation against the pedestrian approach that other brands would have applied into having a conservative brand briefing with press release handed out to journalist.’’

Furthermore, the highlight of the event was what Funso Arogundade, publisher and journalist, at the event referred to as the taking over of microphones, which in a way was depicted by having the 12 microphones used by contestants to be recreated by each variant by the Bigi soft drinks.

This innovative idea is already receiving positive review as it has gone viral, as it is one of the most creative way of using visual to illustrate commitment to sponsorship marketing, which is all about putting your message in the heart of consumers, not only sticking to it but by repeat purchase.

It is believed in marketing and brand that the ability to explore and deepen brand affinity, most often, sponsorship of big platforms hardly get value for their investments due to their inability to get out of name association, the usual ‘’this programme/product was sponsored by XYZ’’.

Brand enthusiasts believe that from what Bigi is doing, the brand is already causing serious upset against some age-long foreign brands. In time past we have seen a rapid emergence of storytelling across various brands, where marketing teams are reporting the same elsewhere.

By highlighting the values and actions of a company, marketers have the ability to drive purchases, loyalty and advocacy while creating alignment between brands and consumers.

This is especially true when a brand’s processes and products represent important consumer values, motivations and aspirations.

Brands can elevate their stories through a 360-degree communication plan that pushes messaging across several channels. Using different mediums to tell your story can ensure you attract a wide audience, capture attention through multiple touch points and generate or strengthen customer relationships.

Bigi opted for a recreation of the sponsorship platform to enable content drivers, journalists, music critics, reporters and entertainment enthusiasts to participate in what they christened as Bigi Media Idol where all components of the Bigi’s sponsorship assets was demonstrated by journalists, content drivers and audience invited to this bespoke event initiated for the understanding of content drivers.

The response of the Bigi Media Idol event trended and rivalled The Champions League games played same day, with twitter conversation, which slightly edged it when the game started.

A clear case of impact recognition who will ever think we go into this direction going by their exploits of rival brand like Pepsi, some of the stars, Coca-Cola had done quite a number of activities in music, using 2Baba for their commercial.

Taking ownership of the microphone was never contemplated or perhaps, never crossed their thought process.

To consider the ownership of the most important instrument in singing, that is what enhances the voice and transmit to music lovers, sound cannot be enjoyed without the use of microphone, Funso Arogundade, stated further that Bigi’s brand incursion into music and sponsorship of Nigerian idol would have been taken as one of the musical acquisition, but its exploration of the platform is now deepening conversation in the music industry as well as connecting with consumers in the hugely populated youth demography, which is very key to the brand.

That Rite Food has come with strong will, technology and innovation is no longer news. What is however exciting about the company is its disruptive innovation being strategically and consistently employed to cause marketing disruption for competitors, while giving consumers value for their naira.

The aggressive marketing approval of the company as attracted to it some agencies known as game changers given their pedigree over the years, for example, it is believed that an agency known for its innovation and creativity in perception management may have been engaged to give conversation direction for the ambitious brand, for it was discovered that the Microphone stunt of recent is being spearheaded by the agency.