How Goldberg Fuji T’o Bam Taps Into Yoruba Cultural Life Style

BRAND experts agree that Product, Price, Place and Promotion play a critical role in brand building. However, the dynamic nature of the marketplace, cut-throat brand competition, volatile consumer behaviour to brands and consumption pattern means that brand owners must begin to adapt their marketing strategies to suit their business habitat.

Lately, successful brands have been adopting their branding strategies in line with this dominant cultural philosophy that positions brands into the core cultural fiber of the market.

In recent times too, successful brands have been adapting their branding strategies to capture the cultural behaviour of consumers by leveraging on the consumption patterns of individuals and institutions.

Like most other items in the consumers’ scales of preference, excitement is critical to brands winning the battle for a good share of consumers’ wallet.

The more exciting your brand, the more its freshness is renewed, the more likely consumers are going to remember it and spend on it.

For instance, the communal cum socio-dynamics of the African cultural landscape breed the assumption that consumers would be too eager to consume a brand because of its authenticity, heritage and associations. In Nigeria, the critical exchange point between a beer brand and die-hard consumers, for instance, is built on the social conduit of enjoying with family and friends.

From time immemorial, palm wine drinking and folkloric tradition has, no doubt, sustained that communal fabric of Nigerian society. In Nigeria, the average alcohol consumer does not drink because he wants self-fulfillment.

The exchange of valuable relationship and friendship are key drivers of the social life in Nigeria. He wants his friends. He practically needs them. He wants to show off.

He needs this as a bragging right. He desires for everybody to see how many bottles he has capacity to consume and how many people he paid for their drinks in the bars. Brand strategist and author of Branding Strategy Insider, Insights for Brand Builders, Martin Roll, highlight the impact cultural habits have on consumer choice and interaction in his text.

He states that “as brands enter different cultures, it is important that brands that desire to grow its market share must identify, understand and associate with such cultural values of the target market. Understand the consumption patterns: Individualistic and collectivistic cultures tend to be the two ends of a continuum.

Individualistic cultures support customers to make consumption decisions based on their personal choice, at an individual level.” Contemporary researches into cultural issues have shown that culture can have a strong influence on the values, perceptions and actions exhibited by a consumer.

This is a critical impression for marketers and brand owners who operate in the international arena and local market. In line with this dominant cultural philosophy of weaving brands into the cultural fiber, Goldberg activation platform tagged Fuji T’o Bam, has scored a valuable point among consumers within the South-West Nigeria. This is because the essence of the activation is in synch with the culture and belief of the Yoruba heritage, which dates back to the 1960s.

Evidently, Nigerian Breweries Plc is championing the marketing tact of promoting culture of beer drinking among the Yoruba ethnic group. The Goldberg Fuji T’o Bam initiative brings to live the twin socio-cultural tradition of companionship and carnivalesque. Fuji music has been ingrained in the South-West region of Nigeria since the early 70s.

Hence, early Fuji crooners like Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, Kilington Ayinla and the new school of KWAM 1, Abass Akande Obesere, Pasuma Ajibola Wonder, Saheed Osupa and a host of others have continued to give Fuji lovers a full dose of excitement and togetherness.

That Goldberg readily identifies and celebrates this rich musical traditional of sustaining the cultural values of the people make the beer brand a strategic one. The indigenous musical platform, which is currently in its third edition, had in the last two editions led to the discovery of budding Fuji talents. The winner of the contest, which begins in May, will eventually be crowned the Wura 1 of Fuji T’o Bam in addition to a mouthwatering cash reward.

According to the Corporate Affairs Adviser of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Kufre Ekanem, the competition, which will take place across key cities in the region, will have notable Yoruba actors and Fuji icons, like Sanyeri, Kamilu Kompo, Mr. Latin, Odunlade Adekola, Saheed Osupa, Maliaka, Obesere, Taye Currency and others gracing the event from the quarter final to the grand finale stages.

The Goldberg team from the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc also paid a surprise courtesy visit to the palace of Olota of Ota as a mark of respect to the monarch before the biggest Fuji concert and the quarter final of the Nigeria’ number Fuji music talent hunt.

The Alayeluwa Oba Alani Osanyintola Oyede, the Olota of Ota, who received the team, commended the Goldberg Fuji T’o Bam talent hunt idea.

The visit, which was part of the core values of the brand in celebrating the culture and beliefs of its consumers, had the Regional Business Development Manager Ibadan, Joseph Bodunrin; Public Affairs Manager for West, Tayo Adelaja; Brand Manager, Mfon Bassey; Yoruba movie actor, Olaniyi Afonja; the 30 contestants, other Senior Managers and some of the high chiefs which included Balogun, Ajana, Akogun, Onikotun and Onikosi, in attendance. Speaking during the courtesy call, Oba Alani expressed his joy for the visit.

He commended the team for coming up with such a brilliant idea as part of the plan to give back to the society through Fuji talent hunt.

He said Fuji music is a music genre that is mostly enjoyed by the people of the South Western part of Nigeria, because it has a connection with celebrating culture and bringing out the beauty of Yoruba heritage and language.

In his comments, Brand Manager Goldberg, Mr. Mfon Bassey, revealed that Goldberg is a brand that is brewed for the befitting man and has always been part of cultural celebrations like Osun Osogbo festival, Oke Ibadan, Ojude Oba in Ijebu Ode and Fuji T’o Bam talent hunt, which is part of the continued development of the culture of the people.

Ilesha in Osun State will host the semi-final. The grand finale, which will hold in Ibadan, will be an exciting life changing experience for the finalists.

The aclear example of a brand in Nigeria that has over the past years positioned as cultural inclined is Goldberg lager beer from the stable of Nigeria Breweries Plc.

The brand has identified with huge cultural celebrations and festival like the Osun Osogbo, Ojude Oba and Oke Ibadan festival. Its partnership with traditional rulers at various levels and communities cannot be matched by any competitor.