Food industry provides opportunities for innovative consumer engagement- Iquo Ukoh
Former Marketing Director of Nestle Foods and now a celebrity food blogger Iquo Ukoh has said that the food industry in Nigeria provides an exciting platform for brands to engage with consumers.
She noted that the present economic climate demands a lot of innovation from brands managers and marketing communications agencies and the food industry in Nigeria, which is estimated to worth over a trillion Naira by Euromonitor, provides the vibrancy and opportunity for profitable consumer engagement.
“Look around and see where the consumers are going. Today consumers want to interact; they want to interact with food for example. They want recipes. They are excited about food pictures. This provides opportunities for brands to engage with consumers.
“ Clients are cutting down on budget so there has to be that creative thinking. Budget will be lean there is no doubt about that, but how can we creatively use that budget? First you must understand your consumer. What is your consumers doing? Therefore you manage your budget around that,” she admonished.
Euromonitor, a leading research firm has stated that the Nigerian food industry is one of the best-performing industries in the country despite the economic downturn and huge decline in consumer spending power over the years. It noted that the industry has grown so well and consumers are still making the switch from unpackaged and unbranded products to packaged products as they become more aware.
Since retiring from her job at Nestle in 2016, Mrs. Ukoh, a well-known foodie, who spent 34 years at the leading food and Beverage Company, where she rose to become the first female Marketing Director, has devoted her passion to running a food blog and running a marketing agency, Entod marketing.
Her foodie blog www.1qfoodplatter.com has become one of the top food blogs in Nigeria and she is already working with a number of corporate organisations to promote healthy living through culinary and food experiences.
“What I have done is to provide platform for people to market their products,” she said of her blog. “Food has become the new sexy. No wonder one of the banks decided to take food seriously. It is not about the food itself, it is about all that pertains to it, packaging, logistics, supplies and the food itself. There is a lot of opportunity in that sector.”
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