AAAN Craves Pivotal Role in National Rebranding Campaign
The Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria has told the Federal Government that it is ready to lead the administration’s rebranding efforts as any plan to initiate such campaign without significant involvement of the association may end up in a failure, just like the ones before.
Speaking recently in Lagos, Kelechi Nwosu, President of AAAN said the failure of previous rebranding efforts have largely been due to government refusal to allow professionals drive the initiative, adding that such initiative cannot be left in the hands of politicians.
“Rebranding must have people like us who are proficient, efficient and knowledgeable in branding and rebranding efforts. AAAN is best in that regard in this country. From 80 to 85 percent of us, you will get the best brains for both strategy and creative,” Mr. Nwosu said.
“If we are not part of it in such a way that we should be, it will put a question mark on it,” he said.
Though some of the previous rebranding efforts have involved some members of the AAAN like Charles O’Tudor, but the major roles have been played by politicians, businessmen and even members of Nollywood, this usually undermines the input of the creative people, who should naturally be at the vanguard of the plan.
Kelechi also disclosed that the association’s rebranding plan which has already been suggested to the government is not just limited to rebranding alone, because according to him rebranding is too narrow and has been abused.
“Rebranding is more than merely putting the words out. Branding and rebranding are abused words, there also has to be a cultural shift. What we need is a reorientation movement through campaigns,” he said.
Charles O’tudor a brand expert also stressed this point in one of his write ups. “Branding cannot be conjured or invented by mere logos and sloganeering. A brand is built through an internal processing of its brand’s DNA based on empirical research. As a country, we need personal, corporate and institutional reformation to achieve a transformational repositioning of our national brand identity.
“There should be a team of selected brand professionals, who will dissect components of the Nigerian brand DNA from the standpoint of its cultural and socio-eco-political realities and then make recommendations to government on the way forward. Here, it is pertinent to note that external projection will not be the first step in the way forward,” O’tudor said.
The importance of these sentiments cannot be over emphasized given that the country has failed in previous efforts aimed at rebranding.
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