EXMAN 2021: Cosmas Maduka, Dubai Tourism boss, charge stakeholders on brand building and sustainability
By Kasim Bakare
The Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria(EXMAN) 2021 Brand Experience Summit got off to a bright start yesterday as business magnate and Chairman, Coscharis Group,Cosmas Maduka, alongside Director, Africa International Operations for Dubai Tourism, Stella Fubara-Obinwa delivered keynote speeches at plenary to set the tone for a remarkable event
The event which held at the Providence By Mantis, in GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, had stakeholders in the experiential marketing industry and beyond, set a new benchmark as EXMAN gathered many industry eggheads and corporate leaders to expand the frontiers of knowledge in the integrated marketing communications industry.
Speaking on what he titled: “Building from Scale”, Cosmas Maduka who made his first million at 24, emphasized on the need for entrepreneurs to build a sustainable business that can outlive them. He also stressed the need for entrepreneurs to leverage innovation and demonstrate strong corporate governance.
Citing his grass to grace story of how a small start-up business he founded with a meager N200 in 1977 has become a multibillion Naira conglomerate, the Nnewi born serial entrepreneur urged would-be entrepreneurs to be determined and see opportunity in every challenge.
“After losing my father at the age of 4, things became so rough for my siblings and I but I was determined to succeed. In 1976, years after serving my uncle as an apprentice, he gave me N200 as a reward for my years of apprenticeship under him. With a determination to succeed, that was enough for me to fly. Today that brand is worth several billions”.
He added:”As an entrepreneur, every problem is an opportunity. It all depends on your mental attitude to see such opportunity. Covid-19 for example brought opportunities that an app like Zoom took advantage of. Today, the value of Zoom is 10x that of the American Airlines. The owner of the app was prepared for the opportunity and the challenges posed by Covid-19″.
While emphasizing on the need to build a sustainable business, the Coscharis Group Chairman explained that financial discipline remains imperative in sustaining a business. He also advised entrepreneurs, especially, those with little or no formal education to recruit educated people with skills to complement their own practical skills. Drawing from his experience, Maduka averred that his decision to do away with the “apprentice system’ at some point contributed immensely to his success. He therefore advised entrepreneurs to re-think the model when they start getting their feet in business.
On her part, Stella Fubara-Obinwa stressed the need for brands to focus on solving problems in order to stay relevant. Speaking further on building brand experience for destination brands where brands can engage in brand building and sustainability, she noted that a deliberate and focused leadership is required to drive the process through.
Making a case for strategic thinking and planning as a sine qua non to brand building, Fubara-Obinwa cited the “Dubai Tourism’ story of how a city literally in the desert about a decade ago, has today become a choice destination for tourists and businessmen around the world.
In her words: ”The Dubai story is an interesting one. Dubai was literally a desert with just sand, some years ago. What did they do? They knew did they didn’t have oil. Their leaders started thinking of what they could offer to the world despite its shortcoming.
Continuing, she said:”They invested a lot in building the brand by changing the narrative and perception of people who thought it was governed by some Islamic laws or had such culture. Next, they started the Emirates Airlines for easy access and transportation to the city from around the world. They also built some of the best and affordable hotels in the world for guests coming to the country. This says a lot about building a sustainable brand and that is why that brand has grown in leaps and bounds”
Fubara-Obinwa who had handled the marketing business of Nigeria’s leading online retail company, Wakanow.com explained that Africa’s closeness to the Middle East has been the major drive to deliver on the brief of making Dubai the No.1 tourist destination for Africans.
.Meanwhile, the plenary session was followed by parallel sessions held virtually to allow for a larger audience participation. Some of the speakers who spoke at the virtual event include: APCON Registrar/CEO, Dr. Lekan Fadolapo, AAAN President and CCO/CEO X3m Ideas, Steve Babaeko, Adenike Adebola, Marketing & Innovation Director for Guines, Victor Afolabi, Group Managing Director, GDM Group,among others
Lolu Durojaiye from Avedge kept participants engaged with “Connecting Virtual and Live Experiences,” Dunni Ogunsanya, from Playhouse educated participants on “Where is the Bottom of the Pyramid in all these digital experiences” while Unwana Ekanem from Terragon spoke on “Experiencing Big Data: Where data meets brand experience.”
Adenike Adebola, Marketing & Innovation Director for Guinness Nigeria spoke on “Top 5 Brand Experience Ideas that changed the world in 2020;” while Innocent Oboh from Dijo Group on “Driving Brand Engagement through Music;”,popular comedian, Ali Baba who runs XQZ Moi TV spoke on “Spontaneity-Generating ideas that can travel” and Victor Afolabi, GMD for GDM Group spoke on “The role of Data in Brand Experience.”
AAAN President and CCO/CEO X3m Ideas, Steve Babaeko had a robust presentation centred around “Building and developing a profitable creative enterprise;” MIPAN President and CEO of BrandEye Media, Femi Adelusi also spoke on “Building resilience in the Agency in a Post Covid World” while the APCON Registrar/CEO, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo spoke on “Agencies and the new regulatory regime” among other speakers.
L-R, President, EXMAN, Tade Adekunle; Director, Africa International Operations, Dubai Tourism, Stella Fubara-Obinwa; Chairman, Coscharis Group, Maduka Cosmas; Chairman Planning Committee, EXMAN, Tunji Adeyinka during the 2021EXMAN Brand Experience Summit in Lagos.
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