EXMAN Repositions, as it Launches Brand Ambassador’s Programme

The Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria EXMAN has now been reinforced and repositioned to offer broader professional services within the integrated marketing industry and the Nigerian economy as a whole. This follows new developments in the just concluded annual General Meeting of the association in Abuja which held between July 15 -16, 2016.

One of the great moments of the meeting was the unveiling of the Certified Brand Ambassadors Programme, which according to the President of EXMAN, Dr Rotimi Olaniyan is a game changer for the Experiential and Activation industry in Nigeria.

The Certified Brand Ambassadors Programme, is an EXMAN initiative which is designed to reorganize the operating structure of the Experiential and Activation industry by establishing a central register for all field activation personnel across the country. “By registering with the program you stand to benefit from training in key aspects of brand activation and field marketing. You also become certified after passing the online certification examination,” the EXMAN President said.

With this programme in place, EXMAN will have more control of the industry and therefore provide a greater sense of sanity and professionalism within the system and on the long run, the industry will become more profitable to both clients and practitioners.

Another key aspect of the AGM was EXMAN’s meeting with the House Committee on Commerce in The Federal House of Representatives, Abuja on July 14, 2016. The meeting was one of the pre-event outing lined up by EXMAN and it was designed to secure a government buy-in on the activities of the experiential marketing industry and form and create an opportunity for partnership between both parties.

The event was also designed to present EXMAN to government as a veritable platform for citizen engagement, as the association’s many years of experience in mobilization and engagement of Nigerians in every nook and cranny, townshop or market square, hospital or community school, on behalf of brand owners, can become a huge asset to government as it seeks to rally citizens support for its policies and programmes.

Incidentally, the meeting is taking place at a time when citizens’ trust in government is at an all-time low, due to the uncertainties and haziness that surround President Buhari’s policies and the failure of his communication handlers to understand the fundamentals of their responsibilities. So, perhaps, there is no better for government to get professional help in citizens engagement than now.

In a paper titled, Meaningful Experiences: (The role of experiential marketing in citizen engagement and the marketing of government policy in Nigeria), EXMAN President Dr Olaniyan told the committee members that EXMAN is well positioned to help the present government drive its pro-poor policies by offering government its vast knowledgebase and skill sets and networks of the association’s members and human resources.

“Given the renowned expertise of the member agencies in the association, the government will have access to major citizen and community insight as well as trusted strategies aimed at ensuring positive community relations and citizen engagement,” Dr Olaniyan said.

Continuing, the EXMAN President told the House of Representatives members that his association offers the opportunity for government to receive immediate feedback from citizens on the effects of their public policies and projects. “The association has healthy relationships with most communities across the country, thanks to many years of brand activations and engagements within these communities. Having this feedback is important for adjustments on these public policies and projects to be made.”

He also encouraged government to formulate more policies that allow for a better working relationship between the private and public sectors. These policies, he said, must ensure that the business environment in Nigeria is favorable for both sectors.

“The Nigerian Government can continue to introduce initiatives aimed at tackling the issues affecting different public sectors; especially those involved in education, medical care, agriculture, job creation and electric power supply. Doing so will only result in positive experiences for the citizenry,” he said.