Creating a strong marketing brand goes beyond having a catchy tagline or an enticing logo although it plays a role. Having a strong brand embodies who you are, what you believe in and what customers can expect when they engage with your brand. In short, your brand is your reputation.
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon couldn’t have put it any better when he says, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
Most businesses struggle to establish a strong brand that resonates for years even after the founder(s) are dead and gone.
At the just-ended Marketing World Awards 2021, two brands, in particular, had a big win for the night’s event held at Movenpick Hotel in Accra. These are FanMilk PLC and Unilever Ghana. These brands have created an extraordinary reputation that deserves to be honoured.
Marketing World Awards – 2 Top Performers
FanMilk PLC is Ghana’s leading brand in producing refreshing and nutritious dairy-based food products. The company won ‘Best New Product of the Year‘ for its new product, SuperYogo. FanMilk PLC also won ‘Marketing Campaign of the year,’ for its ‘Shine Your Hustle Campaign,’ which features a yoghurt seller, a ‘bofrot’ seller and a ‘trotro’ mate, proudly putting in effort in their work. This campaign has deeply resonated with Ghanaians as it has determination, hard work, and perseverance overtones. Eric Kumah, Brand Manager at Fanmilk PLC had this to say after receipt of the award; “This award is dedicated to the many families who have accepted our products over the years. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you.”
“In times like this, health is key, that is why FanMilk will keep delivering the highest quality nutritional products for our people, in line with our one planet one health agenda,” he further said.
Unilever Ghana also had an unforgettable night as it received iconic Brand of the Year and Family Brand of the Year for its Geisha and Pepsodent brands respectively. Nana Yaa Owusu-Ansah, Unilever’s Beauty and Personal Care Marketing Director for Ghana and Nigeria was also adorned with the Industry Personality of the Year. The company’s marketing team took home the Silver awards in the Marketing Team of the Year category.
Are these brands worth the awards?
These brands deserve recognition as they have proven themselves over the years. These two brands (Unilever and FanMilk) have attained the height of a strong brand due to the following reasons.
1. Quality and products and services: Most businesses fall short in providing products of excellence but not for FanMilk and Unilever. These brands have constantly provided quality products that meet the needs of consumers. They seem to uphold a “no average policy” hence, their consistency in providing products that are of good repute.
2. Consistency: Speaking of consistency, these brands have continuously maintained a sense of quality in their products. Their product’s taste and value have remained consistent over the years. For instance, when you take Fan Yoghurt, the taste has consistently remained the same over the years. It doesn’t taste different each day, week, month or year. This makes it a trustworthy brand.
3. Reflect the communities they serve: Strong brands are devoted to the communities they serve. They give back and value social responsibility. In June of 2020, Unilever Ghana provided support for institutions to fight COVID-19 through donations of its products. Beneficiaries of the donations included the Zebilla District Hospital, Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Industrial and Commercial Workers Union, The First Infantry Battalion and many others.
4. Innovative and creative: Strong brands such as Unilever and Fanmilk strive to be innovative and creative with their products and marketing campaigns. They move with the times in order to stay relevant. To drive market share growth, Unilever for instance launched the Pepsodent Herbal and Pepsodent Charcoal in 2020. Fanmilk also introduced the SuperYogo and “Shine Your Hustle” campaign which has been well received by Ghanaians.
5. Competitive edge: To have a competitive edge means to know your niche market and develop products and services that make you stand out from the rest of the competition. Unilever Ghana and Fanmilk PLC have been able to do just that.
Unilever and Fanmilk are extraordinary brands that any upcoming entrepreneur or small business owner can learn from to establish a reputable brand that lasts a lifetime.
