Unimer Morocco unveils new marketing communication strategies for Titus Sardine

At Sheraton Hotel and Towers Ikeja Lagos on Tuesday 27th August 2013, the brand owners of the Titus Sardines, worldwide; UNIMER Group, SA Morocco in conjunction with her biggest Distributors   on the west coast of Africa, unfolded plans for a new marketing campaign aimed at protecting consumers of the vintage quality Titus Brand canned sardines, as well as reassuring them that the brand is ever available and ever more affordable for them as it has been for the past 80 years!

 

The event which saw an impressive presence of professionals from all spectra of the media, with almost every media organization in the country in attendance, took the form of two major presentations, one from the Global Marketing Director of UNIMER Group, Mr. Mohammed Edderkaoui and another from the Chief Executive of DP Partnership+DraftFCB, Chief Odun Fadoju, whose company is saddled with the responsibility of executing the advert and publicity project for the Titus Brand. Also present at the important occasion were some major distributors of the Titus Brand in Nigeria namely: Chief Sir, Emma Bishop Okonkwo OFR, Group Chairman, Ekulo Group, Chief Sylvester Obiakor and also Chief Israel Egwuonwu.

 

In his presentations, Edderkaoui pointed out that Titus Sardines have been in the Global market for over 80 years and has grown to attain a global brand status, with presence all over the world . He said the product is made from fresh sardines, caught off the coast of Morocco and canned in-situ in factories located very close to the sea and landing coast, a factor which ensures their premium quality. He stressed that it was a source of concern to the company that reports show evidences of fake brands of the product in circulation in certain markets, especially Nigeria, hence the need to embark on a fresh marketing re-strategizing, to protect the brand’s market share in Nigeria, by making sure that its loyal consumers do not suffer the risks of consuming fake products. He reiterated the fact that quality control is the company’s watchword and revealed that UNIMER spends millions of dollars annually in research and development to ensure that the best quality is maintained under strictest conditions and that this has been the source of the brand’s strength over the decades; the dependability of the product to consumers across all strata of demography, worldwide.

 

Chief Odun Fadoju explained that DP Partnership+DraftFCB has put in place a very comprehensive advertising strategy that covers print, radio, television, outdoor billboards as well as online media, to ensure a very wide reach of the brand to the consuming public. He said that the campaign is going to cover the entire Nigerian nation. Explaining the creative concepts of the advert, he said it laid emphasis on the fact that Titus Sardines, has helped and is still helping generations of Nigerians to achieve their dreams. He took a dive into the diet chemistry to explain that according to the United Nations, Fish protein, rich in highly digestible and easily assimilated lysine, is very important in maintaining good health and a high intelligence quotient which are compulsory for achieving dreams and attaining actualized lives and that Titus sardines, is the richest source of Lysine available on the Nigerian market, hence the concept. He further explained that there are four variants of the creatives, covering sports, academic, professional dreams and family making, and that these variants will be replicated in all print and online formats, including billboards, to maintain brand consistency. He also unveiled five variants of the jingles covering English, Pidgin, Hausa, Yoruba and Ibo Languages which are available in audio and visual formats, for the adverts.

Fielding questions from journalists, Mr. Mohammed Edderkaoui explained that UNIMER has been unable to establish factories in locations like Nigeria, where it would have liked to do so for the reason that Sardines are best canned fresh from the sea to reduce activities of Histamine and other enzymes that reduce the quality and nutritive value of the fish if it had to be refrigerated and transported over long distances to canneries away from the coast. He however said that the company is still looking for opportunities to further invest in the Nigerian market. He also pointed out that fishes caught off the coast of Asia and the pacific, as are being brought into Nigeria from Indo-China, are very dangerous as most of the Asiatic waters are now polluted with radio-active wastes from exploded Japanese nuclear reactors and hence fish from such waters are capable of infecting consumers with leukemia and exposing them to other health risks. Hence UNIMER found it necessary to take steps to protect the superiority of their brand made with fishes from the extreme west coast of Africa, and absolve it of guilt in case of health complications from consuming Asian fish in cans.

 

Supporting this statement, the Ekulo group head of marketing, Emeka Oramadike explained that trade in Titus Sardines has provided millions of Nigerian mothers and business women and men, with a good source of profit over generations, because of the excellent qualities of the highly tasty and nutritious product which makes it highly marketable. That, according to him, is real value added to the lives of Nigerians by the Titus brand. He reassured Nigerians that the brand is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and that further more, the price is now friendlier than ever, so they should have no far in trading in and consuming their darling Titus Sardines.

In his own submission, the Chairman of Ekulo Group, Chief Sir, Emma Bishop Okonkwo, assured consumers of Titus canned Sardines that the Police, NAFDAC and SON are all co-operating with the brand owners and distributors in fishing out and stopping fakers who are trying to spoil the brand. He enjoined all to go ahead and enjoy their Titus canned Sardines without fear.