The redo edition of The Signature Summit closed in high spirits as participants, speakers and organizers took turns to have brief chats and pictures. The participants had earlier been drilled by experts on Branding and Digital Marketing skills in line with the event’s theme. The program, held at Ajose Lecture Theater, Obafemi Awolowo University- spread across two days, witnessed a conference session on Friday 24th November while a concluding workshop session followed on Saturday 25th November.
Keynote speakers at the Friday conference included Author, Business Coach, Business Development Expert and Strategist, Tale Alimi and Digital Marketing Consultant, Deola Kayode while Art Director, Fericool Studios, Tunde Ogunkunle, Digital PR consultant at The Robert Taylor Media, Esther Odia, and CEO of Media Panache, Timilehin Bello oversaw practical sessions Saturday.
Delivering ‘Perception is the new reality’, Tale Alimi said being a unique brand required the dualism of one’s big idea and personality. She said the perception of persons behind a brand plays an important role in the manner such brand is positioned in the minds the customers. She also explained that business ideas need be shaped by customers’ tastes rather than one’s personal inclinations and comfort-zone. ‘’Your brand is not for everybody, everybody is not going to like you. That’s okay. Your big idea and personality makes you a different brand from others. It also reflects in your content, style, engagement, how you tell your story. Story telling has become a really powerful tool, people love to hear stories. Your story is what makes you different. Your big idea has to be about other people, not about yourself. Nobody who ever became great became great thinking about themselves.”
Deola Kayode spoke on timely execution of ideas and the need to build enterprises around the identification of sizable markets, adequate knowledge of and communication with the target audience, and passion. “Smart people build the market and demand then look for the product. As a matter of fact, the customers themselves will tell you what the product is. Apart from finding a sizable market, you need to find something you are passionate enough about. If you launch a business with passion and after four months someone else copies your idea and launches it or in the times when there is slow demand for your product, that passion will keep you going.
If I will distill what I have learnt in the past 11 years of marketing, branding and strategy - understand your customers. Nothing else beats it. The adverts that you like and remember well look as if they are designed to specifically address you, this is because someone sat down and asked, what exactly do these customers need? That you have an idea is no big news, people have ideas everyday. When you have great ideas, others have similar ideas at the same time. Execution is key. There is a difference between what you have as business thought and what your message to customers is . There are people who sell shoes and there are people who sell prestige, there are people who sell Agbada and there are people who sell design statements. Customers could be different from consumers, for example, guys purchase gifts for Valentines but ladies consume them, hence, target the guys.”
One of the participants who is a student of Microbiology, Ahmed Zainab in her reaction said she had been able to learn about opportunities open to Africans yet underutilized and added “This event brought likeminds together. Networking is very impacting as I could have never gotten to meet all these people if I stayed back in my room. I love the presentation and everything about this program”.
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