By Ngozi Onyeakusi—Penny Pasta has emerged the Pasta Brand of the Year at the just concluded Industry Summits and Awards 5.0 held in Lagos. The maker of the award winning pasta brand, Flour Mill of Nigeria PLC ( FMN ) also emerged as the Manufacturer of The Year at the annual integrated marketing communications industry awards and the company marketing director ( Food Division ) Ilyas Kazeem became the Marketer of The Year.

According to the chairman of the award committee, Aniete Udoh, “The award, the 5th in the series is celebrating excellence and rewarding creativity in the industry, hence the awardees were carefully chosen after a rigorous scrutiny of their performances in the market, the feedback from consumers and other stakeholders in Nigeria markets”

Becoming a sustainable marketer is no longer optional, sustainability has become a necessity for the future. Issues around this assertion was the crux of discussion among several marketing experts at the summit.

While delivering his keynote paper, the keynote speaker, Emmanuel Oriakhi, Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries PLC, who was ably represented by Samson Oloche, Portfolio Manager, Nigerian Breweries PLC, pointed out that; “as consumers are becoming more conscious of their environmental imprint, sustainable marketing is becoming more important.”

According to him, the economic challenge affects every player in the economy. It is only when we come together that we can tackle the challenges and forge a way going forward, noting that there are different consumers with varying expectations there is therefore the need to create products that meet them at their various needs.

“It is important to know that we cannot talk about fixing an industry without addressing the problems each individual group in the industry face to be able to fashion out a holistic solution to the total group.” He noted.

He further stressed that sustainable marketing ensures that marketers adopt ways of ensuring that the expectations are met, adding that, there is so much the consumers want from brands and so as brand managers, what we are giving in terms of value should be beyond what we are getting from the consumers.

“Sustainability is a journey which has not arrived at its destination but it is up to all of us to find a way to make an impact on the consumers and the environment at large. Social media is playing a huge role in ensuring that every conversation is brought to the fore hence brand managers should take advantage of this to put their brand in front of the people and to control the narratives.” He added..

Also, in her presentation, one of the guest speakers, Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, Head of Sustainability, Access Holdings, who was represented by Moji Coker, Head of Communication, Access Holdings disclosed that, “Innovative marketing requires that a company innovates by producing new products and services while improving and updating existing ones. This strategy often ensures that companies continuously identify better ways to develop and market products and services.”

According to her, “companies adopt innovative methods through new product development, product packaging, positioning strategies, specifications, market segmentation, customer value, delivery of goods and customer satisfaction. Enlightened marketers and sustainable businesses understand how to market new products or enter new markets successfully. They also know that the perfect way to grow and achieve success is always to offer consumers what they want.”

Continuing, she pointed out that, “Meeting Customer Priorities: With increasing awareness about environmental and social issues, customers prioritize sustainability when making purchasing decisions. Sustainable products offer long-term value and positive impacts, aligning with customers’ desire to support environmentally and socially responsible brands. Studies indicate that a substantial portion of consumers are willing to switch brands if they perceive a lack of sustainability, underscoring the importance of integrating sustainable practices into marketing strategies.”

Another guest speaker at the event, Brand, Strategy & Communications Manager, STANBIC IBTC, Rita Akao said, “Build your ideal target audience biography (clients, employees shareholders, regulators, activists, stakeholders, or the public) Know how and where to communicate with your audience.Listen to what your audience says back to you.”

According to her, “plan to integrate a strategic plan to reach the right audience at the right time, to drive the best results. Select the best intervals for your communication. Consider having a specific plan per project also. Be consistent”

“Create milestones and communicate them effectively. Measure success of a programme by how many people it touches (impact). Report your success and impact. Use a good topic around the problem your audience has. You need great engaging content – quality and not just quantity. Be unique, creative, useful and above all, create content your audience needs.” She added.

Also, panelists at the event resolved that consumers are key to brand building, therefore, taking consumers into cognizant while developing a sustainable marketing plan for growth is not only important but crucial.