Saturday 13 December 2014

MALTINA DANCE HALL PROGRAMME AS A PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGY OF NIGERIAN BREWERIES PLC PROJECT CODE: Bsc PRA001

  MALTINA DANCE HALL PROGRAMME AS A PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGY OF NIGERIAN BREWERIES PLC.


A BSC RESEACH PROJECT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING
   


                                                                                                                                      2014 



CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1       Background to the Study
For a long time, many organizations have employed different strategies that would help project, positively, their brands, products, services and the entire organization and above all, increase the sale of such products or services. One of these strategies is the Reality/Talent Hunt Programmes. The advancement in science and communication technologies, today, has even encouraged the use of Talent Hunt Programmes as a Marketing Communication Strategy, and as such, organizations are using the strategy to increase the sales of their products and patronage of services. This is because many organizations want to build good financial base for themselves that would help create a platform through which they can improve the company, increase the production of their products and services or even diversify into the production of other products or services. Many organizations, especially the profit-oriented ones, do not joke with their profit base.
The reason for this is that, they believe that the capital base or financial status of the organization, to a large extent, would determine how much of the market they are able to capture among other competitors. As a result, every organization wants to design or embark on programmes that would increase the sales of their products and services, especially when there are other strong competitors in the market.
Nigerian Breweries Plc (NB), six years ago, celebrated its 60 years of operation in Nigeria, and its ability to have withstood the thick and thin of competitive market lends credence to the fact that the organization has a strong sales base. In spite of the achievements, they don’t want to leave any stone unturned; they rather want to capture the malt market and ensure total dominance. A popular maxim says “getting to the top is difficult, but staying at the top is much more difficult. In other words, nobody wants to get to the top and then, drops down. It is, therefore, understandable why Nigerian Breweries will want to do everything to stay at the top. The bid to achieve this feat, hence, gave birth to the programme — Maltina Dance Hall.
The Maltina Dance Hall Programme is a Reality Programme targeted at Nigerian families as stated on Nigerian Breweries’ official website (www.maltina-nigeria.com). It is a Talent Hunt programme, whose basic objective is to discover and promote talented Nigerian families from years and above in the various music idioms.
With such a programme, the tendency for the public to believe that Nigerian Breweries is concerned about the success and future of Nigerian family is much higher. If a company solely picks up some talented families with low financial status, and showcases them to the world, many, to some extent, will readily believe that such an organization is good. In the same view, a family, who has no visible hope of living a life of luxury and comfort ability, but suddenly shot up to fame, honoured and celebrated with face gracing the pages of newspapers, magazines, television, internet, cable satellite and so on, will not only be loyal to the organization, but also do the bidding of that organization. Such a family will begin to see the organization as a divine channel of success. This would, definitely, have positive impact on the sales of Maltina because ‘to whom much is given, much is expected.
That Maltina is striving for the top is no news, and this is visible by the strife competition in the malt market. In spite of this, the truth remains that Nigerian Breweries needs to sell the Star brand, at least, if they must continue to dominate the malt market. Also, many of the not-so- young generation knows and watch the programme — how the contestants send electronic applications, how they are auditioned and celebrated after wimiing. Although, their knowledge of the product (Maltina) may not mean that they consume it, but that does not mean they are blind to see or hear the encomiurns showered on winners. It, would, therefore, not be surprising if they begin to buy the product so that they will also be celebrated in such manner. In a way, it could be seen that through the Talent Hunt Programme, Nigerian Breweries is already carving a future market for itself because of the younger generation, who will, one day, want to be like the families Nigerian Breweries are celebrating.
An investigation into the malt industry shows that the consumption of malt has come a long way in Nigeria, and that the main producers want to take control of the malt market. The product — Maltina, had experienced and is still experiencing its own peculiar challenges, especially in the areas of stiff competition. It is in rising to this challenge that Nigerian Breweries like other similar organisations adopted the use of Maltina Dance Hall, a Talent Hunt Programme in marketing both the industry and the malt beverage. More so, the cost of initial organisational advertising is increasing and there is a re-thinking in the whole reliance of adverts in marketing.
Also, it is important to note that a global shift from hardcore marketing and advertising is becoming more prominent, while other key promotional tools like Talent Hunt Programme are being employed. As a result, some companies have started using this marketing communication strategy as a fast and reliable way of increasing the sales of their products and services.
The company of study, Nigerian Breweries was incorporated on the 16th November, 1946 under the Company and Allied Matters. It is a public quoted company and a subsidiary of Heineken N.V, which has 45.10 per cent interest in the equity of the company. In 2006, when the company celebrated its 60 years of operation in Nigeria, it recorded an unprecedented achievement, hitting 6.1 million hectoliters (hi) in production. In terms of carton units, this would mean about 85 million cartons of Maltina or better still, about three billion glasses of productions (Nibrewnews Issue No.1, 2007).
Nwachukwu (2006) posits that:
Nigerian Breweries and Guinness Nigeria, two key players in Nigeria’s malt industry are now making the most of the opportunities in the industry by engaging each other in a fierce competition with product development.
This may readily explain why Nigerian Breweries employed the Maltina Dance Hall Programme — to survive the competition and continue to dominate the malt market.
Recently, there has been a remarkable increase in the number of Reality TV Programmes, which organizations use to make consumers and the general public accept and buy their products or services in Nigeria. Many of these Reality TV Shows have become so popular in the society and among the general public, who are prone to purchasing products or services that identifies with their individuality and personal success. Some of these popular Reality TV Programmes in Nigeria, today, include Shine Shine Bobo for Star Lager Beer, Street Dance for Malta Guinness, Maltina Dance Hall for Maltina, Star Quest for Star Lager Beer, Gulder Ultimate Search for Gulder Beer, Next Movie Star for Amstel Malta, and Project Fame for MTN among others.
As stated earlier, Maltina Dance Hall Programme like other Reality TV Programmes, is used as a Marketing Communication strategy However, this study will examine and appraise the Talent Hunt Programme as a Public Relations strategy of Nigerian Breweries. The philosophy of the programme, according to Nigerian Breweries, is to discover and promote talented Nigerian dancers and, and not to sell Maltina. Using, therefore, the programme as a marketing programme could mean a derail from the primary purpose of the Talent Hunt Programme and a clever attempt to manipulate the general public to buy the product.
This study, therefore, seeks to convey an understanding that the Programme, if employed as a Public Relations strategy, could help promote both the Maltina brand and the corporate image of Nigerian Breweries, while at the same time reduce the belief of manipulation. It will also explore the significance of the Reality Programme in terms of sale and acceptability. Also, the study will further investigate the perception of the public towards the Programme.



1.2       Statement of the Problem
Reality Talent Hunt Programmes could have advantages when used as Marketing Communication strategies; but, one major issue that arises with the use of Maltina Dance Hall Programme as a Marketing Communication strategy is that some members of the society feel displaced in participating in the programme because of their cultures and traditions that may not be in line with the types of songs or dances the judges require. Nigeria, undoubtedly, is a large heterogeneous audience with diverse cultures, traditions, values and norms. But the rule of the game shows that Nigerian Breweries do not usually pay attention to these differences, as any family that is not able to dance or perform the song that is given is out rightly disqualified.
And it is believed that an organization that is less concerned with the ways of life of its customers lacks the sense of social responsibility. This study, therefore, appraises Maltina Dance Hall as a PR Strategy of Nigerian Breweries.

1.3       Purpose of Study
The study, therefore, has the following as its objectives.
  1. To find out the motives behind employing Maltina Dance Hall Programme as a Marketing Communications strategy for improving the sales of Maltina and image of Nigerian Breweries.
  2. To investigate the reasons why Nigerian Breweries should use the programme as a Public Relations strategy rather than Marketing Communications to promote its products.
  3. To find out the impact of the Reality/Talent Hunt programme on consumer preference for Maltina.
  4. To determine the perception of the audience about the Maltina Dance Hall programme.

1.4       Research Questions
  1. What are the motives behind the use of Maltina Dance Hall programme of the Nigerian Breweries?
  2. To what extent does the programme influence buyers of Maltina?
  3. To what extent does Maltina Dance Hall programme build a good image for Nigerian Breweries and create mutual understanding between the organization and its customers?
  4. How does the Maltina Dance Hall audience in Bariga Area of Lagos State perceive the Reality TV Programme?

1.5       Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will be beneficial to the following categories:
(a) Public Relations Practitioners
PR Managers, especially those charged with the responsibility of managing the organization’s corporate and product image will find the result of the study very useful. It will assist practitioners to have better understanding of Public Relations strategies or programmes they can package, and will not offend people’s religious, values and cultural beliefs. It will also serve to frame the way the public externally perceive an organization and how PR could be used to achieve organizational goals.
(b) Nigerian Breweries
Since the study intends to x-ray the Nigerian Breweries, staff of the organization as well as the management of the organization will benefit from the study’s findings if they consider the findings useful.
(c) Mass Communication Lecturers
It will also provide a framework for lecturing their students on the advantages of employing Reality TV Programmes as Public Relation Strategy. This will help the students develop a creative mind with which they would use to appeal to customers.
(d) Students
It will provide students the opportunity of keeping themselves abreast of new developments in the Public Relations, Advertising and Broadcasting industries. They will be able to know the difference between Marketing and Public Relations and use the information from the study for their research.
(e) Researchers
This will also serve as basis for further research in the area. Findings from this study will contribute to available knowledge in the fields of marketing, management and other related disciplines.

1.6       Scope of the Study
It focuses on the role of Maltina Dance Hall Reality Television Programme as well as its advantages as a Public Relations Strategy rather than a Marketing Communication Strategy.


1.7       Definition of Terms
  • Maltina Dance Hall: This is a reality television programme solely sponsored by the Nigerian Breweries with the aim of discovering and promoting talented Nigerian families and dancers. It is a musical talent hunt show, where 10 families are ushered into the fame land to compete with one another.
  • Public Relations: For the purpose of this study, I wish to adopt the Mexican definition that says Public Relations is the art and social science of analyzing trends, predicting their consequences, counseling organization’s leadership and implementing planned programmes of actions, which will serve both the organization and public interest..
  • Strategy: It is the basic scientific communication techniques adopted by Public Relations in establishing and sustaining goodwill, reputation and understanding between an organization and its publics. It is a communication tool employed to create image for the organization.
  • Public Relation Strategy: It is a planned effort of employing a particular communication tool to boost image, improve reputation and endure credibility of an organization.
  • Marketing Communications: It is the employment of all the promotional element of the marketing mix to promote a product. This involves the communication between an organization and its target audience, and all matters that affect marketing performance.
  • Nigerian Breweries: It is one of the leading brewery companies in Nigeria incorporated on 16th November, 1946.
  • Maltina: It is a brand of malt produced by Nigerian Breweries.

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