Is The Customer still King?

Is the Customer still the King?
By Yemi Olakitan
This was the question on the lips of participants at the customer behaviuor symposium held at the old parliament building at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos recently.
The Symposium, which was organized by Logica Media group, was part of efforts by the company to create a platform for brands experts’ discussion. Speaking at the event, the chairman of Logica Media Group, Otunba Biodun Ajiboye said the symposium will give brands experts an opportunity to share creative ideas and an opportunity to learn from one another.
He said the yearly events would create a new generation of brands that are committed to customer satisfaction through innovation, customer service and information.
The theme of the symposium which was: ‘The customer is King ’ served as the bedrock of the discussions. In a paper delivered at the event, Kola Oyeyemi, General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN Nigeria reiterated the importance of brand loyalty as a guarantor of profitability, market share growth and sustainable success in the market place.
Emphasizing that the customer is king, not only Nigeria but anywhere in the world, Oyeyemi said brand

loyalty cannot happen without a thorough understanding of the consumers and a deliberate decision to satisfy and exceed customers’ expectations via both care and surprise values.
Speaking further, he said it is the responsibility of the whole organization from top to bottom and not just a departmental job. Oyeyemi was of the opinion that consumer promotions do not represent loyalty schemes. He said reward schemes are not strong enough to command brand loyalty. According to him, the customer will begin to develop loyalty to the promotions, not to the brand itself and when the promotion is no longer forthcoming, the loyalty dies.
‘‘A loyalty scheme must be strategic and pivotal to the life of the brand or organization. More insight driven and relevant loyalty schemes are the answers.’’ He said. He econcouraged companies to always consult the experts when in doubt. He said the professionals will help them develop impact loyalty schemes with the potentials to deliver on the company’s objectives and promise's to the consumer.’’
In another dimension, Oyeyemi said most organisations focused on the visible and more obvious pieces of information about the customers and are oblivious of what lies beneath the surface, ‘They must probe deeper into the world of the customer to understand their motivations, needs, aspirations, and belief systems which could hold the key to the levers that could open the door to customer satisfaction and loyalty. In depth customer knowledge is critical for the enhancement of customer loyalty.’’ He said.
He pointed out that relevant and compelling value propositions are at the heart of customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. An excellent delivery of the brand promise is also non-negotiable. Congruity is a critical element here. Whatever promise a brand makes must not be in dissonance with the experience it delivers to the consumer or customer. In the event of a brand promise delivery challenge, the disaster recovery system must be genuine, responsive and timely. One nasty experienced properly handled can make a customer even more loyal than a customer who never had a nasty experience.
‘’ In addition to meeting and exceeding the customers in terms of core values, every moment of truth is a critical moment. Every moment of interaction with the brand and the organization should leave a taste in the mouth of the consumer. This taste could be sweet or sour. A marketing oriented company’s job is to ensure a sweet taste is left in the mouth of the consumer at every moment of truth’’
According to Oyeyemi, Customer service must be woven into the fabric and essence of the organization and must have executive backing and leverage. The customer is king and the brand is alive or death because of him.
Another notable speaker was Mrs.Llolia S Emakpore, Director, Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Nigerian Communications Commission. Speaking at the symposium, Emakpore reiterated the importance consumer’s position in business and commercial enterprise. She said the customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is the most important visitor on our premises .He is the purpose of our business enterprise. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so.
Speaking further, Emakpore said brands and organizations must work hard and develop their consumer into fans. She said they could do this by protecting the rights of the consumer in every front. She enumerated these rights as the –rights to safety, the rights to choose, the rights to be informed, and the right to be heard.
She said her organization must ensure that the consumer is satisfied in such a way that they can come back for more. She said brands must turn their consumers into fans.
‘’When they become fans, they will recommend the brand to others. We must ensure that the consumers remain the king by eliminating all dissatisfactions or frustrations experience by the consumer. Minor dissatisfaction may lead to a change to competing brand.’’
‘‘In order to ensure to build consumer loyalty, we must use motivations such as pricing incentives, advertising, brand extensions which eliminate frustrations and leads to growth.’’ She said
In ensuring that the consumer remains king in Nigeria, Emakporie said companies must ensure that the views of the consumer are heard. They must ensure that that strong mechanism for feedback is put in place so that they can improve on the quality of their product.
At the end of the symposium, participants ask relevant questions concerning the subject matter. Other dignitaries who attended the symposium included: Emeka Okpara, Head Branding Communications, Zain Nigeria, the convener, Yinka Oguntoyinbo, MD Logica Media
Logica Media Group, which hosted the event, has been in the vanguard of brand and marketing development in Nigeria. The group was the organizer of Brand Director’s conference, held in November 2009. The Conference had Professor Steve Woodgar of Oxford University, UK and Bola Akingbade, former Marketing Director of Heineken international as guest speakers. Logica Media is involved in advertising, events management, Publishing, exhibition, and all aspects of marketing communications. Logica Media is the organizer of the yearly Telecom Award in Lagos.