SITUATION

HP has always faced challenges arising from the counterfeiting of its toners and ink cartridges. A major effort to combat this fraudulent activity is the  HP Anti-Counterfeiting Conference (HP ACF).

TASK

 C&F Porter Novelli  was mandated to   provide services at the Ghana,  and Nigeria HP ACF. These included: end-to-end event management,  stakeholder management, guest relations, and media management..

APPROACH

Procurement executives of government agencies, and HP channel partner who form the core target of  the anti-counterfeiting campaign in the two countries were invited to these conferences, at which HP officials  exchanged views and ideas with them on the counterfeiting menace. Selected journalists in each country  who also participated in the conferences were also briefed on the pervasiveness of the counterfeiting and its effect.

RESULTS

Effective collaboration with related top government organisations was achieved, with very  attendance and participation of core target audience – procurement executives of government bodies, media, and HP channel partners. The conferences had positive and enthusiastic reviews from leading media targets in Ghana and Nigeria..

SITUATION

Sometime in  2016, MTN Nigeria (MTN)  was  accused by the Senate of improperly repatriated funds from Nigeria  to the tune of $13.9 billion  in violation of the Foreign Exchange Act. Consequently,  representatives of MTN were summoned by  the Senate Committee on Banking Insurance and other Financial Institutions to a public hearing. The issue potentially placed MTN in a position where it was seen as working against  the interest of Nigeria  and contributing to the economic woes of the country.

TASK

C&F Porter Novelli was retained to design and implement a communications programme to manage the crisis.

APPROACH

The programme  ran on various tracks. These included expanding  the existing bucket of  credible  influencers to drive discussion on relevant media platforms focusing on  the implications   of the  actions against a major example of  FDI in Nigeria; leading  the conversation across relevant media targeted at policy makers on how sustained attacks will affect MTN, and by extension its ecosystem which greatly benefits the economy; and showcasing  how MTN/ICT infrastructure supports various critical sectors of the economy  from an infrastructural and service perspective.  Other aspects were enlisting the support of  influential pressure groups  to highlight  MTN’s contributions to the economy ; and  a focused and direct engagement with the government; the legislature in particular with emphasis on the relevant committees.

RESULT

Public opinion shifted in favour of MTN largely as a result of the engagement of the media and the efforts of commentators and  influential pressure groups. The Investigation did not lead to an indictment

SITUATION

Etisalat Nigeria entered the vibrant and competitive GSM market 7years after the GSM revolution in Nigeria. As a late entrant, it met discontented telecommunications subscribers deeply concerned about the quality of services provided by the existing providers . This situation created issues for the new entrant leading to  heightened scepticism and suspicion of the brand by the media and public.

TASK

C&F Porter Novelli was charged with  proving  to the public that change is needed and to communicate what value change will bring to the increasingly competitive market with underserved customers.

APPROACH

Etisalat Nigeria was projected as the 1st new generation GSM company within with a vision of  a world in which the customer is the centre of attention and is always pleasantly surprised. A strategy in which the customer and other stakeholders were made to identify the gaps was employed, with the company’s   key values – Care, Optimism, and Simplicity embedded in all messaging. Against this background. Etisalat embarked on a number portability campaign with considerable success.

RESULT

There was substantial increase in awareness for Etisalat Nigeria, its products, and services as evidenced in the increasing subscriber base that stood then  at around 9 million. The brand  enjoyed a favourable perception amongst its stakeholder groups. Subscribers saw  the brand as friendly, innovative with pocket friendly tariffs. Increase in subscriber base in line with goals of management. Media mentions continuously topped the competitive charts over the  3 and a half years period of the retainership, achieving well over 4000 mentions in total and retaining first or second position of Share of Voice per quarter over the period

SITUATION

Nigeria had less than 700,000 operational telephone lines in January 2001 when the auction for Digital Mobile Licences was conducted by the NCC. The granting of Licence to four operators pointed to a  transformation of the marketplace, as the operators prepared to launch later in the year. In an environment of technological parity, it was felt that  leadership will derive from network quality, coverage, superior marketing, and customer service.

TASK

C&F Porter Novelli, then Corporate & Financial was retained by MTN to  provide  support in ensuring that the MTN brand remains #1. The identified objectives were to build and sustain excitement around the MTN brand, project, and gain acceptance of MTN as the GSM network of quality and value, dominate mindshare on GSM in Nigeria, and project and gain acceptance of MTN as a good corporate citizen of Nigeria.

APPROACH

A three Phase campaign was developed with pre-launch focused on generating excitement about MTN’s entry into Nigeria and positioning as a leader; launch geared towards shaping  perception of MTN as the leader through launch celebrations, and post-launch on sustaining  perception of MTN as the leader.

RESULT

The perception of MTN as a market leader was sustained over a period of seven years, with state launches,  sponsorships, sales promotions, CSR, public affairs engagements and thought leadership GSM, amplified by storytelling via media relations. The media was constantly drip- fed stories on the milestones achieved.  MTN enjoyed over 90% of ICT reports in the first 7 years of operations. After 6years on the account, MTN became the undisputed telecommunications company in Nigeria, with an enviable reputation as the primary provider of GSM services.