SITUATION

The Spirit of Lagos  a campaign aimed at engendering a change in the attitude/behaviour of the people of Lagos and encouraging them to imbibe those values that will make for the improvement of Lagos State. It is hinged on the four pillars of Civic Responsibility, Social Justice, Good Neighbourliness, and Citizenship. The campaign also aims at highlighting the good in Lagos State and the very lifeline that connects its glorious past with its future. The campaign is promoted by the Lagos State Government and executed by a project team built by the TBWA/C&F Porter Novelli Consortium. The campaign was executed from December 2012 to December 2013.

TASK

C&F Porter Novelli was  responsible for the development and implementation of the public relations aspects of the campaign.

 APPROACH

The focus of the effort was on the creation and deployment of  content on social media  to drive awareness for, and participation of the people of Lagos State in, the campaign.

RESULTS

In a little more than one year of the social media campaign, the group recorded massive engagements on its various platforms. October  2013 polled a total of 1,741 engaging tweets. It  amassed over 37,000 followers. On average, it made s over a million eyeball impressions and an estimated reach of 600,000+ in as much as nine hours of engagement. On specific Twitter activities, the No-Horn Day interview, which lasted for four hours, trended in Lagos on the day, with the #NoHornDay, reaching over seven million accounts and recording over 28 million impressions on Twitter. On the other hand, the interview with the governor reached 1,581,340 accounts and made 6,271,017 impressions. The group’s Facebook page recorded over 63,514 likes in a little more than one year of existence.

SITUATION

Following the suspension of the board and management of 8 indicted banks during the 2009 recapitalisation process in Nigeria, there were challenges from the managers and owners of the banks, who saw the CBN action as high-handed, illegal, and insensitive. They challenged the decision in the courts of law as well as courts of public opinion. Employees, shareholders, and other key stakeholders felt confused, at risk and abandoned considering the sackings and the subsequent misinformation campaign by the accused parties to win public support.

TASK

The CBN engaged C&F Porter Novelli to manage a communications campaign designed to educate   major stakeholders of the real situation in these banks and the danger it portended for the banking sub-sector in the country, counter inaccurate information, set the record straight, and explain the wider implications of the recapitalisation process. Finally, provide ground intelligence to help nip issues in the bud before they become full-blown.

APPROACH

Relevant stakeholder groups were engaged, and their perceptions of the recapitalisation process as well as that of the Governor’s sought. These stakeholders were then educated on the realities on the ground and what these realities meant for the banking sector and the economy in general, if not for the CBN’s intervention. Education was supported by engaging the editors and business editors of all the national and business newspapers. A combination of periodic meets, a constant flow of information, and access to economic and financial experts ensured that they were up-to-date with the fast-changing events as they unfolded.

RESULTS

The CBN succeeded in garnering enough support from the critical stakeholder groups that made the recapitalisation program a success. Media perception and reportage moved from all negatives to more positive and almost all-positive within four and six weeks of the campaign, respectively. Armed with the right information, the stakeholders were able to look beyond the misinformation peddled by former managers of these banks to become advocates of the CBN intervention and supporters of subsequent mergers.

SITUATION

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (The Exchange ) now the NGX Group  had hitherto operated as a company limited by  the guarantee of its members. This   posed several legal restrictions, hampering its ability to operate competitively and profitably as a company limited by shares. In order to convert into a company limited by shares, the sponsorship of a demutualisation legislation via a Private Member Bill was seen as the most effective and time-efficient means of facilitating the smooth transition of the NSE into a demutualized entity.

TASK

In July 2017, The Exchange  mandated  C&F Porter Novelli to serve as its adviser in securing passage of  the Demutualization of The Nigerian Stock Exchange Bill, 2017 (the “Bill”). The scope of work included provision of  technical and other assistance and dealing with lobbying and other public affairs  issues . The first half of 2018 was set as the deadline for securing passage of the bill: first half of 2018.

APPROACH

Two major objectives were identified for the campaign as follows: creating  a positive legislative environment for expedited passage of the Bill; and facilitating  the process of reaching common grounds between key members of the legislature and other key stakeholders. Stakeholders were identified , followed by a stakeholder mapping(Baseline  Assessment) which led to a distillation of stakeholders ‘expectations in terms of  issues and challenges. The strategic framework entailed construction of  bridges of understanding amongst the various  stakeholders. Tactics deployed included consensus building,  lobbying, mobilisation of opinion formers, and media relations.

RESULTS

Consensus was successfully achieved across different stakeholder groups. In line with the desires of the NSE, support was also garnered among the capital market players, the media, and commentators. The bill was  passed by the National Assembly and assented to by  the President who  signed  it into law, thus leading to the enactment of the  “Demutualisation of Nigeria Stock Exchange Act  2018.