APPRAISAL OF THE EFFECT OF SELECTED MARKETING COMMUNICATION MODELS FOR AN EFFECTIVE REBRANDING NIGERIA

The image of Nigeria and Nigerians has been highly corroded amongst her international publics. This has a lot of implications on the country’s social, economic, technological and political relationship with other nations and people. This study was therefore motivated by the desire to discover the best marketing communications approach for rebranding programmes in Nigeria. The study had the objectives to: (i) Ascertain the extent of application of integrated marketing communications’ models in the rebranding Nigeria programme, (ii) examine the extent of effectiveness of the communications’ models in the ‘Rebranding-Nigeria’ media advertising campaigns to curb corruption amongst Nigerians, (iii) find out the extent the use of two-way symmetrical communications’ model/strategies can go in significantly projecting Nigeria’s image positively and internationally, (iv) determine if the marketing communications’ models significantly improved Nigerian citizens’ positive change of values and attitude towards making the country a better marketable brand, internationally, (v) ascertain the extent the use of social media networks served as effective complement to marketing communications’ tools for the success of the rebranding-Nigeria programme. Explorative research design was adopted. The population of the study was made up of all staff of the Federal Government Ministries and Agencies that manage image/rebranding programmes. They have total population estimate of 1,200,000 people. The data collection was by questionnaire. A sample size of 400 was determined by the Taro Yamane formula. The reliability and validity test was done with Cronbach Alpha, with a value of 0.85 and an inter-item (standardised) coefficient of 0.89. The five hypotheses formulated were tested with ANOVA (hypotheses 1, 2 and 4) and Chi-Square (hypotheses 3 and 5). The results show that: The extent of application of integrated marketing communications’ models in the Nigeria’s p revious rebranding programme was significant (Fcalculated = 13.712 < Fcritical 1,9df = 9.55, p = 0.001 < 0.05). Marketing communications’ models were effective as media advertising campaign tool was significant in curbing corruption amongst Nigerian citizens in the ‘rebranding-Nigeria’ exercise. (Fcalculated = 23.110 > Fcritical 2,6df = 19.33, p = 0.001 < 0.05). The use of two-way symmetrical communications’ model/strategies significantly projected Nigeria’s image positively, internationally (X = 1020.71 > X,= 4.575, p = 0.000 < 0.05). The use of marketing communications models significantly improved Nigerian citizens’ positive change of values and attitude towards making the country a better marketable brand, internationally (Fcalculated = 24.073 > Fcritical 29df = 19.38, p = 0.001 < 0.05). Social media networks significantly served as effective complement to marketing communications tools for a successful rebranding-Nigeria programme (X = 1762.236 > X, = 4.575, p = 0.000 < 0.05). Based on these, the researcher then recommended that the office of the Minister of Information should be reserved for marketing communicators, future national rebanding committees in Nigeria should at least have up to 60% of integrated marketing communicators, social marketing and social media strategies employed for such campaigns, which also should not be started with propaganda.

Over the years, the image of Nigeria and Nigerians (that is, how our external publics see us) has been quite negative. The image of Nigeria and Nigerians has a lot of implications on our social, economic, technological and political success or failure as a people. This is because our image determines how the international community assess us and relates with us. It is based on this that various administrations in Nigeria have embarked on one image-management project or the other, including the “Heart of Africa” programme of the Obasanjo regime to the recent “Rebranding Nigeria” programme, all to no avail.

Dora Akunyili (2009:2) campaigned that the National Rebranding Project is a systematic response to address the country’s negative image problem. The rebranding initiative drew heavily from the internal components of the previous image project, ‘Heart of Africa.’ It is designed to be people centered through Private, Public, and People's Partnership (PPPP) paradigm shift. This campaign sought to bring about attitudinal change, reorientation, revive cultural values and instill a renewed spirit of patriotism and hope in all Nigerians. But not too many Nigerians seemed to believe in this and the style of piloting the image-management programme.

Thus, a lot of public outbursts, cynicisms and criticisms greeted the rebranding Nigeria project championed by the ex-Minister of Information, Professor Dora Akunnyili. Many social commentators argue that the right marketing communications models and strategies were not employed by the implementers.