alder case study

Kakawa, a discount house owned by a consortium of financial services organisations, desired to market its brand and products in a market where the concept of discount houses was not well understood.

The company wanted to extend beyond being a B2B (a business-to-business organisation meeting the liquidity requirements of banks) to becoming a B2C (a business-to-consumer corporation selling financial products directly to the consumer).

The coming together of eight financial institutions championed by First Bank of Nigeria Plc. gave birth to Kakawa Discount House Limited in 1995.

The company evolved from being an essentially mono-product institution into the pioneer for the marketing of Treasury bills to individual investors.

With the liberalisation of the Nigerian financial sector, Kakawa has metamorphosed into an organisation with an expanded array of financial services.

The following are issues that affected the organisation.

The lack of understanding and knowledge of Kakawa’s offerings

The need to transform a basic Annual Report into a primary marketing tool for an
organisation with a minimal marketing budget

The need to create brand awareness in the market and create an institutional brand

We identified the critical factors undergirding the company's products & services which were safety and security. (The products were backed by Federal Government Treasury Bills & Bonds and a key shareholder was the largest & most capitalised bank in the country). These selling points were incorporated into Kakawa's marketing communication.

To develop the corporate brand, bold, non-traditional marketing communication concepts were employed and the company's Annual Reports featured cutting edge design concepts.

This was done to project the innovative and dynamic nature of the Kakawa brand. The Annual Reports have since become the company's major marketing tool and spin off marketing communication materials (notebooks, diaries and calendars) have been developed.

Kakawa's brand has achieved increased recognition and garnered considerable equity in the market. The company spawned an Asset Management company and Alder was  retained to do the brand development work for the company.