Wednesday Brand Profiling- Introducing HSE Of Pambal

Creative Director Hse of Pambal -  Folake Balogun

If you are familiar with Kimora Lee Simmons and Russell Simmons of Phat Farm and Baby Phat's fashion brand , then you can relate with this brand I'm about to tell you about. House of Pambal , popularly called HOP, is a female and children fashion brand created under the label known to many celebrities as King Hakbal. Unlike Phat farm and Baby Phat, The fashion brand HOP is here to stay for good, likewise the men's label King Hakbal.

Today on Wednesday Brand Profiling, we will be focusing on this young talented wife, mother and fashion designer Folake Balogun, who started designing at a very young age but never thought she was going to become a fashion designer until she met and married her husband Hakeem Balogun, who is the brain behind King Hakbal Label. Married to a fashion mogul, Folake's love for fashion couldn't be hidden any longer and naturally she found her way back to her first love which is fashion designing. Which saw the launch of HOP in 2014.

Less than a year after she took up fashion designing as a full time job, HOP showcased its women and children's line at the African Fashion Week Lagos(AFWL)  in 2015, which was well received by fashion lovers, and fashion critics within the Nigerian Fashion Industry.

The Brand Room by Abi caught up with the Queen of HOP recently and here is what she had to say about Hse of Pambal.

African Fashion Week Lagos

The HOP Brand is a fashion label for every woman that sees herself as a Queen, at HOP, the watch word is class and simplicity. I wanted to know what sets HOP's apart from other designers in Nigeria at the moment, and she was very confident and quick to respond, saying its simply HOP's originality. And if you ask me, I can attest to that, their designs are so unique to them and they pay 101% attention to details when designing. 

We know how difficult it is to make clothes that fits like gloves on kids, so I was inquisitive to know if designing for kids, was by choice or by chance, but this lady continued to amaze  me with her response.In Folake's words "For HOP making clothes for children is fun,we don't see any challenge in designing for kids, and the kid's line is gaining momentum daily, because mummies love to twin with their kids, especially when they are girls, so running a kid's line along side the female clothing line, is the best combination every designer should try".

One Piece Ankara Day to Night Wear

Designed and styled by HOP

HOP Kids

For Folake, if she had an opportunity to style a diva, It will be Eva Longoria because she is classy, stylish and simple which is what the HOP woman stands for.

After African Fashion Week Lagos, what is next for the HOP Brand?  HOP hopes to expand in the nearest future by opening outlets in and around Lagos,in order to accommodate the demands of the ever increasing clients.

HOP Kids

Mummy and Me by HOP

For  fashion addicts who want exclusive and exquisite designs, visit HOP on Instagram for more information on their designs.

Your Logo! Your Brand! Your Identity.

Pic credit: The logo Company

Since time in memorial, Companies have been known to make significant investment when it comes to designing their corporate logos. As consumers, we all know why this is so. A bad Logo can completely mar a brand.

According to MIT Sloan Review,recent research has  proven that effective corporate logos can have a significant positive effect on customer's commitment to a brand, and even on a company's performance. 

Considering the fact that we are in the age of Social media, the importance of logo or rather the appeal of a company's logo can not be over emphasized.

When you think about legendary brands like Coca-Cola, PZ Cussons, First Bank Of Nigeria, Nigerian Breweries, Indomie and so many others, one thing that first comes to mind is the image the brands have over the years projected through their logos that have stuck in our hearts for years.

The success of any logo is determined by 3 major things which are:

1. Colour
2. Cost
3. Audience

The implication of colours effect on people's emotion are far reaching, and when you identify and  understand your customer's connections to certain colours, this could increase the effectiveness of your company's branding method. Certain colours have been proven to be more appealing for certain kind of brands, so this should be put into consideration when developing a logo for your company.

Another important factor that plays a big roll when considering and making decisions on creating a company logo is the cost. Well Known companies like Nike paid only $35 to  an art student for the design of the famous Nike Logo, while  in 2012, The London Olympics paid $665,000  to a collection of artist for the London Olympics Logo that was used for only 3 months. 

The Market Audience are the most important people for any company, because they are the final consumers of these products and services , so it is not sufficient for companies to attract consumers with price promotions only, it is very important that companies pay special emphasis on brand designs and awareness and strive to promote strong effective association with their brand among their customers to develop and maintain a competitive advantage.

Brand News: Apple to Launch iPhone 7 and Apple Watch 2 on September 7

The Apple Invitation Card

It is no longer a rumor. Apple has sent out invitations for its event confirming the date  of Apple's next product announcement.The event will take place at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on September 7.

Depending on what the new product will be called, the iPhone7 and  iPhone7 Plus, will be unveiled by the CEO Tim Cook and Company. The new iPhone product is rumored to have nearly identical external features of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, improved camera with dual lens system on the larger iPhone, and most controversially, no headphone jack.

There are suggestions that the new iPhone 7 will be waterproof. Smart phone rivals such as Samsung already have produced water proof phones.

At the event, Apple will be re-promoting iOS10, the mobile to its operating system, first unveiled in June. The free upgrade is expected to be rolled out to 100s of million iPhone  and iPad users latest in September.

The Apple Watch which hasn't been upgraded since April 2015 is also due for upgrade. In addition to new operating system, new fitness features including a rumored GPS tracker could be part of the new unveil.

Apple is also rumored to  unveil iPad Mini 5 and iPad Pro 2 respectively.

So the world is waiting and watching closely on what this new double unveil will be. Trust Nigerians to be on queue for the latest iPhone products

Brand News: Chocolate Lovers get in Here! Godiva Introduces New Chocolate Bars

GODIVA is delighted to announce the launch of G by GODIVA. The exquisite collection of six super premium chocolate flavors brings taste lovers on an authentic chocolate experience that enchants all senses.

Launching with a divine selection of Mexican single origin chocolate bars, G by GODIVA features both solid and decadent combinations enrobed in milk or dark chocolate couvertures. Once celebrated in ancient South American civilizations as a 'food of the gods', the Mexican single origin chocolate was selected by GODIVA's chef chocolatiers for its purity of origin, smoothness and depth of flavor.

For the chocolate purist, the 42% milk chocolate bar has hints of white flowers, peaches, apricots and vanilla that gives a well-balanced caress of the tongue. The sumptuous 68% dark chocolate has hints of licorice, plums and tobacco leaves; offering chocolate lovers a more intense taste experience.

Three bars within the collection feature exciting ingredient combinations including Dark Chocolate Toasted Coconut, Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Crisp and the Dark Chocolate Orange & Ginger Flavor. All of the premium ingredients in the collection are carefully selected and expertly blended with the Mexican chocolate by GODIVA's chef chocolatiers. 

Completing the collection is the Blonde Chocolate & Salted Caramel bar. Sure to become a new classic, the blonde chocolate is crafted from a blend of white chocolate and caramelized milk chocolate and then enhanced with crunchy buttered salted caramel.

GODIVA Chef Chocolatier, Jean Apostoulou, explains, "We created this collection with the spirit of a master mixologist in mind; inventing an array of vibrant flavors to blend with the Mexican origin cocoa beans. We wanted to ensure that every bar would take chocolate lovers on a special journey of taste and texture." 

The specially-designed mold is comprised of small chocolate tiles that hold delicate concave circles, creating an elegant bar. The stylish packaging features bold blocks of vibrant colors on premium textured paper with a metallic 'G' embellishing the top. Both set the scene for the magnificent taste experience within.

"G by GODIVA is where authenticity and quality meet art and passion. This is a unique collection that offers an elevated, special and memorable chocolate experience" said Chef Jean Apostoulou.

G by GODIVA is now available in U.S. stores and GODIVA.com for $7 per bar

Culled from prnewswire.com

Back to School Shopping List

The holiday period is almost over and parents are beginning to make plans for their children. Starting school or returning to school to begin a new class and a new school year, Its important to get them ready before the resumption day.This holiday has been a very long one and most kids went to summer school to keep them busy and away from trouble. Summer School is over, now is the time to start preparing them for the new session.

Pic Credit :Konga.com

School resumes in 2 weeks time and while you make plans to pay the school fees, that is for those who have not paid by now, this is a guide to help you through what your child will be needing for the new school year and where to find them online or in store.

 

Most schools over here provide School uniforms, Stationery,  Text books etc, being part of the tuition paid at the beginning of the school term. So those can be ticked off your list. The things your child will be needing for this new term are:

School Bag

Lunch Bag

School Shoes

School Socks

Underwear

Food Flask

Water Bottle

Crayons and Pencils for home work

Hair beads/Ribbons(Girls only)

Find a list of online stores where you can compare prices and get great shopping bargains to prepare your child back to School.

In no particular order, click on  the under listed stores for back to school supplies:

Jumia Back to School

Konga Back to School

Dealdey Back to School

Dafunshop Back to School

For Walk in stores within Lagos, There are uncountable places to get beautiful things dependable on the area you live or work. If you are around these areas, then you may visit the places listed below to buy your back to school supplies;

Ikeja and its environs : Visit Alade Market, Kids Stores on Allen/Opebi, Ikeja City Mall in Alausa, Pep Store on Allen.

Surulere and its environs: Visit Iponri Market, Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping Mall, Mr Price Store, Pep Store, Kids Stores on Adeniran Ogunsanya and Bode Thomas respectively.

Lagos Island and its environs: Balogun and Dosunmu Market, The Palms Shopping Mall, Kids Stores on Awolowo Road Ikoyi, Kids Stores, Mother Care in VI,The Children Wear House in VI, Pep Store .

To help other mums in other states with where to get their kid's school supplies, please leave a comment in the comment section under this post.Also,let us know if there are places with better deals on school supplies.

I hope this helps a parent out there.

Review of Krusteaz Pancake Mix, Good for Waffles too.

Front and back view of the pack

I'm a pancake lover, and I will visit your home just because I know you make the best pancakes in town. For me pancake has to be really fluffy not the type you eat and you feel something passing through your chest and you need a full cup of water to push it down, nahnahnah!

Growing up, my mum made the best pancakes ever, and she makes it from the scratch, I don't know if there was pancake mix then or not, all I remember is the nice smell that comes from the kitchen each time she made us pancake .

As a 21st century mum (permit me to use that word), making pancakes from the scratch is not always possible, and that's how the journey for pancake mix started. My first pancake mix was one made in Nigeria, they try small, but no matter how much you follow the instruction on how to mix it, the thing still ends up being thick plus no where to read review online about that particular product to learn how to make it better. A week ago, hubby came home with the Krusteaz Pancake Mix from a store called Hubmart in Victoria Island. As you know, I read reviews on practically everything I lay my hands on, so I went online and read mixed reviews on the Krusteaz Pancake Mix, but the good reviews was way higher than the not so could ones,one thing I discovered from reading reviews on the Krusteaz Pancake Mix was that it was absolutely great for Waffles. Was I seeing correctly? I rushed to check the pack again and I saw instructions on how to make Waffles with the mix.

Come Sunday morning, I brought out my toaster and the 4 year old waffle pan that came with it, I have had it for that long and never used it once. Instead of making pancakes which was the sole purpose of buying the mix, I opted for trying to make waffles instead.

The instruction on the pack says to use 2 cups of the pancake mix, 1 egg, 2 tsp of vegetable oil, 1 and half cup of water, pour everything together in one bowl and mix. But because I was not sure of how it will turn out, I reduced my portion to 1 cup of pancake mix, half egg, 1 tsp of vegetable oil and almost a full cup of water, I mixed them all together and set aside to oil my waffle tray . You need oil your waffle tray a little, just a brush of oil will do.I set the heat on, and once I saw it was hot enough I poured the waffle mix into the two trays and closed the toaster. This portion gives you 3 waffles.

The instruction on the pack says cook waffles until steaming stops or until golden brown, so I checked when the steaming stopped but it was not brown enough for me, I closed the toaster for it to cook a bit more and brought the waffle out after 2 extra minutes.

The Instruction says serve with your favorite fruit and whipped cream if desired, and I read a review which says it is really nice with whip cream, but unfortunately it was a very rainy Sunday morning in Lagos and I couldn't dash out to get whip cream, so we had to make do with just Mrs Butter-Worth's Syrup. Oh Lord! Waffles never tasted better. It is exactly as nice as the ones at Ihop, trust me on this one. And you can have your full English breakfast or full American breakfast in your home once you have this Krusteaz Pancake Mix , which doubles up as Waffle Mix.

Last Pic: Final result, so worth it! Fluffy and Tasty.

My Lagos people, you all know the price we pay to have full English breakfast is between N7,000-N8,000. per person, Please save your money and buy this mix and make at home. Things you need on the side like Bacon, Sausage, Baked beans will not cost you up to N3,000 for a family of 4 or up to 6.

Krusteaz Pancake Mix sells for N2,455  at Hubmart in Victoria Island Lagos, and it is made in the United States of America. A full pack will make 12-15 Waffles. For those of you living abroad, I know you have a lot of products to try from, but over here,you will go from store to store before you find one.

Oh you want to know if I ended up making extra? Oh yes I did because after we all tasted the first set, I just had to make more for my family, everyone loved it.

Feel free to add your waffle or pancake recipe or pancake mix stories for others to see.

The Oke Arin Market Challenge!

If you would recall, I did a post about comparing price of grocery in Lagos, if you missed it click HERE. I got a comment saying that grocery was cheaper in Oke Arin Market in Lagos Island, which I concur at that time. In order not to mislead anyone, I decided to take up the Oke Arin Shopping challenge, by visiting the popular Lagos market to have a first hand  shopping experience and to really see how much I can save by going to the major market.

Oke Arin Market

Today being the last Saturday in August, there was environmental sanitation in Lagos State, so I had to leave home later than schedule, Once the sanitation was over, I was out of the house by 11 am, the road was so damn free, that at 11:28 am I was already parked around the popular UBA House in Marina. I hardly have anything to do on Lagos Island, so I was a bit shocked when I was told that parking is N500. Five Hundred What? Not like I'm leaving my car over night I  only came here to do some grocery shopping, I negotiated N300 and it was no deal, I figured I had no choice than to agree to pay N500 before I was allowed to step out of the car.

Next, I had to call my arranged Alabaaru (people who help in carrying the goods you buy in the market), as it was my first time of going to Oke Arin in a very long time, I needed a Chaperon to take me round the market for easy navigation, so my friend who is a regular Oke Arin Shopaholic, arranged the Alabaaru for me. Iya Ibeji is my Alabaaru/Chaperon for the day, we met at about 11.55 am, and the journey to grocery savings began, or so I thought.

As we walked into Oke Arin Market, I could tell that I was in for an adventurous day, with everyone chanting Iya beji's name from all angles, I could tell she was one popular face among the sellers and her co-alabaaru, she took me to the first store, and said aunty go in there, that's where you friend buys imported groundnut oil. I entered while she waited outside talking to other sellers. Inside this store, I completely forgot I was inside Oke Arin, through out my duration in the store, they sell mostly imported grocery, if you want your yogurt, chocolate pasta,vegetable oil and all the Gerber baby food product there is,this is where to visit, because they sell in bulk. Just imagine everything in a Walmart or a Tesco store all stocked in one or two aisles. No where for shoppers to pass, and no shopping basket either, but if you stand in one corner and look around, you know that they have nice things. So for the lack of space, I was discouraged from staying too long in that store, I got just 3 or 4 items and I was out. The positive thing about this store called the Prime Grocers (which I later found out through the receipt they gave me, yes! you read it I got my first and last receipt from my first purchase at Oke Arin market), is that they sell in bulk, so if you are doing retail shopping, you might not be saving anything by coming to shop here.

Iya Beji and I continued our shopping from stall to stall, corner to corner,looking for the best bargain, which was very hard to find, did I tell you I went armed with my last receipt from the neighborhood grocery shopping, oh yes I did, because the reason for this trip was to save cost. By now, the sun was out in all its glory, and I realized it was already  1.25pm and we had only done half of the grocery because apart from not finding any reasonable bargain, some of the market women are just crooks. Imagine I got to a stall, and I bought Milo,Sardine, Noodles and Frosties Kellogs Cornflakes, next thing I noticed was the woman selling to me, trying to hide the Frosties, claiming she didn't want her co-market friend to know she had Frosties, at that point I was like hold on one minute, can I see the expiry on that Frosties, and she handed it over to me, to confirm my suspicion, the Cornflakes was expiring in 1 Month time. At this point, I was about giving up on this challenge, but I had to go on, because I was 60 percent into it already, I rejected the Cornflakes, and she said, Aunty that is what is in the market, that's what everyone is selling, I stood my ground and paid for other stuff I bought and left her stall. I later found another one with 2017 expiring in Bobo Ibo's stall.

By this time, I was already worn out , but I still needed to get other things on my list and Iya Beji said we had to go down down to where they sell toiletries. When we got there, my Harpic Liquid toilet Wash, that I know the price very well, was selling for N90 extra, I said well done, and there were alot of them so it was hard to differentiate original from fake by looking at the packaging alone, At this point, I told Iya Beji I was done with the market that I will go and buy the remaining things in my area. We left for the Abattoir to buy fresh Goat Meat and Cow Meat, I must say this was the only high point of this trip for me. As I honestly didn't save any significant amount like I had envisaged. But the freshness of the meat was the pat on the back, more like the consolation I needed.

My Judgement about Oke Arin market is that, not everything they sell is cheaper than buying from your Neighborhood Store, some things were obviously cheaper in Oke Arin market( by cheaper i mean N50 to N100 less),while some are far cheaper in my neighborhood Store. In my Neighborhood Store parking is free, and you don't need an Alabaaru because they have shopping carts, so you don't get charged for using the shopping cart, and the boys at the Neighborhood Store might help you with your grocery to the car if you did alot of shopping, for which you may,  either tip them or tell them thank you.

By the time we got to the car, it was almost 2.05pm, and Iya Beji demanded for
a N2k fee, I was surprised and thought that was an outrageous demand, because my friend had told me to pay N500 as that is what they charge on the average, although I ended up not paying N2k but I paid way more than N500.

Will I ever go back to Oke Arin market for grocery? That's never going to happen again, Because, you can not get all you need in one place, and the cost you are cutting is not significant at all. The sun and the mammoth crowd in the market is not one I would like to experience again.

So that is my Oke Arin Market Challenge, and I nominate you all to go and try it out too. Make sure you look for Iya Beji when you are there.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Are You A Boss Woman?Read Tips on Enhancing Your Personal Brand...For Queens in Business Only.

Found this article and thought I should share with you all. If you are a boss chic, then this is for you.

Mo Abudu of EL TV

How we view ourselves is not what defines our personal brand. In fact, our perception of ourselves matters very little.

Our personal brand is actually how others perceive us. It is vital, though, to understand that it is up to each and every leader to control their own brand. If you don’t, there is a substantial risk that someone else will.

Three components define your personal brand: value set, differentiation, and marketability.  These components emerge when we communicate verbally, non-verbally, and through our digital footprint.

It has been demonstrated time and time again that leaders with strong identifiable brands excel in emotional intelligence (EQ). As female leaders, we have a fantastic advantage when it comes to EQ.

First off, neurologically, women’s brains are wired with a larger limbic system leading to a natural predisposition to be aware of our own emotions and the emotions of others. This positions female leaders to connect readily with others.

Female leaders build strong personal brands through relationship cultivation Additionally, as young girls, we are socialised to value empathy, diversity, and inclusion. So from both a nature and nurture perspective, there is an innate ability that sees female leaders build strong personal brands through relationship cultivation. We know that these relationships contribute to our brand currency.

Here are some tips that women can employ to further enhance and promote their brand:

Make Declarative Statements

There are times when women state their opinion in the form of a question. “That’s a great idea, isn’t it?” The intent is to be inclusive; however, women need to declare their point of view. Statements shouldn’t be in the form of questions; otherwise inadvertently we appear as though we are asking for permission.

Stop Apologising

Women tend to apologise even when things are not their fault. If someone else interrupts, bumps into us, inadvertently cuts in line we say we are sorry. Why do we do this? We do this because we are showing empathy. By doing so, we suggest that it is okay for someone else to usurp our position. But it isn’t okay, and we should make sure we stay front and center.

Self Promotion

Female leaders often view self promotion as a bad thing. Women see the marketing of themselves as inauthentic, political, or managing up. Despite these misgivings, it’s imperative to promote yourself. Your brand is dependent upon the opportunity you create to pursue visibility. By profiling yourself and your unique capabilities, you create leverage. This leverage is equated with success and confidence that encourages others to bet on you.

Active Negotiation

Women tend not to ask for greater pay, increases in salary or vigorously raise their hand for stretch assignments. We need to challenge the status quo and demand what we deserve. Women must view their skills and expertise as transferable. Promoting past experiences and successful wins gives great credence to a leader’s personal brand. This maximizes leverage to negotiate for greater scope and profile.

Jump In

Research illustrates that men interrupt significantly more often in meetings than women. Female leaders take social etiquette into the world of business and wait their turn before speaking. In the corporate sector, it is de rigueur to cut into a conversation. If you don’t jump in then before you know it someone else steals your thunder. Speaking up early allows you to own the direction and create profile.

Use Of Social Media

Your digital footprint is your public profile. If a picture is worth 1000 words, align your photos, posts, and tweets to your value proposition.  Social media platforms are an opportunity for you to showcase your unique capabilities.

Strategic Networking

Personal brand is all about how you strategically promote yourself. Seek out an active network that is comprised of individuals who really know your brand. These leaders should be prepared to advocate on your behalf and be a sponsor for your career advancement. Once you have established a strong identifiable brand, then you create confidence in these decision makers. They are now keen to provide you with an even greater platform to elevate your brand.

 Culled from Brand Quarterly

Advice for Entrepreneurs! Pretty, Cheap and Well-Rounded.

It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking you need to be prettier if you want to be an actor or actress. It turns out, though, that most important thespians aren't conventionally pretty (Marlon Brando, Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie, Geena Davis, Morgan Freeman...)

It's easy for a retailer or a freelancer to believe that the best way to succeed is to be cheap. But just about every important brand (and every successful freelancer) didn't get that way by being the cheapest.

And anyone who has been through high school has been reminded how important it is to be well-rounded. But Nobel Prize winners, successful NGO founders and just about everyone you admire didn't get that way by being mediocre at a lot of things.

Pretty, cheap and well-rounded are seductive ways to hide out in a crowd. But they're not the path to doing work that matters.

Culled from Seth Godin

Wednesday Brand Profiling- 7TMICRONS Powder Limited

THE CEO ENGR EMMANUEL IGBENOBA @ the Factory 

It is time for another beautiful edition of the Wednesday Brand Profiling. Last week we featured Sujimoto Construction Limited,a Luxury Construction Company. Today's feature is also a giant in the Construction Industry, I am talking about non other  than the 7TMICRONS Powder Limited, a unique brand popularly known as Manny Group to major Construction Companies.

7TMICRONS Powder Limited, A Subsidiary of Manny Oil and Chemicals Limited, is every construction company's dream when it comes to special construction products.
Trading with the brand name  Manny Group (MG), they have been in business for more than a decade with a commendable history of being a major building support firm within Nigeria and other neighboring countries.

The Company specializes in the production, manufacturing and distribution of products such as

• Adhesive,Grouts,Thermal Insulation boards and Smoothners
• Concrete and block wall support Products
• Manny Cements (Cements)
• Manny FS Super Seal (Water Proofing Products)
• Manny POP Coat (Cecamix POP Product)

Left: Manny Group Products, Middle and Right: Executed Projects

The brand is a one stop shop for people in the Construction Industry. Every need of a Builder from molding, plastering, painting, sealing and waterproofing is their core specialty at 7TMICRONS Powder Limited.

Top Construction Projects such as 1004 Estate in Victoria Island, De' Renaissance Hotel Ikeja and a host of other big and small projects in the Nigerian Construction Business,can identify with 7TMICRONS Powder Limited as the best manufacturer of quality construction products in Nigeria.

People with unquenchable taste for quality and standard are the calibre of people catered to by the 7TMICRONS Powder Limited. Their unique selling point is that their prices are very affordable, this,  sets their products high above every other brand in its niche.  Every bag of Manny Group's Product, gives that perfect finishing to every home.

One great thing about this brand is that, apart from the fact that they cater to every builder's need from start to finish, they also provide first class services to their clients where ever they may be needed within Nigeria.

Features of the Manny Group Products.

The Adhesives products ensures perfect water tightness and excellent adhesion with high water 

proofing characteristics.These products can be used to fix tiles, POP/Insulation boards,Cement Lime 

Mortars, Natural Stone e.t.c

The Grout products, which is the Super Grout is a hard wearing and water resistant grout for filling joints in interior and exterior walls, tiles, marbles , granite etc.

The Superb Slurry is one component used to protect against moisture and water

In a nutshell, Manny Group Products are a must for anyone in the construction business.

The 7TMICRONS Powder Limited is looking for distributors nationwide, if you are interested in doing business with them or you are in the construction business in Nigeria or anywhere in Africa and you are yet to try their products, please visit their website @ http://www.7tmicrons.com/ for more information on their product and services.

BRAND NEWS

GOTV Unveils New Brand Identity

Gotv unveiled a new look yesterday and a new package called the Gotv Lite, an innovative package to afford subscribers affordable service within its network.

The Gotv Lite will afford subscribers the opportunity of an additional 20 channels which Gotv Lite offers, in addition to existing packages such as Gotv Plus with 50 channels and Gotv Value offering over 25 channels.

The Gotv Lite channel line up includes Afro Music Pop, Aljazeera,Jimjam,AIT, Islam Channel,TVC News Nigeria, Channels, Trybe TV, Wazobia TV, STV,Galaxy ,NTAi, and etv. Subscribers on this package will also have access to two audio channels namely Naija FM and Wazobia FM.

Heineken brings City Campaign to Nigeria

Heineken is calling on every one to visit http://www.heineken.com/ng to share ideas to shape the city of their dreams.

This year's campaign is tagged "Shape Your City" which is aimed at transforming great cities while broadening their imagination of the new generation city dwellers, inspiring them to contribute their quota in improving their cities.

Heineken has partnered with City Sharpers to achieve the  "Shape Your City" campaign.The selected City Shapers include the trio of Bolanle Austen Peters, Founder of Terra Kulture, Theo Lawson of Freedom Park and Kalakuta Museum and Kenneth Gyang, The Director of Confusion Nawa and Blood  & Henna.

Visiting Accra? Review of Movenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra.

Pic credit:booking.com The View from the entrance of the hotel

August is the month of travelling for most Nigerians. Recent statistics shows that the number of people travelling Overseas have dropped by 75% this year due to the economic situation. Some Newspaper Publications  reported an increase in travelers at various motor park in Lagos, going to spend summer holiday in their villages.

If you happen to be one of those, that might be considering going to an African Country on vacation, then maybe you should consider going to Ghana. Ghana is just 8 hours by road  from Nigeria and 45 mins by air.

I paid a weekend visit to Accra, the capital of Ghana precisely in February of this year, and my experience on this particular trip was out of this world. Despite the fact that it wasn't my first visit to the Gold Coast, it was the best weekend getaway this year. Two weeks before the trip, I made hotel reservation on  Booking.com based on people's review of the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra, although the reviews were pretty good but  I didn't think it was going to be anything special as I have been to a couple of great hotels on several  holidays. 

Landed in Ghana at 7:45 am Ghanaian time and the hotel pick up Van was already waiting to receive us. The driver led us to the car park,put our bags in the Van, then offered us cold water in a very cute mini bottle, He proceeded to ask if we didn't mind connecting to the WiFi in the Van. WiFi? I was beaming from ear to ear, never seen that before in any hotel pick up car in the world, or maybe I haven't traveled enough that's why this experience feels so surreal to me.

Anyways, we got the WiFi connected and drove out of the Airport. I haven't been to Accra in 10years, so everything looked so different to me, the last time I was in Accra,N1 was about 10,000Cedis or there about but this time, I was visiting the new Accra where 1 Cedi was N80, I hear now its about N100 to 1 Cedi.

I got mesmerized by the beautiful and quiet city, that I lost track of how many minutes it took us to get to the hotel, but when I asked the driver he said it was about 20 mins drive. At the check in counter, We were welcomed by a set of beautiful and handsome Receptionists with a huge smile on their faces, our reservation was confirmed, then suddenly we were asked to pay an extra charge for early check in, and as per Naija girl that I am, Booking.com did not pre-inform me about any extra fees to be paid, So I proved my point beyond reasonable doubt and alas!their Manager (Mr Joseph) intervened and got the extra fees waived. Before we could say thank you, the Potter  already had our bags loaded on the cart and was leading us to the lift.

Let me tell you a little bit about the Hotel Reception. Its a mix of western luxury with a traditional touch, very simple yet alluring and welcoming. At the entrance of the lift, in a beautiful corner,are these beautiful Consoles with a shinning silver Jaguar nicely placed on them. One thing I was about to find out was the fact that there were so many beautiful Art Work on each floor of the Hotel.

The lift stopped on the 7th floor and we were welcomed by some majestic paintings on the wall showcasing women in various forms, most of this paintings were bright and beautiful and had a flowing and flowery kind of appeal.

Pic credit:booking.com    Superior king Room-Poolside View 

I checked into my room The Superior King- Pool Side View,oh my God! the bed was inviting and big, I loved the curtain, the furniture and most especially the reading table. The bathroom wasn't over the top but it wasn't bad at all.

We had already been told, breakfast was still opened so we took the opportunity to go downstairs to have a quick complementary breakfast. It was a very big open restaurant, you get your eggs and pancakes made for you while you tell the Chef how you want it. We had quite a number of variety to choose from because it was a buffet, so no matter your taste bud, you can be sure that there is something you can eat and its very yummy too.

My Personal Pictures

At noon, we decided to go chill at the Swimming pool area, oh I love their pool side and the pool is not too deep. The food menu here is also fantastic, you get to choose from giant Shrimps and Chips to Chicken wings and chips and all sorts depending on what you like, their ice cream cappuccino(not sure if that's what  is called). is so creamy and yummy, you need to give it a try. And you get served by hot looking males on a Roller Skates, the sight is something else!

Caution! If you are Nigerian, do not attempt to try their Jollof rice, don't say I didn't tell you. In my opinion their jollof rice is error. Naija Jollof is the only Jollof in the world. So when you see it at lunch time, please carry ya eye comot because if it looks nice and smells nice, it doesn't mean it is for your naija taste bud. Go for other cuisines available in the restaurant.

Moving on,they have an in- house Art store where you will see carefully selected arts and crafts, they have a day Bar and Weekend Night Bar, they have a luxury store, they have children play ground, they also have a gym, Sauna and Spa which comes as complementary if you are staying in the hotel. And I spotted a very nice pharmacy on the ground floor.

Another beautiful thing is the location of this Hotel, its directly opposite the National Art Theatre, so if you love stage plays, you know its a stone throw from your hotel room, Its also very central and you can get a cab to any where in Accra from the front gate of the Hotel. Although they have Hotel cabs but they are quite pricey.

Generally, the people, the service and the ambiance of the hotel gets a thumbs up  from me. The rooms were cleaned every morning, you get a wake up call on demand, you can either choose to do your ironing your self, they have irons in the room or you can call the room service.

Through out my 3 days stay, I had a magical experience.

Nigerian Makeup Brands You should Know.

Over the years,the Nigerian Beauty Industry has evolved, gone are the days when women depended solely on their ability to wear make up by themselves, those where the days when our mothers and aunties used only foreign beauty products and makeup brands such as Mac, Fashion Fair and L'oreal. Hello to the 21st century, which saw young Nigeria Females become Make up Artiste. While a good number of these young females improved on perfecting their craft as make up artiste, few of them took up the next challenge of creating their own Make-Up brand, and  years later has continued to inspire other Nigerians (both young and old) to follow in their foot step.

• Tara Orekelewa Beauty Range: Is a pioneer brand in the Nigerian Make up Industry, owned by Tara Fela Durotoye of House of Tara, the Make up range includes the new and improved Tara Gold collection.

• BM Pro: Also a pioneer in the make-up industry, the make up brand is owned by the beautiful Banke Meshida Lawal. BM Pro was birth in 2005 and launched with only 14 beauty items at that time and has since expanded. The BM Pro brand has 65 make up products in Nigeria and around the world.

• Lise Beauty Range: Is a Make Up Brand created to cater for the African woman of colour. The brand was relaunched in 2006. They have a range of make up and skincare products.The Lise Beauty Range is owned by Lise Balogun, a US Certified Freelance Make -Up Artiste.

• Zaron Cosmetics: Conceived in the United Kingdom, the Zaron Brand  began its operation in Nigeria in 2011. Being a young brand in the Nigerian Make Up Industry,It has been able to penetrate into the Nigerian market and continues to compete with the local and international brands. Oke Maduewesi is the lady behind the brand

• Dabota Cosmetics: Is a Nigerian beauty brand that specializes in high quality cosmetic make up product with an extensive colour selection. The brand was officially launched in 2015 and is owned by Dabota Lawson.

Next time, we shall  have an exclusive price and product review of these Nigerian Make Up Brand. Make sure you contribute if you have tried any of the products mentioned above.

6 Things you never knew about Coca-Cola.

Did you Know that Cocacola,

1. Originally Contained Cocaine (Sort of).
2. Only two countries don't sell it in the world, and those countries are Cuba and North Korea
3. It is the most popular drink in Mexico
4. They are the oldest sponsors of the Olympic Games
5. The Coca-cola Company is technically the 84th largest economy in the world
6. The bottle was inspired by a plant, which was either the coca-cola plant or the Kola plant which were the the ingredients Coke was named after.

So next time you pick up a bottle of coke, you should remember these  6 facts about Coca-Cola.

Culled from whatculture.com

Harpic Original Power Plus All in One Toilet Liquid Wash Review

Its been a while  we reviewed any product, so today I will be telling you about the Harpic Original Power Plus Toilet Liquid Wash.

Nobody likes a smelly, dirty, rusty-brown toilet seat, and I know alot of people who like to read a book while in their toilets, so to keep your toilets clean, I have decided to review the best toilet wash in town.

There are different types of Harpic Toilet Wash, but I'm only going to talk about this particular one because it is the best of all the Harpic range I have used so far.

True to the Harpic advert that features Chioma Akpotha and Helen Paul as their brand ambassadors, Harpic Original Power Plus is truly a product worth trying. It truly washes all the brown stains in the toilet seat and keeps your toilet seat sparkling clean and very white.

One good thing you dont know about Harpic Original Power Plus is, it can be used to wash all kinds of bath tubs and wash- hand basins too, especially if they are made of ceramic.

I use it to wash away all the rusty looking areas in my bath tub and it never fails me, it brings back the brightness in  both your bathtub and your toilet, and it smells good too. With other toilet wash and even some other range of Harpic toilet wash, I have always had to add a few drops of bleach on tough toilet stains, but from the moment I tried the Harpic Original Power Plus, it has been a new and happy experience for me. Depending on how nasty you are in the toilet (you know what i mean), one wash is enough to last you a full week of sparkling white toilet seat with the Harpic Original Power Plus All in One Liquid.

When it comes to washing my bathroom, I pour Harpic Original on all the delicate areas in my toilet seat and bath-tub, then leave it for 30 mins before scrubbing it, by the time you want to scrub, you would notice all the tough stains have come out, and you only need a gentle scrub and not a life saving scrub to give your bath-tub , toilet seat and wash hand basin a perfect sparkling white look again.

And it is so affordable too, I stock up on it all the time, and it cost N400-N500 depending on where you are buying it from. If you are the type that only uses detergent to wash your toilet and bathtub, I will suggest that you try this particular liquid wash and you will be back to thank me.

Think Social Media.

Are you that savvy brand that has caught up with the in thing, or your brand is still trying to figure out what the hype is about social media ? Now is the time for you to stop thinking and start acting. Its time to place your brand on the world map through social media.

Social media is a great way for businesses of all sizes to promote their brand, and the great thing  is  most of the social media platforms are free to use, and its at no cost to the organization.

In many cases, social media is the first connection with your organization, and its worth paying full attention to. Every organization must have full visibility on social media by engaging the services of social media enthusiast.

There are so many social media platforms, and it is important to know which one you want to align with, because it is not advisable to throw your brand on every available social media platform.

You will find most brands on platforms such as Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. What these platforms offer sometimes vary, that is why it is important to engage the services of a social media enthusiast, who can help build your brand followership on these various platforms.

Things to know before placing your brand on social media

Visual branding is key
let your brand image and logo be appealing to the eyes. If you are on multiple social media platforms be consistent with your logo, colours and brand information. The pictures you put out there can either sell your brand or create a disconnect for your users.

Have a Voice

It is crucial that your brand's personality is reflected in your social media post, thereby developing your voice. To find your voice, take into consideration what your brand stands for, your audience and how genuine you want to come across to the world.

Stay Connected

Once you have found your feet on social media, you need to stay connected to your audience in order to build your brand awareness, and while you do this, be consistent with the information you put out there.


Benefit of Social Media to a Brand

1. Can be used by the PR team of a brand to create brand awareness, manage reputation and manage issues before they become a crisis
2. Can be used by  the sales team to network  or attract new prospects.
3. Can be used for customer acquisition
4. Can be a form of feed back, thought leadership and credibility for the Management team
5. Platforms like Linkedin has connected job seekers to the right employer.

I once read this some where, "Effective brands are built from inside out". "Clever brands build the external engagement"."Lasting brands build internal and external excitement concurrently".

What should you Project? Your Personality or your Brand?

About mid-day yesterday, Instagram went wild with the picture released by the popular Dance Queen, Kaffy. This is by all standard one of the sexiest semi-nude pictures I have seen  in recent times.

For Kaffy who describes herself as a Dancetrepreneur , which means Dancer+Entrepreneur all rolled into one word, Its a bit sad that people will judge her based on her personality, which is one single semi-nude shot of her.

This brings us to the topic of the day, should the Self -Brand, project themselves or their Brand? We have discussed Self-Brand in one of our post, if you missed it, click HERE.

Kaffy's brand is known as the Imagneto Dance Company, where she is the lead dance instructor and a mentor to so many people under her tutelage. 

All over the world, Dance is an Art, and Art can be visualized in different ways. There are also different forms and styles of dance and Kaffy's style is no where near traditional or conventional, she has adopted a more sophisticated style of dance, if you choose to call it Hip-Hop, you may be right. Hip-Hop dancers are known to be versatile with their moves and with hip-hop, dancers can appeal to a diverse kind of audience, from funk to Rock to break to sexy moves, you name it, all is within the hip-hop genre.

Would the Nigerian Instagram users have preferred seeing Kaffy's dance group in this semi-nude pictures together, demonstrating their art? Well maybe, maybe not. In my opinion, the reason why there is so much backlash on that single picture is borne out of the fact that it brought out her personality more than her brand. If that picture had been a dance group picture, may be  people would have appreciated the art and the effort put into bringing such a gorgeous picture to life rather than condemning it.

As Nigerians, in as much as we appreciate such artistic display from the western world, our inner cultural values just makes it difficult for us to appreciate our fellow black skin doing the same.

Looking from the perspective of branding, it would be safe to say, let your art show through your brand and not through your personality. I may be wrong though! But I love that body, believe me, you don't see that kind of body on every woman after 2 or 3 kids, some people visit surgeons to pay money just to attain half of that banging body. 

Kaffy, please keep it up, but next time, show us this picture with your dance group in it.

Wednesday Brand Profiling: Sujimoto Construction Limited - Redefining Luxury Living.

Since the emergence of Sujimoto Construction Limited on the Nigerian soil in the year 2014, the Real Estate business has taken a 360 degrees turn around. The industry never envisioned what was coming with the arrival of this great construction brand that has stamped its mark as Nigerian's foremost Luxury Real Estate Company, with a mantra to Build it, Sell it and Manage it, being the competitive edge they have above their competitors, if any.

Mr Sijibomi Ogundele CEO SUJIMOTO CONSTRUCTION LTD

The brand  is the brain child of a young,vibrant and dynamic Nigerian man, known to many as Mr. Sijibomi Ogundele. He started the brand in 2002 with offices in  Accra and Lagos. The brand was fully launched in the Nigerian terrain with the pioneering luxury project called MEDICI.

MEDICI by all standard is an exquisite piece of art beautifully placed in the high brow area of Ikoyi in the city of Lagos. It  is a combination of world class and contemporary architecture, with impeccable finishing and luxury at its finest, embodied in seven beautiful terrace apartment. A visit to Medici boast of the best amenities you will ever see in a city as big and as diverse as Lagos, with carefully selected Italian fittings for the kitchen and state of the art kitchen appliances, it is definitely a dream home for the 21st century woman and her family. Medici has since been delivered in February 2015.

MEDICI COLLAGE

The successful completion of Medici is a testament that the Sujimoto Brand is a force to reckon with, in the Nigerian Real Estate Market. With increasing demands from investors and high net-worth individuals, Sujimoto has commenced another highly anticipated project called LORENZOBYSUJIMOTO in Bourdillon.

Dubbed the New Oil by Investors,LORENZO  is a project that is going to re-define the future of living in Lagos, It is said to be the tallest residential building in Lagos with 26 floors and the first fully automated building in Nigeria.The project is located on a  42,000Sqm of pure luxury with features such as Bulletproof resistant doors, Bio-metric Finger Print Door Lock, Semi-Olympic swimming pool,Golf Course, World Class Spa , Pharmacy and a long list of other promising amenities.Lorenzo will be delivered to Nigerians by 2018.

Lorenzo

The Sujimoto brand has come a long way in providing home owners and investors with real value for  money and has continued to deliver beyond the expectation and imagination of industry watchers.
Apart from developing luxury accommodation for the elite, Sujimoto Construction Limited specializes in renovating high quality developments, and offer bespoke  facility management service to client on preventive maintenance and refurbishment methods.

Being one of the leading brand in the property sector, little wonder that one major passion of the Sujimoto brand is their love for giving back to the society. The story of Olajumoke Orisagun, the bread seller turned Model is still very fresh in our minds, The CEO of Sujimoto as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility rose to the occasion by providing Olajumoke and her family a luxury apartment and Scholarship. The Brand was also responsible for the renovation of the E2 Ward at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital in Idi- Araba  Lagos.

For more information on this luxury brand, please visit Sujimoto .