Prior to 1999 in Nigeria, Peugeot Automobile was the number
one car in Nigeria. It was described as a car for the elite and mostly used by
Government. The 504 model was the official brand for the Government at all
levels in Nigeria, Federal, States and Local Government. This made the brand, Peugeot
to become over confident and relied on what I call “NOW” success.
They became
ironclad in their ideas in terms of innovation and improvement of their cars
while other brands of cars were more concerned with innovations. Today, Toyota
brand has taken over from Peugeot, Toyota is now number one car for individual
and Government in Nigeria. The question is why? The simple answer is
innovations. There is no year or even months that Toyota does not change or
modify its brands to suite current aesthetics and demand while Peugeot only
started innovation while it was too late.
The same thing can be said of NOKIA phones. When Nigeria
started using mobile phones in 2001, NOKIA was the number one choice for all,
it was popular because of its durability, long lasting battery life span and
its functionality. When other brands are going into android, NOKIA refused to
join the fray, SAMSUNG took advantage of it and today, they are competing with
iPhone and other major brands while NOKIA is at the background.
My advice to all brands is, they should pay more attention on
consumption pattern rather than bask on their past glory. Innovation is the key
and not past acceptance or space in the market. Take the giant step, do a
market research and make sure your target market is carried along on time
before they taste other brands that may shift their attention from your brand.
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