“Word of Mouth”
It was an expression we used to describe how one consumer influences another for good or bad regarding their interaction with a brand or product.
Many times, word of mouth can be effective because it is about one consumer, (re)telling their experience about a brand or product or service. Many times, too, the person talking about the product experience will convert other non-users and… well, the experience catches on.
But sometimes, word of mouth turns out not to be so much of an effective tool because after doing our focus groups, we sometimes realised that we still needed to use tools like advertising – in newspapers, on the radio and television and billboards, what we know as traditional media today.
But word of mouth has gained a lot more traction now because I can just go to the market and buy a product then tell everyone that follows me about the product.
You know that thing influencers do, ehen.
The thing is, if others who have had a good experience or nasty experience read it, they are immediately able to share their own experiences and so, we have a product with many people saying different things about it and that for me is the beauty of the freedom we all enjoy in this age of social media – the democratisation of access and ubiquity.
This brings me to this Chioma Okoli issue regarding her supposed review of a Tomato paste which she asked people to avoid.
While I agree that word of mouth, especially where it is perceived as bad, may be bad for a product, I have stayed long in the industry to also know that many times, testimonials are not the best way to go.
Why?
Many times, testimonials may make people go out to try the product and if they discover they like it, they will patronise the product. But it’s not always the case.
I’ll give you a good example. The MSG, Ajinomoto and co. Remember when some people used Ajinomoto to bleach their whites, before claiming that it would whiten our intestines the same way it whitens clothes.
They claimed it would give us cancer faster than malaria can attack us, they claimed many things…. Today, Ajinomoto still sells as if it was not once touted as a product that was dangerous to our health.
I also remember that campaign against Indomie noodles. They said it contains so and so; is loaded with artificial flavours and so dangerous to our children…last time I checked, Nigerians are still consuming it in truck loads.
Another is Coca-Cola, do you know how many hacks are currently on /Instagram that show Coke as being bad for us? Yeah, even I have used it to wash my toilet after seeing one hack on how it can get your toilets cleaner than Harpic, man mi, I still drink Coke.
I may have reduced the quantity but I am still a Coke drinker. And there are many like me who have seen all the dangers Coke is supposedly going to have on us and yet, the damned drink just calls your name!
Then there is Knorr Cubes, there was also one time my agency then was feverishly working out strategy and concepts to debunk the rumour that it contained certain elements detrimental to our health. One time too, Maggi was campaigned against as containing horrible elements that will kill you.
I can’t even remember the number of times I have been told that it is banned in foreign countries because they know how dangerous it is for our health and yet, Nigerians take it abroad, they sell it abroad…and people are still alive…
So, now my submission; why is Erisco bothered so much by one tiny, weeny comment by a woman that they had to call the IGP to haul her to jail because she said their tomato has sugar?
For people like me who have “big eyes” for sugar, I’ll probably go for their tomato on account of that review because I truly do not understand why people want food that isn’t sweet. “I doesn’t gerrit,” to quote a beloved late comedian.
Why would Chioma’s comment fold an entire business when Coke hasn’t been crippled, Indomie still sells like mad, even the ponmo they said we should avoid, still sells at Mushin like…Maggi is still thriving in our markets, Ajinomoto and MSG products are still recording huge sales and the way I see it, the more you try to bring a product down, except the product is really bad, the more people look out for it and want to test it for themselves. Half the time, they find they actually like it.
Some people may actually like sweetened tomatoes, some will not; to everyman his own taste. For Erisco to hound Chioma the way they have done is now beginning to smack of something beyond what the eye can see.
If the Erisco tomato is good, they should have nothing to fear. They should simply have activated their PR team to counter what Chioma has written.
A press release, maybe. A taste test, even via a focus group to ascertain whether her comments have any potential to cause NAFDAC or other regulatory bodies to start poke nosing into their business.
They could probably have interviewed Chioma and asked her what her choices are and maybe offer her other products. Who remembers what happened to Tai Solarin when he was brought on TV and asked to show the world the page where he said he saw a story on President Babangida in Ebony magazine? A smart company with good crisis management PR could have turned the table against her without all this ruckus.
Imagine if they had made Chioma a brand ambassador…assuming she has enough clout to drive the market…but Chioma has no such clout, no such influence. She is just your everyday Nigerian mother who doesn’t like sweet things! And she has a right to hate or comment about a product she purchased with her own money!
There are many methods to squash what you consider false stories about your product, but I don’t think clamping down on consumers and shushing them up with a N5 billion lawsuit is one of them!
Like my people say, “Wetin we carry, wetin you throw back!”
Let’s even play the devil’s advocate; so if Chioma had gone online praising the tomato, would they have had her arrested?
Would Erisco have called on the IGP who is growing grey hairs trying to rescue hundreds of Nigerians being held captive by bandits to go after Chioma because she said Erisco Tomato is very good?
Biko nu, what is not good is bad. Erisco, Chioma has learnt her lesson so please let her go!