The story of Nigeria’s emerging youthful market force that is rebranding the country
TruNaija… This is the title of my forthcoming book that is primarily aimed to tell the story of a youthful generation born from 1980-2010. It discusses and what makes them tick. It represents my humble contribution on the ongoing efforts to rebrand my country to improve perception among the comity of nations.
So what is the book all about? It is the brand story of Nigeria’s emerging social and economic powerhouse… their world, their brand, their game, their aspirations, their world view, their demands on the society and their country, their resources and potentials, their market and what it offers governments, corporate orgnisations, their consumer behavior and marketing potentials. I additionally brand them, Generation…20:10 because they were born in the last 30 years.
It is a story of how these youths understand the world around them. How they perceive their environment and relate with it. They were born under democratic rule in Nigeria though with patches of military interventions in governance. They are largely middle class.
They are the cellular phone and hi-tech generation. Majority are teenagers and in their early 20s. They are growing up in the era of cellular phone revolution in Nigeria. They are young educated, motivated, talented with surging energy driven by increasing corporate support via social responsibility and sales promotion programmes. They are the generation born in Nigeria’s second attempt at democracy. Every TruNaija wants to be on top, not the-also-ran.
The story is about 40 million Nigeria youths bonded by their passion for who they are and the drive to express themselves in all they do, their creative talents which they strive to demonstrate in diverse endeavours,their love for sports and the arts. It is a story about their lifestyle, aspirations, motivation and pains. Their brand character:
- They are drivers of change. Their energy is surging despite all the odds in the Nigerian marketplace.
- They are talented, savvy, urbane, upbeat, mobile, confident, on the move, aware of who they are. They are in a hurry to accomplish, to achieve.
- They are breaking new frontiers, breaking the rules, breaking boundaries, re-inventing themselves, re-defining fashion, sports, entertainment, romantic relationships, marriage, even religious worship.
- They are re-directing and driving social and economic dynamics in Nigeria and West Africa…from sports to entertainment, touching lives, affecting their communities. They are militant and outspoken. They are there in the Niger Delta geographical area of Nigeria challenging government and the status quo and have gave gained international attention. They are TruNaija..
- Born in the last 20 years of the last century, and the first 10 years of the current century, they are truly Nigeria’s emerging social force. There is no stopping them. Their tempo to make impact is building into a crescendo.
- They are Nigeria’s future hope, the livewire for re-branding the country and its democratic leap. Neglect them, you crash. You have to get them before they get you. Embrace them , you win their lifetime loyalty for your brand on offer in the market. They are a tribal community ready to flock around your brand, if only you understand them and give them what they want and reap huge dividends.
- They are Nigeria’s fountain of hope, emerging entrepreneurs with eyes on the global market. Do you want to meet them? Know their lifestyle, what motivates them, their passion, energy, aspirations and needs, then read this book when it is published
And they speak:
- This is our story of who we are, what makes us tick, our fancies and fears, our consumer behavior, our cultural and tribal branding and social interactions
- We are re-branding Nigeria, we are the new social market force of a new Nigeria.
- We believe the greatest miracle you can get is to discover who you are. It is the wheel that will drive you to your promised land. We believe everyone has to do this. If the market does that for you, it will derail you from fulfillment in life.
- We are not asking for handouts of free meals. We want empowerment. We want interactions; we want to tell our story so that you know who we are, what makes us tick, our strengths and weaknesses.
- We want opportunities to demonstrate our drive, put our talents to work, to show our inner strength and build a better Nigeria.
- We are real, true to ourselves, to our families, the society and the market. We want to succeed, rise to the top, create wealth, and bring brands to life.
The book manuscript will be completed November 2011
Eric Okeke is a storyteller, editor, business writer, motivational speaker and author of the best selling book: I Want a Husband. He is one of Nigeria’s most experienced financial journalists. He has published several articles in local and foreign publications and in websites such as http://www.ezinearticles.com, www.ezinearticles.com and www.writingcareer.com. He is currently running Infomedia Company, a media consulting and information marketing company. Visit his blog at http://sallywantsahusband.blogspot.com
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