INTRODUCTION
Prior independence, Nigerian citizens depended much on imported goods especially household products which were made available by the colonial masters and Western Merchants. Then there were not much local substitute and where there is, they were no match to the imported goods in quality, hence the preference for the foreign products by many.
With the attainment of independence in 1960 came the clamour for another kind of independence economic independence.
The third and fourth National development plan was for self sufficiency. The country had to minimize importation so as to become economically self sufficient. A lot of efforts had been made towards the promotion of made in Nigeria goods. To produce goods with local raw materials which was backed by the introduction of Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) which embark on local sourcing of raw materials, food self-sufficiency and encouraging investment in growth.
Marking programmes such as trade fair are often organized to encourage and give exposure to local manufacturers. It creates more awareness to the products. It I been organized by the chamber of commerce and industries.
The product industries included Unilever Nigeria Plc, Patherson and Zochoms (PZ), UAC and International Equitable Association (IEA). They produce close products substitutes but they differentiate their products and secure stronger markets position by use of brand name.
Branding is essential for advertising effectiveness. This is because it is branding that distinguishes similar products of different manufacturers. It helps consumers to establish the brand identity of various producers. Branding can be defined as the use of a name, a term, symbol or design or a combination of these to identify a product.
It identifies the product for the consumer and relates it to brand and product design.
Brand promotion has advantages for branders as well as customers. A good brand speeds up shopping for the customer and thus reduces the marketers selling time and effort. And when customers repeatedly purchase by brand, the brand is protected against competition from other firms. This can increase sales volume and reduce promotion costs. Goods brands can improve the company’s image speeding acceptance of new products marketed under the same name.
Unilever Nigeria PLC is a marketing organization that markets over 40 different brands in 82 pack sizes ranging from Home care, personal care and food categories. In order to ensure excellence in marketing the company has a clear policy of maintaining a high quality of her products, which is respected nationwide.
The company quality policy stipulated the guidelines to which the company is committed. The company is committed in meeting the need of consumers in respect of product performance and her quality standards to meet the needs better than competitors, it ensures that the quality standards satisfy brand advertising claims and in general are supportive of overall brand positioning and maintains regular contact with the market, the distribution chain, the trade, the consumers for close monitoring of product performance and quality against other competitors.
Unilever Nigeria PLC stands competitively against other industries. Their products are developed, produced, branded and sold specifically to meet the identified needs of consumers. Hence the slogan “A visible friend in every home”. It is the interest of the researcher to find out the effect of branding on the marketing of the products.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The analysis of branding involves one very important aspect of marketing activities. A rooted knowledge of branding and its reasons places the firm on a high position by the proof of customers’ satisfaction. The success and existence of any firm highly depends on the numerous number of its customers either profit making or non-profit making organizations.
Therefore, this chapter deals on the review of issues relating to the problem under study. The review is on the definitions of branding, its types, advantages and disadvantages and also branding decisions.