This document discusses strategies for brand growth during an economic recession using the Nigerian experience. It defines a recession as a period of low economic activity caused by increased debt, reduced government spending, and low business activity. The document notes that recessions are cyclical and don't last forever. It recommends that brands continue engaging consumers during recessions through diverse channels to maintain long-term goals. However, spending needs to be adjusted and retargeted for maximum impact. Specifically, brands should focus on building cult followings, emotional attachments, and brand evangelists to survive recessions when consumers spend less. Investing in brand value before recessions provides currency to acquire assets like loyal customers that prove useful when budgets are tight.

1. Strategies for Brand
growth in a recession
- the Nigerian experience
Auscar Ikoro fibmn, animn

2. What is Economic Recession
• Before we can talk about brand growth in a
recession, its first important to understand
what it is.
• A recession is simply a period of low
economic activity caused majorly by
increased debt and loans burden, reduced
govt spending and general lull in business
activity.
• In Nigeria, we dont have a home grown
measurement for recession, so we just follow
the rest of the world.

3. What is Economic Recession
In The United states Economic Recession is seen as A
significant decline in economic activity spread
across the economy, lasting more than a few
months, normally visible in real GDP, real income,
employment, industrial production, and wholesale-
retail sales”
• In the United Kingdom, recessions are generally
defined as two consecutive quarters of negative
economic growth, as measured by the seasonal
adjusted quarter-on-quarter figures for real GDP.

4. Understanding Recession
• The result of recession is of interest as it leads
to increased unemployment, reduced savings,
reduced spending, etc.
• No matter how we view Economic Recession,
Some important observations about a
recession include:
• A::- Recessions don’t last forever, they come and
go in a re-occuring cycle of sometimes 8 - 10
years.
• B::- people don’t spend much during recession,
they just want to hold on to the little they have.

5. Navigating the Recession
If recession is a cycle that comes and go, then it’ll be a
mistake to stop doing the good things you were doing to
build your brand before its onset, This is because, after the
recession, you will discover that your brand has lost steam
and you will be starting all over.
• I always see a brand as a growing child. Its a work in
progress that matures over the years… If you
stopped your child’s education because of the
recession, that ‘ll last for a mere 2-3 quaters, the
result will show, and your child would’ve lost time to
catch up with his/her mates by the time you’re ready
gain to resume her schooling.
• As a brand builder, I want to focus on the long-term
goals, hence I must maintain continuous engagement
with consumers and employees across diverse channels
, recession or no recession..

6. Brand growth in a Recession
The Nigerian experience of brand growth in a Recession
is not looking good for a few reasons:
• 1. Most of the decision makers in our so called
establishments are mere traders who don’t
understand how brands work or even care to listen
to experts in their employ. This need to change.
(Most businesses are one-man owned. However, a
few public quoted ones are better)
• 2. Unstable business environment/ govt policies
means that businesses don’t commit to long term
brand development plans. I doubt if most businesses
have anything more than a monthly or quarterly
plan. Businesses out to have well structured yearly,
3yearly etc. Brand plan with a percentage of yearly
profit committed to this

7. Brand growth in a Recession
3. Most businesses are profit focused rather
than value focused. They tell you that whatever
you do, if it doesn't reflect almost immediately on
the bottom line, its a waste. Hence most brand
activities become adhoc and not thoroughly
researched/ planned. If your brand is operated like
this, it will be stunted in growth and would never
be able to command the needed cult following for
survival in a recession. Your sales team would
perpetually be hard-selling and customer retention
rate will be near zero, because you never plan to
retain them anyway… you just want to sell.
• DON’T STOP SPENDING IN A RECESSION: In
fact countries spends their way out of recession,
Brands should too.
• However, the spending only need to be
adjusted and re-targeted for maximum impact

8. Brand growth in a Recession
If people are wary of how they spend in a recession,
then the brands that will survive are those that have
built enough brand value and relationships with its
public.
• Brand equity/value is currency. You can use it to
purchase for your brand, assets that would prove
very handy in a recession.
• 1. CULT FOLLOWING: Invest in your brand value to
the point where it becomes a cult.
• - why would people queue up overnight to get the
latest release of a phone?
• When your brand becomes something people can
do anything to get, then, you can be sure of safety in
a recession

9. Brand growth in a Recession
2. BUILD A BELOVED BRAND.
• - strong emotional attachment can be built
over time and leveraged for survival in a
recession. Consumers don’t just love brands,
they fall in love with brands that do extra things
for them.
• To remain relevant in a recession, Your brand
MUST do something extra for its publics. E.g
Take up some social activity that impact directly
and help reduce the burden on people’s
purchasing power, this will free up space and
give you more share of the consumer’s wallet

10. Brand growth in a Recession
3. BRAND EVANGELISTS
• - In a recession, budget is restrained but you
cant afford to stop relating and talking about
your brand.
• This is time to recruit new cost-effective brand
evangelists: Word Of Mouth, Social Media,
social influencers, etc. Consumers dont want
to spend, You need evangelists to encourage
and give them reason to shell out their cash
for your brand
• Digital is the way to go in a recession, Lower
budgets, More Viral, and personalised

11. Last Line Build Value Brands, not Prodigal Brands
• Finally We must Remember
that brand building is about
long-term thinking and brand
growth in a recession is about
taking advantage of tough
times.
• In arecession, brand growth will
be better achieved through
PULL strategies Than just
PUSHing . The narrative should
not first be in terms of growing
volume sales, but in terms of
reaching dedicated customers,
retaining them and converting
them to brand evangelists.....
THEN THE VOLUME AND
PROFITS will come.

12. Thank You
Auscar Ikoro:
08023216976, auscarone@gmail.com