Marketing remains a warfare

That aside, even those in a war-free/political crises-free environment still won't sleep easy as the competition could take them by surprise.

The detergent market in Nigeria, for example, has called for market leaders to go the battle, all armed with the necessary marketing armoury, strategy-wise. OMO, one of the key market leaders is preparing itself to take over the market from its present leader, So Klin. OMO leverages more on price and with a solid push and a bit of pull strategy could hijack the market from the leader.

The new way forward is to cover the ground by looking at what the competition is using to win market share. The brand needs to maintain its position by all means despite the damage being occasioned / caused by imitations i.e. fake OMO products are popular in the eastern part of the country.

The Nigerian toothpaste market was dominated by Macleans, but now the story has changed due to a moment of "sleeping" at the war front. Close Up, the present market leader hijacked the market completely and prospects don't look good for Maclean rgaining its leadership. Close Up is using a series of strategies, being cooked up night and day, to stay relevant without really increasing its market spend.

Staying in touch with the target market requires launching and relaunching / branding and re-branding and creating an experience involving the target market, thereby stimulating word-of-mouth.

Marketing, at the end of the day will always be a warfare and everyone in the business should be ready to be deemed a soldier!