ISAAC ASABOR 

For brand experts who are acquainted to the dynamics in Nigeria’s whiskey market, the prevailing weak competitiveness that has characterised it has been a source of concern. 

Without a doubt, brand experts in Nigeria have been raising concerns about the level at which collective weak competitiveness of whiskeys is eroding the market, attributing the lack of professionalism in branding as a key factor. 

The key issues that are usually highlighted revolve around brand credibility, market analysis, and consumer perception. 

Given the foregoing backdrop of the situation, it is worth recalling that a study on brand credibility and marketing performance in the Nigerian brewery industry accentuated the importance of brand trust, perceived product quality, and brand image. 

It concluded that brand credibility positively affects marketing performance and recommended that companies develop long-lasting brand credibility to influence consumer intentions. 

In a similar vein, a Report on the Nigerian Whiskey Market noted the challenges and opportunities within the industry. It mentioned the need for strategic analysis and described factors influencing market development, including the importance of branding and marketing strategies. 

Still in the same vein, the perception of whiskey brands among consumers is also crucial. 

A lack of professional branding can lead to a weak brand image, which in turn affects consumer trust and perceived product quality. This can result in reduced competitiveness in both local and international markets. 

In summary, Nigerian brand experts are advocating for a more professional approach to branding within the whiskey industry to enhance competitiveness. 

This includes building brand credibility, understanding market dynamics, and improving consumer perception through effective marketing and branding strategies. 

In fact, one of the brand experts that are pushing for an advantageous competitiveness of Nigeria whiskey brands, Dr. Uche Nworah, in a Marketing Case Study, titled “Nigeria’s Competitive Brandy And Whiskey Market, stated thus, “I never could understand why marketers of Remy Martin and Hennessy brandies allowed Glenfiddish whiskey to sneak in and take over the Nigerian beverage market that they had previously conquered. 

“It doesn’t appear as if the brandy brands are doing anything about this. Could they have surrendered? So easily? 

“What could be responsible for the change in consumer behavior as regards alcoholic beverage drinks? 

“Could this be as a result of brand arrogance and brand complacence by the mentioned brandy brands? Or could this be as a result of other market dynamics including changing consumer tastes? 

“The three brandy and whiskey brands I mentioned are luxury lifestyle brands preferred by entertainers and very high net worth individuals (HNIs). Once these category of consumer switch brands, their fans and those that look up to them do too. Even when they cannot afford it, the beverages become aspirational brands for them. 

“At premium events in Nigeria such as weddings, parties etc., and one can easily observe that Glenfiddich whiskey brand has taken over. It has become sought-after despite its premium pricing, irrespective of the year of maturity e.g. 15, 18, 21 years etc. 

“The market for beverage drinks is ever so dynamic in Nigeria. There are challenger whiskey brands in the Nigerian market which may have long entered the Nigerian market before Glenfiddich, such as Singleton, Macallan, Jameson, Johnny Walker etc. However, these brands don’t appear to be making any headway in upstaging Glenfiddich which has now become the beverage of choice for Gen Zs, Millennials and Gen Xs. 

“Are we going to see another seismic change in consumer taste that will throw up another whiskey brand as the preferred alcoholic beverage drink in Nigeria in the nearest future? Time will tell. In the meantime, Glenfiddich is the market leader for now”. 

As gathered by DAILY INDEPENDENT, Nigeria’s whisky industry is unarguably facing several challenges that affect its competitiveness against foreign brands, and some key factors attributed to the challenges are numerous, and it is against this backdrop that Mr. Wale Arokola, also a brand expert, suggested that to improve competitiveness, Nigerian whisky producers should focus on strategies in local sourcing by “Utilising local ingredients and materials to reduce costs and create a unique selling proposition. 

Still making suggestions from the same point of view, he emphasised on brand building as he says “Investing in marketing to build brand awareness and loyalty among Nigerian consumers even as he also delved on the need for quality improvement, saying that “There is need for players in the industry to ensure that the quality of the product meets or exceeds that of foreign competitors. 

On market research, he suggest