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MARCH 19, 2007 VOL. 20. NO 23

A Dishonest Promotion

**Guinness Crown Corks**

As the “Guinness Party-On” promo ends, not a few instant prize winners complain that the promotional strategy was a complete fiasco
By Innocent Chukwu
Chukwuma Uzoma is the proprietor of Chukas cool spot, a liquor joint located along Akerele Lane, Onigbongbo area of Maryland, Lagos. Chukas’ consistency in retailing assorted brands of alcoholic and soft drinks has ultimately paid off, as it has in a way carved a niche for him in the highly competitive beer parlour business.
Though Chukas is not relatively too attractive, in terms of what a modern-day drinking spot should be, its prompt service and cordial customer relations have combined to endear it to the hearts of many young men and women who often come around to unwind after each hard day’s job. But the joint also has “ a unique selling proposition (USP)” in its goat meat and cowtail pepper soup , a delicacy which its competitors can hardly match.
Among the cool spot’s array of beer are the Guinness brands-Stout (Small and large size) and Malta Guinness. The trust its customers repose in the liquor shop was recently put to the test when the multi-national liquor giant, Guinness Nig. Plc., rolled out its promotional strategy for the Guinness extra Stout, which has the slogan, “Party on,” since December 1, 2006.
Even Uzoma confessed to The Source that his customers welcomed the promo with so much enthusiasm, especially when they became aware that there were lots of instant prizes, to be won. The expectation of Chukas loyal customers was not misplaced, especially as according to Uzoma, during the early weeks of the promo, most of his customers had their instant prizes redeemed at various redemption centers at “Mende and the Ikeja cantonment soldiers’ club.”
This joy, remarkably, made Uzoma to become the custodian of numerous crown corks of the Guinness brand, mostly those containing free drinks which his patrons won. There is no doubt that the promo also boosted Uzoma’s business, even though his shop was not one of the redemption centres. But the liquor retailer has one regret: “Guinness Plc should not have undertaken such a promo if they knew they would not consistently fulfill their promise.”
Uzoma’s grouse against Guinness Plc is that beyond the firm’s inability to provide enough instant prizes to go round lucky winners, the company failed to monitor the promotion effectively, which led to its agents and distributors selling cartons of the product specifically labelled “free drink, not to be sold.” Uzoma told The Source that he had sold cartons of the free drinks by agents of the beer manufacturer, at a time that the redemption centres were consistently complaining of short-supplies.
The Chukas' boss presented to The Source over 30 crown corks of free drinks, which he could not redeem for his busy customers. Asked why he couldn’t redeem them, he said that all the redemption centres in his neighbourhood kept on "posting" him till he ran out of patience and refused to go for collection any more. He also accused Guinness Plc representatives in his area of demanding some crown corks for themselves, as in the ratio of three to one, before they would release the free drinks.
“They take one out of three before giving you the free drinks,” Uzoma told The Source.
On why he sold the bottles of free drinks, even when he knew they were not to be sold, Uzoma’s responsed thus: “They sold it to me through the distributors and agents, so I have to resell them to make my own gain." Concerning other instant prizes – MP3 player, handsets and wristwatches, Uzoma said that most of his customers did not win those items because one hardly got such crown corks. But he wondered if the free drinks, which were cheaper were not available, if it was the ones that are costlier that would be given out easily.
In his candid estimation, Uzoma concluded that the promo was a failure and regretted that his beloved customers, some of who are ardent lovers of Guinness extra stout, were disappointed. On how his customers feel over their inability to redeem their prizes, he contended that they have lost confidence in the makers of the brand.
Uzoma: “The promo failed. You can’t promise to give out something which you cannot give. Next time, Guiness should give instant prices to beer parlours, not only to redemption centres, so that people can easily collect their prizes.”
Following Uzoma’s 'confessions' to The Source further checks revealed his story was not unique. A visit to PEKA Restaurant on Opebi/Allen avenue roundabout, Ikeja where The Source tried to redeem some free drinks and other prizes, only a few bottles were given, while it was told to come another day for the rest, which were never redeemed.
But upon further investigation, it was discovered that many people who won other instant prizes, apart from free drinks, had problems collecting them at PEKA. Although the lady representative of Guinness at the redemption centre, could not answer all of The Source's posers when she realised she was talking to a journalist, The Source learnt it was because of the location of the centre that brought about shortage of instant prizes since an average of about 40 people reportedly trooped to the centre for collection. The remote centres, it was learnt, have more of the prizes spock.
The Source’s investigations indeed revealed that the failure of Guinness Plc to satisfy the yearnings Of its numerous customers in the "Party-on" promo has nothing to do with the location of the centres – whether strategically located or not. For example, at the Magenta Hotel, car wash, Idimu, Lagos the story was still the same. At Magenta, where the Guinness official was not on seat when The Source called, some workers admitted that the supply of the items was limited, which led to winners being asked to come back severally. One prize winner who sought anonymity told The Source that the frustration in one having to come back over and over again to a redemption centre “because of ordinary free drink,” bothered him. Elsewhere –Ikotun -Egbe, Ajegunle, Agege, et cetera – had the same sad story.
Earlier, The Source edition of February 5, 2007 had opened the can of worms in the promo which many participants said was deceitful. In the said edition, The Source had sought the reaction of Guinness extra stout brand manager, Kolawole Ayeni, who said he had not gotten any report that winners were denied their gifts. Ayeni, instead, referred The Source to Dele Olukoju and Taiwo Ogunwumi, both of Richardson and Briggs, a Public Relations firm located at Ikeja GRA. Efforts to reach the PR consultants on their telephone lines failed as they refused to take calls from The Source
However, on Monday, February 5, 2007, a man identified as Coss Williams and his colleague, both of who claimed to be representatives of Richardson and Briggs, approached The Source to solicit for a stay of action on further story on the alleged Guinness deceit pending when The Source would have had an interview with one Dare Olateju, who they said is the brand manager (Innovations) of Guinness Plc.
Williams, who confirmed that The Source investigations "were not far from the truth based on our research" said, however, that even Ayeni denied having spoken with The Source on the issue.
But undaunted, The Source tried a second time to have the PR firm comment on the follow-up story but a female voice who identified herself as Bola, said both Olukoju and Ogunwumi were not in the office. She asked to hear The Source’s questions after which she responded that she was not in a position to comment and then hung up.
This, infact, prompted The Source's visit to the Sobo Arobiodu, GRA, Ikeja office of Richardson and Briggs, with a crown cork of Guinness stout that won a GSM telephone handset. Upon this visit,Ogunwumi, who looked confused and pleaded that The Source should not do a follow-up story on the Guinness scandal, said he would talk to the Below the Line (BTL) agents who he said, were in charge of free gifts or instant prizes, to know why the prizes were not going round.
The winner of the handset had tried for three successive weeks to redeem the prize, but to no avail before she told The Source of her ordeal.