I stood for some minutes at the popular Abakpa Texaco Bus-Stop (in Enugu metropolis) to admire the prowess of the numerous commercial bus conductors around the area. I observed the different ways they call out for customers. If you don’t listen attentively you may not understand what they were saying and the route they ply. But I noticed something different about these conductors. There are the young men with their spectacular hairdos: some with dreadlocks, some with bushy hair and others with clean shaves and bushy beard.

And then there are the elderly men, all carrying normal ‘African gentleman’ hairdo. I found out that most of the young men wore torn jean trousers and T- or round-neck shirts while all the elderly men wore pants and button down shirts. The remarkable thing about these people is that the young men do not have difficulties attracting passengers into their buses, unlike the elderly ones. If you ask me, I’ll say that the elderly ones do not look like bus conductors, so they had hard times convincing customers of their profession. Their packaging speaks something different.

Packaging here is talking about how an outward appearance tells the inward quality. It is about how things are seen by people based on how it was presented to them. The packaging I’m talking about here isn’t just about how goods are packaged and presented, but also how a person presents himself to others. Packaging is a very simple act which can either attract or repel the right people.

I know that a lot of people think that the outward appearance doesn’t really matter. These set of people believe that the most important thing is the content of the package. Yes, the content is very important, but, as the Igbos say, the eyes will eat first before the mouth. This is to say that if the thing isn’t appealing to the sense of sight, the desire to consume it will not be there. I will give some insights on why good packaging is necessary.

First of all, good packaging creates a very good impression when seen for the first time. People will be very impressed with what they observed before trying to find out what it contains. For example, I will not be impressed if I enter a banking hall and see shabbily dressed staff giving shabby services in shabbily equipped offices. I don’t think I will want to entrust my money to them. They will have to do a lot of work to convince me of their competency.

The second reason is attractiveness. Has anyone else ever wondered why biscuits are packaged in beautiful shiny wrappers? If nothing else, it attracts buyers who have it somewhere in their mind that what is inside that packet will be as good as what is outside. This is also the same thing with people who packaged themselves properly. They always give out positive aura which endears them to people.

Good packaging breeds trusts. Ok, so I walked into a school to make an enquiry and the first teacher I met couldn’t speak two complete sentences without committing a grammatical blunder. The first thing I will tell myself is that the school doesn’t employ qualified teachers, and is therefore not good enough. This is also the case with electronic machines packaged in inferior cartons. The buyer will believe that if the producer isn’t rich enough to afford a good packet, he wouldn’t be rich enough to create a good machine.

Good packaging brings respect. There is this viral meme about a lawyer wearing a robe with holes and a torn dirty wig. I don’t think that sort of a lawyer will be respected by his clients and society no matter how good he is.

Ok, we have seen some reasons why we need to package ourselves and our goods properly, let us look at some ways we can achieve that.

1. One important thing to look into is on improving the general outlook of our offices. The first impression people have when they walk into an office matters a lot. They will take in the neatness, arrangement of furniture, type of furniture and other aesthetic features in the office. If I walk into a hairdressing salon, for example, and it looks unkempt and shabby, I will beat down the price of the hairdo to the minimum. I won’t accept to pay a high price for whatever services I receive there, even if they were good. This attitude will of course change if I find myself in a well furnished and equipped salon (here, I’ll be praying that I can afford whatever they call out).
2. The wrappers and packets of goods should be durable, as well as attractive. There is a need for this because people are easily attracted to goods’ packets. A good example of this is the way goods are packaged in pastry industry. If you have noticed, a lot of people are into chin-chin making but only few supply theirs outside their locality. This is because most of them packaged theirs in cheap poly bags, which makes it unsafe and inconvenient to move the goods from one place to another. Besides, people believe that foods packaged in sealed and high quality wrappers are more hygienic.
3. The language we use says a lot about our occupation, social class and identity. There is need for us to work on our choice of words. Take the examples of the commercial bus conductors, the young men among them have this slang they use that the elderly ones do not. This gave them the edge needed in their occupation. This should also be the case with other professions. Speak the way that shows who you are. Work on your use of language. You can do this by standing in front of the mirror for five minutes every day to talk to yourself. I will come back later in another article to throw more light on this.
4. The saying that we are addressed the way we dress should also be considered here. I am not saying we should spend all we earn on clothing. At least we should look smart and decent. And also, our dressing can tell our profession. So, wear outfits that are suitable for your profession. Our society has actually chosen outfits for every occupation. Which one is for yours? Remember, it is all about packaging. You are trying to tell what is inside you from your outward appearance. If you are a teacher and you dress like a dancer, people will treat you like a dancer. Don’t confuse people with your dressing.
5. Our attitude says much about us too. Some professions require politeness while some require rudeness (lol – that’s Naija for you). Honestly, it is hard to see a commercial bus conductor that will not rudely demand for the transport fare. People are used to that, anyway. So, let your attitude depict who you are. If you give people the attitude that is contrary to that which is expected of someone in your profession, they will place you at the levels you may not like. Be polite and nice to people irrespective of what is inside you.
6. There is need for companies to invest in their staff. They should organise in-house trainings and seminars for them so as to aid their professionalism. If it is possible, companies should make soft loans available to their staff so they can easily sponsor their further studies and provide for their basic needs. Companies that are rich enough can provide car loans for their staff too. Honestly, prospective customers also check out staff of companies. I know I do that a lot. A company with happy and good looking staff is worth making business with. I mean, if they can take care of their staff, they can take care of your investment.

Ok, so we have seen what packaging can do. This is not just for businesses. Workers too need to package themselves. The unemployed need that too (you can’t go into an office to seek for a job if you don’t have a good front).

However, I am not saying that we have to spend all our money on beautifying the outside while the inside is rotten. Work on both the outside and the inside. The truth is that the outside is what brings in the business, or the job, but the inside is what keeps it.

The evolution of the internet and the emergence of digital channels have made it easier for brands to build impactful connections with their consumers at a fraction of the cost when compared to other traditional media. The presence of this poses a challenge. The challenge is that the digital space is becoming crowded with average consumer being exposed in a day to more content than he can consume in a lifetime. 

It becomes imperative for brands to constantly craft unique and innovative ways to standout in a crowded ecosystem. There are myriads of ways to accomplish this; one of which is yet to be fully maximized is the creation of an exclusive social community. Yes, a platform that allows consumers to both connect and consume in one platform. 

Another is taking a sales and marketing learning from one of the most iconic means of transportation in Nigeria: The Molue.

Molue is the nickname given to the huge yellow buses that at a time was the major means of transportation for many Lagosians particularly the middle class. It starts operating as early as 4am and continues till midnight. The rugged and rickety buses are legendary. And their availability has made it the King of the road. It was almost impossible to travel on major routes without coming in contact with it.

One of the striking features of a Molue is that it is large and spacious and could take up to 50 people in a single trip; you could call it the 44/99 principle as observed by Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

Friendship with a stranger usually starts from recognition, an awareness of his presence, a first impression and a point of the meeting. E.g. If you regularly commute in public transport, you would notice that there’s a strong recall when the stranger you met the first time enters your bus again on a different day. Sometimes you feel confident and ready to interact with him though on a casual level.

Even merrier if it’s the opposite sex, and there was some form of eye contact the last time. I digress.

Let’s take a journey into the interesting world of a Molue, a large ecosystem where we can learn new ways to engage our consumers online. Buckle your seat belt.

 In a Molue, there are two entry points manned by two conductors who are tasked with the job of getting passengers into the bus by calling out their routes.

Often times, there’s always a struggle to get in; this is because of an identified consumer need- “I need to get from point A to Point B now and if I don’t double my effort, I might spend the rest of the day here’.

Inside the Molue is an ecosystem filled with 6 types of personalities.

The Rumour-Monger: He’s in the bus to propagate fake news; this is often triggered by ignorance

The Politician: The one who always has a perspective on every political issue in the country and claims to be there when Nigeria found Oil in Oloibiri.

The Preacher: The man of God who takes a visible spot to share the good news to the people.

The Learned: He’s the one that spends the trip asking himself what the ‘hell’ he’s doing in this bus. He has a supposed educated opinion which can’t be comprehended by the majority of the passengers.

The fearful: They’re the driver’s human speedometer, should in case he starts to receive a phone call from Heaven. They are there to ensure he’s called into the order and you can see this from their occasional screams.

Then there’s the final group called the Sales Team. Their brilliance is non-nonpareil.

Note: In a Molue, everybody is everybody’s friend on matters they share a similar interest in, anything outside that, it’s a war.

Let’s do a quick dive in on the Sales Team.

We have the Sales Man or Woman; a brilliant chap who knows how to get to the hearts of his target audience. Yes, a first-class sales man who has an above average knowledge of the product he is selling to them.

They speak so well about the product that sometimes you just want to hear them speak on, even when you’re convinced that it’s a lie.

I had an encounter with one before, the salesman brought out a disposable cup from his bag (which looked like his everyday pitch kit). The cup had a green leaf on it, and he started by saying anywhere you see this green leaf, it means it is an authentic and international product. Next, he brought out the product he wanted to sell and went on praising it and showing people it had the same green leaf we had just seen. I was dazed about this act of mental trickery but most of the passengers seemed intrigued and interested.

But that’s not all about the Sales Team, the salesman always has some unidentified hyper-men positioned strategically to corroborate whatever he says.

For Example, the first hype-man goes “I bought this product before and it brought instant relief to the toothache I was feeling, it works”. Second, with a dramatic tone “True o, I have heard about this product before, my neighbor spoke to me about it, in fact, give me two”. This basically begins to arouse curiosity, coupled with the Salesman’s pitch.

Identifying this interest, the salesman goes “I have only ten left, who else is buying?”. Remember the people on the bus are more than ten, so basically, supply can’t meet demand, then another tussle starts between the passengers.

The Salesman might probably have more than ten products but he needs to stick to the script, he can sell the others in his next trip.

So let’s connect all this; in this short view, some processes took place but I’d just highlight the topline.

First is Need: as a brand it is important to know what makes your consumers tick and build around that. They would only respond favorable when they perceive that your brand understands their needs.

Second is Recognition: their needs are established but they also seek a person, place or thing that can solve it. Across the journey to fulfilling this need your brand has to be visible. With digital, you can effectively map your consumers online journey and engage them in the moment.

Third is Invitation: onboard your potential customer with a compelling call to action. It’s an important step in converting your prospective customers.

Fourth is Engagement: building trust and interactions with your consumer which has a way of shaping the way the brand is perceived.

Finally, Sales. I believe that if you can get into the minds of the consumers, getting into their pockets won’t be difficult (well except if they don’t have the money)

Advertising and marketing are swiftly evolving and I personally believe brands should invest in building a community- Niche or Mainstream because it converts the relationship from transactional to communal.