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Mastering digital-age marketing communications skills (3)
By Goke Ilesanmi
Last week, we examined guidelines for the digital marketing communications team. We said adoption of the Digital Marketing Communications strategy means there must be effective collaboration among the Information and Communications Technology, Marketing and Corporate Communication Departments to be able to achieve an impressive digital marketing result and corporate profitability. We discussed guidelines for the team to achieve success.
Specialised analytics tools
There are specialised tools that organisations can use to monitor communication activities and gauge the effectiveness of their (marketing) communications tools on digital platforms, including their corporate websites. They are called ANALYTICS TOOLS. There are many ANALYTICS TOOLS available, both for free and for fee. But it is important to set clear goals upfront, so that you know what to analyse.
Popular free, off-the-shelf tools for aggregating social media accounts and doing basic analytics include: Seesmic and Hootsuite. Other analytics tools are available, include:Westminster Reputation Tracker: This is used as a tool to help plan for communications activity as well as helping us to plan communications activity). It is also used to assess progress of campaigns throughout the year.
Web analytics: Web analytics is essentially about looking at how your website is being used. It gives you a feel for how many visits your site gets over a given time period, how many of these visits are unique, what the most popular pages are, as well as a whole range of other information. From an evaluation perspective, with web analytics we can relatively easily find out the impact of communications activity.
Nigerian English usage and digital-age challenges of global understanding
Research shows that the problem of Nigerian English usage is depriving many organisations and individuals in Nigeria of the opportunity of enhancing their business or career prospects globally due to communication breakdown. That is, even though the world has become a global village with many opportunities, due to information and communications technology explosion, lack of global understanding of the so-called Nigerian English has not allowed organisations and individuals here to reap bountifully.
Negative language transfer: Another feature of Nigerian English is negative language transfer. This refers to errors arising out of directly transferring (transliteration) expressions from our mother tongue into English. Examples of these errors are “I am coming” when you are actually going; “Do you understand what I have been saying since morning” even when you started in the afternoon; “They are calling you” when it is only one person that is calling the person; “Yes, I wasn’t” when we agree with a negative statement, etc. The correct expression for “I am coming” is “I will be (right) back” when it is the case you are actually going. “I am coming” is direct translation of the Yoruba expression “Mo n bo”.
Lack of knowledge of dictionary short forms: Examples of these abbreviations are “n” for noun; “v” for Verb; “adv” for Adverb; “adj” for Adjective; “pron” for Pronoun, etc. Lack of knowledge of these short forms makes many people in Nigeria pluralise uncountable nouns like “Potential”, “Fallout”, “Legislation”, “Equipment”, etc., despite the fact that the symbol [U] which means “Uncountable” is placed against them in the dictionary. Also, the abbreviation “adj” is placed against a word like “Mediocre” to show it is an adjective. But lack of knowledge of what the abbreviation “adj” means makes most Nigerians use the word as a noun by saying “You are mediocres” The correct usage is “You are mediocre people”.
Wrong redeployment of meanings: This is another feature of Nigerian English. It is about misinterpreting the original meanings of the existing words of English Language. Examples of words that have their meanings wrongly redeployed in Nigeria are “Do-or-Die”, “Tout”, “Dowry”, “Minerals”, etc. “Do-or-die” is a positive idiom that means “Strong determination” (check a dictionary). “Tout” means “Marketer” or “Canvasser” not “Hooligan”. “Dowry” basically refers to the money and other property that a bride gives to the bride-groom not money that a bridegroom pays on the bride as wrongly used in Nigeria.
We wrongly use “Minerals” for “Soft drinks”; “Hot drinks” for “Hard drinks”; “Machine” for “Motorcycle”. We have also wrongly created the word “Send-forth” in place of the correct version “Send-off”; “Drainages” in place of the correct one “Drains”. Most Nigerian speakers of English wrongly say “Send-forth” instead of “Send-off”, probably because the adverbial particle/preposition “off” is considered negative. Similarly, we use “Do-or-die” negatively probably because of the negative word “Die”.
Overgeneralisation of rules of English: The verb “Realise” has the noun “Realisation”, we often overgeneralise the rule by wrongly thinking the noun from the verb “Vandalise” is “Vandalisation” instead of the correct noun “Vandalism”. Also, because we have the idiomatic expression “The best/worst is yet to come”, we overgeneralise this idiom when we are using “Yet” with “To”-infinitive verbs in other situations. We wrongly say “I am yet to go there” instead of “I have yet to go there”.
Most speakers of Nigerian English wrongly say “I am a staff of this organisation” instead of “I am a member of staff of this organisation”. They also wrongly say “I that is not afraid” instead of “I that am not afraid”; “Night vigil” instead of “Vigil”; “Wake-keeping” or “Wake-keep” instead of the correct version “Wake”. They say “Doctorate degree” instead of the correct version “Doctorate” or “Doctoral degree”; “Electioneering campaign” instead of “Electioneering”.
Final note
Organisations that want to succeed in this digital age must reinforce their Traditional Marketing Communications tools with innovative Digital Marketing Communications strategies so as to enhance their reputation online and offline and therefore boost their profitability.
PS: For those making inquiries about our CV/Profile Writing and Speech Writing Services; Political Persuasion and Presentation Course; General Public Speaking and Business Presentation Course; Professional Writing Course, etc., please visit the website indicated on this page for details.
GOKE ILESANMI (FIIM, FIMC, CMC), CEO of Gokmar Communication Consulting, is an International Platinum Columnist, Professional Public Speaker, Career Mgt Coach and Certified Mgt Consultant. He is also a Book Reviewer, Biographer and Editorial Consultant. Tel: 08056030424; 08055068773; 08187499425
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.gokeilesanmi.com.ng
The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), has called on staff of the agency and Nigerians to imbibe safety and health measures as part of their lifestyle.
Mr Cyrus Nkangwung, Director, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), NOSDRA, made the call on Thursday in Abuja, while speaking with newsmen ahead of the 2024 Safety Week for staffers.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2024 World Day for Safety and Health at workplace would be commemorated on Sunday, April 28.
The theme of the event is “Exploring the Impact of Climate Change on Occupational Safety and Health.”
Nkangwung expressed concern that unsafe climate conditions had adversely affected the productivity of working people around the world.
He explained that one of the responsibilities of his department was to identify an unsafe climate condition, deemed to likely cause health hazards in the agency and provide necessary precautionary measure for staff.
“We are enlightening our staff to tell them that the consequence of climate change is as a result of some of our attitudes in homes and offices.
“To avoid such attitudes, we are creating awareness so we can have a better environment conducive for work,” he said.
Nkangwung, who decried the nonchalant attitude of some staff towards safety, implored them to desist from negative actions that could impede occupational safety and health in the agency.
He, therefore, urged the staff to make paramount the safety and health measures as articulated by the OSH Department.
“No staff of NOSDRA is worth losing his or her life in the course of discharging official duties and obligations due to the effective measures put in place to ensure occupational safety and health in the agency.”
He applauded the Director- General of NOSDRA, Mr Idris Musa for his unwavering support towards institutionalising the loft policy of occupational safety and health in the agency.
NAN also reports that as part of activities to mark the safety week, NOSDRA is organising lectures on safe driving culture and defensive driving, as well as a talk on basic first aid slated for Friday.
Other activities include, a health and fitness walk on Saturday in Abuja as well as seminar on fatigue /stress management on April 29 in Abuja.
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, vacated the warrant of arrest issued on Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff (CoS) to Gov. Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers.
Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling, agreed with the CoS’ counsel, Femi Falana, SAN, and Oluwole Aladedoye, SAN, who appeared for Ehie’s co-defendants, that the court lacked jurusidction to have granted the order.
Justice Nwite held that at the time the arrest warrant order was made, there was no pending charge before the court.
He, consequently, vacated the warrant issued for the police to effect Ehie and five others’ arrest.
The judge had, on Jan. 31, issued a warrant for the arrest of Ehie over his alleged involvement in the burning of part of the state’s House of Assembly on Oct. 29, 2023.
Those ordered to be arrested along with Ehie are Jinjiri Bala, Happy Benneth, Progress Joseph, Adokiye Oyagiri and Chibuike Peter also known as Rambo.
Justice Nwite gave the order while delivering a ruling in an ex-parte application brought by the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police’s lawyer, Simon Lough, SAN.
He granted the ex-parte application as canvassed by Lough on the grounds that the six defendants had been at large to stand their trial in a seven-count preferred against five other suspected arsonists currently being prosecuted before a sister court presided over by Justice Bolaji Olajuwon.
But Falana and Aladedoye filed separate motions on behalf of their clients
While Falana filed a motion seeking an order to set aside the Jan. 31 order made by Justice Nwite, Aladedoye filed an application for a stay of execution of the arrest order.
in a motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/112/2024 dated Feb. 2 and filed Feb. 7 by Falana, Ehie sought two orders, including “an order setting aside the order made on Jan. 31 for want of jurisdiction.
“An order of this honourable court staying the execution of the order made on the 31st January, 2024, pending the hearing and determination of this application.”
Giving six grounds of argument, Falana argued that the I-G (complainant) had not filed any criminal charge or motion before the court.
The senior lawyer argued that the court lacked the territorial jurisdiction to entertain the ex-parte application as the alleged offences of conspiracy, attempted murder, murder and arson took place in Port Harcourt, Rivers.
“He submitted that the court lacked the vires to grant an application to arrest and declare his clients wanted in respect of the alleged offences.
“The complainant/respondent (I-G) did not adduce evidence of terrorism in the affidavit in support of the application.
“The complainant/respondent did not cite any section of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2013 (as amended) alleged to have been contravened by the applicants,” he argued.
Also, Aladedoye in a motion on notice dated and filed Feb. 9 on behalf of the five defendants, sought two orders, including “an order staying execution or further execution of the order(s) of this honourable court made on the 31st of January, 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal filed by the applicants.
“An order of injunction restraining the complainant from carrying out or further carrying out the orders of this honourable court made on the 31st January, 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal filed by the applicant in this case.”
Giving three-ground argument, Aladedoye said that a notice of appeal had already been filed against Justice Nwite’s orders.
According to the senior lawyer, the notice of appeal contains grounds which challenge the jurisdiction of this honourable court.
He argued that their appeal would be rendered nugatory if their application was not granted.
The I-G had, in a charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2024, arraigned Chime Eguma Ezebalike, 37; Prince Lukman Oladele, 47; Kenneth Goodluck Kpasa, 40; Osiga Donald, 42; and Ochueja Thankgod , 35, before a sister court presided over by Justice Bolaji Olajuwon on Jan. 25 in Abuja.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the counts and were remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre.
The I-G, who arraigned them on a seven-count criminal charge bordering on terrorism and murder, declared Ehie and five others, said to be at large, wanted.
Ehie, who was later appointed as CoS after he resigned as member and factional speaker of the Rivers Assembly, was alleged to be among the suspects being charged by the I-G.
His resignation was said to be part of the agreements reached in the bid to reconcile Fubara and former Governor, Nyesom Wike, now the FCT Minister.
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