Chief executive of Omatek Computers Limited, Mrs. Florence Seriki, has said that the only acceptable language when it comes to certified branding of any product is its quality.
Seriki was speaking at a one-day summit on IT Future for chief executive members of the Information Technology (Industry) Association of Nigeria (ITAN) in Lagos.
She said that any body both individual or organisations itching to have a certified brand must equally be consistent through conscious efforts to improve on a given product.
Mrs. Seriki was commenting on the topic: 'How to create your own certified brand', said attention must be focused on the quality of the product if it is expected to be of world class.
"Quality is the only language that is understood when it comes to building a certified brand," she said.
She pointed out that the process of branding should not be seen as a one-stop attempt but continuous. "That is to say that by extension your product does not become a certified brand from day one but you build it over time," Mrs Seriki advised.
The process of building one's own certified brand begins with the builder having a vision of what he or she really wants to create. Without that vision, the planner could easily get discouraged when faced with some challenges.
In addition, she said that building certified brands require the creation of a highly unique identity for the organisation in question, which must include the name, its product or services, company logo and even colour, "are all important in building a certified brand."
Equally very important, she said, is the determination of the visionary to promote the created image because the world needs to know about the brand.
"Our story I believe is a familiar one to most of us but it was a small beginning and today we are one of the certified locally made computers in the country," she said, adding that Omatek as a brand is making concerted efforts to be the best that it could but nothing less than the world class.
She emphasised the importance of partnering with other world-class companies and bigger organisations and individuals in order to have adequate finance so as to effectively build the desired quality brand.
"You must be a master of the industry you are going into because knowledge is power," Mrs. Seriki warned.
Omatek, she recalled began as Omatek Ventures Limited and has since transformed into other subsidiaries, which commenced business in 1988 as a major reseller for Compaq, IBM, Acer, Apple and a host of other world recognised names in computer manufacturing.
"The company has done so much in moving these products to the extent of being appointed a premium partner for Compaq, senior partner for IBM, Apple and Microsoft to name a few."
"To date it still polls up to $1 million turnover for these products annually," she said, stressing that it is a process that showed that branding is on-going.
She also saide "Today, Omatek Ventures Limited, still remains a reckoning force in the provision of computer products and services to a number of banks, oil companies and government agencies."
In year 2000, she said, Omatek Computers Limited was formed under the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) scheme in partnership with two of Nigeria?s biggest banks Zenith International Bank Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc.
