For meeting international quality standards which has made it the toast of stout consumers in Nigerian, Legend Extra Stout – the premium stout from the stable of Nigerian Breweries Plc – has received the prestigious Gold Quality Award at the 51st Monde award ceremony held recently in Athens, Greece. And true to its style of always putting its consumers first, the brand held an elaborate celebration party at the Nightshift Coliseum to officially present the award to the consumers and other stakeholders.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Walter Drenth, Marketing Director of Nigerian Breweries said that, every time Legend calls, it does so to share and celebrate good news. “You are all living witnesses to the tremendous strides the Legend brand has made over the years, establishing itself as a Real stout on many counts and refreshing its outlook uniquely. Over the past 20 years, the Legend brand has continued to position itself as a credible choice of stout, full brewed, the way an original stout should – giving Legend the credibility to be called the ‘Real Deal,’ – a sincere proposition that has sustained the brand s’ growth since the re-launch and acceptance in 2009.”
He reminded the consumers that the campaigns at the re-launch further rides on the brands’ real brewed positioning with emphasis on the production processes considered desirable for a real stout. This innovation, according to him, has had a tremendous positive impact on the brand’s volume, market share and overall equity.
“Today”, Drenth added “Legend has an unprecedented story of being the fastest growing stout brand in the Nigerian stout market, extremely outclassing others in the category. Thanks to the loyal consumers for their patronage and steadfastness. I have no doubt that you are aware of our high performances over the years both in blind tests and several other testimonies from consumers; Legend has remained remarkably unique in taste and quality.”
Not done with what stands the brand out after such a short time playing in a market where there is a dominant brand that has been around for more than a century, the Marketing Director stressed that the brand custodians’ passion for consistent quality check over the years pushed Legend to take another bold step to validate its quality by participating in an internationally recognized taste and quality evaluation Panel named MONDE Selection Institute, independently evaluating for quality since 1961 and based in Brussels, the capital of Europe.
“Bearing in mind, the ever reliable and independent nature of the quality evaluation of Monde selection process, which is second to none in the entire world, Legend entered the 2012 quality challenge alongside over 3000 contestants including other brands in the stout category from Nigeria. You will agree with me that it takes excellence in the crafting and delivery of music to win a Grammy. To win an Oscar, it takes the ability to hold an international audience spell bound with great acting; and just of recent, we observed in the Olympic, winning Gold takes the combination of preparation, peculiarity, diligence and strength.”
Funso Ayeni, Senior Brand Manager – Legend, stated that the award is for the Nigerian consumer that has stood with and believed in the brand over the years. “Our consumers have been great over the years; they encourage us to continue to brew the best tasting stout brand in the country. The fact that this award came from a renowned international authority, after passing through a series of quality control tests, goes to show that the quality of Legend is unique.” Ayeni added.
Monde Selection, an International Institute for Quality Selections is the originator of the annual international event organized to identify and recognise outstanding global brands. Founded in 1961 in Brussels, the capital of Europe, the Institute tests consumer goods from different global markets and grant them internationally renowned quality award based on independent quality evaluation of products submitted for evaluation. Other stout brands from the Nigerian market also submitted products for evaluation, but Legend was awarded Gold ahead of Guinness Extra Stout, its main competitor, which came second with Silver award.
Averagely, No less than 3000 products, coming from over 80 different countries, are usually tested each year in the following categories: Spirits & Liqueurs, Beers, Waters & Soft Drinks, Food Products Chocolates & Confectionery, Cereal Products, Diet & Health products, Cosmetics & Toiletries.
Each year, from October to January, products are registered at Monde Selection. Then, over a 4 month period, the Institute calls upon more than 70 internationally renowned experts to evaluate the quality of the products presented. Each quality selection has its own experienced jury. Judges will then evaluate the product by filling in individual evaluation forms with up to 20 different parameters.
Each jury is made up of minimum 8 experts and is chaired by a long experienced judge. For further laboratory tests, Monde Selection cooperates with public and private institutions such as CERIA, BRUCEFO, Institut Meurice and Euroconsultant.
Legend is the only real brewed stout with a complete brewing process that delivers an exciting bitter taste with rich long-lasting foam head giving Legend the sole respect of being called “The Real Deal.” Being a brand that has been around for over two decades, it is the fastest growing and widely affordable stout that excites consumers.
Source: Marketing World Mag
