COMPETITIVE PARITY AND MARKETING PERFORMANCE OF NIGERIA BREWERIES PLC.

Abstract

Nigeria, just like most alcohol drinking countries around the world, is in the middle of a brutal beer war that has seen competing beer makers suffer declining bottom lines in exchange for higher market share. In Nigeria, this battle is currently between three major brewers: International Breweries, Guinness Nigeria and Nigeria Breweries. Keen competition among producers in the breweries industry had led to the search for production strategy and cost management technique to survive and outwit competitors. These goals, strategies and techniques are known as competitive parity. In the light of this, the study evaluates the competitive parity and marketing performance of Nigeria Breweries Plc in Nigeria amidst the stiff competition from other formidable beer brands. The paper derives its justification from the stiff rivalry that has characterized the high promotion war amongst firms in the industry, and the attendant tendency of adversaries. The competition amongst firms in an industry is identified as bearing on a contest to gain brand superiority, thereby shifting emphasis to place and promotion utilities of the marketing mix. The study relied on extant literature survey to identify strategic and tactical imperatives for survival of firms in the industry. It contended that defensive strategies and PEST analysis are sine quo non for competitive intelligence to sustain realistic and impactful existence in the highly competitiveness in the world of breweries in Nigeria.