Brands/Products
Building Your Corporate Image Through Public Relations
By Sunday Ikwuagwu
Every organisation exists with a corporate identity unique to itself and distinguishing it from others, regardless of how similar they may be. It transcends visual elements which may include logo, colours, fonts, pay offs and other graphics associated with the company.
Creating a holistic corporate identity presupposes taking into account all aspects which define the organization’s purpose and everything it stands for. This includes the Vision, Mission, Core Values, Corporate Culture and Governance and Business Goals of the company.
Proactively building a corporate identity will ensure an organization’s consistency and coherence when engaging its internal and external stakeholders, elicit renewed confidence and trust and distinguish it from competitors.
While corporate identity is how an organisation wants to be perceived by the public, corporate image is the actual public perception of the company, and managing that perception is very crucial. The ultimate aim of a company is the exact alignment of corporate identity with corporate image, so that the public views the company exactly as the company wants to be seen.
The overall business success of a company will depend on its corporate image which attracts attention and sustains consumer loyalty. Every organisation, no matter how large or small, ultimately depends on its image and reputation for survival and success.
In today’s evolving and competitive market, a positive corporate image is a company’s greatest asset and should be considered a strategic priority that must be achieved. A favourable corporate image will help an organisation gain a competitive advantage and a fair share of the market.
Deploying an effective Public Relations strategy in achieving a favourable organizational image requires skilful and adept planning which incorporates situation analysis, defining target and publics, defining objectives, media selection, budgeting, implementation, control and monitoring and evaluation.
In developing a strategy to successfully build and enhance your corporate image, you must analyse trends. Investigate the current situation of the organisation from the public standpoint. This is also called Perception Audit. By doing this, you detect the current perception ratio of the negatives versus the positives and neutralize the negatives before it turns into a conflagration that could do serious damage to your business.
American business magnate and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffet, said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
Identifying your key target audiences is very crucial in building a favourable image. Your target audiences will consist of a mix of external and internal groups, including customers, clients, partners, employees, government, investors, media and industry professionals.
It’s important to be very specific when defining your audiences. You need clarity about the groups you are targeting to craft an effective strategy that will speak directly to their unique concerns.
Enhancing your company’s image basically involves communicating your successes to the widest possible audience. You excerpt testimonials, awards, and other accolades in your communication materials, in the media, on your website, social media handles, and physical (and virtual) spaces around your business environment.
When your various publics come in contact with this information, it will make a positive brand impression that is likely to cause them to have a positive perception about your company and tell people they know through their networks. By this, you can leverage your earned corporate image to increase your business profitability and make positive impressions on existing and potential customers, prospects, future employees, vendors, and all your constituents.
Developing clear and concise messages that stimulate the public’s interest in your company is vital. Your messages must be stakeholder focused. A feedback mechanism is also very necessary to elicit responses from various stakeholders and make adjustments arising from negative public outcry that could threaten the business.
Cultivating a healthy relationship with the media and implementing an effective media relations strategy will help mitigate negative consequences when your company falls into a crisis situation. A robust media relationship offers higher credibility and helps in building corporate presence and reinforce brand image using the media.
It is important to get involved in Corporate Social Investment. Engaging in CSI is a good way to build a favourable corporate image and renew public confidence in your company. It projects the company’s reputation and creates the picture of a responsible business, which can in turn, lead to competitive advantage.
The advantages accruable from CSI include positive business reputation, positive media attention, easier access to finance, government recognition, increased sales and customer loyalty, ease of doing business, greater ability to attract talent and retain staff, and organisational growth.
Corporate Sponsorship is another smart way to increase your company’s brand visibility, awareness and ultimately your company’s corporate image. Sponsorship gives your company the opportunity to boost the perceived image of your business, gain media exposure and build your brand authority.
The more your company’s brand name is associated with positive experiences or emotions through sponsorships, the stronger your corporate image will be.
Improving your company’s corporate culture in also very necessary. The internal stakeholders form an integral part of the business, and are the immediate face of the organization. It is important to align them with the business goals, values, vision and mission of your company through an effective internal communications structure. The public disposition of an employee creates a certain image of the organization in the minds of the public.
Incorporating image as part of corporate strategy and investing in reputation management requires a diligent, strategic approach. The tactic needs to be consistent, targeted and factual in support of an organization’s long-term business plans. It has been proven that investing in a quality image provides an ongoing return that organizations can measure in many ways.
Once you take steps to build and protect your corporate image, you can benefit greatly by implementing measures to leverage the positives. Most important of all, a good corporate image will provide a solid foundation on which you can build a successful business.
Always remember that how the public perceives your brand is vital to the success of your business. For that reason, investing in conscious efforts to improve your public image is one of the most effective ways to grow your business and become successful in your industry.
Sunday Ikwuagwu is the Principal Consultant at Walmond Communications Limited. He can be reached on 08181407842, 08070857968, [email protected] or www.walmondcommunications.com.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A leading provider of integrated electromechanical solutions in Nigeria, JMG Limited, recently showcased real-world impact of its solar and hybrid energy solutions across key sectors of the economy to members of the media.
At the media tour held at JMG’s head office in Lagos, the Chief Commercial Officer of JMG, Mr Rabih Jammal, stressed the urgent need for Nigeria to accelerate its adoption of renewable energy solutions.
“Clean energy is no longer a future concept – it is happening now – and it is working. At JMG, we are not just advocating for renewables; we are delivering them.
“From our 150-kilowatt solar installation at our Victoria Island head office to multiple large-scale deployments nationwide, we have proven that clean energy works technically, commercially and financially,” he said at the event hosted to commemorate the International Day of Clean Energy.
According to him, JMG’s solar and hybrid projects have helped clients save millions of naira in diesel costs, improve energy reliability and significantly reduce carbon emissions.
“As more countries move toward sustainable solutions, clean energy has become an economic imperative for Nigeria. It enhances competitiveness, lowers operating costs and enables communities. This is only the beginning as we will continue to invest in solar solutions, technology, partnerships and people to scale clean energy across the country,” he added.
Also speaking, the Head of Marketing at JMG, Ms Oluwatomi Faniran, described clean energy as a core responsibility embedded in the company’s business strategy.
“At JMG, clean energy is more than technology; it is a responsibility. Our track record speaks for itself,” Ms Faniran said, highlighting the successful deployment of solar hybrid systems at NIPCO fuel stations, the powering of a government state house, and energy-efficient solutions delivered at facilities such as Nourdm Global and Rack Centre.
With decades of experience delivering solutions that enhance comfort, safety and efficiency across residential, commercial and industrial spaces, JMG operates across critical business units including conventional and renewable power, electrical infrastructure, HVAC systems, elevators and escalators, air compressors and energy-efficient technologies. Its operations are backed by internationally recognised ISO certifications in quality management, health and safety, and environmental sustainability.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Top payment solutions company, Paystack, has launched a holding company, known as The Stack Group (TSG), in its bid to aggregate the tech-focused family of brands connected with the Paystack brand.
TSG founding shareholders include Stripe, Shola Akinlade (Founder and CEO of Paystack), and existing Paystack employees. The agreements establishing TSG as the parent holding company were signed in October 2025, and are subject to the requisite regulatory approvals.
The announcement comes as Paystack celebrates its 10-year anniversary in January 2026.
Since its acquisition by Stripe in 2020, Paystack has grown its payment volume by 12x and is licensed and operational in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, with regulatory approvals for Egypt and Rwanda, representing 46 per cent of Africa’s GDP, the company said in a press statement.
The statement added that this product-first approach to pan-African growth has led to Paystack becoming profitable at the group level.
The development follows the recent launch of Paystack MFB in Nigeria after it acquired Ladder Microfinance Bank in its push into consumer products.
The company noted that as a standalone bank, Paystack MFB allows the group to internalise core financial rails and provide the banking and credit infrastructure required by over 300,000 Nigerian merchants.
“These capabilities enable the development of elegant, compliant, and much-needed end-to-end money-movement solutions and will continue to power the company’s mission of building technology solutions for Africa, to power African ambition,” parts of the statement added.
TSG will provide a corporate umbrella for a family of complementary brands that are solving Africa-specific challenges, while remaining operationally independent. At the outset, TSG will include merchant payments solution, Paystack, its controversial consumer payments product, Zap, the recently launched Paystack Microfinance Bank and TSG Labs, which will serve as hub for emerging technologies and building new products both within and beyond financial technology.
According to Mr Akinlade, “The launch of TSG signals a larger scope of ambition for us and sets the tone for the next decade of our company. Having worked with thousands of companies across the continent since 2016, it is clear that there are significant opportunities to support businesses beyond payments, and TSG enables us to address the challenges African companies face.”
“Thank you to the Stripe team for their continued belief in Africa’s potential, and our ability to create transformative technology companies for the continent, and beyond,” he added.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A new mobile application powered by Comviva’s mobiquity Pay platform known as Global Pay has been launched by Oman’s leading money exchange company, Global Money Exchange Co. LLC (GMEC).
The unveiling aligns with Oman’s national digital transformation vision and reinforces GMEC’s commitment to delivering innovative, secure, and inclusive digital financial solutions for daily life.
“The Global Pay App enables secure and efficient local and international payment transactions,” the Chairman of Global Money Exchange said, Mr Sheikh Sulaiman Abdulmalik Abdullah Al Khalili, stated.
He added that the platform is PCI-DSS certified, underscoring GMEC’s commitment to the highest standards of payment security and data protection, expressing confidence that “the mobile application will be widely used by the Omani Nationals and expatriates.”
The Managing Director of Global Money Exchange, Mr Subromoniyan K S, disclosed that “customers can conveniently pay utility bills and educational fees without the need for a bank account, thereby supporting broader financial inclusion.”
He further noted that the platform enables merchants to accept QR-based payments from customers of any bank or service provider in Oman, ensuring full interoperability across the payment’s ecosystem.
“The Global Pay app is supported by a comprehensive customer support framework. Customers can visit any of our branches across Oman for assistance or contact a dedicated customer support helpline for prompt resolution of queries,” the General Manager of Global Money Exchange, Mr Sonam Dorje, said.
On his part, the chief executive of Comviva, Mr Rajesh Chandiramani, said, “We are delighted to accelerate Global Money Exchange’s digital transformation journey with mobiquity® Pay- our scalable, cloud-ready digital payments platform built to support rapid growth and seamless expansion. Global Pay exemplifies our commitment to empowering financial institutions across the Middle East to deliver world-class digital experiences that drive financial inclusion.”
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