First Bank: Ensuring 'PR' To Sustain It's First Position

First Bank: Ensuring 'PR' To Sustain It's First Position

Once upon a time, its television and radio commercials voiced then by popular Nigeria  music act, Sunny Neji,  was ‘…bank pass bank’ with a pay off line that equally sounded ‘ Firstbank, truly the first’.  Without any iota of doubt, Firstbank Nigeria Plc, which is the oldest banking institution in Nigeria, even older than the country itself and Central Bank of Nigeria, put together, is indeed not only truly the first in statement but also the Numero uno in action.  The bank has continued to show that in all ramifications.

That it did again on November 28 2023, when it hosted a group of journalists, mainly from the online sector to an end of the year get together, even in November, at an Abule-Egba based Twinkle Lounge owned by an accomplished marketer and a one time Chief Executive Officer and Editor-in- chief of Global Excellence Magazine, Mrs Tosin Ajayi.

The gathering, which was attended by no less than 30 journalists, we were told was the first batch of such gathering and will continue next Sunday till Christmas.

And as expected of a gathering of such, there was good music from the steel wheels of DJ Lexy, food and drinks was apenty and the journalists did not disappoint as they  showed their dancing  skills on the dance floor.

In the words of Ismail Omamegbe, who led a three-man team made up of Mrs. Chinwe Bode-Akinwande and Kehinde Taiwo from the bank, the gathering was more than end of the year party but an opportunity to appreciate the journalists whom he described as partners in nation building;  to appreciate them for been there for the bank all these years through tick and thin for the bank.

Omamegbe on behalf of the bank promised that by the special grace of the almighty, the appreciation will continue and will always culminate into such  gathering every end of the year and appealed for patience from those who are yet to benefit from the bank’s advert as it will one day get to them.  A promise that was further clearified by Mrs. Bode-Akinwande who said that once a potential FirstBank online advert beneficiary, gets a contract form, fills it, submits it and it is approved, the next thing such a person gets is payment for the advert for the duration of the contract. According to her there is no stress, no hassles.

The appreciation and kind word for the members of the fourth estate of the realm, not only drew a prolonged applause from the gentlemen of the press but opened a floodgate of  positive testimonies  they have heard with the Marketing/Corporate Communication Department of the giant financial institution, headed by Mrs. Folake Ani-Mumuney, a truly good woman whose story is  for another day.

And first to speak on the good things the bank has done for him and which time cannot permit  him to tell them all, was Olabode Adeyeri the publisher of citizennewsng. Busting with  excitement, he narrated how a ‘simple’ article he wrote on his website was spotted by the eagle eyes  PR team of the bank and reached to him with lots of appreciations in form of advert.

Next was Jane Osanmor who said that as an  advert person for TopCekebrities, First Bank was too good to her. A relationship said, she is still enjoying even now that she is now a publisher of Jane fabulous.

Others who shared their positive experience with the bank, were the publishers  of midpoint.com,  TopCekebrities, Deputy Editor of Newdawnngr,The Gallant  News and Gist master to mention a few, all of who praised the bank’s stress way of paying for advert even before publication and wished that it will continue in that style