Tom Tom
…Encourages Youth to breathe deeply and keep going no matter the challenge
Tom Tom, the leading candy brand from Cadbury Nigeria Plc (a part of Mondelēz International), officially kicked off the “Breathe For It” Summit on Thursday, 24th March 2022, in a virtual gathering, as part of its efforts to champion and encourage youth creativity and drive.
Delivered as a panel session moderated by Motolani Alake, Editor, Strategic Partnerships and Lead, Pulse Podcast Network at Pulse Nigeria, key industry players shared insights for success within the entertainment sector, at the event. The panellists included famous Songwriter and Rapper Reminisce Alaga, Director, Integrated Marketing Communications, TeamApt; Osagie Alonge, Entertainment Lawyer; Foza Fawehinmi, A&R Consultant; Excel Joab; as well as Focus Ramon, a Music Producer and Sound Engineer. The event was aired for music and entertainment lovers and stakeholders to watch from the comfort of their homes.
Cadbury’s Category Lead (Gum and Candy) in West Africa, Morolake Emokpaire, gave more insight into the Company’s decision to champion this engagement. She said, “The reception we got from the audience on the summit, further emphasizes the reason we launched the “Breathe for it” campaign, which is to inspire, focus and build clarity in the pursuit of what Nigerian youth love. Our panelists were spot on in their delivery. You will agree with me that conversations about the music industry have to be made because it has become one of our largest exports as Nigerians and Africans.
“As we aim to engage more Nigerian youth to breathe deeply no matter the challenges they face, we have lined up activities like MTV Base Cypher that is ongoing, “Breathe for it” Verses Challenge 2.0, which is about to start, and so much more for them to show their talents in what interests them the most.”
During the summit, the panellists urged Nigerians to always remember the history of Afrobeat as it evolves into a global sensation. According to Osagie Alonge, the evolution of Afrobeat is a combination of the creatives, creative managers, brands, and technology. He said, “It’s a combination of a few things. However, we also have to look at the people who have driven the culture and not just the music, like the managers, brands and others in the creative space that have collaborated with these artists.”
Excel Joab further explained the role of technology in the Nigerian music industry and its evolution in the last seven years, noting that people have started to see the value of music, which is why they subscribe to streaming platforms. While Reminisce Alaga viewed artists and producers as the drivers of the industry, Focus Ramon encouraged the wider Nigerian community to stop devaluing the hard work producers and sound engineers put into creating songs. Foza Fawehinmi highlighted the need for players in the industry to be intentional and hardworking to attract more investors who can contribute to building an efficient structure that enhances the efforts of current active stakeholders.
The event, which saw Reminisce perform his trending song, “Hustle”, also ushered in a new era for Mani Lapussh, as the summit marked the premiere for his and Rema’s new song collaboration. This is one of the many benefits of his signing a contract as Tom Tom Boy.
Members of the audience who tuned in to the event were treated to an exclusive listening session ahead of the proposed official release of the song across all music streaming platforms.
The “Breathe for It” campaign was introduced in 2021 to help the younger generation build capacity in a key passion area - music. The campaign, through which Cadbury has signed two artistes - Rema and Mani Lapussh - as Brand Ambassador and Tom Tom Boy, respectively, promises to deliver more exciting activities for Nigeria’s youth.
Cadbury’s powerhouse of candies comprises the nation’s beloved No.1 candy brand, Tom Tom, its sub variant Tom Tom Freshlime and the fun-filled and exciting Buttermint, as well as Cadbury coffee and caramel-flavored candies, two recently launched variants of candy, which were introduced after listening to the yearnings of its consumers. Since its introduction in 1970, Cadbury’s Tom Tom has remained the leading candy brand in Nigeria. The brand, which is beloved by millions of loyal consumers in Nigeria and beyond, has grown to become the biggest and strongest candy brand in the Nigeria market.
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