With the presentation of keys of brand new Honda Accord 2011 model cars to Messrs Ubong Ekpe, Nsude Emmanuel and Akaanmongu Marcellinus, the 2011 edition of the Gulder National Consumer Promo came to an end. Thus, the curtains were drawn to what has been described as one of the most successful customer loyalty rewards schemes in recent times.

On hand to present the final set of cars to lucky winners was Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde, Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Breweries Plc. He described the promo as the Gulder brand’s way of rewarding customer loyalty. He said: “We came up with this scheme as a means of rewarding our loyal customers. It is Gulder’s way of saying thank you for the patronage the beer brand has enjoyed over the years.”

Mr. Vervelde however advocated responsible drinking during the prize presentation. “Even though we are rewarding consumers of the Gulder beer brand, we advocate that consumers should drink responsibly. We take the health and safety of our consumers very seriously” he cautioned.

For the winners, they professed that the brand new car prizes would change their lives forever. Mr. Emmanuel, a 33 year old bar operator from  Ankpa, Kogi State, stated that he was overwhelmed as he was wary of promotions. “This is unbelievable, because even as a Beer Parlour operator I never believed it was real, but today I am a brand new car owner courtesy of the Ultimate in beer, Gulder.”

Ubong Ekpe,a 30 year old Marketing coordinator at Katchey Limited, Surulere, Lagos said he was short of words to describe his how he felt. He however declared that he had become an ambassador of the Gulder brand. “I am overwhelmed by this gesture of Nigerian Breweries, I will forever live the Gulder Ultimate brand” he professed.

Mr. Akaanmongu Marcellinus, a 35 year old security guard at Tijays Venture, it was a case of twice being lucky. He had heard his name announced on national television, but he could not find his crown cork; hence he could not redeem his prize, a few weeks ago. Luck however shone on him, when he found the misplaced crown cork, thus giving him the opportunity to redeem his prize.

“My life will never remain the same again; I am a poor man and never dreamt of buying a car of this grade in my life time. But Gulder has turned my life around, and I will forever remain grateful” he stated.

The 2011 edition of the Gulder National Consumer Promo which commenced on April 8, 2011, formally came to an end on May 31, 2011; while the final presentation of cars to the winners took place on June 8. During the period, consumers of the Gulder brand won various sums of cash prizes weekly, from N100, 000 to N400, 000. Twenty four lucky individuals also won brand new Honda Accord 2011 cars. 

Even though the promotion has formally ended, Nigerians have craved for more, wishing the promo could continue. Chidi Chibuzor, who watched the promo draws and prize presentation commended Nigerian Breweries, manufacturers of Gulder for the initiative. “My favourite part while watching it on TV was the joy expressed by the winners. I have seen some of them say that they never believed that they could win cars in their lives. I think Gulder has brought joy to the lives of these individuals.”
Akin Mohammed, a Civil Servant from Lagos also commended Gulder for the initiative. “Even though I participated and did not win, I commend Gulder for this. Companies usually embark on promotions for the sake of making profit, but I don’t think it is the case with Nigerian Breweries. I think they just wanted to thank Nigerians for patronizing their beer. I want other companies to follow this example.

The Gulder Ultimate Promo also attracted important Nigerian personalities who witnessed the transparency of the promo as they met with the prize winners. Notable among these were Segun Odegbami and Fanny Amun, both popular sports personalities. While Segun Odegbami, a former player of Nigeria’s Nations cup winning team of 1980 lauded the promo for its transparency; Fanny Amun, the coach of the 1993 Under – 17 winning team described the promo as a form of economic empowerment and corporate social responsibility initiative by Nigerian Breweries.