by Remon Geyser (@remongeyser) Previously, we uncovered how local brands are engaging the affluent Nigerians — and shed light on some consumer insights. Today, our Springleap Nigerian creative panel unpacks the creative and strategic deliverables of two recent, popular Nigerian ads.
Glo Nigeria’s “Bounce” print ad has a much wider target market, and the surrounding campaign has been implemented on various media platforms. The language has also been fine-tuned for region-specific broadcasting (there are approximately 521 languages spoken in Nigeria today). This has enabled the campaign to attract the attention of young Nigerians living in both urban and rural hubs.
Nike’s “Find Your Fast” TVC was not produced in Nigeria; the advert is part of an international campaign. To reinforce its athletic brand identity and advertise the new Zoom Air shoe, Nike has released a “fast-paced” TVC which plays on the idea of speed and challenges the audience to keep up with the ballistic scene changes. The adrenaline-pumped video uses many strategic tactics to ensure a universal appeal, such as using world-famous athletes as actors/actresses. According to our panel, Blessing Okagbare, a Nigerian runner and the fastest women in Africa, is an ambassador for the Nike Zoom Elite 8 running shoe.
Both ads are popular for their localised relevancy, as they both use Nigerian icons to push for hype and familiarity (Glo uses local singers, Naeto C and WAJE, in its print ad).
Nike: “Find Your Fast”
Agency: Must Be Something
Always driven forward by the presence of athletes, Nike’s “Find Your Fast” TVC pushes the idea of taking things to the next level. According to our panel, the core message that most Nigerians would associate with the ad is simply “So, you think you’re fast?”. And, who’s faster than a professional soccer player? Lionel Messi (forward for Barcelona’s soccer team) makes an appearance in the ad, too, and Nigerians resonate with him due to his being considered one of the best soccer players in the world.
Our panel places emphasis on the messaging of the ad. Essentially, it’s to communicate that, if one wears a pair of Nike Air Zoom Elite running shoes, adrenaline and stealth on the track will be your reward. It seems to pull through and resonate well with the target market; the idea of facing challenges and “changing your life’s game” is an effective attention-grabber for local and global consumers.
The TVC is trending in Nigeria, and our panel has stipulated that it has caused a lot of “online conversation”. This is due to the direct hype that is linked to consumers and local personalities, as well as the impressive amount of football fans in the country.
Glo Nigeria: “Bounce”
Globacom Limited (Glo) Nigeria, one of the country’s biggest telecommunications providers, has recently promoted its “Glo Bounce” cellular package, a service which has been relaunched. Targeting young adults (specifically students), a striking print ad communicates the features of the Glo Bounce package in detail.
The message is easy to understand: Glo Bounce is offering subscribers free data at competitive cellular rates. In Pan Africa, the mobile industry is fiercely competitive. Other local players in Nigeria, such as MTN, Etisalat and Airtel, are all competing for the majority market share. Globacom is ranking second with just under 30m subscribers (MTN holds first place at 58.98m). [africanbusinesscentral.com 2015]
Our panel stresses that the message is delivered effectively, noting that the clarity of the typography ultimately ties the message together. This print ad, however, is only one element of a campaign rollout including TVCs, radio spots, flyers and social media campaigns, and has been aimed at reaching out to nonsubscribers, as value for money is an attractive feature in the market. The strategy has been successful, as students have started to purchase Glo sim cards, and activate Bounce.
Insights
Nike and Glo are two very different companies from polar opposite industries. However, we have another shining example of how impactful it is for consumers to see their local celebrities in adv.
Nigerians are paying a lot of attention to Nike’s “Find Your Fast”, thanks to the brand’s association to athletes — Nigerian athletes are world-renowned, but idolised in their own country. The action-pumped and high energy levels have captured attention, and give Nigerian audiences a taste of what it would feel like to run in a pair of Nike Zoom Elite 8 running shoes. This is another example of how an international brand can land its messaging well in Nigeria.
Glo’s “Bounce” print ad is effective, too, because of its clear communication, which resonates well with the market. Adjusting the executions with regional communication strategies has helped drive its relevance and understandability in those areas. What with the cellular industry constantly battling it out in a heated brand war for market share, Nigerians are benefiting from cheaper and cheaper deals.
Advice for South African brands
- Current view of SA: Our panel has mentioned that Nigerians love ads from other countries. However, due to the recent xenophobic attacks in SA this year (of which many Nigerian expats were affected), it could be a smart move to strategically empathise before rolling out a campaign.
- Local brand ambassadors: After doing so, using a local personality as a brand ambassador should resonate very well with the market. As we know, this is not unique to Nigeria but, considering the current view of SA, if would help to show that Nigerian celebrities are “supporting” our brands.
- Communicating fair pricing: Many Nigerians are used to a competitive marketplace. Brands might engage with consumers more organically if they are introducing products/services at what could be considered bargain prices.
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Remon Geyser (@remongeyser) is a burger fanatic, wine connoisseur and eSports enthusiast (yes, a fancy term for playing computer games). He is also the research lead for Springleap, heading up a new global creative research division while obscurely attempting a PhD. Springleap provides instant creative expert feedback to rock marketing ROI. Remon contributes the new weekly “Talk Africa” column, covering Pan-African trends, on MarkLives.com.
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