by Uche Briggs

 The guerrilla marketing tactic adopted that saw Saka ‘port’ was very brilliant and generated a lot of attention and respect. MTN may be losing the porting wars but this was a great show nonetheless.

The Nigerian marketing space is a battle field with brands armed with creativity & scientific diagnosis. The spoils of victory are market share and a sizeable share of consumer’s mind and heart. Here are some adverts that advanced that cause in Nigeria for the various brands – in no particular order.

1. MTN Portability Advert

The guerrilla marketing tactic adopted that saw Saka ‘port’ was very brilliant and generated a lot of attention and respect. MTN may be losing the porting wars but this was a great show nonetheless.

2. Honeywell WheatMeal

Some will frown at this but for a brand at the initial stage of its product life cycle, the two key things needed are awareness and memorability. For a mass market product brand purchased by a predominantly illiterate populace, this advert delivered on set objectives.

If the soundtrack is playing in your head right now, it only buttresses the above fact. The visuals leave a lot to be desired though. Why were they dancing? Why was there no meat in the soup? Questions, questions.

3. Glo ‘Village Dance”

This advert is an instruction manual on how to make celebrity endorsement work for a brand and not the other way round. This one tugged at the hearts of many. The storyline was good, the execution even more impressive.

4. Guinness Made of More

Cut from the same cloth as the famous ‘Udeme’ advert, this ad elicits the greatness that Arthur Guinness worked so hard to put in one bottle.

God bless the dead.

5. Glo ‘Wheelz 4 Mealz’

One thing we have learnt is that Globacom knows how to throw money around when advertising. Sometimes they achieve success, other times it is an astonishing disappointment (Glo Bounce Ad with MI). This however is a beauty to behold.

6. Guinness Football Manager

Totally hilarious. Well scripted and interpreted. Only grudge here are the subtle colonial undertones.

7. Fayrouz Be Original

No advert captures the essence of the Nigerian youth demography like this one. It appeals to a sense of individualism that drives the youth. I’m in love with it.

8. Malta Guinness Energy of Africa

A delightfully executed advert that crossed borders and displayed the cultural varieties of Africa. Great blend of the advert.

9. OLX “Easy Steps”

A memorable advert that drove talk value and incorporated a call to action with its detailed steps. David Ogilvy would be proud.

10 Shop At Konga.Com

This was a great way to influence a seismic shift in purchase behaviour. The Konga advert exploits the power of narratives to influence cognitive value. Great stuff.