The year 2018 has, without a doubt, been an eventful one for players in the marketing communications industry and consumers alike, and as we count down to 2019, the birds are already singing happily of how much of a good year it will be. Individuals and corporate bodies are getting set, putting everything in place to ensure they make the best of 2019’s offerings, at least the first half of it most certainly; thanks to the general elections.
Expectedly, and for obvious reasons, many have forecast the industry as one of the few that will enjoy massive attention and patronage. Whether or not the industry is ready for this immense attention is a conversation for another day. For now, in no particular order, here are 18 events, brands and campaigns I found remarkable in the course of this year.
Mama Di Mama: Just when we thought the “cola war” was over and we had a winner already (you decide for yourself who that is), Coca-Cola hit us big with a new SKU, Mama, and with it, did the ‘unthinkable’ while still staying true to their essence of welling happy emotions in their consumers. The decision to tell a stronger story of family, unity and togetherness, as against merely selling a product, was ingenious. So was the choice of ‘models’ for the ad/campaign.
Bank Wars: Twitter was set ablaze on this day, understandably so, seeing how Nigerian banks abandoned their prim-and-proper-goody-two-shoes status and joined commoners to play on the streets of savagery. While I am still unsure if or not to prop the bank that started the war, I cannot deny that I like their daredevil move to trouble the waters. What’s more interesting is how the bank has leveraged the attention to continue to actively push its one-customer agenda while still introducing new products.
Man in the Box: A man suspended in a box! Who would have thought it possible? But MTN didn’t only think it so, they pulled it through, even though it didn’t have as much effect as it would have, had the man stayed in the box for longer than he did, say 3 more weeks (just kidding) or, more importantly, if the stunt had resonated with the service been offered. Good one anyway.
Indomie Relish: A rather quirky strategy I must say, but something about it got me hmmm. Pairing Toke Makinwa and Don Jazzy as anchors for a conversation centered around the special one got the brand the attention it needed to make an impression.
Nike: About the most controversial campaign of the year. Nike dared all odds with the choice of Colin Kaepernick as an ambassador for the celebration of the 30th anniversary of their Just Do It campaign. So ‘good’ was the execution that, not only did it attract the World’s attention, it got as many pairs off their rack as fast as possible and a few more burnt. But then, what’s a good campaign without some backlash?
Whole Flaked Inside: Although the campaign was more reactive than proactive, NASCO sure made an impact with it; communicating actively why corn flakes lovers should prefer theirs over competition and stressing the ‘whole flaked’ nature of theirs.
King of Beers: Budweiser’s rather ‘rude’ entrance made this one of my favourite. The confident way the brand asserted kingship in a keenly dominated market is something worthy of note, quite daring actually. Moreover, they had a rich line-up of activities to back it up. Each activity adding to the brand’s big picture and helping it maintain its premium positioning.
Jameson Connect: Quite interesting is how the whisky brand thought it was about time Nigerian youngsters started connecting offline as much as they do online, and then they become the enabler of such. Definitely not a new idea, but the brand continued this year with as much energy, and it sure earned them a soft spot with consumers.
H2Oh: Of the several new products introduced this year, H 2 Oh stood out, hit the rocks and caused it to shatter with, not just the rather dramatic introduction, but also the very well-coordinated communication. The brand ambassadors and the OOH activities added some excitement to the entire mix.
Read Part (2) here