Airtel’s New TV ad excites target audience, generates fresh talkability on social media
The newly unveiled TV commercial by Aitrel, a leading telecom brand in the competitive Nigerian telephony market has been generating some excitement and sensation amongst its target audience.
Specifically, the sixty seconds TV commercial has been generating fresh talkability within the clan of social media commentators and avid industry watchers who are won’t keep mute in the face of the beautiful and lyrical rendition of the creative effort. Produced by Noah’s Ark, an avant-garde creative agency in Nigeria, the commercial with the theme “Free Your Mind” was rendered in the popular pidgin language so as to resonate with the Nigerian audience in a danceable, lyrical tunes laced with drama and eye-popping actions by the lead model, Igboro (stage name) but with the real names; Mr. Gabriel Afolayan, Airtel’s Brand Ambassador for some years now.
With its setting in a typical Nigerian mechanic workshop under a heavy shower of rain, the commercial creatively and dramatically depicts the age-long suspicion and mutual distrust between an average motorist and his mechanic. In the local and typical Nigerian situation, the mechanic whose primary duty is to carry out necessary repair works on vehicles brought to his workshop for servicing are always held in suspicion because of their penchant to cheat their customers. This characterization was brought out more poignantly by corporately attired Gabriel Afolayan, aka Igboro the ever restless car owner while monitoring the mechanic working on his car.
The essence of this whole drama is a direct metaphor on the telecoms industry renowned for suspicion and lack of trust. In the Nigerian telephony business, trust is always an issue between the service providers and the consumers. While some telecom players would publicise jumbo offers on their networks, across all media platforms, ostensibly to hoodwink and cajole subscribers it is often times discovered that such offerings on data and tariff, though well-advertised on Television are never delivered in practical terms to the consumers. This unwholesome social relationship has always characterized the industry thereby fuelling suspicion and mistrust between the telecom brand and their subscribers.
However, in the case of Airtel, the brand is telling the teeming subscribers of its “Smart Talk tariff” offering urging them to free their mind as what the network claims it is offering is what they will get. And that is that with “Smart Talk”, a subscriber will enjoy calls at 11 naira per second flat rate across all networks, no deceit! This, the brand demonstrated through the beautiful episode at the mechanic workshop.
Commenting on the creative philosophy behind this creative campaign, Creative Director at Noah’s Ark, Mr. Abolaji Alausa said the whole idea was borne out of Airtel’s genuine desire to assure its teeming subscribers that they do not need to exercise any fear over their offerings as the brand is ever loyal, sincere and sympathetic with its consumers. He confirmed the fact that there is an issue in the industry which borders on suspicion and lack of trust, as consumers most times don’t know whether most of those mouth-watering offers being advertised in the media are truly the value they get when they eventually patronize the offers.
Here, he hinted was the distinction between Airtel and other players as what is promised is what would be delivered, hence, consumers should “Free their Mind with Airtel Smart Talk. Since the creative campaign broke, it has attracted no fewer than two thousand comments across social media platforms.
Commenting on the commercial on his LinkedIn page, Brand and Communications Manager in a digital marketing agency, Mr. Adeniyi Adewunmi said: “I worked closely with Noah’s Ark and I can say their conceptualisation was always topnotch. From video contents to graphic designs for OOH and print materials, their delivery is always impressive.”
In her own comment, a broadcast journalist, Seth Igwe, disclosed that “she loves the narrative. “Igboro needn’t be at those places under such uncomfortable conditions if he had the Smart talk plan. Great work! I love it. The sound track did it for me,” she revealed. Similarly, an engineering graduate, passionate about brand communication, Oluwadamilola Adams said of the ad: “Lovely tune and video quality I must say, also, I loved the short break before the voice over came in.”
Continuing, Adams said: “Though I understood the concept of trust and free your mind, but I could not relate it to smart talk tariff seeking for further clarifications. Adams who claimed he has a pre and post production experience said “it seems the raindrops weren’t uniform and natural.” But overall, he said “this is a great Ad’, He said it will eventually fly, giving kudos to Noah’s Ark.
In his own comment, an online reputation manager, Chinomso Dimgba simply said: “I cannot help but laugh. Well done guys! This is the same sentiment expressed by Lola Okusanmi, a writer with a knack for storytelling. She said, “I love it!!! It’s funny and smart.”
The newly released TV ad appears to be following the footsteps of Airtel 4G campaign and “Meet the in-laws”. This TV campaigns demonstrate the power of mobile internet as a phenomenon that enriches life and keeps everyone connected irrespective of age, class, tribe or gender. Following the brand’s “Data is Life” campaign in 2016, the campaign has impacted greatly on the brand.
In recent times, almost all the creative campaigns by Airtel have become highly renowned and reputable. Not only do they win laurels and awards at different creative contests, they have been most favoured for resonance, talkability and easy recall, a feat which is by no means an easy task.
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