Glo and use of storytelling in advertising
Several television commercials (TVCs) recently released by telecommunications company, Globacom, underscore the increasing use of storytelling as a strategy by brands globally to connect with their diverse audiences.
Storytelling involves the use of a narrative to communicate a message and connect the brand to its consumers. The objective is to capture the attention of the audience, make them feel something and get them inspired enough to want to take the desired action.
Globacom recently unveiled two delightful television commercials which use storytelling to create a positive connection with its subscribers. The first was to showcase the tantalising offerings on the Mega Data plans, while the second centres on the magic number 777, the new opt-in code through which subscribers can access all product and services on the Glo network.
The first television commercial is aptly entitled ‘Virtual Party’ and features Nigerian comedian and actor Samuel Perry, a.k.a. Broda Shaggi, and Glo Ambassador and Nigerian singer and songwriter, Simisola Kosoko, popularly known as Simi, alongside other artists. It encapsulates the reliability of Glo data and reinforces the effectiveness and utility of the Mega Data plans, sending a message of must-have to subscribers.
The commercial opens with Broda Shaggi dancing smoothly to Simi’s music video ‘You will see me now, we are just having a good time” playing on his phone. As he glides around the house, dancing and picking his clothes, preparatory to dressing up, a call comes in on his phone from a friend who asks him, “where you dey?” and Shaggi answers instantly ‘I dey come now, you go see me now’ before terminating the call, to continue his dance session.
As he picks up his shirt, another call comes in, this time from, a lady, asking the same question, ‘Where you dey now?” to which he responds the same way, “ You go see me now” as he jumps onto his bed laughing heartily. The dance session continues, just as another friend calls, and it is the same “Where you dey and “You go see me now”.
Finally, he is fully dressed and ready for the party. He takes a look at the mirror and acknowledges himself saying, ”I fine sha, even me I surprise”. Meanwhile two ladies are calling him as well but he is unable to respond as he heads towards the door. This is when the twist in the tale happens. Instead of exiting the house for the party as we expect, he suddenly jumps unto a sofa in the sitting room where he taps his laptop to reveal a number of people waiting online for him. It’s a virtual party!
He is welcomed excitedly and Simi fires the first question. “Tell us one truth nobody knows”, to which he responds, “I like to dey steal meat from my mama pot”. This earns him a slap from his mum who was at the background listening to the conversation. The slap elicits laughter from his friends watching online. The number of his friends having fun in the virtual party shows the power and reliability of Glo Data which seamlessly connects everyone together.
In the second TVC, Magic of 7, the video opens with a magician, Magic Brown, on stage entertaining the crowd with different types of card magic. He brings out a pack of cards with different numbers and calls on individuals in the audience to pick one each. He then tells the volunteers to show the audience the numbers on the cards. Without looking at them, he asks the volunteers to put the cards in their pockets.
After this, the magician snaps his fingers and calls on those who picked the cards earlier to show the numbers on them. The first and second persons’ cards have 777 and this is met with a round of applause, while the third person, a lady, has 543 on her card. The magician is loudly booed by the audience who think his act has failed, but he orders them to calm down, after which he proceeds to check her shoes and brings out another card with 777 written on it. The astonished audience swiftly change their reaction to a standing ovation with the magician rounding off the show with a loud echo of “777 is the magic number”.
The TVC highlights the magic of 777, a number which gives subscribers access to the unique world of Glo and its bouquet of lifestyle-changing products and services.
Globacom explained that the 777 code is an all-in-one platform through which subscribers can access products and services on the Glo network. It is aptly tagged ‘one code for everything Glo’, and with it, the Glo subscriber does not need to memorise different numbers or codes for different offerings. 777 provides him or her access to all the products and services available on the Glo network.
Similarly, the telecoms company late last year rolled out the Heart of a Champion and Life is Football commercials featuring the stories of two sports icons and music legend, World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Anthony Joshua, and Nigerian striker, Jude Odion Ighalo.
Heart of a Champion also featured renowned music producer, Don Jazzy, and had the highly inspirational message, “Champions go the distance and they go further”. “I was born hungry for success. It’s the Nigerian way. Oh yeah, champions stay hungry. Oh yes, Glo gets it big time. To want more, Champions go the distance, and they go further. Glo… Heart of a Champion!” AJ declares. The advert celebrates the determination to excel, the resilience and the ‘can-do’ spirit which Nigerians are generally known for. Living the message in the Glo TVC, AJ delivered the performance of a champion, knocking out Kubrat Pulev in the 9th to retain his four titles.
As for the TVC tagged Life is Football, it uses the football metaphor to highlight Globacom’s vision of getting Nigerians communicating, solving problems and seizing opportunities; a vision of unlocking Africa’s true potential and of enabling its people to be their best. The underlying message is that just as Jude Odion Ighalo rose from playing street soccer to featuring for one of Europe’s biggest club sides, Manchester United, the African can achieve his dreams if he believes in himself and takes his “shot” when the opportunity comes.
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