MTN’s We Move inspires young Nigerians to do more
By Ralph Tathagata
Apart from influencing buying and consumption behaviour, marketing and advertising have the ability to shape aspirations, drive social change and move the entire society forward. When brands paint an empathetic picture of societal challenges, they play a role in redefining what is considered insurmountable, sparking national conversations and firing up the dying embers of people’s ambition, especially the youth. Simply put, marketing and advertising can work as a morale booster, an accelerator for social and economic change.
In addition to attracting attention, generating publicity, unifying marketing strategy, and reinforcing a company’s brand, a campaign slogan could become a mantra for social change.
The storyline of MTN’s We Move commercial embodies the foregoing and even more, as it has become Nigerian millennials’ way of expressing courage in the face of daunting challenges. Aside from eliciting some interesting reactions on social media, the campaign has addressed subtle but significant issues tugging at the heart of young Nigerians. Blurring the gender line, many have fallen in love with We Move because it has shifted the status quo and beliefs that women belong to the kitchen or men can’t prepare sumptuous meals.
What’s more, the interaction between the visual and audio production of the commercial remains one of the most captivating artistic creations seen in any recent campaign. Without any spoken words and just a mixture of good music, expressions, and great acting, We Move remains the most relatable TV commercial in recent times.
According to MTN Nigeria, We Move campaign inaugurated earlier in 2021, has motivated many Nigerians to look inward for opportunities, set goals, grow their interest in various activities, make plans for their future, and develop their talent regardless of the challenges life throws at them.
The campaign, it was also revealed, involved MTN team visiting locations across Nigeria to ask people to share experiences of how they overcame their challenges.
Today, We Move has become a common catchphrase Nigerians, especially the youths find themselves saying when they refuse to be held back by difficult situations, anxiety, rejection, heartbreak, and all other negative vibes that come with adulthood.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the unemployment rate in the country stands at 33% which is currently the second-highest in the world. Nigeria has one of the world’s youngest populations with a median age of 18, which implies that a sizable number of youths are either fresh graduates or still in higher institutions trying to get their lives on track and make sense out of it.
For many of these youths, the We Move storyline speaks of rejection, hope, tenacity, creativity, and ultimately, turning one’s passion into a venture when one’s dream job fails to come along as envisaged.
We Move campaign has meritoriously won both the Lagos Advertising & Ideas Festival (LAIF) award and the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) 2021 award at separate events in Lagos. As a result of its success, the campaign bagged Campaign of the Year awards at the ADVAN awards for Marketing Excellence (West Africa).
Speaking to MARKETING EDGE in an interview, Sheriff Akinpelu, Strategy Lead, SPV Communication Solutions, one of the brainpowers behind the campaign, said: “The entire concept about We Move campaign is based on the reality of current situation in Nigeria, the rate of unemployment, devaluation of naira, insecurity etc. which is giving worries about life.”
According to him, the campaign depicted the basic societal truth that people seem to be shying away from, which is the fact that not everyone will have the opportunity to get a white collar job.
“Some people will have to work in the informal sector of the economy. One of the guys in the campaign is a graduate. While he was in school, he cooked well, some paid him to cook for them. After graduating from school, he never thought of going into that direction of cooking because his parents have expectations of him and he does not want to work in the informal economy.
“But if we look at the situation of the country, we need to look into what we know how to do best. Everyone has something within that makes them special. It is just for us to identify it and look at how we can use that thing to progress in life.
“In the campaign, the protagonist is a wonderful cook, despite the fact that he graduated from the university and couldn’t secure a job. He quickly looks into what he can do best and tap into it to grow and progress in life,” he explained.
“The role of MTN in that campaign is to show that we understand what Nigerians are going through, especially the youth. We want them to believe in themselves and not to give up. They should have a deep thinking and identify what makes them unique and tap into it.
“MTN will be with them along the journey, irrespective of what they discover in themselves, MTN will be there to make sure they achieve their dreams. I feel elated and humble to be one of those who worked on the project,” Mr. Akinpelu concluded.
To further demonstrate its altruistic features and capabilities, MTN Nigeria’s We Move campaign has proven that a commercial can create a place where profit, motivation and social good overlap.
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