Throwback Thursday: Ads that disrupted the marketing space in the 80s and 90s
By Abimbola Mohammed
It is no doubt that the way and manner in which Nigerian consumers interacted and engaged with brands has changed a lot from how it used to be in the 1980’s and 90’s. However, some old memories still linger in the minds of the older generation of consumers. The memories may be about an occurrence, incident/accident, stories, experience or happenings; such memories sometimes find a way to bring joy, tears, emotion or even solutions to an immediate situation or challenges.
Using the art of storytelling is one major way of remembering old occurrences and this is the case of some of the campaigns that ruled the airwaves in the 80s and 90s in Nigeria. A good TV commercial or radio jingle usually excited viewers or listeners, and even prompted a sing along just like we have in this digital age where consumers watch ads on social media platforms with their paid data.
Walking down the memory lane, MARKETING EDGE takes a look at campaigns that touched the heart of Nigerians at the time. Some commercials were not just about advertising a product or services, but carried messages that tugged directly at the heart of consumers/customers.
Making the first list of major campaigns that shook the heart of Lagos and Nigeria as a whole was the re-launch of Mirinda carbonated drink from the stable of Seven Up Bottling Company (SBC) in 1996. The campaign, tagged “The Three Orange Men”, was launched at a time SBC wanted Mirinda to be top of the mind among the orange category of the carbonated soft drink segment in the Nigerian market.
As part of the brand activation, the Three Orange Men appeared unexpectedly in Lagos at populated markets, pedestrian bridges etc looking strange and scary, almost alien-like. The stunt grabbed the attention of Lagosians and got them guessing as well as making them eager to know what the stunt was about. Billboards with the pictures of the strange looking men were all-over town, with big banners showing their pictures.
Soon after the two weeks’ stunt got to almost everyone in Nigeria, Mirinda was unveiled with a TV commercial of the strange looking men, showing the 3 Orange men enjoying a bottle of Mirinda.
In an interview, Dr. Ken Onyeali Ikpe, Non executive Director, and Board member of TROYKA HOLDINGS, who was interestingly at that time the Account Manager of Insight, told MARKETING EDGE what inspired the concept of Three Orange Men.
“I was the Account Manager that led and managed the revolutionary Mirinda Three Orange Men Campaign. I am indeed very proud of this history. Insight was not established to do the regular and ordinary things. We had ordinary people who only did extraordinary things. That culture of thinking gave birth to extraordinary ideas that culminated in revolutionary campaigns,” he said.
“It was always a case of moving from the road well travelled, to the road least travelled or, in fact, road never travelled. My colleagues and I had the training, the education, the skills set to deliver outstanding work and with ruthless consistency,” Dr. Ikpe said.
Another campaign that made history was the relaunch of Benson and Hedges tagged “Loud In Lagos”, which was part of the Benson and Hedges Golden Tones.
The Golden Tones event was based on music concerts, although these formed a relatively small part of overall activities of which the greater part consisted of activity to exploit the Benson and Hedges ownership of the event. The 1996 ‘Loud in Lagos’ concert, which reportedly attracted over 50,000 people, provided an example of how ‘Golden Tones’ afforded an excellent opportunity to generate media interest before, during and after concerts.
Interest before the concerts was generated using ‘numerous TV and radio spots plus handbills and posters posted all over Lagos’ and ‘town storming’, entailing teams touring the city ‘in well branded vans, promoting the event and increasing awareness amongst consumers.
The launch of the Bank PHB campaign as a bank of the future highlighted the power of technology, which saw a man jumping up to dunk a basketball in a net affixed to a high rise building.
What’s more, “Milo Clap” for Nestle is still incorporated into other commercials for almost 25 years.
Other adverts that ignites brand recall among Nigerian consumers include: Ava toilet soap, Blue Zip bar soap, Let Automatic washing power, MINTA Formula toothpaste, Venus Relaxer, IMPERIAL LEATHER, Elephant Blue detergent, Premier family soap, Crystal Bank, Gold Circle Condom, Icon Insurance, MALADRIN, Venus relaxer, Baby Care, Robert Paracetamol, Joy toilet soap, Eco Bank, AfriBank, Guinness, BATA Shoe, NESCAFE, ROYCO seasoning cubes, BAGCO super sack, Blue Band Margarine, UBA (Wise man bank), OMO detergent and many more.
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