What I like about the comms efforts of some Nigerian brands.
I had an online class one time, and someone asked me to name two brands in Nigeria that I think have been able to do amazing storytelling, and after a long pause, I answered:
- Baba Ijebu.
- Alabukun Powder.
I have a 3rd. It is not an actual brand, but a product with a fantastic communication experience wrapped around its economic scale: “Akporo” — a form of gbogbonise common to the Yoruba people.
Why?
Storytelling for brands is a means to an end. It is a vehicle that helps you connect with your people, build tangible relationships and give them enough information to build communities on their own. It is getting the word out there in a way that is beneficial to you. This is not the traditional or textbook fancy definition, but at the end of the day, if you tell your story right, one or more of the three above things will happen.
You can almost assume where a baba ijebu kiosk will be. Their TA is obvious, and off the top of your head, you can guess the people you will find at a game. These guys have enough information going around to build a sustainable pool of customers within their demography. And they do all these without the typical Ads and marketing channels until recently (with more digital efforts and the sponsoring of The Voice — which I think is a master move by the way). This means they know their people, know what they want to hear, know where they are, and know the kind of people who fit into the type of conversations they want to go around as attendants.
The best storytellers know their crowd.
Same with Alabukun powder, I grew up in Port Harcourt. In a very concentrated Ikwerre area for that matter, but every chemist you walked into had alabukun. They mastered the art of distribution, had a product good enough to do the talking, and knew how to step out of the way and make their customers the heroes of the stories.
Masterstroke.
Most of the time, they did not need to do messaging cos the people who used it crafted believable stories that their inner circle could confirm and then more ripples in geometric proportions with the stories getting sweeter.
Know when to get out of the way and let your people or the people experiencing you do the talking.
Paystack is doing this in a very contemporary way.
While these models may not be sustainable in a digital space, there are exciting elements that we can learn and digitize (Check previous quotes).
So, in my last few years studying the Nigerian business space, what are some of the most exciting communication efforts I have seen? This is my focus for today. Maybe some other time, I will expand more on brand comms/storytelling within the Nigerian market.
Airtel
Airtel gets it. And without a doubt, we should be able to connect the dots of the success of their campaigns to growth in their numbers. At least, I bought and I know a number of people who did.
Situate the impact of your work in the lives of the people you want to reach. You are not the hero, but you help them achieve certain results. Connect at that level.
Real, tangible, exciting, and engaging.
Skye Bank/PHB
The story starts with the product.
That you are in the faces and lips of people is not enough to convert. Connect before converting, but you can connect and not convert. Some of us can still sing “Skye Bank saying yes to our dreams” without actually seeing them as people who can say yes to our dreams.
Saka! MTN.
These other guys came in with a bank.
We are the data guys. We may be expensive but you can trust us for speed. Then MTN did this when the regulators allowed people to move from one network to another while keeping their lines and upped their data game.
Ambitious and Bold.
I love the thinking.
SideBar: And yeah, most of the time, I wonder why we expect speed from the other network that promised you “size.” They subtly communicate what they were offering already.
Na you choose.
Paystack.
A lot of things people say about the company today did not come from company releases. One person says this, another person confirms it, and they have an consistent experience across the board: product, service, and customer care.
They also know when to talk and when to get out of the way.
I do not think anybody makes product announcements better than them.
For me, the consistency across all brand touchpoints is the win. It subtly deepens a sense of loyalty for those who already love the brand.
Risevest.
I already tweeted.
When I started writing this article in my head, I had 5, and I think I will stop here. This thing is already getting too long to read.
But yeah, FourthCanvas too 😎. They have hacked people, quality, and a level of openness to share. These elements are important building blocks for any lucky comms team.
Finally, in this piece, Great comms is like water. As much as your level of intentionality can work to build a kind of image, experience, and brand; some of your most significant breaks may come from things you have no control over. The best comms strategy is a great company culture with an army of storytellers to maximize your lucky days and save you when the lightning strikes before the thunderstorm.
In my head, I screamed that Achebe will be proud of that last proverb. If you think otherwise, write your own 😂.
