- The top ten adverts in Nigeria were compiled using three main yardsticks.
- Has your decision to purchase anything been influenced by these ads?
Ever since she became self-aware, Ngozi has always been fascinated by advertisements. As a teenager, she knew all the radio jingles by heart and could analyse the adverts on TV much better than she could analyse Nollywood movies. This level of interest has continued until today, and it doesn’t come as a surprise that every product/service she purchases is partly influenced by how much she likes the adverts marketing them.
Nairametrics has teamed up with her to analyse some of the best adverts so far this year. But before we get right into it, let us briefly examine the importance of marketing communication.
Adverts: Why they’re important
Across the world, manufacturers and service providers typically operate in saturated markets where competition is rife. The situation is not any different in Nigeria. To stand out, it is not enough for companies to offer high-quality products and services; they must also be able to adequately communicate the benefits of their products and services to customers in order to attract their patronage. This is the whole essence of marketing communication.
Top Adverts in Nigeria
So far in 2019, a lot of companies have done the most in this regard. We have seen some of the most creative advertisements in the forms of radio jingles, TV adverts, newspaper adverts, social media campaigns, web banners, etc., but are all of them having quite the impact?
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Note that for the sake of this ranking, we have chosen to focus only on video adverts. Specifically, we are examining companies’ 2019 adverts on YouTube by using such yardsticks as creativity, total views, and viewers’ engagement to analyse them. We will also be looking at how these adverts have reflected on the companies’ bottom lines. That said, below are the top ten adverts in Nigeria, in no particular order. Enjoy.
1. Vex Money by Stanbic IBTC
Let us begin with one of the trendiest video adverts in Nigeria this year —Vex Money. There are so many reasons why we like the advert, including the fact that it is hilarious of course. Imagine that you (as a young female professional) are on a date with a prospective lover. The restaurant is fanciful and all the meals on the menu appear delicious. You are both conversing while waiting for the food to arrive, then your date tells you that you’d be heading straight home with him after he pays for the meal!
Agreed, some people may not be offended by this, but the female character in this advert, who is apparently an independent woman, is quite pissed off. Not only can she afford to pay for the meal, she also has her Stanbic IBTC card. So, she “vexes”, whips out her Stanbic IBTC card, pays for the expensive meal, and walks away.
As expected, this ad resonated with a lot of Nigerian women, some of whom might have found themselves in similar situations. Ngozi was particularly proud of this one; she had to open a Stanbic IBTC account after watching it. Many other women like her flooded the comment section of Stanbic IBTC’s YouTube page with remarks like, “This ad was made for us!!!!!! Yesssss girl!!!!”
It should be noted that the Vex Money ad has garnered over 1.1 million views since it was published on May 26th, 2019.
2. Family Benefit Plan plus by Leadway Assurance
This is another advert we really like here at Nairametrics. It tells the story of a financially handicapped middle-aged man who is running around to raise the funding needed for his mother in-law’s burial. All the relatives he goes to for help ridicule him whilst offering no help. This experience teaches him an important lesson. He also discovers the Leadway Assurance Family Benefit Plus which is a special kind of insurance package that takes care of burials.
Fast-forward to one year later, the man’s father is dead, and his relatives are grumbling that he would come again to ask for money. Instead, he surprises them by simply inviting them for the burial. Apparently, the insurance package has taken care of all the expenses.
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With this ad, Leadway Assurance hopes to teach Nigerians the importance of taking charge of personal finance by way of insurance coverage. Sadly, the ad has received a rather lukewarm reception by Nigerians who have only viewed it 288,162 times since it was published on the 21st of March 2019.
3. Seize the moment with your UBA Cards by UBA
If there is anything we know for a fact here at Nairametrics, it is the fact that United Bank for Africa Plc does not joke around when it comes to its advertising budgets. The company goes all the way to endear itself to customers because it understands the importance of advertising in the marketing mix.
Needless to note that UBA adverts are always top-notch. A case in view is the latest advert for UBA cards. In the minute-long clip, the company successfully portrays the cards as must-haves, especially for sophisticated single Nigerians hoping to mingle.
The ad was published on August 8th and it has already garnered 275,309 views in less than a month.
4. 4G-Blender by Airtel
There is no gainsaying the fact that Airtel has successfully mastered the art of marketing communication. Its video adverts are always on genius levels and quite relatable. In this particular ad for its 4G product, the service provider continues with its long-running series depicting the “bad blood” between the mothers of a newly-wedded couple. While one of the mothers is old school and prefers to perform chores manually, the other one knows how to use home appliances to fast-track her chores.
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With this funny advert, the company is trying to inform its loyalists and prospective customers that 3G networks may be working for them, but 4G is better. And based on the fact that more than 2.3 million people have viewed the ad since January, it is best to assume that the message has been successfully passed. A customer who watched the video said, “You guys have the best and entertaining advert… I never skip it before the actual video. Kudos to the brains behind.”
5. More than a tag by Access Bank Plc
This advert by Access Bank is simply heart-felt in that it seeks to uplift low-income earners who typically comprise the bulk of bank customers across the banking sector. In the ad, the bank portrays a wide range of low-income earners such as a petty trader, a physically-challenged girl, a bus driver and others, telling them that they matter because they are more than their present situations. In other words, Access Bank knows that low-income earners can become so much more in the future, and this is why the bank cares.
The video has been viewed 609,265 times since it was published on YouTube on April 2nd of this year. Olufemi Ogunpehin wrote that it is a beautiful ad that has “…struck a note in me.”
6. Zero Account Opening Requirement by Zenith Bank
This feel-good advert with its catchy chorus is really one of the trendiest Nigerian adverts so far this year. Thanks to the agency that developed it and, of course, the creative genius of comedian Emma Oh My God, the video has generated quite a buzz; it has been viewed 632,756 times since it was published on July 19th, 2019. One of the commentators on the ad wrote, “This is the only ad I’ve watched to the end on YouTube.”
The message is simple — prospective Zenith Bank customers can now easily open zero balance bank accounts by simply dialing *966*0#.
7. Signature Jollof by Nestle
Nestle Nigeria Plc is yet another company that is known for its very creative advertisements, especially as it relates to Maggi brand.
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This particular advert is simple and brief, with a soothing Nigerian song, telling viewers about the newly-launched seasoning cube, its basic ingredients, and its qualities.
As at the time of compiling this report, a total of 794, 187 people had viewed the ad on YouTube, barely two months after it was published on June 17th, 2019.
8. Own your Journey by Nigerian Breweries Plc
Nigerian Breweries Plc is currently the largest brewer in the country, based on its earning power in H1 2019. Now, one of the main movers of the company’s market share is its Gulder brand. It is, therefore, not surprising that the company puts down cool cash for the development of the right marketing campaigns that will endear the product to consumers.
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In this latest ad, the company is simply telling young entrepreneurs to relax, take a bottle of Gulder, and then re-strategise for greater outcome, especially when faced with doubt.
It was published on June 7th and has been viewed 311,679 times.
9. Jumia Anniversary Sale by Jumia
This advert, which was published on June 19, has received a total of 955,511 views on YouTube. The views are still counting. Upon watching the 30 seconds-long clip, it becomes unsurprising to see why it has garnered so many views – Nigerians like free things and the advert is promising how customers can buy products at very subsidized rates.
10. This is Showmax by Showmax Nigeria
Showmax Nigeria’s 30 minutes-long introductory adverts have garnered over 1.2 million views on YouTube. It is safe to say that even though the advert is interesting enough, most of those who watched it only did so out of curiosity. Somebody wrote “I saw Dwayne Johnson so I clicked,” while someone else observed that Showmax is late to the show because “there’s this awesome thing called Netflix though…”
From this end, we wish the company all the best of luck nonetheless.
In conclusion, advertisements are inevitable in the world of business. For this reason, companies are ever willing to expend billions of naira per year for the development and dissemination of befitting ads. So far this year, the ads highlighted above are the ones that really caught our attention. Have you been influenced by them to purchase?
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