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Wednesday, January 06, 2021

Glo’s drive for an empowered nation

First published in the Leadership newspaper in December 2020



There is likely to be no dissenting opinion to the notion that this is one Christmas that is in dire need of a cheer. It has been a roller-coaster of dark emotions and unsettling developments across the world since the first quarter of this year.

What with the Covid-19 pandemic that has seized the world by its jugular, among many other serious challenges that have threatened to put a damper on this year’s end of year festivities.

But then, winners are defined by their strength in times of adversity, and their capacity to find a silver lining in the darkest of clouds. The world needs hope and inspiration to trudge on. Characteristic of a brand that has established itself as a giver of hope, a bastion of empowerment and an oasis of inspiration, Globacom has come out with a set of television commercials devoted to giving the world the right kind of positive vibes it needs at this time.

The television commercial  (or online video commercial, depending on where you see it), The Christmas Dream, by Globacom is a brilliant offering aimed at cheering a world that is in dire need of it.

The one minute TVC opens with a boy walking onto a gleaming stage to perform a tap dance. He wastes no time and gets right to it, as the popular Christmas tune, Feliz Navidad, plays in the background.

This young performer displays his dexterity, tapping accurately to the beat of the Christmas tune as the scene gives way to another with more tap dancers of both sexes and in different colourful attires on stage, performing synchronised dance steps.

This fuses into an even livelier set up of people dancing in the street and generally having fun. The atmosphere is electric; the fun is palpable and infectious. Fireworks light up the atmosphere as the music comes to a crescendo. The scene morphs into a shot of the initial boy dancer, smiling and looking fulfilled. The TVC ends with a baritoned voice-over artist expressing a profound Christmas wish to viewers: “May all your dreams come true this Christmas.”

This is a TVC that millions of viewers will connect with, as it provides the necessary inspiration for people to carry on with their lives with a hopeful spirit. There are better things ahead if people do not allow themselves to be bogged down by the challenges of the times.

This is a master stroke from a brand that has etched its name in gold in the area of promoting excellence and greatness in Africa by stimulating the internal sense of accomplishment in its audience. It is consistent with the thematic thread of empowerment that runs through most of its TVCs.

Empowerment is not limited to providing telecommunications services that enables people to realise their dreams. It also entails fuelling their thirst for greatness, cheering them on and stimulating their appetite to achieve their dreams regardless of what is happening around them.

This comes out strongly in the next TVC christened “The Heart of Champions”, featuring the world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua and popular music producer, Don Jazzy, both ambassadors of Globacom.

This TVC showcases a marriage of two distinct talents, boxing and music production. These two stars play to their respective strengths in this commercial. Anthony Joshua plays his role as a professional boxer, while Don Jazzy plays the role of a music producer.

The scene opens with Anthony Joshua walking into what looks like a music recording studio. Don Jazzy is behind the music producing console in the production compartment. AJ approaches the microphone like one who is ready to sing, taps it and asks Don Jazzy: “Are you ready for this?” Don Jazzy responds with “Let me hear you, AJ”.

Instead of singing, AJ launches into his boxing training regimen, starting with brisk rope skipping. The sound of the skipping rope cutting through the air and slamming the training floor formed a rhythm. Don Jazzy belts out an instruction: “Give me some base”. In response, AJ begins to hit his punch bag, producing another rhythm that is laid on top of the existing beat from his rope-skipping.

Don Jazzy issues one more command: “Double it”. AJ gets busy. More training activities produce their own beats which Don Jazzy blends together, and pronto, music is ready.      

AJ’s voice rings out amidst it all: “I was born for success. It’s the Nigerian way”. Quick shots of AJ in training give way to a shot of him on the ring, ready to take on his opponent. He says: “Glo gets it. Champions stay hungry. Oh yeah, Glo gets it big time. Champion goes the distance and they go further. Glo, the Heart of a Champion.”

This TVC was released a few weeks before Anthony Joshua’s clash with his Bulgarian challenger, Kubrat Pulev, on December 12, 2020 in London. The commercial was something of a prophetic declaration as AJ went further and knocked out Pulev in the ninth round. He thus retained his four world heavyweight titles, International Boxing Federation  (IBF),World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Organisation (WBO), and International Boxing Organisation  (IBO).  

The lesson Globacom has managed to propagate with this TVC is that it is available to give the necessary backing and inspiration to customers to go out and realise their dreams. The more subtle message therein is that going with Glo will bring out the best in you and establish you as a champion.

The next two TVCs are about football. Notwithstanding, they showcase the same ‘can do’ and winning spirit. “Life Is Football” features ace footballer, Odion Ighalo, who draws a parallel between life and football.

The TVC opens with Ighalo releasing a handful of soil. He says: “In this earth, we grow champions.” The TVC cuts to scenes of boys raising a goal post, playing football in the rain and jubilating over a goal, among others.

Ighalo continues: “In this earth, greatness takes root. Talent flourishes and passion ignites. Dreams, they come alive. We know, football and life, they are the same”.

 He goes on to highlight the similarities between life and the game of football. According to him, in life, everyone gets a ball, runs with it and guards it from opponents who want to snatch it away. “Don’t let them. Keep your eyes on the ball” he admonishes, as the film cuts to a scene ostensibly from one of his professional matches when he takes a bicycle kick to score a goal.

Ighalo counsels further: “When it’s time, take the shot. Life is football. You must take your shot.”

This is another message that is meant to trigger the hunger for success in the audience. It is direct, authoritative, and inspirational. A viewer comes away from watching it, believing he can move mountains.

Together with “Proud Supporter of the Best Supporters”, the fourth TVC, “Life is a football” exploits the wide affinity of the populace for soccer to pass a deep message that life is for people who dare to dream.

In the world of Globacom, anyone can indeed dream big, and no obstacle however big can discourage a man who is determined to achieve his goal.

This last point comes out strongly in “Proud Supporter of the Best Supporters” where a scene shows a boy in crutches enjoying a game of football with his able-bodied mates. His disability is clearly not a deterrence to his fun and happiness.

Since Globacom captured Nigeria’s imagination with its iconic “Magic Ball” in 2004, it has continued to demonstrate a mastery of the art of passing succinct messages through memorable advertising, sometimes using humour and slap-stick comedy to achieve its aim.

More importantly, the operator continues to stoke the amber of nationalism in Nigerians and reinforce their sense of pride in their beloved country and continent. Till today, one of its adverts entitled “The National Anthem” is one of the most viral TVCs in Nigeria. Every October 1st, an edited version of this TVC darts thro and fro mobile devices in Nigeria as people commemorate the nation’s independence.

Other memorable adverts from the company in recent times include “You don hit my car”, “Awesome Meme” , “Smart Home”, “Emoji” and “Oga SIM”.

Whatever you may say about Globacom, you cannot deny the timeliness and aptness of its TVC messages, its unabashed commitment to promoting excellence and its determination to empower Nigerians and Africans in general to realise their full potential.

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