Airtel Nigeria is said to be the second largest telecommunications company in the country, second to MTN. The company’s history is pockmarked by many changes, making its resilience a marvel.
Since becoming Airtel Nigeria, the company has continued to operate as a major player in the Nigerian telecommunications sector, offering a range of services, including voice, data, and mobile banking. It has also been involved in various initiatives to expand its network coverage and improve the quality of its services.
Here are a few lessons from Airtel’s Ads over the years
- Use of Catchy Tunes and Jingles
The use of catchy tunes and jingles in advertisements is a simple yet effective technique that makes ads memorable. When an ad lingers longer in the customer’s mind, it tends to have a more significant impact and is more likely to achieve its goals.
Over the years, these jingles have become quite popular among Nigerians and are sung along by people of all ages. A great example is Airtel’s “444 is a metaphor” which became an instant hit in 2020. *444# is the USSD code that allows Airtel users to recharge from their bank accounts with a single dial. This jingle was great for raising product awareness.
- Fantastic Storytelling with Great CTAs
Being able to properly convey an idea through a cohesive story, is a wonderful tool that can be used to pull audiences in. Airtel employs amazing storytelling to reel in its audience and cements these with fantastic Call to Actions (CTAs). A good example is the Ghost ad featuring Tomi Ojo. A woman wakes up one morning and is treated like a ghost by everyone, from the gateman to her colleagues at the office. “Can anybody hear me?” She screams from a rooftop. The next day she connects to Airtel and is “seen” by everyone. The CTA reads “You are invisible without data that works.
- Use of Popular Celebrities and Influencers
Airtel has achieved enviable collaborations with prominent personalities in the country. They understand the importance of leveraging visibility and has partnered with a host of renowned individuals, including Taaoma, Gabriel Afolayan, and more. These collaborations have been immensely successful in generating significant buzz and attention around Airtel’s products and services, thereby helping the company stand out in a highly competitive market.
- Leveraging Locally Made Contents
Another factor that makes Airtel’s adverts very successful is a deep understanding of the local environment they are targeting. Some of their ads include local slang, and even language, for example, the ad of a yoruba mother praying for her son day and night, thanks to the smartRechage plan that gives her 10x its value.
- Experimentation with Different Ad Forms
Airtel has experimented with various ad formats to improve its advertising strategy and reach a wider audience across different platforms. The have delved into several types of ad formats, including display ads, video ads, audio ads, SMS ads, call ads, and in-app ads, to identify which types are more effective for its advertising goals.
The success of Airtel’s advertising campaigns is a product of creativity, strategy and customer focus. As creators and marketers, we can learn from Airtel’s strategies in creating advertisements that not only capture attention but also resonate with our target audience.
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