Wizkid is MTN's Most Expensive Ambassador as they spend a Whooping 500m [FULL GIST]

MTN Nigeria may have spent up to a whooping N500m in the last 16
months on brand endorsement deals and related campaigns,
according to investigations by Nigerian Entertainment Today.
MTN Nigeria is the biggest spender in the market, but this is the first
time they’re spending heavily on brand endorsements – an area
hitherto monopolised by competitor Globacom.
In a pleasantly- surprising switch in policy, the telecoms giant is
handing out ambassadorial roles to some of the biggest pop artistes
in the country, organizing competitions and shooting award deserving
TVCs.
What’s responsible? A strong determination to survive the Mobile
Number Portability war, which pundits say is, for most of the players
in Nigeria’s lucrative telecoms sector, a ‘do or die’ affair.
MTN has the largest subscriber base in a market that is apparently
very juicy. But the coming of MNP presented competitors like Glo
and Etisalat an opportunity to close the gap.
MTN threw out their first endorsement deal in April 2012 when they
hired the services of then 19-year-old Pop singer Davido as the
ambassador for ‘ MTN Pulse‘, a new marketing campaign for Nigerian
youths called ‘ MTN Fun Link‘. The deal was reportedly worth N30m.
It took 13 months for the next set of endorsement deals to come, this
time to three past winners of Project Fame , a show solely sponsored
by the telecoms company. Singers Iyanya (N40m), Mike ‘iMyke’
Ayansodo (N10m), Chidinma (N20m) and another vibrant contestant
Praiz (N20m).
The deal came shortly after MTN had poached actor Hafeez ‘Saka’
Oyetoro who made a famous move from another telecom company
Etisalat, in a sensational deal reportedly worth N25m.
MTN then went on an endorsement spree – signing on some of the
biggest contemporary Nigerian artistes – Wizkid (N45m), Tiwa
Savage (N30m), KCEE (N25m) and later on Don Jazzy along with
younger brother D’Prince .
‘It was a good feeling getting endorsed by one of the biggest
telecommunication company in Africa when my carrier as an artist
was just picking up. I didn’t even have an album back then ‘, Pop
singer Davido who extended his endorsement deal this year tells
NET.
It looked like a full swoop from MTN but Nigerian tech buffs will tell
you that the move from the ‘Yello!’ team is reminiscent of a recent
move by another telecoms company – Globacom.
‘You see, GLO made a full swoop, signing close to 10 relevant
contemporary acts in just one week and played it up‘, Sola Fanawopo
of Financial Technology Magazine tells NET.
‘Just imagine if GLO had offered Iyanya or Chidinma or Praiz
irresistible, mouth-watering deals? It would be ‘Saka saga’ all over
again ‘.
MTN however stepped it up – delving into other multi-million Naira
projects, the most publicized of which is the recent ‘MTN Songstar
Competition‘, offering subscribers a chance to win a brand new
Porsche Cayman worth about N10.4m and a recording deal with Don
Jazzy (worth about N10m also).
The competition allows users to download an app ‘MTN Songstar’
which enables subscribers convert their mobile phones into a digital
karaoke machine. The cost of building an app (this includes
brainstorming and strategy development, prototype design,
programming and development, quality assurance and testing and
finally, marketing and promoting) N4.5m. The app, MTN says will be
delivered on six different platforms. Doing the math, this totals into
N270m.
With this huge investment, experts are wondering if there’s
guaranteed ROI in a market as unstable as Nigeria.
‘In as much as this helps the lives of Nigerian artistes and their
respective labels, these companies will surely be getting their
money back, maybe on the long run’, President, Association of Music
Artiste Managers of Nigeria (AMAMN), Sijuade Adedokun tells NET.
The General Manager, Consumer Marketing at MTN Nigeria, Kola
Oyeyemi seems to have a more direct answer to that question. ‘ No
brand is a charity and if you think it’s a charity then you have to
think again. When a brand engages in anything, they try to see what
value is coming to them either in direct sales benefit or visibility and
attractiveness of association‘, Oyeyemi said in a paper presented at
the inaugural edition of the Nigerian Entertainment Conference held
April, 2013.

Written by Top Blogger

We are Creative Blogger Theme Wavers which provides user friendly, effective and easy to use themes. Each support has free and providing HD support screen casting.