alpha conde: I hate DISLOYAL people. I feel he gave up etisalat and makes me see him like a batrayer. Now I hate him don't wanna see him on my tv never again

Then change the stations!

To many of you who would like to swap your network and still retain ur nos.... I want u to look back and think before u make that decision, from 2001 till date... how have they all fared? recall the days of paying N50/min even on a drop call of 1 to 5secs, remember the days of joining any platform proposed by these networks in a bid to reduce ur charges and still collect huge money from you on that silly migration,etc etc etc

IN ALL FAIRNESS WE ALL KNOW THE NETWORK THAT WAS THE ARCHITECT OF THESE SHYLOCK TENDENCIES if not for the mercies of other competitors.....

So pls if u are migrating and you arent sure where to go..... I would suggest u consider AIRTEL-ETISALAT AND GLO.......

Let us hope and wish the same liberalization happens in the Cable TV sector soon where DSTHIEVES have been having fun!!

Egba girl: Nice one!! Love this guy! Doff my hat for this dude! Man even has a masters + a phd in the works. Notin do u jare!

He's a lecturer in theater art @ ACOED here. I think he's d HOD sef or was. Yes he's got phd.

ItsModella:
Dude, sit yo sorry, ignorant azz down. Do I look like someone who cares about what you think? Etisalat paid Saka per commercial. He had no binding contract with them and as such owes them no obligation. Loyalty is a virtue but not in the world of business. It's always a dog eat dog game. You think the rich ones in our society acted on loyalty? Think again and stop being such a darn learner...mschew!!!

Spare me this unsolicited rubbish. What I know is different from what I feel and what I uphold. U talk like a successful bisnes woman. Lol

Thanks all for making this thread lively! I believe there will be criticisms but the fact still remain that this jingle is da bomb! if you are in doubt, check my you tube channel and see thousand of views, over 17k views on nairaland and also so much post even on this thread! The idea is "Competition is the sign of a matured market, and in a competitive market, the strongest, smartest or well poised always gets IT. I doff my hat again for MTNN marketing team for their innovation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y1xbGGQyJwQ

oga Saka,as promo end na so you use end with etisalat. Etisalat kpele. Saka enjoy

Shollypopz: Lol, the dude's teeth though

Hahahahaha Sholly......

e gbagbey 0shi 0,anyb0dy wey critisize saka mk e g0 die...if any 0f u was in is sh0e,u wil d0 dsame...saka i feel dat dance e ginger m paz AZ0NT0 0...EMA DAMI DUR0...

Well, as a Professional, I wouldn’t want to respond to the Saka menace going on in town but then I keep getting emails upon emails from students, clients, fans and friends. People keep asking me several questions; why on earth did Saka port?

Relatedly, I went for a Strategic meeting with the Executive Board Members of a renowned bank, and the story came up again. In fact, they played the commercial and applauded the sheer brilliance of MTN. I actually heard one of the Excos saying ‘I’m going to port immediately.’ So I asked them: what worked for you in the commercial? Majority of them said ‘we just love this Saka man’

There’s nothing as powerful as that cultural connection and that humanness factor we display as brands. As I watch from a distance the recent Saka phenomenon I can only bow to this timeless advertising principle. Culture eats Strategy for breakfast. Hats off.


As the Creative Director who was privileged to have created the iconic Saka for advertising, I watch as this device takes on a life of its own and how it is gradually becoming a major case study in the history of Nigeria’s advertising. However, before I go to major brand lessons this should teach us, I shall quickly correct some insinuations flying round in our ad circle. Ad people can be their own worst enemies. Don’t take my words for it. Go see Mad Men. However, it’s good to have a first person point of view to this saga.

For the record.

First, Saka was not a celebrity used for etisalat. Rather, he was a character we at Centrespread designed for an ad campaign that has come to take on a life of its own. When we did create the character bible, we needed a talent that could act the role and he came in for the casting like any other person. Looking at the screen test later on, we had no doubt that Saka was the man we were looking for. You must give credits to etisalat to have approved of our direction and choice. It really was not their ‘type’ of advertising. So, it was not a case of celebrity endorsement, it was a case of characterization. In Wendy’s ‘where is the beef’, the miniature old lady has become a phenomenon because of her characterization and Wendy wouldn’t dare joke with that.

Secondly, we must also quickly correct the impression that the ‘funny’ man was looking for money, hence porting to MTN. While it is a fact that all of us on this planet would want to be better paid for our talent, I know personally, that Saka gave his very best to us on etisalat’s campaign. He was not signed on a contract. He was paid like any other 3-month model arrangement. He was not paid the proverbial gbem. For the brand then, it was more of a tactical usage. He didn’t fit their typical advertising look and feel. Remember etisalat is the hip, classy and swag brand. Like I said earlier, we must credit them to have approved of the Saka idea in the first place. Although it was beginning to look like this was a devise that etisalat could own, going by the results it generated, Saka was treated like any other cast. I am very sure Banky W got more handsomely paid than our beloved Saka. Far far. But where is Banky W today? He ported also. That is what you can refer to as celebrity usage. Saka was not treated as such.

Quickly onto major brand lessons.

1. Advertising people must realize that people don't really go all out to watch and listen to what we have to say. People don’t like ads. However, people love characters. Characterization is the holy grail of great storytelling. And if you are lucky to have one working for your brand, you’d better recognize and keep it like gold. My friend Udeme. Mama na Boy.The Malboro man. The Michelin Man. The Morton Salt Girl. Some of these are animated devices, some are real cast. Whatever it is, it is the job of the brand to treat such characters as assets for brand equity. In Africa, our type of storytelling is rarely animated. Hence, the place for human characters. I shall talk about this, another day.

2. We must come down from our high horses as advertisers and start recognizing local nuances and cultural elements in our storytelling. I don’t know where we got the theory that ‘looking good is great advertising’. Great ads may look good but that’s not their intentions. They normally have that verisimilitude to the lives of the people they serve. They are usually humanly populist, interesting and sometimes funny. How professionally done is the Indomee song ‘mama you do good o’? It may be tough selling that to a boardroom of brand people who believe in certain types of music production and musicians. The Indomee song came to the market awash with on-air fake accents and stole the show. It mirrors what our people would do. It mirrors how our children would sing.


3. Lastly, and don’t take this personal as it’s commonplace not just to a particular brand. Ad people must begin to have a relook at how we treat our local talents and agencies. If we can go on to pay Kim Kardashian that insane amount of money as a country just to appear for a 3 minute talk, we must begin to have a relook at how we treat our local talents that deliver the numbers for us. Listen guys! Don’t like me. Don’t even like my work but hey please, give me some credits if my work is delivering for you. Ad people are mad people for a reason. They are awake all night thinking of ideas. They work and work to see their works deliver for their clients. It’s a two way street. The agency has the talents and the ideas, you have the budget and the brand. So, we need each other. Hence, we must respect each other. We must respect talents. When we lose, we lose together, and when we win, we win altogether. Same goes for the agency. Do we really tell the truth to our clients? Are we honest with our proposal? I have lots of friends on the client side and I know how tough it is for them to deliver on their KPI. So, we agency people should not feel victimized. Everyone is under pressure. But we should always talk.

When I tell you about communicating your proposition, you as a client should listen. It's what I have done for donkey years, and when you talk about your Marketing deliverable, I must listen very well. You always know better. No one is superior. In Insanely Simple, a book, Ken Segall went on to narrate how Steve Jobs cut off the unwinding long process for ad approvals. As far as Jobs was concerned, a product person did not and should not be consulted on advertising creatives. Jobs trusted Chiat to bring the magic on. No interference. This is a must read for all clients and agencies: Insanely Simple . How to create a brand like Apple. Sometimes, I don’t know if we tell ourselves real truths when we sit at those roundtables having coffee. AAAN and APCON, note.

4. Marketing is a game of opportunities. You find a loophole in competitions and you quickly use it to your advantage. Dog eat dog. That’s the case of MTN. They did try the Saka phenomenon with Osofia and Mama Gee but they knew that if it’s not Saka, it’s not Saka. We all know this is a very strategic move for MTN for the portability season. However if I must warn that etisalat is a very spontaneous brand at times. You may expect a shocker. Guys at etisalat , it’s time to look within. There’s something inside of etisalat; locked up in there. The brand must find it. Every brand has a great story locked up within it. It’s our job to find it. It is often brutally simple that we overlook it.
Ok, I need some Coffee please!

Source www.kennybrandmuse..com

Emmandus: Thanks all for making this thread lively! I believe there will be criticisms but the fact still remain that this jingle is da bomb! if you are in doubt, check my you tube channel and see thousand of views, over 17k views on nairaland and also so much post even on this thread! The idea is "Competition is the sign of a matured market, and in a competitive market, the strongest, smartest or well poised always gets IT. I doff my hat again for MTNN marketing team for their innovation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y1xbGGQyJwQ

its also on Guardian news front page-- there have been several outstanding adverts aired and uploaded...

bottom line is how has biz been conducted in this country by the networks?

Thank God for alternatives, else would ve been smthn else.

with regards to basic call me I call you... I am certain they sure felt a stiff competition, hence the new strategy , but in my view, I doubt if the advert would sway many to their side especially those early birds of GSM customers in naija... ...

THE FACT THAT YOU BOUGHT A PRODUCT AT HIGH PRICE DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD KILL YOUR CUSTOMERS!!

if u ask me, I pray and wish same goes for the cable TV industry... get it liberalized and competitive!

wt my Tecno T4 (4-sim)&n3,i port-less

alpha conde: I hate DISLOYAL people. I feel he gave up etisalat and makes me see him like a batrayer. Now I hate him don't wanna see him on my tv never again

ok, good, let me advice you and you'll never see Saka again.
-either 'port' your TV set or
-you smash it!
.

Bt here etisalat killed it n d counter was better.

^^^^^^^

I agree, the counter evidently looked smarter!!

ferhyntorlah:

Chop knuckle my guy! MTN ko, TMN ni! Mtchewwwww! Very stingy network.

This is mumurity in high places. Peeps are talking off good networks, yu are rapping Airtel,that indecisive Service Provider. I shall consider many things before porting ooo. *Singing "U gat me high Etisalat" by May D

shegsrules: Bt here etisalat killed it n d counter was better.

we need to clap for the marketing department of both mtn and etisalat they have shown how intelligent and smart they are,wow this counter advert made me laugh,that is creative

Check up his response with the etisalat advert...

That is bullshit, where is the innovation in what he has done? We all know that MTN loves showing themselves as the best but only succeed in doing what another network has succeeded in doing.

They were there all these while before Glo and never told us of per second billing, and when glo came on board, they copied.
Celtel and now Airtel was doing their Who wants to be a millionaire show before copycat MTN took over.

The reduced tariff was reduced by all other networks before MTN remembered to join, and even so, reluctantly.

What do they have to say about their unreliable network that haas many migrating to other networks?
If they like, let them use Goodluck Jonathan for their advert, they will not change my opinion about them simple.

They are common cheats with no intention of making communication cheaper for all and sundry even after declaring that the highest profit is from Nigeria.

Wise up people and stop praising only advert, advocate for affordable tariffs that they are offering to others outside our country that are not even making half the profit we are making for them.

seechris: That is bullshit, where is the innovation in what he has done? We all know that MTN loves showing themselves as the best but only succeed in doing what another network has succeeded in doing.

They were there all these while before Glo and never told us of per second billing, and when glo came on board, they copied.
Celtel and now Airtel was doing their Who wants to be a millionaire show before copycat MTN took over.

The reduced tariff was reduced by all other networks before MTN remembered to join, and even so, reluctantly.

What do they have to say about their unreliable network that haas many migrating to other networks?
If they like, let them use Goodluck Jonathan for their advert, they will not change my opinion about them simple.

They are common cheats with no intention of making communication cheaper for all and sundry even after declaring that the highest profit is from Nigeria.

Wise up people and stop praising only advert, advocate for affordable tariffs that they are offering to others outside our country that are not even making half the profit we are making for them.

With this kinda comment from someone in Nigeria.... I get hope, for people to still reason this way... I am indeed happy...

Bro thanks for ur comment... exactly "word to word" what I have said in the last 4hrs to colleagues.....

seechris: That is bullshit, where is the innovation in what he has done? We all know that MTN loves showing themselves as the best but only succeed in doing what another network has succeeded in doing.

They were there all these while before Glo and never told us of per second billing, and when glo came on board, they copied.
Celtel and now Airtel was doing their Who wants to be a millionaire show before copycat MTN took over.

The reduced tariff was reduced by all other networks before MTN remembered to join, and even so, reluctantly.

What do they have to say about their unreliable network that haas many migrating to other networks?
If they like, let them use Goodluck Jonathan for their advert, they will not change my opinion about them simple.

They are common cheats with no intention of making communication cheaper for all and sundry even after declaring that the highest profit is from Nigeria.

Wise up people and stop praising only advert, advocate for affordable tariffs that they are offering to others outside our country that are not even making half the profit we are making for them.

this is not about the service etc but about the advert itself. Everyone on this thread has accepted/admitted that MTN isn't great and all that. Cool down my bro.

Just love the advert..... No beefing like glo and airtel MNP advert......
I don port oooo, Kirikata kirikata kirikata

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1xbGGQyJwQ

alpha conde: I hate DISLOYAL people. I feel he gave up etisalat and makes me see him like a batrayer. Now I hate him don't wanna see him on my tv never again

Guy if you work in Seven up and get a double offer in Coca cola you wont go. This is business and not sentiment. You are definitely not business minded.

http://kennybrandmuse..co.uk/2013/04/mtn-vs-etisalat-who-really-ported-our.html

This blog post by some of the hands involved in creating the Saka character throws some light on this advertising coup
http://kennybrandmuse..co.uk/2013/04/mtn-vs-etisalat-who-really-ported-our.html?spref=tw

tjskii: Pls wat exactly is this number portability about,cud someone enlighten me,and uh cud we get anoda link to watch d video apart from youtube,d last time I viewed smthn on youtube I lost ova 1,500 credit and iv vowed since den never to return

It simply allows u to use ur present noba on a different ntwk. For instance let's say u use Zain, u will retain ur noba even on mtn netwk, hence u start re charging wt MTN crdt after porting.
Do u understand?

alpha conde:

I hv been the most qouted on this thread, the thread was about saka porting not about alpha condes mind set. Personally loyalty is my virtue and I check it out in every associate. Moneys not naturally everything @ least that what I think. Etisalat made us to know how good saka was. If it were myself I would be eteernally grateful. There were some kids that took their time to insult me. Well am disappointed cus hitherto I was full of respect for dem, especially ITSMODELLA, just as my feeling for saka has change such is how I now see u as a BI.CTH

You are quite entitled to your opinion, but be honest with yourself, how many brands are you truly loyal to, and can you claim never to have switched from one brand to another?

What brand of toothpaste are you loyal to? What brand of noodles, cola drink, alcoholic beverage, car, clothes designer, TV set/electronics, mobile phone, shoes, bathing soap, body cream, perfume, wristwatch etc would you say, honestly, that you have been loyal to? Can you truly say you have never cross-carpeted and switched brands?

It's not enough to think loyalty stops at supporting one football club win or lose and yet switch from KFC to Sweet Sensation and then Tantalizers every other time you want to have lunch. So, stop being so sanctimonous, I bet you've switched brands several times too. Want to prove me wrong?

gluv01: Lol...Mr Saka Saka..I like this man.

Btw, did his contract with etisalat expire without renewal?

Are you sure there's a contract?

alpha conde: I hate DISLOYAL people. I feel he gave up etisalat and makes me see him like a batrayer. Now I hate him don't wanna see him on my tv never again

Are you a learner? The guy wasnt signed to etisalat as a brand ambassador bro...na just characterization...like Nollywood acting, so cool down. The guy don port...you self find your square root. Hater!

the truth be told. this saka is good. the advert is wonderful. trust mtn and their poaching.

tjskii: Pls wat exactly is this number portability about,cud someone enlighten me,and uh cud we get anoda link to watch d video apart from youtube,d last time I viewed smthn on youtube I lost ova 1,500 credit and iv vowed since den never to return

But this lady, you have internet on your fone, why cant you google it and know what MNP means.
Are u a learner?

Catchy advert but it SUCKS