Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / NewStats: 3,194,667 members, 7,955,409 topics. Date: Sunday, 22 September 2024 at 04:23 AM |
Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / The Saka Phenomenon And Porting: A Case Study.. (680 Views)
Exclusive: 'the Saka Saga' - Why Saka Left Etisalat For Mtn / Did Afeez Oyetoro Aka Saka Actually Betray Etisalat? / The Illuminati Soul Selling Pact - Whitney Houston A Case Study (2) (3) (4)
(1) (Reply)
The Saka Phenomenon And Porting: A Case Study.. by minudus: 9:05pm On May 04, 2013 |
The Saka Phenomenon and Porting By Ernest Omoarelojie Ordinarily, Saka, a familiar name among the Yoruba speaking people of South West Nigeria, has nothing that makes people turn their heads when mentioned. But in more ways than one, the moniker has become an interesting subject among the country's telecommunication observers. For all its worth, the name has become the newest operational vocabulary in the sector following directives for GSM network providers to embark on number portability. Incidentally, the involvement of Hafeez Oyetoro, one of the country's quintessential dramatists and former brand ambassador to Etisalat, a giant in the sector, is the subject of a simmering stand-off for being the lead character in a trail blazing portability sensitization advertisement. Etisalat, it appears, is miffed at Oyetoro's unceremonious (invectively pregnant I-don- upgrade-o) exit from its stable as one of her brand ambassadors. For Etisalat therefore, Oyetoro's action for jumping ship to a rival is comparable only to Brutus' dagger on Julius Caesar. It obviously is the "unkindest cut...," that cannot be wished away. The feeling is understandable if claims by one Kehinde Bademosi, that Etisalat should be given credit for birthing Saka, the character that launched Oyetoro into prominence, is anything to go by. Specifically, Bademosi insists that he actually created the character for the telecommunications giant. According to him, Saka "was a character we at CentreSpread designed for an ad company that has come to take on a life of its own." That done, he proceeded to even belittle the character by his claims that before the Etisalat ads, it was too nondescript to be worth any notice at all. Hear him. "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." Perhaps unconsciously, Bademosi gave out the reason he appears to be in a hurry to lay claims to Saka as a character he created. He was, he wrote, in a meeting with some bank executives of a certain bank and the advertisement was aired. The executives, obviously bent on creating a monster hit of the same magnitude were, according to him, so enraptured with the character that they, almost literally, fell over themselves in adulation. Some of them, he continued, declared there and then that they were indeed porting to MTN without delay. As a creative individual obviously on hand to negotiate a deal, he sought to know why they were so taken in by the character and the answer, he quoted them as saying was, "we just love this Saka." Little wonder he decided to sell them the dummy that he created the character ostensibly to land a hefty job from the bank. A close examination of Bademosi's reason for claiming ownership of the Saka character reminds one of the choice a hungry man would make in order to address both the pangs of hunger threatening him but also his idea of a good meal. He does not need any persuasion to head in the direction of Ijesha-Mama-Put restaurant if, rather than Amala and Ewedu with Tolotolo, Iyan and Ogbono soup, complete with Ogufe, serve the purpose. Of course, he must be convinced that in particular, she has the best recipe for the combination. Will it not appear stupid for the same man to turn around and claim responsibility for creating the recipe afterwards? Does Bademosi's claim on Saka not appear reasonably similar to a man claiming ownership of the recipe of a meal he ate to satisfy a craving? About the same time Bademosi's claim appeared, those who knew how the Saka phenomenon evolved, particularly his colleagues in the Thespian industry, proved that they were not asleep. Clearly, they told anyone who cared to listen that the character is a carefully crafted and nurtured brand that has been in existence long before Etisalat even realized that Nigeria is an ample telecommunication business hob. According to them, the character became television drama enthusiasts' delight around 2004 long before the telecommunication outfit came into the country. Since then, they posited, it has won and continues to win laurels for its exploits. They cited examples and dates to back up their claims. If nothing at all, their projections tend to lend credence to facts of ownership Bademosi probably chose to ignore. I am talking about the fact that people usually associate with characters they know and share affinity with. For instance, it can hardly be disputed that they find Saka, as brand ambassador for Etisalat, the same unassuming but compelling figure that epitomized everything they have always associated with him on television. That, arguably explains why in his appearances for the outfit, he drew customers' interests to its outlets, the reason being that they know him as their soul mate. Would this measure of trust be possible if they have not known or related with him before? In other words, was the Saka character new to them? There is indeed, something to learn in the evolution of Saka as a character. I expect both Etisalat and Bademosi to be familiar with this fact that people tend to love and relate with characters rather than adverts. To that extent, rather than attempt to lay claim to creating the character, they will do better accepting the fact that it upgraded because they did not appreciate its value. For crying out loud, Saka has moved on and by Jove, it did so with a bang. "I Go Port o" is a damn good copy to watch on tv if one needs to relax. Like the bank executives, I just love this Saka, not Etisalat, not MTN and certainly, not those others who want credit for a character they never created. |
(1) (Reply)
Reverse The Bill On Same Sex-cameroon / Oil Discovered In Lagos / Ever Been Squeezed Between Two Fat Women On A Bus? Lolz!!!
(Go Up)
Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 21 |