TVCs & Storytelling: Is Globacom's Creativity at the Shadows of Airtel Nigeria?

Airtel Nigeria says Data is Life.  Globacom Nigeria says Data is Oxygen. Airtel's recent award-winning storytelling TVC which has now become a series focuses on rivalry between to two mother in-laws (Meet-the-inlaws). Glo recent commercial (Glo Oga SIM)  in similar fashion is about rivalry between two friends/traders.

While the Airtel commercials featured Segun, Amaka, renowned Nollywood actress, Idowu Philips aka Iya Rainbow as Segun's mother; Nollywood actress, Ngozi Nwosu aka Mummy Peace as his mother-in-law and actor, Dele Odule aka Papa Amaka as father in-law; Glo's ad featured Patience Ozokwor (Mama Gee), Sola Sobowale, Toyin Abraham, Aluwe has major characters. A rivalry between traders Mama Gee and Sola Sobowale.

The new ad Glo Yakata TVC was just a replica of Airtel's Win Back Promo which encourages customers to get their Airtel SIM back on if they haven't used it for 30 days or more to enjoy 20 times the value of their recharge.

One then wonder whether Glo is out of fresh creative ideas or being lazy in digging deep to truly create a distinctive storytelling commercial.

In the last two years, Airtel has been able to unleash a fresh angle of storytelling in a way that communicate to the mass market in Nigeria. Using relatable real life experience to pass these messages. Have you seen the recent Airtel RechargePlus commercials? That's the next level Airtel is taking its storytelling messages to.

Reacting to Glo's ad post by NaijaGists, some Nigerians who shared their thought on the Oga SIM commercial described it as "over dramatization."

Olu Aramide, on November 9, commented: "The Glo Oga SIM advert is horrible. The plot conveys a garbled message. There is also too much howling, shouting and over dramatization. Very off putting. It can't be compared to Amaka and Segun of Airtel advert"

"This advert is crap. Too much noise. Number of stars is an overkill. What does "O get mi" have to do with it all?", Segun quizzed.

While Globacom has invested millions of dollars on expanding and upgrading the network, one would expect cutting-edge creative ideas in their commercials than what they currently air on TV.

MTN is also moving towards storytelling. The Y'ello company's Traditional Weding Day TVC is a good example of how telecommunications can enhance one's life.