The sixth season of the Big Brother Naija show with the theme, Shine Ya Eye has come and gone but not without making a valuable impact on the winner, Hazel ‘Whitemoney’ Onyeze Onou, the rest of the housemates, viewers, and its sponsors.
The show came to an end on Sunday, October 3, 2021, after recording over 1.3 billion votes across the world during the 72 days it was on the air. The show was said to have cost over N4.3 billion to produce and employed over 25,000 Nigerians. I don’t have the figures of the income generated yet, but I am sure it was well over the roof judging from their rate card and the number of ads on the show, which was over 21 on the first day.
BBNaija is watched from all over the world, no doubt the sponsoring brands must have made an impression on viewers, some more than the others but below are my top picks for The Most Memorable Ads on the show and why.
5. Munchit: Non-Stop Munch Featuring Davido & Elozonam
Even though the individual components of this ad, such as the picture quality, sound, editing, etc., seem to be well done, as a unit, it wasn’t convincing; it looked somewhat unnatural, but you can’t argue that it didn’t stand out.
First of all, it is not your regular ad. The colorful ambiance and fun concept are different from every other ad on the show. And then, there’s Davido.
The African superstar brought the magic to this commercial. If anything, it was a joy to see him relaxed and having fun munching. His fans definitely won’t forget that in a hurry.
Another thing that seemed to have made this ad stick, especially with children, is the song. Even though I think the lyrics could be a lot better. It seemed to be telling people what to do and where to do it. It says: Munch it non-stop, on a road trip, watching football, etc. Such lyrics wouldn’t have been a big deal in the past, but it is too direct for today’s audience and can be considered a hard sell.
But overall, with the constant airplay on the BBNaija show, this ad proved to be memorable despite its weak launch impact.
4. Supakomando – Fire On Featuring Erica Nlewedim
This ad was an instant hit, but unlike others that also made a good impression at launch, this ad retained attention throughout the show.
One can describe it as an intriguing constant reminder that Supakomando can help you ‘fire on’. It underscores the importance of having a unique concept that clearly communicates the brand message.
You see the ad, and you not only see the first-of-kind ad in Nigeria where a former housemate of the show performs an action stunt, but you are also immediately reminded of what to drink to give you the energy you need to get things done.
Safe to say that the BBNaija star, Erica, and that dope stunt did the magic in this ad. It makes it less tiring to watch and positioned Supakomando in the minds of the consumers as an energy-giving drink.
3: Darling – Black Girl Magic Featuring Patoranking
Unlike the Superkomando ad, you may get tired of watching this video. Although it looks good, there is nothing unique or exceptional, except the celebrity, Patoranking of course but the music? That’s the magic.
The song Black Girl Magic rendered by Patoranking not only saved this ad but made it one of the most memorable on the show!
2. Travel Beta: Go with Travel Beta
This video is way worse than that of Darling Nigeria. Plus, I don’t like the concept of a travel company using a green screen for a travel ad, but oh… the music! It is everything.
I hate it when brands copy each other, so I was prepared not to like this ad because it was one of the many jingles trying to imitate Airtel’s successful 444 campaign. They went as far as using the voice behind the 444 campaign, Lade, for it. But try as I may, I couldn’t dislike it. The song is just too good!
One of the reasons why I think it stands out is the melody. It is melodious and quite different from that of Airtel even though it was clearly what inspired it.
Abeg – Make Someone Happy With Cash
This is also one of those inspired by the Airtel ad, it even went as far as copying the style of the 444 campaign lyrics video, so I tried harder to hate it but it won me over like it did millions of others across the continent.
It is no doubt the most memorable ad on this year’s BBNaija show and the reasons are not far-fetched. It is a catchy tune, and the infusion of popular street lingo did the trick! It also helped that the brand is the headline sponsor of the BBNaija show. That move already made them popular among the viewers and more receptive to their campaigns.
Abeg is the brand winner of this year’s BBnaija show! It is not every day that a brand achieves massive brand awareness with its first-ever campaign, and Abeg certainly achieved that and more. The brand has recorded about 1.4 Million app downloads on Apple and Google Playstore and its merch on the show was a fan favorite, so much so that they had to start selling it.
However, their success didn’t come without some major challenges that may be detrimental to the brand but that’s a topic for another day. For now, let’s celebrate these exceptional ad campaigns and give all the brands mentioned their flowers.
