Top Celebrity Endorsers in Nigeria
As the argument on the effectiveness or non-effectiveness of celebrity endorsements linger, it is pertinent for advertisers and those embarking on sundry marketing campaigns to know exactly what to keep in mind when choosing a famous person. In this piece, Yetunde Ogundipe reviews what companies consider before selecting a celebrity endorser and the top endorsements in Nigeria that have followed this technique.
The norm in Nigeria is to leave housekeeping decisions to the woman, making women the target audience for most household products. So in promoting toilet products a female celebrity would be a good option. Therefore, when Nkem Owoh, a male actor, was featured in a Harpic Toilet Cleaner advert, it was considered a mismatch. After airing for sometime, the promoters realised this oversight and replaced him with Bukky Wright. But must a company hinge only on the popularity of a celebrity to sell its product?
Experts say that the reason for using celebrity endorsements is its potential to create awareness and positive feeling towards brands. Advertising with a celebrity is perceived to add entertainment but the selection of the celebrity is an important task. Before a brand signs on a celebrity endorser, they consider the credibility of the celebrity, his/her attractiveness and the meaning transfer between the celebrity and the brand.
The credibility principle states that for any brand-celebrity collaboration to be successful, the personal credibility of the celebrity is critical. The credibility factor of the celebrity influences the product’s acceptability with consumers.
The attractiveness principle states that an attractive endorser will have a positive impact on the endorsement. The endorser should be attractive to the target audience in certain aspects such as physical appearance, intellectual capacity, athletic competence and life style.
Finally, the meaning transfer between a celebrity and the brand states that the success of the brand-celebrity collaboration heavily depends on the compatibility between the brand and the celebrity in terms of identity, personality positioning in the market and life style.
Below is a list of celebrities and the brands that adopted these principles in signing them as endorsers.
Kanu Nwankwo/Peak and More
One of Peak`s greatest promotions strategy is the brand’s leverage on Nigeria’s international star, Nwankwo Kanu. The philosophy is not far from the role model posture of Kanu to Peak Milk loyalists. The first series of Peak commercials starred Kanu growing from an ambitious kid to an adult superstar, while the current campaign, “It’s In You”, features him with his son. These adverts depict what Peak stands for: a brand associated with great success stories. And the use of Kanu Nwankwo, unarguably Nigeria’s most decorated footballer and his son to promote Peak Milk has been hailed by many, especially as his mesmerizing elegance on the pitch has made him an enduring favourite of millions of his countrymen.
Shola Olusegun, a consumer, believes that “the fact that the son was in that advert really sold the brand. I have this cousin of mine who switched brands because of that. Kanu has always been someone every Nigerian will take a minute, even on a busy day, to listen to.”
Recently, the star was also signed on as brand ambassador to Dufil Foods and Nobel Carpets, makers of Indomie Noodles and Nobel Carpets respectively.
Kate Henshaw-Nuttal/Onga Food Seasoning
The use of Kate Henshaw-Nuttal, a Nollywood star, to promote Onga food seasoning has also been hailed by many for good brand alignment, especially as the actress hails from a section of the country noted for tasty delicacies and quality recipes.
As the new face of Onga, Kate hosts and attends a lot of activities for the brand including making guest appearances at a variety of cooking competitions and food fairs. Kate, as an ideal candidate, reflects the way a successful West African woman balances a modern lifestyle with traditional values.
Jumbo Dike, an advertising practitioner, believes that “her choice should be applauded considering the background and origin of the actress as well as her homely disposition.”
Dakore Egbuson/Amstel Malta
In 2007, Dakore Egbuson became the face of Amstel Malta. Even though her character as a Nollywood actress mostly depicts a strong, rich and stuck up woman, she brings to the table great beauty. This she has also brought to the commercial.
In the commercial, a female “celebrity” broke the heel of her shoes while entering a car. Dakore, who was not cast as a celebrity, hurried to offer assistance but forgot to hand back the lady’s Amstel Malta branded bag. The paparazzi are supposed to identity the celebrity by the bag. As the car sped off, Dakore realized she was still holding the lady’s bag and held it up to attract the lady’s attention.
On sighting the bag, the paparazzi’s concluded Dakore was the celebrity they had been waiting for and immediately took several shots of her, instantly transforming her to a celebrity.
M2 gathers that an attractive endorser better enhances product recall in the minds of consumers. Attractiveness includes similarity, familiarity and likeability.
Tuface Idibia/Guinness Smooth
Innocent Idibia, in 2005 became one of Nigeria’s most celebrated brand ambassadors when he signed an endorsement deal with Guinness Nigeria to endorse one of its premium brands, Guinness Smooth. The brand owners had latched simply on Tuface’s mega star status at that time, which could be rivalled by no other artiste in Nigeria. Moreover, Tuface was loved by both the young and the old. The artiste’s musical success story and his smooth voice could be said to be his selling points for the deal. He was reportedly paid N50 million in what was the biggest celebrity endorsement deal of that time.
D’ Banj/Glo, Virgin Nigeria
D’ Banj has endorsed many brands and it is believed that this forms a major part of his income. He has had contracts with Glo, Virgin Colors, Virgin Nigeria, Nutricima, UAC and Power Fist. His endorsement with Glo is considered to be the biggest in Nigeria as he was allegedly paid N70million for a two year contract.
At the time, D’ Banj was undoubtedly the rave of the moment on the local music scene. Glo selected him for his status as an outstanding and exceptionally gifted entertainer with an undying can-do spirit, perseverance and passion for excellence.
Glo’s experience with D’banj is a good example of how a celebrity’s character traits could become a clog in the wheel of an otherwise good deal.
Austin Okocha/Guinness
In celebration of its 250 years of existence, Guinness Nigeria picked Austin “Jay Jay” Okocha as its brand ambassador. Okocha’s role in the 250th anniversary included taking part in the many programmes that were used to celebrate the event.
Okocha is a big icon in Nigeria and as a football star his name is known all around the world. He reflects greatness and also inspires it in others which are the philosophies of the Guinness brand. As such, his selection seems to be a perfect match.
Genevieve/ Lux
World stardom which Genevieve sought through the silver screen fell on her laps when she was chosen as the Face of Lux beauty soap in 2005. It was the first time a Nigerian living in Nigeria would emerge as the face of a global brand selling in over 100 countries.
Lux is for women of passion and beauty, a grace that won Genevieve the deal. And it fetched her N20 million.
Banky W/Etisalat
Celebrities can be used to introduce a new brand or break the cycle of sales stagnancy that hitherto held a product bound. Banky W’s smooth velvety voice and the closing lyrics ’0809ja for life’ created public awareness for the Etisalat brand. Though he wasn’t contracted to endorse the brand, people’s reaction to the advert gave him out as the face of the network. Nigerians took a great liking to the song and in different quarters, children and adults were heard reeling out the 0809ja for life song, thereby pushing the Etisalat brand to higher heights.
