Globacom, Nigerian wholly owned technology and digital solutions company, has over the years been noted for producing some of the best visually pleasing and enriching television commercials. Several of these commercials have won awards both at home and abroad.
But the overriding objective is always to connect with the customers and highlight the company’s unique products and services.
However, the Yuletide commercials from Globacom are quite distinct in their purpose and production. They speak and ooze joy, felicitation and conviviality, sharing the fun, euphoria and warmth of such seasons.
The two 2024 Yuletide adverts it rolled out recently are not any different. The unique yet powerful commercials serve a dual purpose. They felicitate the Nigerian people and spread mirth, which the season typifies, around existing and prospective customers.
The technology company’s captivating ads continue to spread the joy and excitement of the season of goodwill. The company uses the season adverts to celebrate its customers and the country as a whole in addition to promoting brand awareness.
This is a custom that Glo started since its launch in 2003 and it has consistently employed television commercials as effective means of promoting goods and services, guaranteeing brand awareness, and bringing happiness to its diverse audience.
The two new commercials have, predictably, taken over the airways, keeping viewers engaged and enjoying the festive atmosphere of Christmas.
In the first commercial, entitled “Merry Christmas”, juju music maestro King Sunday Adegeye, known worldwide to music lovers as King Sunny Ade, parades a full ensemble of dancers and a rich, brilliant band. Together, the dancing, rhythm, and percussion create a joyful atmosphere that evokes pleasant memories of the Yuletide season.
The TVC transports viewers to the era of the 1970s and 1980s, when Christmas was celebrated with great grandeur prior to the party celebration where King Sunny and his band perform for guests. It vividly depicts rural Nigeria at Christmas, when the spirit of community and tradition is strong. With kids playing, women preparing delectable meals in outdoor kitchens, and the smell of local cuisines—you can actually smell it—mingling with the sounds of juju music, the village is like a beehive of activity. As they enjoy the holiday season, families and friends congregate and dance merrily to the upbeat music, their faces sparkling with excitement. The fact that a woman wearing the Aso ebi for the celebration is seen descending from an iconic Peugeot 504 further establishes the advertisement’s 1980s setting as the car was very popular among the elite and middle class of that era.
The TV commercial by Globacom embodies the idea of community by fusing the festive mood of Christmas with the impressively rich cultural diversity of rural life, while quietly highlighting the telecom brand’s ability to bring loved ones together, no matter how far apart they may be. It ends with a message of “Better don’t come. Merry Christmas, Nigeria”, which emphasizes the commercial’s purpose even further.
To spread the Christmas message, a galaxy of well-known artists, including Nollywood stars, including Timini Egbuson, Uche Nwaefuna (Uchemontana), and Chigozie Stephanie Alichi (Chizzy Alichi), Tomi Ojo, Eronini Osinachim, Kiki Bakare, and Tope Adenibuyan (Teddy A) appeared in the second advertisement, which is aptly tagged “Feliz Navidad.”
The Tap dancers are a beauty to behold as they take the centre stage at the Christmas celebration, and the energy is electrifying as their feet tap out the complex rhythms that perfectly complement Feliz Navidad’s lively beats. A quick pulse is produced by their shoes hitting the floor, which goes well with the upbeat music played by the musicians in the band, who use colorful instruments and mellow vocals to bring the celebratory song to life.
As everyone joins together to celebrate the season and partake in the delight of music, dancing, and the coziness of the Christmas spirit, laughter and joy are abundant. The scenario, which is set to the classic tunes of Feliz Navidad, is a colorful celebration of culture, solidarity, and joy.
As they take in the friendliness of the season of love, hope, gifts, and celebrations, these commercials have further won over Glo’s subscribers and the Nigerian population at large.
Regarding the Yuletide commercials, a marketing communication expert, Ehis Michael, lauded Globacom for the beauty and messages of its adverts. He was especially happy with the tone and spirit of Feliz Navidad, which he described as loaded with a great message of spreading joy in a time like this. He added that Globacom has been tied this spread of the message of joy with its end of year promotion, Festival of Joy, through which the company is actually spreading joy to people who never expected that they would end the year with great gifts from the telco.
On his part, Jokotade Akano, an industry observer, stated that Globacom is not only a market leader in the telecommunications industry but also a well-known producer of epic television commercials.
It is Feliz Navidad, or Merry Christmas, from the country’s telco pride!
