Nigeria’s Timeless Advertising Campaigns

Raheem Akingbolu delves into the essence of a few memorable Nigerian advertising campaigns and how the promoters blend their storytelling deftness with creativity to produce unique works of art that not only resonate with consumers but also impacted the brands

Bagco Super Sack – We no go gree

The nation was transitioning from cement bagged with paper to one bagged with semi-plastic bags called bagco. Of course, there was resistance, but this campaign broke that resistance and cement inside paper naturally added out and cement manufacturers were forced to start bagging their cement in bagco.  Perhaps the most exciting thing about this campaign is the chant. The storyline was interesting too, set in a local shop where a cement supplier and a store owner disagreed about the type of cement supplied. The store owner and his boys insisted on having only cement in Bagco Super Sack, which resulted in a chant similar to the ones used during a protest. It was a strategic concept that creatively targeted those who suffer from the issues arising from lousy cement bags. By targeting those people and enlightening them of a better option, store owners, suppliers, and even manufacturers got the message, and the chant, along with the name of the brand stuck in our heads forever.

Hope ’93: On the March Again

Prior to this ad, two agencies, Insight Communications and late SesanOgunro’s Eminent Communications had been signed on by the National Republican Convention and Social Democratic Party, respectively, to market the two parties ahead of the 1993 general elections. As a build-up to the SDP’s Moshood Abiola’s campaign, Eminent published Bashorun Abiola’s letter of hope to Nigerians and followed it up with the ‘On the March Again’ campaign that changed Nigeria’s political landscape. It was the beginning of modern political marketing in Nigeria.

One of the most iconic presidential campaigns of all time, the Hope ’93 presidential campaign of late MKO Abiola created a TV commercial that not only resonated with potential voters but sold a powerful message in a simple way; exploiting the power of music, street language and imagery that endeared the contestant to voters. No wonder he won the election. 

FCMB: Power of the Group

The 2025 campaign runs on the strength of being together as a group to create unity towards a common purpose. There could be a good singer, but when he or she joins a group, it becomes an orchestra that produces sweet melodies. The same goes for a gifted footballer who must join a team to win trophies and medals. 

Shot on location across Lagos, Abuja, and the breathtaking Mambilla Plateau, in Taraba, the TVC doesn’t just tell a story about financial strength; it inadvertently celebrates Nigeria itself. Each frame showcases the nation’s diversity, natural beauty, and the power of unity—subtly reinforcing the message that, just like FCMB Group’s subsidiaries, Nigeria thrives when its diverse elements come together as one. 

The seamless transition of scenes, integrated with crisp visual metaphors, creates an immersive experience. The advert’s emotional resonance is heightened by a pulsating soundtrack composed by the legendary CobhamsAsuquo and the captivating narration of Laila Johnson-Salami. The combination of sound and visuals pulls viewers into the heart of the message, emphasising strength through unity.

Peak Milk – Papilo

The essence of this campaign was to highlight the fact that Peak Milk had remained an enduring brand that has played a role in the lives of Nigerians. With Kanu being the face of the campaign, it started when he was a small boy playing with a tin of Peak Milk and an old woman ‘prophesied’ that he would one day bring glory to the village, which he eventually did. Of course, with the help of Peak Milk.

Considering KanuNwakwo’s legendary deftness on the pitch and his acceptability among football fans, almost everyone wanted to be a footballer after watching this advert. Everyone wanted to “make us proud” like Papilo. It is not surprising to get such a fantastic commercial from a category leader, Peak Milk. The Brand effectively utilised its endorsement of Kanu and created a great advert based on his life. At that time, Kanu Nwankwo was making Nigeria proud. So the ad used that to sell Peak Milk, suggesting that it is responsible for the strong growth required for a child to grow into an adult who would make the country proud. It felt real, and it was inspiring as well as entertaining. A lot of things worked in this ad’s favour. First, Nigerians love Kanu, and they love football as well. Then the storyline, copy and video concept made it an instant hit, it felt like it gave people a glimpse of the football star’s childhood, and the little stunts he pulled even as a youngster made the ad more amazing. Oh, and the way the lady who said the name “Papilo” with the Nigerian intonation nailed it. It resonated well, it stuck!

 Vicks Blue – Baba Blue

Though the focus of this piece is the Baba Blue Justice campaign, it can be background with another campaign where the promoters of the brand used the traditional bus conductor to pass a message about throat clearing.

Here, the Vicks menthol candy features a bus conductor calling passengers but with a gruffy voice until one elderly man admonished that he won’t get passengers with such a voice and he offered him Vicks menthol candy, which he (the conductor) took and his voice became clearer and he got passengers in droves.

The Baba Blue (Justice) campaign was conceptualised and produced by SO&U. Its beauty lies in the way dramatic scenes were created in a court to pass a message.  The lawyer of the defendant was not articulate because of the cold and catarrh. He is given Vicks Blue by the Brand’s famous character, Baba Blue, which instantly clears his cold. It turns out he wins the case, and his victim is discharged and acquitted. The high point is at the end of the short drama when the defendant unknowingly confesses to the crime (I swear I no go do am again) while thanking Baba Blue. The ad did great for Vicks at the time because of its relevance and captivating nature.

Bank PHB: Cars will run on water

Before Bank PHB was closed down, it was known for its bold advertising campaign, but one of its memorable ones was the one with the slogan; “One day, cars will run on water…”. This campaign, created by Insight Communications, was part of a larger theme of “Impossible is Nothing.” The ad depicted a man refuelling his car with water and then drinking from the same nozzle, symbolising the bank’s forward-thinking vision.  

The campaign was highly regarded for its creativity and ability to resonate with the Nigerian audience, but some argue it may have contributed to the bank’s eventual downfall due to its lack of practical products and services to support the “impossible” vision. The bank’s license was revoked in 2011 due to its inability to meet recapitalisation deadlines. 

MTN: I Don Port oo

Needing to switch between multiple networks, having two or more lines became the fad. At the time, MTN offered subscribers the opportunity to change networks but still retain their old numbers. Afeez ‘Saka’ Oyetoro, who had worked for Etisalat (now 9Mobile) was the face of the campaign and the tagline: ‘I don port o’ became a national slogan which was even being used on the streets to communicate about other things.

This is probably the peak of the telecommunication wars in advertising. MTN used it to announce the innovative SIM port service and recruited the same actor, Saka, once used by Etisalat (now 9Mobile) for the advert. With fantastic production, the ad showed Saka in Etisalat colours singing while backing the camera. He turns and transforms, dressed in MTN’s yellow as he screams, “I don port o!”. The same person who preached Etisalat came back singing that he had ported to MTN. That was so spot on! Etisalat almost didn’t recover from this shot, and MTN won the ad war hands down. It was immensely creative and entertaining at the time; the word ‘port’ became a popular slang among Nigerians. One major lesson learnt from the ad lies in its strategy and innovation. At that time, most brands wouldn’t even touch a celeb endorsed by a competitor, MTN broke the rule because the strategy of their ad campaign required it. The real-life story of Saka’s porting to MTN is what gave this ad a lot of traction and believability.

Diamond Bank: Bank Down the Road

The ‘Band Down the Road’ campaign was launched then to showcase Diamond Bank’s new image as “A New Bank.”

The 30-second commercial featured Bovi, a popular Nigerian comedian, saving the day for some bank customers who are being frustrated by the poor quality of service from their banks, ingeniously referred to as “the bank down the road.” Dressed in Diamond Bank colours, Bovi addressed each complaint with a corresponding solution from Diamond Bank, and then advised the obviously relieved customer to make a switch, with the catchphrase: “You need a New Bank.” 

The TVC opens with Bovi chancing upon a customer who was worried about issuing a cheque, presumably for goods bought from the store where the scene was shot. The customer complains about the huge COT and other bank charges for such a small service, as the salesman harangues him to write the cheque. Bovi walks up to them, presents the man with a Diamond Bank cheque book and advises: “If you’re not getting the best from your bank, you need a new bank.”

In the print version of the Ad, the bank’s agency, X3M Ideas, showed the pictures of various business people who apparently had enjoyed support from the bank. They obviously seem to be telling other business people who may not be getting financial support from their banks to ‘port.’

 Guinness: My Friend Udeme

This campaign emphasised the power of relationships. It was about a man who took a long bus ride to go and meet an old friend in a sleepy town. The campaign was to emphasise the fact that with Guinness, the relationship can last a lifetime.

The captivating TV ad was produced by SO&U with a fantastic storyline; a narration by an older man on the aspiration and achievement of his great friend, Udeme. It was so impressive that one would hardly figure out that it is a Guinness ad until the end.

Panadol Extra – Oga for strong headache

If you are wondering how Panadol is so popular in Nigeria to the extent that Nigerians mistake it for the name of the category of drugs for pain relief, this might be the reason.  The evergreen ad is probably why Panadol is still relevant today. The ad had a beautiful production at the time, with a compelling narrative, which was very relatable. It tells the story of a character, Solo, who had a workshop, but a headache affected his productivity. Panadol Extra, however, rescued oga Solo. This is a great ad, and still the best in the pharmaceutical industry to date. The strongest trait is its local relevance. People with workshops like Oga Solo are prone to having headaches because of the nature of their jobs. By using a character like the everyday Nigerian, the commercial was able to capture the attention of the masses, and of course, delivering the ad with a dance and a song in pidgin sealed the deal!

Airtel -444

 Airtel launched the *444 campaign (also known as the *444# direct recharge) to simplify and make airtime and data recharge more convenient for their customers. The telco company’s sing-along advertisement “444 is a metaphor” that became an instant hit with Nigerians, making it to top several commercials and winning a few local and international awards at the end for both the brand and Noah’s Ark, its creative agency then.

At the LAIF award, the 444 campaign earned Airtel three Gold awards in the Bank, Investment and Other Financial Communication award category and also three Gold in the Telecom Product/Services award category.

OmoladeOyetundun, simply known as ‘Lade’ the voice behind the commercial, was a final year student at the University of Ilorin when she was invited to handle the job. She admitted later in an interview that her beautiful delivery of the commercial brought her into the limelight and opened many doors for her musical career.