Sanwo-Olu Leverages Brand with Video Communication

BRANDS & MARKETING

Government officials in Nigeria often walk the jaded path of communicating with the citizens through daily press releases which often look predictable and pedestrian. If you simply swap the names of some officials, the press releases will look the same. But just before Nigerians give up, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State chose to be different. In this report, Raheem Akingbolu x-rays the governor’s recently released video communication asset aimed at keeping Lagosians abreast of inauguration of activities marking his second anniversary in office

Did you see that video asset released by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu by the way? If you didn’t, you may need to search for it online. Stunning would be an under-statement. In an approach that is refreshingly different in every way, Sanwo-Olu introduced a video communication asset to inaugurate commencement of the presentation of his administration’s two-year score card and give Lagosians a glimpse into what is to come. And yes, he did! And in a refreshingly different manner!

In the one-minute, 23 seconds Video News Release (VNR) to herald the series of activities commemorating the anniversary, Sanwo-Olu is seen in a white shirt on a pair of blue jeans, a clear departure from the usual style of our elected leaders speaking to us in full ceremonial dresses best suited for social gatherings or state functions.

Perhaps the governor’s handlers are deliberate in the choice of his outfit. A white shirt on a pair of jeans reminds discerning citizens that Sanwo-Olu is indeed a governor at work. If that was the intent, the message was well delivered. With Lagos, by every breaking of the day, now looking more like one massive construction site with infrastructure renewal works dotting the landscape everywhere you turn, that image of the governor connects with reality. This is what public relations epitomises. It is never an attempt to whitewash a sepulchre full of dry bones. It must connect with reality. This one does.

The governor hints in his address that the campaign, themed “Sanwo-Olu:731 Days & Beyond”, is a Social Accountability Report featuring his colleagues and himself giving accounts of their stewardship to the people of the state. In the simple, but high-quality video communication, the governor summarises his administration’s scorecard with the assurance that the story to be told of Lagos would be an audacious saying, “our best days are on their way.” Governor Sanwo-Olu added with undoubtable optimism that, “the Greater Lagos we envisioned is closer now than ever before.”

The short, but impactful video closes with a visual picture of the envisioned Greater Lagos in the closing frames, with a cluster of high-rise buildings amidst immense lights, among other cues to depict what Lagos can become in the foreseeable future.

“It is about the awesome sensory. It is an invitation to Lagosians to travel into a possible future of Lagos. It is a quest to make people take a mental leap into the Greater Lagos of the future”, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Gboyega Akosile, enthuses.

One impactful element running through the video asset is the eye-catching smart creative thread. “Our creative choice is deliberately rooted in the journey motif. It is a fact that we are not there yet, but that we are well on the journey to the envisioned Lagos. That explains the symbolism of the road in the creative treatment. The cluster of the high-rise buildings as seen in the video, along with immense lights, bright colours and the skylines rest in awesome harmony to inspire thoughts of what the new Lagos financial centre would be like in the foreseeable future,” Akosile explains. He further says that the number ‘731’ in the video is rendered in big, bold streaky lines as an affirmation of the fact that the state is on track in her journey to Greater Lagos. The lines inside the numbers are creative expressions of tracks.

A deeper understanding of creative symbolism will make one agree with the framers of the campaign that the bright flashy lights indeed depict innovation and creativity. A fact Akosile alludes to when he says, “When you look at how Governor Sanwo-Olu and his team have raised funding for the red line rail project right in the midst of a global economic meltdown and a pandemic, you cannot, but agree with the governor’s description of it as a feat built on creative financing.”

Akosile further reveals that the cluster of skyscrapers is emblematic of the growth and development Governor Sanwo-Olu and his team envision for Lagos. The embedded compass in the horizon, according to him, connotes the state’s audacious leverage of technology to drive socio-economic growth and development. Under the Smart City initiative, Lagos is currently building the first ever state-owned 6,000km fibre optic infrastructure round the state. The first phase of 3,000km has taken off. This infrastructure is what the 2,000 security cameras being installed round the state will rest on. Lagos will in fact extend the infrastructure to the telecoms companies for use too. No sub-national in Nigeria has tried this yet. Only countries like South Africa, Rwanda, Mexico, Russia and Kenya have tried what Lagos is showing the audacity to do.

The creative rendition of the campaign material also features the full complement of the brand colours of Lagos State stylishly embedded with each equally communicating key attributes of the state as a brand. For example, the yellow symbolises the state’s positivity, and the joy Lagos gives to all and sundry. Ask a new comer into Lagos. The Blue represents stability, harmony, peace and calm, the key requirements of development. Red symbolises the passion and the high energy Lagos is known for. Prior to COVID-19, this city runs on its own energy. In branding, Green symbolises growth and productivity. On a balance of scale, this is true of the story of Lagos.

The framers of the campaign then introduced an additional colour, Orange. Akosile says this is deliberately to underscore the youthfulness of the Lagos population, the importance of the youth demography, the friendliness of the people and the invigorating energy Lagos evokes.

In all, the overarching look and feel of the creative treatment given to the video communication is not an accidental breath of fresh air, but a well-thought-out campaign by some of the best brains in Sanwo-Olu’s team. Now that they have raised the bar of excellence again with this, all eyes are on them. Will they keep this mojo?

For now, Governor Sanwo-Olu and his team can take a bow for the creative mastery displayed with this campaign.