Safaricom has unveiled a major brand campaign saying that they aim to cement Safaricom’s connection with the Kenyan market.
Building on the existing Niko na Safaricom tagline which has resonated with the firm’s over 16 million subscribers and other Kenyans, is touted as biggest brand commercial ever executed in the country.
The commercial, shot with a huge cast of Safaricom staff, who are members of the Safaricom Choir, and put together by the firm’s advertising agency Redsky, will be relayed through a fully integrated 360 degree execution that will see it on TV, radio, retail units, press, billboards, websites, cinema screens and digital media platforms.
Former Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph say the new campaign was a deliberate move by the company to celebrate of our Kenyanness.
Safaricom says the campaign took slightly over four months to assemble. It is just one of the the most ambitious commercial ever shot in Kenya and Africa outside South Africa, given the manpower and equipment involved. Featuring a longer-than-usual 90-second take, it is a showcase of the diversity of the Kenyan culture and brings together literally all the aspects of the country ranging from social to economic lifestyles.
Safaricom runs the biggest budget in the Kenyan advertising industry and the latest campaign, which will run for the balance of the year, is likely to spawn a major revenue stream for media organizations. According to ad-trackers Synovate, Safaricom was able to gross ad exposure worth about Sh3.55 billion in the first nine months of 2010 compared to Sh2.33 billion grossed over a similar period in 2009. Actual ad-spend is likely to be much lower. Exposure would vary year-on-year, depending on our messages and strategic objectives.
Subscribers will be able to assign the campaign jingle as their Skiza tune or ringtone, at no charge. The jingle or wallpapers related to the campaign can also be downloaded from the Safaricom web portal www.safaricom.com free of charge.
Safaricom commercials started out with The Better Option campaign in 2000 (lately called “the bitter option”), which led to many Kenyans choosing it as their preferred service provider. This would later be followed in 2006 by the “Masai Mara” campaign . With a tourist, tour guide and Maasai herdsman as its characters.
What do you think of the new Safaricom commercial?