A Qualitative Examination of the Effectiveness of Cultural Elements in the Advertisements of Telecoms Brands in Nigeria: Views from the Industry

Abstract

The incessant complaints and highlight of the total neglect of cultural values of varied domestic consumers in global campaigns of multinationals has become an issue at the center of research concerns among scholars and practitioners of advertising in Nigeria. Literature, in a pointer to this, has further affirmed that consistent neglect of the use of cultural elements in global commercials had altered consumers' perception of the various brands and subsequently affected their patronage. The outlying cause of these problems is unconnected to the perceived cultural imperialism tendencies inherent in the ‘strategic and deliberate failure' of global companies to adapt to social preferences, reveal cultural values, expose norms, and reflect the era people live in (glocalization strategy – global thinking, local acting). Several efforts by scholars in this regard have been largely from the subscribers' point of view with little or no efforts regarding the views from the industry. The study adopted the survey design (in-depth interview) among the creative directors (informants) of the four advertising agencies that handle the account of the four selected telecommunications companies – DDB (MTN), X3M Ideas (Glo), Noah's Ark (Airtel) and Blue Seal (9Mobile). Three (3) of the interviews were conducted via mail, while the fourth was conducted via telephone. Findings revealed that the choice of cultural reflections in advertisements transcends one particular culture, and cut across the various ethnic groups in the country; and that the adoption of cultural elements as glocal advertising strategy in television advertisements of telecommunications service providers has made the advertisements effective in the attainment of their objectives – persuading and improving on the number of subscribers to their services among the residents in Southwest Nigeria.