When Tiwa Savage – Nigeria’s songstress mounted the podium on May 6 – and wowed the global audience at the inauguration of King Charles III, it was more evident that African youths have the world in their hands.
The breathtaking performance by Savage was a reminder that there is a reason to do more to connect African youths with their passions and desire. This is what Airtel Nigeria is doing with its new campaign theme.
More than any other time, it’s ripe to celebrate the resilience and intelligence of the Nigerian youths – they have shone brightly in the creative industry, technology,
entertainment and sports.
The youths, globally, are Nigerian ambassadors whose passions and desire to excel have forced attention to their sides.
This reality, according to Carl Cruz, the chief executive officer of Airtel Nigeria, informed why the network provider is moving beyond just being a Smartphone Network, to an enabler of youths’ dreams and passion.
With over 51 million users, the network has moved from a functional conversation to a relationship that taps deeply into the emotional connections that give greater meaning to life.
The network is celebrating the incredible creativity of Africa’s youth with the launch of its newest thematic campaign, “A Reason to Imagine”, because, according to Femi Oshinlaja, Airtel’s Chief Commercial Officer, “they make magic happen in entertainment, technology, and business”.
“With this campaign, we are expressing our determination to keep helping to bring their imagination to life,” Oshinlaja said at the unveiling of the campaign.
The realisation that the youth represents a significant of its stakeholders in a country where more than 60 per cent of the population falls under 30 years of age, Airtel has strengthened its commitment to placing the young people’s passions and desire at
the forefront of its mission as a company.
Cruz shared the sentiment that the youth have taken centre stage. “Young people are now, more than ever, owning their passions boldly, chasing their dreams with all
their heart, and living life on their own terms,” he said.
“The result of this shift is an emerging generation of super-confident Africans who
are making a major impact in music, fashion, movies, technology, visual arts, literature, gastronomy, crafts, and business.
“At Airtel, we see this growth as a beautiful thing. And today, we would love to share with you our new brand purpose, which is our commitment to the future. It is about youth, about excitement, about fun, and most of all, about imagination.
“From The Smartphone Network, we are evolving our messaging to celebrate the creativity of Nigeria’s youngsters, because Airtel appreciates the energy and belief
that these vibrant young leaders bring to inspire every facet of our collective life.”
Supporting more youths to excel
Nigerian youths have demonstrated that with a little imagination and persistence, incredible achievements are possible. They have shown this in music, film, fashion, tech, sports, and other areas. Cruz said by consciously bringing the technology, services, and reach of Airtel behind these visions, “we are confident that a lot more Nigerian youth can do more and bring their dreams to life”.
He said the new campaign would offer the voice, Airtel TV, super skit-maker competition, data services among others.
The Smartphone Network, Cruz said, would leverage the power of imagination to create a deep connection with the youths by continuing to promote accessibility and affordability via device partnerships, world-class data connections, portable data
bouquets, mobile money, creative initiatives to stimulate creativity, and empowering role models in tech and the creative fields.
The CEO explained that the “A Reason to Imagine” campaign would revolutionize the telecommunications industry and set Airtel apart from its competitors.
“As things currently stand, only Airtel is proudly and boldly promoting imagination as an important raw material for youth empowerment,” Cruz said.
“We believe, with the popularity of Airtel’s new communications platform, we will inspire other companies, even beyond telecommunications, to embrace this platform of imagination and support creativity among young people.”
He said the company would continue to develop innovative solutions that make the
consumer experience seamless and intuitive where technology will play an important role.
“As we interpret ‘A Reason to Imagine’ for our subscribers, technology will play an
important role, helping us to better understand our users’ needs, aspirations, and desires in our effort to partner with them more effectively.”
–Iweka, a writer and culture enthusiast, lives in Lagos