Encomium
+Splash N2 billion on endorsement
– king and queen of telecom endorsement
+what each ambassadors got
Telecommunications companies lead by thousand of kilometres when it comes to rewarding ambassadors. And in the last four years, they have turned the lives of our stars around for good, ensuring they live the good life.
Information available to ENCOMIUM Weekly revealed that the four major telecoms giants, MTN, Glo, Airtel and Etisalat have invested about N2 billion in bettering the lots of our entertainers as brand ambassadors. According to our checks, MTN and Glo lead the pack with 21 ambassadors each, Etisalat 6, while Airtel has 1. Glo expended over N600 million on their current ambassadors, MTN N500 million, Etisalat, N 190 million and Airtel, N30 million. In 2010, P-Square broke the bank when Globacom scooped them up as brand ambassadors with an endorsement deal reportedly worth N240m. P-Square who charge an average of N15m as performance fee for a show would have to perform 16 times to get that much.
Three years earlier, Glo made a full swoop when they signed on as ambassadors – a host of actors from Nollywood including Chioma Akpotha, Desmond Elliot, Uche Jumbo, Mike Ezuruonye, Ini Edo, Ramsey Nouah, Monalisa Chinda, Rita Dominic and later Funke Akindele, Kunle Afolayan, Van Vicker and Odunlade Adekola. Each deal was worth from N10 million to N25 million.
In May 2013, Glo made another swoop; this time signing a handful of prominent B list musicians Omawumi, Waje, Flavour, Bez, M.I, Burna Boy, Naeto C and Lynxxx, and Efya, who all joined Lagbaja. Their deals vary but scored an average of N20m each.
MTN who have been investing in other aspects of entertainment (Project Fame music show, Who Wants to be a Millionaire TV game show, International Polo Tournament, etc) shocked the industry in 2012 when they picked up Davido as an ambassador for their MTN Pulse campaign, a deal reportedly worth N30m. It took 13 months for the next set of endorsement deals to come, this time to three past winners of Project Fame, a show solely sponsored by the telecoms company. Singers Iyanya (N40m), Mike ‘iMyke’ Ayansodo (N10m), Chidinma (N20 million) and another vibrant contestant Praiz (N20 million).
The deal came shortly after MTN had poached actor Hafeez ‘Saka’ Oyetoro who made a famous move from another telecom company Etisalat, in a sensational deal reportedly worth N25 million. MTN then went on an endorsement spree signing on some of the biggest contemporary Nigerian artistes Wizkid (N45 million), Tiwa Savage (N30 million), Kcee (N25 million) and later on Don Jazzy along with younger brother D’Prince.
Telecommunications giant, MTN, added a new set of artistes to its rich list of brand ambassadors. At an event held on Wednesday, April 30, 2014, in Victoria Island, Lagos, the company unveiled, amongst others, Enetimi Alfred Odom, popularly known as ‘Timaya’, and fast rising hip hop artiste cum Headies award winner, Seun Morihafen, a.k.a Sean Tizzle.
The unveiling completes an exclusive constellation of some of Nigeria’s finest hip hop artistes who are doing amazingly well in their musical careers and also serve as MTN’s brand ambassadors.
The addition of Timaya and Sean Tizzle brings to twenty-one (21) the number of MTN brand ambassadors. Banky W., Harrysong, Dr. Sid and Sound Sultan were recently announced as the ICT company’s brand ambassadors just as the contracts of Iyanya Mbuk, Wizkid and a host of others including Yaw, Nedu, Mama Gee, Saka and Nkem Owoh, a.k.a Osoufia, were renewed.
Etisalat also the broke record when they unveiled star actress, Genevive Nnaji as their brand ambassador in a deal reportedly worth N100 million.
GENEVIEVE NNAJI, QUEEN OF TELCOS ENDORSEMENT
Love or hate her, Genny, as she is fondly called, is the queen of telecommunications endorsement. She raked in a N100 million endorsement deal with Etisalat which is unparallel led by any female celebrity so far. She also signed the dotted lines for one year advert deal with Polo, representatives of luxury wrist-watches, sun-glasses and accessories.
According to the information gathered, the one year deal is worth a few millions of naira. An insider told us the deal was advert and not as ambassador.
She is really enjoying the various endorsement deals as she has reportedly acquired a house in the highbrow Parkview Estate in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Property experts suggest that properties currently sold in the elite estate can be put at N120million.
Sources also disclosed that the new home has seen the Ije star spending several millions on putting it right to her taste. It was further gathered that the acquisition of the new home by Genevieve is being discussed in hushed tones amongst close-knit friends of the actress.
The acquisition is coming three months after the Half of a Yellow Sun actress built her parents a multi-million naira home in Lekki, Lagos. She rides a new Range Rover Evique.
P-SQUARE, KINGS OF TELCOS ENDORSEMENT
The singing and dancing duo, Peter and Paul Okoye, are unarguably the kings of telecommunications endorsement. They won the Kora Award for Best Africa Artiste 2010. The award came with $1m (N150 million). Shortly after, the duo got an endorsement deal with Globacom telecommunications worth about N240 million for four years. The hip-hop artistes had one of their greatest international gigs last year. Their American tour of seven cities earned them a whopping $1m (N150m). After a misunderstanding with their landlord, the duo built a house they named Squareville in the same neighbourhood. The house, which they completed in less than six months, is valued at N300 million. They are also building a multi million naira edifice in Ikoyi, Lagos State. They own Rayfield Hotel, Jos, and two multi-million naira factories in the same city, where they built a multimillion naira bakery and sachet water companies for their dad and mum, among other investments. The bulk of their wealth comes from concerts, especially in Africa. The duo has sold above 14 million copies of their CDs since 2005. They are said to charge about N2 million per show.
