Glo commercial igniting the fire of patriotism in Nigerians

THE launch of a new  television commercial by one of the nation’s telecoms service providers, Globacom,  on February 1, this year, featuring the Nigerian-born current heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, could not have been more timely.

The nation was preparing for a general election and the trepidation was palpable, across the federation.  Without  doubt, the country and her citizens needed hope, and inspirational messages that there still remains a silver lining, behind the cloud for her and her citizens, despite the pervasive air of hate speeches, palpable tension, and yawning ethno-religious division then.

Interestingly,  the launch of  the commercial,  no doubt ignited that fire of patriotism in Nigerians all over the world.

Not a few, therefore, saw its launch on the eve of the 2019 general elections, as bringing a ray of hope and relief to an obviously apprehensive citinzery.

The sequel to the TV commercial (TVC)  captures the reactions of Nigerians to the inspirational message contained in the commercial.

The TVC begins with a University of Lagos female student watching the Anthony Joshua commercial.

A teenage boy is seen also watching the TVC in his father’s sitting room. The TVC morphs to fishermen throwing their net for a haul in Lagos. The commercial morphs to a not-too prosperous tailor in Aba tapping inspiration from Anthony Joshua’s message.

Next, is a group of female basket-ballers tapping inspiration from Joshua’s message in Port Harcourt where some lady basket-ballers were jointly watching Joshua’s message on an ipad on the court and this is closely followed by a classroom setting in Sokoto where students gathered to watch Joshua’s message on a laptop. A young boxer also took tutorials from the world champion and he later won his bout while a lady executive in Abuja was also shown watching the message on her phone.

Interestingly, the cities, in the commercial, according to Bode Opeseitan, the company’s Director, External Communication and PR, underscore the nationwide coverage of the Glo 4G which he described as the best in the country, in view of its spread and coverage like the heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua.

In the TVC, the  World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, gives a ringing announcement of his status as a Nigerian with the Globacom TVC.

The bricklayer turned World Heavyweight Champion, in the TVC, revealed some of equities binding him and the telecoms company together.

Some of these include, the never-say-die attitude of the average Nigerian, the can-do spirit of Globacom which undergirds and constitutes the philosophy of the telecommunications giant and its brand’s commitment to breaking barriers, as exhibited in its democratization of the telecom process, especially when it introduced the per second billing in that segment, as a debutant.

In describing life’s vicissitudes in the commercial, the World Heavy Weight Boxing champion,  in the commercial, asks the audience whether it needs strength. He later answers, in the affirmative,  but is quick to add that such strength ‘comes from the hard knocks that life throws at us. And we are Nigerians, we know all about that”.

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He went on to compare life challenges with boxing, saying “ You don’t stay down, you’ve got to fight. You have to dig deep to be a world champion”.

Trumping his Nigerianess Joshua announces “there is always been a big piece of my heart as a Nigerian and I do believe that it is that piece that sets me apart. It always says to me, ‘never give up, dream big! We come from a nation of warriors and that is why I believe in Glo.

“We have that same tenacity, that Nigerian fighting spirit that makes us game changers! We are relentless. We don’t just face our challenges, we step into the ring to win again and again and again. If you believe in yourself, there is no limit to what you can achieve.

Yeah, I used to be a bricklayer in England but now I am heavyweight champion of the world!” Joshua says.

Not a few see the ‘Always in your corner’ pay-off line as a boxing metaphor,  symbolizing  the succour boxers get from their corners where their trainers will dry their sweat with towels and offer them tips to defeat their opponents.

Glo 4G, for Opeseitan, also solves all data- related communication challenges by allowing subscribers to breathe easy with data widely regarded as oxygen.