Few days back, the month long Good Morning Nigeria (GMN) initiative finally came to an end. The initiative was essentially a CSR cum mobile advertising platform through which some of Nigeria’s leading brands including Samsung, Coca-Cola, Leadway Assurance, Mansard, Flourmills and Jumia collaborated to dole out free 30 minutes talktime to MTN subscribers for one month. Brokered by Media Perspectives, the initiative was tagged as Nigeria’s biggest CSR platform with more than 60 million subscribers on the MTN network benefiting from it. Emmanouil Revmatas, director Director- IM, Samsung Electronics Samsung West Africa (SEWA) recently spoke to our correspondents on why the smartphone brand was a part of the initiative.
Why did Samsung partner with other corporate sponsors for GMN
When Media Perspective approached us with the initiative, we saw the merits and decided to be a part of it. Samsung is a renowned multi-national brand that consistently thrives on innovative solutions. We were excited about the opportunity to partner with other best-in-class brands working with our media agency, Media perspectives, to offer value to over 61 million Nigerians.
So how successful was the Initiative in terms of impacting the lives of Nigerians
This initiative was put together to allow callers enjoy free airtime. Callers were able to enjoy up to 30 minutes of free phone calls between 5am-8am daily during the period of the campaign. Clearly it was a success because people really took advantage of the offer.
Why use telecoms as the platform to reach out to Nigerians
The telecoms sector is fast becoming a dominant contributor to Nigeria’s GDP. Everyone has to communicate, especially through their mobile telephones. Considering the fact that the cost of airtime constitutes a huge percentage of the average Nigerian’s share of wallet, we decided to be part of this initiative that sought to provide a solution where it can be most impactful. We also got to reach more Nigerians via the largest mobile operator network in Nigeria.
Some issues have been raised about whether GMN was truly a CSR initiative or purely a marketing drive? Can you clarify this
The GMN initiative was essentially a marriage of sorts between CSR and marketing; CSR in the sense that the consumer got free airtime which was paid for by the supporting brands who in turn got mentioned. It is a win-win initiative that benefited both our brand and anyone on the MTN network. This was a sustainable partnership that enabled callers afford more call time.For us at Samsung, providing solutions in an innovative way is the core of our business. Furthermore, we are a corporate entity that believes a lot in social prosperity. The “Good Morning Nigeria’ initiative was not only a marketing drive for us, It was our own way of adding value to our customers and Nigerians at large.
GMN is the first initiative that deployed mobile advertising and CSR in one platform. With the benefit of hindsight and using the Samsung experience how prepared is corporate Nigeria for this innovation
Innovation is a necessary tool that every forward-thinking company has to embrace. At Samsung, we position our brand for bold initiatives that stretch beyond the ordinary. We are always willing to explore new opportunities and try a different approach. We are happy to serve as catalysts for socioeconomic growth and this is surely one avenue to enable Nigerians to achieve more. We are always prepared for innovation.
What was been the reception of the initiative by the general audience vis a vis Samsung’s involvement
According to Media Perspectives, there was a healthy subscriber and we are quite encouraged by that. From our end as a responsible and appreciative brand, it was the perfect platform to express gratitude to our customers for their support. They were really excited about Samsung’s involvement in this.
What other CSR initiatives is Samsung Nigeria engaged in and how different are they from GMN interms of scope and impact
One of the Samsung’s key CSR initiatives in Nigeria is the Samsung Engineering Academy. This is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative between Samsung Electronics and the Lagos State government through the World Bank-supported Lagos Eko Secondary School Education Project. By 3rd July 2015, the academy which was opened on July 31st, 2012 will have graduated over 120 trainees. Other projects in the pipeline include the Digital Village which would be located in Oban community, Akamkpa LGA, Cross River State. We recently broke ground for this project and when completed, it would provide access to innovative healthcare and educational solutions for the community.
The Digital Village demonstrates our innovative approach to investing in people and their communities. This initiative offers a complete educational infrastructure, comprehensive healthcare solution and power generation capabilities that will spur the growth of small businesses and harness the energy of the Sun to minimize running costs, among others. These projects and the GMN initiative are similar in that they are ultimately targeted at adding value and bringing benefits to Nigerians.
Africa and by extension Nigeria is regarded as a key market for mobile phone companies like Samsung, given the rapid penetration of mobile phones in the country. Can we say Samsung’s involvement with GMN will help shore the brand’s equity and perhaps attract more customers
The figures speak already. Having access to tens of millions of subscribers, many of whom might have not used a Samsung mobile device before, is a great way to attract customers and this endears potential customers to our brand.
