Managing PR accounts for
multinationals require a lot of experience about branding and creative
industry, which is why a lot of agencies do everything humanly possible to win
such accounts.
For MTN in particular, arguably
one of the leading telcos operating in the country, a lot is usually at stake.
The review of MTN billion naira global businesses commenced in 2016 when the
Africa telecom giant requested the global network agencies with tentacles
across African markets to apply for its business. Possibly, the first time a
multinational brand will be committing the whole of its marketing and
communications requirements to a range of agencies, courtesy of their alignment
as global network.
MTN finally shortlisted three
agencies with global networks for the real contest to handle its business that
spans across 22 countries in Africa, the global network agencies include
Omnicom Group, WPP and French’s Publicis Groupe. These three has massive
followership in affiliates and partners in Nigeria.
At last, the Omnicom network
emerged victorious beating arch rivals Publicis and famous WPP to the juicy pie
on a continental pitch. The development
threw up DDB Lagos, the Nigerian incumbent on the business and respected
affiliate of the Omnicom Group as lead agency on the business once again.
Talking about Nigerian rival
advertising holding groups rivalries, this was one pitch in which the Insight
Publicis was expected to take it out on its arch rival DDB Lagos as regards the
MTN business however, the result points in the direction that Insight and
partner, Publicis will have to endure another round of waiting.
The Omnicom group success at the
MTN pitch compels the telecoms player entered into a partnership with Omnicom
to manage the leading African telecoms brand across all markets and facets PR,
Creative, Digital, Media. This makes it almost a fait accompli for the group’s
local affiliates on ground in the country to “inherit” the various aspects of
the business.
In the light of this, DDB Lagos,
TBWA Concept and Yellow Brick Road all part of the Omnicom group in Nigeria
became the de-facto handlers of the MTN business in Nigeria with very good
probability of working for the brand beyond the Nigerian market.
Likewise, PHD Media, a member of
the George Thorpe’s IMS group and ReachOMD’s second-line specialist media
agency was handed over the media aspect of the business while Playhouse, a
digital specialist shop goes home with the digital facet of the business, all
for the sole reason of being local partners of Omnicom group.
The greatest glitch however
occurred as the PR apple cart was toppled as the existing Omnicom group PR
agencies in Nigeria pre 2017 were refused access to the juicy business.
However, as the media, creative and digital sector of the business were given
out to existing Omnicom local partners, PR segment was left out.”
PR agencies affected in this
‘infamous’ decision were famous Corporate & Financial Porter Novelli and
Media Craft Fleishman Hilliard. The Omnicom group and the client, MTN, went
round the industry to collect profiles of some agencies, after rigorous
scrutiny, Ayeni Adekunle’s Black House Media (BHM) and Calixthus Okoruwa’s Xlr8
were brought in and substituted for Corporate & Financial Porter Novelli
and Media Craft Fleishman Hilliard.
BHM becomes the sixth agency that
handles the MTN PR account in Nigeria while Xlr8 is consulting for the telecom
giant for the second time. Corporate & Financial Porter Novelli was first
briefed when the multinational brand came to the country, the services of Akin
Adeoya’s Marketing Mix was sought to reduce the load of various PR projects of
the brand with C & F, Marketing Mix was with the PR account of the brand
for 12 years before Brooks +Blakes and DKK were recruited for the job to handle
till 2017 December.
Xlr8 and BHM are expected to
resume the MTN Business this quarter as their representatives were in South
Africa last December as part of their induction into the network along with
other beneficiaries of the Omnicom largesse.
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