#madeofblack commercial too sophisticated for ordinary people

Review

Title: #madeofblack commercial

Duration: 1 minute, few seconds

Reviewer: ADA DIKE

I attended the launch of Guinness new campaign at Ikeja, Lagos, on August 26, 2014, and got there quite early, so my mind was filled with the imagination of why were invited to the event.

But, one striking slogan with a hashtag all over the place was “#madeofblack”. I then thought that Guinness Nigeria plc might have dropped the slogan “Made of More” for #madeofblack and I felt that #madeofblack is more catchy because the colour of the drink is black.

Shortly after the event kicked off, we were informed why we gathered there, which was to unveil Guinness stout’s new campaign.

According to Guinness, the #madeofblack campaign celebrates Nigerians who are not afraid to express themselves progressively. #madeofblack provides a stage for these individuals to showcase their flair and imagination and share their own #madeofblack attitude. 

Prior to that day, I always get confused anytime someone tells me that “I am proud of my colour (black)” or “Black is beautiful” or I am proud of being black”. This is because; the above statements make me feel that the speaker has complex issue (inferiority complex).

I then told myself that there is no how the campaign would not have any of the above phrases since #madeofblack is celebrating that unique colour ‘black’.

One-minute-and-few-seconds’ commercial, produced by an international act, ace American music star, Kanye West, featuring some Nigerian acts - the campaign ambassadors namely Phyno, Olamide and Eva, was unveiled. The commercial opens with a poser, ‘What is black?’ followed by ‘Black is not a colour’.

 On my way home, I was elated to know that “Black is an attitude; a mindset and a way of life”.

Having watched the commercial many times on TV, I can boldly say that the production is quite interesting as it captivates one’s interest from the beginning because it is full of action with people flying and jumping. On the other hand, the commercial looks like a horror film. The soundtrack, which was produced by Kanye West sounds more foreign while the video produced by another American who produced some of Beyonce and Jay Z’s videos, is a bit scary and has many white faces. While Kanye West was rapping in the commercial, what captivated my attention were the definitions of black displayed on the screen.

If not the black bottle, one would think it is a foreign music with a lot of acrobatic display or a thriller.

Although, the Managing Director/Chief Executive, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Seni Adetu, explained the idea behind the made of black campaign by saying that: “#madeofblack is part of the global Guinness Made of More campaign”, and added that Guinness embodies the mindset of Nigerians who are not afraid to express themselves and who are carving their own path in life, a commercial for a drink supposed to feature people drinking it and the name of the brand ‘Guinness’ written boldly on the bottle. One may not know that it’s Guinness that was being advertised because the bottle was blank.

 It would have been better if the Nigerian artistes (the campaign ambassadors - Phyno, Olamide and Eva) added their vocals in the commercial, rather than just appearing as mere video models. Also, it would have created more impact if Kanye West was in the commercial appearing with the Nigerian artistes.

In terms of cost, I don’t want imagine how much Guinness paid Kanye West for his vocals, yet, not being on the visual production. Secondly, the video would cost cheaper if it was produced within Nigeria by a Nigerian.

Of course, the commercial may appeal to consumers, mostly the youth, who the company believes drink Guinness more than the older people. But, I want to point out, based on my knowledge, that the population of older men and women that drink Guinness is higher. A lot of women love the brand because to them, it is therapeutic and helps them to feel good. In the same vein, the older men love it and, through its former commercial which people loved, they nicknamed Guinness ‘Udeme’.

The brand’s core patronage are mostly the grass-roots plus the elites and the youths, so I hereby suggest that Guinness commercials should always have more of cultural contents.

I know that the elites and the youth will be connected to the current commercial, but the grass-roots may not understand the artistic features of it. It is possible that Guinness did this commercial to balance equation after several commercials they had done that appealed to the grass-roots, they should try to do a commercial that will appeal to the elites, the youths and the grass-roots to enable the target audience not only interpret it but also sing or recite it with ease.

I will not forget to congratulate Guinness for the sophisticated commercial that taught me a lot of meanings of black. Yes, black is a way of life.