In October 2020, during the middle of the pandemic and the #endsars movement in Lagos, I had the honor and pleasure of taking the brilliant and engaging students of LEEDS ARTS University, UK on a virtual seminar that I titled EVERYTHING ADS UP. The theme expounds on "Themes & Concepts" particularly in Nigerian Advertising with a focus on Storytelling, Rhetorical Devices & Insight as pivotal ingredients to delivering a nuanced message based advertising using Noah's ark Communication Ads as case study. Without doubt, this piece of content will either educate or refresh our opinion about the efficacy of creative advertising.

1. A PRESENTATION TO THE STUDENTS OF
LEEDS ARTS UNIVERSITY
MAURICE C. UGWONOH
2020

2. NIGERIA
WORLD’S LARGEST BLACK NATION
• 206,139,589 people (Nigeria Population 2020 -Worldometer)
WAZOBIA
• Over 250 Ethnic Groups & 500 Languages
LAGOS
• Africa’s Largest City

3. LAGOS
LARGEST CITY IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA
• 9 million in city area, 14.5 million in urban area.
MEGACULTURAL
• Over 250 Ethnic Groups & 500 Languages
HOME OF AFROBEAT
• The spirit of protest music was born here.

4. LAGOS

6. EVERYTHING ADS UP!
Themes & Concepts In Advertising

7. …the average modern person is exposed to around 5,000 ads per day.
Yankelovich, Inc April 2020
Do you choose the Ad that you engage with or does the Ad chose you?

8. Build awareness
Induce engagement
Reposition Brands
Role of Advertising
Become Aware
Nurtured Affinity
Favorable Perception
Impact of Advertising

9. * STORYTELLING * RHETORICAL DEVICES *INSIGHT

10. WE ARE WIRED… …FOR STORIES.

11. “Stories are remembered
up to 22 times more
than facts alone.”
Standford.edu

12. A narrative, a tale, history, fiction, fable, fantasy, myth, adventure, advertising,
tragedy, comedy, anecdote, joke, confession, article, presentation, drama, an
apologue, allegory, book, chronicle, a conte, epic, drama, thriller, feature,
folktale, gag, legend, memoir, myth, news, notification, novel, parable, recital,
record, report, romance, testimony, saga, scoop, sequel, prequel, serial, spiel,
version, opata, tori, yarn, gbegborun, tatafo, gist, ITK, aproko, towncrying,
Facebooking, Googling, Tweeting ,singing, acting, producing, the list is endless
WHAT IS STORY

13. The most powerful
person in the world is
the storyteller.
The storyteller sets the
vision, values and
agenda of an entire
generation that is to
come.
Steve Jobs

14. Brand story
Witnessed the hardships faced by children growing up without shoes
While traveling Argentina in 2006, Blake Mycoskie created Toms
Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased
with a new pair of shoes for a child in need”
In a nutshell: One for One.
Brand story
Evolving the way the world moves.
By seamlessly connecting riders to drivers through it’s apps, Uber
makes cities more accessible.
In a nutshell: Your Ride, On Demand.
Brand story
Brings the energy, emotion & excitement of playback in recording
studio back to listening experience consumer.
In a nutshell: Beat by Dre

15. In his quest to offer a sanctuary
where “creative animals” could express their
creativity without fear, Lanre Adisa birthed
Noah’s Ark, a haven where ideas are nurtured
to their flourishing conclusion and win
hearts for its clients.
We Go WhereverThe IdeaTakes Us

29. Example of Storytelling
Airtel, one of Nigeria’s leading
Telecommunications Service
Networks seeks to promote it’s
newest mobile internet date
bonus of 6GB when you make a
data subscription of N1,500.
This bonus of 6GB was targeted at
the youth demography who enjoy
exploring the internet on their
mobile phones but are financially
constrained when it comes to
subscribing for mobile internet
data
Realizing that this data offer was
targeted at youth demography.
Noah’s Ark decided to explore a
story that shows tensions
between typical Nigerian siblings
and how one tends to give oneself
into servitude just for free mobile
data.
Luckily, Airtel’s 6GB data bonus
comes to the rescue, giving
everyone the chance to live their
life freely without giving up their
self for data.
CLICK or Copy link below to view
https://youtu.be/hN0GBR15bX8

30. STORY CHECKLIST
• Enriches Campaigns
• Helps brands to establish a compelling narrative
• Creates powerful intrigues that engages the audience
• Makes messages memorable
• Foster emotional connection and give audiences an ideal to believe in.

31. RHETORIC: the ability, in each case, to see all of the
available means of persuasion
Aristotle

32. In storytelling, a trope is a
conceptual figure of speech, a
storytelling shorthand for a
concept that the audience will
recognize and understand
instantly.
A trope is a convention. It can
be a plot trick, a setup, a
narrative structure, a character
type, a linguistic idiom…you
know it when you see it.
Tropes are not inherently
disruptive to a story; however,
when the trope itself becomes
intrusive, distracting the viewer
rather than serving as
shorthand, it has become a
cliché
TROPES

33. A cliché is a phrase, motif, trope, or other element
within an artistic work that has become common
enough to be seen as predictable, tired, overused, and
generally unfavorable.
Such items tend to break willing suspension of
disbelieve by calling attention to the lack of creativity
on the part of the creator.
CLICHE

34. • I’ve Seen That Before
• Metaphor
• The Quest
• Comedy/Clarity Tale
• Misdirection
• Animate Body Parts
• Ghost in a Machine
TROPES
• Ad Dissonance
• The Experiment
• Repurposed Pop Song
• Rags To Riches
• Imagine Spot
• Security Cameras
• Shock
• Words Of Wisdom
• The Journey/Return
• The Underdog/Conquering
The Monster
• Tragedy/Cautionary Tale
• Rebirth
…and so much more

55. Examples of Metaphor
& The Journey as Tropes
In 2016, 3 out of 4 of Nigeria’s major
Telecommunications Networks
upgraded their mobile internet
technology from 3G to 4G
Being the only major Telco with 3G,
Airtel was left behind and placed in a
disadvantaged position where it had to
compete rigorously with rivals who
touted faster, & cost friendly 4G data
technology.
The Brief to Noah’s Ark was simple.
Design exciting and emotive Ads that
connect with Digital natives and the
youth demography who see mobile
internet/data as indispensable asset for
living and convince them that Airtel
offers the most reliable mobile data
experience.
First, Noah’s Ark had to interview a
sample of Nigerian Youths to find out
what Data means to them.
Findings pointed to the fact that
youngsters placed more importance
reliability of mobile data over it’s speed
and cost. One mentions that being on
an unreliable mobile data is like being
LOST on an island or being unable to
connect with loved ones.
Hence the TVC Lost and
Ales & Joe were created.
CLICK or Copy link below to view
https://youtu.be/hN0GBR15bX8
LOST ( TROPE OF METAPHOR & REPURPOSED MUSIC)
Based on mined insight, Noah’s Ark embarked on telling a story of a
guy who is stranded and unable to reach out and ask for help
simply because he is on unreliable rival data network. Using
metaphor, the story is told in ar ather interesting way that still
delivers on the above idea but executed differently.
CLICK or Copy link below to view
https://youtu.be/9QOKJ0FGk90
ALEX & JOE ( TROPE OF THE JOURNEY)
We tell a simple story of a man who after retreating to the rustic
countryside for years decides to journey back back from East to
South Nigeria to visit his son and his family.
The only challenge is the man has never seen his grandchildren
before and is saddened about this.
CLICK or Copy link below to view
https://youtu.be/dc5KeJiEZvY

56. • Use of Rhetoric is beneficial to brands & audience
• Rhetorical figures ensure longer retention and
are found more likeable than non figuration
• Rhetorical devices are decorative tools used in
stimulating pleasurable experiences with brands
• The brand/advertiser/agency have the merit of
coming across as clever, smart and creative
RETHORIC CHECKLIST

57. LETTHERE BE… INSIGHT.

58. DATA OBSERVTION WISH LIST OR NEED STATEMENT

59. “At the heart of an effective creative
philosophy is the belief that nothing is so
powerful as an insight into human
nature, what compulsions drive a man,
what instincts dominate his action, even
though his language so often can
camouflage what really motivates him.”
Bill Bernbach

60. “Relevant truth that serves as key to
unlocking the motivation behind
favourable human behavior”
INSIGHT

61. “An insight is a penetrating
observation about consumer
behaviour that can be applied to
unlock growth.”
Drake Cooper
all insight stemming from the
context of culture: the ideas,
customs, and social behaviour of a
particular people or society
WARC
the discovery of a relevant,
actionable and previously
unrealized reality about a target
market as the result of deep,
subjective data analysis.
Adrien Weil
A profound, not-so-obvious,
revelation as well as understanding
of buyers, which leads to new
innovations, value creation,
marketing & sales capabilities, and
business growth.
Tony Zambitoo

62. “When small hunger pangs
strike people tend to be
irritable and act out of
character’
“We all have plans that we need
to move to action. Humans are
dreamers, and they’re looking
for motivation.
Humans seek out “priceless
experiences,” and that
sometimes the cost is worth
the memories made with the
ones we love.
“Mums walk that fine line of
knowing when to run to their
children’s rescue and when to
let them go at it and be their
own hero.’
INSIGHTS BRAND SLOGANS
Universal Insight
Or
Human Truth

63. CULTURAL INSIGHT
CONSUMER INSIGHT

65. Cultural Tension is a consumer
Insight that resonates on a broad
level. "Great insights drive great creative
and that drives great results."
Alex Ho
Executive Director/Marketing American Greetings

66. • Insights light the way by being Contextual
• Insights are “Unthought Known” & fresh
• Insights light the way by being tailored to a particular audience
• Insights are relevant.
• Insights are statements backed by evidence and analysis
• Insights are enduring
• Insights are inspiring.
INSIGHT CHECKLIST

94. CULTURAL INSIGHT.
CLICK or Copy link below to view
https://youtu.be/8uZRHDcKMuo

95. * STORYTELLING * RHETORICAL DEVICES *INSIGHT

96. THANK YOU
Maurice Ugwonoh on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/maurice-ugwonoh-acim