From time to time, you see corporate brands out in full swing with entertainers and radio stations doing product promotions and outside broadcasts.
This would be the case at strategically targeted spots around the country, be it at malls, parks, bars etc. The point is to bring a product/service closer to the target market and to bring a human face to a corporate brand.
In carrying out these activities and outside broadcasts, it would be customary to have sound; a DJ, an MC and the radio stations all activating the corporate brand by means of music, fun and games.
Customers of these corporate brands would normally only see their product/service on TV and in newspapers or hear about their service on radio.
So activations and outside broadcasts are really a golden opportunity to breathe life into a corporate brand. Companies spend a lot of money on these activations and outside broadcasts.
Hiring an agency to take care of all the logistical requirements for the activations and for outside broadcasts to be a success, to booking sound, professional entertainers, the site and promotional items all costs money.
Growing up in the windy streets of Kuisebmond as kids, we would look forward to Saturday mornings because there would always be promotions at Shop4Value or in town at Shoprite.
Today most of these brands that would excite me as a kid are either my professional clients as an entertainer or I am a loyal customer of their brand.
I remember the heavyweights back than were Ou Chrizzo a.k.a. the Top Score, Ninja, Websito, DJ Paulo and the Equipped Dancing Academy with names such as Viro, Moria, Sebastian and Stanley featuring!
Basically, activations and outside broadcasts are a Namibian way of life. What annoys me today as a professional entertainer is seeing my clients bend over not to “offend” anyone at these sites.
What am I talking about? I am talking about those grumpy old a$$ managers who limit the sound level at these promotions. I have been activating corporate brands for years now, and to this day, I still do not understand how these site managers expect us to activate in silence!
Because that’s the biggest challenge we face right now. We, as entertainers, have to activate these brands championed by agencies. We have to deal with the boring, grumpy managers at these sites who literally make it impossible for us to do a proper job by demanding we reduce the sound level.
Agencies manage most of these corporate brands today. I don’t think agencies are so dumb that they would just come to a spot and make noise. No! Agencies plan these promotions to the very last detail. One such detail is to let site managers know in ADVANCE that music will be playing, fun and games will be the order of the day led by a hyperactive MC.
On the day, you will find these same boring, grumpy managers complaining about “sound” EVEN though EVERYONE seems to be enjoying the activations.
This despite being informed that yes…ultimately we will make noise!!! What is the point of a promotion if you are not attracting people to your product?
Normally most of these promotions usually just run for three hours. Just three damn hours!!! Are you telling me you can’t take one for the team? Come on man! If your site is sort of some holy ground… then please do not allow companies to have activations at your site.
It’s unfair that you take money from these companies for the site but you end up making it impossible for us to do our work. You can’t have your bread buttered on both sides. Decide today…no activations at all at your site or allow activations but then they will need to go full steam.
Today’s generation will never be able to experience the excitement we experienced as kids because of your boring grumpy nature! Hou op assablief! Loosen up and dammit lets have fun! Og!
Until the next loop, we say “GMTM”!
Song of the week: Jayden – Doing Me
Flop of the week: DJ Castro – My World (dope song but weak visuals)
NSK is a professional MC. For bookings, email naobebsekind@gmail.com or tweet at @naobebsekind (twitter)