THe 'Porting Of Saka' From Etisalat to MTN - Matters Arising

THE ‘PORTING OF SAKA’ from ETISALAT TO MTN – MATTERS ARISING 

One of the hottest points of discussion in different forums in the last couple of weeks has been the sensational porting of the popular SAKA from Etisalat to MTN in that infamous 'I DON PORT O!' commercial.

While the concept behind the commercial itself was a classic, it raised some serious issues that all practitioners in the entertainment world need to think about, and then talk about.

As anyone with any clue as to what this is all about already knows, SAKA, the character was the heart and soul of the Etisalat advertising offensive for some years. He headlined their adverts and activations and over time has come to be seen as the face of Etisalat. Then we all woke up one morning to see him jumping the fence from Etisalat to MTN in probably one of the best commercials of our time with the now famous slogan 'I DON PORT O' which was reminiscent of the ENEBELI ELEBUWAs 'I AM CHECKING OUT' commercials of decades ago.

This singular event has sparked both commendation and outrage from many observers and practitioners. Some have congratulated Saka for landing a big gig while some have questioned the decency, even if legal move, by Saka in allowing himself to be used to 'diss' and 'de-market' a previous patron. Even the creator of the 'SAKA' brand is raising some dust over copyright infringement by MTN.

Afterall is said and done, I think we really need to consider the real issues raised by this sensational defection by one of the better known faces on TV from an upstart telecoms to the grand daddy of them all, MTN.

Now some of the questions arising from this 'porting saga' include the following:
1.Should Etisalat feel jilted and offended by this overnight defection of their star, who not only left them without notice but then turned around to ‘bite’ them by doing a devastating‘de-marketing’ commercial against them, or should they be blamed for not recognizing the value of Saka before it was too late?

2. Should be we investigating MTN for the shady corporate practice of ‘stealing’ the face of a competitor’s brand and then using him to not only do an advert for them, but to DE-MARKET and damage the brand of his old benefactors? Should there not be honor among thieves? What happened to corporate etiquette and respect for the rules of the game even as corporate bodies compete fiercely against each other? We really do not want to go the American way where de-marketing, using a rival's asset, has now become part of the advertising etiquette.

3. What exactly is the implication of this ninja move by MTN for the future of advertising in Nigeria? Prior to this move, corporate rivals in Nigeria have been very careful not to DEMARKET their competitors in a visible public way like the ‘SAKA PORTING’ has done. Now, should we expect the gloves to come off and expect companies to take the ‘Saka Blueprint’ from MTN and go after each other in adverts using assets developed by their rivals? For example, can we now expect Etisalat to go after TUFACE and then use him to release a song ‘de-marketing’ AIRTEL? Or can we expect Etisalat or MTN to go after Funke Akindele OR DBanj and then use them to de-market GLO? (though in the case of GLO, I doubt either of them will survive the experience WITHOUT serious blowbacks since not all brands will fold their hands while they get screwed publicly by their competitors and former benefactors)

This trend is already happening in America and I expect it to get ugly here pretty soon simply becuase as a people we have the tendency and capability to take other people's
ideas to unprecedented level. When all hell breaks lose, we should all remember to credit MTN and Saka for this development.

4.Did Etisalat really take Saka for granted by not paying him N20million for a commercial or did they simply miscalculate by not quickly realizing the fact that Saka has now matured from just being any artiste to being a bona fide star that needed to be cuddled with bigger paydays and signed to a long term contract? Did Etisalat not deserve to be given an opportunity to match whatever offer MTN has given him, based on the fact that they were the ones that surported him initially.

Afterall, one good turn should deserve another. Yes, Saka may be worth the N20million price now but since no one really knows what an artiste is worth until someone is ready to pay it, should Etisalat not have been given some opportunity to raise their compensation to Saka? Afterall, their constant use of Saka in so many adverts was also partly responsible for his elevated profile and they deserve some discount, or at least notice of price increase from Saka. Abi?

5. I seriously think SAKA should be called out for disloyalty for not at least giving Etisalat the opportunity to match the MTN offer before jumping ship. Afterall, etisalat supported Saka when he was starting out (and not MTN), and even if he felt he had reached that critical point of earning N20M for an advert, THE CLASSY THING TO DO WAS FOR HIM TO HAVE GIVEN ETISALAT FAIR WARNING ABOUT THE BIG OFFER BEFORE JUMPING SHIP? 

In any case, Even if one agrees with the dubious proposition that he does NOT owe them that much, certainly Saka should NOT have allowed himself to be used to DE-MARKET and DAMAGE the brand of his former benefactors with such a devastating commercial which basically told the whole world that Etisalat Brand is not good enough to hold a customer. That point is a character reference on Saka the Man and it has nothing to do with business. In order words, allowing himself to be so 'PIMPED' to damage a benefactor raised the big question about him: CAN HE BE TRUSTED TO DO THE RIGHT THING CONCERNING HIS BENEFACTORS? Its one thing to want more money for your brand, its another thing ot get it while destroying those who used to pay you. I for one wont trust Saka if I were MTN. Sooner or later, he will 'port' again

So, what do you think about this interesting ‘porting saga

You can connect with Dr Ope Banwo on his blog: http://www.thewealthapostle.com or learn how to get started on making money online at http://www.internetnewbiesacademy.com