A couple of days ago, ExpressPay put out a media ad on social media which appeared to take shots at Slydepay’s “Pay Like A Boss” media campaign.
WHAT IS A BOSS TO A KING? #whatisaBOSStoaKING #expresspaygh pic.twitter.com/AySgBiT7Yv
— expressPay (@expresspaygh) February 2, 2018
It’s all fun and in jest and there’s not really anything personal in the ad but I really appreciated the ad for being so forward and “taking shots” at the competition.
It’s actually a bit of fresh air to see Ghanaian brands take shots at each other instead of being in the “humble” lane.
But why don’t we see these kinds of ads more often?
Get Your Hands Dirty
It can be argued that MTN and Vodafone are probably the biggest names in the telecom industry with AirtelTigo pulling in the rear.
Both are currently in the business of proving fibre broadband to certain areas around the city. MTN has a leg up in the 4G space with Vodafone looking for ways to also join in the fray with a rumored partnership with Surfline.
So why don’t we see MTN bury the competition with ads aimed at Vodafone’s lack of 4G? Nothing big. Just subtle shots.
Vodafone can also respond with their own shots by advertising their quality of service and mentioning MTN in their copy.
But so far, no dice. It’s almost like brands in Ghana are running in their own lane and aren’t into any aggressive advertising.
In the US, the telecom company T-Mobile is always aggressive when it comes to making ads aimed at their competitors.
People say that Ghanaians are “humble” in nature but in business, you sometimes have to be a bit aggressive in trying to win over consumers even if it means getting your hands dirty and throwing some of that dirt on your competitors.
Or maybe brands in Ghana feel like there might be negative blowback from “negative” ads. But if it’s a light-hearted jab at the competition, I don’t think the general public will give any company flack for it.
Hopefully, we get a nice comeback from Slydepay in the near future with their own ad.
It’s all fun and games when it comes to competition. No harm done.
