Brands/Products
FCMB: When TVC Becomes a United Force
The recently unveiled campaign of the FCMB Group is a subtle attempt by the bank to play up the place of unity and team work in human activities. A reflection on the television commercial shows the patriotic zeal exhibited by the promoters of the financial institution.
Yes, it speaks to the essence of the bank on “The Power of the People”, but it achieves more than that because it has a tone of social responsibility. It evokes strong feelings and speaks to both the bank’s patrons as well as Nigerians at large.
The campaign captures the essence of team work and what can be achieved through a united force. For a diverse society like Nigeria, the TVC is a clarion call on each and every member of the society to work together to achieve their goals. In a way, there’s a lesson for customers of the bank and there are lessons for both leaders and the lead.
In another development, it can be viewed as a bold and audacious move, that reinforces the FCMB Initial Public Offering (IPO). At the heart of this campaign is a powerful 60-second TV commercial that eloquently captures the essence of unity and collective strength—highlighting the diverse entities that make up the FCMB Group.
As Nigerian banks navigate the ongoing recapitalisation race, this campaign could serve as a strategic advantage for FCMB. The Nigerian banking sector has been relatively subdued in recent years, but this creative push could mark the beginning of a resurgence—rekindling the era of engaging and memorable bank advertising.
Unity as a core message
Shot on location across Lagos, Abuja, and the breathtaking Mambilla Plateau, the TVC doesn’t just tell a story about financial strength; it inadvertently celebrates Nigeria itself. Each frame showcases the nation’s diversity, natural beauty, and the power of unity—subtly reinforcing the message that, just like FCMB’s group of companies, Nigeria thrives when its diverse elements come together as one.
The seamless transition of scenes, integrated with crisp visual metaphors, creates an immersive experience. The ad’s emotional resonance is heightened by a pulsating soundtrack composed by the legendary Cobhams Asuquo and the captivating narration of Laila Johnson-Salami. The combination of sound and visuals pulls viewers into the heart of the message—emphasizing strength through unity.
Women inclusivity
A standout element is the choice of a female voice-over—a deliberate and poignant creative decision. The campaign launched just two days after this year’s International Women’s Day, subtly paying homage to the vital role women play within FCMB and in the larger socio-economic landscape. The choice of Laila Johnson-Salami’s voice lends warmth, authority, and inclusiveness to the message, underscoring that women are not just contributors but key drivers of FCMB’s success story.
Element of collaboration
Conceptualized and executed by X3M Ideas, Africa’s leading creative powerhouse, in close partnership with the FCMB team, the campaign is a testament to the power of collaboration. It reflects the very essence of its message—that teamwork makes the dream work. The synergy between agency and client has resulted in a commercial that is not just a brand message but a cultural statement.
Succinctly speaking, FCMB’s new TVC does more than promote a brand; it promotes a vision of collective strength, national pride, and the power of unity. It is a bold reminder that when diverse forces come together, whether in banking or nation-building, they create something greater than the sum of their parts.
General appraisal
The essence of modern day advertising campaigns are not just to inform, educate and sell a product or even stimulate the desire to purchase. Of course, getting products off the shelf is the primary aim of any marketing campaign. It is also to break consumers’ resistance in an economic environment like Nigeria’s where the purchasing power is frustratingly low.
But it is getting deeper than that. Some advertising campaign materials are now designed to stimulate critical thinking and assessment which takes the receiver of such advertising messages to look beyond WHAT is being sold to HOW it is being sold.
There have been advertising campaign materials in recent times, but the one from the FCMB Group stands out. Not just in content, but in the underlying message as it relates to the essence of the brand that is being sold. The materials look beyond the Group’s well known banking footprints to unveil the varied deep expertise and value creation capabilities in its ecosystem across investment banking, investment management, and consumer finance that has ensured its market success.
The core message
The advert rhetorically asks if what thrills is the chord of a solo drummer or the symphony of the orchestra. Of course, the orchestra involves more than one performer. It also pricks the viewer’s imagination by inquiring if what makes a sports team thick is the brilliance of one player of the team effort that usually gets them over the line.
It does not end there. It also invokes rumination on whether what impresses the audience is the dancing and artistic talent of a solo dancer or the rhythmic and artistic precision of a troupe.
The message is that FCMB Group should not just be looked at as just delivering banking services. It is more than a bank. The Group is an integrated financial services provider that is connecting people with capital and markets and building a desirable future for Nigerians.
All these go beyond mere banking services to financial inclusion, capital raising (debt and equity), wealth management, estate management and more. The operating companies that make up the Group leverage its power to render a holistic service that transcends traditional banking. It is the power of the whole over the dexterity of just one entity no matter how good it is.
In the campaign, FCMB captures the enduring legacy of rendering seamless integrated financial services (a one stop shop concept) and it also invokes the power of its evolution over the years which have taken it beyond its investment banking heritage.
The team that conceptualised this campaign material deserves some accolades. If the battle is for the soul of the consumer in an extremely competitive industry like financial services, then the new campaign is sure to resonate with consumers and cement further emotional connection to the FCMB brand from its existing consumers and also draw would-be ones to the brand. And if this is achieved, then one can safely say an advertising campaign has been a resounding success.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Canal+, which now owns MultiChoice, a pay-TV firm, has announced its decision to discontinue the streaming service, Showmax.
The company said the Showmax board has made the decision to discontinue the service in the near future.
“This decision reflects our focus on strengthening our overall digital offering and ensuring long-term sustainability in an increasingly competitive streaming environment.
“Importantly, at the moment, there will be no interruption to your current service. You can continue streaming as usual, and no action is required from you at this time,” it said.
It added that it will share further details in the future, including timelines and any future steps, should they be required.
MultiChoice launched Showmax across Africa 10 years ago in August 2015 to compete with the advent of streamers like Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon’s Prime Video, Disney+ and others, which all became available on the continent and started biting into MultiChoice’s legacy pay-TV subscriber base on DStv and GOtv.
However, it soon faced some challenges and couldn’t hit its target.
In February 2024, MultiChoice, in partnership with Comcast’s NBCUniversal, relaunched Showmax, utilising the technology behind the Peacock streaming service.
The investment, which was pegged at over $300 million, still did not bear the expected fruit, with other streaming giants seeing growth over the years.
With Canal+’s takeover and its aggressive cost-cutting moves, it was no doubt that Showmax got the axe.
Regardless, it said, “Streaming remains central to our strategy. We will continue to invest in premium content, technology innovation and partnerships to deliver the best possible entertainment experience to our customers.”
Canal+ is looking to cut a combined €400 million by 2030, which will affect content.
NBCUniversal has a 30 per cent stake in Showmax as a joint venture. In its last annual results before the Canal+ takeover, MultiChoice revealed that Showmax’s trading losses had worsened by 88 per cent while revenue significantly declined.
According to the company, “The decision to axe Showmax was made by the Showmax board and reflects the continued focus of MultiChoice, a Canal+ company, on financial discipline and investment optimisation, in an increasingly competitive and capital-intensive global streaming environment.”
Since Canal+, as part of its agreement to take over MultiChoice, isn’t allowed to get rid of any staff for a period of three years, MultiChoice won’t let any Showmax staff go but will reassign them to other positions within the broader company.
MultiChoice has already started to quietly rebrand Showmax Originals as Africa Magic, M-Net, kykNET and Mzansi Magic Originals, with original series that will transition to these various DStv linear TV channels on the MultiChoice pay-TV platform.
Showmax’s closure comes two years after Amazon MGM Studios shocked Nigeria and South Africa’s creative community in January 2024 when it announced that it would stop commissioning any new local original content in Africa, and also ended already-existing development deals with a dozen production companies.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Marketing Manager of a leading bleach brand in Nigeria, Hypo Bleach, Mr Adebayo Adeyemo, has condemned the presentation of the brand as a beverage for trends, jokes, or views by influencers and bloggers.
In a statement, Mr Adeyemo said Hypo Bleach was formulated to “remove stains, whiten your white fabric, deodorise and kill 99.9 per cent of germs” and not produced as a “drink.”
“We have observed people seeming to have fun creating and sharing videos and AI-generated images designed to make Hypo look like a beverage.
“Your health and safety are serious business. We want to be unambiguous: those images are fabricated, that framing is false, and anyone encouraging others to consume Hypo, even as a joke, even for views, is putting lives at risk. It is not something to consume for the sake of trends,” the Marketing Manager stated.
He further said, “To every influencer, blogger, and content creator. Your reach is real; so is your responsibility. A trend that ends in ill-health is not a trend worth starting.”
“To every young Nigerian seeing this content, you do not have to prove anything to anyone. Not online. Not offline. Not ever. If someone is pressuring you to try this, that is not a dare. That is harm.
|If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or feeling pressure they cannot handle, please reach out to someone you trust.
A guardian. A counsellor. A healthcare professional. Asking for help is not a weakness; it is a strength.
“Also, we urge people to prioritise their mental health. Evaluate the quality of your conversations with people. Should you notice inconsistencies in their thinking, encourage them to seek professional help. Depression is real and should be treated with utmost concern. Let’s keep social media fun, but safe,” Mr Adeyemo added.
By Dipo Olowookere
A conference designed to examine how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fundamentally reshaping crisis communication, institutional response systems, governance frameworks, and reputational risk management is slated to take place on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, in Lagos, at 10 am.
The event, planned by a renowned Public Relations (PR) firm, CMC Connect LLP, is themed Crisis Management in the AI Milieu: New Threats, Smarter Responses.
It is an offshoot of the company’s flagship industry initiative, Crisis Management Advocacy Month, scheduled to be held throughout March 2026.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, is expected to deliver the keynote address, while the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Mohammed Idris Malagi, is the Special Guest of Honour.
Earlier in the month, the Vice President for Corporate Communications and CSR at Airtel Africa, Mr Emeka Oparah, will headline a closed-door media workshop convened exclusively for senior media executives in Lagos.
The 2026 edition will also feature strategic collaborations with the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) through its Monthly PR Clinics in both the Lagos and Abuja Chapters, where the Senior Corporate Communications Analyst at CMC Connect LLP, Ms Affiong Edet, will deliver a thematic presentation aligned with this year’s focus.
The initiative will also partner with the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Legal Practice through its weekly webinar series to interrogate the intersection of AI, Crisis Management, and the Law.
“Artificial Intelligence has fundamentally altered the crisis landscape. Crisis Management Advocacy Month 2026 is intentionally designed to convene cross-sector leaders to interrogate emerging risks, strengthen institutional preparedness, and promote smarter, ethical response architectures in an AI-driven environment,” the Project Coordinator, Ms Bright Emmanuel Okon, commented.
Also, the Lead Partner of CMC Connect LLP, Mr Yomi Badejo-Okunsanya, said, “In today’s digital ecosystem, crises evolve at unprecedented speed. Institutions must move beyond reactive communication toward intelligent crisis architecture. Crisis Management Advocacy Month represents our commitment to advancing national and institutional resilience in the age of AI.”
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