Why Everyone Loves Big Brother Naija and What Businesses Can Learn

By
Oluwaseun Sanni
-
78
2368

I was at a Spectranet office in Lagos to get a MiFi for myself some days back. I’m not saying the exact branch for reasons you will come to find out as you read on.

While I was waiting to be attended to, I brought out my phone to tune in to the Big Brother Naija show and see what was happening. I wasn’t with my earpiece so people could hear what I was watching.

Then I heard someone ask, “where is that sound coming from?” I looked up, and it was one of the attendants looking in my direction. Let’s call her Ayo. I knew Ayo was only asking to confirm her guess that it was me. I reluctantly said “me”, thinking I had violated one of their rules. I was wrong, or maybe she didn’t care about them rules at this time.

With excitement written in caps all over her face, she asked me about three questions in quick succession, leaving me confused as to which to answer first. She wanted to know how I was watching the show on my phone, to confirm if it was with the DSTV app and to ask if I could help set it up on her phone.

Ayo’s job, specifically the new customer who was now waiting to be attended to, didn’t mean anything at this point. She just wanted to have access to her darling Big Brother Naija on her mobile device, and that was all that mattered!

Contents

Big Brother is watching the housemates and we are all watching Big Brother

You know it’s the Brother Naija season in Nigeria and some parts of Africa. For most Nigerians, you just have to know it’s that time of the year. There’s no way you’re missing it whether or not you have a TV.

If you don’t watch the show live on the DSTV channel 198, you’d see snippets on social media platforms. When you miss snippets, you will come across different analyses of the entire show or certain housemates. But if you somehow miss it from all of these platforms, then don’t go to the office, school or market as there is always someone talking about it everywhere you turn.

Big Brother Naija can be said to have hit the Tipping Point, in the words of Malcolm Gladwell. The tipping point “is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behaviour crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.”

But how did all of these happen? How did an “immoral show” become the talk of town in a country that is so religious like Nigeria?

What Big Brother Naija is doing right that businesses need to emulate

  • Do not underestimate the power of Influencers

Sometimes you will log in to Twitter and see Don Jazzy ‘randomly’ tweet about something happening in the Big Brother Naija house. Except that it’s not that random after all. More often than not, these celebrities have a deal with the organisers to endorse the show subtly, and that is all the approval some people need to watch it too.

When Big Brother started, not so many people approved of it. Until about a year ago, many people shared the opinion that the show is ‘immoral and should be banned’. While some people still hold that sentiment, the majority now have a contrary view. 

And there is no better way to explain this than using a current housemate. Jumoke was introduced as a housemate along with three others two weeks after the show had begun. However, Jumoke had tweeted in April 2020 that “…I would never have seen their BBN if it wasn’t for Twitter. Nigerian reality shows don’t interest me.” 

big brother naija

Fast forward to a year later, and she is not just watching but actively participating as a housemate. Is God not wonderful?

This is a practical representation of how people’s views of the show have witnessed a turnaround over time. While many factors can be said to be responsible for this, the importance of getting trusted and recognisable people to talk about the show cannot be downplayed.

There are different types of influencers, and not everyone can afford the A-List celebrities. But there is something for everybody. Read more about influencer marketing here.

  • Innovate or die!

The world around us changes every time, and to cope with the changes, we have no option but to adapt (innovate)…or die, literally. The same applies to businesses, as we will see with Big Brother Naija.

For starters, when the show first started, housemates had to travel all the way to South Africa. Today, the show is hosted somewhere in Ilupeju, Lagos state. This is one way to look at the innovative moves behind the show.

Also, some adjustments are made to the house after every season based on aesthetics and functionality. Hence, there is no predictability to the show. This may also be based on feedback from viewers. For instance, this season, it’s been pointed out that two toilets for over 20 persons is not good enough. It will come as no surprise if there are more toilets for housemates in the next season.

There is no better place to get inspiration to grow your business than from customers. You literally exist for them, and if the MAJORITY of them ask you to make some changes, who are you to do otherwise?

Sometimes though, your customers won’t come directly to you with suggestions and recommendations. You will have to force it out through surveys and other forms of research to get the words out of them so you can innovate or…

Did you also notice how the BBN organisers of the show went ahead with it in 2020 despite the pandemic? That’s some innovative move, but it’s so special I’ve decided to discuss it separately.

  • The Ebuka factor: put a face to your business

I laugh when people ask for a replacement for Ebuka as the host of Big Brother Naija. While anything can happen, I don’t see anyone else taking the place of Ebuka on that show anytime soon. Ebuka is the official face of the show.

Imagine Who Wants to be a Millionaire without Frank Edoho. Unimaginable yeah? The same applies here.

For those that may not know, Ebuka has not always been the host of BBN. In fact, he was a housemate in the maiden edition of the show in 2006. However, he has owned hosting BBN over time with his world-class presenting skills and, of course, his fashion sense. Today, when you think of a face for the reality TV show, you think of Ebuka.

Similarly, as a business, you can’t afford to be faceless. Whether you are a small business trying to find your feet on Instagram or you are big with more than 100 staff, your business should have a face. It builds trust and helps with connection.

  • Partnership/sponsorship

Multichoice are the organisers of Big Brother Naija, but they probably no longer spend a penny in putting the show together. That’s thanks to big monies from sponsors and partners.

And for the first time in the show’s history, there will be no SMS voting in this 2021 season. That can only mean one thing – the organisers got more than enough money from sponsors that they don’t need viewers to add to it this time.

The headline sponsor of the 2021 season is the Abeg app, and they reportedly dropped a whopping 2 million dollars. Convert that to naira to better understand how huge it is. And we are only talking about the headline sponsor; there is still Patricia, the co-sponsor, and a host of others, including o3 cards, Glover, Pepsi, Guinness, Munch it, and Wow, among others.

Why are these brands paying so much to partner with Big Brother Naija? The answer is not farfetched but share what you think in the comments.

  • Turn challenges into opportunities

No one saw the Coronavirus coming. First, it was in China; then it spread to all other parts of the world, including Nigeria. Businesses were affected all over the world, and many people lost their jobs.

It was unthinkable at a time – that the Big Brother Naija show would be held in 2020. There is no way the organisers were bringing over 20 people into a closed space when even movement was banned. Plus, there has to be a live audience in the Sunday live show, which was also impossible due to the pandemic.

However, with time, the impossible became a debate – to be or not to be. You already how it all ended, as the show did hold against all odds, ultimately producing Laycon as the winner.

This may sound cliche, but the best time to innovate is usually in the face of difficulties. The saying “Necessity is the mother of invention” is no joke. The lockdown helped BBNaija organisers to innovate as that became a necessity.

And how did that go? The 2020 Big Brother Naija season is arguably the most viewed/followed season of the show yet. The lockdown, which was initially a challenge, became an advantage as people were forced to stay at home, increasing viewership.

Conclusion

The Big Brother Naija show is still on, and you probably have a “fav” at this point. Well, may the best man win. However, as you bask in all the excitement, thrills, and drama the show offers, don’t forget to pick some of the lessons mentioned above and see how you can apply them to your business.

Life is give and take, so as you give your time to the show, take these lessons from it. Cheers.

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