By Ayo Onikoyi

When Globacom berthed in 2003, the Nigerian entertainment industry was already in full bloom and making waves around the world. But at that time and the ensuing years little or nothing was known about the world of endorsements and the affluence that came with it.

Glo ushered in a new era in the fortunes of entertainment practitioners, across different strata of the craft. Actors, musicians, comedians and sportsmen began smiling to the bank on the wings of the telecom giant who set sight, not only in transforming the industry but also changing the destinies of the practitioners as well as bestowing on the industry a befitting image of honour and prosperity. It was no surprise it soon became known as the “Network of the Stars”

A Network of Stars

In the past years, Glo came to be regarded as a network of stars. No corporate organization had the kind of constellation of entertainment heavyweights as its brand ambassadors as Globacom. All through the years, the cream of the country’s musicians, footballers, actors and comedians were either signed on as brand ambassadors or featured in the company’s commercials.

The long list included Prof Wole Soyinka, Yusuf Maitama Sule, Osita Osadebe, Oliver d’Coque, King Sunny Ade, Ebenezar Obey, Nelly Uchendu, Mikel Obi, Victor Moses, Osaze Odemwingie  and Emmanuel Emenike. Others were MI Abaga, D’Banj, PSquare, Rita Dominic, Ini Edo, Flavour, Wizkid, Davido, Basketmouth, Gordons, I go Dye, Juliet Ibrahim, Matter Ankomah, Joselyn Dumas, Michael Essien and, very recently, World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Anthony Joshua.

While the commercials that featured these stars became popular among the general public, the stars themselves further spread the popularity of the Glo brand among their millions of fans.

Entertainment

Globacom has always been associated with the development of the Nigerian music industry, since its inception through its involvement with Nollywood and leading Nigerian music talents, the sponsorship of music shows such as Rock ‘n’ Rule, GloNaija Sings, Laffta Fest and the world’s number one music singing talent reality TV show, X Factor, which berthed in Africa for the first time in 2013.

Others are Slide and Bounce concert, an entertainment tour which went round all the Geo-political zones of the country as well as Glo mega Music show another platform through which Globacom entertains and delights Nigerians. There was also the Evergreen Series, an avant-garde music concert designed to honour successful African music icons for their outstanding contributions to African music over the decades.

Glo Heritage Series (Festival Sponsorships)

Over the years, Glo partnered with several communities across the country on the sponsorship of major festivals and promotion of culture and tradition. 

These include Ojude Oba in Ijebu-Ode, Ofala in Onitsha, Lisabi in Abeokuta, Imeori in Abriba, Oru – Owerri in Imo state, Afia- Orlu In Nnewi  and Abia –Ugwa in Isialangwa in Abia State. Through these sponsorships Glo gave a new lease of life to the festivals as well as empowering some lucky individuals in the communities through various prizes won at promotions dedicated to the festivals.

Glo Battle of the Year Nigeria

For several months this year, fun-loving Nigerians, especially dance enthusiasts, were glued to their TV sets as the world’s biggest break dance competition, Battle of the Year, hit the screens courtesy of telecom operator, Globacom.

Battle of the Year is a fast-paced, action-packed show where the best dance crews and individuals in the country go head-to-head and battle each other to see who will represent Nigeria in the international Battle of the Year competition.

Battle of the year is an international competition that has been running for over 10 years world wide as a once-off live event.

Reality shows

This was not the first time that the company has brought leading reality shows to Nigeria. In 2013, the company made waves in the entertainment circles in Nigeria when it brought one of the most watched entertainment shows in the world, Simon Cowel’s X Factor, to Nigeria. For several weeks, TV watchers were entertained by singing talents in Nigeria and Ghana, and at the end of the show, Obianuju Udeh, popularly called DJ Switch, emerged the winner and her journey to fame began.

Indeed, since it launched operations in 2003, Globacom has carved a niche for itself as the biggest corporate supporter of the entertainment industry in Nigeria. It  has supported the growth of indigenous music through sponsorship of Glo Naija Sings which gave a platform for budding singers to showcase themselves over a period of three years.

In 2017, Globacom also made a foray into dancing reality show as it sponsored “Dance with Peter” dancing competition put together by Peter Okoye of the P-Square fame. It was the first time a corporate organisation sponsored a dance reality show in the country.

The company also supports the movie industry in Nigeria (Nollywood) and in Ghana (Ghollywood). Many of the leading actors and actresses in both countries were at one time or another Glo Ambassadors and influencers, thus projecting the continent in a refreshing light through African movies. In the same vein, the company also signed on many young talented musicians as Glo ambassadors, thereby empowering them to positively promote African  music and further develop their professional careers.

Glo a few years ago also launched a television drama series, Professor Johnbull. Besides using the programme to bring back family fun times to Nigerian households, the company also used it as a platform to promote moral rectitude in the country.