Broadcasting
5 Ways Brands are Winning on Twitter
By Brian Abel, Twitter Team Lead Greater Africa, Ad Dynamo by Aleph
Over the past decade, social media has become one of the single most momentous technological developments the world has seen. This ever evolving phenomenon continues to change, not only how we communicate with one another, but also how businesses communicate with consumers.
This is particularly true for Africa, with the exponential growth of mobile phone and internet penetration across the continent in recent years. According to the GSMA report on the mobile economy, 495 million people (46% of the population) subscribed to mobile services in Sub-Saharan Africa by the end of 2020, an increase of nearly 20 million from 2019.
The report also projects that 4G adoption in the region will double to 28% by 2025. Furthermore, it is evident that social media users across the continent are also becoming more engaged and active online, with increased conversations occurring surrounding brands, businesses, and services, as well as involvement in social and political discourse.
In Nigeria the number of social media users is on the rise, reaching 32.9 million users in January 2022, a vast comparison to the 18 million users registered in 2017. What’s more, with the country boasting a large and growing youth population, Twitter has emerged as one of the most significant tools for businesses, enabling them to connect with the younger generations through advertising and marketing campaigns. This increased activity and access to online communication platforms has positioned Nigeria as the ideal market for various targeted social media campaigns by corporate strategists.
Reaching a vast array of consumers
Twitter has a significantly large audience base that savvy brands and marketers are able to tap into. In fact, the social media platform reported a total of 229 million global monetizable daily active users (daily users who see ads).
Additionally, 57% of the total 104 million internet users across Nigeria, aged between 16 and 64, actively used Twitter during the third quarter of 2021. In fact, the youth of the country is now considered one of the most active users on social media around the world.
However, it is important to remember that simply having a presence in this growing marketplace does not guarantee the success of any social media marketing campaigns. To assure the effectiveness of such campaigns, brands need to ensure they’re reaching the right audience, not just ‘spraying and praying’.
In the vast and diverse African market, leaning on an experienced partner can help businesses acutely understand how the social media market behaves. By partnering with trusted industry expert Ad Dynamo by Aleph, brands will be able to take full advantage of platform capabilities, including Twitter, connecting with consumers on platforms best-suited to their needs, and achieving advertising goals.
Through these partnerships, brands will not only have access to dedicated support from specialists in the industry, but also perform seamless cross-border transactions, and be able to advertise on both a local and global level, without limits.
Building brand recognition
According to Hootsuite’s Global State of Digital 2022 report, 16% of internet users between the ages of 16 and 64 use Twitter for brand research. By ensuring that brand messaging is consistent, stays on top of the relevant latest trends and conversations, and is being posted consistently, brands are able to build greater awareness of their business, products, services, and values with consumers.
But, this is only the first step. Brand recognition is about more than knowing who a brand is or what they do. By creating a holistic image of the brand, from colours and logos to tone and messaging, brands are able to ensure that consumers can quickly recognise a brand in whatever they do or put out onto the platform.
Developing trust and establishing relationships with consumers
Building an effective social media presence, and successful social media campaigns, on Twitter requires more than just shouting your messaging into the void. By consistently, and positively, interacting and connecting with consumers and potential customers, brands are creating deeper relationships with customers and are building rich communities.
The latest research on perceptions of brands by Twitter found that 77% of users on the platform feel more positive about brands that are community and society focused.
By sharing insights and messaging around the latest industry trends and news, brands project a voice of authority. By interacting with customers who are having issues with your brand, products, or services, or need help, brands showcase that they value their customers. And, by authentically engaging with customers, brands are able to humanise the business to their customers.
Improving customer experience
By implementing all of these tactics and strategies on the social media platform, many brands are able to deliver a better customer experience.
As customer expectations continue to evolve and consumers have access to increased choice and information at their fingertips due to the proliferation of technology, customers are no longer looking to interact with a corporation or business. Essentially, they want authentic and personalised experiences that demonstrate the value that a brand has placed on each and every customer. Social media platforms like Twitter are enabling brands to provide this to customers and meet their needs.
Generating new revenue streams
As we’ve already discussed, through Twitter, brands are reaching wider and more diverse audiences as the number of users on the platform continues to grow, particularly in Nigeria and across the African continent. But, more than this, the audience that brands are able to reach on Twitter have a higher spending power than those on other social media platforms. And, according to Twitter Business, 26% of people spend more time looking at ads on Twitter than other leading platforms while 54% of the platform’s audience are more likely to purchase new products.
It’s clear that many brands and marketers are leveraging Twitter to increase their brand awareness, build new relationships with consumers, improve customer experience, and translate all of this into measurable returns. Taking into consideration Nigeria and Africa’s growing youth population and increasing connectivity, in conjunction with Twitter’s rising popularity, now is the perfect time for brands to reach a larger, more diverse, and brand-aware audience both in the country and on the continent. So, what’s stopping you?
Mrs. Clementine Wamba, head, Digital Switch Over (DSO) at the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), has stressed the need for broadcasting stations and practitioners nationwide to work towards meeting the 2028 global deadline for the switch over.
She made the call in her presentation titled, “DSO Big Picture: Free TV Audience Measurement and the Evolving Media Landscape”, at the 2026 NBC South West Summit held in Ibadan.
Wamba harped on the need for practitioners to adopt DSO in the transmission of news and other programmes in order to meet future challenges, stating that any country that fail to align with the DSO by 2028 will be shut out of practice.
This development, according to her, may result in job losses and other consequences that could hinder the growth of the industry in Nigeria, noting that Free TV is tailored towards the DSO, with provision for many channels in contrast to the age-long analogue system.
According to her, “The Digital Switch Over is a technological improvement on the age-long analogue style of broadcasting in the country. With the adoption of the DSO, practitioners will be in tune with global practice of broadcast journalism.
“Also, its benefits include efficient use of spectrum, changing of industry landscape, more access to national development programmes and better viewing experience.”
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has said that Nigerians will no longer pay annual Digital Access Fees under the renewed Digital Switch Over (DSO) project.
Charles Ebuebu, director-general, NBC, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja,
Ebuebu said viewers only need to purchase an approved decoder and satellite dish which cost below N20,000 to enjoy free television permanently.
“Previously, users paid an annual digital access fee of about N1,500, described as an administrative charge.
“The new system removes that annual fee. It provides free access to free-to-air television channels without any payment.
“Premium channels will be introduced later. Viewers who want those additional channels will be able to access them through paid services.
“Nigerian content on free-to-air channels remains free to watch. Unlike Pay TV, this platform does not require monthly subscriptions for its basic service,” he said
Ebuebu said approved decoders for the FreeTV will cost less than N20,000 and authorised sales outlets will soon be announced.
He urged Nigerians to wait for official information on approved dealers for the DSO decoders, warning that unauthorised sellers are exploiting growing public demand.
He reiterated that people only need a free-to-air decoder, along with a satellite dish instead of the old antenna system to receive the DSO signal.
“Once the equipment is installed, viewers can access all available channels across the country without paying any subscription fees,” he stressed
The DG dismissed claims by some retailers that there are different categories of decoders sold at varying prices, stressing that such sellers are not authorised by the commission.
According to him, the NBC will soon publish the list of approved dealers, official prices, and locations where genuine decoder boxes and accessories can be purchased.
The NBC boss said the DSO project is designed not only to improve television broadcasting but also to stimulate economic growth by creating jobs, attracting investment, and opening up opportunities for businesses that support the broadcasting industry.
Ebuebu noted that content producers and broadcasters stand to benefit significantly from the nationwide reach of the DSO platform.
Unlike the previous system, where many stations had limited regional audiences, he said the new platform will make their channels available to viewers across Nigeria.
He added that the introduction of audience measurement technology will provide scientific and reliable data on television viewership.
Ebuebu added that audience measurement technology will give advertisers greater confidence in placing adverts and enable broadcasters to demonstrate the true size and reach of their audiences nationwide.
Uchenna Mbunabo, Nigerian filmmaker, has raised concerns over the alleged unauthorised broadcast of Nollywood films by some Ghanaian television stations, calling on Ghana’s National Film Authority (NFA) to strengthen the enforcement of copyright laws.
Uchenna Mbunabo, Nigerian filmmaker
Mbunabo made the remarks during a conversation with James Gardiner, deputy CEO of the National Film Authority (NFA) of Ghana.
He questioned whether it was permissible for television stations in Ghana to download Nigerian movies from YouTube and air them without obtaining permission from the producers.
“I noticed that Ghanaian TV stations, the way they are stealing our films and showing them for free with impunity. Is it legalised in your country for TV stations to go on YouTube, download people’s sweat and show it for free?”
According to Mbunabo, some Ghanaian television stations have been downloading newly released Nollywood films from YouTube and broadcasting them without authorisation, depriving producers of revenue generated through the platform.
He also stated that he had not witnessed Nigerian television stations engaging in similar practices and questioned what measures Ghana was taking to protect filmmakers’ intellectual property.
Responding to the concerns, Gardiner acknowledged that the issue exists and said the National Film Authority had begun engaging relevant stakeholders to address it.
He disclosed that the NFA has held discussions with the Ministry of Communications, the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the National Media Commission (NMC) on improving copyright enforcement.
Gardiner explained that while Ghana has copyright laws, enforcement remains challenging because many television stations now operate digitally and may not have physical offices within the country.
“There are copyright laws, but they are not effective because a lot of the TV stations don’t have offices. Most of them are now digital, so they operate from anywhere. They can even have a Ghanaian TV station but be operating from Austria simply because it is digital.”
He added that authorities are considering a new licensing framework that would require broadcasters to undergo a fresh licensing process to improve monitoring and enforcement.
According to Gardiner, television stations found guilty of illegally broadcasting copyrighted content would be required to compensate affected producers through fines.
He added that repeat offenders could face suspension of their broadcasting licences, while a third violation could result in the revocation of their licences.
Although he did not provide a specific timeline, Gardiner said the reforms were already underway and expressed hope that significant progress would be seen next year.
Mbunabo welcomed the proposed measures but urged the National Film Authority to expedite the process, stating that unauthorised broadcasts continue to affect filmmakers’ ability to recover production costs through legitimate distribution channels such as YouTube.
He also stressed that his comments were not directed at Ghana’s film industry, noting that he has worked with several Ghanaian actors over the years and supports collaborations between Nollywood and Ghallywood.
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