By Jeremiah Agada
Dangote, Dangote
Dangote still dey find money o
I no dey, I no dey
I no dey sleep on the money o
Who I be?
Who I be?
Wey make I no go find money o….
The above lyrics from Burna Boy’s sensational hit ‘Dangote’, passes a strong message that cannot be ignored. Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, is still looking for ways to make even more money. I dare add that, aside from looking for more avenues to make money, Africa’s richest man and others borrow money to fund new businesses as well as consolidate their investments in other areas. Last year, Dangote obtained a seven-year term loan of $650 million from the Cairo-based African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to complete Nigeria’s first private petroleum refinery.
So, if Nigeria’s richest man can borrow money for whatever reason, anyone can borrow money. However, not everyone may have the capacity, collateral or willingness to borrow $650 million. Everyone runs into trouble and, when this happens, the first port of call is usually their social capital. Family, close friends, colleagues, mentors and associates serve as a resort during emergency financial crisis.
For most people, the first person to fall back on is often mum. This is not disconnected from the fact that mothers are always ready to help their children, even if it means they go borrowing themselves. Perhaps it was this insight that X3M Ideas, one of Africa’s fastest rising advertising powerhouses, keyed into. It created the innovative #MumNotATM campaign for one of its clients, kwikmoney – a microloan service, on a mission to make personal banking services convenient and accessible to all Nigerians.
Specifically, the agency noted that the Mother’s Day campaign was premised on the realisation that “loved ones are often the first option for Nigerians seeking to get a quick loan. Many turn to their parents, especially mothers, for loans they often do not intend to pay back!” Exploiting this consumer insight to develop the campaign was a way to urge the target audience to “give their mothers a break, in the spirit of Mother’s Day, and get a loan from kwikmoney.com instead.”
A visit to the Ikeja City Mall (ICM), on Mother’s Day would have left you with an unexpected hilarious and equally thoughtful sight: an ATM resplendent in many mothers’ favourite outfit; an exquisite headtie – (aka gele) and a gorgeous wrapper.
The dressed ATM, stationed at the entrance of ICM, was the climax of X3M Ideas’ #MumNotATM tactical campaign. It aimed to position their client’s instant loan service as the leading provider of microloans to Nigerians. With kwikmoney, anyone can get a loan from the comfort of their mobile phones, with none of the usual hassles or excuses.
This campaign began with an online competition which rewarded winners with the opportunity to give their mothers recognition on notable billboards in Lagos. This was enhanced using radio and online channels. Activation commenced online on March 25th. An agency official disclosed that the competition was announced on the 26th, asking participants to send in images of their mothers with a narration of a time she came through for them.
Having tapped into Nigeria’s love for stories, as well as its deep love and respect for mothers, hundreds of entries were received in the 5-day span. Many moving stories highlighting the power of a mother’s love were shared using the #MumNotATM hashtag, which became a trending topic on Twitter at launch.
“At kwikmoney, we understand the needs of the everyman. We see Nigerians as aspirational, driven, hard working visionaries. We understand that the economic climate constrains most and limits them to a life of purely ‘getting by’. Our aim is to awaken the dreamers again by empowering them with access to credit.” Disclosed Head of Marketing, Temitope Omole.
“kwikmoney has given over 1 million loans since its inception through our flagship product as well as collaborations with financial institutions, telcos, retailers and more, offering small loans up to N10,000, to upwards of N100,000 just by dialing the shortcode *561# or visiting kwikmoney.com.
As we continue to expand our reach across the country and beyond, our vision is to amass a crop of customers who utilize the opportunity this product affords while also understanding the need for responsible borrowing to increase loan offers over time,” declared Omole.
In the increasingly competitive instant loan market, kwikmoney has distinguished its services to give it an edge over competitors. As noted on its website: “Whether you need working capital for your small business or need to handle a family emergency, kwikmoney lets you get an instant loan of up to N500,000 direct to your bank account. As you take loans and pay back, the system trusts you more, offering you higher amounts each time. No collateral, no documentation, no wahala.