By Queen Nwabueze
Ah! Nigerian brands and the copycat epidemic. Nawa!
Let’s not lie to ourselves, dear brand managers, agency friends and advertising lovers: Nigerian marketing is currently fighting a severe originality crisis. Every marketing message is starting to look like the next. Every jingle sounds like an echo. Every FMCG brand is now doing “skit partnerships” like it’s a group assignment.
We have entered the age of CTRL+C, CTRL+V marketing. And trust Nigerians to remix even plagiarism with swag.
The Clone Wars: Where Is the Original Thought?
Try this, maybe on a lighter note:
• Watch three beverage ads back-to-back.
• Cover the brand logos.
• Tell me which one is Predator, which one is Fearless, and which one is Supa Komando.
You can’t. Because they all follow the same template:
• High-energy music
• Gym bros jumping
• Slow-motion gulp
• Shouting voice-over: “Unleash the lion in you!”
Sound familiar? That’s because we’ve all seen it 15 times across different brands.
From malt drinks trying to out-fitness each other to detergent ads that all insist your white shirt can blind a witch, the originality deficit is loud.
The Real Cost of Copycatting? Let’s break this down: When everybody looks and sounds the same, nobody stands out. And if you don’t stand out in this attention-deficit era, you’re toast. Or worse, your competitor will benefit from your campaign because consumers think you are them.
Think that’s a joke? One popular seasoning brand recently launched an influencer campaign using music, food shots and pidgin-style voiceovers. Weeks later, three other brands (including a bottled oil and another cube seasoning) did the same thing, same style, same influencers.
Guess what? The audience didn’t even know they were different brands.
Why Is This Happening?
Let’s call out the culprits:
1. Lazy Agencies: Some agencies run on autopilot. Instead of doing research or bringing fresh perspective, they dig into their old pitch decks and just repaint.
2. Risk-Averse Brand Managers: Nobody wants to be the one who “tried something new and failed.” So they play safe by copying what “worked five years.”
3. Pitch Deck Olympics: Because of pitch culture, agencies show mockups of already viral formats to win clients. And then 5 agencies end up creating the same thing for 5 competing brands.
4. Lack of Consumer Insight: Many campaigns are not rooted in cultural or behavioural truths. They’re inspired by what a competitor just did yesterday.
Some of the Funniest Copycat Trends in Nigeria
• “Food and Family” Formula: Every rice brand now features a mother serving rice to a smiling family at Christmas. Please, how many Christmases can one mother cook in a year?
• Detergent Slap Test: Why must every stain be punished with a slap of soap and a spinning montage?
• Herbal Drink Swagger: Insert Sabinus. Add “energy.” Add street slang. Shake well. Serve in PET bottle.
• The Black and Gold Trap: As soon as one premium liquor brand launched with black and gold colours, ten others followed. Now the whole shelf looks like a funeral.
Brands That Said NO to Copy Culture
Let’s give flowers to the brave few that decided not to blend in:
1. TomTom x Vector: While others chased the “influencer of the month,” TomTom created a full-on brand association with voice and culture. They built around meaning, not just media.
2. Peak Milk’s Old Soldier Campaign: A campaign centred on an aging soldier and national service? Nobody saw that coming. And that’s why it cut deep.
3. MTN’s “Wear It For Me” (during COVID): Instead of scaring people about COVID, they used a daughter-mother emotional twist to remind Nigerians to wear masks. Original, empathetic, and rooted in local dynamics.
Please use the comment section and add to this list.
What Originality Actually Looks Like
Originality doesn’t mean you invent a new language or start floating people in the air. It means:
• Your work is rooted in insight.
• Your expression feels fresh.
• Your audience sees it and says, “Ah! Who do this one?” not “I think I’ve seen this thing before.”
You don’t have to be wild. Just be intentional.
If your product is garri, why must you shoot an ad that looks like a foreign yoghurt commercial? Why not go local and be proud?
Therefore:
1. Start With Truth, Not Trend: Ask what your brand really means to people. Not what Instagram is currently pushing.
2. Dig Culture, Not Competitor Feeds: If you want inspiration, go to Obalende or Ariaria Market. Eavesdrop on real people. Not your rival’s TikTok page.
3. Brief Like You Mean It: Agencies, stop accepting vague briefs. Ask questions. Demand data. Push back.
4. Build Brave Clients: Marketing leads, empower your C-suite to understand brand building, so they don’t kill originality with their “Let’s play safe” mindset. That’s if they agree o. No vex.
5. Reward Freshness: As an industry, we must reward originality more. Not just virality.
Final Thoughts: Be the First, Not the Best Copy
In Nigeria, the marketing gold rush is real. Everyone wants attention. Everyone wants engagement. But if your strategy is built on what your competitor is doing, your relevance is borrowed and it will expire fast.
Let your campaign be the one people remember, not the one they confuse.
Because in this market where attention is currency, originality is your most valuable asset.
So next time you sit at a brand meeting and someone says, “Let’s do something like what XYZ brand just did”…
Say NO.
Be original. Be bold. Be Nigerian.
