THISDAYonline

Intercellular, a private telecommunications operator, is running an advert on air that is almost a replica of another advert by Econet, a GSM operator.

Econet has been telling it on the mountain that it was the first network that made the first GSM call in Nigeria. For this reason, it has as part of its tag line: "The First, the Preferred."

This claim has always been countered by MTN, which says that it actually made the first GSM call. MTN's counter-claim has not always been part of its advertising. Rather it drops the hint, usually through its spokespersons, that the first GSM call was made by it, even though it was not by a customer.

Recently, Econet began a campaign on radio in which a voice over asks passersby questions like: "Which GSM network was the first to do ABC or XYZ?" The answer to each of the questions is Econet.

Surprisingly, not quite long ago, Intercellular began a similar ad campaign.

Rather than going on a road sampling concept, Intercellular asks "school children": "Which telecoms network was the first to do ABC or XYZ?" When one heard the advert the first time, the first reaction was that it was another version of the Econet first-GSM campaign. One was therefore shocked when the name of Intercellular was mentioned in the advert. The reaction has been: "Has creativity died? Is there no other way of advertising available to Intercellular?"

Sometimes the case is made worse when the two adverts are aired almost one after the other with only an advert separating them.

Even if the Intercellular advert was created by a non advertising professional, the mere fact that another company, worse still a telecoms rival, is running an advert with such a format should have made the company to think of a fresh way to fashion out its own advertising.