Report on BAT-Sponsored Concert in Lagos, Nigeria

Report on BAT-Sponsored Concert
in Lagos, Nigeria

26-27 September, 2003

by Seun Akioye, JATH

The British American Tobacco-sponsored "Live and Wired" event took place September 26-27 in Lagos. The concert was a promotion for the company's Benson & Hedges cigarette brand.

OBTAINING TICKETS TO THE EVENT

I and a colleague obtained our tickets through the internet, after answering some questions related to how much we smoke, whether or not we've ever traveled outside of Africa, and our favorite cigarette brand. I believe that the purpose of the questions was to have some control over who would attend the event. They obviously wanted only upwardly mobile young people, which is why the promotion was done through the internet. I won 4 tickets, which allowed my colleague and I to attend the promotional event on September 27th.

Here are some of the questions that I can remember:

A. Have you traveled out of Nigeria before?
B. Where is your favorite traveling place--America, Europe, Asia, and South Africa?
C. How often do you travel? Once a year, twice a year, four times a year occasionally.
D. How would you describe yourself? This question and another I can’t remember is really
to find out the personality and social class of the person.
E. How often do you use the Internet?
F. Where do you browse? Cyber cafe, office, at home on your PC?
G. What do you have in your house? Digital camera, Computer, DSTV,
H. What brand of cigarette do you smoke?
I. Then some question about some pop artiste that I don’t really know so I never bothered
to cram them.

Initially upon opening the website that advertised the tickets (www.theampersandnetwork.com/A-wired), one was informed that the promotion is restricted only to the people who smoke and who live in Nigeria. Immediately after filling out the questions one's scores and numbers of tickets won were shown. This is after having submitted one's particulars, including your home and office addresses, mobile phone number, email address. The website also required people to reconfirm their address so that the tickets could be sent.

HOW THE PROMOTIONAL EVENT WAS ADVERTISED

About two weeks before the the show there were posters and handbills, in Benson & Hedges colors and with the message "Be Wired", distributed throughout Lagos. We suspected that BAT was behind the promotion. A few days later, posters were put up that shouted "LIVE AND WIRED", featuring a picture of a man holding a microphone (but without the names of the actual artists who would be performing). Around this same time, there were adverts in the newspapers that said if you wanna be wired, log on to this website. So that was how we also logged on and found out what to do to register. View another newspaper ad for the concert.

PROMOTIONAL EVENT FEATURES US AND UK ARTISTS

The security was tight and we were thoroughly searched before entering the event.

The American Ginuwine performed both days at the Lagoon Restaurant Victoria Island. He came with three others who sang and some girls who danced. The first night it rained heavily, but Ginuwine defied the rains to give a thrilling performance. He was the star of the of the night, and on the second day, he was really something else. Screaming and yelling heralded him to the stage at around 2 am. He rendered the following songs, which are very popular in Nigeria: PONY, IN THOSE JEANS,HELL YEAH< SAME OL G< SO FINE and I MISS U, which he dedicated to ALIYAH. Ginuwine sure did a lot for BAT that night.

At the event, there were prizes raffled off. Attendees were given the opportunity to answer questions about music pop stars and win a gift. I won a t-shirt and handkerchielf. Other prizes included caps, windtamborine, and bags. We were also given a lighter pen upon our arrival to the event. The gifts have the logo of B&H on them. My T-shirt has it on the arm and towel in the middle.

Ginuwine, did not play after that in any other place in Nigeria, that I know of. Other performers included some from the UK, like Twice as Nice, consisting of DJ Luck and DJ Steve Sunderland, and CKP, Scootie B , Sticky MC Lync etc. The UK team actually acted as fillers and played just before Ginuwine. They are really good I must confess and I like their brand of rapping, which is something close to Eminem Style. They are young too.

View more photos from the concert:Two DJs (UK), Kwaito (South Africa), a sea of concertgoers

BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO'S PRESENCE AT THE EVENT

Of course BAT representatives had a presence, but those who were not observant might not have noticed. I heard there are many top official present. At the Lagoon restaurant there is a pavilion-like section where one can hold a private party inside the main ground. That is where all the BAT officials werecamped. Nobody was allowed to go there, where were plenty of things to eat and drink. I approached the place and wanted to go in, when a bouncer stopped me and said I couldn’t. I insisted and was causing a bit of a scene when a guy -- I think one of the organizers --came and pleaded with me to leave. It was he who told me that I was not allowed to enter, since I was neither a BAT official or an organizer. That was how I knew, and of course through the presence of so many White men in suits (though they weren't wearing BAT logos).