Why BBNaija Is Every Storyteller’s Delight – By Jennifer Ukoh-Osamwonyi
Driving the PR strategy for what is unarguably Africa’s biggest reality TV show has been exciting with each season presenting its unique storyline and accompanying drama.
Since the “Big Brother Nigeria is back!” headline in 2016 to announce the return of the show, we have made several other announcements and churned several articles spotlighting the show’s impact as its popularity continues to soar.
Following the unprecedented twist the COVID-19 pandemic served us for the Lockdown edition, we had to be more creative with our storytelling and intentional with our corporate positioning for the Shine Ya Eye edition, which was produced within the guidelines of our current reality.
BBNaija season six, Shine Ya Eye had what many described as the most diverse set of personalities with a good dose of Biggie’s twists, new game rules and a revamped house, that culminated in an exciting season.
Here are three lessons I’ve learned over time from telling the BBNaija story:
Having and implementing a well-defined content strategy, which outlines the type of communication material to be deployed, the platform to be leveraged and timelines is crucial. However, considering that it is reality TV, we couldn’t overlook the possibility that less than ideal situations may arise during the course of the show. Certain moments during the Shine Ya Eye season, like Kayvee’s voluntary exit, threw up discussions on mental health that we had to manage proactively.
It’s important to begin shaping the narrative for each season before it begins. We’ve learned to do this early on leveraging the successes of the past seasons as proof points. These proof points, which range from ex-housemates’ achievements to its growing economic impact across old and burgeoning sectors and the overall social influence it wields, are distilled in the media. The result is that we continue to record a higher positive sentiment with each season. And season six was no different.
Finally, it is key to remember at every point of the show that there’s always a story. This influences how we approach every storytelling venture from the most basic house issues to the ‘ships’ and to the genesis of every rivalry. It helps us put a relatable spin on each issue and generally adds to the growing conversations.
Without a doubt, BBNaija is every storyteller’s delight and it’s not hard to see why. From the production to the creative direction, tasks, the housemates and their respective fandoms and not forgetting the people who work behind the scenes, the show provides lovers of reality TV programming undiluted entertainment.
Visit bbnaija.plaqad.com to learn more about the show’s socio-ecomic impact on Nigeria over the years.
