Following the success of its first project in Africa, mobile marketing agency Sponge has opened an office in Lagos, Nigeria to expand its activities in the region.
Sponge began working in Nigeria at the beginning of 2009, on a project for Etisalat, the UAE network operator that launched in Nigeria in 2008. The campaign centred around a $1 million prize, the first in any promotion across Africa. Sponge delivered all mobile components, including text competitions, a loyalty scheme, a viral scheme and an mTicketing solution for a series of live events and TV shows. The campaign has so far generated over 7 million responses and has led to a significant jump in new SIM activations and ARPU.
Sponges Nigerian operation will be run by a team of four, led by Dayo Elegbe. The team has already launched an English Premier League themed promotion for Etisalat, with more promotions in the pipeline.
Nigeria has recently overtaken S. Africa as the largest mobile phone market in Africa, with 68 million active mobile subscribers. Spnge notes that mobile is essential to peoples lives in Africa. 90% of all phone lines are now mobile, and for 70% of web users, this is how they access the Internet.
Were really excited by the opportunities in Nigeria and across Africa, says Spnge Chief executive, Dan Paerker. The Etisalat project has been so successful that is has grabbed the attention of every brand manager in the area. We have a strong local team in place in Lagos backed up by the technology and experience we have deployed in Europe and North America.