CELEB BUZZ: How Njugush reinvented advertising

About three years ago, comedian Njugush was as B-list as they come. He was only starring in the popular TV show “The Real Househelps of Kawangware”, nothing else.

He was doing okay but due to creative differences, he decided to quit. The general feeling was that this was a bad move. Njugush needed Kawangware as much as Kawangware needed him.

Given that he had been the lead actor, it was presumed that without him, the show would fade to obscurity but without the show he would become irrelevant too.

The case of Njugush and “The Real Househelps of Kawangware” was like that of Siamese twins. Doctors warned that separation would be too risky. Neither of the babies had a chance of surviving. However, the parents banged their fists on the table and insisted that the toddlers must grow up independent of each other. So, the surgeons had no choice but to oblige. They started the clock and grabbed the blades.

Luckily, both babies survived the surgery. Njugush didn’t jump to another show. He believed in himself and stayed solo. He began posting silly videos on Facebook and YouTube, hoping people would laugh. They did. They laughed, they shared and numbers grew. Eventually, brands started asking to be included in his viral clips. Not just a few brands, lots of them.

BEYOND THE ODDS

After his departure, “The Real Househelps of Kawangware” initially looked like a ship in crisis. Fans began questioning the necessity of its existence but they were wrong.

Dj Shiti was brought on board and everything stabilised. With relative ease, Shiti slid his big feet into the big shoes that had been left lying around. He has never disappointed. Not even on a single episode. To him, bad days in the office are just a myth. 

Both twins were now doing well but one kept on getting prettier. Njugush was becoming a major force so fast but it wasn’t surprising. He was different.

Other comedians often try to beat the fans into submission with forced lines or by riding on trends. In contrast, Njugush relies on good old emblematic banter. He talks just the way your funniest friend talks and it works.

So, how did he become such a darling for corporates?

They say the greatest trick the devil ever pulled off was convincing the world he didn’t exist. Similarly, the greatest trick Mr. Njuguna pulled off was convincing people they were watching funny clips by a funny man, not advertisements.

The comedian knows how to make you watch a commercial without feeling like you are watching a commercial.

Humour is his key tool. Humour is more contagious than a viral disease. When you come across something that makes you crack up, your initial instinct is to share it with another human you know who will probably find it as hilarious as you did. Humorous content has a propensity to be shared more times than plain forms of content.

Still wondering why the ever-smiling Njugush is the reigning lord of celebrity endorsements?

Normal advertisements tend to trigger two kinds of emotions in people – joy or boredom. Ads by Njugush tend to be too funny that they either make you happy or neutral.

When an advertisement has bored you, the probability of you spending your heard-earned money on the product or service is nil. However, when you are neutral about the advertisement, you might still consider spending money. That’s the difference Njugush brings. He replaces boredom with neutrality or joy, mostly joy. 

At times after watching one of his videos, you might actually realise that he wasn’t just being innocently funny, he was just doing a job that he had been paid to do.

However, even when this realisation comes to mind, you don’t feel short-changed. You either feel “I just came here to laugh not to check out this product but it doesn’t look bad. I might consider it sometime” or “I came here to laugh but this product looks really good too. I love it. I’ll definitely try it out.”

ADVERTS

It’s like Njugush took native advertising and injected it with steroids, making it tough, muscular and effective like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

Native advertising is the use of ads that complement the flow, theme and purpose of the media format in which they have been placed in. Such ads are non-disruptive – they expose a potential consumer to advertising content without sticking out like a sore thumb. Eventually, the viewer consumes the brand’s message with enjoyment rather than seriousness.

Business experts will also tell you that native advertising requires a really creative person to execute it. These types of people only come around once in a while and for now, Njugush is here.

Comedy offers a powerful venue to entertain people while also encouraging social change. Njugush has also shown us that it can be an effective marketing vessel when the right person is steering it.

Attempting to promote brands while also making your core fans laugh is a fraught exercise. Kudos to him for pulling this off without making himself look like an idiot or making his videos look like poorly scripted movies. Much gratitude also goes to his wife, for frequently playing a very likeable sidekick.

Njugush is not a flawless comedian. A few elements of his comedy still need tinkering with.

Sometimes he suffers from an overabundance of enthusiasm. That’s okay. He has plenty of time and money to refine his output.

Whether he can keep up the momentum and become even bigger over the next few years is harder to predict. I believe he will. 

For now, let’s keep on enjoying the magic of Njugush.