Man In The Box, The Sequel Begin As MTN Nigeria Focuses on Supporting Businesses

In May this year, Nigeria’s leading ICT and telecommunications company, MTN Nigeria, erected a ‘billboard-styled office’ around the Lekki Expressway, in it was a suited man working round the clock. This lasted for four days, inclusive of nights. Many gathered around the “box-office” to watch what would eventually happen. On the fourth day, the man in the box, was revealed to be a representation of the company that stays up twenty-four seven to provide world class business solutions.

Ten weeks after the billboard was first sighted, the concept has transformed into a full-blown initiative. During the ten-week period, they engaged more closely with SMEs, understanding extensively how their businesses work and function. This was designed to foster partnerships with the SMEs in order to combat their challenges.

During this period, Two Thousand Four Hundred and Ninety two (2,492) businesses across the Nigeria applied to showcase their products and services in the captivating box and the aftermath has produced impressive numbers for the business owners who were selected.

Seventy Nine (79) businesses, ranging from fashion, agriculture, child care services, among others were represented. The benefiting businesses were spotlighted for a day in the box.
Chief Executive Officer of Little Tulips Kids Spa, Iniye Emelife, acknowledged a 50% increase in bookings and inquiries after her business was showcased in the box. The business also experienced nearly 90% increase in followership and visibility across all social media platforms.
Co-owner, Old Testament, a male footwear label, Mark Dibia, stated that his business experienced “50-100% increase in followers and 25% increase in sales.”

Ztea Zobo Tea Bags, recorded triple increase on Instagram. The brand went from a little over
300 followers to over 1,000 followers with over 10% increase in sales.

Olufunmilayo Gombe, the owner of Event Nanny, stated that sales peaked by 10% while the social media following has increased by over 1,000 .

Business for Ariela Fitness has been up by 20-25% while they recorded 500 more followers the day after going into the box. The numbers express the sentiments of the SMEs; business has been booming.

The Man in the Box has again reinforced MTN’s commitment to providing out-of-the-box solutions for Nigerians small and medium enterprises to excel in their respective sectors and attain worldwide recognition. In this regard the company recently partnered with Google to train SMEs on the optimization of digital offerings for business success.