Avoiding Kids’ Exposure to Lurid Lyrics

 Raheem Akingbolu reviews the Nirvana Children’s Day television commercial, which sends an enduring message to those involved in the act of child’s upbringing and urges stakeholders in the country’s fast moving entertainment industry to pause and ruminate over the message

Through the use of satire and other literary tools, a recently unveiled television commercial, put together by X3M Ideas team for Nirvana, as a wake-up call on members of the society on their duties as parents, guardians and teachers draws a comparison between the purity of the children’s minds and water.

While many have discussed this in hushed tones or play the ostrich, there is a general consensus that contemporary music in any society plays a strong role in shaping how children grow into adulthood and how these songs and music shape their lives and thinking.

It must be admitted that over the years, especially with the coming of hip-hop music genre and the desire of song writers and their promoters to capture their audience, lyrics have become lurid and they tend to hype on the concepts of sex, drugs, violence and internet fraud. Ironically, these songs are not only listened to by adults but also kids as well as songs that promote these themes are played in occasions they attend and even their birthdays and they even use these songs to organise dancing competitions for them during their birthdays.

This is alarming. As these kids assimilate, not only these songs, but the themes they promote. As depicted in a trending video –a communication material, pieced together by #teamX3M, a Lagos based creative powerhouse for  Nirvana water brand to mark this year’s Children Day the company is reiterating the fact that there’s s subtle link between the purity of the children’s minds and the water.

That is why the campaign is not only instructive but a reminder of the inconvenient truth many have chosen to ignore or pretend it is not there.

In the video, of about two and half minutes, featuring some select children, the opening montage is a gentle reminder of the fact that one in three of Nigerian songs actually promote sex, substance abuse and violence.

The video now shows these kids being asked about the understanding of some lurid songs and their choruses. For instance, the children are asked to say what they understand by “Chop banana”. They innocently say what they understand about that line which in actual sense is a lyric about sex which is actually delivered in a coded language.

They are also asked what they understand by “Riding it” (another sexually explicit lyric) and they give, yet again, very innocent responses. 

The video now ends with the need to help these kids protect their innocence.

The campaign is a unique corporate social responsibility which touches an area many, including parents, have chosen to ignore. And that is why the Nirvana brand has created a kind of awakening that is not meant to directly promote the brand but highlight how much it values and cares for the society where the brand sells. 

Conceptualized by X3M Ideas, a leading creative agency in Nigeria, the essence of the TVC was captured through a well-selected dramatic personae and a familiar setting to match. In the short video, the creative agency of the consumer goods company, tells an enduring story through exceptionally good Nigerian kids, which is currently trending. Beyond serving as a positioning tool for the brand, the campaign depicts how an unregulated entertainment industry can impact children negatively. 

From beginning to the end, the agency brings a human face to the campaign and connects well with an average Nigerian, especially children, teachers and parents.

From any angle one chooses to look at it, the campaign sends a powerful message which is difficult to ignore.  Perhaps the greatest beauty of the commercial was the choice of setting and the Nigerian children which connect easily with the target audience. In a world that moves too fast, the campaign is saying; “safeguarding the innocence of our children must be done at all cost. Let’s all work together to preserve their purity.” 

Again, the campaign has simply played up the uniqueness of #teamX3M. It will be recalled that one of the campaigns from the 11 year-old agency behind the commercial was recently adjudged among the best 40 most successful campaigns promoting good causes.  In collaboration with the West Africa Research Centre (WARC), 2022 Good Report released its global report and listed the agency.  The Good Report is produced in collaboration with WARC, worldwide authority on marketing effectiveness and publisher of the WARC Creative 100 Rankings, a global benchmark of creative excellence in advertising. Recent records have also shown that the agency occupies a special class among creative agencies in Nigeria and Africa.