How Power Oil Dodged the “Audio Charity” Bullet to Win Detty December
Let’s be honest. December in Nigeria is a lot.
Between the “I Just Got Back” (IJGB) crew driving prices up in Lekki, the aggressive “Detty December” concert fliers, and your bank sending you “Happy Holidays” emails while debiting you for card maintenance… it’s a noisy time.
For marketers, December is usually a shouting match. Every brand is trying to out-scream the other with glossy TVCs, influencers dancing to Amapiano, and generic “Season’s Greetings” posts that nobody reads.
But while other brands were busy shouting, Power Oil decided to do something rare: they listened.
Here is the breakdown of how Power Oil’s “Powering Love” campaign managed to cut through the noise without giving us a headache.
The Setup: The “Audio” Problem
We all know the script. A big brand wants to do CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) in December.
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They buy 50 cartons of noodles.
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They drive to an orphanage.
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They take photos looking like saviors.
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They post it on LinkedIn with a caption about “Touching Lives.”
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We scroll past because… boring.
In 2025, Nigerian consumers have PhDs in skepticism. We smell “Audio Charity” from a mile away. We know when you are doing it just for the ‘Gram.
The Strategy: “Oya, You Choose”
Power Oil realized that in this new economy—where onions are finally affordable again but trust is still expensive—you can’t just tell people you care. You have to prove it.
Instead of sitting in their air-conditioned office in Victoria Island and picking a charity at random, they decentralized the process. They went to social media and said: “Nominate a community that deserves love.”
This was the masterstroke.
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They didn’t buy reach; they earned advocacy.
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People weren’t just engaging to win a prize for themselves (the usual “Giveaway” format); they were engaging to help others.
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The Bethesda School of the Blind won the nomination.
The Execution: Vibes > Pity
This is where most brands fumble. Usually, when brands visit schools for people with disabilities, the content feels heavy. It feels like a “Pity Party.”
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Power Oil said, “Lai lai.” (Never).
They didn’t go there to cry. They went there to party. They sponsored the school’s End-of-Year Talent Showcase.
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The Vibe: It wasn’t about “helping the helpless.” It was about celebrating talent.
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The Receipt: They dropped a ₦1 Million cash prize for the best student talent. (In this economy, ₦1M is not beans. That is actual, touchable impact).
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The Connection: They tied it to their “Certified Healthy” slogan without forcing it down our throats.
Power Oil; The Verdict: HIT
Why it worked (The ‘Soro Soke’ Analysis):
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Dignity is the New Luxury: They treated the beneficiaries like stars, not statistics. The students were performing, dancing, and winning money. The content that came out of it was joyful, not depressing. In a tough economy, Nigerians want to see “pockets of joy,” not reminder of suffering.
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No “Audio” Moves: By letting the timeline choose the winner, Power Oil avoided the usual accusations of nepotism or “man know man.”
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The “Human” Factor: Roland Akpe (the Marketing Manager) and the team were physically on ground. Not just sending a rep, but actually being there. In 2026, presence is premium.
The Takeaway for Marketers
Stop assuming you know what the “streets” want. If Power Oil had just done a billboard saying “We Love Nigeria,” nobody would have looked twice. By handing the microphone to the people and funding their choice, they turned a CSR budget into a Cultural Moment.
Lesson: Don’t just spend the budget. Share the power.
