Telecommunications service provider, Airtel in collaboration with two technology-based firms, Intent.AI and fonYou, have unveiled Airtel Voice advertising which is driven by artificial intelligence, AI.
The telco explained that the platform which leverages first-party data of Airtel’s customers to deliver efficiency in media investment will redefine how voice or radio ads can work.
In his presentation at the unveiling, the Group Chief Commercial Officer of Airtel Africa, Mr. Anthony Shiner, said: “Over 1.2 billion rewards ads are available as inventory to our customers in Nigeria. In Nigeria, we have over 50 million calls that run out of credit daily, we can now give them an opportunity to continue their calls by getting free airtime.
“All they have to do is listen to an ad and when we connect with the consumers, we are also rewarding the consumers for listening to ads or watching the ads that come on board. We are taking a slightly different approach to how advertisements are usually run.
“Airtel Ads is a game-changer, offering a unified solution across data sets and reaching a precisely segmented audience, unrestricted by category or budget.
“Airtel Ads taps into telco and wallet data, targeting both the digitally engaged and those traditionally excluded from the digital realm in Africa, including 2G and feature phone users.
“This platform is designed for media agencies and businesses of all sizes, offering focused audience targeting using Airtel’s rich database of customer data and their spending behaviors, coupled with the state-of-the-art Intent.ai platform.
“You can reach our discerning audience base of over 53m subscribers to test your product concept or any research needs that you might have. You can segment by age, gender, region, connection type and ARPU,” Shiner explained.
Also, Co-Founder of Intent.ai, Alexandr Yesayan, said Nigeria economy is a huge market that exposes companies doing business in the country to limitless opportunities.
While expressing confidence on the platform, he said: “We understand the need for a platform that provides greater value and reaches the unreachable.
“Airtel Ads goes beyond traditional methods, providing a distinct advantage with voice reward Ads, reaching audiences who haven’t adapted to smartphones yet.
“We are sure that all the brands and agencies as well as all the companies who are selling goods will benefit because they will get the tailor-made product.”
Marketing Professional, Faculty Member, Rome Business School Nigeria, Dr Emmanuel Agu, while contributing in a panel session said AI has come to be and that the world has advanced so much that digitalisation could not be ruled out in business engagement, adding that AI should be an enabler.
