Airtel Rwanda recently launched a new advertising campaign which has been interpreted as targeting clients on its rival MTN network. This has triggered mixed reactions from the public owing to the nature of the campaign.

Although the ad does not explicitly mention the rival by name, it uses the brand colours and, after all, Rwanda has only two mobile networks, making it pretty obvious who is being aimed at.

"Why stick to the wrong network?” one Twitter post by Airtel asks.

The post features a photo in which one individual dressed in a ‘yellow’ T-shirt and denim jeans seemingly speaking on the phone and a rope tied around his waist is being pulled by someone from the back.

"Now is the time to free yourself with #AirtelIsanzure,” it says.

The Rwandan market has not really seen competing companies openly attack each other, making this new ad draw mixed reactions.

"Untie yourself from the wrong network with Imirongo Yose pack and get to enjoy double minutes every time,” another related post, which this time features a woman, says.

Users on social media generally had mixed feelings.

One Twitter user with a handle @elicanngango replied, saying: "This is sarcastic!”

Another said: "The way you named another wrong network while you are! How honest are you with 2weeks without reversing my airtime?”

Some people say this is proof companies are getting bolder and willing to play dirty to win over clients, while others argue that the move by Airtel is in bad faith and will only spark unfair competition practices.

According to marketing experts, rivalry between companies is nothing new, but what is important is finding balance between creativity and fairness, even though the lines separating the two are not that clear.

Henry Mapesa, a PR and Journalism lecturer at Mount Kenya University Rwanda, says it’s against ethics of public relations and branding for any company to draw a campaign that uses any branding element of another company.

"In this case, the colours of branding used in the campaign are publicly known to represent MTN Rwanda. The moment you do that you immediately cross the line,” the professor asserts.

Even if it was creativity, he adds, it should play within your territory, going ahead to blame the "misunderstanding” on the fact that some organisations have members of public relations with no expertise.

It’s normal, others say

Other public relations experts say it’s normal especially in a market that is becoming competitive.

Maurice Baluku, who owns a PR agency based in Kigali believes an open market where aggressive forces of demand and supply are heavily in play, the practice by Airtel is the reality.

"Sending jabs at competition is "normal” and it’s how brands are able to build on the equity that they heavily desire,” he argued. "Being disruptive is key to building stickiness and becoming the brand that people can talk about.”

Case in point is Apple’s campaign from 2006 that pitted "Mac” against "PC” in a heavily satirical campaign that threw major jabs at PC. "From that day, Apple sealed its position as an industry thought-leader.”

"Airtel is trying to be disruptive by throwing a spanner at its competition by saying you have a reason to switch,” David Kezio Musoke, a PR practitioner based in Kigali, notes.

He describes it as "guerilla marketing” saying there is no law or regulation that protects or guides branding on that. "That said, I find the Airtel campaign a total waste.” 

If the campaign is targeting the mass market, he asserts, then it’s a waste of resources because most revenue-generating subscribers in the mass market actually have two lines so they don’t need to switch.

The New Times reached out to MTN Rwanda to ask what they thought about the new ad, and Yvonne Mubiligi, Head of Corporate Affairs said: "I believe any campaign about Airtel should be asked Airtel.”

She indicated that "what Airtel does is not within our concern,” and rather she chose to say that they were busy closing their financial year.

According to Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority statistics, MTN was controlling the biggest market share – 59.8 per cent with Airtel remaining with 40.2 per cent – as of June this year.

Efforts to get comment from Airtel Rwanda were futile by press time.