...Unstoppable band of brothers. SMACK Class 81-87 Reunion in Kigali. Joined by renowned fmr French Teacher and Lourdel House Patron Mr. Kamanzi. In the pictures Capt. Rene Benzinge, Mr. Kamanzi, @jkizito , @rbaguma608 , Harry Edema Oguda, @PGihana , Counsels Yese Mugenyi, John Mike Musisi, Wycliff Birungi, Eng. Katende, and others. Up and On. @HMV_SMACK@smackists@SMACKOBA #Rwanda @SMACKOBA100 #Uganda #Kigali #Weevils
...Honored to have been part of the @qg_group team that launched @mtnug in 1998.
MTN forever changed the way we all live, work and play in Uganda!
Together with my former colleagues @david_galukande and others, we are proud to have taken this ride with MTN as they took their first steps.
Congratulations @mtnug on your 25th Anniversary. @PeshTindyebwa@Cylow
I think @martinssempa can manage this chap! Verbos, Passion and, who knows, even ngumi wise! Biblical blows too.
And there is that other matter of a 'Sugar Cane chewing' competition they could think of doing. It would draw crowds! #GwangaMujje
Takes me back to three months before the launch. With a creative agency team we worked with the MTN team to record phone voice prompts at Capital Radio studio we hired. Worked on launch Creative work for print, radio, experiential etc. Had the Media ready. Was there for the first call by Rukikaire at the Switchboard. Expected an exclusive phone from MTN for its use. It arrived late. In crisis mode we 'borrowed' one of the SA technicians phone for the Minister. He didn't know that. The call was perfect. Smooth and Clean. We then informed Minister we would wrap the phone in a good branded box and have it delivered to him. That way we bought some time, to swap the phones with the brand new one that arrived late.
On launch Eve, I spent my night at @newvisionwire read to role the first ever, continous Full Page Full Color Ads that run for Months. I literary observed the make ready at machines and approved the MTN color (I still remember the value of the hues and font type). Okayed the run for 30K print run. For a month I visited New Vision every evening to approve the quality of the MTN Ad. That way I also got to sniff in advance any information about Celtel Ads. Good for the biz. Got to know almost all the workers doing the shifts at the papers. Friends for life to this day.
Earlier, we had all other collateral including banners for shops and events ready.
On D-Day we hired a Kamunye and I picked all media from UBC, WBS, Monitor, New Vision and deployed them. We got great press coverage across board.
Launch events at Shell Select and Simba Outlets were hugely successful.
On Day one, we had planned for initial 5000 new MTN customers. We beat expections, got about 10,000.
There was that little matter of a small switchboard in a container at the back of the current switchboard to contend with the load of new customers. Yap, that was sorted much later when the Ericsson Switchboards machines were installed to cop with increasing capacity.
I haven't even told you about the great TV 'Kikati' Campaign Shoots, the stars the agency and MTN made in household names like Patrick Mujjuka (Kikati), Kefa Kisala (Alcatel phone campaigns), and Bobi Wine (Miss Uganda Campaign Country Wide tour) etc, etc.
...Thats why inspite of the distance, I remain hooked to one Ugandan Network, @mtnug . Congratulations on your 25th Anniversary. #MTNTurns25 #Uganda
Picture: @QGGroup1 #EveryWhereYouGo
I was part of the Events Branding and Advertising team for the last #UB40 concert in Uganda. Directly led and involved in the outdoor (Billboards, Plane Banner, Posters), MTN outlets branding effort, Radio, TV, Newsprint Ads, supporting the @mtnug team.
Spent sleepless nights (literary) at the printers ensuring security tight UB40 tickets (see sample below) were printed (at Graphic Systems), and securely stored so that counterfeits were not produced at Nasser Road. Kept an eye on those tickets, with last minute Bar-Code changes and security steps that prevented counterfeiting.
The then new HP Indigo 5000/5600 press served us well, Fred and Vishal manning it.
Looking back at the well sold out and branded concert. It was Epic! Still beats All, in my view.
UB40 Never Disappoints. I would attend-again, if I was there. @nbstv #NextBigThing