‘Tale Means Business: 5 Business Lessons from ‘Fifty’ the Movie

I must confess I am not a big TV watcher; I try to watch just enough to keep tabs of what is happening nationally and internationally. I also get news alerts from some websites. However a movie trailer got my attention with the entire buzz that surrounded the launch towards the end of last year. Everywhere I looked there seemed to be a press release, advert, and talk about this movie. I couldn’t resist the buzz anymore so I looked closer and saw that it was a Nigerian movie produced by Mo Abudu!

I have admired Mo Abudu for the last 10 years and my close friends accuse me of having a ‘woman crush’. I tell them it is more of a ‘purpose igniting crush’. When you see someone who has taken her personal limits off and keeps diving deep into her blue oceans despite criticism, you would pay attention and learn a thing or two from her, which I have been doing for the last couple of years.

So I decided to watch the movie because I always like to see a consistent brand execution when the buzz matches the delivery. As I arrived at the cinema, my business strategist brain kicked into full gear. I was observing the service experience and I was not disappointed. So I decided to share 5 business lessons I learnt from the experience:

The Power of a Simple Story
Advertising experts have told us that the best advert copies are driven by one concept and the movie, Fifty, delivered around a simple concept of the lives of cosmopolitan women turning 50. It was a refreshing take on the issues that today’s middle aged women have to deal with and concepts like Botox, breast augmentation and late pregnancy that are usually not spoken about publicly were brought into the light. It gave growing older an appealing twist and makes me excited to attain that age in a few decades.
The business lesson here is: build your business and brand around a simple concept that resonates with a sizeable audience.

Quality is the New Sexy
I have to admit that I don’t usually watch Nigerian movies. I got tired of being able to predict the script and deal with some mediocre production. I know things are definitely improving now, but I probably didn’t have the patience and time to sit around for the evolution. So I was quite pleased by the quality of the movie’s production, the performance of the cast and the good editing. However, I did find it hilarious that a few of the cast members who were not close to fifty in real life were playing the role of 50 year old women, but overall, it was a good quality movie.
The business lesson here is: anything worth doing is what doing well. I know small businesses struggle with budget constraints, but do your best and put your best foot forward in your product or service experience.

Excel with Your Service Experience
I went to see the movie quite early to avoid the late cinema crowd. As I went to submit my raffle ticket, I was pleasantly surprised to see a member of the cast at the ticket stand actually selling tickets! Now, that is taking the service experience to another level. I found out through Instagram that this was practice in cinemas where the movie was showing both locally and internationally. I am sure that a lot of people showed up at the cinemas to meet and see the movie stars and celebrities that were there.
The business lesson is: Wow your customers, let them know they are ‘very important’. Create an unforgettable service experience as much as you can, but remember to be consistent. If you want to know how to create an amazing experience and increase your sales, read this article here.

Share Social Lessons subtly
I liked that the film was modern and realistic in its take of life. However, I couldn’t help but notice that it was also instructive about the negative effects of some societal behaviours – like the deception of reality TV portrayed by the cast who said she was ‘famous for being famous’, the ‘sugar mummy’ menace and various cultural hang-ups that hinder peoples progress in the world.
The business lesson is: use your business as a platform to spread positive messages that would move the society forward. For me this goes beyond CSR to what I like to refer to as Value driven entrepreneurship, which is simply building your business with a value conscious mission.

Set Yourself Up to Win
I saw this demonstrated in every facet of the release of this movie. From the pre-launch campaign, to the launch period with the actresses showing up in the cinemas and even the raffle draws plus various freebies from sponsors and partners. It made the decision to go to the cinema to see the movie quite compelling. It did not just stop there; they made sure the movie was also available on Netflix so that you could decide to see it in your time.  The strategy behind the release and the sustained local and international buzz is something that would make a good case study in a business class. The business lesson is: give your business a ‘significant advantage’. Make it easy for your customers to choose your products or services over the competition by the entire value proposition.

I hope these lessons have been as insightful to you as they are to me and I am looking for volunteers who would join me to tell more of these success stories in a conference. You can register HERE. And watch my new video HERE