Embedded marketing and the quality-quantity dichotomy in Nollywood

Abstract

Filmmaking is a marriage of art and business. Hence, in successful and relevant films, art and business embrace each other for the consumer’s delight. The Nigerian video film industry was born out of business necessities and not artistic concerns. Right from its inception, the industry is manned and driven by petty traders. The films are shot and produced on the video format with the most possible minimal budget and production time in order to minimize cost and maximize profit. Based on this, decisions are usually based on commercial considerations. Nollywood’s world acclaim is based on quantity, and not quality, of films produced. Again, some Nollywood filmmakers make their monies by further tainting the image of the country by the pictures they paint of the country in their films. This paper discusses how embedded marketing can be harnessed to yield additional sources of funding to Nollywood filmmakers so that they can focus on quality in their productions and not cut corners to minimize production costs. It also x-rays how the sociological functions of Nollywood in image laundering can be engendered through embedded marketing. The work relies on data gathered through both primary and secondary research methods. Nollywood filmmakers, government and her agencies, public, private and multi-national companies, and institutions that offer products and services as well as international organisations that have stakes in Nigeria are encouraged to look towards embedded marketing in Nollywood. This has the potential of enhancing quality control in the industry and engendering its continued and better contributions to nation building.