World leaders from 198 countries converged in New York last week for the 78th United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) where the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals(SDG) took the centre stage. The world has 7 years left out of the 15 years timeline to achieve these universally agreed objectives, which include ending poverty,ensuring quality education,promoting good health, and providing access to affordable and clean water. But they all agreed that they were all far behind the objectives meant to be achieved by the year 2030.

However, President Bola Tinubu took his campaign for foreign direct investment to the global meeting. As a strategy to sell his idea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with First Bank Plc organized an investment luncheon as one of the events on the sideline.

Speaking on why the event was deemed important, the Managing Director of FBN, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan on Arise TV  said there was no better time to attract investors into the country than now. Excerpt:

What is the purpose of this event and outcome you aim to achieve?

Thank you! The event in our view is one of the strategic sideline events that the Nigerian government put up as an integral part of our engagements  with the international community for this year’s edition of the United Nation (UN) General Assembly(UNGA). As you are aware, we do have a new president, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, and he has embarked on what he has rightfully described as economic diplomacy, essentially trying to woo investors into our country so that we do have foreign direct investments that can help us to accelerate growth.

You’ll recall that the president has mentioned as part of his 8 points agenda that significant quantum growth in GDP is one of his administration’s objectives. So, this is our own contribution, working with like-minded entities like Bank of America to put together Nigerian investors, Nigerians in diaspora, to brainstorm with the president in terms of what are those critical policy changes that the government will need to enact to ensure that Nigeria becomes the preferred destination for foreign direct investment and like you mentioned, the turnout today was extremely good, the contributions were quite solid and I believe we all left today’s session feeling very positive and very optimistic about the inflow of foreign direct investment into our country.

How do you see the role of banking sectors in facilitating these investments and economic development in the country?

What we explained again and again as CEO of First Bank, an institution that has been in existence for over 130 years, there is no other entity that is well placed to speak about investments in Nigeria, investment in the continent, better than the First Bank. So, we basically showcased to the people who attended today’s event, the investment opportunities in Nigeria, how to navigate all the hurdles that they may come across, but, more importantly, the kind of rewards that awaits people who are able to invest in Nigeria. We cited several examples of foreign investors in our country who broke-even, we are the head of their protected broke-even period, and for us, that was quite significant.

We also highlighted the fact that with a huge domestic market, with excess of 200 million with Nigeria being the anchor economy in the West and Central Africa region, you can’t get it wrong with Nigeria. We do not lay heed to this huge opportunity on the back of the fact that we have not created a single African market on the back of the African continental free trade. So, a big investor in Nigeria essentially gains not just access to the Nigerian market, but the entire African market. When you also look at the projections in another 10 years or so, the population of Africa is expected to be bigger than China. So, just imagine a market that is bigger than China in another couple of years. That is the market that we showcased today essentially to foreign investors and I believe that we’ve successfully convinced them that coming to Nigeria means to come into Africa. The opportunities are huge, they are quite significant but mostly, they are also coming at a time when our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu  is focused on creating an enabling environment that allows foreign direct investors to come into our country to foster economic growth and development. The president has been very emphatic, his agenda is about inclusive growth which is quite significant. So, I think the time is right, anybody that finds his way into our country at this particular point in time, in another 5 years, the person will be smiling to the bank.

What specific incentives do you present to potential investors during the launching?

The banking sector in general and First Bank in particular, our rule is to showcase what is possible, what is available, but, most importantly once those transactions and investments begin to take shape, it is for us to come in as a provider of them to those transactions. Part of what we took away from today’s presentation is the need for the government to say these are the top 5 or top 10 big projects that we would like to finance. For example, the Brass LNG had been on the drawing board for more than 10 years. So, if we want to put this on the table, that potentially is an investment in billions of dollars. We have a number of moribund steel industries, Ajaokuta has been there, the Delta Steel Company has been there. Time to revisit them and reactive those against significant investment and these are investments that will spur further investments and they will spur significant growth.

The president has been speaking about building infrastructure. You cannot build infrastructure without steel. For example, you cannot build infrastructure without cement. So, if there’s any takeaway today, it’s for the government to define a couple of top priority areas of projects, where they would like investments to come in. And if you can just get 2 to 3 serious investors into Nigeria, imagine a world where you have like Ovreal (I’m just bringing it up), the big mining company coming to do mining in Nigeria. It changes the narrative immediately and so on and so forth. So, on the back of the recent visit of the President to India, Indorama which currently has a Petrochemical plant in Port Harcourt has said they are going to invest additional $8bn, so, those are serious investors. All that is required is to get about 10 of such people. Imagine 8 serious players saying they will put an average of $8bn into this economy in the next 5 years

We are talking of potential investors, so, therein lies our opportunity to unlock value, push significant economic growth, ‘inclusive growth’ to use the word of our president and then we begin to address poverty. As banks, we do have the balance sheet to support those big ticket transactions. The Nigerian banking sector had also matured significantly. We also do have structuring capabilities that allow us to lead the fund raising efforts in this kind of transaction and it must definitely spur growth. I’m particularly excited about what the future holds for our country and I’m very optimistic that with this kind of leadership that our president provides, especially in the area of economy, the future is very bright.

And what is more impressive? The agency has established a foothold in other African markets, especially the southern African market where it oversees further operations.

CEO and Chief Creative Officer of the agency, Steve Babaeko who is also the President Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) says though he is grateful for attaining the 10-year milestone, his team is fired up for more success as they focus on the next chapter.

In this interview with Melvin Udosen at his Ikeja office recently, Babaeko talked about X3M Ideas’ journey and plans for the future. Excerpt:

Once again, congratulations on attaining the 10-year milestone. How has the journey been?

It’s been a rollercoaster. It has been exciting as it is daunting. But generally, it’s been something to be thankful for. Many companies started 10 years ago like we did but haven’t been able to make it this far.

We have a lot to be thankful for. We are thankful to our clients, for continuously trusting us to do great work over the years. And we can’t forget our team who make us tick with sheer hard work and dedication.

What are the inspirations behind starting X3M Ideas?

The inspiration was borne out of a burning desire to do things differently. At the time I decided to start the company, I was working in a fantastic agency, 141 which is now known as Nitro 121. I had begun to realise, with all the challenges encountered in the advertising business, that there were indeed unique and better ways the business could be carried out, per the changing times.

I had just turned 40 at the time, and I challenged myself to leave a kind of legacy I could be extremely proud of. By the time I approached 41, I was fully ready to embark on the journey of adopting a more cutting-edge approach to advertising. That was why we set up X3M Ideas at the time and the rest, as they say, is history.

What are the emotions that describe how far X3M Ideas has come?

The journey has been extremely overwhelming that sometimes I can’t describe any emotion. I am just grateful that we are here. Most of the time you never really know how far you can go unless you start the journey. I compare this journey to reaching a mountain top despite all the challenges that threatened to derail the mission. I only reflect now and give gratitude to God for how far he has brought us. I have experienced shock, confusion, delirium, and any emotions you can think of during this journey.

You had expectations when you started X3M Ideas, 10 years after, do you believe you have met those expectations?

Absolutely. I think we have overshot most of the milestones we set for ourselves when we started. As a matter of fact, we shot through the milestones we set for ourselves for the first five years in just three years. For instance, we wanted to build a recognisable name and we achieved that within the first year. We also wanted to have a purpose-built office that is tailored to our young, diverse team of millennials and generation Zs and we achieved that in the first three years.

Our dream was to also have outposts and branches outside Nigeria, and in the first four years, that had become a reality. But as we all know, there is always room for improvement. That is why we have already set a new five-year plan for ourselves. We had that session last year where we set new stretch targets for us to meet. In another five years, we’ll review how well we’ve done in meeting these new targets.

You said that within the first few years of your operation you had met some of the targets you set for yourself. But in those first years in the same period, some companies closed shop. What are some of the factors that were responsible for your achievements?

I would say there was a God factor if I am to answer that like a Nigerian businessman. While that cannot be ruled out, I will say our dedicated team is the heart of our success. When you are starting a business, the type of team you assemble will determine how far you can go. I have seen many companies fold up because the team either is not motivated, driven or lacks a sense of purpose.

I am grateful that we have a team of young people who are self-motivated and inspired to do great work. Our team has done a lot to drive us to where we are today. I can’t, of course, dismiss the impact of our clients because, without them, we’d have no business. Our clients have been super supportive and wonderful. Between these dynamics, you have the recipe for the kind of success we have accomplished.

What is the major challenge you have faced in the past 10 years of operations?

There are a lot of challenges but a major one would be inadequate infrastructure. The lack of infrastructure has been one huge challenge. For instance, if we set up this kind of business in a country like Croatia which is not necessarily a first-world country, we might not need this kind of structure that we have invested in because we would be spoilt for choice as to where to establish the business. And then, you wouldn’t need to invest in a generator for power supply.

For us to enjoy smooth operations today, we have two big generators, with one serving as a backup to the other. This is our first line of power supply while electricity from power distribution companies is a backup, which should not be. The rising cost of diesel and incessant power grid collapse are other dynamics to these challenges we face. There is no doubt that these impact significantly on our cost outlay and for a small business outfit like us, this puts unnecessary pressure on the business.

And unfortunately, we are in the service business where clients are not usually convinced when you increase charges. Even when APCON established the AISOP bill to protect the industry, there were complaints from the client organisations about increment. It is not easy, the margin that advertisers have to take is quite small but what can you really do? If you want to survive, there are two options; either you acquire more business to boost revenue or reduce cost.

For us, we have approached this challenge from both ends. But you have to be careful when you reduce costs to make sure that your team is still well-remunerated and motivated.

Earlier, you talked about having a lot of millennials and generations Zs in your team, what do you think about incorporating the alphas into the team?

The generation alphas are still very young. They are still coming up and I don’t think most of them are of working age yet. After the generation Zs, they are next in line and at some point, you will have to hire them. But you see, whatever name you call them, it does not matter to me what generation you’re from, I come to the conversation of competency with an open mind.

I take my time to understand the strengths, interests, and challenges of all generations and give them room to thrive. When the time comes for the alphas to fully enter the job market, it wouldn’t be a problem getting them on board. We will evaluate them according to their strengths and hire the best hands.

We saw how Covid-19 affected businesses across the globe. How did the pandemic affect your business strategy or planning?

The pandemic was a very difficult time for everybody. At the time, I told my team it was not a period to wait for businesses or clients to send us briefs before we could work. We needed to reevaluate our strategies as the challenges we faced at the time were not something that any agency could claim to have prior experience on. The last time anything like that happened was in 1917.

What we did was to scan the whole environment to look at how we could provide value, as the supply chain had been severely disrupted. So instead of just waiting for clients, we went to them with suggestions that suited their businesses. It was a huge relief to see that most of our efforts paid off and that all our clients survived the storm.

How would you assess the creative industry today?

It is common to hear comments comparing how advertising was done in the past to how it is today. But whatever way one looks at it, the creative industry is making giant strides. There have been significant improvements – in advertising, music, movie industry and so on and we are getting recognised for it.

My team just came back from Dubai where they won three awards. We have won the Lisbon advertising Award, we have been shortlisted at the New York advertising festival, and we have gone to the main stage of Cannes to talk about the importance of telling authentic African stories as X3M Ideas. Many other agencies have recorded significant strides, too. I don’t think if we are not doing something right we will be getting all these international recognitions. I am bold to say that our level of creativity is advancing in the right direction despite the challenges that creatives face.

If you relate that with the African creative industry, would you still share the same opinion post-COVID-19?

Definitely. But, don’t forget that it’s not easy to navigate your way through Africa and that makes it difficult sometimes to know what’s happening across the continent. For example, it is easier for our people to go to London or France than in some African countries. We have about 1.2 billion people in Africa yet we don’t even relate with each other well.

Nigeria, today, is still by far the biggest creative industry in Africa. The country boasts the biggest GDP on the continent, closely followed by South Africa and others. This can be attributed to its largely youthful population. There is a whole lot of creativity happening in the country but I can tell you the rest of Africa is following very closely. So, if I wanted to assess the entire continent I would say creativity is witnessing a significant rise there.

Specifically, what are the biggest changes you have witnessed over the last decade in the industry?

Number one is a change in confidence. Before now, as an industry, we used to be timid. We did not have the confidence to stake our position and plant our flag on the global stage. Sure, we did well on the local scene, but not many of us were bold enough to command the world stage then. The first time any Nigerian agency dared to go outside Nigeria to set up shop would probably be Insight when they branched out into Ghana but beyond that, we have been a little reticent. But lately, things have turned around for the better. X3M Ideas, for example, operates in almost six markets in Africa.

This means that we are getting bolder and more confident in sharing our expertise with the rest of the continent and by extension with the rest of the world. Interestingly, the world is now paying attention to what is going on in Nigeria and Africa generally. I project that in the next five years there will be more collaboration between global players and African agencies.

In 2018, X3M Ideas announced its expansion into Southern Africa, how has the operation thrived?

The operation is doing fantastically well. The agency is going through a teething phase but the operations in Lusaka, Zambia are doing pretty well and I am proud of the work. They are gaining recognition for their work and they deserve it. We are also serving the Portuguese-speaking Mozambique market while doing some amazing work in Zimbabwe and Malawi. It’s just that the entire southern Africa hub is driven by our operations in Lusaka, but it is impressive what’s going on there.

As one who runs a firm with operations across different markets in Africa, what would you say are the similarities and challenges, because the economies of these countries are different.

The common thread you see running through these African markets with peculiar challenges is still structural issues. Apart from a country like South Africa which has a more sophisticated infrastructural layout, the rest of the other African markets are facing the same challenges we face in Nigeria. Now, the question is, how do we elevate our infrastructure to make business operations a little easier across the continent?

Another common but encouraging factor you’d find in these markets is the African passion for excellence. But apart from that, governments are different, tax regimes are different, currency and exchange rates are different, the laws governing businesses are different and you just have to navigate through all these in the best way possible. One thing I know is that in most of the countries in Africa if you obey the law, you will surmount any challenges.

Are there any plans to expand into new markets in the future?

Yes. I cannot specifically mention them now, but we have just gone into four new markets including one in the Middle East. We shall make a formal announcement soon because the whole plan is to create a strategy that will make our entrance into new markets in the Middle East and Africa as impactful as possible. I can tell you that we are on course.

Can you please shed more light on ‘Finding X’ and how the proposition has helped the business achieve success?

Every agency that is worth its salt will come up with a proprietary tool that will help them do their work better. Finding X, for us, is about finding something organic to help do better work for our clients.

It is simply a formula: X = AB+C. To find that X, you will have to look for the consumer insight, which is the A. This allows you to discover the intrinsic value of any brand, while X is just that unique thing about the brand which helps us create some kind of bond with the consumer. We have used this tool many times over and it has been the formula for some of the great campaigns we have created.

Why is education X3M Ideas’ most important CSR strategy? Considering all the good work you have done for schools and young Nigerians, why is education important to you?

Let’s take a look at Rwanda. What the country has done to recover from the genocide that threatened their existence is to focus on education. The president, Paul Kagame, knew what he needed to do. He needed to rebuild the entire education system to turn around the economic breakdown that the country went through. What he then did was create a knowledge-based economy and the country benefited greatly from it. If we are determined to make a significant impact, we just have to tow the path of countries like Rwanda.

We have to overhaul our entire educational sector and create a new country for young people. Our youth are already talented visionaries doing incredible things with minimal support so you can imagine the extent they would go to if more support is available to them. What we are doing in the area of education is selfless. And who knows, the next generation of people who will come into advertising to do amazing work that the world would celebrate might come from one of those schools.

By virtue of our investments in education, we are also encouraging other organisations to show similar support in transforming the country for the better. Leaving the government alone on this quest will not help us as a nation so for us, it is imperative to continue to give and we do not do this because we have so much money, but out of sacrifice to safeguard our future.

What are X3M Ideas’ plans for the next 10 years?

Every day when I wake up, the question I ask myself is, ‘what next?’

There is still so much to be done, we have not even scratched the surface yet. We are looking to put our flag in more countries on the continent. We want to be the first agency to create a truly indigenous African network. We are looking forward to doing all of that.

We want to embark on more purposeful collaborations and partnerships. We are not interested in affiliations that violate our values. We also have plans to become the first Nigerian agency to go public. We want to be able to do some IPO and maybe eventually end up on the stock market in Nigeria.

What one piece of advice would you give yourself if you could go back to 10 years ago?

I worry a lot. There are some people who when they get to where we are today would just relax but I don’t know how to do that. When I started 10 years ago I was worried sick about how things would turn out, so maybe I would tell myself to relax more and take it one calculated step at a time.

I keep challenging myself every day, though. That will never change.

I remember some time ago when you recounted the challenges you faced in trying to register your agency and you faced some very stiff resistance, would you say your efforts have paid off 10 years after?

For me, I live in a permanent state of dissatisfaction; not in a bad way, though. It’s just that no matter what I achieve today, I always believe I can achieve more. I just know that God gave us the grace to be able to scale some of those hurdles that were thrown our way. Not only did we eventually get registered and have been doing business since then but we have been doing it successfully for ten years. That is enough to be grateful for.

Recently you unveiled a new identity, can you tell us the creative idea behind the new logo?

I have seen many people trying to juxtapose the old logo with the new one and it amuses me. The old logo was a bold one which speaks to the spirit of the agency at the time we started operation. We knew we were fighting against all odds. We were pushing against major headwinds and we needed that kind of strong logo to demonstrate our resolve and determination for success.

But, having done that for 10 years I think we are more mature. And as you can see, the new logo is much more corporate and finer which represents the refinement that the company has gone through. Whereas the old logo had these sharp edges which depicted our doggedness in the face of fierce challenges, the new logo has a more rounded feel which represents the smooth relationship between us and our clients.

Also, the new touch of orange shows more calmness which is immediately evident the moment you walk through our office and interact with the team. A touch of the old red colour is still present and this continues to stand for our fierceness and boldness in combating every challenge that we go through in this business.

He is a revolutionary of some sort, not necessarily because he is participating in or advocating a revolution; but because he has made and is making a major impact on experiential marketing, his sphere of professional practice and entrepreneurship, and, through it, the larger Nigerian society, in particular, and humanity, in general.

He is David Idahoise; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Lagos, Nigeria based Route712 Experiential Agency.  

If anyone is in doubt of his revolutionary bent, such a one should just check Idahoise out in his office and on his company’s website. One insightful statement that will keep gracing your face everywhere is “Everything you can imagine is real”, a statement credited to Pablo Picasso, a Spanish artist who is recognized not only as the most important artist of the 20th century, but also as one of the most significant artists in recorded history. Picasso was said to have revolutionized modern art and influenced all subsequent generations of artists. 

In the same talking, David Idahoise has, for over 10 years emerged as one of the leading lights in the Nigerian experiential marketing ecosystem which he is still bestriding like an emerging colossus, and impacting on the sector’s generation next, positively.

An experiential marketing professional cum entrepreneur, Dave, as he is simply called, is the founder and chief executive officer of the above mentioned company which is a front running experiential marketing agency in Nigeria.

He is a dynamic, bold, savvy, highly creative and skilled experiential/events marketer with strong commercial mind with experience in brand and segment marketing and management.

With over 15 years Demonstrated Experience in Live + Brand + Digital Experience Strategy Development – Experiential Marketing, his areas of expertise include, but are not limited to Brand and Consumer Marketing Management; Segment Marketing and Management; Experiential marketing concepts; Social and sponsorship marketing; New Product Development/launches Presence field marketing and brands research; Events management.

In terms of specialties, Idahoise has much knack for Administrative support, Brand management, budgeting, Competitive analysis, Concept development, Leadership, Logistics, Market analysis, Idea generation, Research, Staff training & Motivation, Strategic, and Team management & Building.

This prodigious professional cum entrepreneur founded Route 712 over ten years ago. The company is an indigenous Nigerian experiential marketing agency, dedicated to fascinating consumers with the sole objective of brand awareness.

He has attracted to the company some of the brightest minds in Nigeria’s brand activation and marketing industry to keep it at the top of the experiential marketing space.

With a primary business objective to maximize budgets and reach a wider target audience for its clients, Route 712 has proven itself to be an invaluable partner to the most successful companies in Nigeria as their strategic experiential marketing solutions agency.

As the helmsman of the burgeoning agency, Dave has direct responsibility for generation of creative proposals to clients; managing strategy development for the brands as well as driving the implementation of agreed integrated marketing programs, including market analysis and consumer segmentation. He is versed at maximizing all opportunities to activate demand for leading brands through innovative solutions; competitive analysis and strategy for top leading Nigeria brands; he is accountable for flawless execution of clients’ events/promotions projects; ensures effective utilization of resources to achieve set client/project objectives; and managing, direct, motivate and develop subordinates to attain high standards of performance, all at a competitive and an affordable budget for clients.

He effectively plans for long and short term strategic objectives for both client and company; and sets and achieves turn-over budget/target for the business development unit; as well as tactical PR management and media tracking.

Before founding his own company over a decade ago, this iconic experiential marketing practitioner had traversed the industry and garnered experiences and exposures, both local and international that prepared him for the roles he now plays, not only in his company but also in the entire industry and the larger society.

He was Activation Specialist at EXP Nigeria, Nigeria’s first international activation firm between 2004 and 2005; and Operations/Business Development Manager at Oracle Experience, one of Nigeria’s leading experiential marketing agencies between 2006 and 2008. Before then, he had been General Manager, Operations at Mabatpro Agency; and Operations Manager (Activations) at ResQ Promotions (2005-2006).

At all of those places, the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State graduate of Biochemistry recorded record breaking performances that birthed numerous milestones for both the organizations and him.

This record has been vastly replicated in the very intimidating records of achievement of Route 712, in terms of account wins, running record breaking campaigns, and a consistently rising growth trajectory for both itself and its clients’ brands under its belt.

For instance, stakeholders would not forget in a hurry such campaigns handled by the agency like MOUKA Flora & Legend Mattress Brand Unveiling; DIAGEO McDowell Football Frendzy Activation; McDowell platinum whisky launch; ONGA Foodies Hangout Activations; ONGA Next Top Chef Campus activation; COWBELL Coffee Campus Revelation; COWBELL Choco NYSC Volleyball Activation; COWBELL Milk Roadshows &GSM Consumer Experience; COWBELL Milk Schools Activation; COWBELL Evaporated Milk Activation; KASAPREKO Kalahari And Carnival Strawberry Brands Activation; LOYA Milk Brand Activation; FERRERO Tic-Tac Shake & Share Activation; and Reckitt Benckiser Door to Door activations, just to mention a few.

As should be expected of such a deeply experienced and vastly exposed egghead, Dave has been recognized, honored and celebrated through several recognitions, commendations, referrals and awards.

Perhaps, Jack Nwaigwe, Cluster Retail Sales Manager at 9mobile Nigeria, captures it all when he said, “David is a Manager oriented towards achieving any set target; he is both a team player as well as master strategist, i do recommend him to give a detailed report on whatever task he embarks upon, a very thorough and efficient individual”.

The coronavirus pandemic continues to change the way we shop, work, socialize, travel, and much more. In a fast-moving global crisis such as the current coronavirus outbreak, brands have an important role to play. Staying true to their ambition creates a perception of integrity. Reputations can be made by activating brand purpose during the crisis.

Amid panic and business shutdowns, we chatted with Onyinye Ago, Senior Account Executive, on how brands should communicate their messages effectively.

Brandessence: How should brands handle Communications during Coronavirus Crisis?

Onyinye Ago: This is a time when brand communications is more important than ever and for many brands, Covid-19 has put a test to crisis communications as they know it. For brands to succeed in their communication efforts during this period, they must be prepared to have an evolving approach to the situation as it unravels. It is important that communications to all relevant stakeholders be built on the pillars of timeliness, honesty, transparency, accountability, and consistency.

More so, as businesses begin to change their mode of operation, there is a need to ensure consistent communication internally in order to demystify the situation and curb panic that may arise due to uncertainties. Put employees’ minds at ease, by being transparent, boosting morale and providing hope for the future.

Beyond reaching employees and customers to communicate the safety measures being put in place by your organization, stakeholders also need to be kept updated on relevant issues particularly on plans for business continuity.

Brandessence: What can brands do to avoid the spread of misinformation and fake news during this crisis?

Onyinye Ago: It is important that companies act responsible during this period, by amplifying only authorized information obtained from government or approved health organisations and avoid releasing ambiguous information which may lead to unnecessary speculation and panic.

PR teams also need to be prepared to counter misinformation, limit spread and communicate the facts regarding their brands swiftly.

Brandessence: How should brands communicate with their consumers or customers during this crisis?

Onyinye Ago: In the wake of this global pandemic, brands need to re-evaluate customers’ needs, assess what value they can provide, then meaningfully engage with the customers communicating that. Your brand voice is important here, rethink promotion strategies and focus on communicating with empathy.

It is also important for brands to provide relief for their community where possible. We have seen a number of companies in the country lead the way in this area. Such actions by companies will go a long way in projecting brands as being socially responsible, particularly in this time.

Generally, consumer confidence is likely to plummet even further as Covid-19 continues to spread across Nigeria, but brands should see this as an opportunity to build brand equity, rather than keep silent. Offer customers reassurance and inspire confidence.

Brandessence: What is the impact of the coronavirus on business and economy?

Onyinye Ago: The growing numbers of Covid-19 confirmed cases in Nigeria and the stringent measures being taken to curtail the outbreak has resulted in a decline in economic activity. A lot of businesses are slowly beginning to feel the impact of loss of revenue as they slow down or suspend their business services due to the work from home policies and shutdowns.

The concern for many businesses is that more difficult decisions may have to be made in the nearest future if they are to survive the economic impact of the pandemic. Nevertheless, the immediate priority for all is to contribute to the success of the public health response by complying with relevant health authorities so that this phase can be over quickly, and businesses can bounce back as soon as possible. This will deeply improve the economic outlook.

The coronavirus pandemic continues to change the way we shop, work, socialize, travel, and much more. In a fast-moving global crisis such as the current coronavirus outbreak, brands have an important role to play. Staying true to their ambition creates a perception of integrity. Reputations can be made by activating brand purpose during the crisis.

Amid panic and business shutdowns, we chatted with Chinenze Amanfo, Lead, Public Relations, 9mobile, on how brands should communicate their messages effectively.

Brandessence: How should brands handle Communications during Coronavirus Crisis?

Chineze Amanfo: As the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc around the world, brands struggle to determine the best way to handle communication with their stakeholders without seeming insensitive and opportunistic.

Brands who plan to communicate during this crisis period should focus on providing useful information to educate their customers and the general public.  Brands must avoid self-promotion and explore ways of using their existing platforms to communicate with their audiences. Existing communication can also be modified to reflect the current realities of the Corona Virus, where possible.

Brands who provide essential products and services must communicate and reassure the public about product and service availability. This sort of approach keeps customers updated and projects such brands as adding value and support during the crisis period.

Certain brands can however get away with silence if they do not have a supportive message to communicate. This approach is not harmful because not every brand can give charity or support the Federal, State of Local government in the fight against the Corona Virus. 

Some brands, on the other hand, decide to continue pushing out their regular communication without acknowledging the ongoing crisis.

Every brand that desires to communicate or respond during this crisis must use simple and clear language, provide timely information to avoid misinformation/fake news/conspiracy theories, show care and empathy to the public, and maintain an engaging two-way communication channel.

Any brand irrespective of its size must have a crisis communication plan to function effectively. Some organizations justify their lack of a crisis communication plan to their size or even the service they provide. However, the fact is that there is no sugarcoating the advice that any brand that does not plan is preparing to fail. Most organizations do not have a crisis communication plan, or what they thought was a crisis communication plan turned out to be insufficient rather than something addressing a major crisis such as the long battle that the fight against COVID-19 has turned out to be.

Whatever side of the divide an organization finds itself, it is never too late to draw up a crisis communication plan to help cushion the impact of the pandemic on its business, protect its employees, and ensure it can deliver whatever its product or service may be.

Brandessence: What can brands do to avoid the spread of misinformation and fake news during this crisis?

Chineze Amanfo: Brands must be as informative as possible because the media, different stakeholders, and the public will create their information if adequate information is not given to them by the organization during a crisis. Rumors can cause significantly more damage to the organization than the truth. The information must also be timely using the channels which address different stakeholder groups. Timely information communicated through the right channels gives less room for misinformation and fake news.

Brandessence: How should brands communicate with their consumers or customers during this crisis?

Chineze Amanfo: Brands must first identify the best and effective channels to reach their different audiences (internal or external).  Suitable channel identification should be followed by relevant vital messages to address each audience. In communicating with customers, brands must be positive, be honest, be transparent, show empathy, and maintain an open and engaging communication channel.

Brandessence: What is the impact of the coronavirus on business and economy?

Chineze Amanfo: With the outbreak of COVID-19, our world has dramatically changed within a short space of time. People are worried, mentally burdened, and adjusting to probably the most significant lifestyle change of a generation of people since World War 2. The fundamentals of society have dramatically changed, and this will have much effect on our respective businesses forever. Several companies have gone from revenue of 100 to zero, and some are not able to sustain their high overhead costs and commitments. The global economy has been adversely affected.

Companies must modify their business models and generate new insights to increase competitiveness and guarantee the survival of their businesses.

Other expected impacts of the Coronavirus on businesses and the economy include changes in consumer behavior because social distancing will become a norm until a vaccine is discovered for the virus. In the technology space, work from home might become more pronounced, and businesses must identify what this means for their businesses. Virtual reality will also become more prominent in operations for industries like Hospitality, Tourism, Real Estate, among others, as they aim to capture value in a ‘Covid World’.

In conclusion, there is no handbook to thriving and leading in this new world, but brands must identify patterns that affect their businesses to achieve growth amid uncertainty.
 

Richard Iweanoge, General Manager, Brand & Communications at MTN Nigeria, Talks on brand identity and brand evolution in setting a discint and desirable impression in consumers’ minds.

Brandessence: What is brand evolution?

Richard Iweanoge: Brand evolution simply is about transformation. It is the strategic decision to identify and retain desirable elements of a brand and then change other attribute in order to make it fit for a new audience or market segment. Some liken it to renovating a brand to improve its relevance and appeal but really, it is striking the fine balance between heritage and evolution.

Brandessence: Why is Brand Evolution Important? What can we improve?

Richard Iweanoge: Brand Evolution is vital to for sustainable marketing as flexibility and adaptability determine competitiveness. For example, when a brand expands its portfolio or enters a new region, it may need to evolve in order to win with new customers in the marketplace.
What can we improve? Basic brand elements (brand font, colours, sound) can be revised to fit present day nuances and culture. Today, evolution strongly evident in the way brands interact with customers, especially in the age of social media, internet shopping and artificial intelligence.

Brandessence: How do you describe a Brand Identity?

Richard Iweanoge: Brand identity refers to tangible and/or visible essentials of a brand, that include color, logo, font type, tagline, imagery that identify and differentiate it in the minds of consumers.

Brandessence: MTN: How can you Simplify Your Brand Identity? What is the purpose of Brand Identity?

Richard Iweanoge: Brand Identity is critical in setting a distinct and desirable impression in consumers’ minds. It improves salience at point of purchase and simplifies the consumer buying decision process. There is a great deal of media and shelf-space clutter that customers have to go through everyday; a strong brand ID ensures your product is easily identifiable.
Simplifying brand identity infers that there is a problem with current design. We see this trend in the world as leading global brands choose icons (an apple, a swoosh, a dot) to represent themselves consistently. They recognize customers have so much to go through everyday hence the need for simplicity. The process involves collecting all current brand Identity elements, reviewing them and determine which still fit into the brand vision. I recommend customer research is infused into this process to ensure alignment between desired brand ID and customers’ perception of it.

Brandessence: How does your logo communicate your brand?

Richard Iweanoge: A logo is usually the first thing customers see or come to identify your brand with. It communicates your brand personality, it can reflect the market segment you are positioned to reach and can depict how trendy or fixed you are as an organization.

Brandessence: How are your business and industry transforming? What are some of the major changes and trends you’re anticipating?

Richard Iweanoge: The increase in video content , streaming and gaming as 4G networks become almost ubiquitous presents us with an opportunity to players to evolve into content developers rather than mere platform infrastructure providers. To this end, we also see players like MTN leading the way in developing OTT applications like Music Time and Ayoba to ensure we have a foothold in the critical customer digital marketplace.
However, 5G, which MTN demonstrated in Nigeria in 2019, will be the transformative game changer as internet speeds faster than what we imagined possible will become the norm.

Brandessence: How are you evolving the marketing function/structure in your company to be more customer-eccentric?

Richard Iweanoge: We are increasingly-focused on improving customer experience and have adapted our systems and people structure to build capacity in that area. A good example is myMTN App. It is a means to further simplify customer –brand interaction and has successfully garnered over 4 million active users already. They use the app to access data services, interact with customer service, participate in MTN activations like MTN Yello Star, play video games and so much more.

The Commercial Director of Gemona West Interior Designs, Naomi Smith has said that the firm is determined to revolutionize the interior designs industry in Nigeria by delivering groundbreaking designs that compares with best practice around the world.

Mrs. N Smith made the comment at the recently concluded Made by Design Exhibition held recently at the Balmoral Event Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos, which is one of the largest gathering for Interior designs players and vendors in Nigeria. According to her, following its successful outing at the exhibition, the firm is now better positioned to produce exciting projects never before seen in Nigeria.
Speaking on the exhibition, Mrs.N Smith said. “For the first time we are showcasing our designs at a major exhibition and we are excited about the responses we are getting from guests. We are here to demonstrate that the design industry is improving and to show that Nigerians can trust us to deliver the best designs comparable to any company in the world.”
In a bid to offer visitors at the exhibition the best of experience, Gemona West partnered with other leading vendors and manufacturers to build an experience center that offered first hand feeling of the company’s contemporary interior design concepts. The booth was made up of three compartments- bedroom, kitchen and office, all bearing the hallmarks and elegance of the award winning design company.
The partners who came together to create the experience center are Woodstyles, JCI, ProBlind, Evi Vernice Paints and Coating Solution, Jobaco and Brecolights.

And according to Mrs.N Smith, the decision to collaborate is a reflection of the evolution in the industry as many more consumers are demanding a onestop solution from design firms instead of silo offering which is often cumbersome.

“To be very honest, the industry is changing. Clients are appreciating what value the interior designers, woodwork engineers, lighting engineers, interior decorators, paint specialist, kitchen equipment and fabric consultants are bringing to the table, it was time for the different professionals within the industry to come together and collaborate with the aim of servicing the same clients to deliver architectural/design perfection both interior and exterior. The focus now is how do we make sure that all professionals within our industry are all working as a team so that the clients gets best results. Our belief is – when the client is happy, all the professionals involved within that project are happy.” She said.

The three day exhibition attracted hundreds of visitors from various works of life. Top on the list of distinguished guests at the event were Wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo and the Honourable Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr Lai Mohammed, They were all thrilled by the transformation and sophistication in the designed industry in Nigeria as demonstrated by the various exhibitors. But it was Gemona West and its partners that attracted the most crowd because of its innovative offering and exhibition concept.

The partners also ensured that the final day of the exhibition was even more thrilling and memorable by hosting its guests to a classy cocktail where they were treated to tasty meal and great tasting wine.

With an eye for fashion from an early age of ten, Adebayo Oke-Lawal, creator of Orange Culture never shied away from expressing fluidity in his fashion pieces, he has become the go to designer as regards capturing the different forms of masculinity. His consistent bold fashion collections have earned him a place in Nigeria’s fashion hall of fame. He is one of the designers selected to champion Budweiser’s game changing campaign tagged, The King’s Stitch, targeted at showcasing and celebrating the individuality of Nigerian youth.

Find excerpt of the interesting chat we had with him…

We are aware that you started designing at the tender age of 10. What drew you to designing at such an early age?

I’ve always been intrigued by clothing and the way people respond to clothing. How a garment can literally amplify a person’s ego, or push someone to confidence or improve their self-worth. I watched this happen even as a kid and so I wanted to be a part of that process. I wanted to use clothes to impact people’s lives! I saw fashion as my tool and I decided to work with a message that I could relate to.

When did your love for fashion evolve from a hobby to a full time job?

Even as a little child I loved fashion. I would literally draw on everything. My teachers will concur. For me it was a lifestyle! It felt like part of what made me who I am. So it’s never been just a hobby.

What are the major challenges you had to overcome to become the successful designer you are today?

Infrastructure in Nigeria isn’t set up to support fashion business. You literally start off with no community support system especially when I began. Problems ranging from unskilled labour, lack of education to a drought in financial support. 

You are one of the designers headlining The King’s Stitch campaign. What attracted you to the campaign?

ANS: I love what it stands for. My brand has always been a fighter for the outcast, for the individual, for the unique and for various forms of self representation. This campaign celebrates all those things, so of course I got involved.

How does this campaign impact you first as a person and as a designer?

ANS: It allows me see that my vision over the past 9 years is finally being taken seriously and it allows me open up my story to a whole new clientele.

The message of the King’s Stitch campaign is to encourage Gen Z’s to awaken their individualities despite societal inhibitions. How has your style promoted this message?

I mean look at the brand and look at me, Lol – I think that literally is self explanatory. My brand story is genuine and honest. I think choosing self has really been a part of promoting the idea that being a king isn’t about fitting into stereotypes! It’s about being yourself, unapologetically

How do you get your inspiration?

I’m an emotional person so inspiration comes from emotional connection to something, someone, a conversation or even an occurrence.

You have described your style on few occasions as unapologetic and fluid – can you explain further what you mean and what inspired this?

I don’t care. Lol. I wear what I want, how I want and in what color I want. I don’t believe in blue is for boys, pink is for girls. I explore how I feel and what the clothes make me feel 

How do you manage to always achieve duality and interchangeability in your designs?

I guess by being myself through the process of design. Also time and experience have helped me find balance. All the good and the rejections have helped me build an understanding of the brand and who our customer base is and could be

What is your creative process like?

I literally feel, try to pull together pictures, music, visuals that inspire-then print design and eventually sketch out what I have in mind. It all starts from a story

Who are your role models in this industry?

Omoyemi Akerele. She is such an amazing woman.  Lisa Folawiyo, Mai Atafo and Lanre Da Silva

Any message for the Nigerian youth?

Be you and be proud. Don’t let anyone box you into any stereotypes. Also work very hard, it’s important.

Diamond Bank Plc will be launching the 11th season of itsDiamondXtra rewards programme as it rounds up its season 10 in February 2019. Speaking at an interview session held at the new corporate head office, Osita Ede, Head Consumer and Liability Products, discussed various aspects relating to the success story of the DiamondXtra project right from the very first season till date.

Below are excerpts from the interview:

Q: Will M & A affect DiamondXtra in any way?

A: No, really we have looked at all that and for us, it’s going to be a bigger DiamondXtra. It stays the way it is, and so one of the concerns that have been coming up is that ‘what happens to me?’ The message we want to put out there is that nothing changes, the prizes still keep coming and the payment will keep happening. DiamondXtra remains DiamondXtra. In fact, we are not even changing the name. As we merge, it’s going to become a bigger bank, we are stronger together, so we look forward to pushing out the products and have it out there for customers.

Just imagine DiamondXtra now having all the customers inAccess Bank. It’s going to be a much bigger reward scheme. How has it impacted the standard of living in view of the present state of low-purchasing power? So far, it has been fantastic and I will say one of the reasons we are bent on keeping DiamondXtra is because of some winners we have had. It is so touching when they narrate their transformational stories.

If you are at the launch of Season 10, you would have witnessed some of them giving their testimonies on how it has touched and changed their lives. DiamondXtra has been a life-changer for them and for that reason, we want to continue. It is our own way of connecting with an average Nigerian and we want to continue that.

Q: What is the unique selling proposition of the forthcoming season?

A: The great thing here is that the season 10 is still running till the end of January, and we will launch the next season thereafter, which is a bigger and better one. We have a whole lot of amusing features this time around, and I can assure you no one will be disappointed.

Q: Kindly review what’s happening in the ongoing season

A: We have more winners in the current season than we had in the previous one. In fact, the total number of winners we have is 4,957, which is 5% more than what we had in season 9. We introduced a special prize category we called Educational Brand, and that Educational allowance winners get N100,000 every month for 5 years.

More so, it is pertinent for everyone to know that we engaged a lot of our customers out there, we inquired the additional things they would want to see in DiamondXtra, a lot of people talked about education, rents and Season 10 was a response to the survey.

We included education and rent for a year, so the individual who wins the rent for a year, get a million naira. So it has been exciting all through for the Season 10, and we made sure that the rewards go round the country. It is not just a Lagos affair, it cut across the country. It is a Nigerian thing.

Q: Will Access Bank customers benefit from DiamondXtra?

A: Absolutely, it will be opened to customers from both Diamond and Access Bank after the integration. Even before the integration, any Access Bank customer can open a DiamondXtra to participate. Just look at it this way, we have got the existing DiamondXtra customers, we have got the Access Bank customers who probably don’t have the DiamondXtra yet, so for Access Bank customers who want to participate, you open a DiamondXtra pocket and after the integration, we will ensure that Access Bank customers in that category get involved. So basically, DiamondXtra will become bigger.

Q: What is DiamondXtra’s benefits to Diamond Bank?

A: Like I said earlier, for us, it’s a great thing to know that we are touching lives and helping the Nigerian economy by encouraging people to save funds outside the financial system. So for us as a bank, we see it as a very significant way of connecting our customers and also touching lives and of course, rewarding our loyal customers. Personally, I get so excited when I see a customer who has banked with us for a number of years emerging a winner.

Q: Is there any regulatory challenge?

A: For regulators, the main thing is that the rules are there, just follow the rules and guidelines. And for them, what they try to find out is whether the winning process is transparent and whether the process of winning is done in a transparent manner. Once you have done that you are good. We invite them for our activities, we make sure we don’t keep them in the dark, we provide enough information for their accessibility.

And again, you know our draws are validated by KPMG. We don’t just put draws, KPMG comes first to ensure that every customer who should be in the draw is selected and put in the draw before the selection process. So they monitor everything.

What we do is that every N5,000 in your account gives you 1 ticket, so if you have 10,000 it gives you 2 tickets into the draw, if you have N20,000 it gives you 4. So they check if you are qualified to be in the draw and the number of tickets you can have. KMPG alongside others make sure things go well for us and the customers, there has never been any problem since we have been running this campaign.

Q: Do you have any plan of reviewing the prizes?

A: Yes, we are looking at that. Season 11 is around the corner and it’s coming out much bigger and interesting.

Q: After the M & A, what will be the requirement for new entrants?

A: We have our channels of communicating and we will make sure that every customer is engaged properly on what needs to be done, but right now, if you want to participate, we will require you open a DiamondXtra account and key into it.

For existing customers, all they need to do is to increase their savings. I have always said that it is important that your money is working for you. If you check, just imagine somebody wins salary for life and you earn N100,000 every month for 20 years. I will rather have my funds in DiamondXtra and take that chance.

Q: How much have you given so far via DiamondXtra?

A: I know we have given out over N5 billion and we have had over 15,000 winners since we started. For us, DiamondXtra has never been a revenue base, sometimes, it is not about how much you are making. When you look at someone who has never saved before, comes out to tell you his experience after saving, it is natural for you to just be touched and want to impact more.

Mr. Austin Efienamokwu is the Media Director/Business Head of Vizeum, a member of the Media Fuse Dentsu Aegis Network, the fastest growing network globally. The agency is globally reputed for deploying media touch points to build powerful connections between brands and consumers at speed and scale. And in Nigeria, it is rated as one of the fastest growing agencies.

With more than 10 years of hands-on experience in strategic media planning and implementation, media research and brand management for several multinational brands across various sectors and across several markets including Sierra Leone, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria and Central Africa region, he has, since he got in the saddle, reinforced the growth strategy of the agency which, in the last couple of years, has won a number of lucrative media businesses.

In this interview, the Vizeum boss explains how the agency has been able to deliver growth for its clients by leveraging its global experience in technology and in-depth understanding of the local market.

What are your company’s core values?

These are:

Agile – We are nimble, quick & flexible, thinking and acting differently.

We have a trail blazing & inquisitive culture where relentlessness & hunger are rewarded.

Pioneering – We’re innovative, risk- taking self -starters; building an industry legacy.

Collaborative – Working together globally to deliver a consistent brand experience; partnering together locally to provide the best client solution

Responsible – We take individual and collective responsibility for our thoughts and actions,

How is your agency different from other media agencies?

We add real business value and accelerate growth to deliver bottom line results for clients like no other media agency network in this region. To achieve this, we dig deep into our clients’ business goals and create innovative solutions to address these challenges.

We bring data-driven solutions that transform media from a numbers game to a game changer. From analytics to answers, Never static, never still, where the only thing to keep pace with the growth of our inventiveness is the growth of our clients’ success. Simply, we humanize to impact on bottom-line.

This is Vizeum. Accelerating business growth through media. This is our passion, our commitment to our clients and how we attract, train and retain our people.

To what extent would you say recession impacted on the media agencies in Nigeria?

2016 -2017 were challenging years for the industry largely due to the impact of recession. During the recession, we witnessed constant depreciation of the Naira; the dollar went upand you had to always make allowances for future exchange rate fluctuations. Global media partners were pressured to commence Naira billings regime to mitigate the impact of the exchange rate fluctuation on media campaigns.

We witnessed budget cuts from clients as the economy was recessed, cost of doing business increased, goods and services became expensive and most clients looked inwards to see what to be rationalized in the marketing OPEX. Media budgets stood out and was the most hit by the rationalizations without corresponding review of media KPIs. Agencies had to come up with ingenious ways to maximize every buck of spend by delivering high discounts, extra value and getting media partners like the OOH suppliers to consider day part billings for LED screens and multiple ad rotations in LED slots to drive visibility for clients.

We also saw the rise of procurement led media negotiations and increased volume discount demands from clients, thereby leading agencies to re-invent themselves towards unlocking new grounds to stay competitive.

Agencies generally struggled, Vizeum and other agencies within our network were able to weather the storm through future-proofing the industry and taking bold steps to arrive at where we are today –  as the No1 in new business wins in 2017 as recorded by the research Company Evaluating the Media Agency Industry (RECMA).

What is your company’s competitive edge in the media planning and buying business?

Our agency’s competitive advantage is simply our superior (bespoke) single sourced data system called Consumer Connection System (CCS)

CCS is the Dentsu Aegis Networks flagship integrated consumer insight, planning and buying suite tools, designed to feed communication strategy and tactical planning.

This bespoke, consumer centric, insight and planning system is specifically designed to help Media-Fuse Dentsu Aegis Network clients target their communication and optimize their media investments more effectively.

Globally, the CCS footprint includes 57 countries with over 350,000 respondents. With in-depth surveys performed across West, East & South Africa, CCS can be applied both regionally and locally to deliver enhanced communications strategy and planning with improved targeting, precision and actionability.

We also attract people from diverse backgrounds. We believe this is essential in nurturing a culture of innovation. We offer an agile environment that works around client’s different needs and allows everyone to reach their potential.

We offer data solutions that take clients from marketing to people we don’t know, to people we do know through our proprietary data systems. We build unique consumer segments to scale big ideas and nurture one-on-one relationships to connect to people’s behaviors and passions.

Our agency’s core competences that  give us an edge in the industry lies also in our communication strategy and planning, consumer insight, media buying, global media partnerships, branded content and product placement, content development, digital media, search engine optimization, online marketing, social media management, sponsorship, data management, direct marketing and programmatic delivery in collaboration with our specialist divisions like Isobar, iProspect, Posterscope, Amnet, Rapid Extra et al.

As our world becomes increasingly delineated, we see new possibilities in how data, media and technology can be blended together to build innovation and effective brand communications. Using our unique network operating model, we build integrated, scalable solutions for our clients.

What are the challenges facing media agencies in Nigeria?

Insufficient and quality data is a bane in the industry. Data collection methodology remains a challenge in the Nigerian advertising space and this has created a lot of questions when developing marketing strategies. The standard industry planning data set available are still being tracked manually thus creating difficulty in ensuring real-time campaign optimization; and creating room for proprietary tools like CCS data to close the gap.

Lack of innovation is another challenge faced in the industry, our group (Media Fuse Dentsu Aegis Network) has been driving the frontier of innovations to unlock transformational business values to our clients and stakeholders. Being part of a global network gives us a massive innovation advantage to drive business result for our clients.

Clients have gone past the days of stereotype media planning, to an era where consumers mindset is taken into consideration in effectively delivering media, that then begins to address business challenges.

The optics of positioning media agencies in the last stages of integrated marketing communication is also a challenge agencies need to overcome. A lot of the media agencies are still comfortable with taking an existing creative idea or platform from a creative agency and activating this across media (traditional media planning approach).

Media agencies need to have a media first thinking mentality with a clear understanding of the consumer media consumption ecosystem when engaging clients and strive for the best possible outcome in terms of idea development, creativity and innovation at the core of the ideation process.

Business challenges are what clients are increasingly asking us to solve, not just media challenges.

Why do you think advertisers are gradually moving away from traditional media to new media in reaching consumers?

Clients are constantly demanding return on investment through measured media and real time results. In the digital economy, Mass media (largely unquantified media) will decline dramatically in the next 2 – 3yrs.Inorder to survive, media planning will need to become more measured / addressable. Access points to content are expanding via mobile, online content portals, Facebook, Google etc. You’ll look for the best content and the likelihood of that being online is 60-80%. Remember, consumers are following content and not channels and the growing internet penetration is an attestation to what to expect in the future.

Who are your clients (past & present)?

We are proud to work with some of the top multinational clients in Nigeria. Clients like ABInBev (Budweiser, Castle Lite, Hero Lager Beer, Trophy Lager Beer, Grand Malt, Beta Malta, Eagle Lager etc), Arla foods (Dano Milk), Huawei, Total, Red Bull and most recently Gbam Lotto, et al.