Nigerian agencies should up their game and reap the rewards of a growing industry
Nigerian advertising agencies could reap the rewards of one of the fastest growing markets in the world and grow in stature on the continent if they position themselves in the correct segments and ‘up their game’ to bring more of their work into line with global standards.
Advertising revenue as a whole is expected to increase by a compound annual growth rate of nearly 8% – well above the pace anticipated in developed markets and above many others which are also in emerging economies, according to a report published by PwC in September.
And although traditional platforms dominate in Nigeria now, online advertising will outperform over the next few years, expanding at a CAGR of more than 25% through to 2020. PwC predicts that revenue from the segment will nearly double to $132 million by then, from an estimated $76 billion this year, making it the third highest after TV and OOH advertising, which is set to grow at a slower pace.
These are encouraging figures for advertising agencies as Nigeria’s economy emerges from a recession which took a toll on consumer spending last year. But the industry also needs to bring the quality of its work into line with global standards, say advertising executives who participated in the Loeries annual awards in Durban in August.
Seven Nigerian submissions were selected as finalists at the event while only one agency – 7even Interactive Ltd, scooped up an award, walking away with the bronze medal in the ‘Digital and Interactive – Social Media’ category.
Its emotive campaign was a self-funded Social Responsibility Initiative aimed at raising awareness of rape. The agency made its point by photographing celebrities without their consent and using their images on social media to promote ‘Frixion Vodka’, a fictional brand.
After the predictable burst of outrage erupted on social media, the agency apologised and explained its motives. The result: support for the message, and attention from its target audience.
Ndukwe Onuoha, creative director at 7even Interactive, said the reason for the ad’s success at home and in Durban was literally ‘simple’. “The Loeries are not just looking for good ideas executed correctly, you have to be single-minded and keep it simple. Our ad wasn’t convoluted and anyone could relate to it – so it stood out,” he says.
Top agency executives often say that Nigeria’s cultural diversity and multiple languages means that advertising messages can ‘get lost in translation’ in markets outside the country. Onuoha doesn’t buy this argument.
“It boils down to the idea of being simple enough to be understood across cultures – there are some things that are universal. Nigerians are globally minded and to make an impact in the country you do not need to adopt a purely Nigerian perspective, although there are nuances to be tapped into,” he maintains.
Ada Adheke, Managing Director of Peacock Media and one of the judges at the Loeries this year, sticks to her view that it is challenging for Nigerian creatives to adapt to markets outside the country.
“The diversity in culture and language in Nigeria are very strong factors to consider in advertising concept development. Their relevance to brands, consumers’ choices and media consumption are key issues that cannot be overlooked – Nigerian consumers appreciate indigenous models as this tends to resonate more with them,” she says.
The Loeries is the only advertising award focussed on Africa & the Middle East with 20 countries participating in 2017, and including entries across cultures and languages. Encouragement that there is no cultural barrier to entry is that past winners include a Grand Prix for an Arabic entry from Saudi Arabia in 2016, and Grands Prix awards to Lebanon and the UAE this year. Kenya also took home a Gold Loerie this year for a campaign to save the last living male Northern White Rhino.
Adheke believes that more participation in global competition will bring out the best in Nigerian creatives. “You can still be innovative locally and be relevant in the global space,” she said.
Onuoha says that one of his most valuable takeaways from the Loeries was the realisation that good ideas were not exclusive. “You need to trust your instinct and your gut – if you hold off someone else will roll with the idea and you will feel that you cheated yourself. Ideas born in Nigeria are as good as those born in South Africa,” he says.
The best thing about winning an award at the Loeries was that it gave you status and ‘bragging rights’, he adds. “It gives you a sense of achievement – you are not just recognised in Nigeria you are recognised on the continent. Winning an award makes you value yourself more, believe more in your work, and keeps you motivated.”
Abolaji Abausa, Executive Creative Director at Noah’s Ark was another judge at the Loeries, which he participated in for the first time this year. His take on the event was that there are big disparities in the quality and content of ads from South Africa, elsewhere on the continent, and from the Middle East, – which he sees as the most advanced market.
“How do you analyse and judge all this data under one roof?” he asks “What are we looking for and what lenses are we looking through? Africa is a continent with differences – we need to understand that some of the ads which work are aimed at a smaller community. Some entries get lost in translation because not every agency has the budget to do videos that explain the message – so no-one gets it.”
But he also believes that agencies from the region have ‘a lot to do’ as the execution of their work was ‘not top notch yet’. Participating in the Loeries was valuable as judges acknowledge the finishing of the work even if they miss the cultural context, he maintains.
“Clients may not know the value of an award yet but people are starting to be mindful of who is doing what – if you do win at the Loeries you get the recognition which comes with it and your ranking for the agency and creativity in the region is higher. I think that right now whatever you have you should enter – you might get lucky.”
Two Noah Ark submissions were finalists at the Loeries, one in the Digital Interactive – Mobile Media category and another in TV and Cinema Commercials.
Identifying the categories with the best growth opportunities was key, Onuoha says. The importance of digital advertising was increasing but media spend had to be kept in line with “eyeballs on each platform”.
“Human beings find it difficult to change with the times. Progress here is in steamboats rather than in a jet stream, but we are slowly moving.” Trying to get clients to be more daring was difficult everywhere but they had to realise that the purchasing power of young people was growing and that the place to target them was social media. “Social media is taking over everything – everyone has data 24/7 and none of them are watching TV or listening to the radio,” he said.
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