Some lives do not end. They echo.
Late John Olulope Ajayi, Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of MARKETING EDGE, belonged to that rare class of men whose words outlived the moment in which they were spoken.
He did not merely build a media institution; he built a philosophy. Moreover, he did not only report the industry. He shaped how it thought, how it competed, and how it held itself accountable.
Wisdom Forged Through Experience
Across boardrooms, conference halls, classrooms, and quiet mentoring moments, Ajayi spoke with the authority of experience and the conviction of someone who had walked the road he described. His counsel never remained abstract. Instead, it was forged from hardship, discipline, curiosity, and an unshakable belief that excellence is a duty, not a privilege.
Identity and Responsibility
At the heart of his message lay clarity. He believed identity must determine conduct. “You don’t behave like a chicken after you have been described as an eagle,” he often said.
This line captured his insistence that titles, platforms, and recognition must be matched by character, courage, and performance. For Ajayi, elevation demanded responsibility, and potential demanded discipline.
Competition as Growth
Ajayi’s worldview rested on competition—not as hostility, but as growth. He championed healthy rivalry as the engine that sharpens industries and separates seriousness from noise. In his thinking, markets were living ecosystems, not playgrounds. “We don’t need passengers in this bus,” he declared repeatedly, reminding professionals that relevance requires contribution and commitment, not mere presence.
Excellence Beyond Borders
Ajayi’s advocacy for excellence crossed borders, sectors, and generations. Through initiatives such as the National Marketing Summit and the Brand and Advertising Awards of Excellence, he created platforms that rewarded substance, interrogated strategy, and celebrated effort. These initiatives were not built for glamour; instead, they stretched minds, tested ideas, and pushed practitioners beyond comfort.
Striving for Perfection
His philosophy of leadership remained equally demanding. He rejected shortcuts and challenged mediocrity. He believed perfection was not always attainable, but striving for it was non-negotiable. “Aim for perfection,” he would say, confident that the pursuit itself would lift standards and refine outcomes. For Ajayi, excellence was not an event; it was a habit.
Learning, Curiosity, and Adversity
Education and curiosity sat at the core of his convictions. As a devoted student of history, biographies, and human behaviour, Ajayi understood that behind every celebrated success lay years of obscurity, resilience, and sacrifice. He spoke often about adversity—not with bitterness, but with gratitude. Hardship, in his view, served as a training ground. It sharpened focus, filtered intention, and revealed purpose.
Mentorship Through Truth
This belief shaped how he engaged young people. He did not offer comfort illusions; he offered truth. He urged them to be audacious, develop multiple competencies, and understand marketing not as a job description, but as a life skill. To Ajayi, every professional was a marketer of value, ideas, and self. Confidence, he taught, comes from competence.
Advocacy for the Consumer and Industry
His words carried advocacy as much as instruction. He challenged brand owners to respect the intelligence of consumers. He reminded marketers that the age of assumption was over, replaced by the age of insight, relevance, and precision. Choice, he argued, had shifted power permanently to the consumer. Those who failed to adapt would fade.
Consistency Over Noise
What made his voice enduring was not volume, but consistency. His principles did not change with seasons or trends. He believed in preparation before celebration, substance before recognition, and integrity before influence. He lived these values publicly and privately, insisting that leadership meant alignment between belief and behaviour.
A Legacy in Words and Action
Today, his quotes read like signposts. They guide journalists navigating relevance, steady marketers facing complexity, and challenge leaders tempted by complacency. Long after applause fades and stages empty, his words continue to work quietly, shaping decisions, sharpening ambition, and reminding generations yet unborn that greatness is built deliberately.
A Compass for Generations
John Olulope Ajayi leaves behind more than a publication, more than platforms and accolades. He leaves a compass—one that points consistently toward discipline, courage, excellence, and purpose. In an industry often distracted by speed, his legacy insists on depth.
HIS NOTABLE QUOTES
On Early Hardship and Discipline
“The challenging situation made me believe in hard work. It made me believe that whatever you do, you should take interest in it. You will never, never be found wanting.”
On Accepting Circumstance
“When I knew I could not change my situation and circumstance, I embraced it with all equanimity.”
On Purpose Beyond Limitation
“I never allowed going to farm to bar me from having a mission and a vision for life.”
On Learning as a Lifeline
“I am emphasising the issue of learning and studying here because, in Ekiti where I come from, education is considered paramount.”
On the Power of Stories and History
“It was in the course of reading biographies of great men that I got to know that behind every successful man, behind every legend, there were so many untold stories of their early beginnings.”
On Adversity and Growth
“Most of these stories are stories of adversities, stories of great resilience, doggedness, and exciting stories of grace to grace.”
On Strategy and Competition
“Don’t continue to compete in the same old centre where you have so many competitors.”
On Market Saturation
“When you operate in a saturated market, it is like swimming in an ocean full of sharks and whales.” The only way to survive is to do create your own blue ocean strategy
On Courage and Direction
“You have to be avant-garde.”
On Seriousness of Purpose
“We don’t need passengers in this bus. What we are doing here is serious business, and people outside take us very seriously.”
On Excellence and Identity
“Always aim for perfection. Don’t let them describe you as an eagle and you start behaving like a chicken.”
On Accountability
“Madness is not complete until the mad person runs naked in the market with full force.”
On Change and Adaptation
“To do this, they must be open-minded and adapt their strategies to embrace change.”
On Survival and Relevance
“If you don’t shape in, you’ll shape out.”
On Marketing EDGE and Industry Purpose
“MARKETING EDGE initiated the Summit to inspire, excite and ignite passion in the industry while stimulating positive and healthy competition in the Nigerian marketing ecosystem.”
On Collective Responsibility
“We all owe it a duty to listen patiently as this conversation will help to excite the minds and market for shared prosperity and profitability.”
On Fear and Ambition
“Fear is the only wall between you and your dreams. Break it.”
On Excellence as a Way of Life
“Aim for perfection. If you miss it, you will land on excellence.”
On Journalism and Justice
“Journalism became my tool for justice, my path to relevance and my platform for influence.”
A Final Line That Defined His Leadership
“We don’t need passengers in this bus.”
On Excellence Without Borders
“Excellence Beyond Borders represents a philosophy that recognises outstanding achievers regardless of geography, industry, or discipline.”
On True Measure of Success
“What matters is not where you are located, but how exceptionally well you have excelled.”
On Impact and Resilience
“Tonight’s honourees have become symbols of resilience, creativity, and impact in both local and global contexts.”
On the Spirit of Excellence
“We celebrate not only the winners but the very spirit of excellence itself.”
On Courage and Sacrifice
“The courage to dream big, the sacrifice to stay the course, and the power to redefine limits.”
On Continuous Challenge
“The ceremony should be seen as both a reward and a challenge to keep breaking new ground.”
On Foundations of Transformation
“Creativity, innovation, hard work, dedication, and passion are the bedrock of transformation.”
On Sustained Inspiration
“As we celebrate tonight, may we remain inspired to keep pushing the boundaries of excellence in the years ahead.”
On Industry Direction
“We are set to provide a compass for the industry.”
On Collective Dialogue
“This forum is going to provide the platform for the rubbing of minds.”
On Brand–Consumer Connection
“To enable brand owners to have a meeting point with the consumers.”
On Mutual Value
“So that business can be more mutually rewarding to both brand owners and consumers.”
On Guarding Leadership
“We are forever paranoid, guiding and jealously guarding our market leadership.”
On Purposeful CSR
“We created a very robust CSR initiative in the form of the MARKETING EDGE National Marketing Summit and Brand and Advertising Awards of Excellence.”
On the Buyers’ Market Reality
“As society evolves, we have graduated to the buyers’ market.”
On Consumer Power
“There are a plethora of products and brands calling for consumers’ attention and patronage.”
On Unlimited Choice
“Consumers have a thousand and one choices.”
On Brand Responsibility
“Brand owners cannot just come and thrust any product on the consumer.”
On the Attention Challenge
“There is now a challenge for brand owners to get the right consumer attention.”
On the Age of Competition
“It has become the age of real competition, real business, and real marketing.”
On Strategic Experimentation
“Competition continues to grow in a very geometric way in the marketplace.”
On Market Dynamics
“As competition grows, there comes with it a lot of dynamics.”
On Marketing Impact
“These dynamics are affecting the achievement of marketing objectives.”
On Raising the Game
“The need has arisen for companies to up their game.”
On Consumer Complexity
“Getting the consumer is becoming more and more difficult.”
On Consumer Understanding
“You need to know their lifestyle, what determines their choices, and their taste.”
On Cultural Insight
“You need to know what music they listen to and what language they understand.”
On Strategic Communication
“You need to know the right medium, channel, and time.”
On Gratitude for Life
“I am grateful to God for granting me the grace to be part of humanity.”
On Perspective
“My special day is reminiscent of every other day I live on earth.”
On Vision and Clarity
“This vision remains crystal clear, undiluted, and unpolluted.”
On Brand Philosophy
“The MARKETING EDGE idea is to promote businesses generally.”
On Industry Standards
“We have set a standard and shown the way business is done.”
On Progress and Growth
“The magazine has achieved about 70–75 per cent of its objective.”
On Endurance
“We came into this industry to be a long-distance runner.”
On Time and Legacy
“Twelve years down the line, it feels like a race we started yesterday.”
On Audacity in Journalism
“Brand journalists must be daring and dynamic.”
On Living Up to Your Identity
“You don’t behave like a chicken after you have been described as an eagle.”
On Versatility
“Journalists must be versatile and spread their tentacles across sectors.”
On Purpose Over Profit
“These initiatives were not driven by monetary gains.”
On Pushing Boundaries
“We are determined to push the boundaries of advertising.”
On Staying Ahead
“We are resolved to remain on top of our game.”
On Multiple Competencies
“You must develop multiple competencies.”
On Self Discovery
“You must discover the you in you.”
On Marketing as a Skill
“Every journalist must be a marketer.”
On Business Survival
“If you don’t know how to do marketing, that business will not work.”
On Opportunity
“As brand journalists, you have a lot of opportunities ahead of you.”
On Redefining Focus
“We need to redefine our focus.”
On Vision and Possession
“As a visioner, you must constantly remain possessed.”
On Determination
“Determination, purpose, consistency, and endurance will see your dream come to fruition.”
Final Charge
“You must be audacious.”
These words remain more than quotes.
They are instructions, warnings, encouragements, and a compass left behind by a man whose voice continues to guide Nigeria’s marketing and media ecosystem.
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