Across major advertising markets in Europe, North America, and parts of Asia, the business of agencies is often conducted in public view. When global brands review their media or marketing communications accounts, the process is rarely hidden.

For instance, trade publications, industry platforms, and even the clients themselves disclose when a pitch is underway, the agencies invited to compete, the estimated value of the account, and the duration of the contract.

Then, afterward, when the process ends, the story continues, while the winner is identified and at the same time, the agencies that participated are known. Over there,  you see analysts often explain why one agency prevailed over others, while performance tables track which networks gained or lost accounts during the year.

In addition, in many cases, billing volumes, strategic considerations, and client expectations become part of the public conversation shaping industry perception and accountability.

Clearly, this level of openness has become part of the professional culture of global marketing communications. It helps agencies build credibility, enables clients to demonstrate transparency in procurement, and allows the industry ecosystem to understand performance trends.

Nigeria’s quieter agency ecosystem

In Nigeria, however, the situation looks markedly different. Outside award ceremonies and occasional client disclosures, agency business activities remain largely private as pitch processes are rarely discussed publicly. Advertising pitches are mostly done  like a secret business transaction that need not to be headlined for industry conversation.

Here, agencies seldom confirm when they are invited to compete for accounts, even when decisions are made, outcomes often remain unknown beyond those directly involved.

Tolulope Medebem, President of the Experiential Marketing Association of Nigeria EXMAN, believes the difference is rooted in how information flows within the ecosystem.

According to her, in global markets, pitch visibility often begins with clients themselves. Once a client publicly confirms a review of its marketing or media business, the industry naturally follows the process to its conclusion. Agencies invited to participate become known, and results are eventually communicated.

However, she explained that this rarely happens in Nigeria because clients do not consistently disclose procurement activities. Without that initial transparency, the industry cannot track pitch outcomes.

Weak feedback culture after pitches

Furthermore, Medebem noted that feedback culture remains weak. While some organisations provide structured evaluation reports after a pitch, most do not. She recalled instances where agencies only discovered results through internal portals or delayed communication rather than direct engagement.

For example, in one case she shared, a client provided detailed scoring across strategy, finance, and execution criteria, showing how agencies performed during the pitch process. Such structured feedback, she said, remains uncommon in the Nigerian market.

Competition, collaboration, and silence

Beyond client behaviour, Medebem suggested that competition within the ecosystem may also contribute to silence around agency activities,  noting that agencies sometimes hesitate to disclose pitch participation or account wins due to rivalry concerns, even though collaboration remains common across creative, media, and experiential disciplines.

At the same time, many campaigns, she explained, are executed through partnerships between agencies that brainstorm ideas together or jointly pitch for opportunities. Greater openness, she argued, could strengthen trust and cooperation within the ecosystem.

Consequently, she added that agencies may need to take more responsibility for communicating their own work. Increasing visibility through professional storytelling and public documentation of campaigns could help address the information gap.

Medebem pointed to Steve Babaeko as an example of an agency leader who consistently communicates pitch participation, business wins, and even losses, demonstrating a culture of openness that others could learn from.

Transparency beyond pitch disclosures

Meanwhile, industry observers say the transparency conversation extends beyond pitch disclosures to financial reporting and performance rankings.

Seni Adetu, Group CEO of First Primus West Africa and chief executive of Algorithm Media, recently called for collective transparency in billing disclosures across the marketing communications industry.
Speaking during a media parley marking Algorithm Media’s tenth anniversary, Adetu explained that performance rankings can only be credible when agencies adopt standardized reporting practices.

Specifically, he noted that in more transparent markets, agency billings are openly declared and used to determine competitive positioning. In Nigeria, however, selective disclosure creates room for unverifiable claims.

According to him, if one agency declares its billing while others remain silent, comparisons become unreliable. He stressed that meaningful transparency must be industry driven and supported by neutral, independent rating systems rather than individual declarations.
Adetu maintained that agencies would be willing to participate in such reporting when credible structures exist to ensure fairness and accuracy.

The advertising spend data gap

Similarly, globally, companies also openly disclose their advertising budgets, which aids strategic industry analysis and helps stakeholders understand market direction and investment patterns. Such disclosure allows analysts, agencies, and investors to gauge growth opportunities and evaluate competitive positioning across sectors.

In Nigeria, however, this level of openness remains limited. Neither brands nor the advertising agencies managing their campaigns consistently provide reliable data on advertising expenditure.

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When questioned, industry leaders often attribute this opacity to systemic challenges. One explanation frequently mentioned is the absence of strong data collection frameworks across the marketing communications industry.
Additionally, others suggest that some businesses deliberately avoid public financial disclosure to reduce exposure to tax scrutiny or security risks. Concerns about attracting fraudulent schemes or criminal attention after publicizing financial information are sometimes cited by business owners.

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Even so, while these concerns may hold some merit, they continue to raise an important question about whether such fears justify the industry’s persistent lack of transparency.

A growing call for openness

Taken together, these perspectives highlight a broader challenge within Nigeria’s marketing communications ecosystem. While global markets increasingly treat transparency as part of professional practice, local industry culture still leans toward discretion.

Nevertheless, as collaboration across agencies grows, digital platforms expand visibility opportunities, and clients demand measurable value from marketing investments, pressure for openness may continue to rise.

For now, the contrast remains clear. In many parts of the world, agency competition unfolds in public view. In Nigeria, much of the same activity still happens behind closed doors, known only to a few participants within the room.