Experts task IMC practitioners on tech at MARKETING EDGE Summit 2022
Marketing communication experts who featured as Guest Speakers and panelists at the just concluded Annual Stakeholders Summit 2022, organised by MARKETING EDGE, Nigeria’s foremost brand and marketing publication, have called on industry practitioners and stakeholders to fully leverage advancements in technology, not just for better storytelling, improved brand experiences for the consumer, or for innovation sake, but as a collective mandate to future-proof their business.
The summit is a hybrid event that has become a corporate part of MARKETING EDGE’s culture and commitment to promote the brand idea and contribute to the knowledge and information industry. This year’s summit, which had the theme: “Technological Explosion in the Digital Age: Imperative for the Marketing Communications Industry”, witnessed the convergence of marketing communication industry professionals from different parts of the world.
In his opening speech, John Ajayi, Convener of the summit and Publisher of MARKETING EDGE publication, noted that, understanding new developments, which have influenced marketing communication in the digital age, is the only way to create relationships, strengthen the effectiveness of brand building, and allow industry practitioners to share knowledge and help businesses to grow and prosper.
According to him, MARKETING EDGE specifically initiated the summit as a way of inspiring, exciting and igniting passion in the industry while stimulating positive and healthy competition amongst players and gladiators in the Nigerian marketing ecosystem.
“Technologies such as the internet, mobile phones, social media, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, and now metaverse are greatly impacting the way brands communicate with prospective customers. These new forms of communication are changing the marketing communication landscape and the type of messaging strategy brands use. Many of the consumers and business professionals seek information and connect with other people and businesses from their technological devices.
“In a nutshell, the business of brand management and the management of brand business are changing and will keep on changing undoubtedly. The major part which cannot be denied or neglected is the emergence of technology as a new branch of marketing communication which is known as digital. Marketing communication today and in the past ten years has seen a significant change and that change is technology,” he said.
In his brilliant presentation, Emeka Okeke, Founder/Managing Partner & Group Executive Officer, MediaFuse Dentsu International (Nigeria), noted that data privacy is currently the most important policy that marketers must consider, warning that the use of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) without originators’ consent could wipe out entire businesses.
“From July 2023, we will enter a world without third-party cookies – a seismic shift that will have far reaching implications for marketing. Is not as if we have not been having data, but the amount of data we have today requires that we do more from a brand and marketing point of view.
“Where will marketing be when third party cookies are finally phased out in 2023? The biggest challenge we have in the Nigerian marketing communication industry is that we don’t retrain ourselves. If we don’t reinvent and realign ourselves, we would be out of business. You can’t earn the respect of your client if you don’t invest in yourself,” he said.
Restating that the print media platforms have moved from serving yesterday’s news to disseminating news on-the-go, Mr. Okeke averred that technology through social media has revolutionized the entire marketing space as brands have no choice but to key into the new media platforms if they must remain relevant.
“On content creation, the power to create has been democratized because technology is giving us endless supplies. Stop wasting your time buying those big machines. With TikTok, people are sending out massive video content out there every second,” the agency boss said.
In her presentation, Tolulope Adedeji, a global marketing leader and Marketing Director of AB InBev, West Africa, noted that Nigeria is still scratching the surface when it comes to technology and marketing insights.
“Tech is changing the world rapidly; so we have to change our orientation as marketing professionals or else, we would be stuck in the past,” she said.
Citing the Hero lager beer Igba Boi campaign targeted at Igbo apprentices who are on the verge of attaining independence through mentorship, seed capital grant, and business advisory, Adedeji said: “If the initiative could generate 1.5 million votes on YouTube alone, imagine what will happen when we take it across all platforms.”
Preetesh Sewraj, the Chief Executive Officer of the Lorries Award, who made his presentation virtually from South Africa, posited that technology really should be about how practitioners apply the human spirit and how they engage in marketing brands to consumers.
“As marketers, our tech strategy should be multidimensional if we must carry every demographic along without leaving any generation of consumers behind,” Sewraj said.
Giving the closing remarks, Ralph Tathagata, Managing/Executive Editor, MARKETING EDGE, expressed his deep gratitude and appreciation to the distinguished guest speakers, panelists and to the wonderful and brilliant attendees from all walks of life.
“I would like to take this opportunity to express to the marketing communication industry, in and outside Nigeria, our sincere thanks for their support and active participation. It is our intention and duty to disseminate as soon as possible knowledge and insights shared at this 2022 Stakeholders Summit
“In order to report on the outcome and to place before our esteemed audience the results we achieved in this meeting. We promise to continue the industry conversation beyond this space,” he said.
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