The Chief Executive Officer of Nimbus Media, Olawale Adegoke, has firmly stated that Out of Home advertising continues to hold its ground as the industry’s most credible real world reference point, despite the rapid infusion of digital technologies into the media ecosystem.

Speaking with MARKETING EDGE in an exclusive interview in Lagos, Adegoke directly challenged the long held perception of Out of Home as merely traditional media. He explained that the boundaries that once defined traditional platforms have already shifted significantly.

According to him, digital consumption has now cut across virtually all media formats, noting that audiences increasingly access content from platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Consequently, he argued that the meaning of traditional media has evolved beyond old classifications.

“Traditional is now about being able to be a reference point rather than the rigid boundaries we placed around it in the past,” he said, stressing that credibility and track record now define relevance in today’s fragmented media space.

Addressing why brands continue to return to Out of Home, the Nimbus boss strongly maintained that the medium remains foundational because it exists within the physical environment people cannot avoid.

“Out of Home is the original standard because it is the environment our bodies are in. We still have to go to work, move around and live in the real world. There is no substitute for that,” he explained, adding that physical landmarks such as Ikeja corridors and the Third Mainland Bridge remain powerful location anchors for brand visibility.

On emerging technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, holograms and projections, Adegoke acknowledged their growing application but carefully distinguished them from what he described as deepfake driven online image manipulation.

He noted that while artificial intelligence can convincingly simulate billboard presence in digital videos, the physical Out of Home environment still provides authenticity that is difficult to replicate in the real world.

However, he admitted that the broader question of sustaining consumer trust in an era of increasingly sophisticated visual manipulation remains unresolved.

“That is a tough question even big professors are still trying to answer,” he said. “But in the environment we are in today, we can still largely believe what we see physically around us.”

Explaining how Nimbus is adapting to the fast evolving ecosystem, Adegoke revealed that the company is deliberately deepening partnerships across the value chain.

“As the business becomes more complex, you cannot operate alone. You need technology partners, landlords, agencies and other practitioners. That partnership centric model is what is helping us reshape and become future ready,” he stated.

On the prospect of agency mergers in Nigeria, the industry executive took a broader business view, noting that consolidation is still evolving within the country’s relatively young capitalist framework.

He observed that unlike more mature markets such as the United States, where ownership transitions and structured exits are more common, Nigeria’s business environment is still developing the sophistication required for widespread merger activity. He added that regulators, government and capital providers all have important roles to play in enabling smoother transitions and value driven acquisitions.

Adegoke also stressed that agencies must continue to strengthen their value propositions through innovation if they hope to attract investment or strategic buyouts in the future.

Reacting to the proposed industry dialogue by the Heads of Advertising Sectoral Groups, HASG, the Nimbus chief called for stronger standards enforcement before meaningful conversations can succeed.

“You have to be bringing something credible to the table for dialogue to work,” he said, expressing concern that compliance levels remain uneven across the ecosystem.

He further pointed to structural inconsistencies in the regulation of Out of Home across states, noting that while Lagos has achieved relative coordination and commercial success, many other states are still largely driven by revenue generation motives without sufficient attention to practitioner value or industry structure.

According to him, achieving national consensus will require stronger federal coordination capable of aligning states and stakeholders under a more coherent framework.

Despite the concerns, Adegoke reaffirmed Nimbus Media’s support for the ongoing professionalism drive within the sector, particularly the industry charter being championed by the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria.

He concluded that sustained collaboration, stronger standards and continuous innovation will ultimately determine how effectively the Out of Home industry positions itself for the future.