Mr Lanre Ashaolu is the Managing Director of Four Pulley Limited, a.k.a FPL Media, a leading and highly innovative out- of-home advertising agency in Nigeria. In this exclusive interview with MARKETING EDGE ON TV, the agency’s adherence to its core values and focus on professionalism are highlighted; he gives his assessment of Nigeria’s out-of-home industry’s performance compared to global standards and players; the implications of digital marketing on OOH 1advertising are discussed, and strategies for remaining relevant and profitable are outlined

Your agency is one of the best in the out-of-home industry. Now, what have you been doing differently?

Well, we haven’t been doing much in the sense that we adhere strictly to our core values, and our core values centre around professionalism, integrity, accountability, teamwork, and consistency. Those are what drives what we do in the industry.

Now, comparing the out-of- home industry in Nigeria and the global environment; how would you rate Nigeria’s performance?

I’d say Nigeria is doing very well compared to global activities in other continents. I say so because FPL Media is a member of the World Out-of-Home Organisation. That’s the global body for outdoor advertising companies; and I’ve been privileged to attend conferences, seminars on a global scale on different continents. I’ve been able to see what we are doing in Nigeria compared with what the rest of the world is doing. And I can tell you with all confidence and authority that we’re doing a great job for the brands that we cater to, here in Nigeria, versus what is done abroad with regard to innovation and quality of service.

I like the fact that you talked about having attended conferences outside the country. What do you think Nigerian out-of-home companies need to learn, especially given all the knowledge you got from outside the country; what do you think we need to learn?

Most importantly, I will hammer on professionalism and quality service delivery because our industry (out of home) is one of the oldest mediums of communication. Yet, as we all can see, while other traditional mediums are declining, out-of-home is still witnessing a boom.

The only challenge we face is the digital marketing space, which is growing day by day, eating into the budget of traditional channels.

Now, what do we need to do to remain relevant and to stay ahead of the game? I’ll simply tell you that we just need to remain professional. We need to remain focused. We must have our innovative ideas on. Also, there is need for us to see how to blend digital marketing with out-of-home so that we can propagate what we do to the rest of the world and our consumer audiences.

Does propagating and adding digital marketing to out-of-home industry look viable?

Very much viable. It is really working. I say so because what happens in the environment is what feeds activities on the digital space; so, traditional fits digital. Everything you see online is an abstract from what happens in the real world. So out-of-home is part of the environment. And when we capture activities in the environment, including out-of-home campaigns, we need to find a way to blend it into digital marketing initiatives so that we can further propagate it to the rest of the world to see that out-of-home is there as a strong medium to deliver this campaign promises to brands and their customers.

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Looking at the economic situation of the country, how would you advise practitioners to stand still and be able to achieve profitability?

Well, I think this is the mid-year of the current administration’s tenure, and the good thing is that we are seeing some stability in economic policies, and that allows everybody to be able to plan. And, for the first time in decades, Nigeria is achieving what I call energy sufficiency. With that in place, it’s a good point that economic activities will continue to go unhindered, with clarity and stability in the system. Everybody should just improve on their planning for their businesses.

Considering at other countries and the world, do you think the environment positions Nigeria’s out-of-home industry in the right setting?

Very much so. Nigeria is a developing economy, and a developing economy needs lots of infrastructural development. Infrastructural development aids the development of the out-of-home space. And with regular completion of infrastructure projects in the economy, more channels for out-of-home keeps springing up. So, there are a lot of opportunities and growth potentials for the industry in Nigeria.

FPL has been part of the creative disruption that’s been happening over time. How well do you think we need this creative disruption in the out-of-home industry?

We need it every day because the industry operators have been somewhat conservative in their ways of doing business. But, we at FPL keep bringing in some vibrancy into the way we interact with our audiences; and that vibrancy hasn’t been going unnoticed over the past years, courtesy of their recognitions by the industry.

What are your thoughts about your contemporaries, in terms of the way they redefine the old out-of-home industry?

It is a welcome idea. It is a step in the right direction. We need more forward- thinking players in the space to lift the industry up collectively.

Would you say your agency’s ability to leverage technology has been profitable?

Oh, yes! It has been from day 1. If not, we would not integrate technology into our businesses.

Then, what’s the gap between digital and traditional advertising that you think needs to be filled?

The simple truth is that both channels have their strengths and weaknesses, despite the fact that digital seems to get a lot of attention these days. This is simply because digital is a new phenomenon whether we like it or not. Traditional media have been there for decades, (in fact, for centuries) and consumer preference and dynamics will sometimes want to experience all channels of communication.

But the out-of-home has what I call the cheapest cost per thousand ( CPT) in terms of delivery to audiences for any brand; and that is a big advantage we have over all channels of communication. Brands that know what they do leverage this when running their advertising campaigns.

What is your projection for this sector in 2025? Where do you see the sector growing to?

I see the sector experiencing a year-on-year growth, compared to the previous year’s performance because, like I mentioned earlier, there’s stability in the economy right now; so people can plan properly for their businesses.

What about FPL? What are the projections for it? What should we be looking forward to this new year?

We have been churning out innovative executions, innovative delivery for brands and other stakeholders. Expect more of that this year. There are lots of exciting projects in the pipeline, which will be onboarding on a quarterly basis.

How is FPL positioned in the market worldwide, starting with Nigeria first?

I tell you with all confidence and humility that we are a leader in our sub sector in this country. We have executed some of the most ambitious and complex campaigns, and our clientele speaks to that because we cater to virtually all sectors of Nigeria’s economy. That is something that only a leading player can offer. And diversity lies in the strength of our portfolio nationwide.

So, who is Lanre Ashaolu?

Behind the work place, I am a very easygoing, jovial person. I do spend time doing lots of private research, and reading. I love current affairs. I love to stay informed with trends and what is going on; and, I do like to have a good time off work so that I can refresh myself when the work resumes the following day.

So when you see your good jobs outside, what tickles your mind?

The sense of fulfillment that comes with that, of course! This is because the quality job done means that you are going to get more work to do. The reward for good job is more work.

Let’s talk about your membership of World Out-of-Home Organisation. What impact does it have on your organisation in Nigeria and beyond?

Membership of the World Out-of- Home Organisation, WOOH, has been an interesting one in the sense that FPL has been able to benchmark her offerings and activities against global players across all continents and across all countries where WOOH has members in. That benchmark has been able to let us know where our strength lies, where our weakness lies, and in what areas we need to fine-tune to improve our services to our customers and our clients.

But I can tell you for a fact that, at FPL, what we are doing is commendable and can be equated to what other global players do. You know that if you don’t go out of your comfort zone to see what’s happening elsewhere, you may not have that picture of what is obtainable there. This explains why I said previously that the Nigeria out-of- home market is a very vibrant market, and that we are doing great and commendable things in the industry.

So what trends should we look out for in 2025 in the out-of- home industry?

Generally, there has been an increased interest in non-conventional out-of- home advertising. Personally, I get tired of the status quo. I get bored easily. This is why I like to tell our clients that whilst you have a budget for out-of- home, split it into conventional and non-conventional. The non-conventional has a longer talkability than the conventional, and the non- conventional stands out and makes your brand unique in the industry and in the marketplace.

Do you think out-of-home industry is going to overtake the conventional media?

traditional channels, which you just mentioned, are experiencing a constant decline because digital is encroaching into their space day by day. With radio, for example, you have internet radios, which you can easily access on your mobile devices.

For TV, you have the likes of your streaming devices, which also reduce the audience and listenership on TV. But out- of-home is part of the environment. As long as you are a human being, you move around from your house to your places of interest, be it work, social function, the- out-of- home and platforms there in the environment certainly are on your face at intersections, junctions, major hubs such as malls, gardens, parks, etc. They are there; part of the environment, and it is here to stay.

Well, there are global bodies that deal with ratings and audience measurement and consumer-ship of all these channels of communication. There is also research that has shown how consumer habits and choices and preferences are also changing. Most of the consumer choices and preferences alongside with the growing demographics of younger people have shown clearly that there is a shift from traditional media to digital.

However, among the major channels in the traditional space, the out-of- home still stands tall and stands out because it is in the environment; and it can be integrated with digital media. For it, there is no talk about decline in the traditional space. All what the out-of-home sector needs to do is to consolidate on the beauty of the environment and ensure that they deliver breathtaking campaigns to brands and audiences.

The simple truth is that channels have their strengths and weaknesses despite the fact digital seems to get a lot of attention these days. This is simply because digital is a new phenomenon whether we like it or not. Traditional media have been for centuries and consumer preference and dynamics will sometimes want to experience all channels of communication. But the out-of-home has what I call the cheapest cost per thousand ( CPT) in terms of delivery to audiences for any brand; and that is a big advantage we have over all channels of communication. Brands that know what they do leverage this when running their advertising campaigns.