Technology plays significant role in advertising practice
By Abimbola Mohammed
New technology in marketing has permeated the infrastructure and systems on which companies are built to deliver value to procurement and add to the bottom line. Marketing campaigns have been transformed by making it more personalized and immersive for people and creating ecosystems that are more integrated and targeted for marketers. From every aspect of business and marketing, technology seems to be the most impactful invention of all times.
Against this backdrop MARKETING EDGE Magazine conducted separate interviews with the Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) Industry eggheads on the role of technology in the practice of advertising in Nigeria.
According to Mobolaji Caxton-Martins, the Executive Creative Director/ Chief Operating Officer, Slice Media Solutions, technology plays a huge role in fostering and ensuring that businesses adjust to new operating models.
“For me, it has always been the scenario where you evolve along with the consumer. The issues have always been around certain things like not understanding the consumer or where your consumer is, what lifestyle/ habit they have changed,” he said.
On his part, Sherif Akinpelu, Lead Strategy SPV Communication Solutions, noted: “I think a lot of agencies are aware that playing in a particular niche alone is not going to solve the problem; so it is about value chain creation. They need to broaden their scope. We as agencies need to embrace technology so that we can better serve our clients. If we don’t do that, clients will go after those who can offer such services and we will miss out.”
He continued: “So, value chain, technology, collaboration with players in that space like Andela and Google, programming, data analysis, behavioural science, those are adjacent spaces that agencies need to tap into to be able to create end-to-end value for clients. At our end at SPV, we are moving to that stage whereby before our clients will even create a product, they have reached out to us to say, “we have this business idea, what do you think?”
Corroborating the foregoing submission, Lekan Otufodunrin, Managing Director of Media Career Development Network, said: “In terms of getting mass appeal, technology is a real global player that reaches the audience where they are. All we need is to provide content that can meet the expectations of different audiences. Because the audience is multidimensional, especially on social media, you have to be a truly multimedia platform and no longer just a newspaper or a radio or television. You are now a media company and you have the option of being able to use your content to achieve a lot.”
In the same development, Uche Nworah, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Anambra Broadcasting Service, noted that poor investment in technology and manpower by brands and agencies are the bane of effective advertising strategies. He stated that winning companies are investing in technology, while advising every brand and agency to operate on a digital-first philosophy or mantra, with cutting-edge technology to strengthen their positioning and prepare for the new era.
Juliet Ehimuan, Director, Google West Africa, had earlier said at a separate event, the 4th edition of the International Advertising Association (IAA) conference, that technology is powering the rise in the field tech industry, reducing barriers, breaking norms for small and medium enterprise and also creating new models for credit scoring and accessing credit which is making a huge difference in the way of doing business.
She added that the rise in e-commerce is controlled by upgrade in technology from the customer engagement perspective because more organisations are able to keep their businesses running by creating alternative channels. They engage with customers from either mobile or other devices using apps, online stories, social profiles, online videos and more.
“Technology is becoming the main frame in driving customer acquisition and retention. Artificial intelligence (AI) is being increasingly used to enhance performance experience across the African continent,” she said.
Also commenting, Agnes Ailuelohia, the Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of First Katalyst Marketing Limited, said: “Citing Peter Drucker’s maxim, “innovate or die”, technology is the panacea for any business growth. If we look at the world today, it is all about digitization. If there is one thing that Covid-19 has taught us, it has more or less accelerated the digital agenda for us. In the same way, agencies need to position themselves in such a way that there is a lot more in terms of innovation and thinking outside the box. It is about creatively steering adaptive strategies that work for us.”
She added that digital technology has the potential to boost more inclusive and sustainable growth by spurring innovation and helping agencies to confront and recover from the pandemic, which has disrupted economies and societies globally.
John Ehiguese, seasoned PR expert and Founder/CEO, Mediacraft Associates, also corroborated the role of digital technology in contemporary Public Relations practice noting that the use of digital platforms and tools has helped to enhance the speed and delivery of communication.
“The full integration of technology into PR practice is inevitable, and we are already seeing that with digital technology. PR works largely with the media, and you know how much technology has impacted the media landscape,” he said.
He added:”Already some PR tasks are already being undertaken with AI. So you cannot practice PR effectively without digital skills because of the centrality of technology to virtually every aspect of our lives now.”
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