An industry conversation led by Williams Jonah, Brand & Program Manager at SO&U Creative Agency, has reignited debate across Nigeria’s marketing landscape.

In a powerful LinkedIn post, Jonah wrote an open letter confronting one of the industry’s longest-running issues — the strained relationship between client-side and agency-side brand managers.

“Let’s be honest. We’re on the same team, but most days, it doesn’t feel like it,” Jonah begins, cutting through corporate diplomacy to confront a truth many have felt but rarely voiced.

The Parallel Struggles

Jonah vividly captures the pressures on both sides. Agency teams, he says, are “stretched, juggling five campaigns and five impossible deadlines, pitching ideas, fighting for creativity, and praying the next feedback isn’t ‘make the logo bigger.’”

On the other side, client brand managers battle to grow market share, defend budgets, and ensure campaigns deliver real business impact — not just beautiful work. The result, Jonah observes, is mutual exhaustion. “Both sides are tired. Both sides want results. And both sides want to be heard.”

However, somewhere between briefs and approvals, the partnership weakens. “We became ‘approvers’ and ‘vendors’ — not teammates, not co-creators, not custodians of the same dream,” Jonah laments.

A Call for Change

Jonah urges both sides to redefine how they collaborate. His solution is simple yet transformative: “Let’s stop sitting on opposite sides of the table. Let’s sit on the same side  facing the brief, facing the market, facing the consumer together.”

He challenges the status quo with thought-provoking questions:
“What if briefs were conversations, not just documents? What if feedback came with context, not just corrections? What if agencies were treated as partners, not suppliers? What if clients gave room for bold ideas, not just safe ones?”

Jonah emphasises that true brand growth demands unity. “It takes both sides to build a brand that people love. Not just one great idea. Not just one solid strategy. But a partnership where creativity meets clarity and where vision meets execution.”

His promise is straightforward and compelling: “The work will be better. The process will be smoother. And the brand? Stronger.”

Industry Voices Weigh In

Jonah’s message struck a chord across Nigeria’s marketing community. Practitioners from diverse sectors added their voices to the conversation.

Michael Idahosa, Co-Founder of The Media Buzz Africa, praised Jonah’s perspective as “a brilliant and necessary reminder.” He linked it to broader industry dynamics: “Too often, whether it’s brand managers and agencies, or brands and influencers, we let deadlines, briefs, and pressure turn a partnership into a transaction.”

Drawing from his book How Nigerian Brands Waste Millions on Influencer Marketing, Idahosa explained: “The same dynamic plays out in influencer campaigns.

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When collaboration turns into command-and-control, creativity and results  suffer. Real impact comes when both sides act as co-creators, align on clear goals, and provide the context and freedom to do their best work. That’s when the work not only looks good but moves people and the business.”

Adding to the discussion, Divine Ernest, Marketing Project Manager at Waystream HQ, highlighted the human connection: “Understanding each other’s situations and communicating clearly are key to any project’s success. When we work with empathy, we don’t just get results  we grow through the process.”

Meanwhile, Taiwo Sowore, Chief Marketing/Brand Management Officer at Teesplendid, took a business-driven view: “Where creativity meets clarity, it delivers immense profitability to business owners. I’ve always advocated for growing brands together clients and agencies alike. Agencies see the world differently from clients, but both sides’ success depends on collaboration that drives sales and growth.”

The Path Forward

The consensus among these industry voices is unmistakable: the future of strong brand building depends on partnership, not opposition.

Jonah concludes with a challenge and a call to unity: “For every marketer reading this  agency or client  I see you. Let’s build better. Together.”

The question now is whether the industry will find the courage to make that shift  from sitting on opposite sides of the table to sitting together, facing the work as one.

Because, as Jonah and his peers affirm, when that happens, the work improves, the process becomes smoother, and the brands grow stronger.

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