The Future of Nigerian Advertising Industry - Essay Example

Advertising in Nigeria Introduction The world of advertising is enchanting and magnificent as it is very important for any kind of business. This world is more than any other areas opened for different kinds of innovation and changes. There is no doubt that global limits of the world can be exceeded in case of wide spread of products, good and services. With this respect, the role of advertising cannot be underestimated. The Nigerian advertising and its development has been rarely discussed as a good alternative background for products expansion and customers’ satisfaction. Therefore, current researches and studies in the field of advertising are focused on different strategies and tactics of advertising campaigns. It can be said that in the future brands of Nigeria will look in a different manner. Why? Of course, because of globalization! Such phenomenon as globalization caused many changes even in the most developed and powerful countries. That is why the economy of the countries, which were not considered the powerful players on the global market before, was influenced much and this influence is considered as positive as it brought many new opportunities. The dynamic world of development and rapid changes and outcomes in the world of marketing can lead to shifted paradigms in Nigerian advertising. Thus, it was relevant for the advertising company in the past to develop brand promising name, to provide the process of advertising with control, stability and monopoly; to unite customers and markets etc. All these strategies of advertising could have been realized by means of printed media, TV or radio broadcasting. Now, look around and you will see outside billboards, sms informing, Tweet updates and other forms of instantaneous ads! Therefore, nowadays brand values should be considered from another perspective: brand fulfillment, interactivity and transparency, as well as trust, innovations and creative execution. There are different key issues in the concept of brand value. Modern Nigerian advertising companies find it necessary to offer new products and services as the only possible option for brand advancing. Moreover, their primary means of advertising is Internet, online media, social networks etc. Actually, these global innovative and technological changes are caused by an abundant excess of information technologies. Brand people and customers should realize numerous perspectives for outstanding rights for ownership new clothes, goods and services. Online media is a helpful tool to do this. Current strategies of advertising in Nigeria Social media of Nigeria do not provide the customers with relevant information about their firms and products. There is no total transparency and brands often need control. There are different aspects and possible solutions for the market changes in Nigeria. Democratization of technology is a favorable background for technological advancements and innovations realization in the context of advertising. Nigerian advertising market goes global and that is why, it is evident that this market has included some changes. Different technologies are well correlated with CD sales or YouTube promo video ads. Ethical concerns of Nigerian advertising have always meant much. A human-centered approach is one of the most important issues for the Nigerian advertising market. It can be claimed that branding of new services and products in the market of Nigeria are evoking numerous controversies for the products and services’ presentation both locally and internationally (Ekwelem, Okafor, Ukwoma, 2009). According to Jimi Awosika, "no matter what trends potters may have assigned to the shape of the future, the basic fabric of advertising will not change…" (Latest news, breaking news, business, finance analysis, comments and views from Nigeria). Brand distribution should be properly analyzed with respect to the current trends and tendencies. Moreover, many things depend on the users of the production themselves. For example, producers of iphones contributed much into advancing their favorite tool of communication. Nevertheless, brand loyalty in relation to the customer should be followed and promoted. Very often the main stake is put on the aspect of a product’s entertainment. The citizens of the global world want to be unique and want to show that they wear something unique and specific (Adeniji, 2012). Awosika also stated that "Perhaps, my greatest concern for the industry today is our recruitment process. We all seem … to have brought on board people who are considered competent but are largely mediocre. We need to take a look at this, and change it quickly. In advertising, the quality of the people to a large extent determines the quality of the product and the industry. This industry cannot advance without formidable minds advancing its borders. We have to ensure it starts happening soon" (Latest news, breaking news, business, finance analysis, comments and views from Nigeria). Only they should have one thing and another. They do not want to look like a sheep from herd. Nigerians are interested in the latest fashion news, are of high demand for technological market innovative goods and products and so on. These people are no less important for the global market players, than populations of developed countries. Nigerians are mentioned as the active users of social networks and Internet surfers. Awosika said : “The laws of economics will remain in full force - there will always be demand and supply. Brand managers will continue to seek more effective and efficient ways of affecting demand for the available supply of their goods and services. Someone will always have something to sell, and there will always be people who are willing or can be motivated to buy. For as long as these needs exist, there will always be the need for advertising” (Latest news, breaking news, business, finance analysis, comments and views from Nigeria). There are no customers anymore. It is the era of followers. Those, who are interested in your production, follow you on Twitter, Facebook or Youtube (Olatunji & Thanny, 2011). Therefore, the agency of the future would hardly prioritize worn out media, such as TV or radio broadcasting. Of course, they cannot be excluded at all, but the main emphasis is made on online communication and it is especially effective to apply for the online advertising nowadays. From present to Future: prospects of advertising in Nigeria In the current research in this field, it is evident that future advertising will turn into a gatekeeper, which identifies a certain brand or some innovations and in accordance with the newly occurred patterns of behavior will create possible solutions. There is an option for the advertising companies to find solutions with the help of one of the following channels: user content, video games, blogs etc (Adeniji, 2012). Actually, it is a broad and interesting idea, because it is very important to realize the importance of innovations importance, strategies and tactics of information interpretation by the media. To be shoulder to shoulder with the customers/ followers is a rare opportunity for advertising agencies in Nigeria. Unfortunately, there is a lacking of manpower in the country (Olatunji & Thanny, 2011). Printed media and TV ads are effective for older population or families with low incomes, as a rule. A younger generation prefers Internet surfing and they are focused on instant updates about innovative goods and services in the market. It is possible to correlate the following statistical data with the real events of online sources advertising: "Apple has sold over 315 Million iOS devices up until now, while Google claims more than 250 Million Android devices have already sold, and the numbers are increasing at a rapid pace" (Ibid.). Nigeria occupies the tenth place among the world’s subscribers. Employment patterns etc are changing and different forms of devices are required by the modern customers. Consumers pay much attention to advertising on their mobile devices. For example, nowadays Etisalat Nigeria is embedding into a new mobile space. Mobile advertising service is very much important for reaching the target audience. A desired audience is chosen by means of mobile technologies. EasyAdz put much emphasis on connect of their messages with a target audience (Ekwelem, Okafor, Ukwoma, 2009). Etisalat cooperates with Alcatel-Lucent Optism and provides mobile marketing a with favorable and friendly brand values. Etisalat chose key factors defining advertising company progress, such as brands, advertisers, media buying agencies, Alcatel-Lucent as the technology partner and Etisalat Nigeria as the enabler (Flusty, 2004). Etisalat claims that empowerment of mobile advertising in the Nigerian market is the issue of the primary concern. Currently, customers are differently oriented on modern values and old values, such as: “Modern values were expressed through beauty/youthfulness; pleasureorientation; success and environmentalism. On the other hand, traditionalvalues were demonstrated through family and filial piety; tradition; patriotism; piety; and so on” (Olatunji & Thanny, 2011). From different perspectives, advertising campaigns in Nigeria should be updated with respect to the needs and wants of the modern Nigerians (Chukwueah, 2010). Advertising is often known as "ubiquitous ... brash ... pervasive ... materialistic ... dynamic ... annoying ... indispensable ... fascinating ..." thus focusing on the attributive characteristics of it (Norberg, 2003). Very often, advertising is criticized by the modern researchers and they often claim that advertising exerts a powerful influence on the modern people: with a numerous presence of advertising companies in Nigeria, it is important to keep people updated in the process of education or training. Thus, potential customers will be kept updated about the necessity to buy one or another product or use any service (Chukwueah, 2010). Therefore, the quality of the products and services in the Nigerian markets is very important, but the main attention is paid to attributive characteristics of ads produced on media. A special attention is paid to the appropriate target audience. Otherwise efficiency of advertising is much lower. According to Tim Love, Nigerian advertising industry is developing and growing fast. The growth is so rapid due to the introducing of digital platforms, many confident and competent customers etc. The companies which operate worldwide have already noticed the rapid development of advertising industry and try to benefit from that as much as possible. Love states that Nigerian market is already playing an important role in the world advertising market and the whole state of Nigerian economy is considered as positive. “Omnicom Group’s involvement in the Nigerian advertising industry is evident in its long-standing affiliation with DDB Lagos. The agency is a key player in the industry. Just like other Omnicom Group’s agencies who are consistently recognized as being among the world’s creative best, It is also one of the most awarded in the country, raking more honours than most” (Advertising: Nigeria is becoming a key global market , Tim Love). It was also noted that due to Nigerian size, people and background, the country can’t be underestimated and other countries can’t but consider it as serious player in the global market. World market can’t operate without taking into account so big and powerful players. Tom Love state that Nigerian population is very gifted and the country can become the main player on the African advertising market. People are now competent Internet users and thus they can easily get the important and useful information. Many advertising experts now compete in being interesting and innovative and this can make a good start for many positive changes in the Nigerian advertising market. “DDB Lagos is leading the way by being not just a provider of traditional advertising, but also a provider of creative business solutions” (Advertising: Nigeria is becoming a key global market, Tim Love) Conclusion and Recommendations Though there are numerous means of media, such as printed media (newspapers, magazines), TV, radio, billboards and posters etc, which reflect popularity of one or another goods or products (Ugah, 2009), online advertising has recently occupied the most leading position. It has been often claimed that newspapers are the most effective method for advertising. Messages published there are considered to be comprehensible and available for a large number of potential target customers. The majority of markets establish relations with local newspapers, shoppers' guides or any other type of social interest publications. Specific products and services are naturally outlined in the local printed media, but nowadays this may not be interesting for the customers (Faringer, 1991). Followers are constantly on the web and their virtual lives have substituted their real lives and it is more natural of them to show to find the things they need online. The efficiency of online media advertising can be questioned, because local newspapers and magazines are targeted on different age groups and people with different background. According to Awosika, "It is clear that regardless of innovations that are changing the world irrevocably, there will always be product ideas, there will always be brand ideas and there will always be service ideas. The producers of these products, brands and services will always need to pitch these ideas - either at existing consumers or prospective ones” (Latest news, breaking news, business, finance analysis, comments and views from Nigeria). Consequently, the modern Nigerian advertising market is more focused on various practices of advertising. Online media is more popular than traditional media used for advertising, such as TV, radio or printed media. Advertising experts should be innovative while creating new ideas as the current situation in Nigerian advertising market creates all the conditions for that. It should be noted that popularity of international goods and services will be promoted more effectively in Nigeria in case advertising companies of the country are more focused on target audience. With respect to these recommendations, it can be predicted that in the future ads in Nigeria will be more effective in case potential customers/followers are instantly informed via mobile phones, emails and any other online media means, which are keeping them updated. References Adeniji, Jesse, 2012. The Future of Nigeria’s Advertising Agencies. [online]. Available from: [Accessed 10 September, 2012] Chukwueah, Chris C., 2010. Utilization of Indigenous Communication Strategies in Promoting Marketing Practices in Rural Communities in Nigeria. Canadian Social Science, (December 31). Ekwelem, V. O., Okafor, V. N., & Ukwoma, S. C., 2009. Students' Use of Electronic Information Sources at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science 19(1) 89+. Faringer, Gunilla L., 1991. Press Freedom in Africa. Praeger Publishers. Flusty, Steven, 2004. De-Coca-Colonization: Making the Globe from the Inside out. Routledge. Norberg, Johan, 2003. In Defense of Global Capitalism. Cato Institute. Olatunji, R. W., & Thanny, N. T., 2011. Youth Culture and New Media: A Study of Telecommunications Advertisements in Nigeria. Journal of Development Communication 22(2) 14+. Oyekunle, R. A., & Tiamiyu, M. A., 2010. Patterns of Information Products Advertising in Newspaper Media in Nigeria. African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science 20(2) 71+ Schaffer, D., 2012. The Language of Scam Spams: Linguistic Features of "Nigerian Fraud" E-Mails. Et Cetera 69(2)157+. Advertising: Nigeria is becoming a key global market , Tim Love on MAY 17, 2010 · in FINANCE Ugah, A. D., 2009. Strategies for Preservation and Increased Access to Newspapers in Nigerian University Libraries. Library Philosophy and Practice, 1+. United Nations Industrial Development Organization African Industry, 2000. The Challenge of Going Global. UNIDO. Latest news, breaking news, business, finance analysis, comments and views from Nigeria: BusinessDay, Monday, Sep 10th, 2012 Read More