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    The Loeries and DStv Take on Lagos

    The Loeries and DStv joined forces for a day to match the frenetic pace of Lagos, filled with constant movement and energy. The Loeries Roadshow and DStv VIP Showcase, held on 25 March at the Victoria Crowne Plaza, was an exciting and inspiring event with around 200 people attending.

    The DStv showcase was a hive of activity, with several stands showcasing the various African channels available to Nigeria and greater West Africa - the most popular channel offerings being GoTV, SuperSport and Africa Magic.

    The Loeries and DStv Take on Lagos
    The Loeries and DStv Take on Lagos

    "The basic advertising rule applies here as well, which means that content will drive what they buy and how much of it they buy as well because of the audiences. So content is king and advertisers are following the specific audiences that specific content will talk to," said Piwe Motshegoa, deputy general manager of Channel Sales, DStv Media Sales.

    Highlights

    Speakers included Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee, sales director of DStv Media Sales, who spoke of the future roadmap in media, Daryn Wober, CEO of Ventra Media Group who gave insights on leveraging sponsorships using a digital platform, and Debbie Shepard, head of Marketing for Nokia West Africa, who shared her experience on making global brands local - or 'glocal', as she said in her presentation. Andrew Human, CEO of the Loeries, presented all the 2013 Loerie winners from the continent, shared tips on entering the awards, and gave an overview of the programme lined up for Loeries Creative Week Cape Town in September.

    The general atmosphere at the Loeries African Roadshow was that of anticipation and excitement, of wanting to grow and take the brand communications industry in Nigeria to a new level.

    "The Nigerian industry is not lagging behind and the level of development is quite profound," said Joshua Ajayi, Publisher and CEO of Brand Communicator. "In terms of business, we are still ahead of some African markets when you look at what they have achieved since gaining independence."

    The Loeries and DStv Take on Lagos

    Although Lanre Adisa, managing director and CEO of Noah's Ark, a local advertising agency that's championing creativity in the workplace, agrees, he has a different perspective. "Millenial clients are looking for real value - who are the guys who can make a difference, who can make something that resonates with the audience? We're also beginning to see more specialisation. Back in the day, you had a traditional agency with everything under one roof, but now you have people specialising in activation, experiential work, media, etc. So I will say, yes, things are evolving in that respect, but I would also express concern that the pace of development is not as fast as one would expect. We have yet to achieve a minimum standard for quality of work. One of the reasons for that is that not many people see themselves and their work as going beyond the shores of their own country."

    Opening doors to up-and-coming talent

    Adisa does, however, believe that the next generation of Nigerian creatives should be closely watched and should be educated to a higher standard in the industry's ever-changing facets. "The young creatives are more ambitious," he says, "Now we see some of our guys going to schools and studying abroad, but the biggest challenge is that we are not training enough people. We're not creating a platform for the talent to flourish." He says that the nation's industry professionals need to open their doors to up-and-coming talent. "I think it's important that we start a joint conversation so that people can know that we are thinking creatively and adding value to things," he said.

    Nigeria has one of the world's fastest growing emerging markets and is part of the MINT group - Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey. These four countries are rumoured to be the next economic giants after the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) nations.

    Tunde Makinwa, creative director of Fuel Communications, a Lagos-based agency, believes Nigeria's developmental rate is sure to grow even faster than predicted, "Nigeria's mobile and internet usage is second only to South Africa and I expect this to grow even more. We're going to overtake South Africa very soon and I think in the next two to five years we'll be picking up a Cannes Lion!"

    Mobile and internet penetration

    Mobile and internet penetration in Nigeria, especially in the cities of Lagos and Abuja, is at an all-time high, with over 11.2 million active, Nigerian Facebook users, according to a March 2013 estimate. Wober, said in his presentation that "significant, large audiences online" are "engaging with content". This means that despite the many challenges that businesses are faced with in Nigeria, both advertising agencies, brand communicators and clients are becoming more aware of the untapped potential that the digital arena has to offer. More and more people are beginning to accept integrated campaigns as part and parcel of television broadcasting, radio and outdoor campaigns - the three main types of media used in Nigeria.

    "The Nigerian marketplace has diverse media options. Outdoor is quite a big thing in Nigeria and so is television. Radio is also quite big because of its extensive reach. Obviously for the country, it's important to have the language dialect right, the cultural dialect right, etc. So for example, on television we've had to customise our options via different channel content for different parts of Nigeria," said Cassim-Surtee.

    Nigeria's sports market is also huge, with a large portion of the country focused on the English Premier League, La Liga, and the UEFA Championships. "One of the biggest things that sell is sports," said Esther Odoh, sponsorship account manager, DStv. "Nigerians we are football crazy people, so a lot of brands want to be associated with football. You have the English Premier League, La Liga, UEFA and other international games selling really well in Nigeria. Brands are big and passionate about sponsorship here."

    The Loeries African Roadshow will be going to Nairobi tomorrow, Friday, 28 March and Accra on 16 April.

    All work from Africa and the Middle East, done up until 30 May 2014 can be entered into this year's Loeries. More than traditional advertising, the Loeries includes every touch-point between a consumer and a brand - including Digital media, Architecture & Interior Design, Package Design, Radio, Television, Print media, Outdoor, Communication Design, Public Relations, Live Events, Sponsorship and more. The entry deadline is 30 May with a 10% discount for entries received before 14 April.

    Key dates

    • Entry Deadline: 30 May
    • Loeries Creative Week Cape Town: 15-21 September
    • International Seminar of Creativity: 19 September
    • The Loerie Awards Ceremonies: 20-21 September
    • Ticket sales for Creative Week open 1 April

    For more:

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