It’s sad that ad practitioners remain unsung, despite contributions to nation’s economic growth —John Ajayi, CEO/Publisher, Marketing Edge

The CEO/Publisher, Marketing Edge and Convener of Marketing Edge Brands and Advertising Awards of Excellence, Mr. John Ajayi, in this interview with AKIN ADEWAKUN bares his mind on sundry industry issues, noting that the nation’s advertising industry is not getting the much-needed recognition from relevant quarters; hence the need for the marketing publication’s annual awards and summit, to positively change the narrative. Excerpts

 

CAN we describe the Marketing Awards and Summit as a furtherance of the publication’s vision of promoting the ‘brand idea’?

Certainly, yes. When we started Marketing Edge, September 3rd, 2003; 19 years ago, we had a vision to promote the brand idea, and we believed the best way to do that was to report and give  adequate information and education on those involved in the business of brand management and the management of brand business. We did this successfully for about nine years. When the magazine clocked  ten, we decided to take it further, by recognising  brands and products that we had watched develop, over a decade, and reported by virtue of our very close interactions with such brands. We saw ourselves as being best positioned to do this because of our deep insights of the market. So having witnessed some of the efforts behind some of these brands, we talked to ourselves that we should be able to, in promoting them, also give them their proper dues by ranking. So to be specific,  it is part of our efforts at promoting the ‘brand idea’, in tune with our corporate vision.

 

Q- Nine years down the line,  what has the experience been like?

It’s been very fantastic because the industry believes in what we are doing. But, it’s been quite challenging, too.  But our resolve at making a statement that  the nation’s Integrated Marketing Communications, also has  its positive tales to tell, keeps us going. We want to tell the whole the world that  we have outstanding professionals here, in different fields of endeavour, doing fantastically well. And, as a publication,  very deep in brand journalism, we know these individuals, and we believe we are best placed to celebrate them.

 

Can you let us into some of those challenges?

When we started we didn’t have enough fund to prosecute this, but because of the strong belief we had in what we were doing, we soldiered on.  We’ve never allowed that to hold us down. We keep innovating; hence the quarterly summit that we’ve now introduced. And in the last one and half years, we’ve been able to get together, virtually both local and international marketing professionals to help us create the compass in navigating the entire business management in Nigeria.

 

What makes this year’s Awards different from the previous ones?

We are bringing in more innovations.  We are trying to raise the bar, by creating more excitement. We are bringing senior  government officials to the path of marketing. For instance, this year, we are having the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwoolu, who last year won an Award as Governor of The Year. He’s going to be the Keynote Speaker, this year. It’s a way of creating a bond between the marketing community and those in government so that the public sector can appreciate the value people from this space are also bringing to the nation’s economic table. It’s unfortunate that despite  what Marketing and Advertising  contribute to the nation’s GDP, practitioners and the practice are yet to get their due recognition from the government. And, this is an industry that has produced generations of business leaders, who have made their marks in the world of marketing and advertising.. I’ve had the opportunity of listening to a story told by Dr. Biodun Shobanjo of how he met a top government official, outside the country; and, how, in the course of introducing himself as an advertiser, the official was asking him, what the profession was about. Interestingly, this represents the mindset and ignorance of many people, including those holding high offices in the public sector, about the profession. So these are some of the things we intend changing with our publication, and  the Awards.

 

What do you find interesting in the paradigm shift, induced by technology and the new media, in the industry today?

One thing I find interesting in the whole shift is the fact that brand journalism is much more favoured today, than in those days. Then, you could not easily access the internet, nothing like google, twitters and other social media platforms then. Your sources of resources were therefore limited, unlike now, when, with the press of a button, you acquire knowledge. We walked around the city a lot, then, just to gather materials. It was tough, and what actually sustained us was the passion we had for the job.  Again,  if you are passionate of brand journalism, you can easily determine which area you want to specialize in, now. But that wasn’t the case then, because most agencies were operating a one-stop shop.

 

How do the new ARCON’s laws, especially the one that has to do with Awards, come to you?

I’m a fanatical supporter of ARCON’s reform. Though some of us have not fully digested the contents, but let me say that in the area of awards, I’ve not read it anyway. Honestly, I don’t know the aspect they plan to regulate. So it would be better for me to read it first before making any statement. I’ve attended  some international awards, and partnered with some international publications, to organise awards. But I’ve never seen any one of them saying this Award has been approved by an authority.

 

Don’t you think it’s meant to reform the sector, especially when the industry has become awards-weary?

I wouldn’t know what people meant by the industry being awards-weary. This is an enlightened industry. I’ve  received so many letters from different bodies and institutions, wanting to give me honorary doctorate degrees, but I always discern the motive behind this, and  decline, politely. If you see a phony award, you should be able to turn it down. But when you see something that is good that will elevate the industry, you’ll jump at it. I’m not sure the ARCON’s law is targeted at Awards like our own. But we are ready to submit ourselves to the law, whenever we are told to do that.