Telecoms, banks, mobility brands demonstrate resilience, top media performance charts in Q1, 2025 — Report

The nation’s commercial banking, ride-hailing, and telecommunications sectors dominated the list of brands that demonstrated media resilience in Q1 2025, amidst the economic headwinds businesses have continued to grapple with since the introduction of some major economic reforms by the federal government in 2023.

The revelation formed a key insight from a comprehensive sentiment audit released by P+ Measurement Services, Nigeria’s foremost media intelligence consultancy, recently.

The report, which analysed over 1.3 million online publications and 2,100 print media articles locally and globally during the period under review, also leveraged advanced media intelligence frameworks. The Q1 2025 analysis encompassed data from 28 commercial banks, 4 major telecommunications providers, and 4 leading ride-hailing platforms.

In the study, which deployed rigorous monitoring, measurement, and auditing techniques, drawing from structured metadata points such as editorial tone, CEO visibility, public discourse, and brand-specific media traction, Q1 media sentiment around the nation’s banks showed a polarity in perception.

While Stanbic IBTC Bank emerged as the frontrunner in positive coverage—responsible for 24% of favourable sentiment across the industry—Wema Bank (23 per cent), UBA (19 per cent), Access Bank (18 per cent), and First Bank (16 per cent) followed closely, in that order.

Their visibility was supported by initiatives such as Wema Bank’s 80th anniversary campaign and UBA’s #41 million customer reward promo.

Interestingly, the report also revealed that while First Bank recorded some positive narratives, the financial institution also carried the burden of 34% of all negative sentiment. FCMB (30 per cent), Sterling Bank (18 per cent), and Ecobank (10 per cent) followed, driven by litigation, regulatory reprimands, and negative market performance.

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The report explained that while the data points indicate that strategic PR efforts amplified brand equity for some, crisis events significantly dampened sentiment for others.

Among ride-hailing operators, the report noted that while inDrive dominated favorable mentions at 54 per cent, aided by product enhancements like the “Light Cashless” bank transfer feature, Bolt (29 per cent) and Uber (16 per cent) also maintained a strong share.