We have carved for ourselves a reputation for building consumer-centric campaigns – Agboola

7even Interactive Limited, an advertising agency, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary in Lagos. Taiwo Agboola, CEO of 7even Interactive, spoke about the company’s trajectory on the sideline of the celebration where he reiterated its commitment to expand the frontiers of creativity and innovation in its marketing campaigns to advance the growth of the industry. JOHN SALAU brings the excerpts:

What are your thoughts on the advertising industry in Nigeria – issues, challenges and prospects?

Businesses and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) use advertising to build awareness for their businesses/brands/messages; to reach more customers/clients/audiences and prospects; encourage them to buy their products or services or programs; share information about their businesses/programs; and get an advantage over their competitors. Traditionally, advertising used to take place in three major media – radio, print, and television but with the introduction of digital media, the industry is going through the process of rebirth. This introduction revolutionized the industry but has also brought up a lot of issues that the industry is grappling with today. It shifted the clients’ near-total dependence on ad agencies for their ad needs. This has significantly reduced agencies’ revenues as well as briefs. Also, due to the spontaneity of the social media influencers and their limited knowledge in the ad practice, this introduction has created issues of trust and sheer disregard for the industry’s established norms, rules and regulations. It is heartwarming to note the efforts the industry regulators are making to address some of the challenges posed by the practice of some of these social media influencers who are dabbling into advertising without proper knowledge of the ethics of the practice. These efforts will clean up the industry and see that all ad contents meet the required standards for the safeguard of the consumers. On prospects inherent in the industry, I think that the established agencies should expand their dragnet to include digital advertising as they have all it takes to make a success out of that sub-sector of the market. I believe that we are even better placed to attract the biggest chunk of the budget slated for digital marketing as we have better knowledge of the industry – demographics, psychographics, strategy and tools – that would make for a more successful outing.

The advertising industry is a fast-evolving sector; how has 7even Interactive been able to adapt to this evolution in the last ten years?

Like I noted earlier, one of the biggest events in the industry is the introduction of digital media. As an agency, we saw this coming and introduced digital marketing techniques in our approach as this practice was gaining currency and this kept us relevant both in the traditional and new media spheres of the industry. Today, we are digital natives while most of our peers are only converting.

How has 7interactive contributed in shaping brand narratives in Nigeria?

Our major contributions to shaping brand narratives in the country come from our campaigns, be them for our clients or our CSR initiatives. While all our campaigns add to shaping of brand narratives in Nigeria, for wont of time, I will mention just the Fidelity Bank’s “Tough Job” campaign as a typical example. The “Tough Job” campaign was to present a bank in search of a new identity, one that will project it as not just a bank in search of customers’ deposits but a partner that is ready to meet the needs of customers. Tough job is not the usual run-of-the-mill bank advert. The 60 seconds cut of the TVC shows a group of people expertly undertaking strenuous and physical tasking exercises which reflected Fidelity Bank’s mental and physical preparedness to take the customer through seemingly daunting business and financial requirements. While most banks’ adverts would normally show banking halls or cashiers on duty, ‘Tough Job’ is a clear departure from that norm.

What role does creativity play in today’s digitally-driven marketing landscape?

Creativity is the soul of marketing in general and digital marketing, in particular. It is the key to making a brand memorable and relevant in the digital world. This is because creativity brings about unique and compelling contents that resonate with consumers on an emotional level and makes brands stand out in a crowded online space. It also helps to capture stakeholders’ attention, makes for desired engagement, and builds brand loyalty.

What advice would you give to young professionals looking to thrive in advertising?

Advertising is an interesting profession. You will find fun in your work because the work does not quite feel like real work. It is a world that asks not where you come from or where you’ve been but welcomes you warmly like family. However, it makes certain demands on you. You must be ready to think outside the norms, interrogate anything and everything; be current and alive to the society around you; must be bold and fearless, ready to stand your convictions, even if you’re to stand alone; and you must be expressive. And one bad one, if you’re to work in an agency, you must be ready to work odd hours, sometimes.

Tell us the story of 7even Interactive in the last 10 years?

7even Interactive was set up to amplify interaction between businesses and their target audiences, especially their clients and customers. Even business relationships are geared towards the realization of needs. For the customer, the needs are the purchase of goods or services while for the business owner, it is the sale of his or her goods or services. For both parties’ needs to be satisfied, there must be an effective interaction between them. It is the need to provide a platform that ensures that this effective interaction happens that brought us together to found 7even Interactive, a disruptive Nigerian creative powerhouse in 2015. Our founding coincided with the time the country’s economy began its downward slide which adversely affected most companies’ marketing spend. Our understanding of the market, coupled with our ability to go across and overboard in delivering result-oriented works for our clients, saw that 7even Interactive became a formidable competitor in the creative advertising space today.

Now; taking a look back, what would you regard as the agency’s greatest achievements?

7even Interactive has not only successfully navigated the country’s tough business terrain, but also thrived in it. We have successfully designed, initiated and executed several advertising campaigns that delivered on objectives and have also won industry awards both locally and internationally. These achievements are, by no means, an easy feat, even for the older agencies.

What distinguishes 7even Interactive from other advertising agencies?

At 7even Interactive, we’re committed to our clients; we have passion for innovation and technology. We take on big challenges and pride ourselves on seeing them through. We’re a mix of experience, youth and ingenuity that approach every brief with intellectual rigour and a cocktail of surprising lateral minds. 7even Interactive prides itself as a specialist in developing localized communications and designs that connect brands and consumers; and for the past ten years, the agency has carved for itself a reputation for building consumer-centric campaigns for our clients that resonate with their consumers and prospects and help them experience the brands. Our audacity to do new things, to sail uncharted courses and to dare that which should never be dared is what sets us apart from other agencies. When clients want crazy ideas to help push their brands out there, they talk to us. That is why we have had businesses based on referrals from old clients without having to go for pitch. We have had a few of those.

Where do you see the agency in the next ten years?

From the get-go, our mantra has always been “Upward and Forward.” It encapsulates our vision and directs our plans and actions. In our first ten years, we established ourselves as the agency to beat in the advertising industry in Nigeria in terms of quality campaigns, clientele, revenue and human capacity development. So, the agency will continue on this success trajectory further entrenching itself, not only in the ad industry but in the overall marketing communications industry both locally and internationally. In concrete terms, we intend to grow our client base in triple folds and quadruple our revenue in the next ten years.

How do you plan to achieve these?

These may look like wishful thinking, given the current realities – the rife competition in the industry as well as the nation’s economic state – but they are indeed achievable. Ambitious, we agree but we have already set in motion strategies and actions towards achieving these objectives. We have commenced aggressive marketing and human capacity development programs aimed at equipping our workforce with the necessary top-notch skills and knowledge that will ensure the realization of these goals.

Finally, as the driver of an entity working in an innovative sector; what’s your leadership philosophy, and how has it influenced the company’s culture?

An agency is made up of people from different backgrounds – academically, professionally, and socially – with a single purpose of growing themselves and the organization. At 7even Interactive, we note these differences and aggregate them for the achievement of set targets. So, we let every personnel be himself or herself, giving his or her individual perspectives on the issues at hand thereby harnessing everyone’s intellect towards arriving at the desired destination.