December 2024 was a time of celebration in Lagos, overflowing with events and parties. Compatriots and their friends noted it in their social diaries as “Detty Lagos,” with plans for a repeat in December 2025. For the inner Lagos crowd, #ITALAWA emerged as the trending hashtag, showcasing social events, concerts, extravagant parties and overall glamour.
As January began, many continued to utilise #italawa on Twitter and Instagram to document their Saturday weddings and evening social gatherings. (Italawa translates to “we are outside” in Yoruba.) This term is well-acquainted with the Lagos entertainment scene; over the years, it has inspired numerous popular songs by acclaimed artists, and an annual concert also bears that name. In all its uses, the overall vibe conveys a sense of outdoor celebration—simply enjoying oneself.
What is new is that communication strategist Mrs Sola Abulu and her team at Sola Abulu & Associates advocate that “2025 be the year of italawa for every brand, business, or individual seeking to make an impact, fulfil a mission, or achieve a desired outcome”.
Sola Abulu elaborates, “By this, we mean that one must be outside and visible. Your brand or business cannot afford to be invisible, silent, or appear hesitant or shy in 2025. It must be bold and prominently visible.
Sola Abulu stated, “This is something I have observed in practice as a communications expert and Principal Consultant of Sola Abulu & Associates (SA&A). The more visible you are as a brand, the more likely you are to attract positive, high-profile interest – simply because you are top-of-mind and have a recognised presence in the market, community, or sector. What is unknown cannot be engaged, sought after, paid for, or invested in. The less visible you are, the less likely you are to attract meaningful interest, visibility, or opportunities. Therefore, the starting point for every business, brand, organisation, or institution is, first and foremost, to be VISIBLE.”
Sola Abulu is the Principal Consultant of Sola Abulu & Associates (SA&A), a strategy and communications consulting and training firm based in Lagos, Nigeria. SA&A focuses on enabling businesses and brands to achieve their objectives through strategic communication, organisational effectiveness, and reputation management. She is a member of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and belongs to the West Africa Interest Group. She is also a Strategic Communications Management Professional certified by the Global Communications Certification Council (GCCC).
Abulu reiterates, “The difference now is that you have the tools for visibility at your disposal. You can utilise either social or traditional media if you have access and resources, provided that the return on investment is justified. You may also organise public events or publicity campaigns. Nonetheless, it is vital to be strategic and ensure that your brand visibility strategy is tailored to attract the right attention. In a challenging economy, it is essential to ensure that your marketing aligns with your budget and financial capacity; thus, organic social media content marketing presents a low-hanging fruit even for the smallest players in the market. However, you must be strategic and possess a compelling narrative to convey value and solutions.”
The italawa strategy for 2025 must mean that your brand must be as visible as it needs to be to attract the kind of attention it requires – through intelligent use of product/service innovation, content marketing, platform strategy, community engagement, brand storytelling and visualisation of brand value proposition and service offerings.
Read also: Detty December showcases Lagos’ tourism potential
A former Shell Nigeria/International communications expert, Abulu adumbrates italawa in Yoruba. She stresses, “You need to “gbe gba e jade” every day, which in Yoruba means bringing your products outside to the marketplace so potential buyers can see that you are open for business. Purposefully and intelligently communicating to targeted audiences in the right way and time to influence desired actions is the task that must be accomplished in 2025.”
Italawa resonates with the company and its history. “In SA&A, we started online in 2020, and over 90% of our consulting and training clients come from our website and social media posts. In fact – the majority of our brand marketing, lead generation and sales conversion efforts are initiated and concluded online.
Having a 24/7 brand communications strategy is also very important because we live in a world with 7 billion people in 24 time zones—you don’t know who is reading and what clock they are on. And outside (ita—in Yoruba) does not mean physical spaces alone—it includes virtual spaces. Outside is anywhere opportunity meets preparation.
In the context of business and brand strategy or amplification, Italawa is fundamentally about being intentional about your brand’s purpose and mission in 2025. Assess your current position and desired future state, and actively take measures to close the gap between yourself and potential customers, stakeholders, audience, or employers by effectively communicating your value.
Mrs Abulu states that it is not about waiting to be discovered but purposefully and strategically presenting your brand.
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