A call has gone to marketing professionals to embrace digital marketing as a tool in reaching out to a critical mass of the market. This call was made by the Managing Partner of Business Plus Service, Mr.Ayeni Ekundayo while delivering a memorial lecture in honour of late Mike Agbakoba, a distinguished marketing professional.

Speaking at the event, Ekundayo urged practitioners to see digital marketing as a new way that could help drive the process in reaching to a cross segment of the Nigeria market thereby achieving optimum result. He noted that in the age where youth are mostly on social network, it was imperative that marketers begin to engage their audience through these numerous platforms. Though he admitted that there were challenges, he was optimistic that with government support, many of them will become a thing of the past.

He said: ”We need to embrace digital media because that is the next phase of marketing. As practitioner, we need to begin to understand our role and be ready to take our place by moving with the trends and aligning core values and goals as a business to that of the consumers. Digital is the next future and it is important we embrace it. Digital marketing is not in competition with traditional. People will still watch their TV, billboards. Of course, the place of traditional can still not be neglected”.

The National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, NIMN, has rewarded some set of students for their outstanding performance after successfully completing the marketing pogrammes this year.The list of the students who were honoured through an award instituted by the management of Unilever Nigeria Plc include; Kawoh Solomon, Ugwoke Peace, Urom Bassey, Temitope Sandra, and Okeke Batholomew. Ugwoke Peace emerged the overall best marketing student while Olaoye Temitope came second to beat Okeke Bartholomew to the third position.

The guest lecturer who holds sway as the Executive Director, Promasidor, Nigeria Limited, Mr Kachi Onubogu while speaking on the topic: “The Role of Advertising in Brand Building emphasized on the importance of marketing in driving consumer behavior. According to him, as practitioners, it is our responsibility to seek to understand the behavior of consumers the more noting that through this, we would have done well in solving major marketing challenges

He said” Marketing is about consumer. As marketing practitioners, you have to be open minded to learn about the consumers because they are the most important person in the journey of marketing. Marketing is fundamentally about the consumers because they are always the reference point”.

He however urged marketing professionals to place much premium on creativity as this remains a strong weapon necessary for survival in the Nigeria’s competitive market.

He said” The bigger the creative risk, the bigger the potential reward. When there is lack of creativity, you lose the essence of marketing. If you want to win in a competitive market, you must take creative risk. When you do this, you are helping to build brands”.

Commenting further on how advertising has helped build brand, Onubogu explained that as professional, it is our duty to deliver ads that would create strong emotional bond which in the long run translate to a enduring experience for the consumers.