[Interview] Motola Oyebanjo, Client Service Director, AeriaView Marketing Communications, Nigeria
Motola Oyebanjo is former Head of Corporate Communications, British Council, Nigeria. She is currently Partner and Client Service Director of AerialView Marketing Communications, Nigeria.
Her interview with Africa Business Communities:
Would you please introduce AerialView?
AerialView Marketing Communications (AVMC) is a full service marketing communications firm. From Traditional Advertising (TV, Radio, Print, BTL, Outdoor and Out of home activations & events) to Digital Marketing and New Media, PR with all the complements of brand development & management, strategy development & execution, media planning and buying, we are a one-stop shop for helping organisations achieve their business objectives using effective and innovative marketing communications.
In which industries does AerialView operate and who are your clients?
We service all sectors as shown by the organisations we've worked with including the British Council, the Australian Trade Commission, Kia Motors, Nissan Motors, Nigerian Pension Commision, MyMy FMCG, Haansbro Confectionery, United Kingdom Education Advisory Service and a number of International Universities including Loughborough, Swansea, BPP, Coventry Universities.
What are the USP’s of your business?
Innovative Strategy and Creativity that delivers business results. You see, we develop exciting advertising that gets your brand noticed and stands it out in the media clutter; and yet this exciting and engaging creativity is carefully situated in strategic depth that ensures the client's business objectives are delivered.
What did you do pre-AerialView?
I am a strategic communications consultant and that has been my career path. I served as the British Council's Head of Corporate Communications for some years delivering Pan-Nigeria marketing communications solutions for over 20 projects at the time across the Creative Industries/Arts, Education, Business, Governance and Public Diplomacy.
I also served as Unilever Nigeria's Internal Communications Assistant Manager where I was Editor and Content Manager of the Corporate Webite, Corporate Intranet and also responsible for the company's newsletters and magazine, the staff reward scheme and scorecard to mention a few.
What other companies/organizations/activities are you involved in?
AVMC is a Marketing Communications outfit which has now birthed other initiatives including:
NaijaPings: This is a mobile social networking app exclusively for Nigerians to meet, make friends and even do business. In the first year alone we had over 300,000 downloads on the Blackberry app! and over 600,000 downloads as at last count. We are currently revamping it for better service.
Study International: This media arm caters for people interested in an international study experience. It promotes a global worldview - Travel, Learn, Succeed we say! We have a Print Magazine, Website, Social Media networks that all provide content about international opportunities, events, scholarships, universities, trending courses and gives international universities a platform to showcase what they have to offer to a Nigerian and African audience.
Ethnic Attitude: EA is a fashion label that focuses on creating an eclectic mix of African and international prints. Creatively combining ankara, denim, batik, jersey, aso-oke and more, we develop unique looks for work, play, events, brands, corporate and even school uniforms! Whatever we do, we want our brands, customers and clients to stand out and that's what we strive for.
What can be done by entrepreneurs and government to stimulate the business environment in Nigeria?
As Entrepreneurs, we need to think outside the box. Too many times we complain about the challenges, but with challenges come opportunities to create solutions with business ideas. We need to be doing that; asking ourselves how we can turn things on its head to generate more profit and grow our businesses.
The Nigerian government needs to mop up the financial waste caused by corruption and channel it into the right places especially infrastructure, security, education and health. I can see President Buhari already taking this route and I trust we will begin to see the results over the next few months.
Do you think women entrepreneurs typically have a harder time accessing loans through traditional bank channels?
I believe accessing loans for business is not the easiest thing for both men and women. There are however banks that even focus on providing women especially with the access they need to funding. The greater concern for me is the double digit interest rates which make the idea of loans an anathema for most business owners.
Do you believe Social Media and the Internet to be a plus to the business environment, as it applies to your industry?
My industry runs on Social Media so I have to say yes! Seriously however, change is here and we either take to it or get left behind. Social Media and the Internet are a plus because we can get the word out about brands and products faster than ever before. We can also have 2-way engagement with our audiences, clients and customers in a way that provides growth, feedback and innovation when well harnessed.
At AerialView we help our corporate clients to be innovative, exciting, engaging and yet be business focused in the way they utilize social media. Many just get on the Internet because everyone is doing it. We help our clients effectively utilize the digital space to achieve business results.
What can you say about the targets, plans and ambitions of AerialView for the rest of 2015?
We are developing new marketing tools and media usage that will ensure our clients are leaders in their sectors. We are also expanding our human resource capacity to ensure we cater better to our existing and new clients. There are a number of projects we are excited about and we will be pushing them out over the second half of 2015 and in 2016 so you should definitely be on the look out for AerialView over the next few months.
www.linkedin.com/in/motolaoyebanjo
www.twitter.com/motolaoyebanjo
Africa Business Communities is conducting a series of interviews with CEO's and high-end professionals in Africa. Are you interested in an interview? Please send an e-mail to Andrea Ayemoba: andrea@africabusinesscommunities.com