The highly competitive media independence landscape is not for the faint-hearted neither is it for the unscrupulous nor the incompetent. Obviously, SBI Media which stands for Strategic Insights, Brand Visibility Impact and Innovation is all of these as it has quickly distinguished itself as a young agency hungry for success both for itself and its many clients.
Through dint of hard work, the Rotimi Bankole-led media specialist agency has proved its mettle that when it comes to the business of media buying in Nigeria, SBI Media is a focused digital-driven agency with full grasp of analytics, big-data and every other thing connected to make client happy. Today, SBI Media which was founded in August 2012 has grown to become a bespoke media specialist agency.
It came as no surprise then that one of the oldest banking brand in Africa is willing to pitch tent with one of the youngest agencies in Nigeria to attain success. As expected, the agency’s dynamism and speed among other sterling qualities gave it an edge over other old agencies to be selected to work on the First Bank Media account.
Speaking on this edge some years ago, the Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Rotimi Bankole once said, “We always challenge ourselves to think differently because we know that clients are no longer naïve about our business. Therefore, we keep asking ourselves what other media independent agencies are not seeing that will add value to the brand in question. This, we call the SBI Factor. Once you hit the SBI Factor, you can measure the value gain of any campaign”.
This factor is what the agency has brought on the table for its Firstbank client. In a recent chat with Alison Oyome, Group Head, Media Planning & Implementation for SBI Media, on the 125th anniversary of the First Bank brand, Oyome noted that it is a major milestone to reach 125 and a major success story that transcends the Nigerian financial services industry. “FBN has been part and parcel of the Nigerian business, economic and entrepreneurial spirit, it is a worthy celebration that SBI Media is proud to be associated with”.
“With all humility, we have learned a great deal from the iconic brand that FBN is, from its iconic logo, imagery and messaging, the brand has been exemplary. As FBN continues to celebrate more years, the brand will need to adapt to changes in market demography, their aspirations and the impact of technology and how it shapes the future, but we believe FBN has what it takes to pull through.”
He further noted that there is a lot of lessons organisations, businesses and brands that want to attain the kind of longevity FirstBank has, need to learn. “Build and grow your company for the future because a company that will reach the kind of milestone that FBN is celebrating must be prepared to weather the storm, adapt to change and build a legacy of sustainability. That’s a major lesson to us at SBI Media too,” he said.
“We are a young agency and just like every other agencies working on the brand, we have learnt a lot because the brand FBN has more to give to us in knowledge than the other way round. Working on one of the largest financial services group in Africa is a rare privilege that we are grateful to be part of,” he added.
Speaking on the qualities that made a brand like Firstbank choose to do business with SBI, Oyome noted: “Our ability to be adaptable to change, be client-focused and our understanding of the financial services business beyond communication and marketing put us in vantage position ahead others.” What has also been the competitive edge of the agency over other media specialist agencies in the industry is its innovative thinking.
Speaking on its philosophy to drive the client’s ‘You First’ philosophy, he said, “We operate a client-focused philosophy. We are in business because our clients are in business, if they are not profitable and competitive enough, we will not be in business and despite the fact that our contribution is just a small part of the value chain, it is still very much important that we have to give our best because everything matters in the world of uncertainties and volatility.”
Interestingly, its philosophy to media strategy and planning is a synergy of technology, insights, strategy, ideas, action and organization to deliver top-notch services and channel communication services.
With the vision to be the leading media agency driven with technology, sound minds and with the mission of offering best-in-class media solutions to client with a transparent process, SBI unarguably occupies a vantage position in the heart of its clients.
A next generation media agency built on a culture of bravery, thought, SBI Media is known for spending more time talking to consumers and experiencing their lives than any other agency, and through its relentless pursuit of accountability, the agency has continued to increase in size and weight winning more clients to its fold.
Also, as a quintessential media specialist agency, SBI has over time, developed the knacks for delivering high return on investments on all advertising efforts for its clients. That is why most clients will never forget in a hurry the positive impacts of the agency on their brands.
Asides media planning and buying, its other core competences which include: media strategy, monitoring and compliance, digital advertising, OOH performance measurement and media advisory services are various ways by which the agency has been creating strategic solutions to the media needs of its clients within the shortest period of time and at the best value.
SBI Media is also known for its high level of integrity in the industry. As Rotimi once noted, “We know that once you give a client what he needs and with sincerity of heart, you will gain his trust and he will come back to you again and again. In-fact, the end result of the SBI Factor Model is what we call C-C Trust (consumer-client trust). This level is achieved when the client enjoys value for every kobo spent in terms of campaign reach and frequency to the right target, and the consumer takes an action due to the number of times an exposure to an advert hits him or her.”
It is interesting to note that SBI Media engages in a data-driven media recommendation that puts clients ahead of their competition, discovering and doing the right thing in media. Also, with experience strategists, planners, analysts and buyers: clients’ channel communication and marketing projects will be on auto run delivering results with utmost transparency.
In its few years of existence, SBI Media prides itself in global best practices, mechanisms, processes and relations which have continued to manifest in the numbers of clients it has been working for. By thinking global and acting local, the agency boasts of local, regional and multinational clients.