‘I’m Looking Forward To The Evolution Of The African Narrative At 2019 Loeries Creative Week’
Mr Lanre Adisa, CEO/CCO, Noah’s Ark Communications is among the judges selected for this year’s Loeries Creative Week which is less a month away. In this interview, Lanre who will be judging Categories for Live, PR and OOH bares his mind on the business of brand and marketing, the kind of creativity and innovation he will be looking for at the 2019 Loeries Awards and other sundry issues.
Professional Achievements.
I started out as a trainee copywriter twenty nine years ago. In the course of my career I’ve worked for some of the top agencies in Nigeria, holding creative leadership positions. My last agency was TBWA\Concept where I was the ECD. I started Noah’s Ark in 2008. In that period we have grown from a startup of less than ten people to Nigeria’s most awarded agency, creating category-shifting work for some of the biggest and most influential brands in the country. About three years ago, we became an affiliate creative agency of Dentsu Aegis Network. Beyond this is the culture that has evolved from our journey so far. Because this is Noah’s Ark, everyone here is a creative animal of some sorts with their own avatar. There’s a general air of freedom to be who you are in that animal kingdom which has influenced our approach to work and life.
New Skills and Technologies In media and advertising.
The greatest joy for me comes from being part of a team that consistently proffers creative solutions to our clients’ business problems. We pride ourselves as an extension of our clients’ businesses. Seeing these solutions translate to results is the adrenaline that keeps us going. One common thing that is emerging in our work and, I dare say, that is influencing our market in general, is the rise of storytelling in a way that is relatable to our local experiences. We have deployed this so well that we have been able to convert our audience to fans and advocates of our work. This has been further boosted by the rising power of Digital.
Uniqueness of Brand Communications In Africa/Middle East
The first thing to note is that ours is a young continent. It’s the same thing you’ll find in the Middle East. These young people are smart and tech-savvy. They know what they want and sometimes they bring about change using the power of their numbers and their knowledge of today’s technology as we’ve seen in the Middle East and most recently, in Sudan. As brand people, this is something that is propelling us to do better work. The rate of urbanisation in Africa is on the rise. Today, content is created and consumed without boundaries. This is where we play today. Understanding our audience and the new reality of our world is driving us to work better and raise our game. We are no more in the business of just creating advertising; we are all about relatable and relevant content that delivers results.
Expectations At 2019 Loeries
I’m looking forward to the evolution of the African narrative. How are we telling our stories with all the new tools at our disposal? I’ll be looking forward to ideas that deliver solutions we never thought possible using what we know in ways we never could have imagined. I look forward to being blown away by all these beauties.
Universality of Media Campaigns
By and large, the most effective communication is the one that is able to reflect our realities, be they personal or local, in a fresh bold way. It may make us laugh, think, cry or take certain actions we weren’t thinking of before. Sometimes the issue may be human and universal. Even at that, our audience must be able to relate with it. So it can never be one size fits all. For any work to be successful here, it needs to mine the things that are peculiar to the local audience and express them in a way that is down to earth and entertaining or action-inducing.