AI And The Future Of Marketing In Nigeria

0
Dare Kafar

By Dare Kafar

ChatGPT generated buzz and gained media attention last month. On LinkedIn, there was either a post about the potential threats or not of ChatGPT to the jobs of marketing professionals or artificial intelligence (AI) and the future of marketing. But in a developing nation like Nigeria, the items dominating the news are significantly different from the West.

First, there is an impending election. Though the world is celebrating the advancements in AI and machine learning, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), Internet of things (IoT) and so on, Nigerians are celebrating the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV) which some stakeholders have described as “innovations.”

Furthermore, data from the National Bureau of Statistics reveals that “63% of persons living within Nigeria (133 million people) are multidimensionally poor.” Premium Times reports that “adult illiteracy in Nigeria now stands at 31%.”

Concerning media habits, according to AMPS 2020, radio has the highest reach in Nigeria at 81%, followed by terrestrial TV at 75%, out-of-home at 67% and internet at 47%.

Finally, while MTN is rolling out a 5G network, Technext reports that “some Africans only have access to 2G and 3G networks,” and “only around 10 to 20 per cent” of Nigerians use a smartphone according to Statista. Based on the stats, one may draw the following conclusions about AI and the future of marketing in Nigeria:

Certain marketing fundamentals such as understanding your target audience will not change. That is because the factors affecting the operating environment including customer demographics, literacy levels and adoption of technology adoption will continue to impact how businesses market their products to consumers. As a result, the adoption of AI in marketing will not happen at the same pace in all markets. That might sound cynical, but Nigeria could be among the laggards because of the level of technological adoption. But when the use of AI in marketing catches on, it could spread like wildfire.

Customer segmentation will still determine the marketing communications mix. A recent feature by Marketing Edge quotes Anna Holopainen, a B2B SaaS consultant who says: “Nothing is dead. Paid ads work. Billboards work. Direct mail works. Telemarketing works. Inbound marketing works. Social selling works. Drip campaigns work. SEO works. You just need to figure out if it works for YOU. That’s the hard part, but also the fun part.” As some social media users abandoned Facebook for Instagram, Tiktok launched and is captivating Gen Z. Still, some 70-something-year-olds are just signing up for Facebook. So indeed, “nothing is dead.”

Analysts have said that AI won’t replace humans because bots lack emotional intellect, among other factors. Still, ChatGPT’s responses to queries are quick and, from a theoretical standpoint, impressive. As such, AI will help marketers work smarter and save time. We have already seen how services like Grammarly and Headline Analysers are helping content writers to improve their copywriting.

 ChatGPT produces results based on existing information, so originality and creativity will still have an edge. AI will enhance desk research, and marketers will be able to gather background information for marketing planning more readily. It is important to note that all technologies are operated by humans, so the old principle of garbage in, garbage out applies to AI as well. Consequently, marketers cannot rely blindly on algorithms. Human judgment will still be required in analysing research data.

Just like the early adopters of social media, marketers who quickly adopt AI will be the winners. Also, remember that typists who didn’t embrace computers early became redundant. So, if you snooze, you lose.

Dare Kafar is a seasoned marketing and commercial executive with 17 years’ experience in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs), entertainment and media industries with specialties in New Product Development and Roll-out, Market Research, Effective Communication, Insightful Concept Writing skills, Trade Marketing and Go-To-Market strategy.

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.