When people ask me what it’s like to work in marketing in Nigeria, I usually smile before answering. The truth is, it’s not for the faint of heart, and trust me, Nigerians are not faint-hearted.
Nigeria is the very definition of a VUCA environment: volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. From fluctuating exchange rates to sudden regulatory changes, from consumer price sensitivity to intense competition in open markets, every day presents a new challenge.
But here’s the thing, though, working in such an environment doesn’t just test you and drag you by your hair; it shapes you. It teaches resilience, agility, and creativity in ways a textbook never could. And these lessons are not confined to Nigeria alone; they are transferable and powerful in structured markets like the UK or any country in the world, so never think you do not have something to bring to the party, I can tell you for free that you have a lot of experience others can only dream of.
What Nigeria Taught Me
- Agility in Decision-Making. Inflation today, subsidy removal tomorrow, plans are constantly disrupted. I learned to adjust strategies quickly without losing sight of long-term goals. It has helped my on-the-go decision-making in my personal life too. I hardly mull over stuff, I take decision on the go and people around me are surprised. I think my siblings are used to it by now.
- Resourcefulness and Creativity. With limited budgets and infrastructure gaps, we had to do more with less. Campaigns had to be bold, culturally relevant, and impactful, not just polished. Creativity wasn’t optional; it was a matter of survival. Have you ever been in the middle of a campaign, and the management team says, ‘Stop all campaigns, we are cutting budgets’? Yep, a lot of us have been there.
- Consumer-Centric Thinking Nigerian consumers are aspirational yet price-sensitive, quick to switch brands, and deeply influenced by culture. This sharpened my ability to dig into consumer insights and build strategies that balance affordability with aspiration. Nigerian consumers are loyal to their pockets and have a rationalising why they need to switch. I have had to wear the shoes of the consumer and ask myself, what will i do in this situation.
- Resilience and Stakeholder Management Distribution challenges, regulatory unpredictability, and fierce competition required resilience. I developed strong stakeholder engagement skills, from negotiating with distributors to aligning agency partners under pressure. Trust me, it has never been my finest moment having to renegotiate and align with agency partners and their dissappointed faces etched in my heart for the longest.
- Speed to Market Execution: Whether launching a product or tapping into cultural moments, speed was everything. It taught me project discipline and fast execution without compromising quality. Pressure Pressure Pressure, be first or competition will overtake.
What I Bring to Structured Markets Like the UK
The UK market may be more structured, but it is not without its own uncertainties, shifting consumer behaviours, digital disruption, and economic pressures. My Nigerian experience equips me to add unique value:
- Strategic Agility with Stability: Anticipating risks, adapting strategies quickly, while maintaining consistency.
- Innovative Problem-Solving: Designing impactful, cost-effective campaigns that maximise resources.
- Consumer Insight Orientation: Bringing cultural sensitivity and depth in understanding diverse audiences.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Proven ability to influence and align diverse partners and cross-functional teams.
- Resilient Leadership: Leading with confidence under pressure, keeping teams focused on outcomes.
- Balancing Speed and Structure: Moving fast while maintaining the discipline that structured markets expect.
Selah!!!!!!!!
Nigeria taught me to thrive in chaos. The UK offers a platform to channel that agility into structured, scalable impact.
In today’s world where everything has gone digital and globalisation is at an all-time high, marketing leaders need both perspectives: the creativity born of resourcefulness, and the discipline born of structure. I’m fortunate to bring both to the table.
Charity Ilevbare-Adeniji is a brand strategist and currently work as a Product Brand Strategist at JAA Consultancy Services
