Bolaji Alausa: A Resurgence of Creativity in Africa

 

Next week, Bolaji Alausa will travel to Korea from Nigeria, where he is Executive Creative Director of Noah’s Ark Communications Limited.

At AD STARS 2018, he is giving a talk called, ‘Culture, Creativity and the African Continent’ in which he’ll explain the resurgence of creativity from Sub-Saharan Africa. Markets like Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa are producing work that’s infused with local insights yet resonates with global audiences. Bolaji will showcase some of the most culturally relevant and work from these markets, and share his thoughts on how the African continent can close the yawning gap between its industry and the West.

Bolaji worked at Rosabel Leo Burnett and DDB Lagos before joining Noah’s Ark in 2011. He won the Young Lions competition in 2009, representing Nigeria at Cannes, later winning Nigeria's first Epica award in 2013.

Today, Noah’s Ark is ranked 21st agency in the world, according to the current Lurzer’s Archive Agency Ranking. Its Airtel ‘10x’ campaign just won the Grand Cristal at the African Cristal Festival in Morocco. 

What do you think is needed to close the gap between Africa’s advertising industry and the West?

Well, the gap is gradually closing. For the first time, my boss, Lanre Adisa, the Chief Creative Officer of Noah’s Ark became the first juror at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity from the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). That was quite symbolic for the advertising industry in SSA as it showed that we were doing something right, and it was being recognized globally.

Having said that, I think we need to strike the balance between telling great African stories and using local insights, which still connect with a larger global audience. It is difficult, but possible. Also, production values need to go up significantly. I hate to say this, but sometimes case films from Europe or North America are better done than some ads from Sub-Saharan Africa, which leads to my next point. Creating the work is one thing, and properly telling a story about the work is another thing.

Also, agencies need to play a better role in getting clients to appreciate good work. Very few marketers are pop culture savvy, and most still prefer safe, rational work over bold communication campaigns. Marketers must raise their game, and by extension, their expectations from their agencies.

Why is the African continent seeing a resurgence of creativity, particularly in markets like Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa?

I think the message has become clearer over the years: the need to tell African stories better has seen a huge resurgence in creative work in these markets.

The West has better production values, they have the technological higher ground, and have done a lot to blur the lines between creativity, innovation and tech. There are a lot of good African narratives yet to be told, and that is what I think most agencies in these African markets are trying to do.

While Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt have made giant strides over the past few years, Nigeria is also beginning to catch up and gradually becoming even more globally relevant.

What is Nigeria’s advertising industry like?

The first Nigerian agency opened shop in 1928. Expatriates dominated the scene until an indigenization law in the 70s led to Nigerian ownership. The 90s saw a rush for international affiliations with Lowe, Grey, Saatchi & Saatchi, etc. Creative directors were brought in from foreign countries. Now, there have been cases where some of these candidates excelled organizationally and creatively in terms of helping the shops woo multinational clients and, along the way, soak in local acclaim. But those cases are few and far between. The craving for affiliations in Nigeria isn’t as big as it used to be anymore, but a few strong alliances still exist here and there.

What’s been happening more recently?

In the mid to late 2000s we have seen a resurgence of creative entrepreneurs who took it upon themselves to make a mark globally. Digital is disrupting, as it has globally, and we’ve seen budget shifts in that direction over the past few years.

It is still a TV-led market, as penetration is as high as 70%. The biggest spenders are the telecommunications companies, the breweries, the financial institutions and the FMCG brands.

The synopsis for your AD STARS session says: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”. What do you mean?

Well, that quote is actually from a renowned management expert, Peter Drucker. What he meant then was: whatever corporate strategy a company was going to adopt, it had to be in sync with its corporate culture, or else, it was bound to fail. The statement is so powerful that it is also contextually true in advertising.

There are loads of campaigns that have had global success in Europe and North America but have failed in Africa. This is because they didn't understand the cultural leaning in Africa. The Omo/Persil ‘Dirt is Good’ campaign was a hit globally, but failed in most African markets because, Dirt is Good, but Malaria is worse. Dirt is good, but we still struggle with infectious diseases such as cholera and polio.

Is there a secret to making culturally relevant and resonant work?

There are no secrets. Just a few pointers. Like all good campaigns, you need to get the insight right. The planners need to dig deep and find nuggets that can inspire good work.

For culturally relevant work, however, these insights must be true and trans-generational. It must cut through the different generations, because, that is what makes it truly cultural. Something that connects with millennials but is lost on Gen Xers may not classify as culturally relevant. Culture is passed from one generation to another so if work is to classify as culturally relevant, then it must tick generational boxes.

Also, creatives must realize that the work must be less about their lives, and more about the lives of other real people. And there is also the issue of getting external help if required. Agencies should not shy away from reaching out to people in academia, monarchs, historians, or anyone that can help refine the thinking for a campaign.

Why did you choose a career in advertising?

I studied fine art and majored in painting, before then I wrote and drew comic books, later on I studied digital media. But I have always been a pop culture junkie – advertising was the only avenue that allowed me to aggregate it all.

How does Nigeria inspire you creatively?

I believe insights are everywhere. We just look for them, and find ways to let them inspire us within the context of the briefs we get. On the daily commute, some hilarious act might just pop up, and become useful in the brainstorming session the next day. Memes and epic clapbacks are also common here, and they form a way of gauging the pulse of the netizens and how best to speak to them.

What is the campaign you are proudest of helping to create?

That would be the Airtel 10x campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpX5wqb0jI8

The telecommunication space had recently experienced a saturation of promotions skewed at luring subscribers to switch network providers or spend more to get a lot more on the network.

So how do we connect subscribers with our promotion in a quarter where consumers have offers larger than ours, and still keep brand love for new and existing subscribers without losing the essence of the festive season?

Naturally people with more airtime talk longer, like our mothers when they get hold of abundant credit and want to show their gratitude. That insight was then tied to the fact that African mothers love to pray for their wards. These insights became the TV spot, ‘Prayer Warrior (Amin)’, which just won the Grand Cristal at the African Cristal Festival in Morocco catapulting Noah’s Ark to the Agency of the Year position. But what was most exciting for us was the reception of the campaign. Nigerians were for once happy that a local truth was being used to reach out to them.

* Bolaji Alausa will present ‘Culture, Creativity and the African Continent’ on Thursday 23rd August at AD STARS 2018 in Busan, Korea.