Advertising: SO&U Identifies Creativity, Passion As Component For Success

The chief executive officer, SO&U, Mr Udeme Ufot, said creativity, passion and the right relationship networks are critical components for a successful advertising delivery.

Ufot stated this at the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) Sharing Experience Series with the theme: ‘The Power of Storytelling in Marketing’ held in Lagos.

He noted that advertising work focuses on building relationships between brands and consumers, saying that players in the sector must be able to cultivate meaningful relationships between themselves and their clients.

He added that the power of storytelling no matter the length particularly in the African terrain was critical to driving a good advertising pitch.

“Creativity is innate, as you see opportunity for creativity in every situation. Nothing is more powerful than the human mind particularly in this technologically advanced time that we are in now.

“Artificial Intelligence (AI) would try to deliver but AI cannot feel the way a human would. It can only do a lot to impact the pace of delivery but the real power of creativity is the imagination of the human mind,” he said.

Ufot charged upcoming businesses to understand and harness the three quotients (intelligence, emotional and social) to thrive in the industry, saying “the first step is to immerse yourself with the knowledge of the product, who the consumer is, what they want and would expect from the product you are trying to market and find out how the brand is different from other competing brand.

“To succeed in life, you just have to be a good relationship builder as almost every client and friend you get is on the platform of networking and so must have the skill to cultivate and maintain relationships.”

Ufot urged Nigerians to positively create impressions that would project the right brand for the country in the global space.

The president, NBCC, Mr Ray Atelly said the NBCC Sharing Experience Series was a platform for accomplished leaders in the Organised Private Sector to share their experiences in areas of entrepreneurship fueled by passion, audacity, and innovation.

Atelly described storytelling as one of the oldest, yet most powerful communication tools we have as humans, stating that well-told stories regarding a brand appear to have the potential to influence consumers’ brand experience, which consists of all the sensations, feelings, and behavioural responses evoked by brand-related stimuli that are part of brand’s design and identity.