Futuristic oganisations will keep marketing communication budget even in recession, says Timilehin

Young but insightful Timilehin Bello is the CEO of Media Panache, a fast rising Public Relations and digital media agency that berthed a year ago. Since then, the agency has made its mark even in the industry where giants operate. In this interview with BusinessDay, Timilehin who sees Media Panache moving from a fast-rising agency to one of Africa’s most leading PR agencies spoke on a number of issues including impact of recession on companies and PR solutions, need for collaboration among PR practitioners and Nigeria’s image. Excerpts.

Businesses are facing challenges over economic recession, how can PR industry help them out?

There are a number of ways in which PR can help, and that includes significant increase of brand equity in the market through the exertion of PR campaigns as well as promotion of products. If business owners can invest in the effectiveness of good PR, it will bring about favourable ROI, thus keeping them unshaken by the economic recession.

Then why do you think some companies immediately cut marketing budgets when there is recession? Is it that they don’t see the immediate value in PR activity?

I feel that this happens more in this part of the world and the act can be attributed to the fact that numerous organizations don’t vest their marketing strategies or plans on the power of PR. Many feel once their marketing plans are put in place, there really isn’t a need for using PR to engineer those plans. In essence; it all boils down to organizations’ perception of PR in the execution of marketing plans –  organizations that understand the significance and effectiveness of PR in marketing might not necessarily cut down their budget – regardless of recession or not.

How can we measure impact of marketing communication/PR on ROI?

In this day and age of contemporary PR; where PR has evolved from the exertion of traditional media to the exertion of new media –it is a lot easier to measure the impact of PR on ROI. One of the formidable merits of the new media is the advent of social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and the like) – which gives room for instant feedback from target audience and prospective customers. With the feedbacks, one can measure the reach, frequency and impact of a marketing campaign thus, enabling one to accurately measure its impact on ROI.

Are you satisfied with the level of Nigeria’s current image; if not what else can the country do to further build a positive image?

One of the most prevalent perceptions of Nigeria by foreigners (Americans, especially) is; it’s a country that’s arguably the most corrupt nation in Africa, with its people living in penury. Even reputable news organizations (like CNN and BBC) have propagated to their millions of viewers the dolorous state of Nigeria owing to unscrupulous leaders and high-level officials. I really can’t say I’m satisfied with Nigeria’s current image, because frankly; it’s embittering and there’s a lot of work to be done in redeeming our positive image. One of the things the government can do is create vast employment opportunities; and that is because unemployment is one the country’s most deplorable scourges – too many unemployed people are unhappy; thus when asked about the nation’s current state; they mostly have nothing positive to say about the country but verbalize their frustration. If employment is made available on a larger scale; then people can relatively be happy, hence bringing about positivity among Nigerians and as well; projecting a better image beyond the borders.

What are some of the challenges confronting Nigeria’s PR industry today and how can they be tackled?

One of the major challenges of the industry right now is the lack of unified cooperation. In order for Nigeria’s PR industry to grow exponentially, PR agencies need to work hand in hand hence; bringing about relative development and growth of the industry.

You resigned from BHM to form Media Panache, what did you come to do differently?

I made the conscious decision to orchestrate a PR organization that dabbles in remarkable unorthodox approaches in the execution of PR and marketing campaigns, hence exiting Black House Media and the birth of Media Panache Nigeria.

After one year of operation, how will you rate your company and who are your clients?

Although presently fast-rising, the company has grown exponentially over the course of a year – working on some of Nigeria’s most prominent projects / campaigns, some of which include the maiden edition of Ooni of Ife’s Otisese Carnival, 2016 musical concert OLIC 3, launch of freight company Simplified Corporate Logistics and several more. Some of our other clients include Bank of Industry, MTN Foundation, Ali Baba, Bunmi Davies, Skales, Solidstar, Faithia Balogun and a host of others.

When you compare Media Panache with big PR agencies, what would say is your niche/strength?

One of our major strengths is our youthfulness. The Media Panache team is made up of young experts in their early and mid-20s. This gives us an added advantage, considering several established PR agencies are most times made up of elderly people. We push ourselves to limits beyond comprehension which makes us incredibly stout and astute in the face of the challenges the job may pose.