Marketing: Media agencies see prospects in electricity sector

Media agencies, including creative adverting, media buying and PR agencies who are always in search of new areas to earn income, have turned to electricity sector where new opportunities appear to be emerging.

Discussing with BusinessDay, a top advertising practitioner says agencies are approaching some companies who have invested in the electricity sector to handle their marketing business. It is gathered that the Discos and Gencos are also willing to work with the agencies for positioning, especially as the electricity supply has not been improving quickly according to public expectation.

In the view of some analysts, the new investors need constant interface with the public to explain issues to them.

Part of the strategies by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration to achieve 40,000 mega watts generation capacity in the next eight years as promised is to allow private sector participation in the country’s power sector.

The new discovery and shift in the interests of marketing agencies to electricity firms, according to sources, is informed by an attempt to break new ground as some juicy organisations are already been served by some media agencies.

“We have moved from manufacturing sector to banking, telecoms and now we are looking at the companies in the electricity sector where we think things will happen. There are opportunities there, especially as government demonstrates zeal to find solution to the challenges in the power sector,” a source says.

Over the years, Nigerians have lived with inadequate electricity supply, a situation that has “created a lot of economic difficulties.” Experts say the gains derivable from constant power supply are enormous as “increase in power supply will attract new industries to produce goods for Nigeria’s enormous market, absorbing thousands into the country’s labour force. Industries will expand production as there will be greater demand for goods and services that would become more affordable due to lower production costs.”