Marketers Urged to Seek Technological Innovation

Raheem Akingbolu

Speakers at the final phase of Nigeria’s first marketing and media Hackathon tagged ‘MarkHack 1.0’ have taken a cue of how technology is disrupting other sectors to call on marketers to seek technological innovation to also disrupt marketing landscape in Nigeria.

Seeing how technology has disrupted other global industries, Founder of Eko Innovation Centre, and Curator MarkHack 1.0, Victor Afolabi, believed that the marketing and media industry in Nigeria was ripe for disruption.

“It is either we collaborate with stakeholders in the industry to create the disruption we anticipate or we allow disruption to happen to us”, he said at the event where LiveBIc, which comprised Shadrach Akao and Ernest Ogbanefe emerged the overall winners from a list of 10 finalists involved in the pitch at the finals of the hackathon.

Similarly, in a chat, the CEO and Head of Growth, Identiture Africa, Franklin Ozekhome; CEO/Chairman, Loatsad Promo media, Seyi Tinubu; and Head of Marketing, Wakanow, MuyiwaAleshinloye, called on marketers to take advantage of technology to grow their brands as Metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, and others are being deployed to ease business operations.

Also speaking, the President of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), IdorenyenEnang, while delivering his keynote address at the event, urged marketers to continue to innovate, and know how to use their channels effectively.

Other winners include, Sprayme that clinched the second position and $4,000 prize money for innovating a new way for social gifting and content monetization; Reelbuzz emerged the third winner with $3,000 for creating an intuitive platform that helps brands connect and command higher brand loyalty; Innovatoras took the fourth position as well as $2,000 prize money for directing the leads for businesses and turning them to paying customers and Monify Cookies, fifth position with $1,000 for developing a browser tool that provides its users the ability to block all unsolicited ads and earn money from allowed ads. 

Producer, Rogers Ofime, also had multiple wins in the categories; Best Television Series for The Mystic River, Best Indigenous Language Movie (Hausa) for Voiceless and Best Africa Magic Original Comedy Series for The Johnsons.