George-Taylor: Hill+Knowlton Acquisition Will Boost Diversification of Risk

Chief Executive Officer of Skot Communications, Tokunbo George-Taylor, who recently acquired a global Public Relations firm, Hill+Knowlton Nigeria, which she formerly presided, speaks on the future of PR in Nigeria and why her new agency entered a strategic asset and business transfer agreement with H+K Raheem Akingbolu brings the excerpts.

Many experts have predicted that this year will offer Public Relations a lot of engagement from both private and public sectors. Do you share the view?

My answer will definitely not be a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ because the question of whether Public Relations business will boom or not, depends on many factors. But if we consider the current situation in the country, vis-a-vis political stability and growing awareness about the power of public relations and its contribution to PR, one can boldly say the future is bright. Again, if we look at the effort being made by the current administration to restructure the economy, it will be difficult to do that effectively without infusing some PR solutions and tips in 2024 to sustain confidence in the market and earn a good image.

Let me take a trip down memory lane. When Public Relations started here, it wasn’t as strong as Advertising. If you asked an average Nigerian then, he or she would tell you it’s all about putting adverts in the paper. People never understood what the practice was all about. But, over the years, the practice has evolved. PR professionals have found their niche, and they are doing the job excellently well.

What I see now is businesses. No matter how small, they are beginning to appreciate PR whether it’s advocacy, listing a product, profiling your brand, or executive profiling. People are now seeing that PR is extremely important to their business. Before, it used to be the multinationals that leveraged the opportunities provided by PR to enhance their businesses. But, today, we see a lot of Nigerian companies, knocking at the door saying ‘We want PR’. So, I think the space has opened up, even the government has seen what having a good PR strategy is capable of achieving.

Specifically, what do you think the new year has for PR?

I’m confident that Public Relations practice in Nigeria will continue to grow based on its relevance and importance to the activation of brands. My belief is premised on the increased deployment of public relations by both small and big organisations and individuals for awareness creation and activation of voice.

From now on, we are probably going to be seeing more use of local PR professionals by the public and private sector, especially from the public sector. The new regime, at the centre, is likely to engage more local PR professionals to tell their stories. For businesses this year, what is going to happen is that individual executives, desirous of enhancing their careers may also court the profession in the new year. So I  think the PR business is really going to transform. Before, people did not see value. But now they can clearly see the value that it offers.

Can you shed light on what informed the acquisition of  Hill+Knowlton (H+K) Nigeria by the newly established Skot Communications?

Hill+Knowlton, a Public Relations agency, had been around in Nigeria for some time. At the beginning, the global firm looked at the market dynamics, and wanted to concentrate more on some other regions. As the pioneer Managing Director of the agency for nine years, I wanted more and sought for more by starting my own business. So, it was an opportunity for me to acquire and start my own PR agency when the strategic asset and business deal came up; an opportunity for me to expand.  Interestingly, some of the things you are seeing now, such as the logo, were created years ago in anticipation of this day.

Considering the fact that H+K appeared to be doing well, what is the major significance of this acquisition? What new thing are you bringing to the table?

I can confidently say that I have seen both sides of the coin. The experience garnered over the years, within and outside H+K has given me the expertise, exposure, knowledge and the know-how to be able to run Skot Communications. For me, it’s a dream come true. Besides, it’s a beautiful transaction because it’s a business and asset transaction, which means that all their clients, all their employees, are transferred to our new outfit, Skot Communications. So, we are not losing anything from the transaction, and they too are losing nothing. We are not starting from ground zero, and the good news is that none of the members of staff resigned, and none of them will be affected by the new arrangement. It’s a very virile, hardworking and potent workforce, and they were all with me during the H&K days. Besides, none of the clients left, they are all happy to transfer their contracts to Skot Communications because of the trust they have in the team. So, it’s a very interesting journey, and we believe we are building on an existing legacy and expanding on it. 

From H+K to Skot Communications, what measures are you putting in place to integrate the new brand into the market?

We want to be positioned as the voice, the reason being that voice is that one thing that every human being has. It is such a powerful thing for any individual or group. If there is no voice, everywhere will be silent. But with a voice, we believe anything is possible. So what we are here to do is to define your voice and define your messages. It is about connecting you with your audience, using your voice, and in that voice, your strategy, your messaging, and your connection with those people will come out. It’s a new start for us, but the good thing is that we have the experience. We know the landscape, even globally, because we have never operated as a local company. Though we are in Nigeria, we do West Africa as well, and we have a lot of clients there.

No factors really. The agency still exists in other African markets, South Africa and others. It only looked at the market dynamics in Nigeria, and felt it should focus more on some of these other countries for the long-term, in tune with its business operations. Fortunately, a willing buyer was also available. Remember, some of these clients are not only in Nigeria, but across sub-Sahara Africa. So they also had to be careful that whoever was buying would be able to guarantee some form of continuity for these clients. That was why the clients were very comfortable when we decided to buy out the company because they knew they would be dealing with somebody that knows the business. There had been that existing trust in the leadership and the capacity of the leadership. So there was that comfort and trust in that continuity of their business. But I believe there is still that existence of H+K through Skot Communications, in Nigeria. There is also an informal agreement that any business that comes to H&K that has Nigerian needs will be brought to us.

QUOTES

“No matter how small, they are beginning to appreciate PR whether it’s advocacy, listing a product, profiling your brand, or executive profiling. People are now seeing that PR is extremely important to their business. Before, it used to be the multinationals that leveraged the opportunities provided by PR to enhance their businesses. But, today, we see a lot of Nigerian companies, knocking at the door saying ‘We want PR’. So, I think the space has opened up, even the government has seen what having a good PR strategy is capable of achieving.”

“At the beginning, the global firm looked at the market dynamics, and wanted to concentrate more on some other regions. As the pioneer Managing Director of the agency for nine years, I wanted more and sought for more by starting my own business. So, it was an opportunity for me to acquire and start my own PR agency when the strategic asset and business deal came up; an opportunity for me to expand.  Interestingly, some of the things you are seeing now, such as the logo, were created years ago in anticipation of this day.”