Udeme Ufot urges collaboration, ethics, innovation to transform Nigeria’s marketing industry

Group Managing Director, SO&U, Udeme Ufot, has urged stakeholders in Nigeria’s marketing space to embrace stronger collaboration, ethical practices, and bold innovation as vital steps to unlocking brand growth and advancing the industry.
Speaking as Chairman at the maiden edition of The Brand Handlers Summit and Awards, themed *“Advancing Nigeria’s Marketing Ecosystem to Drive Brand Growth,”* Ufot described Nigeria’s marketing industry as one filled with potential but hindered by fragmentation and weak structures.
He observed that despite its youthful population, digital opportunities, and internationally recognised creative work, the sector struggles with gaps in trust, limited cooperation, and inadequate investment in capacity building.
“The Nigerian marketing ecosystem is alive, dynamic, and evolving before our eyes. Yet, if we are honest, its state today is a paradox – vibrant but fragmented, creative but inconsistent, promising but underperforming,” Ufot stated.

He emphasised that the strength of the ecosystem lies not in isolated achievements but in the ability of brands, agencies, media, regulators, academia, and consumers to work together. He called on brands to treat agencies as partners in value creation, regulators as co-drivers of growth, and media as credible allies in shaping impactful campaigns.
Highlighting the fast-changing role of technology, Ufot stressed the importance of equipping professionals with future-ready skills to thrive in a landscape shaped by artificial intelligence, data-driven marketing, and evolving consumer expectations. “If talent is the currency of modern marketing, then Nigeria must mint it in abundance,” he said, adding that industry players, universities, and institutes must collaborate to build the next generation of marketers.
He further noted that while technology is a powerful enabler of creativity, ethics and professionalism remain the bedrock of sustainable growth. “Trust is the foundation upon which marketing rests. Without it, even the most brilliant campaigns will collapse,” he warned.
Ufot urged practitioners to leverage Nigeria’s cultural richness—its language, humour, and aspirations—as unique strengths that can resonate locally and attract global admiration. “Our identity is not a weakness to be hidden; it is a strength to be celebrated,” he declared.
He concluded by reminding the industry of its central role in economic growth and nation-building, insisting that marketing should no longer be seen as peripheral. “Nigeria has everything it needs: creativity, resilience, diversity, and a population of over 200 million people with aspirations that drive demand. What is required now is alignment, purpose, and bold action,” he said.
The inaugural Brand Handlers Summit and Awards convened leading voices in marketing, advertising, and media to foster collaboration, raise industry standards, and celebrate excellence across the sector.
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