Group Chief Executive Officer of Prima Garnet Africa, Mr ’Lolu Akinwunmi, has challenged advertising agencies in Nigeria to reinvent their business models and demonstrate greater value as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the marketing communications industry.
Akinwunmi said clients, consumers and the wider market owed advertising agencies no obligation to remain relevant, insisting that practitioners must continually earn their place through strategic thinking, creativity and measurable business outcomes.
Also read: ARCON DG warns AI cannot replace human creativity in advertising
He made the remarks at the 2026 Annual Brands and Marketing Conference organised by the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN) in Lagos, under the theme, “Advertising in Nigeria and AI: Who Needs Creative Agencies Anyways?”
Drawing on more than four decades of experience in the advertising industry, Akinwunmi described the conference theme as an important question that required honest reflection rather than defensive arguments from advertising professionals.
He recalled that agencies traditionally occupied a central position in marketing communications because businesses depended on them for strategic planning, creative development, production, media expertise and consumer research.
However, he noted that advances in technology had changed the relationship between brands and advertising agencies, allowing brand managers to perform several tasks independently with AI applications.
According to him, a brand manager in Lagos, Kano or Abuja can now use AI tools to generate campaign concepts, write radio commercials, develop headlines, create images, summarise research and prepare presentations within minutes.
He said this growing accessibility of creative technology had placed pressure on agencies to explain what additional value they offer beyond producing advertising materials.
“The future belongs not necessarily to agencies that produce more communication, but to those that demonstrate a greater capacity to solve problems and build brands,” he said.
Akinwunmi acknowledged that the industry had experienced previous technological disruptions, including personal computers, desktop publishing, the internet, digital advertising, social media and smartphones.
However, he argued that AI represented a broader transformation because it could influence almost every major agency function, from research and consumer analysis to strategic planning, copywriting, design and production.
He warned that agencies could no longer expect clients to continue paying traditional fees for routine activities that AI could perform faster and more efficiently.
Nevertheless, he cautioned against equating the ability to generate content with the ability to create effective advertising.
“Artificial intelligence can make advertising easier to produce. It does not automatically make advertising more effective,” he said.
Using the example of an AI tool generating 50 headlines for a new product within minutes, Akinwunmi explained that the technology could provide multiple options but could not remove the professional responsibility of determining which one best serves the brand.
He said advertising practitioners must assess whether a proposed headline reflects the brand’s positioning, communicates the right consumer benefit, differentiates the product from competitors and remains consistent with its identity and values.
“While artificial intelligence can generate alternatives, the responsibility for selecting the most appropriate course of action remains a matter of human professional judgment,” he added.
The Prima Garnet Africa chief executive also urged agencies to stop measuring their relevance primarily by the volume of materials they produce, including television commercials, radio jingles, billboards and newspaper advertisements.
He argued that clients were more interested in business and behavioural outcomes, such as increased sales, stronger consumer trust, improved brand perception and meaningful customer engagement.
“The agency of the future, or maybe I should say the agency of the now and the future, must not merely be a factory that produces communication. It must be an organisation that thinks, questions, interprets and solves problems,” he stated.
Extending his argument to the media industry, Akinwunmi said journalists and brand communication professionals were also facing disruption from AI tools capable of generating reports, summarising interviews, transcribing recordings, preparing headlines and assisting with research.
However, he maintained that journalists who investigate claims, ask difficult questions, verify information, provide context and explain the significance of developments would continue to offer professional value.
His remarks added to the wider industry conversation about the future of advertising agencies and the responsibilities of creative professionals as AI becomes increasingly integrated into marketing and communications.
Also read: ARCON DG warns AI cannot replace human creativity in advertising
The BJAN conference brought together advertising practitioners, brand journalists, media professionals and other stakeholders to examine how emerging technologies are changing the Nigerian advertising and brand communication landscape.
