At 10th anniversary, Noah’s Ark seeks talented professionals

It was pomp and pageantry in Lagos recently when Noah’s Ark marked its 10th year of existence.

Its Chief Executive Officer, Lanre Adisan, stressed the need to groom talented professionals in the industry. He said one key thing that could threaten the future of advertising is the dearth of talent.

“Nigeria abounds with a lot of energetic young men seeking platforms that can allow them express their talent,” he noted.

Tagged ‘Noah’s Ark 10 Creative Safari,’ Adisa stated that though the industry is not bereft of ideas on what is required to attract and groom talents, efforts were yet to translate to meaningful action.

According to him, “We cannot wait anymore. Each and every one of us must find ways of bridging this gap.

It is for this reason that our agency is embarking on a talent development scheme called ‘The Animal Farm,’ an internship/traineeship programme that seeks to attract and groom the next generation of creative animals, not just for our Group, but for our industry.

While this will take off with baby steps within our group for now, we hope it grows into something bigger in the not-too distant future.

“We definitely need to rethink our business models. We need to open our minds to unlearning some old things while we embrace new thinking. While we celebrate the things that push us to take that flight of brilliance. We should also worry about the things that threaten to pull us down.”

He acknowledged that the industry today keeps getting fragmented with disciplines no one ever thought was possible, as more procurement departments are assuming more power over marketing with concomitant consequences on the creative business.

“Today, the management consultants are not content with just taking our lunch,” he said.

“We may jolly well kiss our breakfast and dinner goodbye. How do we future-proof our business? How do we ensure relevance for our business? How do we ensure the continued existence of our business?” 

Guest speaker, Thomas Kolster, noted that in creating successful brands in today’s world, “it is necessary to take into cognisance the climatic change, sustainability, urbanization, and economic shift and digitalization.

Brands should also be created for legacy purpose, and must be integrated into what people are doing.”
 
Kolster noted that values must go with brands, as good brands seek to educate and strive to make the environment better.