‘Why I am passionate about advertising, marketing, brand management’

Emmanuel Olutokun, who won the Advertising Association of Nigeria’s Future Leader in Marketing Award 2014, has stated how the compulsory industrial training (IT) attachment required by his school was instrumental to his victory at the competition.

A graduate of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, who majors in public relations and advertising, said, “I had my media attachment at LTC-JWT, where I had the opportunity to work on top rated brands which include Microsoft and LG.”

According to him, working at the strategy department accorded him access to a series of brainstorming sessions. He added, “while at the department, I was privileged to work on some accounts like Microsoft, Ford and GSK, and for a young mind like me, who has passion for marketing and advertising, LTC-JWT proved to be a good moulding and training ground for me.

I remember that the first thing my supervisor at the company told me then was that I was not here to run errands or buy food for anybody.

She made it clear that I was there to learn and I am glad I did.” Olutokun attributed his victory to divine grace, as the competition happened during his final year at the university, and he was the project supervisor of the Academic Summit 5.0.

Time was a luxury that he couldn’t afford, but thanks to his close friend Dolapo, who kept pushing and encouraging him to sign up for the competition. “I eventually submitted the little I could do an hour to deadline; I was surprised when I was called for an interview because I only did a fraction of what I would have done if I had time.”

He beat 19 other competitors from University of Lagos and other universities to emerge the winner.

He excitedly gushed, “words could not express how I felt clinching the first prize, but I felt very happy, grateful, and proud and inspired to do more.”

Though Olutokun is still in his developmental stage in marketing, he intends to get equipped and stay relevant and be able to express his passion. “I will possibly get more experience on the agency side and move up the ladder as the CMO of an FMCG on the client side,” he said.

He also noted that one of the problems facing advertising agencies is the traffic of consumers to digital platforms, noting, “Today’s consumers literally live on their mobile devices, and this paradigm shift poses a big threat to the existence of traditional agencies.

Many still find it hard to relate with the shift or meet up with marketing demands.” Olutokun is a Youth Corps member currently serving in Edo State, as a teacher. “I would have jumped at the opportunity of redeployment, knowing the opportunities that await me in Lagos, but I was moved by the amount of raw diamonds and jewels waiting to be polished in this state (Edo).”

His advised young ones looking up to him to have guts and God, adding, “believe in God and believe in yourself; get yourself developed and let passion drive you!”