Future Belongs to Agencies That Solve Problems, Not Produce More Ads’ –Akinwunmi ‘Nobody Owes Advertising Agencies Relevance’ –Prima Garnet CEO
Group Chief Executive Officer of Prima Garnet Africa, Mr. ’Lolu Akinwunmi, has challenged advertising agencies in Nigeria to reinvent themselves and continually demonstrate their relevance as Artificial Intelligence (AI) transforms the marketing communications industry.
Akinwunmi stated that nobody, including clients, consumers or the market owe advertising agencies continued relevance, stressing that agencies must constantly earn their place by creating strategic, measurable and sustainable value.
He stated this while speaking at the 2026 Annual Brands and Marketing Conference of the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN) in Lagos, themed “Advertising in Nigeria and AI: Who Needs Creative Agencies Anyways?”
Akinwunmi, who has spent more than four decades in the advertising industry, described the conference theme as a timely and consequential question that required serious reflection rather than a defensive response from practitioners.
According to him, advertising agencies historically occupied a central position in the marketing communications process because clients depended on them for strategic planning, creative development, production expertise, media knowledge and consumer research.
He noted, however, that technological advancement had significantly changed the industry, particularly with the emergence of AI.
He said a brand manager sitting in Lagos, Kano or Abuja could now use AI applications to generate advertising concepts, write radio commercials, develop headlines, create images, summarise research, prepare presentations and increasingly produce audio-visual content within minutes.
This development, he said, had raised a fundamental question about the continued value of creative agencies.
Akinwunmi averred that AI would not necessarily make creative agencies obsolete but would compel them to redefine their relevance by moving beyond routine production of advertising materials, noting that the future belonged to agencies capable of providing strategic thinking, consumer understanding, creativity, professional judgment and measurable business value.
“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 submitted.
According to him, the advertising industry had experienced several technological disruptions, including personal computers, desktop publishing, the internet, digital advertising, social media and smartphones.
However, he noted that AI was different because its capabilities cut across virtually every major agency function, including research, consumer analysis, strategic planning, copywriting, design, content development and production.
The Prima Garnet Africa CEO warned that agencies could no longer expect clients to continue paying traditional fees for activities that technology could perform faster and more efficiently.
Akinwunmi, however, stressed that the ability to generate content should not be confused with the ability to produce effective communication.
“Artificial intelligence can make advertising easier to produce. It does not automatically make advertising more effective,” he said.
He gave the example of an AI application generating 50 headlines for a new product within minutes, saying AI could produce numerous alternatives but the critical responsibility remains with the advertising professional to determine which headline best reflect the brand’s positioning, communicate the relevant consumer benefit, differentiate the brand from competitors and remain consistent with its personality 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.
Akinwunmi also urged agencies to stop defining their value solely by the advertising materials they produce, such as television commercials, radio jingles, billboards and newspaper advertisements, saying clients were ultimately interested in business and behavioural outcomes, including increased purchases, consumer trust, improved perceptions and specific actions.
“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,” Akinwunmi stated.
Turning to the media industry, Akinwunmi said brand journalists and other media professionals face similar challenges from AI, noting that AI could generate reports, summarise interviews, transcribe recordings, produce headlines, assist with research and create multimedia content.
However, he said journalists who investigate claims, ask difficult questions, verify information, provide context and explain the significance of developments would continue to have professional value.
