This week on ADMARP One-on-One, we had the utmost pleasure of hosting renowned DOOH guru, Wale Adegoke, who sits as the CEO of Nimbus Media Ltd, Nigeria’s leading out-of-home advertising service provider, and Convener of the Nimbus Aid Project, a corporate social responsibility effort in which the company gives back to the community by offering eligible startups and SMEs one month of free advertising on its digital advertising boards.
ADMARP: Did you choose advertising or did advertising choose you?
ADEGOKE: I believe advertising chose me. I displayed a talent for the arts when I was younger. Both as a child and as an adult, I was impressed by the inventiveness exhibited by the numerous advertising firms I encountered while traveling, especially the materials seen in malls/airports, and I wanted to convey it to the Nigerian market. This ultimately led to the idea of starting a marketing business similar to others I had seen abroad. Along the route to finding my dream career, I also came across the Harvard Business Review book “Marketing,” which piqued my interest in advertising and got me fascinated by the idea of coming up with creative methods to influence people’s perceptions of a product. Hence my strong conviction that advertising chose me.
ADMARP: What are you afraid of the most?
ADEGOKE: I worry about getting struck in the head. Given that my intellect is one of my greatest assets, I would go to any lengths to prevent getting smacked in the head. Since the brain serves as the body’s primary computer, it seems sensible to take all reasonable precautions to keep it safe. My intellect is where all of my creative juice comes from, so the idea of anything happening to my brain terrifies me. Beautiful as it is, the intellect needs to be defended at all costs. We are a mirror of our thoughts and the information we absorb.
ADMARP: What is your greatest weakness?
ADEGOKE: Jeeez…. In all honesty, I think I care too much. Being an empath may be really taxing at times since there are situations where you need to be more detached and unsentimental, which can be a little challenging, and frequently results in others taking advantage of you. On the other hand, I believe empaths are the toughest individuals since it isn’t easy to bear both your own and another person’s burdens. I think it makes you tougher.
ADMARP: What is the idea of you people have that is quite contrary to who you really are?
ADEGOKE: Well, people think I am a snobbish, rigid individual, but I’m not. I’m quite happy to have a chat with anyone. In fact, those that know me may go as far as exploiting the fact that they know I’m one of the most friendly outgoing people once they get to know me. So, in the words of the music maestro, Wizkid “If you see me drive by, Holla at your boy”
ADMARP: What can you describe as the most groundbreaking moment/period in your career journey?
ADEGOKE: My transition from the engineering sector (Construction) to the media was, in my opinion, a turning point in my professional life since it was at that time that I encountered my first failure in the advertising sector. This really influenced the growth of some of the skill sets I currently possess and inspired me to learn more about advertising. I met my cofounder who was the son of a real estate practitioner who was at the time a member of the team in charge of marketing the burned-down Tejuosho shopping mall. We both worked in the built environment sector at the time. I swiftly seized the opportunity of being in such close proximity to a key project like the Tejuosho renovation. Unfortunately, neither my colleague nor I were successful in executing the Tejuosho project, but we did gain knowledge and experience. Following this modest setback, we began to expand to other shopping malls, which eventually led to the opening of our first concession at Ikeja City Mall.
ADMARP: What is your favorite food?
ADEGOKE: “Variety is the spice of life”, as the saying goes. I believe I took the adage a little too seriously because my highly experimental palate prevents me from declaring any certain meal as my favorite. I’m spoilt for choice here…Okay, if I had to be absolutely particular, I’d say I love meat a lot. from kebabs, meat sandwiches, Spaghetti meatballs, and goat meat, among other things. Basically, any dish where the primary ingredient is meat.
ADMARP: What food do you think is the most overrated?
ADEGOKE: Wow…This is a tricky one. Hope I don’t get dragged on the treacherous streets of Twitter or Instagram. But I would say Jollof Rice. It’s too easy of a dish to warrant all the fuss. From the online battles between Naija Jollof against Ghanaian, Senegalese, and Togolese Jollof. All these debates on which country has the best Jollof. Just for rice that is simply made with pepper and stock. There are other types of rice that have a more complex preparation process and taste better.
ADMARP: Tell us something, an unpopular opinion about marketing that you think people should embrace more?
ADEGOKE: I firmly believe that marketing should be ingrained in every aspect of a business. It is an essential component of every business. Many businesses attempt to shun or minimize its value. You can’t just put marketing in a box in business, any more than you can minimize finance in any business. Marketing should be the day-to-day currency of any business.
ADMARP: If you weren’t an advertiser, what would you have done differently in life?
ADEGOKE: I guess a DJ because of my love for music….lol
I think I would have worked as an architect or designer. Something innovative and very profitable. I have always enjoyed sketching and creating, and I was motivated to make my own by the visual appeal of other people’s work. I recall making it to the finals of the Mobil fine art competition when I was younger. My love for artistic expression through sketching and design is the source of all of this.
ADMARP: What state are you from?
ADEGOKE: A proud Yoruba boy who hails from Ondo State.
ADMARP: Who is your bestie in the industry?
ADEGOKE: Definitely Funmilade Alalade of Elev8media . We both have a couple of things in common. He’s been very supportive and also a healthy competitor in the industry.
ADMARP One-on-One is a fresh-out-of-the-box initiative and systematic approach towards understanding our members, getting others to know them beyond the obvious, and helping them strike a business/life balance.
