AI: Akinwunmi charges ad agencies to constantly prove their relevance
Advertising agencies must continue to prove their relevance if they must remain valuable to the industry says ’Lolu Akinwunmi, Group Chief Executive Officer, Prima Garnet Africa.
Akinwunmi, whose effort contributed to shape the advertising industry to what it is today, 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, especially in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
He challenged advertising agencies in Nigeria to reinvent themselves and continually demonstrate their relevance as Artificial Intelligence (AI) transforms the marketing communications industry.
Speaking at the 2026 Annual Brands and Marketing Conference powered by the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN) in Lagos on November 6, 2026, Akinwunmi said consumers are only interested in solution and any agencies that constantly bring solution will always remain relevant to the consumers and the market in general.
He described the conference with theme, “Advertising in Nigeria and AI: Who Needs Creative Agencies Anyways?” 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.
* (L-R) Yinka Adebayo, Executive Director, Media Investment, MediaReach OMG WeCA; Dr. Dare Ogunyombo, Senior Lecturer, Department of Mass Communications, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye; Tolulope Medebem, EXMAN President and Lead Consultant, Aster Integrated Marketing Ltd; Daniel Obi, BJAN Chairman; Dr. Seyi Akindeinde, Founder/Chief Executive, Hyperspace Technologies and; George Isitua-Onukwu, CEO, TBWA/Concept.
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