MediaReach OMD is Nigeria’s leading independent media specialist agency. Founded in 1999, the agency has grown in lips and bound with established network of branch offices spread out across regions of African. The outfit, presently is unarguably West and Central Africa’s Number One independent media agency.
Since commencing business in Nigeria, the agency’s operations were set out with focus on developing and providing world class media planning and buying services to leading international clients across the sub-region.
Going by its mission statement “To be Nigeria’s most professional and reputable media communications agency, MediaReach OMD has no doubt, single handedly revolutionized media practice in Nigeria through initiating best-in-class standards, pioneering measurable world class solutions, focused business that applies evident and data based solutions.
The agency has given direction to the practice of media planning and buying in Nigeria and indeed the West and Central African sub-region by initiating standards to ensure unprecedented high media compliance by media owners and prompt payments for placements implemented.
Within just eighteen months of its operations, MediaReach OMD led the industry in positive directions by championing the launch of media planning data and tools. Amongst the proprietary tools launched by the agency and still in use presently include the ESPRI and Media Star for effective and efficient media plans.
Since 2003, MediaReach OMD appears yet unsatisfied with these accomplishments as it has continuously challenged the dynamics of the market place. Its burning desire to leverage international work tools, talents and ideas led the agency in 2003 to affiliate with OMD, the global media advertising company of Omnicom Group. Omnicom is arguably the world’s largest marketing communications network, with offices in over 80 countries across the world. This affiliation places at the agency’s disposal the global capabilities of OMD to the benefit of its local and international clients and their brands.
The agency is reputed to be the leading media agency in Nigeria and have constantly pioneered thought leadership in the industry through the introduction of syndicated tools, the AMPS and Diaries. It also offers local proprietary tools by conducting researches to gain insights into consumer behavior. OMD Nigeria has bespoken products like the Media Facts Book and the use of global tools like OMNI, OMD Design among others.
With the advent of Covid-19 pandemic that hit businesses across the globe, MediaReach partnered through innovative ideas for brands belonging to their local and global clients. With Covid – 19 came the opportunity to think more emphatically through ideas that would relate with today’s consumers, and drive meaningfulness while connecting with their aspirations. This way, the agency was able to drive the expected value and ensure planned KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) were delivered.
The agency boasts of rich crop of talented and brilliant work force efficiently led by Tolu Ogunkoya, Regional Managing Director of Omnicom Media Group West and Central Africa, with offices in Lagos, Accra and Cameroon and partner offices in 3 other locations across West and Central Africa, overseeing two large Media companies, mediaReach OMD and PHD Media, the biggest media agency network in Nigeria but unarguably in West and Central Africa.
Its numerous state of the art specialist media execution for several of its local and international clients brands has earned the agency excellence recognition awards in course of the year just ended.
These include, Most Pioneering Media Agency-West Africa (MEA 2021 Awards), Media Agency of The Year Award- Pan African Award 2021 (PitcherAward), as well as winning 11 distinct trophies at the Pitcher Awards. Other award wins by the agency are, M&M Global Gold Award 2021 for Kellogg’s Study from Home, #1 Media Agency in Nigeria – RECMA Ranking as well as Silver laurel won in the OMD Light Award.
MediaReach also bagged Media Agency of the Decade Award at the Marketing Edge Awards 2021. In addition, talents in the agency won the 2021 Cannes Young Lions Competition -Media Category for Nigeria including as well Most Outstanding Media Personality of the Year Award at Marketing Edge Awards 2021.
In its comprehensive highlights 2021 IMC industry appraisal, the agency averred, the industry continues to ride on the waves of the economy to thrive or otherwise, and accordingly, it could not be isolated from the general economy.
It stated that, though still recovering from the pandemic that became radically noticeable in early 2020, the GDP of Nigeria was seen to increase in Q2 2021 by 5.01%, while consumer price index (CPI) which measures inflation rate (rate of change in prices) increased by 17.38% (year on year) in July 2021. This, it noted, is 0.18% lower in points as against the 17.75% recorded in June 2021.
“This implies that prices continued to rise but at a slower rate as compared to May. The composite food index rose by 21.83% in June as against 22.28 in May, this implies that food prices continued to rise in June 2021 but slower than it did in May 2021. This suggests that in the following categories, FMCG’s, Dairy, CSD and meat have had a consistent increase in the CPI.
It noted further that the Central Bank of Nigeria currently barred the exchange of foreign exchange by BDCs to reduce the pressure on the nation’s currency, and hopefully, this will help reduce the impact of FOREX volatility on the naira”
Another feat in 2021, the agency noted, was the launch of Digital Switch Over in 5 cities in Nigeria with Lagos joining in April 2021. Broadcasting is embracing innovation in the technology of signal generation, transmission, and reception.
Interestingly, the agency noted, there seems to be a looming ‘war’ among Operators of digital satellite service providers in the country if recent happenings in the Industry is anything to go by. The race for market share and subscriber base in the industry is getting keener in an industry previously dominated by a single provider.
The agency in its report noted that, Nigeria currently has about 3.4million active subscribers which represents 14.5% of the Africa Pay TV market (Source: nairametrics.com).Operators in the Nigerian market includes Multichoice owners of Dstv and Gotv, StarTimes, Daarsat, Consaat, Kwese TV and the new entrant TSTV.
Prior to the coming of TSTV, the industry has enjoyed maximum monopoly which has lasted for more than two decades. Dstv commands the largest market share in Africa with 10.4 million subscribers and 1.5 million subscriber bases in Nigeria, (Source: nairametrics.com).This represents 60% of the Pay TV industry in Nigeria. Cable boosting of sample size on Media Star, the current industry planning tool, will enhance reach of media and account for value for ad spend from advertisers
The agency noted further that, the IMC industry also witnessed the announcement on Thursday November 25th, of a 13-member Task Force to oversee and deliver the Audience Measurement Service on Nigeria Media Platforms. This will help with the development and delivery of audience measurement service on Nigeria Media Platforms to deepen advertising spend, improve the advertising and broadcasting eco-system and increase investment in advertising media content.
According to the agency, “In September 2021, the President granted approval to 159 companies, communities, and institutions of higher learning to operate radio and television stations and it noted that, this will further inject new contents on air and competitive programming within the broadcast industry
“Reviewing the IMC industry, the agency 2021 out- performed 2020 in the sense that brands peaked in-terms of IMC activities in 2021, as saved or ploughed back budgets due to the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020 were deployed in 2021 on media and advertising activities by some advertisers. The period witnessed an increase in sponsorship particularly of big tickets Media assets such as The Voice Nigeria, Nigerian Idol, Big Brother Naija and series of thematic campaigns. IMC thrived better in 2021 versus the IMC scene in 2020 when marketers were thrown into large scale confusion on how best to engage with the equally anxious consumers. The year 2021 unfortunately ended with the outbreak of the Omicron Covid variant noticed in early December, which will further create uncertainty due to restrictions at least the early part of 2022, and marketers would require to think without a box on how best to engage today’s consumer who is consistently needing empathy and brands that are friendly to his/her aspirations and values in addition to brands that can fit into their challenged disposable income”.
