Joshua Olatunji Olugbodi, is indeed a household name in the marketing communications industry. His professional expertise is recognized in the sector, where the Fellow of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria has honed his skills and has truly put his endowments into profitable use over the years. Highly respected as a worthy member of the top echelon of the profession, Tunji, in this 20-minutes interview with the Editor, FOLORUNSHO HAMSAT, shares his passion for his job, life as a leader and family man. Excerpt…
Please, share the circumstances behind your moving from journalism into Public Relations job, though the link is normal
I will say the circumstances were fortuitous and providential. I came to realize that with time, my core interest in building a direct career in journalism was waning for three reasons:
First, Journalism requires a high degree of discretion and circumspection that can be potentially negative. For instance, you are not necessarily able to dish out all the “facts” the way you know them to the public, for several reasons. This can be frustrating. Second, I did not think journalists were getting a fair deal in overall terms. Many in the establishment see journalists as ‘necessary evils’ that must be kept close and micro managed – more out of fear and loathe, rather than respect for their professionalism and competence. I say ‘establishment’ discretionally to cover both public and private enterprise. In some situations, this affected things like welfare, perception, treatment, career path and over job satisfaction of profession. Third was that I was really a sojourner of sorts, always open and willing to experiment. I had originally wanted the academia, but along came journalism. Moving into marketing communications was a way of further exploring the wider platform of information management and content dissemination.
What’s the uniqueness of Verdant Zeal?
We run in dictate of the need state of our clients and the market. This speaks dynamism and contemporary resonance at all times. This gave birth to key pivots on which we operate – On Time, On Budget and On Strategy, otherwise christened OTOBOS. We believe strongly in new value streams always. We open new grounds for opportunities to thrive.
You are a Fellow of APCON and a board member of AAAN, how helpful have these two bodies been to your driving Verdant Zeal and, generally, to the success drives of advertising experts?
By the way, I am an Executive Board Member of AAAN and I did serve as the pioneer chairman of LAIF (Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival). These bodies play significant regulatory, professional and corporate governance roles in the advertising industry. For instance, they do facilitate and negotiate comfortable policies that help stabilize and protect the industry. There are no preferential treatments; I would say we enjoyed the same benefits like others under the umbrella of these two organizations. A case in point is the industry reform that has enjoyed some acclaim generally. Clearly, they have been helpful in helping the industry mature over time, although there is still lot of work to be done.
Would you like to share one of your most challenging moments on the PR and advertising jobs?
Everyday is a challenge because no two briefs are the same, even if similar. Second is that we have trained ourselves to always see challenges as stepping stones and not an end in themselves. More important is that we are given to planning and strategy. This way, nothing is likely to happen that could not have been envisaged – whether we are talking soft or hard issues. I am an apostle of ‘Plan B, Plan C …” So as a person, I generally never allow issues to catch me by surprise. We have had impossible deadlines – like doing a full blown multi million naira campaign across all channels and platforms, with a massive eventing component, outside Lagos in about five days. And we made a big success of it. Operational and logistical challenges don’t come in stiffer. But we always surmount it all. In all honesty, what can be termed as challenges are part of everyday issues that any on- going concern must always micro manage and contend with on a day-to-day basis. We can talk of a horde of issues that businesses face in an inclement climate such as we have now.
As a stakeholder, would you like to share some new trends that you think should be watched in terms of growing the advertising industry?
Yes, there are quite a few, but I can mention the need to understand and utilize digital tech more in designing consumer solutions. These days, we talk about content, we talk programmatic, we talk augmented reality, we talk consumerism and new markets, emerging ecosystems that are a lot more nimble, more itinerant, better informed and awash with more value driven options than at any other time. Herein lays the challenge for marketing and communication specialists: How do we enhance the brand experience for the average consumer today? How do we win the heads and hearts of a moving target?
What do you think attracts people to you especially, with the high-level contacts and goodwill that you’ve built over the years?
Four things basically: Integrity, competence, sense of purpose and the God factor. I believe strongly there is not much that can be done or achieved when you run on your own steam by trying to diminish God’s influence.
How do you keep fit and how do you relax, given the nature of your job that takes most of your time?
I am growing to be a fan of the gym – I try for three times a week for exercise. I read, I listen to music and I do vision scoping by daydreaming. I am a dreamer. I am also big on biographies.
Please, share some childhood pranks that you can recall.
I come from a male dominant family – eight boys, one girl who incidentally is also the last born. Our house was therefore a usually boisterous if not combustible environment. Imagine the type of energy in that house! I had my fair share of being part of the daily chaos in a manner of speaking.
You are also an entrepreneur, please, what from your perspective does it require to be a super success in business?
Three things are the key, in my view: First is understanding your market thoroughly- the competitive landscape, consumer need, pricing etc. This is with a view to creating a high ground and differentiation through value. Second is the need and ability to plan in an anticipatory manner. This will keep you steps ahead of market forces and economic dynamics. It will help you with time to be able to forecast and plot a useful road map or route to market depending on the nature of your product or service. Third for me is never to make money the primary basis of any enterprise. Do not get me wrong – profit is the reason we are in business, but profit may not be defined exclusively in financial terms. It is important therefore to look at the bigger picture from a super ordinate angle. This allows for focus, discipline, traction and above all, social relevance of the organization within the society. In essence, it goes beyond winning heads and hearts – we are talking real opportunity to bond based on positive acclaim and recognition.
Are there philanthropic pursuits that you are very active in at the moment, or do you run a kind of Foundation in your name that gives back to the society?
I am a firm believer in the social relevance of businesses to the society. You cannot have impact unless you engage and offer unsolicited interventions. It should not be surprising therefore that as Verdant Zeal, we have what we call the Good Cheer Initiative (GCI) under which we have a relationship and offer modest assistance to seven organizations. These include Spinal Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria (SCIAN), Sickle Cell Initiative of Nigeria, Children’s Development Centre (CDC), Federal Nigerian Society for the Blind (FNSB), Livewell Initiative, Wesley School, Pacelli School and Atunda Olu School. My other endeavors also take cognizance of this need and we follow suit in different ways.
What interesting moments with your family would you like to share with us?
There are many. Bonding is essential to keep family units strong and stable. My fond moments are vacation periods local or international. Get time to talk (and gist), catch up on what’s new etc. This is priceless.
You travel a lot. Where do you like most for vacation with your family, locally and abroad?
I’m fairly pragmatic when it comes to choice of holiday destination. Same goes for my wife. Never guided by Western Bandwagon ‘summer’ effect etc. We enjoy holidays all over – we are as comfortable as spending time in Osogbo as we would in Accra, Abidjan, Lome, Dakar, Milton Keynes, Providence, Banjul, Boston, London, Dubai, Johannesburg or Istanbul. It is the experience that matters. And learning new things or taking historical excursions. We have been to many countries in West Africa and the similarity in terms of the slavery experience is striking! With the downturn in the economy, Ikogosi appears a good spot, as should Obudu cattle ranch!
How does the internet/digital revolution impact on the advertising industry, especially in Africa?
Greatly. It has brought convergence, energized conversations in more ways than one and founded strong convenience for the average person. With internet penetration getting better, enhanced bandwidth and high tele-density, the sky is no longer the limit in terms of possibilities, options and choices. Advertising is morphing in the wider communication sphere and we have no choice but to become masters of emerging habits. For instance, a lot more get done through devices these days than ever before. Commercials are shot today, not for placement on terrestrial TV, but to be shared via social platforms like YouTube. A recent report showed YouTube offering better ROIs than placement on TV.
What’s your favourite song, food and designer brand?
My most favorite song or hymn is, ‘Trials Dark On Every Hand.’
I love hymns, Christian hymns. They fit my mood anytime. This, I believe is strongly influenced by my formative years in secondary school, attending Baptist colleges for school cert and HSC. I also appreciate gifted song writers and musicians, especially classical.
My food orientation and taste buds have changed over time but I have discovered that as one grows older, lighter foods are in vogue. I like amala these days… soft and hot with the complete works (gbegiri and ewedu). I have been delivered of eating rice 24/7!
I am not great on designer brands although I appreciate the value of some. I am more of a pragmatist. I buy what brings me comfort and not because of the name or price tag. Style is organic and eternal. Yorubas say “gele o dun bi ka moo we. Ka mo we o so wi pe ko yeni”. Translation: Your look is not necessary enhanced by how expensive your apparel is.
What’s the next big thing coming from Verdant Zeal?
The next big thing will see us widening our sphere of influence and capabilities through digital platforms. It’s cooking…watch this space!
