Broadcasting
What does the future of working in advertising look like?
By Stanislaus Martins, Aleph’s Managing Director for West Africa
If you work in advertising or are considering a career in the field, there’s a good chance you’ve wondered what the industry’s future will look like. And with the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies, that speculation is more relevant than ever.
Stanislaus Martins, Aleph’s Managing Director for West Africa
Will tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot eventually become so sophisticated that they replace copywriters, designers, and illustrators as some have predicted? And even if they don’t, how will they change the skills required for those positions? Outside of those specific roles what skills will be most useful in the future, particularly as digital and physical world advertising become increasingly integrated?
While it would be foolish to make hard and fast predictions, especially for an industry that moves as fast as advertising does, there are a few emergent trends that give us a good idea of where it’s going. Those already working in the sector, or aiming to do so, would do well to look at these trends and understand how they might impact their career trajectories.
Even in an AI world, authenticity still matters
At the start of 2023, numerous headlines were describing how AI tools could easily replace creatives, especially as they become increasingly sophisticated. As the year has progressed, it’s become clear that the picture’s nowhere near that simple. A research paper released in July, for instance, showed that the quality of answers from ChatGPT was nowhere near perfect, and its creators explicitly highlighted the probability of “AI hallucinations” e.g the generation of incorrect or misleading results.It’s also notable that “authentic” was the US dictionary Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2023.
This not only suggests that AI tools may take more time to reach maturity than many thought but also that, even as the technology advances, people still crave authentic experiences. That includes the adverts they’re exposed to daily.
None of this, of course, is to say that AI tools can’t be helpful to creatives. They can be. But making full use of them requires people to build up new skills. You have to know what prompts will give you the output you want, for instance.
Creatives won’t be the only ones who need to develop AI-based skills either. With AI also playing an increasingly important role in things like audience segmentation, ad placement optimisation, and performance analytics, anyone working in those areas will also have to build up their AI skills.
The ongoing integration of physical and digital worlds
A true metaverse, whereby the virtual and physical worlds integrate seamlessly, is still being worked on by tech giants, and the integration of AI will take a huge load off the shoulders of human developers.
There are few areas where that integration is more visible and more relevant than in advertising. Whether it’s a point-of-sale activation that requires people to scan a QR code for a discount or a full-blown augmented reality (AR) campaign, advertising is increasingly at the forefront of showing what’s possible when it comes to the unification of the physical and digital worlds.
That doesn’t only mean in-house marketing teams need to break down the silos between different specialties, it also means that even the out-of-home (OOH) agencies responsible for things like billboards will have to up their digital skills. Digital-first agencies, meanwhile, will have to look at how they can broaden their physical advertising capabilities.
In the face of this kind of unification, those with the skill sets needed to bring these two worlds together will be in high demand. With that in mind, advertising professionals on either side of the divide would do well to grow their physical or digital skills.
Adaptability is everything
What the above two trends show is how important adaptability is in advertising. It’s a fast-moving field where things change all the time. The skills that you have in the industry might not be the ones that keep you growing within it. As such, workers don’t only need to be aware of industry trends but how they might affect them in the future.
Those workers also need to be able to access resources that can help them build up the skills necessary to ride those shifts. It’s something that we’re profoundly aware of at Aleph and is one of the reasons why we launched our Digital Ad Expert platform.
Make no mistake, these shifts won’t be any slower in African markets either. In fact, as the continent continues to experience rapid jumps in connectivity, the continent could leapfrog the rest of the world and set the tone for the future of advertising.
Anyone in the industry or looking to get it into it needs to be ready.
Drone
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will invest $115 million in counter-drone technology to safeguard the 2026 FIFA World Cup and events marking America’s 250th independence anniversary, creating a dedicated office for rapid drone system deployment.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described drones as “the new frontier of American air superiority,” stressing the need to counter threats from drug cartels using unmanned aircraft for smuggling and surveillance, alongside incidents like a 2025 NFL stadium drone flight and 2024 New Jersey sightings.
The funding supports 11 World Cup host cities expecting over one million visitors, building on FEMA’s $250 million grants to those states and addressing risks heightened by cartels’ advancing tech, including a reported FBI tracking plot in Mexico.
DHS has conducted over 1,500 counter-drone missions since 2018, with the new Program Executive Office accelerating acquisitions amid President Trump’s border security push.
Broadcasting
Youth Talent Takes Center Stage as T2 Ignites High-Octane Rap Battles @ Carnival Calabar
The energy at the Carnival Calabar Music Concert reached a new high as T2 introduced a first-ever rap battle platform, giving young Nigerians an electrifying stage to showcase their talent, creativity, and self-expression while competing for exciting prizes.
Held at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, the activation blended pulsating music, vibrant culture, and youthful energy into a dynamic celebration that kept thousands of carnival-goers fully engaged from start to finish.
Eight fearless contestants stepped into the spotlight, going bar for bar in an intense lyrical showdown. Rappers fused local languages, pidgin, and sharp punchlines, creatively weaving the T2 brand into their verses.
Anchored by the energetic hosting duo MC Double I and MC Princess, the rap battles thrilled over 16,000 attendees, including the Governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Otu, delivering an unforgettable showcase of youth talent and cultural expression.
With prizes including fridges, gas cookers, sound systems, and airtime top-ups, the competition remained fierce throughout the night. After two high-energy rounds narrowed the field to a five-man final duel, Emmanuel Eye emerged as the overall winner, taking home the grand prize — a fridge.
“I never expected this at all,” Emmanuel said. “I came to the concert like anyone else, and hearing about the T2 rap battle was a surprise. When I got the chance to perform, I just went for it. Being named the overall winner is amazing, and I’m grateful to T2 for creating this platform to showcase our talent.”
Beyond the stage performances, T2’s presence added a digital layer to the carnival experience. As part of its role as Digital Technology Partner of Carnival Calabar, the brand introduced the MyT2 App as a lifestyle companion, while also enabling line reactivations, airtime top-ups, and instant rewards for hundreds of attendees, blending technology seamlessly into the live celebration.
Commenting on the activation, Chinelo Manefo, Specialist, Events and Sponsorship at T2, said:
“The energy from both the rappers and the crowd was incredible. This platform reflects exactly what T2 aims to create — a celebration of youth, creativity, and culture, enhanced by technology that connects people and experiences. Seeing the audience so immersed shows how music and performance can empower the next generation.”
The Carnival Calabar Music Concert, headlined by Tiwa Savage, Timaya, and top local performers, was further energized by T2’s interactive rap battle platform. By blending music, culture, youth expression, and digital innovation, T2 reinforced its commitment to championing Nigeria’s next generation, giving young creatives a stage to shine while enriching how they experience the festival.
Broadcasting
Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation Wrapped Up 2025 with Real Change in Governance, Health, Media Across Africa
Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has announced its 2025 achievements, marking a year of accelerated impact, systemic reforms and innovation in public leadership and service delivery across Africa.
Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation
A statement issued on Wednesday in Lagos said the foundation strengthened governance, improved primary healthcare, drove digital transformation and elevated media’s role in promoting public sector accountability.
It said the AIG Public Leaders Programme (PLP) trained 72 public sector leaders from Nigeria, Egypt, Tanzania, Cameroon, Zambia, Malawi and Kenya—its fastest growth to date—bringing the alumni network to 309.
These alumni are driving 237 reform projects to enhance public institutions, from faster decision-making to greater transparency, with nine promoted to higher roles for their contributions.
On civil service modernisation, the foundation accelerated digitalisation at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), streamlining 19 processes and achieving a 75 per cent increase in work speed through automated workflows.
It also trained over 400 officials from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Federal Civil Service Commission and Federal Ministry of Innovation, Trade and Investment in digital skills to support the FCCSIP 25 initiative and ongoing digital rollouts.
In healthcare, the Adopt-A-Healthcare-Facility Programme renovated four primary healthcare centres in Edo State, boosting antenatal visits by 73 per cent, immunisation coverage over 100-fold and fully vaccinating 554 children, while supporting 6,788 patients.
The foundation recognised 18 outstanding public servants with ₦500,000 each via the Emily Aig-Imoukhuede Endowment Awards and received a partnership award from the OHCSF for civil service reform efforts.
To empower media, it trained 50 journalists from top Nigerian media houses in impact storytelling, data analysis, visual and ethical reporting to better inform citizens on public sector changes.
Over five years (2021–2025), the foundation invested £2.6 million in PLP, saved ₦2.38 billion for the public sector through capacity building, trained 1,500+ civil servants, upskilled 660 digitally, trained 40 permanent secretaries and awarded 33 scholarships driving seven policy changes.
Other milestones include digitising 5,000 files, automating 333 processes, a 61 per cent efficiency gain, 60 per cent digital file creation at OHCSF, 128 excellence awards, 116 process reforms, 23 advocacy projects, 25 capacity initiatives, 18 podcasts, four healthcare articles, three policy papers, 23 adopted PHCs (four renovated) and 878+ fully immunised children aged 0–9 months.
Executive Vice Chair, Mr Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, said: “2025 was a year of real, measurable impact. From training hundreds of public servants to improving healthcare, helping ministries go digital, and equipping journalists to tell stories that matter, our work is making governments work better for citizens and communities across Africa.”
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