Broadcasting
AI is Changing the Rules of Digital Marketing, Here’s How to Take Advantage of it
By Alistair Errington, Snapchat Partner Director, Ad Dynamo by Aleph
After years of promising advances, the past year has been a breakthrough for bringing artificial intelligence (AI) into the mainstream. Even in creative industries, which many once thought AI would never infiltrate, is starting to have a tangible impact. Nowhere is that more true than in digital marketing.
Alistair Errington,
Always at the forefront of adopting new technologies, professionals in the digital marketing space have embraced a variety of AI tools. Those tools are used for everything from generating creative collateral for campaigns to ensuring that they’re as personalised as possible and, ultimately, to analyse campaign performance.
What’s really great about the current AI explosion, is that it’s made tools that were once the preserve of technical specialists available to ordinary people. So, even if you don’t know the ins and outs of AI, you can use it to boost your digital marketing capabilities. Here’s how.
Know what’s out there
Before fully committing to the use of AI tools, it’s important for businesses to understand what AI tools are out there and how they can be used.
Tools such Midjourney, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion can, for instance, be used to develop visual concepts for a specific campaign. While the resultant images are increasingly impressive, they’re best used as references that you take to an agency or in-house designer. Doing so can save you significant amounts of time when it comes to campaign conceptualisation.
Other tools, such as current flavour of the month ChatGPT, can be used for a variety of purposes. You might, for instance, get it to generate some suggested taglines based on a few simple inputs or to help draft a customer email. Some companies are even integrating it into their broader customer service offerings, using it for everything from responses to reviews and customer queries to sentiment analysis.
It’s also worth noting that many of the same big platforms that businesses should concentrate their digital marketing spend on are also actively investing in AI tools. Meta, for instance, is experimenting with AI-powered chatbots on Messenger and WhatsApp. While it’s initially rolling out the product to consumers, it will likely start offering it as a customer service option to businesses in the near future. Spotify, meanwhile, has been a pioneer in the AI space for some time and will likely also roll out some features from its latest advances in its advertising offerings. And for its part, Snapchat says that its My AI offering can “answer a burning trivia question, offer advice on the perfect gift for your BFF’s birthday, help plan a hiking trip for a long weekend, or suggest what to make for dinner.”
Run with the right partners
Of course, most business owners’ areas lie in something other than AI and marketing. And as user-friendly as AI tools have become, navigating them can still feel overwhelming to many. Here having the right partners, particularly when it comes to things like digital media buying, can be incredibly helpful.
A good advertising partner will be able to help you navigate what’s possible when it comes to using AI on all of the most popular platforms. Moreover, they’ll be able to help you navigate the regulatory frameworks surrounding AI in your own market as well as international ones. And if they’re really good, they’ll also be conducting their own AI research to find innovative ways of using AI in digital advertising.
Don’t be afraid, but act sensibly
Ultimately, the message to businesses should be not to be afraid of AI. Utilised properly and in partnership with the right people, it can make their digital marketing efforts faster, more personalised, effective, and capable of driving both reach and returns. But they should also act sensibly (much as you would when using GPS in an area you’re not familiar with). The very last thing they should do, on the other hand, is adopt a wait-and-see approach, because that’s a sure-fire way to get left behind.
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are set to introduce a joint broadcast monitoring framework ahead of the 2027 general elections as part of efforts to curb unethical broadcasting and promote responsible election coverage.
Charles Ebuebu, director-general, NBC, who disclosed the plan recently, said the collaboration would strengthen election monitoring through the deployment of advanced technology and closer coordination between regulatory agencies.
According to him, the increasing influence of digital and online platforms has made it imperative for regulators to work together rather than operate independently.
“We have written to INEC, and we are going to have a joint monitoring outlook over the elections. Gone are the days when agencies work in silos. When we coordinate, we’re able to monitor more effectively,” Ebuebu said.
He explained that the partnership would enable both agencies to jointly identify and address violations of broadcasting regulations during the election period instead of handling such issues separately.
Beyond INEC, Ebuebu said the NBC is also partnering with other key regulators to strengthen oversight of election-related content across digital platforms.
According to him, the commission is finalising agreements with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) ahead of the polls to reinforce its monitoring capabilities.
“We are calling in other stakeholders to reinforce the election monitoring. We are signing agreements with the Nigerian Communications Commission and the National Information Technology Development Agency before the elections,” he said.
Ebuebu also revealed that the NBC is upgrading its monitoring infrastructure with artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools to keep pace with the rapidly expanding media landscape.
He noted that the proliferation of online platforms has made traditional monitoring methods inadequate.
“With online platforms, there are thousands of them. You need more than staff; you need AI monitoring facilities,” he said.
The NBC chief added that the commission has significantly improved its monitoring capacity and can currently track nearly 50 broadcast channels from its monitoring centre in Abuja.
He said additional monitoring facilities would be established across the country in line with evolving broadcasting technologies.As part of preparations for the 2027 elections, Ebuebu announced plans for a sensitisation workshop in Ibadan that will bring together broadcasters, INEC officials, security agencies and other stakeholders.
He said the engagement had become necessary as political discussions surrounding elections continue to grow more heated, including on television, stressing the need for broadcasters to adhere to professional standards.
Ebuebu noted that the commission has had to issue several warnings to broadcast stations for violating the broadcasting code during election periods.
“We have had to write several of them because they simply forget what the code says,” he said
Mrs. Clementine Wamba, head, Digital Switch Over (DSO) at the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), has stressed the need for broadcasting stations and practitioners nationwide to work towards meeting the 2028 global deadline for the switch over.
She made the call in her presentation titled, “DSO Big Picture: Free TV Audience Measurement and the Evolving Media Landscape”, at the 2026 NBC South West Summit held in Ibadan.
Wamba harped on the need for practitioners to adopt DSO in the transmission of news and other programmes in order to meet future challenges, stating that any country that fail to align with the DSO by 2028 will be shut out of practice.
This development, according to her, may result in job losses and other consequences that could hinder the growth of the industry in Nigeria, noting that Free TV is tailored towards the DSO, with provision for many channels in contrast to the age-long analogue system.
According to her, “The Digital Switch Over is a technological improvement on the age-long analogue style of broadcasting in the country. With the adoption of the DSO, practitioners will be in tune with global practice of broadcast journalism.
“Also, its benefits include efficient use of spectrum, changing of industry landscape, more access to national development programmes and better viewing experience.”
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has said that Nigerians will no longer pay annual Digital Access Fees under the renewed Digital Switch Over (DSO) project.
Charles Ebuebu, director-general, NBC, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja,
Ebuebu said viewers only need to purchase an approved decoder and satellite dish which cost below N20,000 to enjoy free television permanently.
“Previously, users paid an annual digital access fee of about N1,500, described as an administrative charge.
“The new system removes that annual fee. It provides free access to free-to-air television channels without any payment.
“Premium channels will be introduced later. Viewers who want those additional channels will be able to access them through paid services.
“Nigerian content on free-to-air channels remains free to watch. Unlike Pay TV, this platform does not require monthly subscriptions for its basic service,” he said
Ebuebu said approved decoders for the FreeTV will cost less than N20,000 and authorised sales outlets will soon be announced.
He urged Nigerians to wait for official information on approved dealers for the DSO decoders, warning that unauthorised sellers are exploiting growing public demand.
He reiterated that people only need a free-to-air decoder, along with a satellite dish instead of the old antenna system to receive the DSO signal.
“Once the equipment is installed, viewers can access all available channels across the country without paying any subscription fees,” he stressed
The DG dismissed claims by some retailers that there are different categories of decoders sold at varying prices, stressing that such sellers are not authorised by the commission.
According to him, the NBC will soon publish the list of approved dealers, official prices, and locations where genuine decoder boxes and accessories can be purchased.
The NBC boss said the DSO project is designed not only to improve television broadcasting but also to stimulate economic growth by creating jobs, attracting investment, and opening up opportunities for businesses that support the broadcasting industry.
Ebuebu noted that content producers and broadcasters stand to benefit significantly from the nationwide reach of the DSO platform.
Unlike the previous system, where many stations had limited regional audiences, he said the new platform will make their channels available to viewers across Nigeria.
He added that the introduction of audience measurement technology will provide scientific and reliable data on television viewership.
Ebuebu added that audience measurement technology will give advertisers greater confidence in placing adverts and enable broadcasters to demonstrate the true size and reach of their audiences nationwide.
NDIC Begins Payment to Depositors of 46 Failed Microfinance Banks
Telcos Seek Clear Regulatory Framework on Airtime Credit Services
FG Says Rumours, Fear, Can Crash Banks
MTN Warns Customers against Fake Promo
EU Debunks Fake Compensation Scheme Targeting West African Bank Customers
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
NASENI Moves to Digitize CCB’s 5m Assets Declaration and Operations
Lebara Nigeria Launches Lebara Play, Africa’s First Telecom-Owned Micro-Drama Platform
Tokenization, Blockchain Technology will Transform Financial Institutions – IMF
EFCC Busts NIS Visa Overstay Racket, Uncovers N700m in an Account
News3 days agoAdebutu, PDP Chieftain Accuses Nigerian Governors of Embezzling LG Allocations
News2 days agoYEDC Warns Customers, Says 20 Percent Electricity Bonus is Scam
News2 days agoPFIPC Probe: Dollar, Pounds Accounts of Fake Agency Inactive – CBN
E-Financial2 days agoNo Going Back on July 31 Deadline for Insurance Firms’ Recapitalisation – NAICOM
Broadcasting2 days agoNBC, INEC, Plan Joint Broadcast Monitoring Framework ahead of 2027 Elections
News2 days agoSTEM Africa Fest to Nurture Nigeria’s Future Innovators
E-Business2 days agoJumia Nigeria Expands Flexible Payment Options with Klump Partnership
E-Financial2 days agoCourt Affirms FCCPC’s Power to Regulate Digital Lending