Broadcasting
Digital Spam: Retailers must Strike a Balance between Staying Visible and Avoiding Marketing Communication Overload
By Isaac Akanni, Customer Growth Manager – Africa at Infobip
In the rapidly evolving landscape of retail, where businesses strive to capture the attention of consumers in a fast-paced and interconnected digital world, marketing communication overload is becoming an all-too-common phenomenon that could actually have the opposite effect – turning customers off their brand. Consumers are overwhelmed on a daily basis by the sheer volume of messages they receive in their inboxes, social media feeds and mobile devices, and this aggressive approach could see businesses lose substantially more than they gain.
To make matters worse, consumers are burdened not only by the sheer magnitude and frequency of adverts across multiple channels, but also by the unfortunate reality that much of this marketing communication fails to resonate with their interests or needs. In some extreme instances, such messages can even come across as inappropriate or offensive, disregarding their unique preferences and personal boundaries.
Consequently, instead of attracting prospective buyers, an overabundance of marketing communication could essentially leave consumers frustrated. This frustration, in turn, can foster negative perceptions surrounding the brand and significantly impact long-term customer loyalty. When inundated with excessive marketing messages, individuals may perceive that the business lacks respect for its customers’ boundaries and prioritises profit-seeking over genuine customer relationships.
Such perceptions are not good for business as they are likely to negatively affect the company’s reputation, erode customer trust and impact sales, which in turn will hit the bottom line. Marketing communication overload is thus a sure way to make consumers feel disrespected and damage customer engagement.
Show what is relevant
It is very important that retailers strive to strike a balance between staying visible and avoiding communication overload. It is actually quite simple – show people what is relevant to them. The easiest way to achieve this is to segment your customer base and refine your messages based on individual preferences and behaviours.
Organisations must adopt a customer-centric approach, leverage data analytics and understand individual preferences. Only then can retailers tailor their marketing efforts to provide meaningful and engaging experiences. This shift towards strategic, targeted communication not only helps mitigate overload, but also builds stronger, long-lasting customer relationships.
At the same time, retailers must also recognise the importance of personalisation to remain relevant and strike the right chords with their customers. In sales, there is a concept known as “Show Me You Know Me”, which alludes to leveraging personalisation to let your customers know that you’ve done your groundwork and you care about their personal interests and needs.
Personalisation says to your customer: “I know you and I want to share this with you because I think it would benefit you”. But personalisation cannot happen without data and people generate mountains of data on a daily basis, which forms the bedrock of decision making.
Harnessing Artificial Intelligence
Once data about a consumer has been gathered, harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to perform data analytics and gain customer insights is key to tailoring marketing messages that are relevant to individuals, and this will avoid overload. With so much data available, businesses that are not targeting their messages to individual consumers can be perceived as lazy and are sending out the message that they are just not prepared to put in the work.
In an effort to regain customer trust and loyalty, retailers must be prepared to be transparent about their communication practices, while sending out content that resonates with their audience. In addition, by listening to customer feedback and by offering exclusive benefits or rewards to their customers, businesses can build a community around their products.
Ultimately, finding the right balance between staying visible and avoiding communication overload can be tricky, but retailers need to adopt strategic, targeted communication that will mitigate overload and also builds stronger, long-lasting customer relationships.
Mr. Charles Ebuebu, director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), has called on Nigerian content creators to actively participate in the country’s Digital Switchover (DSO), describing the transition as a major opportunity for visibility, revenue growth, and industry collaboration.
Mr. Charles Ebuebu, DG, NBC
Speaking as Special Guest of Honour at the induction ceremony of the Electronic Media Content Owners Association of Nigeria (EMCOAN) in Lagos, Ebuebu stressed that the success of the DSO depends on engaging content to populate the nation’s new digital channels.
“Without content, the DSO’s success would be incomplete. We are urging content owners to collaborate with the Commission to ensure Nigeria’s digital future is rich, diverse, and sustainable,” he said.
The NBC boss highlighted that the upcoming FreeTV Direct-to-Home (DTH) platform, along with its mobile applications, would provide content creators with nationwide reach, advanced analytics, and brand partnership opportunities.
Nigeria’s DSO, which marks the shift from analogue to digital broadcasting, is being implemented by the NBC using the Nigcomsat satellite infrastructure. The programme aims to deliver over 100 nationwide channels and expand access to Nigerians in remote areas via hybrid decoders, addressing long-standing infrastructure and funding challenges. The project, which has experienced delays since 2012, now has strong government backing and is scheduled for launch in April 2026.
Ebuebu commended EMCOAN members for their contributions to strengthening Nigeria’s creative economy and encouraged them to leverage the opportunities offered by the DSO to promote local stories, culture, and creativity on both national and global stages.
During the ceremony, EMCOAN honoured its distinguished members, naming Wale Adenuga, MFR, as Grand Patron and Mr. Yinka Adebayo as Patron.
Prominent figures in the broadcasting content industry, including Wale Adenuga, Opa Williams, Agatha Amata, Jibe Ologeh, High Chief Emeka Ossai, Debbie Odetayo, Amina Mohammed, and Frank Elaboya, attended the event.
Representing the NBC at the event was Mr. Ralph Akpan, director of the Lagos Zone, while EMCOAN president, Mr. Adeniji Omirin, MD of ADNOM Media, urged members to fully engage in the digital switchover.
Canal+ is to cut jobs at MultiChoice as part of a sweeping restructuring plan aimed at stabilising the African pay-TV operator, following years of operational and financial pressure.
The move comes alongside a planned $115 million capital injection, underscoring the urgency of efforts to revive the business after the French media group took control.
The planned layoffs are expected to form a core element of a broader cost-cutting and efficiency drive, as Canal+ seeks to streamline MultiChoice’s operations and improve profitability.
The restructuring signals a shift toward leaner operations, with a focus on eliminating redundancies and optimising the company’s cost base.
MultiChoice has struggled in recent years with declining subscriber numbers across key African markets, weighed down by macroeconomic pressures, currency volatility, and changing consumer behaviour.
The rise of global streaming platforms has intensified competition, chipping away at the company’s traditional pay-TV dominance.
Canal+’s intervention marks a pivotal moment for MultiChoice, reflecting a more aggressive approach to repositioning the business.
By combining fresh capital with structural reforms, the new owners are aiming to both stabilise short-term performance and lay the groundwork for longer-term growth.
The $115 million injection is expected to provide immediate financial relief, supporting operations and potential strategic initiatives.
However, the accompanying job cuts highlight the depth of the challenges facing the company and the scale of transformation required to restore competitiveness.
Nigeria has ranked first globally in the ownership of the two largest stablecoins, Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC), reflecting the country’s growing reliance on dollar-linked digital assets.
USDT, USDC
Stablecoins such as USDT and USDC are designed to maintain a fixed value against the U.S. dollar, allowing users to store money digitally while avoiding the price volatility associated with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
According to the 2026 Stablecoin Utility Report released by BVNK, about 59 percent of Nigerian crypto users hold USDT, while 48 percent own USDC, giving the country the highest combined ownership rate among all nations surveyed.
The report placed Nigeria ahead of several major economies, including Australia and India, highlighting the country’s strong adoption of dollar-denominated digital assets. Australia ranked second with 34 percent USDT ownership and 29 percent USDC, while India placed third with 30 percent USDT and 27 percent USDC holdings.
The study also examined adoption levels across other regions. Countries such as Colombia and Singapore showed strong usage of both stablecoins, while adoption levels were also notable in South Africa and the United States.
Other markets included in the analysis were Philippines, Thailand and Argentina, where stablecoin ownership has also increased significantly. Among European economies, the report said France and Germany showed moderate levels of adoption, while Latin American markets such as Mexico and Brazil recorded smaller but growing usage rates.
The United Kingdom also appeared in the ranking with modest levels of stablecoin ownership. The report noted that USDT ownership exceeds USDC in many countries, including Nigeria, Australia, India, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Argentina and France.
However, USDC is often viewed as a more compliance-focused stablecoin because of its stronger transparency and regulatory alignment. In some markets, including South Africa, Colombia, Germany and Brazil, the report found that USDC adoption slightly exceeds USDT.
More broadly, the data suggests that stablecoin adoption is being driven largely by emerging economies rather than advanced financial markets. According to the report, countries such as Nigeria, Argentina and the Philippines are among the biggest users of stablecoins, where people increasingly rely on dollar-pegged digital assets to protect savings from currency volatility and facilitate cross-border payments.
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