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.
Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has warned disc jockeys (DJs) against publicly playing music without proper authorization or a valid license.
NAN reports that John Asein, NCC director-general, gave the warning in an advisory issued in Abuja.
He said the commission’s attention had been drawn to the growing practice of DJs playing music in public spaces without obtaining copyright licences from their approved collective management organisations (CMOs).
Asein said under sections 9 and 12 of the Copyright Act, 2022, only the owner of copyright in a musical work or sound recording has the exclusive right to reproduce, perform, or communicate it to the public.
The NCC threatened to prosecute defaulters in a case that could lead to a N1 million fine or a 5-year jail term upon conviction.
“Engaging in any of these acts without the owner’s authorisation constitutes an infringement under the Act,” he said.
“Such infringement may constitute a civil wrong or a criminal offence under section 44 (7), punishable upon conviction by a fine of not less than N1 million or imprisonment for a term of not less than five years or to both.”
Asein advised DJs to obtain the necessary licences and pay royalties to the approved CMO before performing music publicly.
The NCC director-general added that the commission will arrest and prosecute anyone found violating the law.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the approved CMO for musical works and sound recordings in Nigeria is the Musical Copyright Society, Nigeria (MCSN),” he said.
“The Commission is aware that the Disc Jockey’s Association of Nigeria (DJAN), as the umbrella body representing DJs in Nigeria, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with MCSN.
“Under the arrangement, DJAN is authorised to work with MCSN to facilitate the payment of royalties by DJs nationwide, based on the tariff that DJAN had negotiated with MCSN.”
Netflix has increased its subscription fees in Nigeria for the third time since 2024, with the Premium Plan rising by 21.43%, from ₦7,000 to ₦8,500 per month.
This marks the streaming platform’s first price adjustment in 2025.
Other subscription tiers have also been affected.
The Standard Plan now costs ₦6,500, up from ₦5,500—a hike of 18.18%.
The Basic Plan has increased from ₦3,500 to ₦4,000, while the Mobile Plan moved from ₦2,200 to ₦2,500, reflecting increases of 14.29% and 13.64% respectively.
The latest adjustment aligns with Netflix’s broader global pricing strategy, which the company has linked to its ongoing investment in content and platform development. In a previous communication to investors, Netflix stated, “As we invest in and improve Netflix, we’ll occasionally ask our members to pay a little extra to reflect those improvements. Which in turn helps drive the positive flywheel of additional investment to further improve and grow our service.”
While the company did not explicitly cite inflation in its most recent update, its website indicates that local economic factors influence its pricing structure.
“Price changes are made to respond to local market changes, such as changes to local taxes or inflation,” the statement read.
The move mirrors similar pricing shifts among other major digital and entertainment services in Nigeria.
Companies including Google, DSTV, GOtv, and Microsoft have also raised subscription rates, attributing their decisions to continued inflationary pressures and a weakening naira.
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) have jointly introduced “The Big Picture’, a flagship initiative under Nigeria’s renewed Digital Switchover (DSO) project.
Under the project, Nigerian households will for the first time, gain access to high-quality digital broadcasts via affordable satellite dishes, hybrid devices, and internet-enabled set-top boxes.
Backed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and in line with his Renewed Hope Agenda, this strategic shift marks a significant step toward transforming Nigeria’s broadcasting landscape by leveraging the country’s sovereign satellite infrastructure.
At the heart of the initiative is NigComSat-1R, Nigeria’s only communications satellite in orbit, which will play a critical role in delivering Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcasts across the entire Nigerian territory.
This satellite-first approach eliminates the traditional dependence on terrestrial transmission towers, accelerating the nationwide rollout of digital broadcasting by over 65%.
It also offers a scalable, cost-effective, and future-ready model for expanding digital access and promoting national storytelling.
Key figures, including: Charles Ebuebu, director-general, NBC; and Jane Nkechi Egerton-Idehen, managing director, Nigcomsat, have welcomed this forward-thinking strategy, emphasising its importance in maximising the use of national satellite assets and ensuring inclusive access to digital content.
An estimated 10 million homes equipped with DVB-S2-compatible televisions or decoders will have immediate access to free-to-air channels, while others will benefit from next-generation hybrid devices that combine satellite feeds with online streaming capabilities.
These new branded devices are designed with the country’s youth-dominated demographic in mind over 60% of the population is under the age of 25.
They will feature pre-installed apps, voice search functionality, parental controls, and seamless integration with NigComSat’s Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), offering an intuitive and engaging user experience.
In a data-driven upgrade to Nigeria’s broadcasting ecosystem, NBC is also partnering with global analytics firm GARB to introduce real-time audience measurement technology.
This will enable broadcasters, advertisers and content creators to analyse viewership trends across regions and devices, helping to tailor content more effectively and drive higher audience engagement. The introduction of this system is expected to boost advertising revenue by as much as 300% by 2026.
The success of “The Big Picture” will rely on robust collaboration between public and private stakeholders.
The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) and other content partners are expected to supply 60% of programming for the new 120-channel platform, using both original and repurposed content.
Meanwhile, local manufacturers will contribute by producing around 5 million compliant devices annually, a move projected to create over 20,000 jobs in assembly plants nationwide.
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