Leading marketing and communications firm, Verdant Zeal Group Limited, has used the 14th edition of its flagship Innovention Series to examine how trust, relevance and cultural resonance are shaping brand success in Nigeria.
The virtual roundtable, themed “The Business of Influence: Brands, Storytelling & Consumer Culture,” brought together voices from the marketing, storytelling and consumer culture sectors to explore how influence is reshaping Nigeria’s brand economy.
Since its inception in 2012, the Innovention Series has served as a thought-leadership platform for challenging conventional thinking, examining Africa’s development trajectory and exploring ideas capable of driving progress.
Delivering the keynote address, Executive Vice Chairman of Verdant Zeal Group, Dr. Tunji Olugbodi, described influence as more than a marketing outcome, saying it has become a catalyst for business expansion.
Olugbodi said attention had become a form of currency in today’s marketplace, stressing that brands capable of thriving were those that told authentic and human-centred stories.
He noted that beyond likes, impressions and hashtags, successful influence involved the ability of brands to shape and be shaped by everyday consumer culture.
The Verdant Zeal executive highlighted authenticity, community-driven narratives, storytelling, local innovation, consistency and character as key elements of effective brand influence.
He urged brands to build narratives alongside communities, create genuine conversations rather than promotional noise, and develop campaigns rooted in uniquely Nigerian experiences, including Owambe culture and the resilience associated with everyday hustle.
Olugbodi further described influence as “smart business”, citing industry reports which, according to him, indicate that brands with strong narrative identities often outperform their peers in customer loyalty and pricing power.
He, however, urged Nigerian brands to balance influence with integrity, stressing that consumer culture should remain a reflection of society rather than a distortion of it.
In his closing remarks, Olugbodi reaffirmed Verdant Zeal’s commitment to fostering dialogue, innovation and thought leadership through the Innovention Series, which has provided a platform for engaging discussions on issues shaping business and development across Africa for more than a decade.