What the whole country is salivating about today and also saluting and celebrating as experiential marketing was started decades ago by Mr. Kunle Onime of Marketing and Promotions Concepts International (MPC). Interestingly, at that time, even the man didn’t know the name – but time and knowledge acquired over the years have since taken care of that. At his office (on Omololu Olootu Street, off Agbe Road, New Oko-Oba, Lagos) on Tuesday, May 19, 2015, he went down memory lane, recalling how exactly it all started and what has kept him going since then. The hunky businessman who just turned 50, alongside his wife, Oyin, with whom he shares the same birth date, also talked about their lives together, the journey so far and more. Much more. He spoke to YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, AZUH ARINZE. Please, come with them…
Congratulations on your 50th birthday and how does it feel to be 50?
I feel good, I feel young, I feel strong and I give thanks and praises to God for keeping me alive in these very strenuous 50 years, especially in a country like Nigeria where the life expectancy is said to be 45. So, I’ve surpassed their target (laughs).
Is anything going to change about you now that you are 50?
Nothing! This is just me. I can’t change. Where I wan change go? I no fit change now. Haba! I can’t change. It’s me and you know me. I no fit change.
Let’s go back a bit. What fond memories of your childhood can you share with us?
I have loads and loads of that. I recall very vividly whilst I was growing up as a very young boy, my old man…You know, whilst you are young, you play all manner of pranks, and my old man felt he was going to punish me. I was getting into secondary school and I was very naughty and the man took me all the way from Lagos to a place called Kabba. Then, it was in Kwara State, but now it’s in Kogi State. And that’s where I did my secondary school. I was there for 5 years. It was a lot of torture. Chaai! Serious punishment. But, the truth of the matter is that, that singular act is what I think moulded me to be a man and you ask me why…
Why?
11 year-old boy, taken out of the comfort of his home, his parents; taken to a strange land, no father, no mother, no brother, no sister, no uncle, no aunty. 11 year-old! How does that feel?
What would you say has been the greatest lesson that life has taught you in the last 50 years?
Lesson! Lesson! I’ve gone through so much, so I don’t know which of the lessons that you want…
The most memorable one?
Most memorable one? (Yes). Trusting people has been a major challenge. I’m somebody that once I trust you, I give you my all. But at the end of the day, you will discover that the human nature is pretty difficult to trust. I once read an interview of Bishop Oyedepo where he was asked what has been his greatest challenge and the same thing I’m saying right now is what he said – managing people. It’s pretty difficult. You will never know when you get back-stabbed. The sad part of it is that the people you trust the most are the ones that draw the worst daggers to pull you down.
What targets did you set for yourself at 50; the ones you’ve achieved and the ones you’ve not?
My brother, to be frank with you, there’s no target that I’ve set for myself that I’ve not achieved. I’m looking at retirement now. Every other thing that I accomplish right now is just what Yoruba people will call jara (extra). I’m not interested in politics, so I would have said that maybe when I’m 60, I want to become the President or whatever. But, you know, growing up, what I always wanted to be – an entrepreneur – doing my own business, being successful in my own little way. I’ve accomplished all of that. I’ve done a number of things that my age mates will do. I have a business, I have a family…What more do I want from God?
What would you describe as your greatest achievement at 50?
My greatest achievement? That’s a tough one. Em…some 16 years ago, I assumed that the world had come to an end. I was in a business that one day, I woke up and bang! It was gone! And at that particular point in time, for me, then, I thought the world had come to an end. But when that incident happened, my mum of blessed memory said to me, Kunle, be calm, be cool; you are hard working, I know you very well. Just go and give it another shot and I put my acts together, put the incident behind me and for 16 years running, I’ve run my new business successfully and by the special grace of God. Without any godfather, godmother, no finances from nobody, no funding from anywhere. It has all been from this small head (holding his head).
Would you like to shed more light on what exactly happened that 16 years ago?
I was running an experiential marketing agency called Group Africa then, and a group of people that I had employed ganged up against me and came up with all manner of frivolous stories and…Of course, you know South Africans, the way they are. I got to the office one day and all hell was let loose and I just couldn’t stand it…You know, a business that you nurtured from scratch and turned it around, and turned it into something and everybody was like whaaooh! And then in one second, you lost it! It was like the world had come to an end for me at the time.
Other than that, what are your other regrets at 50?
No regrets! I feel cool, I feel good. I have no regrets whatsoever. Anything that I’ve done, that I’ve gone through, especially in a country like ours, what is there to regret?! I have no regret at all. Not a single regret. The only pain that I have is that now that things are beginning to happen, my mum is not there, because she went through a lot.
In the last 50 years, has there been anything you asked God for that He didn’t do for you?
No! No! He’s my friend (general laughter). We have a very good relationship. We are very close despite the fact that I don’t go to church. He’s my guy…
Why don’t you go to church?
I’m a Christian, but I’m not just in church. I’m not cut out for church.
On the day you clocked 50, when you woke up that morning, can you recollect the first thing you did?
When I woke up that morning, I said whaaooh! This is the day. Okay! I went down on my knees and I prayed to God and for me, it was just gonna be an ordinary day. But a lot of people, including you, planned a lot of coup against me and well, we are here now.
You share the same birth date with your wife, Oyin. How does that feel?
It has two ways – it feels good some times and it feels bad sometimes (laughter). It feels good in the sense that it always surprises a lot of people that how come you guys share the same birthday? A lot of people truly don’t believe it, but it’s the reality. I was born like 8am on that day and she was born like 8pm. So, I’m the senior. It feels good because it is interesting to know that we share the same traits. We are both Taurians, so we have the same traits. She’s very stubborn, I am also extremely stubborn. I actually don’t know how we have survived till now. We have had several ups and downs, but she’s refused to leave me (more laughter). She’s just refused to leave me, and I don’t know why. On the other side, because we share the same birthday, she doesn’t respect me. She will tell me, my friend, keep quiet, afterall we are age mates. And that’s a very bad thing.
Other than the fact that both of you share the same birthday, what else was the attraction?
When we met; we actually met dancing. We went dancing and we met and we got talking and like 2, 3, 4, 5 days later, we discovered that we were both born on the same day and that was the first attraction and before I knew what was happening, she started toasting me…
Are you serious, Egbon or you are just joking? Who toasted who?
She toasted me (general laughter) and here we are today.
So, what would you say has kept your marriage going for decades now?
I don’t know! I don’t know! I’ve said it before. I don’t know why she has refused to leave me. I don’t know. Quite frankly…
But you love her?
Yes, I do! She has her crazy times, I have my mad times, but somewhere along the line…I don’t know! But I think it’s God. I think it’s just God.
Considering the fact that both of you were born on the same day, at home, who is the senior partner? And the junior partner, so to say?
I’m the senior partner (laughter). I’m in charge. It’s my show. I’m saying it how it is. But that’s the truth. I’m in charge. It’s my show.
She doesn’t remind you at times that you are age mates?
I’ve said it before – she says it a lot of times and I tell her to shut up that I’m older by hours (Laughing). In fact, I tell her that if she knew she’s going to struggle age with me, then she should have come as the man.
At 50, what are the changes we are likely to see in your business and so on?
In me as a person, there’s really nothing that is gonna change. You know me very well, I’m a practical person, I don’t deceive myself, I’m down to earth, I want to believe that I’m humble, so there’s nothing that is gonna change about all of that. In terms of business, we would try and overhaul the business, come up with new strategies that will take us to the next millennium or the next generation. We are trying to expand the scope of the business, we are moving into different terrains or new terrains as a way of enlarging our scope.
Talking about business, you just added something new to what you do – an event centre (May 13 Event Centre ). Prior to now, we have always known you to have pioneered experiential marketing on this side of the world. Now, you are diversifying into events, setting up an event centre. How did you come about this idea?
I said it earlier on that I am looking at retirement now. Prior to now, I used to be very active on the field. I am an operations person, so what that means is that…I loved it more when I was on the field. But these days, because of the way the business is structured, I don’t get 100 percent involved in operations any more. What I do more now is strategy and business development and of course, because what we do here are events and experiential, I have seen loads and loads of event centres, event halls and event opportunities and I found a gap that we that patronize or use these event centres can possibly fill. That was where the concept or the idea of the hall came from. I’m sure, when you came in there, the first impression you had was that this is a home; it’s not the normal hall. It was conceived differently from the normal hall or event centre that you will see, which is what makes us different from everybody and in whatever it is that we do…
So, why did you decide to site the event centre in Mosan (Lagos)?
You wan make I go VI?
Alright! Your going into experiential marketing, what prompted it?
I’ve always been crazy with ideas, from whilst I was in school. Those who know me will know that I’ve always come up with some very stupid and crazy ideas that at the end of the day will turn things around. The idea of experiential – I was sitting down some day with Ali Baba and Ajanleko, the Giant. We were just sitting down at Palm Groove (Lagos) where Ajanleko used to do refrigeration, air conditioner and stuff like that. He had an outlet there; we were just sitting in front of the place and the idea just flew into my head that look, you can do this, you can do this; this is possible. And I bounced it off both of them and they said…I remember what Ali Baba said that time. Ali Baba said go and try it now and see if it’s gonna work. And then I started putting my thoughts together, I started putting it on paper and all of that. I can show you the documents. The first time that I sent out proposals, the responses that I got from the organisations that we sent those proposals to then. They all wrote back saying it’s not possible, it’s not gonna work in Nigeria…
Who was your first client eventually?
It was Cocacola.
What would you say has kept you going in this line of business ever since?
From when I was in secondary school, I’ve always been involved in events, organizing, literary and debating, disco dancing, social gatherings. Even when I got into university (University of Lagos, where he read Philosophy), I was bringing artistes to campus. This is what I’ve done all my life. If you take me from here now and say I should go and be the Managing Director of a micro finance bank ; the least micro finance bank in this country, I will fail! Big time! Because it is not what I know how to do. See, if you wake me up in the middle of the night and ask me to talk experiential or ask me things about experiential, I don’t need to consult the book. It’s right here (pointing to his head). So, it is something that is all over me. I’m too hyper to leave it. It’s too much in me, it’s the only thing I know how to do.
What do you like best about being into experiential marketing?
What gives me the kick in this business is the fact that nothing in this business is prototyped. You wake up in the morning and you do not know what you are going to meet tomorrow. I have men on the field right now; the greatest challenge that we have is that you do not know what is going to happen. You have an aim, you have an idea of what you want to achieve, but the way to achieving it is where the challenge is for us and that is what gives me the kick.
What are the things you dislike about being into this line of business?
It’s too challenging, it’s too challenging, it’s too stressful and you don’t get any government’s back up…
What is the commonest mistake that anybody in your line of business can make?
There are so many mistakes…
Yeah! But we want the commonest?
Not knowing what you are doing.
What is the wisest decision that anybody in your line of business can take?
Being firm and decisive.
Most people also dabbled into your kind of business at about the same time you did, but they were not able to sustain theirs. Where do you think they got it wrong?
You know when we started, I said to you earlier on, when that concept or idea first came, I didn’t know it was called experiential marketing. I just had an idea, and I was calling it different names. When I send this proposal to this person, I will call it this one, or that one. Eventually when Cocacola bought into it, we tagged it market jam. So, what that meant was that we were going into the market to talk directly to the end consumers and advertising Cocacola and the different products of Nigeria Bottling Company. I never knew it was called experiential marketing. At that time, everybody said I was mad. That’s what they said. They said I was mad. But I’m happy today there are so many mad people on the streets of Nigeria, not just in Lagos. Now, where they got it wrong is very simple – people wake up in the morning and say MPC; MPC is working for that client, not knowing what MPC has gone through to enable MPC work for this client, work for that client and they wake up one morning and just assume that it’s something that I can do. We call them me-too-type experiential marketing. As in, if Azuh fit publish paper, me sef go go publish my own paper. Are you getting me? They just wake up one morning, not knowing what it entails to be able to start what it is that is called publishing. They have not gone through the rigours of what Azuh has gone through; they just wake up and say me too, I fit do am and then they just go start and then when the reality starts dawning on them, they will now know that men, no be moimoi; come chop!
Who is the most significant and memorable client that you have worked for? And why?
It still remains Cocacola.
Why Cocacola?
Because at the time when everybody said I was mad, they gave me an opportunity to prove myself and 2 years down the line, the South African company called Group Africa, they were trying to set up in Nigeria, they came and because they are white-skinned, they had audience. And everywhere they went to, they said to them, there is this young chap; no longer young; he’s getting old now (laughter). There is this young chap called Kunle that is doing what you guys are talking about. And they came with this big whatever, whatever. I didn’t know it was called experiential marketing. So, one day; interestingly, we were having an activation for Cocacola at this market in Abule-Egba (Lagos) here; where there is this plank market, by the side. That’s where we were having the activation and I saw these white men drive in. In my head, they were Cocacola officials that came to see what we were doing and they were watching us. They didn’t say anything to us and then once we had finished the activation, we were de-rigging and packing up all our stuff, they walked up to me and said good afternoon. It was getting to like 3, 4pm that time and I said good afternoon Sir. They said you are Kun! I said yes, I’m Kunle. And then we went talking and the rest is history today.
It’s obvious that God has been nice to you…
(Cuts in) – Absolutely!
What more do you want from God? What has He not done for you yet?
Nothing! I just want Him to give me good health, long life. I’m cool.
Who is that singular individual that has touched your life the most and what specifically did that person do?
That will be Dapo Adelegan. After school; because I’ve always been involved in showbiz; Dapo gave me an opportunity to prove myself organizing Lekki Sunsplash and on a platter of gold and I did it for several years and we turned it to something else…
But eventually you didn’t leave him and DP Lekki Limited on a happy note?
But today we are best of friends. You know I was too young, I was too hyper, I had too many things that were flying in my head…It was looking like I wanted to take over the business at that time; but not my intention. I was just too hyper, I had too many ideas in my head. Yeah, I left, I left…but today, we are the best of friends…