Mr. Kayode Akinyemi is an old hand in the media and marketing communications sectors. Having thoroughly navigated both the print and electronic arms, he veered into advertising et al. And from there, banking and later government. Back again on the beat, the amiable MD of Powerlight Communications shared his vast experience with YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, AZUH ARINZE. This was at his Surulere, Lagos home. Excerpts…
Let’s start this way – what has been happening to Mr. Kayode Akinyemi?
Well, you and I know that I left banking – Skye Bank. Precisely, I left in 2011. Initially, I was appointed by BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), I think, first quarter. That’s April 30th, 2012, as their Nigerian representative and I started doing that. Not quite four months later, the Governor of my state (Dr. Kayode Fayemi) appointed me the Director General of the State Bureau of Strategic Communications. So, there I was for 2 years, until October last year when there was a change of government. You know that the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) won the election in Ekiti. So, I’m back in Lagos again and now I’m into consulting. Basically in the area of marketing communications.
We know that you’ve always had this love for marketing communications, public relations, advertising and stuff. Are you trying to set up something or do you want to go back to the bank?
I don’t think I’m going back to the bank (laughter). Having done the corporate communications jobs, from Prudent Bank to Skye Bank for a period of 10 years and then after that, I’ve done a couple of other things. So, I think I’ve paid my dues. I think I will like to see myself working for myself now and then I have a company of my own…
(Interruption) – What’s the company called?
Powerlight Communications. We are into integrated marketing communications. We do PR, we do advertising, we do every aspect of communications. Of course, in a different way, because I’m sure you know there are so many companies out there practicing marketing communications. For instance, one of the things I do now is what I call strategic media buying. You know in this part of the world, the agencies, what they do; they do creatives and they place adverts. Of course, there are media independents. In ideal situations, media commissions are supposed to go back to the clients. My company is one of the people that advocates that or to say that when a client is running a campaign, whether electronic or print media, the discounts that are accruable from this campaign are supposed to go back to the client as a form of incentive; not to go to the pockets of the agencies. It’s one of the things that we are doing. I think we have one or two clients that we are doing that for – to say that yes, we can take your media campaign and pass back as much as 30 percent, in most cases, to the organization. Of course, depending on the volume and depending on the media houses that we are dealing with. So, what I’m doing for the financial institutions now; we pass between 25 percent to 30 percent, back to the organization. Again, those organizations will see that they are saving a huge sum of money on their media spending. So, these commissions can be saved and they can plough them back into some other things. Rather than before now that you will see such commissions going into the pockets of agencies and what have you. So, that is why I said yes, we are doing marketing communications, but we are doing it differently from the other agencies. But by and large, I run my own outfit now. But I started from my own constituency, which is the banking sector. So, it’s more of financial PR. Of course, I’m expanding into some other industries like insurance, like manufacturing and what have you, and in as much as we get briefs…
We know that you are just getting back, after working for Ekiti State government. Have you got some clients already that you are serving?
For now, I’ve got some clients that I work for. If I say this, people will say that it is given – Skye Bank. But I started working for Skye Bank not because I’ve worked there before. I didn’t get the business on a platter of gold or for the fact that I’ve worked there before. I remember clearly that it was actually a pitch. With what I’m doing for them today, the media buying that I’m doing for them today, was actually a pitch among about three agencies and of course, at the end of the day, the press aspect of it was given to my own agency to manage. So, that’s that. And yes, I do a couple of things for other banks too, in the area of marketing communications; not media buying. So, those are the ones I’m working for presently…
Other than the banks, don’t you have clients outside of that sector?
Other than the banks, yeah, again, my company still acts as the representative of BBC in Nigeria. We are still their representative. There is no advert content that goes to BBC in Nigeria without passing through us. Also, a couple of media independents and advertising agencies talk to us on behalf of BBC. That is on-going, and again we are prospecting so many new initiatives, new opportunities. As I speak to you, we have proposals in various companies, different industries, whether manufacturing, whether oil and gas…So, we are prospecting. But not until we are signed on, we cannot begin to count and say it. But we have a couple of businesses and as I speak to you, I’m on the verge of travelling to Port Harcourt for a major meeting, which we hope translates into a good business.
Other than helping your clients to save some money, what are the other things that stand out your organization? What are the other unique things that you are bringing to the table?
You see, our people will say experience is the best teacher. I have been around in this marketing communications business for 23 years. And I am so lucky that I have not worked in only one industry. I have been in the media. I had a stint with Radio Nigeria 2 in those days, I was with Vanguard Newspapers. So, I’ve been in the media. I’ve been in print and I’ve been in broadcasting. And from there, I have been in advertising and PR. At least, I can say to you that I’ve worked in about four advertising agencies in this country…
What are their names?
Yeah, I worked with Centrespread, I used to be with an agency called Rockforth Advertising in those days, Vantage Advertising and of course, Troyka Group, which comprises of so many conglomerates. I used to be in their outdoor arm, which is Optimum Exposures, as Head of Marketing at one time. So, I’ve been everywhere. I mean, different sectors of the industry, before I eventually moved to the client’s side, which is the banking industry. So, I’ve seen it all and that is the part that we are bringing to the table. If I represent a client now, and a client wants to buy into outdoor, we will protect the interest of that client because we are versed in that area. If a client wants to do anything on broadcasting or radio or television or newspaper, I have been in those areas too. So, we protect their interest very well. Again, if you are speaking the language of the client, of course, I’ve been there for about 10 years. And if you are speaking the language of public sector, which is governance, I have been there. So, really, that is the unique thing that I’m bringing to the table – whichever client we are serving today, in the circle of marketing communications, I have touched virtually everywhere. So, there is no language you can speak that we don’t understand, there is no brief you give to us that we cannot interpret. So, that is the selling point.
You made your name in the banking sector. What do you still miss about the banking sector?
Yes, I won’t say I don’t miss the sector. Of course, banking is a very challenging environment, because you are always on your toes. However, I enjoyed the time I was there and again, I think I miss it. What I miss most about banking is the area that I wish – which is staying in touch with my people, which is the media people. Because one over four of what you do as a corporate communications person is in fact relationship with the media. Both the print and electronic media. It can be fun, it can be interesting. Why a lot of corporate affairs people or media people see media people as their enemies is maybe because they write some negative things about them. But I see them as friends, because I develop my relationship with them beyond the job. I personalize my relationship with them as friends and families. So, it was very exciting. Even up till now, you see a whole lot of press men inviting me to their house warming, their naming ceremonies and everything, to the extent that it looks as if we schooled together or grew up together. However, we met on this job and it has been all good. So, really, for a period of that four years that I left the scene, particularly the two years that I was away in Ekiti and leaving Lagos State, I think I missed that. But it’s good to back. In a way, I’m getting back to them, whether I’m working in a banking environment or not working in a bank environment. And again, another thing that I miss about the banking industry is…there’s something that happens in the banking industry that hardly happens in some other industries that I’ve worked – banking is always giving you new challenges every day, regardless of which department you work in or which sector. You are always at one strategy meeting, developing you or going for one training programme – either an in-house training or external training. So, there’s always one thing to do at a particular time. There’s always something new. You can be developing a new product today, it could be branch opening tomorrow, you know, there are always new things to do, which don’t happen in other places that I’ve worked before. So, those are some of the things that I miss.
While you were at Skye Bank, you had a fantastic relationship with your MD then, Mr. Akinsola Akinfenwa. What is the relationship like today and what would you say was the greatest thing that you learnt from him?
I think that he is one of the bosses that I’ve worked with that really inspired me, that really motivated me in life and he actually contributed to my career success in so many ways. Mr. Akinfenwa; I will describe him as a slave driver. He makes you work to the limits and he is an MD that will never tell you that you have done well, even though he knows that you have done very, very well (laughter). Of course, at your back, he could be telling his friends and some other senior colleagues that oh, this guy has actually done well. But he will never say it to your face. Throughout my 10-year working relationship with him, I think he mentioned that to my face only once. That was when he was conferred with a honourary doctorate degree in LAUTECH (Ladoke Akintola University of Technology) in Ogbomosho. After the whole ceremony, we organized some form of reception and everything went well. For the first time, he called me on the phone when he was leaving Ogbomosho for Lagos; he said oh, Kayode, I think you have done very well today. So, what I took away from that man is – he’s a very, very hard working individual. He made you to work to the limits and he’s a man that no matter how much you work, he will still give you the impression that you can do more. No matter how lazy you are, he will get the best of yourself out. So, we had a perfect relationship when I was at the bank, and he’s a man that respects your territory. He believes if you a branding person, if you are a corporate communications person or if you are a legal person or if you are an accountant, he believes your area is your area. And he respects your opinion in as much as your opinion is translating to the bottomline for the organization and even after work, I will tell you that our relationship still continues. I still meet him for counseling and once in a while, in my own area too, if he needs some advise or anything that relates to the domain of the media, he does call me.
Can we talk about your family? Let’s meet your family…
Well, this is me, Kayode Akinyemi. I’m married to a lady called Eniola. We have three children. The eldest is Ayomide and Damilola and Olumide. The ages range between 10 and 14.
Away from work or when you are not working, what keeps you busy? What do you do for relaxation?
You know the kind of business we do, especially when I was on the beat as Head of Corporate Communications. We work 24 hours. Like journalists, you hardly have relaxation period, except by chance. However, I try to create a kind of relaxation for myself – two things that I do. When I was in the banking industry; you and I know that I run a bar on Bode Thomas (Surulere, Lagos) and that time, after the close of work, sometimes as late as 11pm, I will go there to do a bit of relaxation. Not because I wanted to drink, but again, I used that place as a networking opportunity. Particularly for my stakeholders, who supported my business in the bank; particularly the press men. It’s like a place that we all meet to review the day’s assignment, the challenges ahead, what we are not doing well, what we can do better and of course, sometimes on weekends, when I have time, I play lawn tennis. I’m registered at Union Bank Sports Complex on Bode Thomas, Surulere. So, I do play lawn tennis. Of course, I still create time to spend with the family. Those are the things that I do.
You’ve worked in both the corporate and government environments. Can you do a comparison of the two sectors?
I think they are two different things. Working in a corporate environment, particularly in a banking sector; it’s a more organized sector. Everything you want to do has to be derived from the strategic vision of the organization, whether you are an admin man or a corporate communications man or in legal. You derive your department’s objective from the overall objective of the organization. For instance, an organization will wake up in a particular year and say okay, this is what we want to achieve. Maybe we want to increase our profitability by 20 percent or so. So, every department in that organization will draw from that – how do I support this organization to achieve this in my own area? But it’s a different ball game when you get to public sector. Fine, you may have a clear objective, clear strategy of doing things, but it never happens because of the bureaucratic bottlenecks. Sometimes you put your strategy, your objectives together, you do the timelines and everything. At the end of the day, you realize that in a year, you may not achieve 20 percent of what you set out to do, because of the bureaucracy. I remember sharing my experience in Ekiti – I was invited to Ekiti to run a Bureau of Strategic Communications and it was a new Bureau. I was the pioneer Director General. Why did the government create that Bureau? Simply because they felt that they wanted to break the bureaucracy of Ministry of Information, because they wanted to do things differently and make things happen in a way that will be faster. The Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, is somebody that believes that things have to be done properly, because of his own background too. He’s not a career civil servant or a career politician. So, we were brought in and when we got there, we did what we called our strategic plan from one year – we said okay, these are the things we are gonna do. Yeah! The Governor was excited, we made presentations to Exco, but before you knew it, when it got to getting the collaboration of Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Information and others, we got stuck. So, really, when you look at it, public sector and the corporate environment, they are two different ball games and that is why perhaps we are having this problem in government in Nigeria. Different tiers of government – whether it’s local government, state or federal, because things are not being done the way they should be done – and that’s why people like me will keep on supporting federal, state government and whichever government initiative – that privatizes more of these parastatals so that it makes things work better. Because in government environment people make money; whether we like it or not – we earn our salaries. They see it as a way of life; just wake up, go to work, whether you work or you don’t work, at the end of 30 days, you get paid. But in a corporate environment, things are measured. There’s a performance measurement done weekly, monthly, quarterly and if you don’t meet your targets, you are either queried first and after sometime you are asked to go. Things like that hardly happen in public sector. And that is why we have so much decay that’s happening in this country. But really, I think government should begin to look at a way of tailoring their activities towards the private initiatives, especially whichever parastatal they can privatize. Maybe half of them…