The Nigerian out-of-home (OOH) advertising sector is poised to step into a fresh phase of data-informed strategies and funding, following the official launch of a comprehensive national research project on audience behavior and consumer reach by OOH Academy Nigeria. This initiative seeks to deliver reliable, unbiased, and practical insights for the industry.
A project named the Nigeria Out-of-Home Advertising Consumer Engagement and Viewing Habits Research was officially launched recently during a news event in Lagos, gathering key players from various sectors including advertising, media, research, and outdoor marketing.
On the left: Lead and Principal Investigator from Research Brooks Ltd, Jonathan Kalu; Lead and Data Analyst at TMKG Consulting, Marvelous Idowu; Founder of OOH Academy/Convener of LOMA Awards, Kingsley Onwukeme (known as King of Ads); Business Unit Director at Plus Acuity Ltd, Emmanuel Adediran, and CEO of Landmarks OOH Media/Past Exco member of OAAN, Felix Ehikhuemen, during a recent press conference where they launched the Nigeria Out-of-Home Media and Audience Behavior Study supported by OOH Academy Nigeria in Lagos.
A project led by Research Brooks Limited, in partnership with TMKG Consulting and backed by major players in the industry, is regarded as one of the most significant independent studies ever carried out in Nigeria's outdoor advertising field.
During the inauguration event, Kingsley Onwukeme, founder of OOH Academy Nigeria and organizer of the Location Marketing (LOMA) Conference and Awards, who is widely recognized in the sector as the "King of Ads," referred to the initiative as a groundbreaking effort aimed at tackling one of the field's most significant issues: the lack of thorough audience analysis and consumer insights.
As he pointed out, although outdoor advertising has become increasingly significant within Nigeria's integrated marketing communication framework, the sector has functioned for many years without an autonomous and detailed investigation into audience reach, customer interaction, mobility trends, media efficiency, and overall market conditions.
"Over the past ten years, since I became part of this sector, there hasn't been any thorough independent research aimed at examining OOH audience reach, customer interaction, mobility trends, viewer behavior, and the actual conditions within the advertising market in Nigeria," Onwukeme stated.
He pointed out that an industry as prominent and powerful as outdoor advertising can no longer rely on guesses, incomplete data, or general approximations when taking important business actions. In his view, the fast-changing nature of customer behavior, technological progress, city expansion, and the rise of more intelligent and interconnected urban areas have rendered accurate audience insights essential for the continued development of this field.
"The media environment is progressing quickly. Shifting consumer focus is occurring. Technological advancements are reshaping how audiences interact. Urban areas are turning into more intelligent and interconnected spaces. Hence, the out-of-home advertising sector needs to adapt using expertise, insight, and reliable information," he said.
The research aims to provide valuable understanding of how audiences move, their media usage behaviors, the visibility and impact of out-of-home advertising elements, consumers' engagement with outdoor promotions, market data, sector investment tendencies, and new possibilities that will influence the direction of location-driven marketing in Nigeria.
In addition to the initial research, Onwukeme mentioned that this effort aims to evolve into an annual industry reference document within a larger regional framework called 'LOMA Outlook: The State of Out-of-Home and Location Marketing in Africa.' He noted that the ultimate aim is to establish a reliable repository of information that monitors the development, obstacles, possibilities, and changes within the out-of-home advertising sector over time, helping professionals make well-informed choices grounded in data instead of guesses.
"Our objective is straightforward: to assist in developing a more open, reliable, quantifiable, and respected out-of-home advertising sector guided by data, analysis, and insight," he stated.
Onwukeme took the opportunity to express gratitude to various international collaborators, whose participation highlights increasing worldwide trust in Africa's out-of-home advertising sector. These include Moving Walls, based in Singapore; Polygon, a South African platform that aggregates digital signage and specializes in automated Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) solutions; and Absen, a top global producer of LED display technologies.
As he stated, the involvement of these organizations highlights growing worldwide attention toward Africa's quickly developing out-of-home advertising market and underscores the importance of the LOMA platform as a tool for advancing the industry. Detailing the approach used in the study, Jonathan Kalu, CEO and lead principal investigator at Research Brooks Limited, noted that the research was meticulously structured to adhere to international benchmarks of reliability, impartiality, and scientific accuracy.
As per Kalu, the initiative will involve twelve carefully picked cities throughout Nigeria, each symbolizing distinct political and economic hubs. These cities consist of Lagos, Ibadan, Benin, Asaba, Onitsha, Enugu, Aba, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, and Sokoto. He mentioned that the selection of locations was intentional, aiming for nationwide coverage and to reflect the variety of customer experiences, mobility trends, and engagement with media within the nation. Kalu revealed that the study will target social-economic categories A through D, employing factors like family possessions, buying capacity, and quality of life to achieve equitable participation among various population segments.
In order to ensure greater openness and proper supervision, an impartial panel composed of renowned professionals from the field has been established to monitor the research activities. The group is led by Emmanuel Adediran, who serves as Business Unit Lead at Plus Acuity and is recognized for his expertise in media strategy. Additional participants consist of Ikechukwu Ogbonna, previously heading consumer research at Dentsu Nigeria and formerly with Kantar, along with Felix Ehikhueme, ex-executive of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) and co-founder of the African OOH Congress.
On behalf of the committee, Adediran referred to the research as an essential step toward enhancing the future competitiveness of Nigeria's Outdoor Advertising sector. He noted that although the industry has shown strength and consistent development over time, the lack of a standardized method for measuring audience engagement has hindered its capacity to draw more funding from advertisers and marketing firms.
As he mentioned, having access to reliable audience information can greatly boost trust from brands, media purchasers, investors, and other involved parties. "After the report and its findings are released, companies and businesses will feel more inclined to put money into this area since quantifiable data simplifies the reasoning behind investments," Adediran stated.
Ehikhuemen expressed comparable views, emphasizing that the global future of marketing is becoming more reliant on quantifiable results, insights about audiences, and tech-based choices. He urged all parties involved in the field to adopt the research discoveries and make sure the investigation leads to real-world changes that enhance the industry.
TMKG Consulting, with over 20 years of expertise in media tracking, out-of-home advertising verification, and market insights, has committed to providing useful data sets that can improve the research procedure and elevate the standard of the concluding document.
The concluding document is anticipated to be formally released during the fourth iteration of the LOMA Conference and Awards set for September 2026, with printed versions provided to sector professionals to assist in strategic planning, policymaking, media funding choices, and long-term market growth.
Supplied by SyndiGate Media Inc. ( Syndigate.info ).