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Mrs Opeoluwa Adeyemo-Anjorin is a suave
sports marketing and activation specialist who has organized diverse sporting
tournaments and activations in the country with decades of experience. In this
interview with Tunji Faleye, she talks about challenges in Nigeria’s sports
marketing industry, activities of MediaVision Limited and other sundry issues
in the industry.
Kindly
make an assessment of sport marketing industry? Is the country in the right way
in term of marketing sport brands and talents we have in Nigeria?
It’s a bit of a mix in terms of Nigeria
been in the right way in Sports Marketing.
Firstly, I would say that there is a
profound realization that sports marketing is the only way to improve our
sporting presence, establish and properly maintain mainstream sports facilities
and discover and properly guide talents in various sports.
However, the actual “doing” is what has
faced a lot of obstacles. Mismanagement and poor handling of funds from the
very few brands that have invested in our sports means that lots of big brands
who can afford to splash on sports are very reluctant to do so. There is a
paucity of funds because the willing brands are few.
Moreso, there is a lopsided attachment
to football in Nigeria. This means that other sports are lacking and lagging
behind in terms of infrastructural and developmental programs.
A lot has to also be done in the area of governance. Sporting structures should be purely managed privately with little or no influence from government. But because a large percentage of all things sports are still heavily dependent on government assisted funding, that is not the case.
All of these directly affects our
ability to discover, harness and manage talents. There has to be a proper
developmental process put in place for talents to be nurtured to maximum
development, this is not the case. A lot of talents are left to fend for
themselves including talents that have represented states and the country. This
is the main reason for defection of our talents to representing other
countries.
Nigeria has talented athletes and a
passionate fan base, but the country's sports marketing industry is still
developing. To fully capitalize on the potential, Nigeria needs to: Invest in
infrastructure, enhance marketing and branding and improve governance and
management
What
are the challenges confronting sports marketing industry in the country?
This is the field we have been
operating in for over 20 years now and I can categorically state that it is not
easy but at the same time very doable.
There is a reluctance of private
participation in sports. A whole lot of organizations prefer to lavish their
funds on entertainment and the likes.
There is also the issue of lack of or
poorly maintained infrastructure and again 98% of them are public facilities.
While some sports (Football and athletics maybe) may have it better, there are
several sports that are completely lacking in facilities and well-run
structures. These affects the ability to properly market them.
We have made some progress in the past
few years in using sports as a tool to reach out to discerning brands for
development especially at the grassroots level, a whole lot remains to be done.
Some of the key challenges include; limited
funding, poor infrastructure, lack of effective governance, inadequate marketing
and promotion. Others are: talent migration, corruption, lack of data and
research as well as inadequate technology adoption.
How
are the stakeholders tackling the challenges?
Show and tell – Here we have taken the
responsibility of first showcasing these sporting platforms using home grown
funding, then we use this as a spring board to bring onboard partners and
collaborators.
''First, we convince the private sector of the need to develop sports at all levels but with more emphasis on grassroots. We have also been able to prove that sponsorship funding will be prudently and effectively managed to achieve maximum results.''
Secondly, we meet with public
parastatals and agencies in charge of the different sports to enjoin
partnership in establishing a win-win collaboration. This allows them to give
their cooperation and assistance, technical and otherwise.
Finally, to build a rich and
all-inclusive ecosystem, the stakeholders’ niche is expanded to include parents
and the general public. This helps drive followership, enthusiasm,
participation and influence. These are all ingredients needed for robust sports
marketing.
The advent of social media has vastly
improved our ability to show and tell and we are constantly and innovatively
adopting it to continue to expand our reach.
Lastly, the Sports Marketing field is
big enough for many players to collaborate and this is also part of the game
plan to continue to breach the challenges sports marketing in Nigeria is
experiencing.
Kindly
tell us the brief history of MediaVision including the values and philosophy
that have distinguished the agency over the years.
As you may be aware, MediaVision
Limited, is Nigeria’s Leading Sports Marketing and Activations Company. We pride ourselves in been at the forefront of using
sports as a platform for sports and facility development, employee engagement and
brand visibility.
MediaVision Limited started in 2003 in publishing. We published
Nigeria’s No. 1 Football Weekly called The Game till 2008. We have also
produced, managed and marketed a Sports Show on NTA Network since 2005.
Since then, we have evolved into the Leading Sports Marketing &
Activations Company in Nigeria with business
concerns that span;
Corporate Nigeria. A plethora of sector
games that serves as an employee engagement platform for staff of corporate
organizations to compete in friendly sports. It helps them keep fit, live
healthy and build a work-life balance. Nigeria Bankers Games, Nigeria Telecoms
Games, Nigeria Insurance Games, Nigeria FMCG Games, Nigeria Fintech Games,
Corporate Champions Cup are some of them.
We
provide end-to-end consultancy for blue chip firms who need customized sporting
platforms to achieve various company/brand
objectives. We conceptualize, project manage and execute these projects on
behalf of these clients. We also provide advisory services on a need’s basis.
Some of these include Gtbank Principals and Masters Cup, PwC Chess4Change,
Fidelity Bank NYSC Games, NUGA Games Unical 2026.
One of our core competencies is using
sports as a viable alternative employee engagement tool to breed employee
self-worth, brand loyalty, improved productivity and overall wellbeing of
employees. We do this using Internal Games activation. Our clients include
organizations like Credit Direct, Friesland Campina amongst others.
Our philosophy and values are cojoined.
We operate with the mindset that Sports in Nigeria can and should be
self-sustaining. To achieve this, we understand the role that partnerships play
to ensure this sustainability.
Therefore, integrity, collaboration and
team play are our constant watchword over the years. This has helped us breed
goodwill that ensures that brands continue to trust us and so, we continue to be
at the forefront of developing a self-sustaining sports industry.
Can
you also tell us some of the sports marketing sponsorships/partnerships your
agency has been able to broker?
There has been quite a bit;
Gtbank sponsoring the Principals Cup in
Lagos and Ogun States for over 10 years, Gtbank
sponsoring the Masters Cup (initially Heritage Cup) for First Generation
Secondary Schools in Lagos State and Fidelity
Bank sponsoring the annual NYSC Games in 2012.
Others are: PwC sponsoring Chess4Change
in select secondary schools in Lagos for 10 years now, Remita sponsoring the
Corporate Champions Cup. NUGA GAMES – We are in the process of securing
sponsorships for the upcoming NUGA Games at University of Calabar, Unical 2026.
What
is the competitive edge of your agency over other competitors in the industry?
We have been in sports
business for more than two decades. Our competitive edge includes; Our years of
experience across various sporting brands, our years of experience working
across the corporate and public sector and our team of seasoned sports
marketers who have also remained at MVL for more than a decade.
Our integrity over the
years in delivering exceptional sporting activations, the goodwill and
partnership we have developed over the years in the public and private space as
far as sports is concerned and our deep love for sports development in Nigeria.
All these stand us out in the sport marketing industry.
How
is your agency leveraging on digital to remain relevant in a fast-evolving
sport marketing industry?
As you are aware, this is
at the heart of everything now and we are not left behind.
We are fully engaged on all
the social media platforms for promotions, Livestreaming, advertising and
various forms of engagement with our indigent stakeholders and the larger
sports loving public.
We also understand the
dynamics of the digital space and have a team that ensures that we remain
relevant.
What
should we be expecting from MediaVision in the remaining months of the year,
now that we have entered the second quarter?
Our annual Corporate Games
fixtures will keep off in earnest in August. We will debut an addition to our
Corporate Games portfolio – The Nigeria Fintech Games.
Another Corporate Games
event will also make a comeback after a few years absence – The Nigeria
Insurance Games. Our biggest annual sporting event, The Nigeria Bankers Games
will also hold.
There are two more projects
that we hope to execute in the last half of the year, Scrabble Competition in
secondary schools and the Powerman Series – a strong man event that will take the
nation by storm.
What
is your projection for MediaVision in the next five years?
To be a global brand in the
Sports Marketing and Activation Industry and help bring diverse international
sporting tournaments to Nigeria. We hope
to also become one of the biggest talent management agencies across various
sporting fields.
What
is your advice to the young people who want to start career in sports
marketing?
My advice is for them to get
involved now to be completely informed about Sports Marketing.
This means developing
passion for sports and how it is run. It would also be helpful to seek out
mentors they can learn from and if possible, volunteer their time for sports
activations of their liking.
This will go a long way in
helping them settle in nicely when the time comes. They will also understand
the nuances and follow through with the perseverance that is required.
What’s your opinion on this
story?
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