Mrs. Chioma Afe is the Group Head, Retail Marketing & Analytics of Access Bank Plc. She speaks on how the bank is keying into the media and entertainment industry projected to be the fastest-growing in Nigeria complemented by mobile and internet advertising. The bank’s re-branding efforts and its impact on customers and other plans.

You have had a stint with the pay-TV sector, and now the banking sector, can you compare both sectors alongside your present position?

I would say my role in both industries is complementary. Having worked in the Pay-TV media business has definitely helped me understand the value of media in driving both corporate and product brand awareness, the networking with the Media & pay-TV business is without a doubt one that I continue to leverage in my current role.

The importance of content to drive product use, brand appreciation, education and engagement with consumers is one key similarity between my stint in the pay-TV industry and now within financial services.

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In the latter situation, you absolutely need to show the relevance of the services offered by the bank in the everyday lives of consumers, and the way to do this is via content and relevant messaging utilizing the right media platforms as they appeal to the various segments

Nigeria by 2023 is projected by PwC to be the world’s fastest-growing media and entertainment nation and this growth will be complemented by mobile internet access, advertising, and other marketing tools. What is your organisation doing to tap into this opportunity?

We are at the forefront of partnering with, and enabling the creative sector which includes IT, Fashion, TV/Movie Production & Music to access funding, create jobs, drive revenue and growth and empower the emerging SME business segment in the country. Every day across this country new music, movies, apps, clothing designs, etc are created and the biggest hindrance faced by the creatives behind these ideas is reliable and sustained funding, creative hubs and Centres of excellence, global visibility & access to the market.

Our role at Access bank is to provide solutions for these everyday problems and so this initiative called the Creative Sector Financing initiative in partnership with the CBN positions the bank as the go-to institution for thought leadership, partnership and access to funding.

Our Vision is to be Africa’s gateway to the world, connecting people & businesses on the continent and globally and so the CIFI partnership is well within our strategic plan as an organisation.

As organisations compete to create the most desired user experiences, advances in technology are at the heart of their strategies, how would your bank ensure customers experience the advances, more so with the merger/acquisition of a more tech savvy organisation?

The beauty of the combination between both banks is that the new entity has got the best of both worlds- A strong wholesale Corporate business and an agile retail organisation leveraging digital technology to serve customers efficiently and effectively.

This remains our focus in 2020 and beyond, as we continue to research, develop and launch innovative products and solutions that impact the daily lives of our customers, driving financial inclusion and democratising payments and transactions for our customers.

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A good example is our USSD *901# platform which continues to evolve to include Diamond Xtra account opening capability, instant, and payday loan access as well as regular services like bills payment, transfers, and airtime purchase. We have some groundbreaking innovative solutions about to launch so customers should definitely watch the Access space.

The growth of internet advertising is being powered by mobile advertising which grew by 58.7 percent in the past year and will expand at 18.5 percent by 2023. As a result of this growth, internet advertising will attract 61.6 percent of the total internet advertising, what is your bank doing to tap or contribute to this figure?

As you know, marketing communications has evolved from purely traditional advertising (largely one-way communication) to a more interactive, two-way consumer engagement via digital platforms driven by the rapid growth in social media content creation & consumption especially by millennial. In response to this growing trend our communication strategy and budget especially within the retail business in Access bank, have evolved to allocate increased focus.

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