As Nigerian companies face intense pressure to justify every naira spent, top industry executives have issued a clear directive: achieving real returns from digital marketing requires a radical shift towards stricter data discipline and seamless teamwork.
The Call for Data-Driven Rigor
This urgent message was the central theme at the recent Leadway Digital Growth Summit, held on 5 December 2025. Speakers unanimously agreed that a significant portion of digital spending fails because businesses cannot accurately trace what actually generates revenue.
Leye Makanjuola, the CEO of Intense Group, pinpointed the core issue. He stated that many firms dive into digital campaigns without setting clear financial goals. "The biggest mistake is not being data-focused," Makanjuola emphasized. "You need to know how much it should cost you to acquire a customer, and ensure that you’re not spending more than your threshold for customer acquisition."
He further stressed that sustainable revenue growth is impossible without transparency and collaboration between corporate teams and their agency partners, noting that neither side can deliver meaningful results in isolation.
Nigeria's Digital Opportunity and the Path Forward
Makanjuola explained that the Return on Investment (ROI) from digital channels is poised for major expansion as Nigerian consumer behaviour continues its rapid shift online. While digital's direct contribution to revenue in large organisations might currently be modest, its influence on purchasing decisions is growing exponentially.
"The trend is that in the next few years to a decade, digital will be the way that people make buying decisions and purchase," he predicted.
Data presented at the summit strongly supports this outlook. Timilehin Oyedeji, Senior Client Partner at Aleph, highlighted Nigeria's compelling demographics: a population exceeding 220 million with over 50% internet penetration. He revealed that platforms like TikTok can offer cost per acquisition rates about 35% cheaper than some traditional channels.
To capitalize on this, Oyedeji argued that companies must invest in three key areas:
- Better Signals: Improving data collection for accurate optimization.
- Automation: Streamlining marketing processes.
- Multi-Channel Touchpoints: Engaging consumers across various digital environments.
He warned that brands neglecting data consolidation and personalisation will lose customers who now routinely research across multiple platforms before buying.
Leadway's Integrated Ecosystem Strategy
For the summit's host, Leadway Holdings, improving digital ROI involves a fundamental internal restructuring. Diana Mulili, the group's Head of Digital Business, explained they are moving away from fragmented, traditional ad campaigns towards a unified, performance-driven model.
"We want to scale our digital business across the group and move from traditional advertising marketing into performance marketing," she said. The strategy involves leveraging the strong brand equity of Leadway Assurance to boost awareness and conversions for other subsidiaries within the group.
Mulili outlined an ambitious target for 2026: creating an integrated digital ecosystem. This platform would allow customers to transact across different Leadway products seamlessly. The group believes this integration will streamline the conversion process and finally deliver clear, measurable revenue outcomes from their digital investments.
