Moving to the Client Side – Part 1

Two months ago, I came here to mark 2 years of doing remarkable stuff (because I do say so myself) at Leadway – a leading non-banking financial services group in the industry. Reflecting on the journey so far showed the many in-betweens of change, growth and accomplishments. And, of course, taking a glimpse down memory lane to how I veered off my background in the sciences to become a brand and marketing communications expert circles back to my incredible and life-changing time at a creative agency before making a strategic and timely switch to the Client side.

Before making the transition, I grappled with questions like, 'Are you ready? Is it time? Have you learnt it all, etc.?' The answer to these questions was encapsulated in a saying by Oladimeji Timothy – the lessons learned on a journey are as crucial as the destination. These lessons endure long after the thrill of reaching a destination fades, guiding us to new goals and achievements. Fear should never hinder our pursuit of growth and learning.

I will share my experience so far, summarized in 6 parts, so expect more timely updates from this end.

"Creativity becomes limited, and you become less creative once you move to the Client side." Now, let's unpack that."

While the Agency side is fast-paced, working on various multifaceted brands simultaneously, the Client side can be slower. It might seem monotonous because you work on the same brand throughout the year. However, the twist is how you can use what you have and know that nothing should stifle your creativity. While you might not experience the dynamics of the working life of a typical Ad person in an Agency or the mind-boggling and countless creative brainstorm sessions you have to constantly engage in to create mind-blowing campaigns for every brand in your pipeline, you get the chance to show how much more magic you can create with experiencing a million and one ways you can make one thing (that is your brand) shine even brighter on the Client side.

I experienced this first-hand; one of our key mandates was the youth market, and when I joined the team, there were several assets to drive this objective, like the Level Up by Leadway podcast and experiential engagements, to name a few. Creativity cannot be stifled, right? So, we had to create even more creative ways to reach our audience. One such new idea, borne and executed, is the Leadway Campus Connect, where we can achieve the objective of building meaningful connections with the youth market in a million and one ways; don't bother counting, lol. You can check out what we've done with Covenant University, FUTA, OAU, and UI. And the sweeter part is that we are just getting started!

In conclusion, remember that creativity is not bound by your role-whether you're on the Agency or the Client side; make the most of your resources to create exceptional work.

This is just the beginning of a 6-part series, so stay tuned for more insights.

Until next time, cheers!