by Queen Nwabueze
There’s a peculiar addiction in Nigerian marketing that deserves a whole intervention and no, it’s not the obsession with influencers (that one has its own diagnosis). We need to talk about billboards. Yes, those loud, glossy outdoor installations plastered on every bridge, roundabout and junction from Alausa to Aba.
Ah! Nigeria loves billboards like jollof loves party rice. It’s almost as if marketers believe that the bigger the billboard, the better the brand. But here’s the truth: billboards can’t save a bad product. No amount of 30-feet smiling faces and exaggerated claims will fix poor quality, bad distribution, or a brand with zero street credibility.
Welcome to the OOH Olympics. Yes, because it has become a competition. Who can dominate the skyline more? During election season, politicians battle for pole position on Lekki-Epe Expressway. But all year round, it’s brands. You’ll see five different noodle brands on five billboards within 100 meters. And sometimes, the brands don’t even have enough products on shelves, but their faces are flexing in 3D above your head.
A brand might not have proper retail penetration in Owerri, but it has six billboards on the way to the market. That’s like being a motivational speaker with no job.
OOH (Out-of-Home) advertising has its place. Of course, it builds awareness. It screams “We exist!” loud and clear. But when your brand can’t fulfill that promise on ground, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. You can’t billboard your way out of a broken brand.
Let’s take this to church. Please permit: Visibility without credibility is just vanity.
Consumers are tired of seeing billboard hype that doesn’t match reality. Imagine plastering a gigantic image of a chilled malt drink on a scorching highway in Akwa Ibom, only for consumers to walk into a shop and be told, “Ah, dem never supply am since last week.”
Let’s talk real strategy.
Moniepoint didn’t start by slapping billboards all over Lagos. They went deep into underserved markets, understood their audience, solved problems like failed POS transactions and built reputation from the trenches. Now that the brand has street cred, billboards are just the icing, not the cake.
Contrast that with some telcos and fintechs who spend hundreds of millions on OOH but still have clunky apps, no customer care, and zero brand affection. Their billboards are doing what their brands should have done.
Why are we like this?
The outdoor ad love affair in Nigeria is partly cultural, partly ego. Let’s be honest: Billboards are sexy. They make your MD feel like the brand has arrived. They impress board members. They wow clients. And they’re great for social media humblebrags: “Look at our new Unipole in Onitsha!”
But it becomes a problem when that’s your entire marketing strategy. You’re flexing outdoors while your product is flopping indoors.
Let’s take a lesson from La Casera back in the day. Before their billboard game went hard, their bottle was already a legend. It was the first “drink-and-go” soda Nigerians embraced. The product quality, the price, and the distribution spoke volumes. Billboards only amplified what was already loved.
Same for Cowbell Milk. Before you saw their billboards, you saw their sachets in every shop and on every school run. The product made noise before the media did.
This is the secret sauce: Earn your billboard. Don’t use it as a crutch.
Let’s even talk about it: How do you measure the effectiveness of a billboard in Nigeria?
Most times, we don’t.
There are no clear KPIs. No conversion metrics. Just vibes and visibility. The billboard is up, so let’s hope somebody somewhere is buying. Meanwhile, your distributors are complaining of supply issues and retailers don’t even have branded chillers.
You know what delivers more ROI than some overpriced gantries?
• A working customer feedback loop.
• Market activations with samples.
• Getting your product in people’s hands, not just in their faces.
Dear Brand Manager, Enter Market First!
Before you approve that mega OOH budget, ask yourself:
• Is my product even available in the area I’m advertising?
• What’s the customer saying?
• Do retailers even know what I’m pushing?
Billboards should complement your brand, not compensate for its weaknesses.
Alternative Flexes?
Not all marketing must be skyscraper-sized.
Think small, but impactful:
• Use keke branding to hit street level awareness.
• Partner with influencers that actually use your product.
• Create memorable jingles and own radio in core markets.
• Sponsor local events and turn them into brand carnivals.
These build real connection. Not just cold impressions.
Let’s even peg this here: The Real Billboard Is Your Product!
At the end of the day, the best billboard is a satisfied customer. Word of mouth is still undefeated in Nigeria. If your product slaps, people will talk. They’ll show. They’ll shout. They’ll even become your unofficial ambassadors.
So before you go dropping millions on another flex at Maryland Junction, ask yourself: Is my product ready for the spotlight?
Or am I just putting lipstick on a pig?
