By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Few days ago, Centrespread announced an affiliation with Grey Africa, bringing together two formidable brands in the marketing communication industry in Africa.
The partnership brought about CentrespreadGrey.
Chief Executive Officer of CentrespreadGrey, Mr Kola Ayanwale, in a chat with journalists in Lagos, described the partnership between Grey Africa and Centrespread as a demonstration of the readiness of Africans to foster seamless relationships that promote excellence across the continent.
Mr Ayanwale, who himself is one of Nigeria’s most successful marketing communications moguls, noted that the affiliation became necessary to satisfy a growing search by discerning clients for strong creative marketing communications super markets that have the wherewithal to innovate and create disruptive marketing campaigns capable of improving the fortunes of brands in the increasingly competitive market place.
He further added that the return of the Grey Group, which ranks among the world’s top creative, advertising and marketing organisations with an enviable global footprint, into Nigeria, at this point in time, was a positive sign that the world still recognizes the country for good.
”The most important value that the partnership we have forged with the Grey Group offers is to the Nigerian business environment.
“In doing this deal, we (both Grey and Centrespread) not only further our business interests but we pool our respective strengths, experiences, traditions and creative dynamism to provide a solution for a very acute need for Nigerian businesses, namely birthing timely and cost-effective cutting-edge marketing offerings to break the clutter and excite the market,” Mr Ayanwale posited.
Going down memory lane, he said in the Nigerian IMC landscape, the Centrespread history, over the last 35 years, has been sustained on the platform of unwavering commitment to innovation, disruption and excellence.
In his words, “the Centrespread brand has, today, attained iconic status in the Nigerian marketing communication industry because we have worked hard at uncompromising and consistent grooming and, as a result of this, we have remained one of the leading lights of the various revolutionary phases the nation’s IMC sector has witnessed.
“Nevertheless, we cannot afford to sit back and just enjoy the tag of being one of Nigeria’s most successful IMC groups of today. This is the right time to set to work to define and perfect how we want our brand to operate tomorrow.”
Drawing an analogy between the eagle and the Centrespread brand, Mr Ayanwale revealed that in the last 5 years, so much re-invention had taken place in the life of the Centrespread Group in terms of sharpening business focus and goals as well as harnessing of excellent talents to connect with the market of the future.
“Like the eagle, we withdrew to the war-room, plucked out old, withering wings and have now re-grown fresh plumage. Now, the Centrespread Grey brand, like the stronger, sharper and nimbler eagle, is here, ready to explore and dominate the exciting Nigerian integrated marketing communications skyline,” he enthused.
