Media Consortium Celebrates Industry Excellence as Consumer Power Takes Centre Stage
The fourth edition of the Media Consortium Conference & Awards has brought together leading professionals across marketing, advertising, media, communications and business to examine the changing dynamics of the marketplace and recognise individuals and organisations contributing to industry growth.
Held on Friday, September 18, 2026, the event was themed “The Value Shift: Strategies for the New Market Reality in the Age of Empowered Consumers.”
The conference focused on the growing influence of consumers, the impact of technology and digital connectivity on market dynamics, and the need for brands and marketing professionals to rethink how value is created and delivered.
In his welcome address, the organiser noted that the industry was at a critical junction in the evolution of trade, communications and brand strategies, stressing that the marketplace had moved beyond traditional frameworks.
He observed that while market power had historically rested largely with suppliers, brands and media owners, the internet, digital connectivity and growing economic consciousness had altered the equation.
According to him, today’s consumer is more informed, connected and demanding, making incremental adjustments insufficient for businesses seeking to remain relevant in the new marketplace.
‘The Customer Has Taken the Wheel’
The keynote address, delivered by the President of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), Dr. Bolajoko Bayo-Ajayi, and represented by Mr. Oluwafemi Adeniba, centred on the fundamental shift in power from brands to consumers.
“The customer, where we are now, has taken the wheel,” she said.
Bayo-Ajayi explained that the traditional marketplace gave brands control over products, information, distribution and media, allowing them to largely determine the narrative presented to consumers.
However, the emergence of social media, smartphones, e-commerce, fintech, the creator economy and artificial intelligence has transferred greater power to buyers.
She noted that consumers have progressed from simply having access to information to having greater choice, voice and, increasingly, intelligence.
“Today, you can control an advertisement but not what the customer says about it. You can control a website but not what the customer says about their experience. You can spend millions to buy attention but not force people to care,” she said.
The NIMN President also challenged marketers to move away from describing Nigerians simply as price-sensitive consumers.
According to her, Nigerian consumers are increasingly value-sensitive, balancing economic pressures with aspirations for quality, convenience, status, experience and progress.
She argued that consumers ultimately buy outcomes rather than products, citing banking applications, insurance and hotel rooms as examples of products whose real value lies in the solutions and experiences they provide.
She proposed a value equation based on relevance, trust, experience and outcome, warning that a weakness in any one of these areas could significantly undermine perceived value.
Bayo-Ajayi also urged marketers to consider how artificial intelligence would affect the marketplace from the consumer’s perspective.
“We should stop asking how marketers can use AI. The more important question is what happens when consumers use AI to navigate the market?” she asked.
‘Consumers Are Looking for Benefits’
Adding to the conversation, Femi Opadere, Head of Digital at Globacom Nigeria, said the availability of information and increasing consumer choices had fundamentally altered the relationship between brands and buyers.
He noted that unlike the traditional consumer, today’s customers have digital tools that enable them to research products, compare alternatives and determine what best meets their aspirations.
“Consumers are not interested in advertising; they are looking for benefits,” Opadere said.
He urged brands to ensure that value is delivered at every consumer touchpoint, while emphasising personalisation, convenience, trust and effective feedback mechanisms.
According to him, brands must take customer complaints seriously and treat every consumer interaction as an opportunity to strengthen relationships.
He also encouraged marketers to involve consumers in their brand activities, create opportunities for user-generated content and build emotional connections that go beyond conventional advertising.
Consumer Experience Takes Centre Stage
The theme was further explored during a panel session moderated by Akonte Ekine, CEO of Brandxchange.
Oke Umurhowho, Marketing Director, StarTimes, said consumer empowerment had changed how brands define and communicate value.
“For me, the biggest thing that the consumer has is that they are empowered. It is no longer what you are telling them but their own independent research about your business or your product,” he said.
He added that consumers increasingly define value for themselves, with the experience associated with a product becoming as important as its price.
Victor Okafor, Marketing Manager, Oriflame, noted that brands had moved beyond the era when developing a product, placing an advertisement and waiting for consumers to purchase was sufficient.
He said the traditional model in which brands controlled the narrative had been reversed, with consumers now exercising greater control over how brands are perceived.
For Olusesan Ogunyooye, Head of Marketing at AXA Mansard, however, the rapid evolution of the marketplace should not make marketers lose sight of fundamental human behaviour.
“The fundamentals of human beings don’t change and that is where we need to design our strategy from,” he said.
Ogunyooye noted that although the consumer journey would continue to evolve, the value consumers derive from brands would remain closely connected to relevance, including how well brands understand consumers within their cultural context.
The panel also featured Richard Salvador-Adebayo, Managing Director of Digisplash Ltd, and Olabisi Shonibare, Director, Partnership, Grants Management & Innovation, LASEPA.
Brands, Professionals Recognised for Industry Contributions
The conference culminated in an awards ceremony recognising organisations and professionals across consumer brands, insurance, marketing, media, advertising, digital innovation, reputation management and business leadership.
Among the award recipients, Checkers Custard received the Most Innovative Consumer Brand of the Year 2026 (Product Innovation), while Rite Foods Ltd was named Consumer-Conscious Brand of the Year 2026.
AfriGlobal Insurance Brokers Ltd received the Insurance Broker of the Year 2026 award, while AXA Mansard received the Insurance Innovation & Excellence Award 2026.
Golden Penny Spaghetti was recognised as Consumers’ Pasta Brand of the Year 2026, while Golden Penny Semovita received the Brand of the Year Award 2026.
Other corporate award recipients included Digisplash Ltd, which received the Business Growth & Enterprise Leadership Award 2026; Four Pulley Ltd (FPL Media), which received the Shining Light in OOH Advertising Award 2026; Integrated Indigo Ltd, recognised as Strategic Brand Perception Leader of the Year 2026; and PZ Cussons, which received the Excellence in Water Hygiene Award 2026.
Amstel Malta was named Malt Brand of the Year 2026, while Plexus received the Upcoming Reputation Management Firm of the Year 2026 award.
The individual recognitions included Dr. Babatunde Ajayi, who received the Environmental Safety Leadership Award 2026; Aniete Udoh, named Creative Marketing Professional of the Year 2026; Winifred Chidinma Bosa, recognised as Brand Journalist of the Year 2026; and Odukoya Oluwatobi Olufemi, who received the Media & Digital Strategist of the Year 2026 award.
Other individual honourees included Oke Umurhowho, who received the Award for Strategic Brand Leadership & Transformation Marketing 2026, and Uchenna Innocent, recognised as Digital Innovation & Business Transformation Specialist of the Year 2026.
The event also recognised General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd.), Minister of Defence, with the Defence Policy & Innovation Visionary Award 2026.
The fourth edition of the Media Consortium Conference & Awards ultimately provided an industry platform for examining how the rise of the empowered consumer is redefining the traditional rules of marketing, while celebrating organisations and professionals responding to the changing market environment.
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