Creative agencies will not become irrelevant because of artificial intelligence (AI), but they must continuously reinvent themselves, embrace technology and protect human creativity, cultural intelligence and originality to remain valuable, the Head of Corporate Communications, Sahara Group, Mr. Bethel Obioma, has submitted.
The senior communications executive stated this during the 2026 Annual Brands and Marketing Conference organised by Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN) in Lagos, themed “Advertising in Nigeria & AI: Who Needs Creative Agencies Anyways?”
According to Obioma, AI has fundamentally altered the creative and advertising landscape by enabling individuals and organisations to generate campaigns, films, images, ideas and other creative assets at unprecedented speed.
However, he warned that the increasing ability to create content with AI should not be mistaken for the ability to create meaningful and enduring communication.
According to him, the central challenge facing creative agencies was no longer whether AI would replace them, but how they could reinvent their value proposition and combine technology with uniquely human capabilities.
Obioma’s key message to advertising professionals, brands and students was simple: “Reinvention,” noting that creative professionals must repeatedly ask themselves fundamental questions about the why, how, where and when of their work as technology and consumer behaviour continue to evolve.
He explained that there was “good news” for creative agencies because AI could be mastered and used to expand their capabilities.
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The danger, he added, was relying entirely on AI, which could eventually cause professionals and brands to lose their distinctive voices.
“If you rely on AI alone, you’re going to lose your voice,” he warned, stressing that AI could not replace the depth of human creativity and experience, stating that the real value of creative professionals would increasingly lie in their ability to exercise judgement, understand cultural nuances and determine which of the numerous ideas generated by AI were actually worth pursuing.
“AI will give you hundreds of ideas, but who tells which one deserves the client’s money? It has to be you,” he averred, saying cultural understanding was particularly important in Nigeria and Africa, where advertising messages needed to reflect local realities, experiences and sensitivities.
“AI can give you everything, but AI cannot give you the nuances,” he said, adding that professionals must understand the cultural context surrounding the brands and audiences they serve.
The Sahara Group executive also challenged creative agencies to examine whether their work remained distinctive and relevant in an increasingly crowded digital environment.
“If we took out your logo, would anyone still recognise your work?,” he asked while urging agencies to question whether the speed at which they were producing content translated into genuine audience engagement.
“The creative agency is not disappearing. The old definition of agency is what’s disappearing,” he added as he called on agencies to strengthen their capacity in cultural intelligence, strategic choice, creativity, trust, governance and measurement of value.
Using Sahara Group’s 30th anniversary as an example, he explained how the company applied reinvention to its anniversary communication, saying the concept “Beyond XXX” was developed around the Roman numeral XXX, representing 30 years, while also communicating the company’s ambition to move beyond its achievements and legacy.
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