Jonathan Alabede is the CEO of Brand Futurz. On this bright Friday afternoon, he was decked in a branded T- shirt, an obvious sign that he was ready for the weekend.
But before the time for relaxation, he insists that hard work should come first. At the reception of his office were the list of his clients which include KIA, CFAO and other blue chip companies.
Alabede has every reason to be happy; his outfit is one of the foremost advertising and marketing outfits in Nigeria.
In his kind of business, Alabede is not unaware of the perception that advertising and marketing practitioners mix business with pleasure. But he differs on this, insisting that you don’t mix business with pleasure.
“Every business must be ethically driven. There must be ethic in the profession. I believe strongly in ethical values .There are some things you don’t do, things you don’t mix with business. I just ensure that I do things right.
“Anywhere you don’t separate the two, the business cannot last. There is time for everything. When there is time for work to be done, it should be done and when there is time for ‘thank God it is Friday’, you enjoy yourself,” said Alabede.
Brand Futurz, a marketing support agency, opened shop in 2002. “What we do clearly is in marketing support, you can also call it brand support. Our primary objective is to make brands to be more successful in the market place. We also support our brands through what we call brand communication.
Under our communication, apart from direct advertising, we also have public relations, events, brand endorsement, anything that we do is targeted at enhancing brand equity, “said Alabede about the activities of his outfit.
The Brand Futurz boss is a graduate of Psychology from the University of Jos and currently doing his PhD in Organisational Behaviour. “I started as a marketing research executive. I was able to learn the rudiments of research and so on. That took me to a job in advertising. I got a job at DKK and Associates. DKK appointed me as head of research. I later became head of Research and Clients Service at DKK. I eventually joined Centre Spread where I was the head of Strategic Research; I rose to be the group head of Client Service before Brand Futurz started. I have really worked around some of these agencies, “he said about the genesis of his outfit.
Though Alabede had it rough at the beginning, his determination to succeed and not remain in paid employment was the motivation that spurred him to greater heights.
“I must tell you that in the beginning it was not rosy, Brand Futurz started in my sitting room. I was using my sitting room as my office. The first brand I had and which has supported me very well is Kia Motors. The MD of Kia has supported me all the way. And that is why one of the major accounts I keep up till today is Dana account.
“I want to tell you that the beginning was not palatable, there were no clients. There were no resources to run. I had only one staff member that was resuming in my house. He would get his assignment and go. I also went out to hustle here and there. But today we thank God that the story is different,” Alabede said with a feeling of satisfaction.
He continued: “There are ups and downs in businesses, there was a month when paying salaries was difficult. But if you look at the trend in advertising, we have our peak periods and we have our low periods. I’ve never regretted.”
Despite his staunch belief in the dictum of hard work, Alabede has also not lost sight of God’s benevolence in his life. He is a deacon and a bible teacher in his church. “I have kept trust in God and I have also decided from day one that I’m going to do the business differently. What do I mean by differently? Clients are looking for agencies that are professional and that have integrity. Integrity is missing in most of the agencies. Integrity does not only mean that you are not stealing clients’ money, I mean integrity in your work process, integrity in your recommendation, integrity in your outlook and everything you do. That is what the client is looking for.”
Today, many of the companies he has worked for are still on the look-out for him. “When I started, all the advertising agencies I worked for were still passing their research briefs to me. A particular agency sent for me and asked me to close down my agency and take over that particular agency, I did not.”
He is also a firm believer that a hard worker should also carve out the time to relax and enjoy life. In his leisure time, he attends a social functions of his clients.
And when he is not doing any of these, he teaches in the church. “I spend most of my time in the church. I belong to some associations that are developmental in nature. For example, I belong to a club for people from Ogbomoso. I believe that is a way to contribute to where I come from. I also have old students’ associations. I went to the University of Jos, I associate with my alumni. “I read a lot in my leisure and I write a lot of articles. Like I told you I’m doing my PhD”.
He also has a particular interesting passion for watching the game of football, especially if the club involved is the Manchester United Football Club. For him, every other thing can wait whenever a match involving his favourite team is on.
“I’m a Man U fan. And when a premiership game is on, especially when Man U is playing, I leave whatever I’m doing to concentrate and watch the match.”
