Guinness Nigeria MD Girish Sharma Urges Marketers to Challenge Convention and Build Locally Relevant Brands
Guinness Nigeria Managing Director Girish Sharma has urged marketers and advertising agencies to question conventional thinking, strengthen their understanding of consumers and develop locally relevant ideas that build brands and support business growth
Sharma made the call during a fireside chat titled “Challenging the Status Quo” at the Omnicom Advertising Africa Conference, themed “Welcome to the Noise”. The event brought together leaders from the marketing, advertising and business communities, including Ernest Ndukwe, OFR, Chairman of MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, and Dr Olalekan Olumuyiwa Fadolapo, Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON).
The discussion focused on how brands can stay relevant in a competitive marketplace by revisiting established assumptions, responding to consumer needs and adopting new approaches to creativity and growth.
Drawing on his experience in consumer businesses, including Indomie, Kellogg’s, Colgate, Power Oil and Guinness Nigeria, Sharma said effective marketing begins with understanding consumers and turning those insights into propositions that resonate locally.
“We must spend more time with consumers and understand their needs. Global ideas can sometimes provide a strong foundation, but local insight is what makes them relevant. Our responsibility is not simply to create work that wins awards, but to develop ideas that connect with consumers, strengthen our brands and help our businesses grow,” Sharma said.
He also highlighted the importance of challenging established ways of working and ensuring that creative ideas are informed by consumer understanding and clear commercial objectives.
Earlier in the conference, Graham Cruickshanks, Director of Africa Operations at TBWA, spoke about the event’s “Welcome to the Noise” theme. He emphasised the role of distinctive storytelling and African cultural identity in shaping brand narratives, citing the Michael Power campaign as an example of storytelling that can create lasting connections between brands and audiences.
Cruickshanks also encouraged African brands to take greater ownership of their narratives and help shape the continent’s technology story. He said cultural confidence and locally rooted creativity are increasingly important in a connected world.
For Guinness Nigeria, the discussion reflects the importance of staying close to consumers, adapting to changing market conditions and building brands that remain relevant to Nigerians. The company said it continues to focus on combining consumer insight, creative ambition and disciplined execution to strengthen consumer connections and support sustainable business growth.
