Amaechi Okobi

Many moons ago, a group of marketing and comms professionals in the banking industry decided it might be a good idea to come together. How many moons, you ask?

Let me tell you… Hotmail was brand new. Google didn’t exist. Facebook and Instagram weren’t even ideas yet.

This next one will finish you…
Nigeria’s Dream Team won Olympic gold at Atlanta ’96.

It was 1996, people. 30 years ago.

30 years is a long time to keep anything going. In our industry, where everything moves at the speed of a WhatsApp message, it’s an even bigger deal.

So you know it was a real pleasure to join friends and colleagues as @acambnigeria celebrated its 30th anniversary.

Make no mistake, the people in this picture and others in the room around us work for institutions that compete. Seriously. But that’s not the story.

ACAMB brings the comms and marketing people behind those institutions into the same room. Literally and figuratively.

We talk. We share experiences. We learn from one another. And every once in a while, we remind ourselves that some things are bigger than the logos on our lapel pins.

Things like trust.

Trust, particularly in financial services, is not built through advertising. The cleverest campaign, the biggest billboards and the most emotional TVCs mean nothing unless a bank keeps its word.

And, just as importantly, the customer must experience that promise being kept.

Again.And again.And again.And again.

That consistency is what builds trust. And in a digital age, when information (and misinformation) can travel around the world before the Comms team has finished saying “What happened?”, protecting that trust has become even more important.

Of course, nobody appreciates Corporate Communications quite like they do when there is a crisis. Suddenly everybody knows your number. But that’s not the story.

ACAMB has built an incredible community over three decades. Congratulations to @jidesipe, ACAMB President, all the past presidents and the entire team for pulling off an awesome celebration.

It was wonderful catching up, laughing, dancing, and reconnecting.

What a great day!
Here’s to the next 30.

#marketingandcommunication