Babaeko Urges Media Agencies to Embrace Technology

At the 2026 Annual General Meeting of the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), Steve Babaeko, the Chief Executive Officer of X3M Ideas, emphasized the need for media agencies to adapt to the technological revolution impacting advertising. He discussed the rise of artificial intelligence, programmatic systems, and self-service platforms, warning that traditional media buying models are under pressure as automated processes take over.

Babaeko urged agencies to cultivate their own audience intelligence and deepen their understanding of local consumers, as global technology companies increasingly dominate audience data and advertising tools. He highlighted the importance of recognizing the informal sector's influence on purchasing decisions, which often goes unmeasured by conventional methods.

Babaeko argued that local agencies have a unique advantage in understanding the Nigerian consumer, which could provide valuable insights that global platforms lack. The AGM's theme was “Monetizing Tomorrow: Outpacing Disruption, Capturing Growth in the Next Era of Media,” and Babaeko's keynote was titled “Whose Tomorrow Are We Monetizing?”.