FTX's PR & Marketing Manager (Africa) Harri Obi: 'You're not as bad at your job as your boss might want to make you believe'
You probably know a little about marketing professionals in Africa and that's not your fault. That is the gap Noticing is filling.
Hello. I hope you have had a great week! And I hope you’ve a relaxing and enjoyable weekend.
Welcome to the second edition of Noticing newsletter. Each week, I’ll be featuring a different African marketer and asking them questions about their journey. You could just learn a thing or two.
This week, we interviewed Harri Obi — PR & Marketing Manager (Africa) at FTX.
The word strategist is somewhat overused in this social media era, but it can be said to genuinely apply to the inarguable content and strategy wunderkind Harri—a man who has spent the past 3 years within the cutting-edge environs of marketing, PR and, advertising.
Harri Obi — PR & Marketing Manager, FTX (Africa)
Having been in charge of strategy at some of Nigeria's advertising agencies in Lagos, such as Poke, Amplify Digital Agency, and AT3 Resources, his formidable skills span a vast marketing landscape. And he’s worked on brands like Facebook, Indomie, Pepsi, Hero Lager, Kellogg's etc. Never one to rest, he has recently turned his attention towards the tech industry. Harri Obi is currently the PR & Marketing Manager at FTX Africa.
People also say when he’s not doing the various day and night jobs, you can find him at the heart of trouble causing uncharacteristic mischief, especially on Twitter.
Here, the ever-enthusiastic strategist who we can also describe as a T-shaped marketer, tells Noticing how he got interested in a marketing career, what he’s doing, what he’s done, and many more about him.
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This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Hi Harri, so let’s kick off with you telling us what it is you do.
It’s important to put a flag in the sand but it’s hard to do it in one word.
My name is Harrison Obiefule. I’m the PR & Marketing Manager (Africa) at FTX.
FTX is one the world's leading crypto exchange platforms. And the fastest crypto company ever to reach unicorn status. Some people even say fastest tech company ever. And we achieved that in 18 months.
My work at FTX Africa involves providing marketing direction and support for the brand, actively participating in the company's marketing strategy and comms planning, brand management and coordination, leading creative ideation, planning events etc. to help the brand drive business results and also drive mainstream adoption of crypto in Africa.
There’s a chameleon element to it, you need to morph and change to fit different situations. I have broad experience and deep expertise – it’s something you develop as you grow and gain more experience.
Incredible, Harri. We'd still talk more on what you’re doing at FTX later on. Next question, what first got you into marketing, and how did you land your first job in marketing?
I started out as a broadcaster. I worked in the production department of a PR agency. And while I was there, I handled social media for the TV Shows under the PR agency. So I got my first kick doing some sort of social media management for the brand.
But after spending four (4) years in the broadcasting industry. I felt it wasn’t working for me , so I decided to switch to advertising. Then I tried getting jobs at different agencies in Lagos but it almost seems impossible. Lagos being the bigger agency demographics, I still spent months looking. No luck. I was only able to get a job in a real estate company. But I just knew I didn’t know what I was doing there. It was a very small company and I also didn’t know what they were doing.
Before then, my friend that was already in advertising told me about the opportunity there, so I decided to stay. But I knew I wanted to follow in his footsteps and start working in an agency first because agencies sort of serve as a preparatory ground and the opportunity to work on different brands. I wanted that for myself. I didn’t just want to get a job and work in any marketing department of any company. I wanted to work in an agency first.
So after disturbing a few friends, I was able to get an interview with an influencer marketing agency. It came by mistake, by the way. I knew the CEO and I was always asking when he’s going to hire but I didn’t get any response. So a friend who was with the agency later told me about a job opening and invited me for a test.
I took the test. I ate it all up. And I was hired. That was my first ever experience working in a core marketing role.
You were keen. Love it. "Breaking into the advertising industry is a fuckin' journey" Do you agree?
Yeah, I agree. It was a journey for me. Like, I transitioned into advertising from broadcasting. And It was still a journey landing a job. While searching, I watched my bank account go lower and lower and started to worry. Haha!
As for advertising being hard to break into... I know some people that just came out of school and got an advertising job. I know some that got the job before they even left school. So yeah, it can be a journey.
But it’s as a result of many factors. There are a few agencies and an abundance of talent. And the requirement process isn’t straightforward. Over here, people prefer personal recommendations over open vacancies.
Now I’m hearing that advertising agencies are finding it hard getting advertising talent. I think this is because they’re always looking for someone that has some sort of experience. So breaking in can be tedious for newbies. You know, someone without any experience.
So if you’re trying to break in, make friends with people in the industry. Create a brief, it doesn't have to be perfect. Just create and do the work. Get a mentor. And join communities.
People are always ready to help. I’m always ready to help.
And always remember that getting a job is a full time job itself. Yes, It's tiring but just be persistent - follow up with people who don't respond to emails, sometimes people are just super busy.
Keep your head up.
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Hmm! You talked about how you landed your first job in marketing earlier. Let's talk about your career path to get to where you are now.
Yeah, I started out as a social media strategist for an influencer marketing agency in Ikeja. I worked on interesting brands. Mostly small scale influencer marketing campaigns for HP, Pepsi, Intel and some other cool brands. Then I moved to a creative agency. There, I worked on many interesting brands as a community manager / strategist / content / social media. I worked on brands like Kellog’s, Indomie and a couple of other cool brands.
After some months, I made the move to a digital agency as a senior comms strategist. I led the content and digital strategy for Hero Lager, still one of the most interesting but challenging brands I’d worked on. While I was working on the Hero Lager brand – an amazing and terrifying experience, weeks when it went well, I was on cloud nine. Other weeks, well… There were a lot of tears and beers. I can remember when it all clicked into place – like discovering an insight, studying it, pulling it apart and rebuilding it in our own way.
The great thing about marketing is you’re always learning and experimenting, there’s always something new to discover. I also worked on minor campaigns for other brands. Then I moved to a PR agency as a strategy and creative lead. Facebook was our major client. So I led strategy development for Facebook in west Africa. I also worked on Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS).
All the hard work and running around led me to tech, where I currently work as the PR and Marketing Manager (Africa) for FTX.
So yeah, it’s been an interesting journey.
Influencing marketing, creative, digital PR etc. I basically have done it all before moving to the client-side.
Sounds like agency life was a pivotal point in your career. In your opinion, what makes it difficult and what makes it worth it to be in an advertising or a PR agency?
"Worth it" is relative to you, since there are so many scenarios and situations that could happen. Yeah, agency life tends to be fast-paced, stressful, messy and chaotic. As far as stress, it's a bit difficult to manage client A one week and client B the next.
But I still think it’s a very good preparatory ground for anyone who wants to pursue a long-term career in the advertising industry.
Agencies are a better learning environment and you'll have more opportunity for cross disciplinary projects. It’s basically a jungle, it’s basically a slaughterhouse. And the horrible pay, the sleepless nights, the unreasonable deadlines… Not that I’m trying to glorify all of these things. But they all contribute to your growth.
When I moved to the client side, for the first few weeks, I asked my friends if I wasn’t doing enough or I’m just used to overworking. They made me realize I was doing even too much. Even when I thought I was doing too little. This is what happens when you live that agency life before moving to the client-side.
So I think the training and all of these give you a solid foundation. You got to work with different teams. This is why spending just 6 months in an agency is like spending a year on the client side.
For example, I spent six months working on Facebook account, and I worked on over a dozen campaigns. If it was on the client side, you might work on just 2 campaigns in a year. This is why agencies are great. They can also help build your network with your vast array of different clients.
But many people in agencies won’t see the effect of working in an agency until they leave to work on the client side.
This is not to say working on the client side isn’t great.
Let’s talk about geographic isolation. Do you think the Nigerian ad industry values those who don’t have the typical Lagos background?
To be honest with you, I don't think they're valued. Lagos is the capital of the advertising agency in Nigeria. Most of the big and major agencies and companies with very good marketing departments are in Lagos.
So if you want to thrive in the industry, you’ve to be in Lagos.
Living and working in a place like Lagos afford plenty of opportunities to land agency jobs, get opportunities where there is work to do, attend networking events and secure face-to-face meetings that have the power to propel one’s career.
Those who find themselves outside Lagos —the industry’s preeminent city, forging these all-important connections is ten times harder.
I share your thoughts. Tell me about the best and worst campaigns you’ve been on.
Worst campaigns? I don’t think there’s any as far as I could remember. But the best campaign I’ve been on? Lolade, I’ve done dozens of campaigns. I can't decide which is best.
But I’d say leading content and digital strategy for one of Hero’s campaigns. I worked as a digital / planning / content lead with the cross agency team of talent from the client side, the creative agency, the media buying agency, the activation agency, the digital campaign.
And the campaign saw a record of 10 Million SMS/Website entries in less than 90 days. Which means at least 10 millions of Hero Lager was consumed within the 90 days of the campaign.
I think that’s the most memorable campaign I've worked on. Because I led digital planning and content efforts.
And it was an amazing and unforgettable experience.
Cool. So what are the best things about your job?
A lot of things. The best thing? Working remotely. I would not replace that for anything.
The fact that I can just pack my bag and travel to Dubai, get work done and nobody is asking me “why are you not in the office today.” I don't think anybody can beat that.
Also, the pay is cool. I also like the fact that I basically direct the operations. I basically say this is what we want to do for marketing and PR for the month and the guys at the global HQ let me run with it. They believe in my plan. They believe in my direction. And I have the opportunity to leave my footprint in everything I do.
There are so many other things I like about my job, though.
But let’s just say these top my list.
What’s the worst?
Ah, what’s the worst? I think it’s very easy to grow lazy.
Because it’s a very chilling, relaxing job. Yeah, it can get tedious when we’re about to run a campaign.
Like, this is a campaign week. We’re currently on a five-city tour. So I’d be in PH in today. Days like this can be tedious. But other than that, it’s a chilling, relaxing job. At least for me though, I come from one place where I never used to sleep. It’s very easy to be lazy here. But I’m always conscious of that.
And this is why I’m always on Twitter pushing the brand. There just has to be some activity to keep pushing my brand forward and get myself working.
How do you fill the gaps when you’re not doing the various day and night jobs?
I go to the gym. I am supposed to be at the gym in the next two hours. Thanks for asking this question. So, I go to the gym. I’m also trying to pick up a habit of watching Netflix. I hope that continues. Yeah, that’s basically how I fill the gaps.
And I try to read and do courses. So yeah, gym, watching Netflix, and doing one or two courses. But many times, I’m always on my Laptop. Because I barely go out.
That’s it.
Oh! Habit of watching Netflix? Recommend me some movies you think every marketer should watch.
I do mostly documentaries. I’m a big fan of war documentaries. But I watch one movie recently that covers creativity. There was an architect, a designer, and many creatives. I kinda like that one. But I can't remember the title.
Awesome. Thank you. If you were to pick between a community or a mentor, which would you pick and why?
Well, from my experience, mentors are usually very busy. They rarely have time for their mentees. There are those that actually have time, it’s just rare.
But community, you get to grow with… You feel there's a sense of belonging. And you get to learn from a plethora of experiences.
So I’d pick a community over a mentor.
Any day, any time.
Nice. Who in the early days showed you the ropes?
The friend that asked me to come into marketing. One of my close friends in NYSC. After NYSC, he just went into the advertising industry. Worked for Insight.
So he was the one who essentially told me if you’re tired of broadcasting, there’s opportunity in marketing. He was really instrumental in my growth.
And I think he was the only person that really was there before I started having other people to sort of guide me.
His name is Godwin.
Tell me one important thing you’ve learned that you’d like to pass to other marketers and strategists.
You’re not as bad at your job as your boss might want to make you believe.
Bosses, especially in Nigeria, sometimes, they say a lot of shits about your work. And this makes you want to doubt your work. In some instances, you’d not realize how good you’re until you move to a new environment.
So keep learning. Keep growing. Keep advancing.
What’s the hardest part of a strategist’s job today?
In Nigeria, I’d say there are very few learning opportunities for account planners and strategists to learn and grow.
Strategy-Trybe is doing amazing work. But we need to do some much more.
So, yeah, many learning opportunities need to be created.
If you weren’t a strategist what would you be?
Lolade, If the Nigerian broadcasting industry wasn’t a shit industry. I’d probably be hosting very good talk shows... I love broadcasting.
My first love.
Great. Name two products you can’t do without and tell me why.
I think I'm addicted to my macbook. Can’t do without it. Even if I wasn’t doing anything, I’d still open it. Because it’s now my TV and workstation.
Another thing I can’t do without is my phone, I mean, it’s my office. I work remotely. I have to be online every fuckin’ day.
How did you land your current job?
FTX was looking for someone to drive PR and Marketing in Africa. A couple of names came up. And my name was one of them. They reached out to all of us. But not everyone responded. And I was just the only one that basically took it seriously.
After a series of meetings and developing strategy, they decided to give me a shot. It was supposed to be like a one month test. And then a six months deal.
But after two weeks, I think they were impressed and they decided to work with me.
And that is where I’m right now. Third month on Tue, Oct 19, 2021.
Nice. Harri, Pick a random pic from your camera roll and tell me about it.
There is a gap in crypto education in this region. That was the insight we got. So we decided to embark on a 5-city tour to educate crypto traders and enthusiasts in different African cities about the opportunities in the crypto space, yeah.
We’ve been to Asaba, Enugu, we’re going to Port Harcourt (PH) tomorrow. And after that, we’d go to Abuja. We’re thinking of ending it in Kenya.
The idea is to educate. And hopefully, we’re able to get many people in Africa to embrace the opportunities that crypto presents.
So, yeah, we've got a lineup of interesting speakers.
If you’re in PH, come through tomorrow.
Haha, awesome! You're truly an odd and mysterious strategist for sending me this pic. Now, let’s shake things up, Harri. Why are people so excited about blockchain technology? I see more and more push for mass adoption of Bitcoin, for example from you— a blockchain marketer at FTX, Twitter/Square CEO Jack Dorsey or more recently, the president of El Salvador. Please, do explain like I am actually a 21+ year old, because I think doing an ELI5 won't do it much justice.
There is a tiny distinction between cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.
Bockchain technology is essentially Web3. With Web3, you can build so many things. You can build educational tools. You can build many things. Just like what we’ve done with Web2.
So the possibilities are what is getting people excited. And with BTC and crypto generally, it’s just a new way of putting financial independence in the hands of the people.
With crypto, you can do everything yourself. It’s transparent. It’s just like when people were using horses to move around. Then switch to cars. I mean, even in the third world countries, for example, Nigeria. Inflation, Naira devaluation and all, but with Web3, you can store your money in USDT which is the crypto equivalent of USD. This ensures you that your money doesn't drop in value. And you can even use USDT to make payment anywhere and everywhere. The possibilities are just endless.
I mean, look at what happened during the pandemic, people couldn’t go out to transact. This contributed immensely to the acceptance of Crypto. And even accelerated Web3. There’s a new trend called NFT. You could sell Art, mint art, etc.
It’s something I'm so excited about.
Omo! Where do you think we're in Africa on the journey to mass adoption of Blockchain technology? Especially Crypto. In your opinion, what does the crypto sector need to do to make cryptocurrencies more understandable and accessible to the wider public and average investor?
I don’t think we’re doing badly. Nigeria especially. But there’s still so much to do.
And this is why education is important. At this point, you just have to teach people how to use these new technologies to solve real life important problems.
This is why every crypto company that knows what they’re doing should double up on education, um, right now. Because a lot of people don't know what the possibilities are. A lot of people are clueless.
And this is what FTX is currently doing. Educating. It’s a key pillar for the brand.
Yeah, education. I know a lot of people that don’t invest in cryptocurrencies because “they don’t understand it.” It's a mess of terms that people don't understand, references to wallets, blockchains, etc. Things that most people don't just 'get'. And If mainstream adoption is going to happen, a marketing team (and/or repository) would be pretty key to making this happen. I'm happy FTX is clearing up some of the confusion about cryptocurrencies as investments and a medium of exchange.
Now Let's talk about FTX. Someone said to me recently "It's time to close my Binance and go to FTX." And I've also been seeing people switching to FTX. Can you explain why FTX is better?
Yeah, we see lots of messages like this. I think it’s one of the results of what we’re doing right now. I’d not want to bore you with technical features that we’ve that other exchange platforms don’t have.
But I want you to know that FTX was created by traders for traders. The CEO of FTX who’s the richest, um, 30 year old in the world and the richest person in crypto, he was trading in Jane street and he realized that the exchanges that were around were not getting it. Especially for core traders. Then he reached out to his former schoolmate to build FTX.
This is why our USP is “built for traders by traders.’ The product was built out of frustration. And this is why we’ve superior products. And that’s the best marketing.
Built for traders by traders. 😄 So you mentioned NFT earlier. I can also see everyone on Twitter talking about NFTs. I know pretty little about them. But out of curiosity, why does something I could copy-paste still have value? For example, a digital art piece. What's the prospect?
Basically, when we describe something as non-fungible. It means that it’s unique and can’t be replaced with something else. I mean, look at the Mona Lisa painting. You can print it out. You can save it on your phone. You can also download a picture of Mona Lisa, frame it and put it on your wall. But you literally can't have the original except if you buy it. Everything else is a copy. That’s how NFTs work. It’s on the blockchain, so people can always trace the original owner.
This is why Leonardo da Vinci will always be the real owner of the Mona Lisa painting no matter the number of copy out there. And this is the reason why an original Mona Lisa painting costs so much more than even the most skilled reproduction. You're not just paying for the look of the painting, but for its history and provenance. You're paying for the fact that it's a Mona Lisa.
For some people who buy NFTs, it's for bragging rights. For some people, it's to support their favorite creators by buying a 'premium' version that's unique to them (or certainly more unique).
For other people, it's an investment; as with any good where only a limited number exist, they may expect it to increase in value over time, so it can be sold on.
In short, it's a way of applying some of the limited edition value of physical objects to the digital marketplace by creating an artificial scarcity.
2 more questions before I let you go, Harri. What question do you wish I'd asked?
Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years time?
Actually, I don’t think I’ve a straight answer to the question.
But 5 years from now… Lolade, I’m exactly where I want to be actually. I wanted to be a strategy lead at a certain age and I got there. I always just imagined that I’d be a marketing manager of a global brand by the time I’m 35. And I’m doing it earlier. It’s exciting.
Yeah, I want to do more amazing things, amazing campaigns. And I still want to be a marketing lead for a global brand. But It has to be very global. I was a strategy lead for Facebook's official Comms Agency in west Africa.
And I switched from there to handling marketing for the third largest crypto exchange in the world.
So anything coming my way has to be higher, higher up. And I hope to work from one hybrid office somewhere in Dubai, overlooking the ocean. And just doing more amazing work. At the age of 35.
10 years, I should've gotten to the pinnacle of my career. Be like, Bozoma Saint John, CMO Netflix. Just travelling, just enjoying and doing amazing work.
Amazing. They are all coming. Before I remove the shackles, give me and the readers some awwwwhhh to take into our weekend. What 2 campaigns do you wish were on?
Every interview I’ve done, they always ask me this question. And my answers are always different.
Because, I mean, year in, year out, there are different campaigns. But right now, I don’t even think there’s any. Maybe because I don’t actively participate in that whole advertising community movement thing. I am just focused on FTX, Fintech, web3, crypto.
Honestly not a lot of exciting things when it comes to marketing is happening here. In fact, the only people that are trying when it comes to marketing is FTX Global. Have you seen some of our TVCs? Incredible. Our campaigns are also incredible. Go check them out.
So I don’t think there’s any campaign I wish I was on.
Tell me where people can find you online.
I'm everywhere. Instagram. Facebook. Twitter. LinkedIn. But mostly active on Twitter.
Connect with https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrisonobiefule/
Follow https://www.instagram.com/harri_obi/
Follow https://twitter.com/Harri_Obi
Thank you Harri, it’s always fun talking with fellow marketing professionals. Here’s to many more years of hunting down the big idea with FTX. And good luck taking over the world. Cheers!
Hey readers, let me know your thoughts and feedback as we get this thing moving
Important thing to note…
The newsletter is very much a work in progress. The interview questions haven't been nailed down, the logo might change, and I'm still trying to figure out the voice and length. But I believe there’s more opportunity to experiment and move toward what works as time goes on.
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Oh, last thing
Read the last interview with Selar’s Marketing Manager here:
Thank you. I really do appreciate people reading and sharing.
Interview by Lolade
Over and out — Lolade.
🥳🥳 very interesting read