The marketing communications sector is preparing for another surge in advertising revenue, with stakeholders projecting higher spending across television, newspapers, radio, outdoor advertising, public relations, and experiential marketing.
Rate cards across major media platforms already show that political and government-related advertising commands significantly higher pricing than conventional commercial advertising. It shows the premium media organisations place on election-season visibility.
Profitable venture
For newspapers, political advertising placements rank among the most expensive categories. Based on a typical rate card, a full-page coloured political advert costs about N920,000, compared to N860,000 for a coloured public notice page and N700,000 for a standard product advert. The premium placements have a steeper pricing gap. A centre-spread coloured political advert costs N2.5m, while a wrap-around coloured placement could rise to N35m.
Election advertising is a profitable venture and also reflects how publishers monetise election visibility. The N2.5m centre-spread political advert is about 191 per cent higher than a public notice page and around 257 per cent more expensive than a standard product advert. At the premium end, the N35m wrap-around placement exceeds the cost of a public notice advert by more than 3,900 per cent.
Television advertising also reflects the premium attached to political communication. On the publicly available rate card of Channels Television, political and government placements dominate the high-value categories. The 10 pm News coverage slot costs N1.45m across all platforms, while the Sunrise Live Coverage package costs N15m for two hours. Prime Belt Spotlight programming costs N5.12m before the additional 50 per cent political surcharge is applied.
After the surcharge, the Prime Belt Spotlight package rises to about N7.67m, reinforcing how broadcasters treat election-season inventory as premium advertising real estate. Political programme appearances and sponsored features also command significant fees, with the Sunrise Weekend Political/Government Appearance priced at N2.25m for 15 minutes.
The pricing structure reflects political parties, candidates, and interest groups’ demand to intensify voter engagement campaigns ahead of the elections.
Media agencies benefit
Stakeholders in the marketing communications industry explained to The PUNCH that election cycles traditionally stimulate advertising expenditure because political actors rely heavily on media visibility and public engagement to drive campaigns.
The Chief Executive Officer of The Red Wolf Company, Eyo Ekeno, said election periods usually trigger a chain of activities that benefit multiple segments of the marketing ecosystem.
“As you know, political parties and politicians are going to advertise their parties and their candidates,” Ekeno said. “So, you’re going to see jingles. Content (creator) people will produce jingles for the radio. They’ll produce TV commercials. They will buy media spaces and billboards.”
He said outdoor advertising assets in major cities would likely become fully occupied as political campaigns intensify.
“Very soon, you will see that all the vacant billboards that were around in the key cities will be completely gone,” Ekeno said.
The Red Wolf CEO affirmed that election campaigns stimulate spending across radio, television, newspapers, magazines, online platforms, and out-of-home advertising.
“People will be rushing to go and pay for spots on the radio, pay for spots in newspapers, in magazines, online, TV, on out-of-home billboards,” Ekeno said.
He added that experiential marketing and activation companies would also benefit from heightened political activity: “Then activation companies also will benefit because they are going to do a lot of activities, events, all of those things. All of this money will come into the marketing ecosystem and will come into the economy. And so, in a pre-election stroke, election year, more money comes into marketing, more money comes into advertising, more money comes into PR.”
According to the professionals, election campaigns often create a temporary spike in media inventory demand because political advertisers prioritise visibility, frequency, and audience reach over long-term cost efficiency.
Concerns impacting growth
Despite expectations of increased advertising activity, some stakeholders cautioned that election-related spending may not automatically translate into sustainable long-term growth for the wider marketing communications industry.
The President of the Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria, Tolulope Medebem, said pre-election spending tends to create only cyclical gains.
“To your question, a pre-election year will stimulate advertising spend, yes, but it won’t fundamentally reshape the sector’s growth trajectory,” Medebem stressed.
She pointed out that political advertising largely favours selected channels such as media buying and outdoor advertising, while the broader integrated marketing ecosystem may not experience uniform benefits.
“A pre-election cycle in Nigeria typically brings a short-term uplift in advertising and media spend, particularly from political actors, advocacy groups and aligned interest blocs,” Medebem noted. “This tends to benefit sectors like media buying, outdoor and certain activation-led engagements.”
She added that political advertising often prioritises immediacy and visibility rather than long-term brand development.
“Political advertising does not always translate into sustainable growth for the broader marketing communications industry, because it is often concentrated within specific channels and driven by immediacy rather than long-term brand building,” Medebem said.
Some corporate organisations may reduce or delay campaigns because of uncertainty surrounding election periods. Medebem explained, “For the wider sector, especially experiential and integrated marketing, the influence is more indirect. Some agencies may see increased activity, but others may experience budget displacement, as corporate brands adopt a more cautious stance or delay major campaigns in anticipation of political and economic uncertainty.”
She maintained that the industry’s long-term performance would still depend more on economic fundamentals than on election cycles.
“So, while 2026 as a pre-election year may provide a temporary boost in visibility and spend, the real drivers of growth will still be business confidence, economic stability, and the industry’s ability to deliver measurable value,” the EXMAN president said. “In that sense, political cycles can create momentum, but they don’t replace the need for structural, performance-led growth in the sector.”
Sector recovery
The optimism surrounding election-related spending comes as Nigeria’s marketing industry continues its recovery from earlier macroeconomic shocks.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the sector recorded a 162.79 per cent increase in capital importation in 2025, attracting $3.39m compared to $1.29m in 2024
The Executive Secretary of the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria, Eki Adzufeh, said the sector had moved beyond survival mode following earlier disruptions linked to fuel subsidy removal and naira devaluation.
Adzufeh told The PUNCH in an earlier report: “My honest assessment of the performance of the marketing sector is that it did well. A growth of over 162.79 per cent in all intents and purposes is good. It only shows that the sector has moved from survival mode to recovery and maybe even stability.”
He attributed the recovery partly to renewed advertiser confidence and the resilience of industry players, saying, “The stability in the market as a result of all stakeholders having absorbed the shocks occasioned by the harsh economic environment, which resulted from policy decisions of government touching on fuel subsidy removal, devaluation of the naira, etc, contributed significantly.”
He added that the return of promotional spending by manufacturers also improved industry activity. “Resumption of manufacturers and advertisers’ confidence in promotions and other advertising activities, which was significantly reduced some years back”, helped to drive growth, Adzufeh said.
On the outlook for 2026, he projected further expansion as election-related spending enters the economy. The MIPAN secretary remarked, “The economy is still growing, and so will the sector grow. With Nigerian survival instincts coupled with creativity and innovation, there is likely to be more growth. Also, 2027 is an election year; as such, it is expected that there will be more money in the economy, which will further drive growth.”
He said improved investor confidence and better economic policies could further strengthen the sector. “Most importantly, if the economic policies of the government are fine-tuned to make for the injection of funds into the economy from both local and foreign investors, there will be more growth,” Adzufeh said.
Election liquidity
Economic analysts also expect election-related liquidity to influence broader economic activity in 2026.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismarck Rewane, projected in January that money supply would expand partly due to election spending.
Speaking at the ACTN Economic Outlook 2026 in Lagos, Rewane said, “Money supply will likely increase in absolute terms in 2026, with growth remaining in double digits, though at a more controlled pace.”
Although he warned that major investment decisions may remain subdued ahead of the elections, industry stakeholders believe increased political liquidity could still benefit advertising agencies, broadcasters, outdoor advertising firms, content producers, media buying agencies, and public relations companies.
Operators across the marketing communications sector are gearing up for what may be one of the busiest spending periods since the last general elections, as campaign activities are expected to ramp up in the coming months.
