I guess I already know a thing or two about Abdulazeez Omope from that viral tweet, but I would like you to tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m Abdulazeez Omope. Preferred name Abdul. An indigene of Igbemo-ekiti, Ekiti state. I’m a pharmaceutical degree holder (BSc) but my career path is currently in digital marketing.
You studied pharmaceuticals, but you are currently working in digital marketing. That’s like night and day, they are far apart. So if I may ask, was your degree something you chose or it was picked out for you.
Pharmaceutical was something I chose. It’s a long-life dream to see people have good health, it gives me joy. Sadly, after my education, the zeal to continue reduced as a result of the tedious job market. But I found out, that helping people was the major goal and digital marketing also presents that opportunity.
Hmmm, nice. But how do you help people with digital marketing?
In different ways really. Asides from helping brands create content and putting their products on social media and converting awareness to sales, I also pass the little knowledge I have to others interested in learning.
Oh, cool. That explains it. So how did you start out as a digital marketer?
It all started without intent really. I garnered a huge following on social media — Twitter precisely. From there, I learned more about influencer marketing and delved into other aspects such as content marketing, brand strategy, creative design, etc.
How did you get your first official job as a digital marketer?
Via Twitter. It was a social media management gig from a follower. It paved way for other brands.
Twitter really did you well. Now tell us how the path to FCMB cleared up for you.
I joined a creative agency in 2017 as a social media manager and digital strategist. FCMB was a client of theirs then. I eventually left the agency in 2018 and FCMB came calling officially in 2019.
That’s smooth. But how did you cope with the environment at FCMB? I mean, you were a ‘Twitter guy’, everyone knows Twitter is synonymous with unseriousness. And FCMB is the opposite, if I may say so.
Lol. Well, you’re right. Twitter Mia is known for unseriousness but then, Twitter can be whatever you make of it. Joining FCMB and becoming a corporate guy wasn’t really difficult. Suit and tie every now and then while I look forward to Fridays to wear native attires. It was very awkward at the beginning but I fell in love with the new mode of dressing.
Haha. To be clear, what was your role with FCMB? Were you behind the scene? Or you were in our faces but we just couldn’t see you.
I was a social media officer for FCMB. I was right in front of everyone yet a ghost. Luckily, working with a good team like that of fcmb paved the way for me to learn from other teams which I greatly appreciate.
A social media manager. Great! That leads me right where I wanted it to. As a social media manager, how did you manage to maintain the tone of business using FCMB social media handle? Or were you able to maintain the use of trending slang while operating the handles?
Tricky! Being a social media manager and managing to utilize trends is a very tricky task. Not all trends should be jumped on, just like not all trends are relevant in the financial space. I started out with few errors but as I go deep into the corporate world and understood corporate branding, it became easier.
Hmm. This makes sense. Looking back at your tweet announcing your departure from FCMB, you got quite a number of backlash on that tweet, but I noticed you maintained your cool. How did you get to do that? I mean, if it was someone else, they might have seen that as an opportunity to return the ‘favor’.
Well, as an individual without customer service knowledge, I would’ve been angry. But I’m a social media manager & customer service expert. Customers will always voice their displeasure which is rightfully allowed, and the best response is to calm them and apologize.
Nice. Now that you’ve left FCMB, does that mean you are leaving digital marketing? Or did you just cross to another firm but with the same role?
I’m not leaving digital marketing. While I’m trying to break into the tech world, I’ll continue to do digital marketing. They’re interwoven.
Oh-oh! On becoming a tech bro! What part of tech are you going into?
Not decided yet. Everything will unfold in the next few months.
Cool. But will going into tech not take up much of your time? Digital marketing is known to be time-consuming, same with tech. How do you intend to cope with these 2 time-demanding tasks?
Well, my major goal is to have a company that’s capable of building talents in the two spaces. If it involves, taking 24hrs daily, I’ll give it.
So you are working toward building a team of talented individuals. That’s great! That means we should be on the lookout for more Abdulazeez Omope
Voila
Before we go, as a young man in Nigeria, have there ever been a time you felt the government failed you? Perhaps, a rule was made that contradicts one or two things in your line of work.
It’s not just one time, it’s every time. Governments’ decisions and policies affect virtually every youth, business eTC. The last straw was the Twitter ban which was accompanied by #EndSars Killing.
I must say the Twitter ban was a hard blow that everyone had to take in. Anyways, we get to decide again in the 2023 elections. Let’s hope for a better Nigeria. Is there anything you will like to end this interview with?
Nothing new, I just hope the youths getting to read this from Nigeria choose the right candidate for the upcoming election. It’s a make or break for Nigeria as it stands and any wrong decision with further pull down the economy.
I hope so too. Thank you for making out time for this interview
