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 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.
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.
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