Digital marketing accounts for an estimated 60% of all marketing, as of 2024, with offline media spending declining in recent years, highlighting the critical importance of understanding digital audience behaviour for effective communication strategies. In Nigeria, with 103 million internet users as of January 2024, the highest number across Africa. Understanding how audiences consume content across multiple platforms has become essential for brands seeking meaningful engagement. Against this backdrop, Dr. Lakinbofa Goodluck, MTN Nigeria’s Public Relations Manager, challenged the country’s public relations professionals to prioritise media consumption behavior as the foundation of strategic communication during the 2025 PR Power List gathering on July 18, 2025. Speaking to top voices in Nigeria’s public relations landscape, Dr. Goodluck emphasised that industry professionals should prioritise understanding how audiences consume media over traditional demographic analysis. “Media consumption behavior is the most critical part of audience analysis for PR,” he stated, noting that this component is often glossed over despite its fundamental importance.
The telecommunications industry expert’s insights come at a crucial time for Nigeria’s communications sector. As highlighted by NIPR President Ike Neliaku, “Nigeria serves as the powerhouse of public relations in Africa, being the first country chartered by law globally”. This leadership position demands sophisticated approaches that reflect the complex media landscape Nigerian audiences navigate daily.
Dr. Goodluck’s methodology advocates for platform-specific messaging, recognising that each medium determines communication format and style. His approach suggests that understanding whether target audiences prefer WhatsApp broadcasts, Instagram stories, traditional radio, or emerging platforms like TikTok should fundamentally shape message creation and distribution strategies.
The Pan-Atlantic University PhD graduate’s research background in Nigeria’s film industry brings a unique perspective to his PR philosophy, demonstrating how content creators successfully engage audiences through medium-appropriate storytelling. His call for media consumption behaviour analysis represents a data-driven evolution in Nigerian PR, moving the industry toward more scientific, measurable communication strategies that reflect genuine audience preferences rather than assumed behaviours.
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