Marketing is a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating, offering and freely exchanging products and services of value with others. Kotler and Armstrong (2010).

I live in an estate where the fiber/broadband provider has consistently offered declining service over the past few months and the statement on the lips of every resident in the estate is how to get a replacement for the existing ISP. This story is a reflection of how brands win or lose in an ecosystem. In this new year, when your product or service does not meet the customers’ expectations, they will dump you for your competitors. You will be losing market share, and you may end up blaming macro-economic factors but ignoring the fact that the decline in your service or product quality is what has led to the uncomfortable situation.

Marketing, at its core, is the engine that evaluates the environments in which your business operates and determines how to optimize the favourable factors while limiting the effect of the unfavourable ones. These environments include both the external and internal landscape of your organization. The external environment encompasses the micro and macro environment. The microenvironment includes the customers, competitors and other stakeholders who interact directly with your business. Your internal environment comprises your financial resources, human resources, capital resources, material resources, corporate governance structures, risk management frameworks, organizational goals and objectives, and the internal processes that drive execution.

If there is one truth that will define the business landscape of 2026 and beyond, it is that value is no longer static. As we navigate the complex commercial terrain of Nigeria and the broader African continent, we must return to the fundamentals, not just to recite them, but to operationalize them in a volatile world. Organizations must act decisively to amplify tailwinds and blunt headwinds. The environments are being reshaped by rapid digital transformation, shifting consumer behaviours and the unique challenges of markets like Nigeria.

As marketing professionals steering the big picture, strategies must be fine-tuned, and day-to-day execution must be improved. The micro-environment is where the marketing battle is won or lost. In the micro-environment, your customers are constantly demanding better products and services, preferably at a lower cost. They want your product at their most convenience, and they want to know more about what they’re buying before they commit. This isn’t unique to 2026, but the intensity of these expectations has reached unprecedented levels. When Jumia started in Nigeria in 2012, they simply had an online platform and adopted a “Pay on Delivery” because Nigerian customers wanted the convenience and assurance of seeing products before paying. In 2025, they had to launch Jumia Delivery as an independent logistics service available to anyone.

Over the years, Nigeria has witnessed organizations that manufactured offerings as a result of viewing products, pricing and packaging through the customers’ lens. Dufil’s Indomie built dominance by pack sizes and flavors tuned to income cycles. Cowbell’s “Our Milk” democratized dairy via sachets, forcing Peak to defend with smaller SKUs. It was Cowbell that made milk become available for everyone. These companies understood the right product, the right pack size and the right price point. OPay and Moniepoint scaled agent networks into every street, solving cash-in/cash-out and speed. That convenience beat “features.”

Today, almost every Uber driver uses an Opay or Moniepoint account. They will tell you that they get their funds instantly.
The constant change in customer behaviour makes the daily fight for them by organizations to be immediate and visceral. This dynamism demand that organizations be agile, responsive, and proactive in their marketing efforts.

The modern African customer, especially the Nigerian customer, is not just informed but also enlightened. They don’t just desire better products but also desire experiences that are seamless, personalized, and accessible. They want more for less, delivered on their terms. Tecno/Infinix (Transsion) won on battery life, dual SIM, camera-for-price, plus retail visibility and on-site support, building trust with first-time smartphone buyers. Konga and thousands of SMEs now close sales on WhatsApp with pay links and logistics partners like GIGL and Kwik meeting buyers where they already chat.

As we move through 2026, the marketing function is no longer a department that handles advertising and promotions. Marketing is the strategic capability that helps your entire organization understand the environments you operate in, anticipate changes, respond effectively, and maintain relevance with your customers. Organizational leaders must champion customer-centricity throughout the organization. Heads of departments must ensure their functions contribute to customer value creation. Line managers must make daily decisions with customer impact in mind. This is not just a trivial matter but the hard work of building sustainable competitive advantage. The question isn’t whether your industry will face disruption, political uncertainty, economic volatility, or competitive pressure. It will. The question is whether you’re building the organizational capabilities, internal strengths, and customer relationships that allow you to navigate those challenges successfully.

Oluwole Dada is the General Manager at SecureID Limited, Africa’s largest smart card manufacturing plant in Lagos, Nigeria.