Broadcasting
Digital Spam: Retailers must Strike a Balance between Staying Visible and Avoiding Marketing Communication Overload
By Isaac Akanni, Customer Growth Manager – Africa at Infobip
In the rapidly evolving landscape of retail, where businesses strive to capture the attention of consumers in a fast-paced and interconnected digital world, marketing communication overload is becoming an all-too-common phenomenon that could actually have the opposite effect – turning customers off their brand. Consumers are overwhelmed on a daily basis by the sheer volume of messages they receive in their inboxes, social media feeds and mobile devices, and this aggressive approach could see businesses lose substantially more than they gain.
To make matters worse, consumers are burdened not only by the sheer magnitude and frequency of adverts across multiple channels, but also by the unfortunate reality that much of this marketing communication fails to resonate with their interests or needs. In some extreme instances, such messages can even come across as inappropriate or offensive, disregarding their unique preferences and personal boundaries.
Consequently, instead of attracting prospective buyers, an overabundance of marketing communication could essentially leave consumers frustrated. This frustration, in turn, can foster negative perceptions surrounding the brand and significantly impact long-term customer loyalty. When inundated with excessive marketing messages, individuals may perceive that the business lacks respect for its customers’ boundaries and prioritises profit-seeking over genuine customer relationships.
Such perceptions are not good for business as they are likely to negatively affect the company’s reputation, erode customer trust and impact sales, which in turn will hit the bottom line. Marketing communication overload is thus a sure way to make consumers feel disrespected and damage customer engagement.
Show what is relevant
It is very important that retailers strive to strike a balance between staying visible and avoiding communication overload. It is actually quite simple – show people what is relevant to them. The easiest way to achieve this is to segment your customer base and refine your messages based on individual preferences and behaviours.
Organisations must adopt a customer-centric approach, leverage data analytics and understand individual preferences. Only then can retailers tailor their marketing efforts to provide meaningful and engaging experiences. This shift towards strategic, targeted communication not only helps mitigate overload, but also builds stronger, long-lasting customer relationships.
At the same time, retailers must also recognise the importance of personalisation to remain relevant and strike the right chords with their customers. In sales, there is a concept known as “Show Me You Know Me”, which alludes to leveraging personalisation to let your customers know that you’ve done your groundwork and you care about their personal interests and needs.
Personalisation says to your customer: “I know you and I want to share this with you because I think it would benefit you”. But personalisation cannot happen without data and people generate mountains of data on a daily basis, which forms the bedrock of decision making.
Harnessing Artificial Intelligence
Once data about a consumer has been gathered, harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to perform data analytics and gain customer insights is key to tailoring marketing messages that are relevant to individuals, and this will avoid overload. With so much data available, businesses that are not targeting their messages to individual consumers can be perceived as lazy and are sending out the message that they are just not prepared to put in the work.
In an effort to regain customer trust and loyalty, retailers must be prepared to be transparent about their communication practices, while sending out content that resonates with their audience. In addition, by listening to customer feedback and by offering exclusive benefits or rewards to their customers, businesses can build a community around their products.
Ultimately, finding the right balance between staying visible and avoiding communication overload can be tricky, but retailers need to adopt strategic, targeted communication that will mitigate overload and also builds stronger, long-lasting customer relationships.
Mr. Tim Akano, New Horizons Chief Executive Officer, took centre stage at the Nigerian Information Technology Reporters’ Association (NITRA) annual end-of-year meeting on Thursday, December 18, 2025, recounting the company’s remarkable growth and reaffirming free IT training for journalists.
Tim Akano, New Horizons Chief Executive Officer, in a group photograph with NITRA Members
Speaking directly to IT media members at the company’s training facility in Lagos, Akano acknowledged the critical role journalists played in supporting New Horizons during its formative years two decades ago.
He detailed how the firm evolved from a handful of staff to one of Africa’s leading ICT skills training organisations, now employing about 500 staff across multiple training centres nationwide.
Akano Spotlights Youth Training, University Partnerships
Akano highlighted that New Horizons has trained over 500,000 youths, particularly tertiary institution students, equipping them with practical IT skills essential for Nigeria’s digital economy.
He announced recent partnerships with universities, including a new agreement with Afe Babalola University, to scale hands-on training programmes for students.
“This growth would not have been possible without the media’s support in documenting our journey,” Akano stated, pledging continued free IT skills training for media members to remain competitive in the evolving digital landscape.
Reciprocal Support Defines Long-Standing Partnership
The venue hosting the NITRA meeting underscored Akano’s generosity; NITRA Secretary Chidiebere Nwankwo secured the free facility after contacting him—a gesture consistent with New Horizons hosting multiple association events and training IT journalists since its inception 20 years ago.
Participants shared personal testimonies of Akano’s support, including veteran journalist Aaron Ukodie, whose daughter—an Accounting graduate from the University of Johannesburg—received NYSC placement and IT scholarship at New Horizons.
The Guardian’s Yemi Adeyemi recounted Akano accommodating his editor’s child for mandatory IT training after other firms declined.
Members praised Akano’s commitment to human capital development as evidence of deep appreciation for the media community that chronicled New Horizons’ success over two decades.
National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has launched the NIMC Pre-Enrolment Portal to revolutionise the National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment process, enabling applicants within Nigeria and in the Diaspora to capture biodata online prior to biometric verification at enrolment centres.
NIMC
Accessible via penrol.nimc.gov.ng, the platform allows users to fill enrolment forms, schedule appointments, upload supporting documents securely, and manage personal details directly, thereby slashing congestion, minimising wait times, boosting data accuracy and enhancing overall service efficiency at centres nationwide.
NIMC Director-General and CEO, Engr. (Dr) Abisoye Coker-Odusote, spearheaded the initiative as part of the Commission’s technology-driven strategy to fortify institutional performance, aligning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda that emphasises digital transformation, efficient public service delivery and inclusive national development.
Dr Kayode Adegoke, Head of Corporate Communications, highlighted key benefits including simplified biodata handling, confidential data protection through robust security measures, reduced physical centre visits and heightened operational effectiveness, urging all prospective enrollees to adopt the portal for a faster, citizen-friendly experience.[conversation_history]
The move underscores NIMC’s mandate under the NIMC Act No. 23 of 2007 to manage the National Identity Database, issue NINs and foster a reliable digital identity ecosystem vital for national planning, with users advised to complete pre-enrolment online before heading to selected centres for biometrics.
MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF), a Pan-African film and television training institution, has announced the opening of applications for its 2026 intake.
MultiChoice
The fully funded programme is open to African graduates aspiring to become directors, filmmakers, scriptwriters, producers and storytellers.
According to MultiChoice, the nine-month accredited curriculum combines online learning with intensive in-person training, and is designed to balance theoretical knowledge with practical immersion.
MTF academies are located in Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia, and serve aspiring filmmakers from 14 African countries. Since its inception in 2018, the initiative has trained 296 filmmakers, with graduates producing more than 42 movies aired on DStv, GOtv and Showmax platforms.
Organisers said alumni of the programme have gone on to establish over 50 production companies, while many continue to work within the MultiChoice ecosystem.
Graduates have also won accolades at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, Kalasha Awards, Uganda Film Festival and Women in Film Awards.
Applications for the 2026 intake close on Feb. 27, 2026. Interested candidates can visit https://apo-opa.co/3XW53oE for programme requirements.
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