Humanity has, once again, been diminished by Death. The light of a friend, a frontrunner in marketing communication and journalism, has just been extinguished. I belong to both worlds that John Ajayi just exited forever.
John elevated the Marketing page of Thisday newspaper to a level of national recognition at the onset of that newspaper. When he left the newspaper to establish his own magazine dedicated to marketing and branding, Marketing Edge, I had fears of how he would survive the terrains of newspaper proprietorship that had become a graveyard of dreams in the late 90s and early 2000s. Except for the big newspapers and magazines that had proprietors with massive war chest, surviving the terrain of self-publishing for a shallow pocket was like walking in the shadows of death. Less than 5% of publications survived that era, when social media and content streaming were still a dot on the horizon.
But by the time I left active journalism in Punch in 2003 to navigate a new passion, John Ajayi was already thriving with his magazine and commanding a steady followership in the corporate world.
When I became corporate affairs manager in Odua Group subsidiary in 2006, and later Head of Communication and Marketing in Nahco in 2010, John was in my side and rear mirror for industry talks and insight, always sending me his magazine editions and always open to yielding his platform for brand projection.
John went on to be an icon in marketing awards through his annual Marketing Edge Awards that has attracted governors, ministers and captains of industry in Nigeria. He built an enduring brand and cultivated friendships. On each occasion, after the award ceremonies, John would organise after-party for his close friends up until the wee hours of the night.
May John find peace in the bosom of His maker, and may He sustain the family and the Marketing Edge legacy he left behind.
And John was a Warrior. Building a media empire that included all-gloss magazine, Annual Awards, corporate branding and TV production, as an underdog, in an inclement Nigerian business environment; with tens of staff to pay is not a mean feat. Yet, he battled a debilitating swollen cheeks infection that disfigured his face for several years and with multiple surgeries. He survived the mountains.
If you were in corporate or marketing communications, Marketing Edge’s hard copy or virtual magazines and TV programmes were a must for accessing contemporary industry information.
He was a man of ideas, and always seeking out collabo with friends and industries. I remember his intervention when I ran aground with a print production service.
We lived in the same neighbourhood of Journalists Estate, Arepo and I remember his peace missions during a disagreement with a neighbour.
John Ajayi has built a legacy worth emulation, and left the stage. The concern of friends and well-wishers right now should be the sustenance of his legacy in a country where companies hardly succeed their demised founders. May John find peace in the bosom of His maker, and may He sustain the family and the Marketing Edge legacy he left behind.
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