LAGOS — Creative professionals in Nigeria are not lacking innovative ideas; the real challenge lies in turning those ideas into reality, according to Chidube JP Idama, Creative Director and Co-Founder of This&That Creative.
Reflecting on the agency’s recent “Arrive Alive” campaign, Idama said that while conceptualizing the project was relatively straightforward, executing it required navigating significant logistical and bureaucratic hurdles.
According to him, one of the campaign’s most striking elements involved cutting a vehicle into two as part of the creative execution. However, obtaining the necessary approvals and permissions proved far more challenging than developing the concept itself.
“Execution is hard,” Idama said. “Ideas are the easy part. The real work begins when you have to bring those ideas to life.”
He revealed that the project demanded persistence and resilience, noting that there were several moments when the obstacles appeared overwhelming.
“The amount of bureaucracy and permissions we had to seek was extensive,” he explained. “There were many times I felt like giving up, but we remained committed to seeing the idea through.”
Idama credited that determination to a guiding philosophy he and co-founder Kanu Achinivu established when launching This&That Creative. From the outset, they agreed that the agency would focus not only on generating ideas but also on ensuring those ideas reached execution.
“We never wanted to be one of those agencies that stops at asking, ‘What if?'” he said. “We wanted to be the people willing to ask, ‘How do we actually make this happen?'”
He argued that creative talent is abundant across the industry, with agencies consistently producing innovative concepts and campaigns. The key differentiator, however, is the willingness to undertake the difficult work required to transform ideas into tangible outcomes.
“The creative industry is full of brilliant ideas,” Idama noted. “The difference is execution and follow-through.”
At This&That Creative, he said, the team’s culture is built around action rather than theory. Projects are pursued beyond the presentation stage, often requiring extensive planning, problem-solving, stakeholder engagement, and sustained effort before becoming reality.
“If we believe in an idea, we don’t simply place it in a presentation deck and admire it,” he said. “We work through the challenges, make the necessary calls, solve the problems, and continue pushing until the idea exists in the real world.”
Industry observers have long identified execution as one of the major barriers to innovation across sectors in Nigeria, where regulatory bottlenecks, funding constraints, and operational challenges often prevent promising concepts from reaching the market.
For Idama, the lesson is clear: while ideas may be plentiful, the willingness to execute remains a rare and valuable quality.
“Ideas are everywhere,” he said. “The rare thing is finding people who are prepared to do the hard, frustrating, and often unreasonable work of bringing those ideas to life.”
As Nigeria’s creative economy continues to expand, industry leaders believe that agencies capable of combining creativity with disciplined execution will be best positioned to deliver impactful campaigns and drive innovation across the sector.
