Media Agencies Risk Irrelevance Without New Value Proposition, Expert Warns
Steve Babaeko, CEO of X3M Ideas, warns that media agencies must move beyond traditional media buying to remain relevant in the age of AI and programmatic advertising. He suggests focusing on deep knowledge of African consumer behavior and strategic data interpretation to compete with global tech platforms.
Why it matters
It highlights the existential shift in the advertising industry as automation threatens traditional agency business models.
Media agencies risk becoming increasingly irrelevant if they continue to depend largely on media buying and placement, Group Chief Executive Officer and Group Chief Creative Officer of X3M Ideas, Steve Babaeko, has warned.
Babaeko urged media practitioners to redefine their value proposition by focusing on data ownership, strategic interpretation and a deeper understanding of African consumers as artificial intelligence (AI), automation and programmatic advertising reshape the industry.
He spoke while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Annual General Meeting of the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), held on the theme, “Monetising Tomorrow: Outpacing Disruption, Capturing Growth in the Next Era of Media.”
According to him, the traditional media-buying model is under increasing pressure as programmatic advertising, self-service platforms and AI-powered systems automate campaign planning, audience selection, budgeting and placement.
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