Featuring Alex Offei Lartey
This episode features Alex Offei Lartey, an award-winning digital innovations and marketing communications professional with over 14 years of experience, currently heading Digital Marketing and new product development at AT Ghana.
[0:00] For me, I see a leader as whoever has been put in charge of some activity. You don't have to be the CEO or the managing director, you have to be the leader.
[0:10] If today you are put in charge of cleaning the studio, you are a leader of that particular activity. You need to make sure you are spearheading an activity that shapes a particular narrative.
[0:29] And whatever thing that activity is, it's supposed to make you efficient. You don't have to learn. From Bildx Studios, this is Colours of Social Media, the podcast for marketers who believe in digital.
[0:47] I'm your host, Enoch Robert Boy, Appiah Jr. Now, before we jump in, a quick announcement. If you are watching on YouTube, hit that subscribe button.
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[1:11] And every single one helps us grow this amazing community of digital marketers. Now, on today's episode, I'm joined by Alex Lartey, an award-winning digital innovations and marketing communications professional with over 14 years of experience leading strategy across tech, banking, and now telecom.
[1:40] Alex currently has the digital marketing division at AT Ghana, where he's been for the past seven years. He's also leading the new product development team at the same organization, which is a recombination that blends marketing innovation and strategic execution.
[2:03] Now, from building media channels to launching bold resource-driven campaigns, Alex has joined Simeon, and that's exactly why I invited him on this all-important conversation.
[2:16] Today, we are talking about digital leadership in Africa, driving innovation across telecom, banking, and tech. Welcome to Color Social Social Media podcast, Alex.
[2:29] Thank you very much. Thanks for having me. Great. So, Alex, before we dive into this all-important conversation, I want you to tell us your story, how you got into digital marketing.
[2:46] I think it's a very straightforward story. I did science in secondary school, senior secondary school, and I did computer science in the university.
[2:58] I combined computer science with mathematics. And, you know, digital is all about, or mostly about, technology and the internet. So, because of the things we learnt in school, I picked so much interest in that space.
[3:18] Luckily, right after National Service, I got a job with a company that developed websites, and they also did marketing campaigns and events. So, I actually, I felt it connected very well with what I had picked interest in, and that's where the story began. So, then I had to stay on, and then I moved from there to UT, where I joined the UT Holdings.
[3:45] UT Holdings had about eight different companies, including the bank, the flagship, properties, collections. They had, like I said, eight different organizations under them.
[4:01] So, I joined them as the website manager. At that time, social media wasn't that strong, but I was actually invited in because of social media.
[4:14] Wow. So, when I joined them, I had to just put all those channels in place. And further on, I moved to Melekong, that's TiVo, which was in 2014.
[4:28] And there is a fascinating story around my journey to TiVo. You know, right from secondary school, I've always wanted to work in the telecom industry.
[4:39] For some reason, I remember my first CV I wrote as part of where I want to be. I said I want to be data communications manager, so I didn't even know what's now.
[4:52] What's your IV writing about? Yes, yes, yes. You know, we had just learned something in school. We had read a lot, and I said I wanted to be data communications manager.
[5:01] So, yeah, so we were all looking up to the telcos. And when that opportunity came, I said, why not? Then I joined. So, I actually didn't join through the IT department or through the marketing department.
[5:16] I actually joined through the communications department, through corporate communications, where I was handling internal communications. And then I moved to marketing, where I'm currently handling, so that has been the story from IT technology from school to where I am now.
[5:40] That's an impressive story. Now, listen to your story. What I got from this short story of yours is that you've been in the banking sector, you've been in the tech sector, and now AT Ghana.
[5:55] That's the telecom. Exactly. That is telecom. And these are all different sectors. Now, what I want to access is that we are talking about leadership, digital leadership. So, what I want to access is that what leadership, key leadership, what key leadership treats you got from this industry that is helping you run the digital department of telecom.
[6:22] I mean, AT Ghana. Okay. So, for me, I see a leader as whoever has been put in charge of some activity or anything. You don't have to be the boss.
[6:38] You don't have to be the CEO or the managing director to be the leader. That's how I started seeing leadership. So, if today you are put in charge of cleaning the studio, you are a leader of that particular activity.
[6:55] And what you need to do is to make sure that objective is met. Whether you are doing it yourself or somebody else is doing it, or however it has to be met, you have to do that.
[7:07] So, that's how I started seeing leadership. And one thing that for me has helped me is I look at where the problem is and I try to solve the problem.
[7:21] That's all. And if that has not been my routine, I'm not sure I would have been where I am today, it has really helped me. It cuts across. So, in my places of work, it is not only about my job description.
[7:39] Anything that I feel that, oh, this is something I can help address, I would just go ahead and assist for it to be addressed. So, that's one thing that has helped me.
[7:50] And I think it's a leadership treat because leaders solve problems. If you are the CEO, if you are whatever, or even if you are the cleaner, like I said, you are there to make sure a problem is solved.
[8:06] That's all. That is it. And you did computer science in Lego? Yes. Great. How has it influenced your approach to problem solving when it comes to innovation and especially digital marketing?
[8:25] Yeah. Okay. So, recently I was having a conversation with a friend and I said, back in the day when we were... So, I did computer science with mathematics, right?
[8:37] When we were studying mathematics and every question is talking about solve A, solve B, solve C, solve A. It felt as if you wouldn't ever need this in your mind.
[8:50] But that is what we are facing today. And that is one thing that has helped me when it comes to the computer science. Because I mentioned earlier that when it comes to digital, it's about technology and the internet.
[9:09] Yeah. So, studying all the courses that we studied in school has really equipped me from the basis to today. Now, the mathematics inclusive is where the problem solving comes in.
[9:24] So, you have right from secondary school or right from the university that you are consistently solving problems. So, that particular solve is at the back of my mind where you step in a space even when you are given objectives to achieve or you are given some KPIs to achieve.
[9:48] It is the problems you solve that to achieve that objective or that KPI. So, for me, these are the things, the knowledge I've gained in the IT space together with the mathematics background.
[10:04] So, when you see FindX, you just mirror it to things happening in real life. Exactly. That is the problem. All the steps you use in FindingX back in school, you apply the same steps.
[10:20] Like, let's get a lot of people to see this new product we are developing. Okay, first and foremost, let's do this. Then you check it off. Interesting.
[10:30] Exactly. It follows that. That's it. Yes, yes, yes. And through that, I've also gotten to understand that you are not going to use just one root to achieve the solution.
[10:45] And it happens again. Yeah, just like multiple mass formula. Exactly. There are multiple ways to solve that problem. Yes. Interesting. Interesting.
[10:54] I've never seen it that way. Yeah. I mean, a lot of people, me, inclusive, complain that, if you've been given this, what you call this problem, FindX, how is it going to apply in real life?
[11:08] Exactly. Now, everything is open now. Interesting. Interesting. So, that's it. That's what has really been happening in my space. Let's define leadership, the main topic for this conversation.
[11:24] Leadership in African context. How do you understand digital leadership in the context of Africa? Okay. I think it's got to do with taking a direction that will make you efficient.
[11:49] Taking a direction that will make you efficient. Yes. Interesting. Because let's take a typical company that is running. You are, like I initially mentioned again, a leader doesn't have to be the CEO.
[12:04] But in this case, let's just say the CEO, we are deciding an example. You need to make sure you are spearheading an activity that shapes a particular narrative.
[12:18] Right. And whatever thing that activity is supposed to make you efficient, primarily means that you are dedicating fewer or smaller efforts, but you are getting bigger results.
[12:31] At the end of the day, that is in fact, in my analysis, that is what everybody looks at. If you achieve one million citizens at the end of the month, and you use two million citizens, you have lost.
[12:45] Yeah. But if you achieve one million citizens and you use 200,000, you have gained a lot. If you further around use 100,000 and you achieve one million, you have gained even more.
[12:57] So using smaller efforts to achieve bigger results, for me, is that direction that leaders are supposed to be looking at. Yeah. So you look at that direction every step of the way.
[13:12] What am I putting in? What am I getting? Yeah. Am I putting in so much? Am I getting much more? Am I putting in something little? Am I getting more?
[13:23] That is what you are supposed to be looking at. So this is for me what I see as leadership, and it applies to every single activity. Like I said, if you are supposed to be cleaning the studio and you spend two hours, that is two hours of effort, and you clean it to a certain level, somebody else comes to use 30 minutes and cleans it to that same level.
[13:53] It means that person is more efficient than you. So that is where efficiency comes from. So for me, that is it. You are seeking a direction that makes you efficient.
[14:05] That is it. I know there's the conversation about leadership being confident, being able to speak in parallel. I was expecting that. I've read about all that.
[14:19] I've read about all that. I agree with all those people who share those opinions. As a leader, you have to be bold. You have to be able to inspire people.
[14:30] But after all that, what results are you looking at? So when you undertake all those things, you are bold, you are confident, you can think on your feet, you are able to speak, you are able to command the audience.
[14:46] You inspire people to follow your direction and all that. But you need that direction. Because if you inspire 2 million people to follow a bad direction, you are actually helping those 2 million people.
[14:57] So it's the direction that we should be very particular about. Is it going to be efficient? Is it going to make us efficient? That's what we should look at.
[15:08] Great. So Alex, you've worked in banking. Yeah. Now you are in telecom industry and a bit of tech industry. In your own experience, how are African companies open to digital transformation?
[15:25] Okay. It's... I don't even put it. So I will pick this from when I was... Let me say a service provider. I was working in an agency trying to...
[15:46] That was when I started. We were developing websites for companies and events and marketing companies and trying to engage some companies to transform their business.
[15:59] And it was quite tough. It was quite tough. That was then. Is it the same currently? Today, the narrative is slightly different, but it's still tough back in the day.
[16:12] And I'm citing this example because we used to beg companies to want to put their businesses on social media. Okay. But they thought social media was for...
[16:25] Case. Case. So in fact, it was... We wanted to do this for free. So because we were developing website, when I'm drafting up proposal for website development, I will add that, oh, as part of the freebies we want to give you, we would launch your company on Facebook.
[16:46] I think it was then only free. It was in 2011. Yeah, 2011. It was just Facebook that was popular around here. And then YouTube slightly. So we said, oh, we'll put you on Facebook.
[16:59] We'll give you a channel or create an account for you and YouTube and all that. And they were like, no, no, no, no, no. We just wanted to do website.
[17:05] There's no website. Yes. Interesting. So this gave me that perspective, that, no, it is not easy to let people transform their business. Right.
[17:19] The other thing is we also deployed corporate emails, corporate emails, meaning that that of your private Gmail or Gmail, you would have your corporate email at your company's domain.
[17:33] And that also was a big issue for some people were not aligned. Some people would feel that you are, you are just changing the way they are working.
[17:46] And just for that fact, they won't agree, or sort of, or they won't align. There are some people who also felt that this is what we have been working with.
[17:58] We are comfortable with the Yahoo interface or we are comfortable with the Gmail interface. So if you are bringing another email client and the interface was different, you know.
[18:09] And all these things were some of the reasons that made companies not able to transform as they are supposed to. Today when you ask me, because I have not been engaging companies a lot to transform, every transformation activity has been within where I have worked and I've been there for 10 years or over.
[18:33] What I notice from the distance is that, that small rejection or attitude of not adopting technology is still there. It's still there. You may see that a lot of people have not adopted the basic IT skills and maybe a bit of digital marketing which they were not adopting back in the day.
[18:59] But today there is AI. People are adopting it. In fact, there is something that's talking about AI will take a job. If you don't want to go there, so all those conversations make me think that that level of rejection or not the willingness that is not there for people to adopt technology still exists.
[19:27] So let's go back in the day. I'm sure you were able to overcome these businesses who initially they didn't want to innovate. How were you able to convince them to get on Facebook?
[19:42] How were you able to convince them to create a YouTube account? So it's to do with results. For every transformation, if you are able to do, it could even be a pilot and the people see the results.
[20:00] It actually is one step for them to adopt. So when they see, oh, this thing actually works, then they will be inclined to come on board. For some of the people, if there is knowledge gap and you have skilled them, they will adopt and they will move.
[20:21] So for example, at the time Facebook only had the profile. It didn't have the business pages. So these profiles will not give you detailed analytics.
[20:37] And further on, when they started the business pages, now you could place sponsored ads and all that. And you could compare that if you did a flyer and stood at Akramo and shared a flyer and you did the same flyer instead of printing and sharing, you posted it on social media.
[20:57] You could see the views, you could see people engaging with it and all that. Meanwhile, the flyer you've printed and shared, you wouldn't know that.
[21:06] I don't even take it for granted. In fact, the next step is, in fact, the next available place you see is in the bin. People have it in their car.
[21:14] So when you go to the car wash, the washing bays, you see a lot of flyers that people are packing from the people's cars. So those are some of the things.
[21:23] If you're able to show results, it makes people want to adopt. Yeah. In your position at AT Ghana, as head of digital marketing and new product development, you sit at the top.
[21:39] You see whatever is happening, what the business wants and the objective or the results of the campaigns. Right? So my question to you now is, how are you able to balance creativity and at the same time achieving business goals when it comes to setting up your campaign?
[22:02] Okay. So I head a unit within the marketing department. So the marketing department has a senior executive, who is the CMO, that he reports to the CEO.
[22:18] Now, where I find myself is what the senior people want and how the people now work with it, how they can help to achieve what the top wants.
[22:35] Yes. Well, the top sets that direction and the strategy and then we come in to execute so we can meet that strategy. Now, let me come down to the campaigns and all that.
[22:49] When it comes to combining objectives and technology and creativity, I would put the objectives at the top and I'll talk about technology and creativity helping to meet objectives.
[23:07] Before technology, people were still creative. In fact, there were amazing campaigns, but you could only see those campaigns on TV and you would see it probably just once in a day.
[23:21] Today, technology, combining with that creativity can make you see that amazing campaign, which is a TV scene or a video or even an artwork. It can make you see any number of times you want to see it because you just can go on the channel, you click, you replay, you replay, you replay, you replay.
[23:44] So that's how technology is combining with creativity to achieve business goals. So that's what I would say about that. Interesting. So always focus on the business goal.
[23:57] Yes. Then you bring these peripherals in there to achieve the top-most business goal. That's interesting. Let's talk about your time in the banking.
[24:09] And I know I'm sending you way back, UT era. Yeah, please, let's go there. Your time in the banking industry, what innovations stood out at that time?
[24:22] Okay. So even before I joined UT, UT had one. In fact, I was amazed when I joined the company. I found out that they had mobile banking. Wow.
[24:34] Because all I had heard of was internet banking. Before I joined, I was managing website for, there was then Mechan's bank. There was Prudential bank.
[24:48] There was UT, which I was also managing. Even before I joined them, there were a few other banks. But when I joined and I realized that UT had mobile bank and it was called phone bank.
[25:01] And it was spelled F-O-N-B-A-N-K. Phone bank. Phone bank, yes. I think even if you Google, you would find... It's still there, of course. Some videos on YouTube, phone bank.
[25:13] And you can go there, check your balance, transfer money. And I'm like, oh, okay. And this was way back, 2012. So this was one amazing innovation that UT led with.
[25:28] And then they also had an intranet for employee communication and engagement. It was one of the innovations that got me so excited about that place.
[25:44] And then we introduced the social media as well. So back then, even before 2012, there was no social media anymore. The bank and all the other subsidiaries back from 2012 onwards.
[25:57] I think we started creating these from 2013, I think. Yes. So these were the key digital innovations that... No, it was $2. $2 for me. So the phone bank for customers, the intranet for employees, and then the social media channels for corporate communication and then brand building.
[26:20] And I think that's when it carried you through. And now you are the head of Digital for AT. On challenges, what challenges did you face? I mean, it can be any sector that you want to talk about, be it banking, tech or telecom.
[26:39] The challenges you faced when you were trying to push, some innovation. Yes, push, yeah. And how important, most importantly, you were able to overcome these challenges.
[26:51] Okay. So when I joined TiVo, that's really going back in the day, the company decided to launch a new sort of internal channels that will help to engage and communicate with employees.
[27:06] And I was hired into internal communications and engagement. So that was my role. And this was an era where I wanted to introduce these channels.
[27:17] And these were new technologies. So we introduced an intranet. We also introduced newsletters. And typically, you had to, the challenge there was, people were not familiar with these channels.
[27:31] No, it's a new thing. Yes, it was. Then we found creative ways of actually launching these channels and making them know that this is your channel.
[27:42] This is your space. Now we also got the people to be involved in the things that we were doing. So for example, on the intranet, we actually set up like an editorial team from all departments.
[28:00] So they were part of the management of the int. So they felt involved. We used a lot of employee pictures on there. And for the first time, people hardly saw their pictures on any kind of communication apart from flyers.
[28:18] So when they see themselves, then they engage them. Somebody would even want to go and read a newsletter because a friend or his friend is in there.
[28:31] Then we created a lot more engagement activities offline where we uploaded pictures and photos. I mean the pictures and the videos on the channel.
[28:43] So those were some of the things. And we did a lot of engagement and communication. So engaging with them face to face, to let them know the benefits and then the results we are getting.
[28:55] Those were some of the things that really helped. When it comes to innovations, that's got to do with seven customers. At that point, I wasn't the customer facing person.
[29:12] So I wouldn't be able to address that. But today, what it is is we have a managing a mobile app, managing a website. We're always trying to get people to download the mobile app and all that.
[29:22] And it's all come down to the results. The person may not know how beneficial it is until they try it. So we are consistently getting people to try for a lot of our posts on social media.
[29:36] We just want you to download and see how exciting it is. So we are pushing for trial. And that is where you see the results. A lot of people just went just about the interface, how intuitive the interface the app is.
[29:56] We'll make them use it. It just fascinates them. Oh, okay. So you actually had this and I didn't know. Yes. So it's all well done to result when it comes to innovation.
[30:07] And this is my opinion. That it's the result that will get people to want to patronize it. Yeah. If it doesn't give them any good results. No amount of money you pump inside.
[30:21] We'll get them using. From what you are saying, I'm picking a couple of things here. Correct me if I'm wrong, by the way. So, I mean, digital is sort of a tool, not like the ultimate solution, especially when you are bringing new people, you are introducing it to people.
[30:42] Because from the way you executed a newsletter, they didn't know about it, but you had to tell them, you had to bring them in there. And I'm guessing that you have to verbally tell them that there is a new thing that the business is doing.
[30:59] Exactly. Yeah. And the resource is, I mean, it should be resource-based, like the app. Yes. This is what it's doing. Yes. Download it. You will love the interface.
[31:12] And most importantly, it will help you achieve what you open the app to do. Exactly. So it's to do with resources. Yes. How to blend offline marketing and digital marketing also.
[31:26] Let's talk about leadership, the next generation leadership like myself. Believe me, I want to be like you. I want to be like you when I grow up.
[31:37] Right. So for someone like me, who wants to be a leader like you, what quality and what lessons or maybe skills should I learn in order for me to become a digital leader like you?
[31:54] Okay. All right. So I see a lot of young people who are technology incline already because they were born into the era. Yeah. So technology is so when you compare them to the oldies, they are much more familiar with it.
[32:18] And it's a good thing. Yeah. First of all, you don't need to go away from tech. You need to stick to tech. That is one because of where the world is moving to.
[32:28] Everything. And the world is becoming like this small village where you can interact with anybody. Yeah. You can send messages to anybody. You can see what anybody is doing.
[32:39] It feels as if we are in a single room because back in the day, you won't know what Beyonce is doing today. You go to Beyonce's Instagram and you know what she ate in the morning, because she probably posted it exactly.
[32:57] So don't move away from that space. Now there is a huge opportunity in that space. So for you to really take advantage of it, you need to learn.
[33:08] And that's my number one recommendation that if you want to lead in the disaster, you need to learn. Because the things you know today may not be able to work tomorrow.
[33:20] Is that changes in a matter of seconds? Yeah. So whatever you know today, back in back in school, we were learning C++, C sharp. Fortran. Fortran.
[33:34] Cobo. Cobo. You know, today, you know what I mean? Today is about Python. Yeah. Ruby on Rails. It's a lot. Rails and all that. So those are the things.
[33:47] If you don't learn, you will be left out. Yeah. That's if you want to lead in that space. So you have to really learn. And you should be able to solve problems.
[33:58] That is, you should solve problems. You don't. So for the early stage workers, or let me say students or national service people, you don't have to be looking at learning a lot.
[34:15] You should be looking at learning a lot. Learn. Bus. Bus. You don't have to be looking at learning a lot. But you should be looking at learning.
[34:25] Bus. Bus. Bus. Why? Because learning is what will bring the energy. Whatever you end tomorrow, depending on what you have learned today. Yeah.
[34:38] So if you think, oh, today you have this job that's paying you maybe some big money. And so you want to relax. Tomorrow somebody else who really learns your job well.
[34:51] Will just come. Just come for that. Wonderful. So you look at solving problems. You learn. And in an era where there are a lot of courses online.
[35:06] There are people you can't even reach out to direct you. What do I do? What should I do? Recently, I think last year I had this seminar on one of the campuses, which is education.
[35:19] And one of the students reached out until today. We still chat. Engaged. Yes. So he said, oh, after school, what do I think he will need for him to be above his peers?
[35:34] Yeah. I think that's a tough question. Yes. I think he learned ABCD areas and then look for courses when once you look for courses that can give you certificates and have them as part of your degree.
[35:49] Yeah. Yeah. So that is it. If you're able to, that's what we actually said to your part. All right. Alex, thank you so much. Truly, truly appreciate you.
[36:00] I mean, I know you're setters, but then you came. But before I let you go, I want you to, you know, just in passing any trends that is shaping digital marketing before I let you go.
[36:17] So today, digital marketing that used to be a tech-backed activity is changing. It now involves a lot of things, a lot of things. So there are people who are excelling because of content.
[36:37] Yeah. So apart from all the digital skills that you have to learn and then practice them, you should be able to consider content creation. Content Bill Gates said content is skin.
[36:51] And this was a letter he wrote slides on 26, 27 years ago. And he titled it content and he explained why content is skin. Back then, I'm sure people didn't really get, but today we know.
[37:04] Yeah. Every business has a media in the content. Then he fed around said that content is not just about the texts, the videos, the artworks, the audio recordings.
[37:19] It even involves apps and apps. When I think of apps, I think of lifestyle. Yeah. These apps are supposed to help us with what we are doing. Now, what do we do as people?
[37:35] You probably would want to take notes when you're having a meeting. There's an app that would take notes for you. Yeah. You probably would want to learn how to cook.
[37:44] There's an app that you can use. Yes, go there. It gives you all the recipes and what to do at what minute that was again. So these are the areas we need to think about.
[37:57] If you work in a bank, if you have a financial institution, you need to think of apps that can help your customers to plan their financials. There are apps that are doing that already, but you also have to step into that space.
[38:08] So these are the trends that I'm looking at. Digital is now looking at lifestyle and bringing solutions to lifestyle. So that's about it. Alice, thank you so much for coming.
[38:22] My pleasure. Thanks for having me. I really appreciate your presence.