From Geography to Growth Marketing – Interview with Marketing In Action

This article was originally published on Marketing In Action on April 14th, 2025. Oladayo Adeniyi is a UK Global Talent-endorsed strategist with a track record in SEO, paid media, and content marketing for fintech, SaaS, and insurance brands.

Can you tell us a bit about your background, education, and how you got into marketing?

I studied Geography at Obafemi Awolowo University. While at the university, I was part of the Editorial Board, which led to my first job as a content writer at Hotels.ng. After three months, I joined FirstBank Nigeria Ltd as a contract content executive.

I saw digital marketing as the next logical step in my career and a way to earn more. I got my first full digital marketing role at Doculand while exhibiting at Social Media Week 2018. I worked there for two years as a Digital Marketing Executive before joining AXA Mansard’s digital team.

Eventually, I became Head of Digital Marketing & Sales within the company’s Digital Transformation Team. The culmination of my marketing journey was receiving the UK Global Talent Endorsement through the Digital Marketing path.

How do you define growth marketing?

It is delivering numbers that help the business grow – usually across customers, platforms, sales & revenue. As a Growth Marketer, the focus is always on customer acquisition, retention, conversion rate optimization, reducing drop-offs, and increasing sales & revenue.

What are your key areas of expertise within marketing?

My core specialties are paid media marketing, SEO, organic marketing, conversion rate optimization, campaign management, content marketing, and marketing analytics and attribution.

Which marketing channels do you prioritize, and have you found to be effective?

This depends on the objectives of the business. However, paid marketing is the holy grail of marketing for me. Google Ads and Meta Ads are my preferred paid channels because they allow you to directly connect customer acquisition and activities to business results. In addition, content marketing is a must-have for every business – it’s the foundation on which all other marketing channels are built.

What roles have you held in your growth and marketing career?

I served as head of digital marketing & sales in AXA’s digital team, with a strong focus on customer acquisition and revenue generation. As campaign manager at MTN, I drove customer acquisition for their VAS, music, gaming, and video services.

Both roles centered on scaling customer acquisition and revenue in large enterprise organizations undergoing digital transformation. Additionally, as a growth consultant at Vella Finance, I helped the business build awareness, craft strategy, and drive customer acquisition.

Which companies have you worked with?

AXA: Insurance/Insurtech – Mission was to acquire new customers to buy insurance, and invest funds.
MTN: Telco/Digital Services – Mission was to acquire customers & drive retention for digital services.
VellaFinance: SaaS – Provider of business accounts for small businesses. Provides payment, loans, and savings in one platform. Acquired by Carbon.

Can you share a fun or interesting fact about yourself that most people don’t know?

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I love playing games, reading books, watching movies, and listening to music.

Can you share a resource or template that has been particularly valuable in your work?

These are blogs any growth or digital marketer should continually read.

What advice would you give to someone starting their career in growth marketing?

Commit to learning and acquiring knowledge. Also, understand marketing analytics very well. It is the bedrock of growth marketing.

Posted in Career