AI Will Elevate, Not Replace Marketers — Interswitch’s Dr. Cherry Eromosele Tells BJAN Conference 2025
From L–R: Dr. Dare Ogunyombo (Olabisi Onabanjo University); John Ehiguese (CEO, Mediacraft Associates); Daniel Obi (BJAN National Chairman); Clara Okoro (Immediate Past Chairman, BJAN); Dr. Samuel Ayetutu (Chairman, NIPR Lagos Chapter); and Tomi Ogunlesi, Divisional Head, Brands and Communication, Interswitch, at the 2025 BJAN Brands and Marketing Conference held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Interswitch Group’s Executive Vice President and Group Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Dr. Cherry Eromosele, has called on marketing and media professionals to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a collaborative tool that enhances — rather than replaces — human creativity, judgment, and strategic thinking.
Speaking through Tomi Ogunlesi, Divisional Head of Brands and Communications at Interswitch, Dr. Eromosele delivered the keynote address at the 2025 Brands and Marketing Conference organised by the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN) in Lagos. The conference focused on the theme “AI and the Future of Marketing Workflow: Disruption or Opportunity?”
She noted that AI has already transformed content creation, distribution, evaluation, and marketing operations, but stressed the need for responsible use and deliberate human oversight.
“The real risk is not in the technology itself, but in the reluctance to adapt. AI will enhance human output, but it still requires human judgment to ensure accuracy, context, and responsible use,” she said.
Dr. Eromosele urged organisations to invest in continuous capacity building, equipping marketing and communications professionals with the skills required to work confidently with AI-driven tools. She argued that human insight, creativity, ethics, and cultural intelligence remain indispensable in an increasingly automated marketing environment.
Her session featured interactive demos illustrating both the potential and pitfalls of AI — from enhanced productivity to widely publicised newsroom errors — reinforcing the need for strong human checks in automated workflows.
She also outlined major shifts reshaping the marketing ecosystem, including:
- The ‘New Marketing Trinity’ of data, creativity and algorithms
- A transition from traditional campaigns to always-on brand conversations
- A move from static demographics to dynamic personas
- Predictive media distribution driven by AI
- The rise of Agentic AI systems capable of autonomous planning and execution
Despite rapid advancement, she maintained that the industry is entering “The Age of the Augmented Marketer”, where AI becomes a multiplier of human capability. She highlighted essential future skills such as AI literacy, data storytelling, no-code automation, and multimodal content creation — all anchored in strong ethical and strategic thinking.
Dr. Eromosele also addressed the growing integration of AI in journalism, warning that newsroom automation must be supported by ethics, subject-matter expertise, diligent verification, and trust.
Held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, the annual BJAN Conference attracted marketing leaders, technology experts, and brand journalists. BJAN Chairman, Daniel Obi, delivered the welcome address, followed by remarks from Guest of Honour, Udeme Ufot, Group Managing Director of SO&U. Lady (Dr.) Sussie Agbo delivered a special address on behalf of ARCON Director-General, Dr. Lekan Fadolapo.
Other speakers included Bethel Obioma, Head of Corporate Communications at Sahara Group, along with a panel of experts comprising ICT professionals, AI specialists, and industry innovators. The panel, moderated by BJAN Secretary Adedayo Odulaja, explored AI governance, workflow optimisation, cybersecurity, and the evolving role of marketers in an AI-led environment.
Interswitch reaffirmed its commitment to driving responsible innovation, digital capacity building and thought leadership across the marketing and communications ecosystem.
No comments