Promise Ekewuba: Relationships and community have transformed my career
As we continue to create space for African marketers to build thriving global careers, we’ve also found it important to connect closely with our wonderful members to tell their stories, share their brilliant work as marketers, and understand what being a Smarketer means to them.
In this conversation, we spoke with Promise Ekewuba, Founder and Creative Director of Prunet Digital Agency, and the Senior Growth Marketing Specialist, Duplo Inc.
He shares how he left his geology degree for a marketing career, the ways relationships and communities have shaped his growth, why building a global career matters to him, and so much more.
I hope you have as much fun as I did learning about his career, and that you leave with a fresh perspective on doing excellent work and growing your career through community.
If you were creating a time capsule to represent your marketing career so far, what three items would you put inside, and what story do they tell about your professional journey?
The first item would be a stack of books. This represents my thirst for knowledge. I’ve always been a curious person, more so when I first started my career. I remember the day I submitted my final-year project in Geology at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. That day, I knew I wouldn’t pursue geology as a career.
So, I immediately went online and started looking for digital skills to learn. I found lots of courses—took over 50 courses in digital marketing between 2018 and 2020—and then stumbled upon countless marketing resources, especially e-books about digital marketing and social media, which I found fascinating. That period was a whirlwind of learning, training, and experimenting.
That whole quest for knowledge helped me learn fast and deeply. Now, as the owner of a marketing agency, I know every aspect of my team’s work. Whether it’s email marketing, copywriting, graphic design, social media management, or ad strategy—I can guide my team effectively because I’ve had hands-on experience in all those areas.
The second item would be a key to a door, symbolizing the opportunities and support I’ve received from random people and friends throughout my career. Many of my breakthroughs came through relationships I built in communities, at events, and even at church.
For example, one of my biggest clients today came through someone I met in a church community. I reached out to her after hearing her speak and simply said, “I’d like to be friends.” Two years later, she started working at the company she referred me to. She remembered my work as a digital marketer and reached out, and my agency now handles their digital marketing needs.
It’s been a common thread in my current job at Duplo and previous roles. Opportunities keep coming from people I’ve met in random but meaningful ways.
The third item would be the book, The Lean Startup. That book showed me that I could do so much with little and that starting small is often the best way to build something great. It taught me how to strategize, prioritize, and grow my agency sustainably.
Oooh, what a full capsule. You’ve talked about networking and building relationships. Was that intentional, and how do you approach it?
Very intentional. After a personal struggle where I realized I had no strong support network, I became deliberate about forming meaningful connections. At work, I make an effort to engage with people, often starting with simple questions like, “Are you happy?” This approach has helped me build genuine relationships that have significantly contributed to my career.
Taking a human-centered approach to creating relationships, I see.
Yeah. But I’ve also learned that not everyone would be interested, and that’s okay. The thing is: you can't force relationships. The minute you and somebody have shared values, opinions, and perspectives on what's funny and not funny, you'd see it from the first one or two interactions. And then you’d know whether or not to push for the relationship.
Can you share a memorable project or experience that has shaped your growth as a marketer?
Learning to communicate my contributions effectively. Early in my career, I did a lot of work behind the scenes, but my efforts weren’t recognized because I wasn’t vocal about my role. I’ve since learned to detail my contributions and highlight my impact. I’ve learned to share every thought, no matter how unpolished it seems. This shift has helped ensure that my work doesn’t go unnoticed.
What would you say you excel at as a marketer?
Based on feedback from colleagues, team members, and managers, I’d say strategy is one of my strongest skills. I have a knack for looking at a case study or brief and coming up with creative, actionable ideas.
When did you first notice you were good at strategy?
During my internship in school, I worked at an educational consultancy firm. The business had been around for a while, but it wasn't growing digitally, and the owner wanted to hire someone to help push the business online. So, he brought me into management meetings with directors, asking for fresh ways to grow the business. I was just a student, but I came up with several ideas that were well-received. That’s when I realized I had a talent for this, and it’s been a common thread through every job I’ve had since then.
Sounds like you discovered your gift accidentally.
Yeah. You could say so.
But have you become more intentional about how you use your strategy skills now? Do you have a framework?
Honestly, I still rely on spontaneity. Ideas come naturally to me during conversations. Once I understand the goals, audience, and what’s been done before, the ideas start flowing. I find that ideas don’t come if I simply sit and look in the sky and try to think of them; they come by engaging with what’s out there. Tools like AI also help me brainstorm by generating options I can refine and combine.
Why is building a global career important to you?
Because the world has gone global. There was a time when your career was confined to your local area, but those days are gone. The principles of marketing—product, place, price, and promotion—are universal. Why limit yourself to one country when you can apply your skills globally?
I often recommend marketing or tech careers to people because they allow you to learn quickly and work globally. In today’s economy, with currency devaluation, having a skill that’s relevant worldwide is more critical than ever. For me, building a global career means greater opportunities, broader reach, and resilience in a volatile economy like Nigeria’s.
And when did you start thinking about building a global career?
Around 2019. I resigned from my job in December of that year, expecting better opportunities, but I ended up jobless for six months. During that time, I discovered platforms like Fiverr and Upwork, where people were making good money providing services internationally. That inspired me to acquire skills that would allow me to compete globally.
I experimented with various skills, including web development with WordPress and coding in Python, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. But marketing turned out to be my true calling. It offered me the fastest path to global relevance and income. Realizing that I could earn hundreds of dollars for services I used to offer for free was a turning point.
💡 Don’t miss: How to pitch to international clients as a freelancer
What values do you anchor yourself with when working in a team, and why are they important to you?
Two values stand out for me: respect and integrity.
Respect means recognizing that every team member contributes something unique. In my current role as a senior marketing specialist at Duplo, I work with a small team—a content marketer, a graphic designer, a social media manager, and me. I respect their expertise and don’t interfere with their work unless necessary. Their skills are why they were hired, and I trust their judgment.
Integrity, for me, means saying what you mean and following through on your commitments. If you say you’ll do something, do it. If you can’t, be honest about it upfront. Business is serious, and your word should carry weight. Integrity ensures clear communication and trust within the team.
What’s one trend or innovation in marketing that excites you?
AI excites me because it’s transforming how we deliver work. Speed is crucial in today’s fast-paced environment, and AI helps us work faster while maintaining quality. That said, creativity and time go hand in hand—you can’t rush great ideas. AI complements this process by automating repetitive tasks and sparking inspiration, but it can’t replace the human touch needed to connect emotionally with audiences.
I believe we’ve only scratched the surface of AI’s potential in marketing. As the industry evolves, I think marketers should learn to balance leveraging AI for efficiency while maintaining their creative processes.
You made an interesting point when you said: you can’t rush great ideas. How do you ensure you remain creative while meeting the fast-paced demands of your role?
Personally, I’ve developed a structured process. I often brainstorm collaboratively with team members or peers, which accelerates idea generation. Templates also help streamline the more technical aspects of strategy development, such as market segmentation and audience targeting. I’ve been able to deliver quickly without sacrificing creativity by focusing on collaboration and having frameworks in place.
Alright, let’s shift to your interest in communities. What’s your approach to growth through communities, and how would you do it differently when joining a community for the first time?
The first thing I do when joining a community is introduce myself in detail. I list everything I do and can offer because you never know who might need your services. Communities thrive on communication, so I also participate in discussions and share ideas, which helps me stay visible and build meaningful relationships.
If you want to get the best out of a community, you need to actively participate because there’s no community without communication. You have to add value to others and not just be a passive participant. I mean, that’s the whole point of belonging in a space. Give, don’t just take.
💡 Find out: The top 10 marketing communities for Africans
What does being a Smarketer mean to you?
It means a lot of things to be honest. It means an opportunity to grow, an opportunity to share my knowledge, and an opportunity to meet new people.
I’ve gotten to meet wonderful humans like Gift Chidinma in The Room. We connected a while back and had a one-and-a-half-hour conversation. We then connected on Instagram and TikTok, and we’ve been friends ever since. She’s an incredible content creator with a unique perspective on life, and I’ve learned so much from her.
Being able to connect with like-minded people and offer advice to those navigating their marketing journeys is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a Smarketer.
What drew you to the community initially, and what made you stay?
Honestly, I wasn’t part of any marketing communities before this. I was in tech and business communities but not marketing. For someone with eight or nine years of experience, you’d think I’d be in many, but that wasn’t the case. So, when I found your community, I decided to give it a try.
To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations. I thought it might be one of those inactive communities where nothing happens. I even told myself, “If nothing happens here in 30 days, I’ll leave.” But the opposite happened.
The community is active, consistent, and engaging. Your team asks questions, follows up, and creates opportunities for members to share their work. Even the automation bot that matched members for chats kept things lively. The activeness of the community, the values people shared, and the meaningful connections I made convinced me to stay.
So we surprised you.
Haha. Yes. I was pleasantly surprised.
And you know what? Being a part of The Room has reinforced my belief in the importance of community. It’s been inspiring seeing people share feedback, solve challenges, and support each other. I’ve learned a lot just from observing how engaged people are and how they navigate their careers. It’s reminded me that marketing is as much about community and collaboration as it is about individual expertise.
What’s your favorite thing to do in The Room?
I enjoy meeting people and reading about their work in the “Share your work” channel. I also appreciate the announcements and updates—it’s a great way to stay informed about what’s happening in the community.
Who are you outside of marketing?
I’m a businessman at heart. I love solving problems and creating value. That mindset stemmed from a tough period in 2020 when I was jobless for six months. During that time, I started praying for the ability to see opportunities and find solutions to problems.
One of my early ventures was stocking face masks before COVID-19 hit Nigeria. When the pandemic started, I sold them and made a significant profit. Later, I built a wedding registry platform called LoveBarn, which allowed couples to create personalized websites for RSVPs, gift lists, and delivery services.
Seeing opportunities in chaos. Smart
Haha, very important. Apart from business though, I play instruments like the guitar and keyboard, and I’m deeply involved in my church, heading the social media and graphics unit. I’m also a husband and soon-to-be father.
And what has being a marketer taught you about being human?
Marketing has shown me how deeply emotions drive human behavior. While sales might focus on features and benefits, marketing has to appeal to emotions to connect with audiences.
I’ve learned to empathize with target audiences, putting myself in their shoes to understand what motivates them. It’s also made me more mindful of how I treat people. Words matter, and even if someone doesn’t react immediately, they might reflect on what you said later and make decisions based on it.
Understanding the emotional aspect of marketing has taught me to communicate with care, choose my words thoughtfully, and be intentional about how I interact with others.
What are your hopes for the future of your career?
Honestly, my hope for the future is expansive. I feel like I haven’t even started, despite others telling me I’ve made great strides.
In the next 10 years, I envision my agency expanding significantly. We’ve grown so much in just three years, and I know I’ll continue finding new ways to build and improve the company. I also plan to run the agency full-time in the future, possibly stepping away from my career job within the next five years.
I also plan to give back by expanding our recently launched digital marketing training academy. I hope to collaborate with others to offer free skill-based training to young people, helping them find clarity and direction in their careers. Eventually, I want to establish a foundation to further this mission.
The future is bright, and I’m excited about the journey.
Want to give a shout-out or say hello to another marketer?
Yes, I’d like to give a shout-out to Seun Babajide-Duroshola, the Country Marketing Manager of ALX Nigeria. She’s had a tremendous impact on my career and life by sharing countless opportunities and always checking in on how I’m doing—professionally, personally, and with my agency.
I don’t think I’ve shown her enough appreciation, but I hope she knows how much I value everything she’s done for me. One of my biggest clients came through her recommendation. She’s been a blessing, helping me move from treating my skills as a hobby to building an enterprise.
Connect with Promise on LinkedIn, Instagram, and X(formely Twitter). And join Marketers Room to connect with more like-minded professionals and build a thriving career.
