Tayo Otubanjo
Lagos Business School (LBS).
Faculty’s Field of Research: Information Systems, Management, Operations
School: Lagos Business School (LBS)
Faculty’s email address: totubanjo@lbs.edu.ng
Background:
Prof. Tayo Otubanjo is a seasoned executive educator, a sought-after marketing consultant, and a Professor of Marketing at Lagos Business School, where he leads strategic marketing and branding modules within The Chief Executive Programme, The Advanced Management Programme, and The Executive MBA programme.
Tayo has national and international academic and practitioner experiences in strategic marketing, corporate brand identity, corporate communications, and brand strategy. He was a Visiting Professor of Marketing at Yale School of Management, New Haven, Connecticut, where he taught Yale’s MBA, delivering sessions on Brand Strategy. Prof. Otubanjo was a Visiting Fellow at Warwick Business School, University of Warwick. He was invited to serve similarly at the Spears School of Business, Oklahoma State University.
Prof. Otubanjo pursued his PhD in Marketing with a focus on corporate ‘brand’ identity management at The University of Hull (UK) and the University of London, where he was highly instrumental to the development of the first MSc degree programme in Corporate Brand Management in the UK.
Generally, his research takes a social constructionist epistemological approach to the meaning, planning, and management of corporate branding, corporate identity, corporate communications, corporate reputation, and corporate marketing.
Prof. Otubanjo’s work has appeared in numerous ABS quoted journals of note, including Marketing Theory; Academy of Marketing Science Review; Tourist Studies; Management Decisions; The Marketing Review; Journal of Product & Brand Management, Corporate Reputation Review, and Corporate Communications: An International Journal.
Tayo has presented articles at The University of Cambridge, Royal Holloway College of The University of London, University of Birmingham, University of Southampton, Heriot-Watt University, University of Brighton, London Metropolitan University, University of Salerno (Italy), and St. Gallen University (Switzerland). Prof. Otubanjo has also spoken at conferences hosted by a number of American universities, including the University of Southern California, the University of South Carolina, City University of New York, and Drexel University in Philadelphia, just to mention a few.
His class facilitation philosophy is rooted in the use of practical realities of the business environment as an important means of explicating complex business theories. He believes in finding the right balance in the classroom between what might be called the demands of realism and the need to understand complex business theories.
Essentially, he views his facilitation task as an attempt to both prepare students for the sometimes-harsh realities of professional life as marketing practitioners, while at the same time ensuring that whatever natural inclinations they might have to the nobler purposes of marketing or business are encouraged. He believes in interactivity and therefore strives for interactive involvement and participation of students.
Previously, Prof. Otubanjo served Lagos Business School in the capacity of Research Director, during which he had the opportunity to develop a research strategy themed “Applied research for solving institutional business problems in Africa” to guide faculty research focus.
He is currently the Lead Faculty in charge of the LBS Management Scholars’ Academy, composed of elite research assistants who serve the school for a couple of years and then proceed to pursue fully-funded PhD programmes in business studies in the US, UK, and continental Europe.
Tayo was a Visiting Research Fellow at The Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, and was invited to occupy a similar position at Spears School of Business, Oklahoma State University. These appointments were made, given his epistemological mindset on corporate marketing issues.
Prof. Otubanjo has supervised and supervises MPhil, PhD, and Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) theses in his areas of research focus at Lagos Business School. He is willing to take on more doctoral students. He served as an external examiner to the MPhil Marketing and PhD Marketing programmes at the University of Ghana Business School, Legon.
He is an alumnus of the Prestigious IESE Business School, Barcelona, Spain, where he received an international faculty development education, which equipped him with case delivery skills. He also attended Wharton Business School’s Global Faculty Development Program.
Prof. Otubanjo offers Strategic Marketing and Brand Management advisory services to numerous firms. Past and current clients include NLNG, Galaxy Backbone, First Bank Plc, FCMB Plc, Keystone Bank Plc, AXA Mansard, Alpha Morgan Capital, Sujimoto Construction, Chams Plc, Cellulant, Top Crust, Superflux, MBC Financial Services Group, Oral B, Consolidated Discount House, among others.
In the course of working for CMCConnect BCW and CentrespreadFCB, now CentrespreadGrey, Prof. Otubanjo carried out brand strategy assignments for national and multinational institutions of note. Some of these include Skye Bank, Wema Bank, Zenith Bank, Coca-Cola, Fanta, Fanta Blackcurrant, Microsoft, and UPS. Others were SAP, Accenture, HiTV, MoneyGram, Kakawa Discount House, SC Johnson, Edo State Board of Internal Revenue (ESBIR), Mass Power Plc, Emirates Airline, and Emzor Pharmaceuticals.
He is an Independent Non-Executive Director on the board of Alpha Morgan Capital Managers.
Qualifications
PhD in Marketing with a focus on corporate ‘brand’ identity management at The University of Hull (UK) and the University of London, where he was highly instrumental to the development of the first MSc degree programme in Corporate Brand Management in the UK.
Selected Publications
Journal Articles
Adewoye, D., Mendy, J., Oruh, E. S., Mordi, C., Egwuonwu, A., & Otubanjo, B. O. (2023). Africapitalism: The marketisation of philanthrocapitalism and neoliberalism in African entrepreneurial philanthropy. Marketing Theory. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/14705931231190954
Otubanjo, B. O., & Mokwenyei, K. A. (2023). A cultural heritage model of corporate heritage brand. Manuscript under review at The Marketing Review.
Abbatty, O., Otubanjo, B. O., & Adeola, O. (2022). A self-concept interactionist model of social media reputation. In O. Adeola, R. E. Hinson, & J. N. Edeh (Eds.), Digital business in Africa: Social media and related technologies. Palgrave Macmillan.
Otubanjo, B. O., & Adegbile, O. E. (2019). The corporate heritage brand development process: A new institutional theory approach. IUP Journal of Brand Management.
Otubanjo, B. O. (2018). Uncovering meanings through animal figurative marks in corporate logos. IUP Journal of Brand Management, 15(4).
Otubanjo, B. O., & Epie, C. (2018). Re-examining the meaning of corporate branding: Does corporate advertising give useful insights? IUP Journal of Brand Management.
Otubanjo, B. O. (2018). Building a powerful entrepreneurial brand: The role of critical success factors and its impact on competitive advantage. IUP Journal of Brand Management.
Otubanjo, B. O. (2018). Differentiating financial services brands through the multi-layered service strategy (MSS): Some insights from the resource-based view of the firm. IUP Journal of Brand Management.
Tevi, A., & Otubanjo, B. O. (2013). Understanding corporate rebranding: An evolution theory perspective. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 5(3).
Iyamabo, J., Ndukwe, G., & Otubanjo, B. O. (2013). Building telecoms service quality for brand loyalty. International Business Review, 6(4).
Iyamabo, J., & Otubanjo, B. O. (2013). A three-component definition of strategic marketing. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 5(1).
Oladipo, T., Iyamabo, J., & Otubanjo, B. O. (2013). Employer branding: Moulding desired perceptions in current and potential employees. International Journal of Business & Management.
Otubanjo, B. O. (2013). The extended corporate identity mix. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 5(1).
Otubanjo, B. O. (2013). Four cardinal manifestations of corporate identity. International Journal of Business Management & Research. Forthcoming publication.
Otubanjo, B. O. (2013). Brand leadership: A discourse approach to brand leadership management. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 5(1).
Otubanjo, B. O. (2012). Meaning of corporate identity: A structural and semiotic insight. International Journal of Management Research & Business Strategy, 1(1).
Otubanjo, B. O. (2012). Operationalizing the Chandlerean semiotic process through the deconstruction of First Bank’s classic corporate advertising text. International Journal of Sales & Marketing Management Research and Development, 2(4).
Otubanjo, B. O. (2012). Theorising the interconnectivity between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate identity (CI). Journal of Management & Sustainability, 3(1).
Otubanjo, B. O. (2012). The basic notions of innovation. International Journal of Sales & Marketing Management Research and Development, 2(4).
Otubanjo, B. O. (2012). Conceptual insight into generic corporate identity in the banking industry and semiotic evidence of its presence in professional services firms (PSFs). International Journal of Marketing Studies, 4(6).
Otubanjo, B. O. (2012). Operationalizing critical hermeneutics through the deconstruction of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc’s classic corporate advertising text. International Journal of Sales & Marketing Management Research and Development, 2(4).
Otubanjo, B. O. (2012). Representation theories of communication and their implications for corporate brand communications. International Journal of Business Management & Research, 2(4).
Otubanjo, B. O. (2012). Embedding theory in corporate identity through the social constructionist lens. International Journal of Business Management, 7(22).
Otubanjo, B. O. (2012). Facets of organizational transformation: What we know. International Journal of Sales & Marketing Management Research & Development, 2(4).
Amujo, O. C., & Otubanjo, B. O. (2012). Agenda-setting effects of business news on stakeholders’ perception of profit-led business organizations. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 4(5).
Otubanjo, B. O. (2012). The double edge strategy: How it drives sales when consumer spending falls. International Journal of Sales & Marketing Management Research and Development, 2, 49–60.
Otubanjo, B. O., & Lim, L. (2011). A corporate brand in the technology road-map: Sony. IUP Journal of Brand Management, 8.
Publications in ABS Journals
Ikiebey, G., Omovbude, R., Shogbanmu, S., & Otubanjo, B. O. (2015). The meaning and uses of cause-related marketing. The Marketing Review, 15(3), 383–400.
Otubanjo, B. O., Amujo, O. C., & Alleyne, L. (2015). Competence branding: A strategic differentiation approach for business organizations. Journal of EuroMarketing, 25(2–3).
Chen-Chu, C., & Otubanjo, B. O. (2013). A functional approach to the meaning of corporate reputation. The Marketing Review, 13(4).
Otubanjo, B. O., & Amujo, O. C. (2012). The holistic corporate identity communication process. The Marketing Review, 12(4).
Amujo, O. C., & Otubanjo, B. O. (2012). Leveraging rebranding of unattractive nation brands to stimulate post-disaster tourism. Tourist Studies, 12(1), 87–105.
Dowling, G., & Otubanjo, B. O. (2011). Corporate and organizational identity: Two sides of the same coin. Academy of Marketing Science Review, 3–4, 171–182.
Otubanjo, B. O. (2011). Practitioner conceptualisations of corporate identity, 1958–2008: Review and analysis. The Marketing Review, 11(3), 263–279.
Otubanjo, B. O., Amujo, O. C., & Cornelius, N. (2010). The informal corporate identity communication process. Corporate Reputation Review, 13(19).
Otubanjo, B. O., Amujo, O. C., & Abimbola, T. (2010). Conceptualizing the notion of corporate brand covenance: Meaning and management. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 19(6), 410–422.
Otubanjo, B. O., & Melewar, T. C. (2007). Understanding the meaning of corporate identity: A conceptual and semiological approach. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 12(4), 414–432.
Bridges, K., Melewar, T. C., & Otubanjo, B. O. (2007). “Geiz-ist-geil” strategy: A three-company study. Management Decision, 40(8), 1023–1037.
Book Chapters
Olomo, O., & Otubanjo, O. (2019). Branding the healthcare experience. In R. E. Hinson, K. Osei-Frimpong, O. Adeola, & L. Aziato (Eds.), Healthcare service marketing: Building customer-driven health organisations. Routledge.
Achi, A., & Otubanjo, B. O. (2019). An institutional economics-led model of customer service strategy. In R. E. Hinson, K. Osei-Frimpong, O. Adeola, & L. Aziato (Eds.), Customer service management: A strategic perspective. Routledge.
Uzo, U., Adeola, O., & Otubanjo, B. O. (2018). Indigenous selling practices in Africa. In U. Uzo & A. Kinoti (Eds.), Indigenous management practices in Africa: A guide for educators and practitioners (Vol. 19). Emerald Publishing.
Otubanjo, B. O. (2017). Africapitalism and corporate branding. In K. Amaeshi (Ed.), Africapitalism for Africa’s development: Rethinking the role of business in Africa. Cambridge University Press.
Shogbanmu, O., & Otubanjo, B. O. (2016). Moral self-relevance: In search of objective moral judgement in brand transgression. In R. R. Sharma, M. Csuri, & K. Ogunyemi (Eds.), Managing for responsibility: A textbook for alternative paradigm.
Amujo, O. C., Lanihun, B. A., Otubanjo, B. O., & Ajala, V. O. (2012). Impact of corporate social irresponsibility on corporate image/reputation of multinational oil corporations in Nigeria. In R. Tench, B. Jones, & W. Sun (Eds.), Communicating corporate social responsibility: Lessons from theory and practice. Emerald.
Amujo, O. C., Otubanjo, B. O., Melewar, T. C., & Lanihun, B. A. (2010). Agenda-setting effects of business news on the reputation of profit-led business organizations in Nigeria. In C. Carroll (Ed.), Corporate reputation and the news: Agenda setting within business news coverage in developed, emerging, and frontier markets. Routledge.
Otubanjo, B. O., & Melewar, T. C. (2007). Corporate brand differentiation in the financial services industry: Applying the highest central common factor concept to nation branding. In K. Dinnie (Ed.), Nation branding: Concepts, issues and practice. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Supervised M.Sc. Dissertations to Completion
Ebong, I. E. (2014). The role of brand trust in customer retention (Master’s dissertation).
Azuh, M. S. (2014). How signs enhance the creation of consumer perception of firms (Master’s dissertation).
Onyeukwu-Ashinze, A. R. (2014). The influence of sponsorship on customers’ perception of an advertised brand (Master’s dissertation).
Katibi, K. S. (2014). The relationship between country origin information processing and customer retention of Japanese auto brands (Master’s dissertation).
Udo, S. (2014). Effective media relations as a tool for brand perception at Fidelity Bank Plc (Master’s dissertation).
Omovbude, R. (2013). The use of cause related marketing and the mediating effects of publicity on customer retention (Master’s dissertation).
Nwalie, U. (n.d.). The influence of Access Bank employee evaluation of rebranding on their perception of the corporate brand (Master’s dissertation).
Coker, T. (n.d.). The power of corporate logo over customers’ perceptions through responsiveness in Guarantee Trust Bank Plc employees of First Nigeria Bank Plc (Master’s dissertation).
Kusimo, A. (n.d.). The influence of corporate social responsibility on public perception of an advertised corporate brand (Master’s dissertation).
Nwakaji, M. (2014). The impact of public relations on sales: A study of Etisalat Easy Flex product (Master’s dissertation).
Nwakaji, M. (n.d.). The influence of public relations on sales: A study of Etisalat EasyFlex product (Master’s dissertation).
Tosin, O. (n.d.). Employer branding and the creation of desired perception among current and potential employees of First Nigeria Bank Plc (Master’s dissertation).
Erhisohwode, C. (n.d.). Creating and developing brand personality through advertising: A case study of Nigerian Breweries brands (Master’s dissertation).
Anarado, C. (n.d.). A study of religious brand differentiators in three select religious brands (Master’s dissertation).
Adeyi, T. I. (2013, June). The role of brand personality on consumer loyalty as it affects Guinness Extra Stout (Master’s dissertation).
Godwin, A. B. (2013, June). Influence of brand personality on customer perception within an advertising cluttered market: A focus on MTN Telecommunications (Master’s dissertation).
Sowole, I. B. (2013, June). The effect of celebrity endorsement in a popular culture on customer retention (Master’s dissertation).
Kalu Alu-Ulu, T. (n.d.). The influence of rebranding on product purchase in an industry with working class population: A focus on Enterprise Bank (Master’s dissertation).
Ndukwe, G. (n.d.). The effect of product quality on brand loyalty: A study of MTN (Master’s dissertation).
Owolawi, S. (n.d.). The effect of inconsistent corporate visual identity on organizational reputation: A study of Airtel in Eti-Osa LGA of Lagos State (Master’s dissertation).
Ugbaja, N. (n.d.). Celebrity brand endorsement and the patronage of Chi Limited range of products: A study of residents in Ikeja (Master’s dissertation).
Ogunlade, E. (n.d.). The effect of brand logos on brand recognition (Master’s dissertation).
Akindele, O. (n.d.). The social construction of brands: An interpretive analysis of banks in Nigeria (Master’s dissertation).
Aikpitanyi, A. (n.d.). The role of internal communication in the development of a corporate brand image in Guarantee Trust Bank Plc (Master’s dissertation).
Tevi, A. (n.d.). The effect of multiple rebranding on customer loyalty in mobile telephony (Master’s dissertation).
Adeyanju, B. (n.d.). The effects of corporate values on brand perception (Master’s dissertation).
Nkemakolam, J. (n.d.). The internet and the new face of public relations: A study of the perception of public relations in Nigerian commercial banks (Master’s dissertation).