Dotun Bello
Senior Copywriter, TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Dotun Bello, Senior Copywriter, TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Nigerian creative Dotun Bello prides himself on bringing a fresh perspective to briefs, and a desire to create meaningful ads that tell original stories. Currently crafting ideas and words at TBWA in New York, he’s turned his hand to brands such as Guinness, BMW and Samsung. But on a personal level, he’s most proud of Descendants of Gods, a project that saw him re-casting African-American heroes as African gods for Black History Month last year.
Talk me through your industry education, are you self-taught or formally trained?
I studied PR & Advertising at the University of Lagos. As many have found, the day-to-day and creative aspects of advertising aren’t super emphasized at universities. I didn’t really know what advertising was, but I enjoyed the elective courses I had to take like Sociology and Psychology. In my Third Year I stumbled into Noah’s Ark in Lagos and my life changed in many ways. I gained an in-depth understanding of advertising and a passion for it grew within me. I also attended the Creative Circus in 2015 when I moved to the US.
What piece of work are you most proud of?
I’d say my Descendants of Gods work ‘cos I put very personal sentiments out into the world, and I had to use non-traditional means to get it made.
Where do you find your source of inspiration?
I’m a huge battle rap fan and spend a lot of time on the URLTV.TV app. I also really like Twitter ‘cos you get a lot of information updates and also the pulse of the masses, to an extent. Besides that, Adweek is dope and sites like Fubiz are good for content not just ads. Podcasts too, Talking to Ourselves is a fave.
Does your work have a particular style or flavour to it?
I like to take stuff people see every day and turn it on its head. I love showing a different POV to things ‘cos I believe there are too many single stories. I can also be provocative, but typically I like to have a strong reason for it.
How do you start the process of answering a brief?
Deep dive into the brand/client. I have to first believe the brief before I can sell it authentically to others, so I interrogate the problem and product or service as much as possible. I find my own POV then compare it with the brief’s POV.
What does it take for an idea to permeate culture - to mean something outside of the advertising industry?
A true human insight and an effective execution/deployment of that insight.
What’s next for you, what are you working on now?
I have a long-term goal of moving to Europe to be part of Africa-facing marketing campaigns. For now, I’m settling into TBWA and I’m eager to make more meaningful and impactful work with this team. I’m currently on a pretty neat brand launch that should see the light at some point in the fourth quarter.
How do you think the creative fields industry will change in the coming years?
I think things will continue as they’ve been for a min now with some folks tilting more in the digital environment. I hope that our target audience will continue to demand more from us, more accountability and more original stories.
Interview by: Katy Pryer / Photography by: Hanna Hegnell
