Pride Magazine Nigeria (PNG): Who is Cynthia Nwaru?
Cynthia Nwaru (CN): The most interesting woman of the Millennium.
PNG: Please tell us a bit about your educational and professional background?
CN: I’ve always been piqued about how brands communicate with their audience. I was also very tech savvy as a child. This led me to signing up for a computer science major at the American University of Nigeria which I quickly ditched for an Information Systems major which is mostly concerned about solutions driven by technology in a way I liked and understood. I added an advertising minor to complement my curiosity in brand communication. Since then I’ve immersed myself in the lifestyle space, working mainly in music and fashion.
PNG: You are involved in brand consulting and strategy. What does this involve?
CN: It involves critically evaluating a brand’s mission and deliverables and finding a creative way to present that in a way the brand becomes more appealing and visible to its target market.
PNG: You have a passion for brands from Nigeria, and Africa at large, and you champion the #buyafrican movement. What is # buyafrican, and how do you propagate its message in a practical way?
CN: It’s about ensuring the brands I work with are utilizing all available media to emphasize their processes. Through information and visual storytelling, you can show Africans they are buying into quality not just a hashtag.
PNG: You are creator and producer of The Late Night Soirée. What is the Late Night Soirée?
CN: The Late Night Soirée is an intimate music pop-up inspired by the limited access independent and upcoming artists in connecting with a live audience. We want to connect audiences looking to have a good time with really great spaces where we bring you a total experience.
The enthusiasm we have received so far has birthed #TLNSinspired, a series of offline and online activities that helps to support the indie music scene.
We’ve had four shows in Lagos since our first pop up in September 2017. The idea of the music pop up is so we can take it anywhere.
For Valentine’s Day, we curated a live music setup for the people at Modupe Cole Memorial, a care home for the mentally and physically challenged. Music is a universal language and we want to connect with as many people as we can while occasionally paying it forward.
PNG: You are also a public relations and digital consultant. What does this area of your work cover?
CN: This part is the execution. Public relations is essentially crafting the communication a business or organisation sends out to the press and public. It is about ensuring the right information is being channeled in the right spaces and because of my technology background and the internet, I love to focus on digital channels as this allows you to measure metrics – what is working, what isn’t. This allows for a well-crafted positioning.
PNG: You are a very busy lady. How do you balance your business and your personal life?
CN: The balance is the two are always most likely one.
PNG: Who are your role models and why do they inspire you?
CN: I’d say Robyn Fenty because she’s shown a woman can be sexy and still be taken very seriously especially with business.
PNG: What advice would you give someone keen to follow in your professional footsteps?
CN: Don’t follow me! Don’t follow anyone’s step. Trail blaze your own.