THE EVOLUTION OF DIGITAL ADVERTISING DESIGN IN NIGERIA (2015–2025): NAVIGATING SCROLLS, DATA, AND CULTURE

Digital advertising in Nigeria underwent a substantial transformation between 2015 and 2025, moving from relatively static web banners and repurposed print advertisements toward mobile-first, social-media-driven, video-rich, data-informed and culturally contextualised communication. This paper examines this evolution with particular attention to three interconnected forces: the scroll, data and culture. The study adopts a longitudinal secondary-data research design, combining analysis of Nigerian digital adoption statistics, platform advertising-reach data, recent Nigerian empirical studies, international digital advertising research, regulatory literature and documented developments in advertising practice. The analysis covers the period 2015–2025 while prioritising post-2020 scholarly evidence. Findings indicate that the development of digital advertising design in Nigeria has been shaped less by technological substitution alone than by the interaction between expanding mobile access, changing patterns of audience attention, platform-specific formats, algorithmic targeting, creator/influencer culture and Nigerian visual and linguistic practices. Internet use increased substantially over the decade, although the persistence of a large offl ine population means that digital advertising remains unevenly distributed. By 2025, Nigeria had approximately 107 million internet users and 38.7 million social-media user identities, while platform advertising tools reported substantial potential audiences on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. Nigerian empirical studies also demonstrate relationships between social-media advertising, consumer awareness, patronage, brand image and influencer practices, while emerging research raises concerns about deceptive advertising, user-generated advertising and regulatory compliance. The paper argues that contemporary Nigerian digital advertising design is best understood as an adaptive system in which visual communication, platform architecture, audience data and cultural meaning continuously interact. The paper concludes by proposing a Nigerian digital advertising design framework built around mobile-first composition, attention management, data-informed personalisation, cultural authenticity, ethical transparency and measurable audience outcomes.