Omolabake Olasubomi Fatayo, widely known as Labby, began her public career in beauty pageantry before establishing herself in Nigeria’s marketing and communications industry. From event hosting and content creation to managing campaigns for corporate brands and entertainment personalities, her professional journey has taken her through different sides of an industry where visibility can create opportunities, but maintaining that attention requires a clear strategy.
Today, Omolabake Fatayo is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Stravigo, a Lagos-based public relations, creative and digital communications agency. Founded in 2016 as Labby Media Agency, the business has developed from its early focus on brand influence and campaign execution into an agency offering strategic communications, brand positioning, digital marketing and public relations services.
Her career began in the public eye. Before entering agency leadership, Fatayo held the Miss Nigeria Republic beauty title, previously known as Face of Congeniality Nigeria. She subsequently built a presence in event hosting, lifestyle content and brand influence, gaining experience in the relationships between public personalities, audiences and commercial brands.
Those early experiences became part of her foundation in marketing. Working with brands and personalities exposed her to the practical demands of campaigns, from securing influencer participation to coordinating publicity and delivering projects within tight timelines. Over time, her attention moved towards the decisions behind those activities: identifying the right audience, understanding a brand’s position and determining how publicity contributes to business growth.
That shift has become central to her professional identity. Fatayo argues that brands cannot depend entirely on viral content, influencer numbers or paid advertising to remain relevant. She believes businesses need to understand who they want to reach, what they want to communicate and how individual campaigns support their wider commercial objectives.
Through Stravigo, she has worked across corporate communications, entertainment publicity, executive positioning and digital marketing. Her professional portfolio, as outlined in her profile, includes campaign work involving YouTube, Google, Access Bank, RiteFoods, Wema Bank, Tommy Hilfiger, Indomie and Pepsi. Her agency’s entertainment-related work has also included strategic positioning for personalities such as Bimbo Thomas and DJ Nana.
Her professional reach extends outside Nigeria, with reported market engagements spanning Ghana, Canada and the United States. Her transition from pageantry to business leadership has also attracted international media attention, including a profile in America Inspire Magazine titled From Pageant Queen to Brand Builder: The Daring Life of Omolabake Fatayo.
Alongside agency management, Fatayo participates in industry conversations about artificial intelligence, influencer marketing, responsible digital communication and the changing expectations placed on marketing professionals.
Her journey offers an account of how practical experience in media and brand promotion can develop into a broader career in business strategy, communications and agency leadership.
From Beauty Pageantry to Brand Building: Omolabake Fatayo’s Early Career
Long before establishing her agency, Omolabake Fatayo was developing a public identity through beauty pageantry and lifestyle media.
Her emergence as Miss Nigeria Republic introduced her to an environment where personal presentation, audience engagement and public visibility were important. She later expanded into event hosting, content creation and brand influence, building professional relationships within entertainment, media and marketing.
These activities gave her direct experience with the commercial side of personal branding. She became familiar with how businesses use public figures and digital platforms to reach consumers, promote products and build recognition.
As opportunities developed, Fatayo began translating that experience into services for other brands and personalities. What had initially centred on her public profile gradually became a business built around communication, publicity and campaign management.
The transition required a different approach to her work. Promoting herself as a public personality was one responsibility; managing the expectations of corporate clients, coordinating campaigns and representing other people’s brands introduced a wider set of professional demands.
Her early agency work included influencer bookings, event publicity and digital campaign execution. These assignments gave her experience with the pace of commercial marketing and the pressure to deliver visible results.
They also exposed her to a recurring problem: a campaign could generate considerable attention without necessarily improving a brand’s position in the market.
That observation would later influence how she approached agency leadership and the direction of her business.
Building Stravigo From Labby Media Agency
In 2016, Fatayo established Labby Media Agency in Lagos, drawing on her experience in media, brand influence and digital marketing.
The agency initially operated as an integrated marketing business serving corporate organisations, growing enterprises and entertainment personalities. Its services included influencer marketing, brand promotion, digital campaigns and publicity.
As the business developed, Fatayo began placing greater emphasis on the strategic work required before a campaign reaches the public.
She recognised that clients needed more than campaign execution. Businesses also required guidance on their market position, communication priorities, audience relationships and long-term reputation.
This thinking informed the decision to rebrand Labby Media Agency as Stravigo.
The change represented a shift in how Fatayo wanted the business to operate and be perceived. Instead of remaining closely identified with her personal brand and influencer background, the agency would present itself as a strategic and creative communications partner.
Today, its work covers three broad areas: corporate and business communications, personal and executive branding, and entertainment and event publicity.
For corporate clients, its services include brand architecture, strategic messaging, crisis communications and public relations planning. Its work with individuals includes executive positioning, creator management and media relationships, while its entertainment services cover event publicity, media relations and promotional campaigns.
The agency operates with a boutique, senior-led approach, reflecting Fatayo’s preference for close involvement in the strategic decisions that shape client work.
The evolution of Stravigo also illustrates an important stage in her development as an entrepreneur. Having established a business around skills she already possessed, she later reassessed its direction as her understanding of the industry changed.
Rather than allowing the agency to remain defined by its original services, she repositioned it around the broader communications needs of its clients.
Managing Brand Campaigns Across Corporate and Entertainment Markets
Fatayo’s career has involved working with organisations and public personalities operating in different markets.
Her professional profile identifies campaign experience involving global technology companies, financial institutions, consumer brands and entertainment figures.
Among the brands associated with her and her agency’s work are YouTube, Google, Access Bank, RiteFoods, Wema Bank, Tommy Hilfiger, Indomie and Pepsi.
These engagements form part of a portfolio spanning digital marketing, influencer campaigns, brand communications and promotional activities.
In entertainment, her work has included strategic positioning for Bimbo Thomas and DJ Nana, alongside event publicity and media engagement for other personalities and projects.
Working across these sectors has exposed Fatayo to different communication demands.
A financial institution, for example, may need messaging that supports credibility and customer confidence, while an entertainment campaign may place greater emphasis on audience participation, media attention and event promotion.
Although the tools used can overlap, Fatayo’s approach places importance on understanding the purpose of each assignment before selecting the channels and personalities involved.
Her agency’s reported work has also included earned media placements and publicity across industry publications, including technology-focused outlets such as TechCabal.
For Omolabake Fatayo, the value of this experience lies in understanding how communication decisions change across audiences and industries.
It has also strengthened the strategic direction of Stravigo, where campaign planning is expected to begin with a clear understanding of the client’s position and objectives.
Why Omolabake Fatayo Believes Brands Need Strategy Before Visibility
One of Fatayo’s most consistent professional arguments concerns the difference between attracting attention and building a business that remains relevant.
Having spent years on the execution side of marketing campaigns, she understands the demand for immediate publicity, viral content and influencer participation.
However, she has questioned the effectiveness of campaigns that prioritise activity without establishing what the brand is trying to achieve.
Her commentary has challenged the practice of treating influencer numbers and advertising impressions as sufficient measures of marketing success.
For Fatayo, a campaign that reaches a large audience may still fail to strengthen a business if its message is poorly defined or directed towards the wrong people.
She advocates audience mapping, context-driven public relations and communication strategies that account for the position a brand occupies in its market.
This approach also informs her criticism of businesses that depend entirely on paid advertising for visibility.
She argues that when a brand loses its presence as soon as advertising expenditure stops, the underlying problem may lie in its marketing strategy.
The concern is not that advertising or influencer marketing lacks value. Her position is that these activities should operate within a broader plan that connects communication with business objectives.
At Stravigo, this thinking has influenced the agency’s emphasis on strategic messaging, brand positioning and sustained market relevance.
It also represents a departure from the execution-led work that characterised the earlier stages of Fatayo’s career.
Her experience has led her to place greater importance on the decisions made before a campaign begins, including the audience being targeted, the context in which the message will appear and the outcome the client expects.
Omolabake Fatayo’s Recognition in Digital Marketing and Media
Fatayo’s work in media, marketing and brand influence has attracted industry recognition.
In April 2024, she received a Social Media Influencer of the Year recognition associated with her leadership, digital media work and brand influence.
She was also nominated for Entertainment Personality of the Year at the 2022 Scream African Women Awards, recognising her contributions to digital marketing, creator engagement and media strategy.
Her professional profile additionally identifies her as an honoree at the Bodex Social Media Hangout Grand Finale, where industry participants were recognised for contributions across media, brand building and digital influence.
These recognitions span different stages of her career, from her work as a public personality to her development as an agency executive.
Beyond awards, Fatayo is identified as a member of the Association of Digital Marketing Professionals (ADMARP).
Her professional visibility has also extended into industry discussions and public speaking engagements, where she addresses marketing practice, digital communication and the responsibilities of brands and creators.
For Omolabake Fatayo, these activities form part of a career that has developed through both hands-on campaign work and participation in wider industry conversations.
Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Brand Strategy
As artificial intelligence becomes more widely used in marketing, Fatayo has joined discussions about its role in research, content development and communication planning.
Her commentary, including coverage in Vanguard, has addressed how AI tools can support marketing professionals and businesses operating in Nigeria.
She sees opportunities for AI in areas such as idea development, research, competitive analysis and the refinement of communication strategies.
However, her position also emphasises the continued importance of human judgement.
Fatayo believes that businesses risk producing similar, indistinct marketing messages when they rely on automated tools without applying independent strategic thinking.
Her concern is that the accessibility of AI-generated content can make it easier to produce marketing materials without necessarily improving the quality of the decisions behind them.
She therefore advocates using technology to support professional expertise, with people remaining responsible for interpreting audiences, understanding cultural context and making creative decisions.
This perspective is consistent with the strategy-first philosophy she promotes through Stravigo.
Her public speaking engagements have included industry discussions on the influence economy, artificial intelligence, branding and digital strategy.
At Bodex Social Media Hangout panels, she has participated in conversations involving creator monetisation, ethical social media practices and digital citizenship, alongside other media and technology professionals.
These engagements place her within a wider discussion about how businesses, creators and communication professionals can adapt to technological change while maintaining credibility and professional standards.
Leadership, International Markets and the Future of Stravigo
Fatayo’s development as an agency founder has also influenced her understanding of leadership.
Her professional commentary presents leadership as the responsibility to establish the conditions in which people can produce strong work, rather than simply being the most creative person in an organisation.
For an agency working across strategy, communications and campaign execution, this means developing processes that allow creative ideas to be assessed, refined and delivered effectively.
Her experience managing projects for different categories of clients has contributed to that outlook.
The agency’s reported market presence across Nigeria, Ghana, Canada and the United States also forms part of its international positioning.
Operating across markets introduces differences in audience expectations, communication practices and commercial environments. Fatayo’s emphasis on context and audience understanding is therefore relevant to the international work associated with her agency.
Her own professional story has attracted attention outside Nigeria, including the America Inspire Magazine feature documenting her transition from beauty pageantry into brand building.
That journey remains central to her public identity, but her current professional direction is defined by agency leadership and the strategic work she wants to advance.
For Omolabake Fatayo, the development of Stravigo represents more than a change of business name. It marks the progression of a career that began with public visibility and developed into an understanding of how brands establish and maintain their place in competitive markets.
Since founding Labby Media Agency in 2016, she has moved from managing promotional activities to leading a business focused on the thinking, planning and relationships behind effective communication.
Her experience across entertainment, corporate marketing, public relations and digital media has shaped an approach that gives equal attention to creativity and commercial purpose.
As the marketing industry continues to adopt new technologies and communication channels, Fatayo’s focus remains on a fundamental principle: businesses need to know what they stand for, who they want to reach and why their message matters.
Through Stravigo, she is applying that principle to the work of building brands, developing communication strategies and supporting clients seeking a stronger position in their markets.
