How Small Businesses in Nigeria Use Generative AI to Compete in Marketing Content

Abstract

Generative AI is changing marketing in Nigeria, but adoption by small firms is uneven and shaped by cost, skills, and trust. Thus, this study set out to explain how micro and small businesses plan, produce, and manage AI-assisted marketing content, what motivates or hinders them, and how this affects visibility and competitiveness. An interpretivist, qualitative study used purposive sampling and semi-structured online interviews with 18 participants across six South–South states. Data were thematically analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six steps, with reflexive memos and pseudonyms to protect identities. Owners began with small, familiar stacks for low-risk tasks such as captions, carousels, and short videos, then standardised prompts, batched workflows, and kept human sign-off for paid claims. Cadence, clearer offers, and culturally literate phrasing lifted reach, saves, and qualified messages at modest ad spend. It was found that the benefits depended on governance and cultural fit. Tool creep, device limits, licence confusion, and platform penalties for generic output reduced gains. The Technology–Organisation–Environment lens clarified why simple routines and disclosure turned risk into trust. Based on the findings, the authors concluded that value came from selective deployment and lightweight governance, not volume alone. The study thus provides process-level evidence and a “minimum viable governance” playbook for small firms operating with thin data and constrained infrastructure in Nigeria.