Is It Too Early to Start Talking About Detty December?
Every year, Lagos in December feels like a different version of itself. The city fills up with people travelling back home. Flights get busier. Hotels get booked out. Concerts are announced one after the other. The streets feel louder, brighter, more alive. Decorations go up, events multiply, and the entire city leans into what has now become a cultural season of its own — Detty December.
Alongside all of that, something else always happens. Brands start to show up. Everyone tries to “tap into the moment” in one way or another because attention is high, and Lagos in December is one of the biggest cultural and commercial opportunities in the region. But more importantly, the real issue is not when we talk about it. It’s what we do with the time we have before it arrives.
So, is it too early to start talking about Detty December? The honest answer is no.
Detty December is no longer a moment
Detty December, a term popularised by Nigerian Musician, Mr Eazi in 2016, has evolved into something much bigger than a seasonal phrase. It is now a cultural and economic cycle that transforms Lagos every year, driving tourism, nightlife, hospitality, entertainment, and large-scale spending.
In 2024 alone, the Lagos State Government reported $71.6 million in revenue generated from tourism, hospitality, and entertainment during the December season. So yes, the attention is real. However, like any other thing, attention has a timeline. And the brands that benefit from it are rarely the ones that start thinking about it late.
The real problem is not awareness. It’s actually readiness When brands ask whether it’s too early to think about Detty December, the underlying assumption is usually: “We still have time.”
But in reality, the better question is: “Are we actually building in a way that can survive seasonal attention?”
If you rush into December with:
No structured campaign plan
No defined offer or positioning
No real budget allocation
No alignment between brand identity and cultural moment
And then expect visibility to create impact, it most likely won't. Attention does not fix lack of structure. It exposes it. This conversation is exactly why we recently released a new episode of the WTF Podcast titled: Detty December: Momentum without Meaning
In the episode, we break down the Lagos Detty December craze and why so many brands attempt to plug into it without a clear plan, strategy, or readiness in place. We also explore a key question: Are brands participating in culture or just chasing it?
If you’re thinking about how your brand should show up this December, this episode is a good place to start. The best time to start was yesterday. The next best time is today. There’s a tendency to treat Detty December like a switch. Something you turn on when the season begins.
But in reality, it is a buildup.
So, is it too early?
No. If anything, it might already be late. Because Detty December doesn’t start in December. It starts in the decisions you make right now. Perhaps the real question is not whether you are talking about it too early. It’s whether your brand will still matter when everyone else starts talking about it too.
