Israel Opayemi commends AISOP reform, advocates same for PR sector
By Felicia Nwosu
“The kind of growth that we would have seen in public relations today, would have been far better than what we are currently seeing if we have that kind of strong regulatory backing and interventions. We must credit our colleagues in the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) because they have done pretty well by launching the Advertising Industry Standards of Practice (AISOP). It has become a strong voice in the regulation of advertising.”
The above emphatic and revealing assertion was made by Israel Jaiye Opayemi, Managing Director and Chief Strategist, Chain Reactions Nigeria, during an exclusive interview with the award-winning brand and PR Magazine of the Year, MARKETING EDGE, in Lagos.
The Chain Reactions chief strategist stated this when he gave his assessment of the current state of Public Relations practice in Nigeria as compared with the contemporary advertising practice. He applauded the leadership of APCON for setting the pace for an enduring legacy towards a paradigm shift in the advertising space for a reformative and stringent practice backed up by law.
The agency boss also commended the Public Relations sector for its further plans towards a better transition for a more dogged association. “One of the things that have significantly contributed to the growth of the advertising sector in Nigeria is the strong regulatory backing which is still a bit challenging for the PR. I am happy that we are having very strong conversations with the leadership of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and we are taking lessons from what our counterparts in advertising are also doing.
The communication strategist added: “When you look at it, that is where the differences still lie currently, but I am happy that the leadership of the NIPR is aware of this because it is one thing for you to have a problem and not be aware of the problem you have. They are aware and conscious of it and we are talking. We intend to go out stronger together in the year 2022.
Mr. Opayemi revealed that the public relations sector as an integral part of the service sector in Nigeria is evolving and witnessing a shift in its growth. He expressed optimism for the industry, adding, however, that the growth is not yet commensurate to expectation.
The accomplished image maker said the sector deserves commendation for its contribution while stating that most key players in others sectors utilise the services of public relations firms, making PR a major contributor to the growth.
The PR expert expressed concern on some of the challenges, which he described as ‘missing links’, confronting the image making body in recent times.
“One of it has to do with the absence of very strong regulatory intervention in the space. What do I mean by this? The barrier to entry needs to be raised significantly. At the moment, practically anybody can leave a media organisation and set up a public relations consulting firm. This is still a major challenge and I don’t think this happens like that in other parts of the world. I think that is the role of the regulators in all of these. We need to take care of the issue of the barrier to entry.
“Are you qualified, because when you say you are a consultant, it simply means that you are an adviser who has the requisite expertise and training to be able to advise a client on its reputational issues or on its image issues. We need to ensure that this is sorted out. I think APCON had been able to sort this out years ago and its impact can be felt greatly.”
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