AISOP enactment process needs further discussion – Uwubanmwen
By Felicia Nwosu
Osamede Uwubanmwen, President of Advertisers’ Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), has cleared the air on the current face-off between the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) and ADVAN over the Advertising Industry Standards of Practice (AISOP) reform, which was unveiled on 6th of October, 2021.
Mr. Uwubanmwen maintained that ADVAN is not opposing the newly introduced industry reform, but argued that its enactment process is inconclusive. He, therefore, called for further discussions that will take into consideration the interests of all stakeholders for joint resolution.
Stating this in an exclusive interview with MARKETING EDGE, Nigeria’s foremost advertising, marketing, and brand-centric magazine, the ADVAN boss said: “Before laws get passed at the National Assembly, there are first, second and third readings. Where are we with AISOP? Is it having its first or final draft? It is only the regulators that will say this is where it is; I don’t think that laws are passed at first draft. I have only seen one AISOP, and I think people have to make inputs.
“Laws are not passed at first draft. If there are comments, conversations and reservations on a draft law, it means there is room for more conversations. Is the executive not asking the legislative to even change the one week Act on the Electoral Act?”
Commenting further, the brand marketer noted that despite there was an all-inclusive committee made up of all sectoral groups during the conception of AISOP, the opinion of ADVAN’s submitted position paper was not included in the document, and so, cannot stand as a fairly represented opinion.
“I also know that everybody was asked to submit their position paper, the conversation for me is that I hear a lot when people say you had somebody there, a collective brainwork that was submitted, is different from when somebody was there. ADVAN had a think tank, I participated in that think-tank, and I sent contributions even when I was not ADVAN President. Please, what happened to ADVAN position paper? In the ADVAN position paper, it was balanced on both sides.
The newly elected ADVAN leader while recalling some of the association’s regulatory framework in all critical areas of concern such as Engagement policy, Payment terms and conditions, numeration model, media rates and commissions, disengagement protocols, credit policy and others, lamented that most of the terms and conditions stated in the AISOP are not in the interest of the advertisers.
“AISOP says before you let go of an agency, you must reconcile before the next agency enters. So if an agency collects my money and decides to close shop, what will AISOP say to me about that? If I start a campaign and pays an agency 300 million naira today, and the agency goes into liquidation, who refunds me? Have you seen anything on AISOP on that? Please show me if you have seen one and I will apologise,” he said.
The sales development manager added that his agenda is to champion ADVAN, not negating other sectors of the industry, while reaffirming that he will ensure strong synergy between ADVAN and other sectors.
“I have already started meeting with sectoral bodies. I know there is need for synergies the industry. ADVAN has not lived up its potential, maybe because we are busy fighting what we are not supposed to be fighting, instead of fighting on how to improve on the growth of the industry,” he said.
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