Advertising confab opens with calls for affirmative action
The 2019 advertising confab kicked off today in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria with a call to affirmative action by practitioners and relevant stakeholders.
The conference, an initiative of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) was initiated with the objective of raising the professional standing and status of the advertising practice in Nigeria, while also compelling government attention, business leaders and policy makers as well as the general public to the impact and value of advertising and marketing communication in general.
The two-day confab with the theme, “Advertising in the Post Digital Age: the Profession, the Business and Nigeria’s Socio-Economic development, holding at Transcorp Hilton Hotels being attended by players in different sectors of the economy.
Welcoming participants to the august occasion, acting registrar and Chief Executive Officer of APCON, Mrs. Ijedi Iyoha impressed on practitioners to robustly contribute to the conversation as ‘’the outcome of the conference will productively elevate and transcend the major focus peculiar to the profession, the business and Nigeria’s socio-economic development in general.
The registrar who commended stakeholders for massive turn-out at the confab observed that advertising profession has played a very pivotal role in developing businesses, brands and the nation’s economy over the years.
Her words: ‘’ Advertising profession has been a key contributor in Nigeria’s economic system. The practice of the profession and its activities have brought positive balance and helpful social effects in our every dealing with one another, our relationship as a nation with other nations and in our existence as a people’’.
Continuing, the registrar said ‘’ the prominence of our domestic investment, our ability to persuade and retain foreign investors and the acceptance of our market in the international community cannot be better put together without us – the advertising industry’’, stating that the industry has tremendously helped in shaping the nation’s economy into what it is today.
Consequently, Iyoha enjoined participants and practitioners to ‘’lend their innovative ideas to the opportunities offered by the confab, stressing that it behoves on the industry’’ to do things right and if circumstances demand, we can do it differently, other than the way we normally do, but we must do it within the framework of the Law and not randomly”.
“The advertising industry commands a great deal of influence in information dissemination, technology, commerce, politics, religion sports, social investment programmes and so on”.
This is an opportunity that is made for every stake holder to be seen, and to be heard. It is an opportunity to open a welcoming chapter in the advertising industry”, the acting registrar advised.
In his own remarks at the occasion, past APCON Chairman, Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi and Group CEO of Prima Garnet Africa stated that “the marketing communications sector can do a lot more for this government than it has done for the previous administrations if practitioners get themselves together.
He observed that the last time the Nigerian government reviewed its communication policy was 1987, advising that it is quite a long time and as such was of the view that there should be an urgent review of the nation’s communication policy by government.
“There should be an urgent review of nation’s communication policy by the government.
Nigeria and Nigerians need an effective public, hence, now is the time” Akinwunmi said.
He also lamented the poor representation of practitioners in government, a circumstance he attributed to fragmentation.
His words
We don’t seem to know our strength.
Fragmentation has done the marketing communication industry so much harm”.
How much of representation do we have from government?
How much representation do we have from various industry players?, he asked.
In his own remarks the Group Chief Executive Officer of Noah’s Ark was very blunt and direct, charging practitioners and industry stakeholders to collaborate so as to get much desired respect. ‘’ If we collaborate and work closely as an industry, we don’t need to beg the government to recognize us’’.
In his own contribution at the confab, Chief Executive Officer of Ideas House Mr. Kehinde Salami lamented the current payment policy of 120 days by some clients, insisting that such a practice will not augur for the industry if unchecked. ‘’A lot of our clients are pushing us along the line of 120 days payment policy. That really will not augur well for the industry. Even if that practice obtains globally, when a global law goes against the local law, we have to go with the local law’’.
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