APCON soft-pedals on social media advertising regulation
There are indications that the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) may have finally rescinded on its earlier decision to embark on full scale regulation of advertising activities on the social media platforms.
The Council, it would be recalled, had announced sometimes in early December last year that it would commence full regulatory functions with regards to advertising activities on the social media starting from January this year.
The announcement by the Council was received with mix reactions resulting in widespread controversy and criticisms by industry stakeholders and commentators on the social media. The development had generated conversations among interest groups in the industry who wondered as to the appropriateness of the Council’s proposal.
But in what seems like an apparent shift away from its earlier hard stand on the issue, the Council has made a denial of the proposal saying it is rather more committed to educating Nigerians on the subject rather than regulate the sector as promised.
Responding recently to MARKETING EDGE enquiries on the subject, the Acting Registrar, Ijedi Iyoha, said the report about APCON wanting to extend her frontiers to cover social media regulation was “misinformation” arising from the ignorance and sheer mischief on the part of those she described as “some bloggers who wanted to have a field day”.
While explaining that advertising on social media had always been part of what the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP) was empowered to vet and regulate, the Council boss pointed out that what the Council was presently doing was to educate the public more while carrying on with its responsibilities.
She maintained that advertisements on the social media have always been within the scope of regulatory mandate that is vested on the APCON, adding that the Council had been doing that for a very long time.
“Perhaps, it was ignorance or sheer mischief on the part of some bloggers who want to have a field day that resulted in the misinformation about APCON attempting to expand her frontiers to cover social media,” she said adding, “what we are doing is to educate the public more while carrying on with our responsibilities”.
She continued: “Advertising on social media has always formed part of what the ASP is empowered to vet and regulate and we have been doing that for a long time. Advertisements on social media have always been within our scope of regulatory mandate.”
It would be recalled that the issue of whether or not it was in the purview of the Council to exercise oversight regulation of social media advertising became a subject of controversy lately raising serious debates within industry circles.
There were earlier feelings in some quarters that the Council’s plan to effect regulation of social media may not see the light of the day, and this was as a result of recent pronouncements coming from the Presidency indicating to the contrary that that regulating the social media was not the best option for government.
Vice President Yemi Ohibajo, speaking at an inter-faith tolerance dialogue organised by the United Arab Emirates in Abuja had stated that the government was not favorably disposed to the regulation of the social media.
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