FG committed to boosting APCON for inclusive growth – Mohammed
By Felicia Nwosu
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture has reaffirmed federal government’s unswerving effort at reforming and strengthening the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) through the implementation of various initiatives to encourage inclusive growth as well as attracting investment to the industry.
The minister stated this while delivering a keynote during the 49th annual general meeting of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) in Lagos, noting that these accomplishments will help reposition the advertising ecosystem in the global space.
Alhaji Mohammed explained that consumer data is critical in advertising and brand marketing, urging the practitioners to leverage technology for direct engagement with the audiences. According to him, the vast array of new consumer engagement opportunities is the disruptive potential of the digital transformation in communication. This, he revealed, has been a matter of national interest, and an important critical response for him to personally convene the ministerial task team on audience measurement system.
“As many of you are aware, one of the bold and necessary steps we have taken in recent times is the approval of the ongoing reform initiatives of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON.) The entrepreneurial opportunities lying in wait at the crossroads between technology and the economy of sectors like advertising and brand communication are vast and you, as industry leaders, must continue to harness a variety of talents and competencies to take maximum advantage of the opportunities presented,” he said.
“My mandate to the task team, which has representation across all the relevant sub-sectors of the digital divide in consumer engagement and communication, is that necessary protocols must be initiated to give legal and constitutional framework to a national, systemic, accountable and data-driven understanding of the impact of communication on consumer behaviour. It is my desire that all the relevant parties are able to complete the tasks to achieve this mandate and we are able to initiate the legislative processes necessary before the terminal date of this administration in the first quarter of 2023,” he added.
The minister further stated that the government’s commitment to exploring all the opportunities offered by the social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp, for the benefit of the people, noting that some of the major tech giants have shown interest in investing and exploring business opportunities in the Nigerian digital space.
He cautioned the association to beware of orchestrated disinformation and demarketing by unscrupulous and faceless purveyors online, which present huge risks to brand communication as they undermine the most critical ingredient to successful consumer engagement built on trust.
“We need you, as seasoned communicators and critical stakeholders, to also consider the roll-on effect of fake news and disinformation on the economy of advertising and brand marketing, both in the short and long term.
“It lays ambush on every brand promise and every potential argument you make to the benefit of your products and services.”
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
Comment
No comments found.