Gov Sanwo-Olu urges IMC practitioners to identity with smart city vision for smart advertising delivery
By Felicia Nwosu
Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, has urged practitioners in the Integrated Marketing Communications to latch onto the vision of the smart city plan, by leveraging technology to ensure the delivery of a smart advertising practice through the provision of fiber optic infrastructure secured by the state government.
Mr. Sanwo-Olu stated this during the kick off of the two days of Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA), conference and exhibition tagged “Outdoor Advertising Conference and Exhibition”. Featuring the theme: “Roadmap for the Growth of Signage and Out-of-Home Advertisement Post-COVID-19 in Lagos State”, the conference served as a clarion call to IMC practitioners to re-align with current realities that emerged from the pandemic, while remaining relevant for the future.
The Governor, represented by his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, attested that the marketing and advertising sector is very crucial to the growth of the economy through their contributions across all sectors of the economy.
Confirming the symbiotic relationship between the industry and the state, he therefore stressed the importance for all key players to re-evaluate the nature of their services, with a view to meeting the needs of the other sectors, especially the state which is an addicted and loyal consumer of advertising services.
Dr. Hamzat reaffirmed that at the heart of this re-evaluatioN, is the consideration of the significant roles from technology and innovation, which are the two major realities that must be embraced by all sectors and businesses in order to survive and grow in the post-Covid-19 pandemic era.
“This conference therefore, provides an opportunity for business leaders and professionals in the advertising and marketing space of our economy to continue the conversation, with the aim of developing new ideas and strategies that will enhance the growth of the signage and out-of-home advertisement sector in the post pandemic era, particularly in our state, which as we know, accounts for a significant percentage of the businesses that come into our country. As a government, we recognise that we have a role to play by providing the enabling and regulatory environment for businesses to grow, while minimizing the impact of the pandemic on business activities.”
The second citizen of the state explained: “The current mantra, in terms of value of exchange globally, remains technology. This is what has informed our smart city plans; everything you do in Lagos must revolve around the use of technology. We must therefore become a smart city of relevance. Because of that, the main goal of our smart city plan is to optimize city functions, and promote economic growth while also improving the quality of life of our citizens by using smart technologies and of course analyzing the data, to make predictions and use artificial intelligence.”
The deputy governor reassured residents that the government works round the clock to ensure that the practitioners are given undiluted support in all ramifications. “In this regard, I am happy to inform you that we are making appreciable progress in the ongoing laying of the metropolitan optic fibre as well as the installation of the smart cameras in strategic locations across the state. We believe that these two projects are critical to enhancing the ability of businesses to effectively deploy technology with the aim of more efficient and stronger bandwidth connectivity and of course internet realisation within a safe and secure business environment.
He stated further that the idea is simply to strategically reposition to align with the 21st century vision for a greater Lagos and greater advertising practice.
“Our administration is moving decisively to address some of the challenges limiting our state as a 21st century economy. By 2030, our hope is that we would be a smart city, fully covered by networks of several thousands of kilometers of fiber optic infrastructure that will carry internet into our homes, offices, schools and all areas of activities in our state, and therefore unleash technology and expand our bandwidth penetration.”
In the end, he called on all to key in to the great vision for a smart advertising practice through available technology to remain in tune with the smart city drive.
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