Marketing communications discussions have continued to gather momentum following a recent LinkedIn post by Aizehi Itua, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aim One Company, in which he examined why similar advertising messages can receive different regulatory outcomes in Nigeria.

Following the industry conversations generated by the post, MARKETINGEDGE spoke with Itua, who further explained why context, rather than words alone, often determines regulatory decisions.

According to Itua, brands hoping to execute successful advertising campaigns in Nigeria must begin thinking about regulatory compliance long before production or media planning begins.

Drawing from years of advising local and international brands, he argued that many campaign rejections result not from weak creativity but from a poor understanding of how advertising claims are interpreted within Nigeria’s regulatory environment.

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His perspective, he explained, was shaped by an experience early in his career as Retail Marketing Manager at The Alternative Bank. He developed a radio campaign for a Hajj banking product that successfully passed every internal review and even underwent fast-track vetting, yet regulators rejected it because it described the product as “a game changer,” which was considered an unsubstantiated performance claim in the financial services sector.

Only weeks later, however, he noticed the same phrase prominently used by a food brand in both outdoor and digital advertising. Rather than viewing the two decisions as contradictory, Itua chose to understand the difference. That experience led him to develop what he now calls the “Context Principle,” a framework that continues to guide his advisory work.

According to him, advertising regulation evaluates far more than the words used in a campaign. Regulators consider the product category, how the claim is constructed and the overall creative execution before determining whether a campaign complies with the Nigerian Code of Advertising Practice.

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He explained that regulated industries such as financial services, healthcare and pharmaceuticals naturally face stricter scrutiny than fast-moving consumer goods because consumers rely on their claims to make important financial and health decisions.

Similarly, he noted that a direct brand claim is assessed differently from a statement made by a character within a campaign narrative. Beyond language, regulators also evaluate visual storytelling, cultural references, casting, imagery and the overall representation of consumers, all of which can influence regulatory outcomes.

For Itua, understanding these dimensions is what separates practitioners who secure approvals consistently from those who repeatedly return to regulators with revised campaigns.

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While describing the Nigerian Code of Advertising Practice as fundamentally sound, he believes the greater challenge lies in helping advertisers better understand how regulatory principles are interpreted in practice.

He observed that campaign feedback often resolves immediate compliance issues without adequately explaining the broader principles behind regulatory decisions. As a result, agencies and brand teams sometimes repeat the same mistakes in future campaigns.

He also acknowledged the enormous responsibility carried by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), noting that the regulator oversees advertising across multiple industries and media platforms in one of Africa’s largest consumer markets.

To improve predictability, Itua called for more published interpretation notes, category-specific guidance and continuous industry education that would enable agencies and advertisers to anticipate regulatory expectations before campaigns are submitted.

Drawing from his consulting experience, he identified three recurring mistakes advertisers continue to make.

The first, he said, is assuming that approval from international legal departments automatically guarantees regulatory clearance in Nigeria. According to him, global legal teams manage corporate legal risk, but they are not necessarily equipped to interpret Nigeria’s advertising regulations and cultural expectations. Consequently, campaigns approved by multinational headquarters can still fail local regulatory review.

The second mistake involves overlooking category-specific provisions within the advertising code. While many organisations understand the general rules, they frequently ignore additional requirements governing sectors such as financial services, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, alcohol and children’s advertising.

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Most importantly, Itua argued that many organisations continue to treat regulatory vetting as the final step in campaign development instead of integrating compliance into strategy and creative planning from the outset.

According to him, considering regulatory requirements before production begins significantly reduces unnecessary revisions, financial losses and campaign delays.

He also rejected the notion that compliance limits creativity. Instead, he argued that regulatory discipline encourages agencies to produce more authentic, culturally relevant and evidence-based campaigns.

In his view, the strongest advertising rarely comes from pushing regulatory boundaries but from understanding the rules well enough to communicate genuine product value creatively and responsibly.

Meanwhile, reflecting on one notable assignment, Itua recalled advising an international company entering Nigeria through Aim One Company. By the time his team became involved, a United Kingdom agency had already produced significant campaign assets.

However, after reviewing the materials, his team concluded that several visual executions would not satisfy Nigerian advertising requirements.

Moreso, he recommended that the client halt production meant abandoning substantial creative investment, he said the decision prevented even greater financial and reputational losses that would have followed had the campaign proceeded to regulatory submission and media placement.

Significantly, that experience, he added, reinforced an important lesson: compliance should never be treated as a checkpoint at the end of the creative process.

Definitely, Itua believes brands that embed regulatory thinking into campaign strategy from the beginning consistently produce stronger, more market-relevant advertising while avoiding costly regulatory setbacks.

For him, compliance is not an obstacle to creativity but a strategic advantage that enables brands to build trust, communicate responsibly and connect more effectively with Nigerian consumers.

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