Story by Dili Utomi.
The perennial issues bogging down the growth of Out-Of-Home Advertising in Nigeria, one of which is the matter of proffessionalism or lack of it formed part of the discussions at the 39th annual general meeting (AGM) of the Out-Of-Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) which is presently holding at Ibadan Oyo State. The AGM has the theme: Redefining OOH Media In Nigeria: The Practice, The Business And Value Creation.
Many state governments around Nigeria have relied on this particular concern to institute different regulatory agencies that have really been seen as antagonistic, exploitative, destructive and largely anti-business. This fear was directly addressed by the acting governor of Oyo State, Bar. Abdurahman Adebayo Lawal who was the guest of honour at the AGM holding between the 15th and 16th of August.
The OAAN president, Mr. Olusola Akinsiku with his members had arrived Ibadan on the 15th and had quickly engaged in several humanitarian and training activities. The vice president of the association, Mr. Omo Abunene led a team of executive committee members to the University of Ibadan where they conducted a training programme for students on the rudiments of OOH advertising.
Another orientation training was conducted on the evening of the same day for new members to be inducted into the association and this was again followed by a health talk to all members on the various ways of tackling some of the immediate health challenges that they may face.
Friday, the 16th of August marked the day of the AGM and the morning session witnessed speeches, goodwill messages and a paper presentation.
The session had the acting governor of Oyo State, heads of advertising sectorial bodies, heads of different regulatory agencies and some other invited guests in attendance.
The OAAN president while opening the session spoke generally about the organisation of the AGM, but harped precisely on one ideal solution to some of the problems that the sub-sector faces, that is the introduction of the Bill for a Charter for Out-Of-Home Media Asset Ownership and practice in Nigeria.
His words “I am glad that we have decided as an Association to own and to support the Bill. This is because we sincerely appreciate that it will help our efforts to protect our businesses. But more than the benefits to us, it is more importantly in the overall best interest of the Out-Of-Home media space, and for the good of the entire industry. It will bring sanity into the Out-Of-Home media ecosystem in the country”.
“I have the benefits of my convictions, distinguished ladies and gentlemen that you are well aware of the challenges that Out-of-Home Media Assets owners have had to grapple with, especially in the hands of government departments. On each occasion that government rise against our assets, investments worth hundreds of millions of Naira are destroyed. And, also painfully, brands suffer as running campaigns are truncated. We have consistently cried out for help against charlatanism and other causes of governments’ destructive intervention whenever the environment comes under the siege of bombardments of contraptions that purport to be billboards. We cried out to APCON, and have sought help from ARCON”.
Mr. Akinsiku continued “We have realised that the OOH practice in Nigeria stands on two legs. There is the advertising leg which has to do with content. This is effectively managed by ARCON. But, there is also the other leg relating to the platform locations/sites, and which directly impacts on the environment. This non advertising leg has been a cause of worry and challenge to business sustainability over the years”.
“With this bill, the advertising aspect of OOH practice which rests in the hands of ARCON is intact and all obligations will continuously be fulfilled. However, the Bill when passed into law will bring order to the aspect that relates to acquisition and ownership of billboard locations. It will remove the ambiguity and inconsistencies currently associated with this aspect of the business”.
“Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, OOH practice has suffered setbacks over the years, because of inadequate standards and proper control of the non advertising aspect of the practice. For clarity purposes, the non advertising aspects of our practice which the Bill now seeks to protect include:
i. Allocation of sites ii. Environmental standards iii. Engineering standards.
iv. Entry/exit barrier v. Safety Standards, etc”.
Mr. Akinsiku went on to detail some of the challenges that the proposed Bill will address like the issues of bastardisation of the environment with clustering, the stopping of periodic destruction of hoardings by state governments in the guise of sanitising the environment and the guarantee of business sustainability.
Mr. Dozie Okafor of the Media Independents Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) advised on three key points that make for business sustainability. These according to him are innovation, partnership and the fallout of the first two which is growth in the advertising industry and the general economy.
A goodwill message from the managing director of the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), as represented by Mr. Temitope Akande, director, corporate communication and strategy says “It is a great pleasure to be part of a great journey with OAAN. The theme of this AGM encourages us all to review our approaches for the benefit of all. Out-Of-Home Advertising companies and LASAA should work closely for a shared vision of growth to solidify our alliances for the broader interests. Innovation should always be sought for relevance and for the continuous flourishing of business environments”.
The guest speaker at the event was Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi, a renowned advertising expert who insists that OOH media remains the confidence symbol in the media mix. He noted that OOH has a huge history in Nigeria over the years and that it has continued to reveal different innovations like the light emitting diode (LED) boards, moving media and street furniture. He added that OOH comprises many parts, the advertising companies, the advertisers and the regulatory agencies and that the last of these parts has been rather stringent in their approach.
Mr Akinwunmi stressed that consumer behaviour changes and so advertising companies must consider various innovations. He harps on the need to engage in measurement and accountability as these have become increasingly necessary.
He delved further into the factors that affect OOH business like many regulatory agencies, vandalism, inflation and high cost of doing business, technological advancements, lack of skilled workforce, fierce competition and cultural sensitivity.
He suggests ways of improving and growing the OOH business such as uniting across sectors to help businesses, operating flexible practice model, efficiency, value added services (analytics, creative design etc), local transformative advertising, trust building in relationship with the client, innovative payment solutions, new revenue streams, partnerships, offering of competitive rates and services and creation of measurable values for businesses.
The acting governor, Bar. Abdurahman Adebayo Lawal on his part said that “The governor is always ready to work with the OAAN. Your first challenge is that of regulation and I have listened to the speech of the guest speaker. The Bill that is coming up will address the issue of charlatans occupying spaces, we must continue to relate for symbiotic benefits.
The activities of the day continues with a gala night and the induction programme for the newly admitted members of the Association.
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