The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Advertising

  • ‘Outdoor advertising can boost economy’

    The immediate past Managing Director, Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), Mr. George Noah, has said about N5billion was expended on outdoor advertising in Lagos State during the last general election.

    He made this known shortly after the presentation of his book, ‘The Politics of Outdoor Advertising in Lagos State.’

    He said income from advertising could reposition the economy in moment of recession. He explained that the money could have been much higher but due the previous administration policy which barred adverts on its highways, the revenue from outdoor advertising was constrained.

    He urged the present administration to review the policy, noting that the country would benefit from. According to him, it will boost employment generation and development of infrastructure.

    Noah said: “About N2.5 billion was spent on wall drapes and billboards – these included: 300 static and 40 electronic boards.” The book further revealed an estimated 40,000 street lampoles deployed, gulped N1 billion; while 5,000 A-frame boards cost N350 million. About 5,000 stick-in-ground frames were deployed at the cost of N50 million.

    “Three million posters and 500,000 T-shirts – were printed costing about N300million and N400million, respectively. An estimated 400 busses were branded costing N80million. 200 branded vans and 250 branded cars were deployed gulping N45million.

  • Brandmybox, Brandmybike patent to boost transit advertising’

    Brandmybox, Brandmybike patent to boost transit advertising’

    The   patent of Brandmybox, Brandmybike, Nigeria’s first out-of-home transit media advertising, will boost transit media advertising, the Managing Director, Strada Media, Amaka Okolo, has said.

    In a statement, she said the platform was a result of the organisation’s inventiveness and drive to provide advertisers with measureable, cost-effective means of taking their adverts to the target markets, especially in the prevailing recession.

    Okolo said the platform would ensure that brands did not lose touch with their consumers because of the high cost of advertising.

    Brandmykeke and Brandmybike were launched earlier this year. They offer deep brand penetration and stronger interaction with brands’ target audience.

    Brandmybox and Brandmybike platforms, Okolo said, would not only help brands to raise awareness and grow their businesses, it would also help brands cut through the clutter of traditional advertising to get their brands on the streets where their customers area.

    “The four-sided mobile billboard would also give brands the opportunity to define their preferred route – using a route plan, and target their customers by time and place, day or night with our friendly and professional riders, who can also help hand out flyers and promotional material to target customers within the defined routes,” she said.

    She further said Brandmycar has a full patent right for the Brandmybox and Brandmybike designs, with provisions to have trackers installed on the platform to give brands the option of tracking branded bikes to ensure measurability and maximisation of value.

    “At Brandmycar, the ultimate goal is to convert viewers into new customers. We provide all the gateways necessary to bring qualified leads to advertisers, offering automated lead capture from beginning to end in real-time. And advertisers can view the results of their advertising spend, and make informed adjustments to campaigns as needed,” she said.

    Okolo said the platform was very affordable for advertisers as they would only have to pay N5,000 per day to advertise on the Brandmybox platform and N3,500 per day to advertise on the Brandmybike platform. Brands can, therefore, take their campaign anywhere and everywhere irrespective of the route and street road network.

    She said platforms were designed  in Nigeria as part of Brandmycar`s commitment to use local resources, creating employment and empowering skilled metal workers.

  • Economic slowdown affecting advertising

    Economic slowdown affecting advertising

    The fall in the prices of oil in the global mar-ket and the foreign exchange situation are taking their toll on the advertising industry, the Chief Executive Officer of X3M Ideas, Mr. Steve Babaeko has said.

    He said the fall in the price of oil in the global market has forced the gency to look for a way to survive the slowdown.

    In a interview, he said this has resulted into job loss as most agencies are also likely to reduce their representation in this year’s global advertising festival, Cannes Lion, scheduled for France.

    “The economic slowdown is affecting the industry significantly. The clients, the real sector –oil and gas, FMCG and others – are cutting jobs.  Jobs are being lost because clients are cutting costs significantly and this is happening in several sectors. What we do as an agency is to be able to expose our people. The numbers of agencies that will go to Cannes this year are probably going to drop by 50 per cent, though I do not have any statistics. Why? It is because if you spent N2million to send your people to Cannes last year, you are going to use double the amount this year because of the depreciation of the naira.

    “This is one way it is affecting agencies because it is important for our people to be exposed at that global level. The talk in the industry is: “we want to win Cannes Lions”, you have to go to Cannes to win Cannes Lions. If the economy makes it impossible for you to even attend, how are you going to win? So you can see some of the challenges facing this business,” he said.

    He however said the agency would have to be innovative and look inward to survive the economic challenges, with the attendant effects on advertising business.

    Babaeko also listed the challenge of funding projects and managing cash flows in the face of high interest rates.

    “Elsewhere, you could get a mortgage for a longer period of time and not only that, interests are in the single digits in the UK, for instance. Everybody knows that the interest rate is crazy here, it’s quite high. There are certain capital projects that you want to embark on what choice do you have? You have to cope with the reality of the high cost of funds,’’ he added

    “At the same time, how do you plan? You have to make sure that you plan your operation. It’s all about planning. It you fail to plan, you plan to fail! How am I going to embark on my capital project still battling with the high interest rate and still be able to plan and not over expose yourself to the point where you begin to affect your cash-flow and you can’t manage simple overheads and salaries anymore.  All these bother on careful planning,” he said.

    He said the only way out for a revolutionary agency is to be more creative because the client will send them more briefs with far less budget.

    “For a revolutionary agency, the only way to get out such situation is to be more creative because the client is throwing you more briefs and challenges with far less budget. This is the time to tell the difference between agencies that really know their onions from those that are only out to make money. If it is only about making money, then you know the budget is already gone to the dogs as it is,” he said.

  • Brandmykeke as new advertising platform

    Brandmykeke as new advertising platform

    As traditional media practitioners continue to devise means of surmounting competition from emerging media, exploring digital and social media platforms, the media keeps experiencing more challenges from new platforms at a time when advertising budget is shrinking.

    The latest challenge is coming from a new platform, “BrandMyKeke”, an Out-Of-Home  platform popularly called Keke Marwa (Tricycle), which offers viable exposure for brands.

    With approval of outdoor advertising regulators, the Tricycle, it is believed, has the power to reduce the market share of traditional 46-sheet billboards and its modern form, Digital LED billboards, which are stationed at specific locations, mostly traffic areas. Its ability to move from place to place gives the platform a vintage position.

    Recently, an innovative mobile out-of-home advert company, Brandmycar.com.ng, announced the entry of the mobile advertising platform into the market for brands seeking visibility in their markets of choice.

    Brandmycar.com Chief Executive Officer Ms. Amaka Okolo said the Brandmykeke platform is deployed on the hoods and back panels of tricycles or three-wheelers  (also KekeNapep).

    “It is a made-to-measure advertising solution ideal for mass market products. Prior to the introduction of the ‘Brandmykeke’ platform, producers and brand and marketing  communications managers of mass market products had a seemingly horrid time getting their products across to  their target audiences, especially, within close-knit communities, such as the Ajegunles and Idumotas of this world. The ‘Brandmykeke platform is fresh, unique and first-of-its-kind in advertising media in Nigeria,” said Okolo.

    She said the company designed the platform for brands because of the unique use of tricycles as a means of mass transportation in most Lagos neighborhoods.

    “We realise that the advertisers want exposure. Because tricycles operate in areas of large population, we are certain that the platform will give a lot more value to advertisers. We also noted the slow movement of the tricycles and believe that interaction between brands on these platforms and the market will be a lot stronger, thereby deepening brand penetration,” she continued.

    She also said her company also introduced another first from Brandmycar called Brandmybike, which will ensure brands have deeper penetration into targeted markets in inner streets and hitherto unreachable neighbourhoods.

    She said the company, which has fully patented its Brandmykeke design will also have trackers installed on each tricycle giving brands the option of tracking the tricycles so branded to ensure maximisation of value.

    “We will give them the choice of picking tricycles with trackers installed to monitor their campaigns. We are also taking addition care to train all riders before each campaign to instill in them the brand values of the brand owners and ensure full compliance,” she said.

    With over 5,000 cars, private cabs comprising airport and hotel cabs, she said before such money is paid to owners of the platform, the advertisers would verify their compliance through vehicle tracking reports to prevent falsehood by car owners.

    When engaged by advertisers, she noted that the tracking report would show how many miles the car has covered within the agreed period of time the advert is supposed to run, this way, advertisers will know how far the advert has travelled.

    Okolo further said advertisers could either pick the cars they want online or can allow the company pick for them and then do the vetting.

  • Advertising is like DNA in my blood

    Advertising is like DNA in my blood

    Sir Steve Omojafor is a renowned advertising practitioner and Executive Chairman, STB-Mc Cann, Lagos. The former chairman, Zenith Bank Plc, reminisced with Adetutu Audu on his life at 70 and his 40th wedding anniversary which he celebrated a few weeks ago.

    What does being 70 mean to you?

    Well, it is a number counting one to 70; it’s what it means to be 70.Beyond that is the fact you have lived different stages of your life. Being born, which you knew nothing about; you grew up two, three, four, five years old and you can now see around you that you are in some place, whether in the world  or in a community, neigbhourhood. They tell you, you have to go to school not because you wanted to, whatever they ask you to do, you do at that point.

    That was in Obalende for me. I did everything little boys could do, and from there you finish your primary school and they say you have to go to secondary school. What you don’t know and where it is leading you to, you have no idea. You do entrance exam and you get into the secondary school, at that point you get to discover who you really are, meet friends and it just goes on. You compare notes depending on what level of life you are with your family but accepting things the way they are. The good about that time was that we were satisfied with things the way they were. Some came from very rich home, some not very rich, some very poor, but as far as we were concerned we were just living a simple good life. Nobody looked down on anyone; we did things together it was like a community of friends.

    And secondary school was over, in those days, there was higher school. It’s either you do it where you have your secondary school or you go somewhere else, which was what I did. Having been in Gregory’s College and schooled in Lagos, I just said let me go out.  I wanted to go to Comprehensive College, Aiyetoro, but I had a friend who wanted to go to Warri and for no reason, I said I would join him to see what life was outside Lagos.

    For the first time, for me, I was literarily returning to my own state. People had taken me as pure and simple Yoruba boy, no apologies, and my mum didn’t allow me use my name Bamidele, because she thought I should just stick to my Christian name Steven. We were in Warri for two years, the war broke out and I had to find my way back to Lagos and completed the HSC in St. Gregory’s.

    Then University of Lagos and after graduation it was work, then life was more straight. Civil Service Commission would come and interview those who wanted to work in the civil service, I was lucky to be interviewed and was employed with the Ministry of Information and I did resume. For three months, there was no work and at the end of the third month I said I could not start my life with this one.

    I went back to Daily Times where I had freelanced before I went to the university. Henry Odukomaiya, former Governor Segun Osoba, Areoye Oyebola were there then. I worked as a reporter; I was later moved to the features and eventually chief sub editor. After my third year, the urge to go on was still strong. I joined Lintas Advertising, got married and the children started coming.  I left Lintas after four years to set up Rosabel, and STB McCann also came out of Rosabel.  My partners were Akin Odunsi and Tunde  Adelaja

    I retired at age 60 from day to day operations, now I come in once or twice in a week, if they need me and to keep mentally alert.

    It has been advertising for you for 40 years. How did you survive doing the same thing all those years?

     When you identify where you belong, in everything in this life you have a lot of options ahead of you and somewhere along the line.  One of them strikes you as being part of you and what you will like to do. Once you stick to it, nothing gets you out of it anymore, you just get stuck, whether it is raining, or fire is burning you just say ‘I am going to stick.’ It was very adventurous by the time we wanted to start Rosabel. We were all young between the ages of 28 and 31. We had no money to set up. It was like you go to your dad, you go to your uncle, you go to your mum, tell him we want to set up a company.

    There was no bank to go to. That was how it all started. It was three of us and two more people. It was a big challenge, but we said were going to succeed. We were lucky also that none among us has greed for money which breaks up partnership. And that was the only partnership that existed in the whole of UNILAG in those days. Today; we still live together as partners.

    So staying for 40 years means it is something I love doing and enjoy and it is not something you can crash into if you need money. You could see the work of your hand and the work of your brain. You were in that marketing sector in which you could see result as you go on.  I said to young people back then, ‘if you are looking for big money you go elsewhere.’

    Being relatively young then, how were you able to convince people to believe in you?

    By the time we were going to break out, a lot of companies were run by expatriates, and that was why we knew it was going to be very tough. We knew it was not going to be a tea party. We knew we had to do something extraordinary to make them to believe in us. In any case, we drew up a list of about 10 prospects, maybe only one will open their doors for you. After a while, they would say what are these young boys doing because the big men were making money? But gradually they saw consistency, fresh and a bit of creativity in what we were doing and then speed. By the time I was leaving Lintas, the type of campaign that would take three months then, we were ready to get it done in one month, in fact that was the unique selling point. A bit of creativity and speed in working. We didn’t have huge departments; if we finished one job we moved to the next. When we could not afford a Volkswagen car, we didn’t plan to buy a Mercedes Benz. That is part of what kills our entrepreneurs. They aim too high and try to live their dreams even before they get there. Today, we are all satisfied people; not because of what we built up, but because of who we are as human beings. We just had to work morning, day and night and we just got to succeed. And it became almost like our DNA. It was fun. At some point, Rosabel was getting big and we set up a second line agency, and that was how STB came into existence. I took on STB and A as we were known.   I ran it till 2006, when I bowed out.

    How did you feel when you got your first cheque?

    We feIt good. What was killing the industry in our own era was that the first cheque they got was like ‘let’s share it.’ But in our own, we didn’t do that. There were things we needed to do to make the office into a proper office. In those days, you needed equipment to do your typesetting; now of course it has been digitalised. We told our wives that in the next six month, they needed to take care of the house. We were young, with no children and they took over the challenge. The first six months, whatever came was to build up an institution and it worked. There was not what we even called a salary, but we sat down to define what each person was entitled to. There was no argument about it. We made it clear nobody comes to the office and borrow money. So we had to fall back on family members and that helped us a great deal. People that joined us later also knew that we were for serious business.

    Who would you say is your mentor?

    For me, my boss at Lintas, Olu Falomo, who is still very much alive. He gave me so much confidence. The assignment I should not handle at that level, he was just handing them to me. Olu was not a friend to anybody, at a point people thought we were related. But Olu is Ijesha and me I am Igbo. But on a general level, we looked up to a lot of people in the industry and even back in Akoka, a few people popped in to see what we were doing and we can always call on them when the need arose. But all in all, we believed in ourselves.

    You are one of the successful people in Nigeria. What would you say is your success secret?

    I don’t think I am one of the successful people in Nigeria. No. I will probably disagree with you. I just know that I’m like you. We all are struggling. You know when you are growing up, you don’t know what you are going to become. You just go to school because your parents say you must go to school. When after school you start asking what am I going to do? You look at your course of study and see where it’s going to lead you to. I studied Mass Communication, so I knew that I was either going to be a journalist, broadcaster or a PR person. I started with print journalism, with Daily Times. I worked with Daily Times for a number of years, but I didn’t get satisfaction. I moved into advertising. But you have to understand that none of this was planned. After four to five years in Lintas, me and some colleagues of mine decided to set up Rosabel Advertising. From there, we set up a second agency called STB McCann, which I ran until I retired. So, when you talk about planning, there are certain things you really don’t know ahead, what it’s going to be. Every successful person you talk to would never say to you ‘I knew I was going to be a wealthy man, I knew I was going to be a big success.’ You just to take one step at a time. Sometimes you make mistakes, you come back again to take stock of what you have done and see where you made mistakes and forge ahead. So, when all these things are put together with success and failure at some point, they strike to make you great and that is where you stay and that is where you remain.

    Apart from advertising, we woke up to read in the papers that you were Chairman, Zenith Bank. Can you share your experience in the banking world with us?

    Before the Chairmanship of Zenith came, I had become Chairman of STB McCann along the line. I had set up a subsidiary in Ghana and ran it as chairman of the board. I had set up in Sierra Leone subsidiary to STB McCann. In Sierra Leone, I saw the topography and the resources that were available. I said I won’t be the chairman. I wanted a local person and we got one. I believe that somebody in Zenith must have taken note of me and a phone call came that the managing director of Zenith wanted to talk to me.

    I didn’t have account in Zenith and I couldn’t be owing, so what was the problem? They put him on and he said he is Jim Ovia and said, ‘can we meet?’ Initially, I thought he wanted to give me an advertising job to do. He told me the company was going to go public and they needed to bring me two directors and he asked me if I could join. I said I didn’t study finance and I never worked in a bank. He said it did not matter.

    As it is usual with me, the first three meetings I was just listening and later got books on finance and I was able to fit in. I was director for the Ghana and the Sierra Leone branches. A time came and the position of the chairman was vacant and I was put in. I ran that for about four years.

    Did you find the terrain strange, coming from your own background?

    It was strange because we who were outside the banking system are more of banking people than people who are in there. People who are in there are only looking at what customers wanted, what can we do to improve our processes and our profit level? You coming from outside have a different perspective; you know all the things those inside may not know. Those are all the experience and having been a chairman to a lot of companies before then, I didn’t have a problem and it was surprising to a lot of people that I was able to settle in fast.

    Why do you think some people attain success and are unable to sustain it?

    It is because they didn’t work hard to sustain it or they were looking for too much money right from the beginning. When you start a business, money should be one of your least worries in terms of what you get out of the business. The major thing is to put in as much as you have and start working on that; get a right partner, get the right and best business tutors to shape your temperament and also take a look at your environment. Now, people get greedy. That is when business begins to fail because if you make one million naira today and all the partners sit down to share the money and wait until the next one comes, the business will fail. In fact, in the first three years of starting a business, don’t think of getting anything out of it. You’ve got to plough back; you have got to re-invest until you get to that comfort zone where you can start sharing. When we started Rosabel, for six months, we said nobody was going to get a salary. So, we had to fall back on our families, our wives and all that to be able to keep the business going and you also have to cut down on your consumption pattern because you have a business to grow. You cannot grow 10 things at the same time. You cannot be growing your business and grow your lifestyle at the same time. It is not going to work and if it works, it’s not going to last. So, that is how it is. There is no magic about it. It is you as a person agreeing and telling yourself how you want to run it to be able to make it a success.

    At 70, what would you want to change?

    I started changing a lot of things from 50. I was a party freak. No weekend passed without partying and it had to do with growing up in Lagos. In Lagos Island, Lafiaji, you are either following the Fanti, I was part of street dancing in Lagos. I enjoyed parties a lot and I was a night club person. We went out a lot. When I got married, my wife knew what my life had been. She said she was not going to stop me.  But by the time I was 60, I had to cut it down. And you know the normal alcohol thing from beer to cognac, champagne had to be reduced. There are still a lot to be reduced. It is a gradual process.

    You got married at age 30 and you have been married for 40 years. What keeps the union going in the era where divorce rate is alarming?  

    It has not been easy, but you are lucky if you get married to a woman who knows you enough. No secret, and you have not been hiding anything. She knows I enjoyed my parties. She knew that on Fridays the boys must go together. She attended a couple with me, she got tired and would not go again, but she was confident enough to let me go. When a woman gives you that confidence, it puts you in check.  She gave me a lot of room and I made sure I didn’t abuse it. I did a lot of travelling on the job, so that confidence helped me to keep as much as possible. Nobody is claiming to be a saint. On the other hand, women will be women. You are bound to disagree and if you are not careful, you will disagree on virtually everything, but maturity comes in, respect for each other comes in and understanding for each other’s mood.

    Being able to accept fault from both sides. Crisis comes when somebody say no,no,no. There is nothing like no,no for a human being. He or she is not your houseboy or house girl. Both of you are going through the same thing either at work or in the society and you should be able to tolerate each other. Tolerance level in Nigeria is low. As you get older in marriage, everybody starts to mellow because the understanding is already there and you want the marriage to work.  No matter what a partner is doing outside, if all you are imagining is what one person is doing outside, you will get your happiness go on decreasing. In fact, you will be depressed. You have your life to live, you have got work to do, children to take care of, make those ones your priority.

    Tell us how you feel about being honoured and recognised by your country

    I listed only three awards in the brochure for my birthday. The Papal awards from the Pope in Rome. The Pope does not know you, but based on the recommendation of your parish or Bishop. I cherish it a lot. The next one is the national award. How it came, I don’t know. But I remember the secretary of our organisation said they needed names in our industry and asked for my CV.  Initially, I was not too keen about it. I was in England when someone called that they saw my name in the papers for the national honours. I went online and when I saw the calibre of the people in the OON category, I said that makes a lot of sense. I really appreciate it and thank God for it because it was a good recognition.  There is another one from our industry organised by the Marketing Edge magazine.  Out of my spare time, I have also been able to reach out to the less privileged. I wish I could do more because a lot of people need assistance in the country, government cannot do it alone.

     What lessons has life taught you at 70?

    You cannot be an Island. In which ever community or group you find yourself, try to leave a little positive mark as to what you have done to help somebody else. Anytime I do something for somebody and I see the smile and contentment on their faces, that is one very happy day for me. For me, the happiness of others give me a lot of added happiness. Life is all about yes, you worked hard, yes God has blessed you, but at the same time bless others.

    Success attracts women, how do you manage this?

    Firstly it is all about yourself; what you are looking for in your life? How do you want to end up? It is very easy to pick up one woman after the other. You know the questions I ask myself: after that, what next? You now run yourself into more problems. When you accept advances from a woman, at the end of the day, she will tell you I have one problem or the other. And if you pick another one at the end of the day, it becomes messy and you ask yourself what I am getting there. I prefer the little bit I can to assist you. I am bold to say that 70percent of people who want to get attached to you may tell you it is love, but at the end it is ‘what is in there for me?’ I learnt the lesson long ago even as a student in the university. It is either you want to play the game and waste the money for your allowance or pocket money or you want to keep to yourself. My upbringing in the mission compound helped. Even my mum thought I would become a priest while growing up. I saw women as partners at work, because you needed a lot of them as you are growing up. There is nothing so good when you meet them later in life with open mind and it helps you to concentrate, that is the discipline I carried on it till today and that is what I preach.

    So why did you deviate from being a priest?

    The calling probably was not strong and of course becoming a catholic priest is not something you can just get up and be as it is with pentecostal pastors. Honestly, if you are a catholic, there is so much involved in becoming a priest. The major one is that you must be called. If you get there for another reason, it won’t work, so I knew that it was not my calling.

    Was your mum disappointed?

    No. it has to come from you first. She took me to the mission compound because she felt I needed more whipping in those early days and I spent three years.

    What about your father?

    He was there. He was a quiet man. He left my mum to do the work. A lot of people have always asked me you talk much about your mum and little about your dad. That was how it was with us. He was happy we all turned out very well. Both of them are late now. But I remember them with fond memories.

  • Legal challenges of outdoor advertising

    Legal challenges of outdoor advertising

    It is indeed with excitement that I take advantage of this privilege to share with you certain issues that are of serious concern to members of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria, (OAAN).We really cherish this opportunity as it will enable us share some of the burden of our practice in our industry with this gathering with the expectation that this platform would be able to proffer solutions to some of the issues.

     

    Outdoor Advertising

    Association of Nigeria

     

    Brief introduction

    The Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria is a body of all firms that have been duly licensed to engage in the practice of Outdoor Advertising (or out-of- Home Media – asit is popularly known) by the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON). APCON as you all know is a creation of law, as it was established by Act No. 55 of 1988, as amended by Act No. 93 of 1992 and Act No. 116 of 1993 and is charged with the primary responsibilities of:

    • • Determining who are qualified advertising practitioners;
    • Setting the standard of knowledge and skills required of such practitioners;
    • Compiling, maintaining, and keeping the register of practitioners;
    • Regulating and controlling the practice of advertising in Nigeria;
    • Conducting qualifying examinations in the profession;
    • • Performing all such other functions as are incidental or conducive to the aboveresponsibilities or any of them.

    Where these responsibilities affect the practice of outdoor advertising, the Council has vested such powers in the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN).

    Thus OAAN has been duly recognised in law to regulate and control the practice of Outdoor Advertising in Nigeria.It is therefore reasonable to conclude that the Outdoor Advertising Media industry is an important sub-sector of the economy as it is a major employer; and the members pay substantial part of their income as taxes to all the tiers of government. It is also reasonable to conclude that this very important sector of our economy should be given all the necessary assistance and encouragement to flourish.The reality however is that operators,especially members of my Association, are groaning under the burden of practice, most of which are unnecessary yokes placed on us by the powers that be.

    It is a well-known fact that the place of outdoor advertising to the success of all forms of marketing communications efforts cannot beover emphasised. As a matter of fact, its influence has continued to be on the increase.This is largely because of the dynamic nature of the platform .It is one that can always easily adapt to prevailing trends. It has consistently been influenced by and has benefited tremendously from prevailing technological advancements. Furthermore, outdoor advertising has also helped to light up and beautify our environment.It makes the skyline of our cities more beautiful.

    Above all, outdoor advertising is the most viewer- friendly platform when compared with other media platforms.It is the only platform from which the viewers get valuable information at no cost to them.

    As a group of highly responsible professionals, our association is committed to the highest ethical standards. We are also committed to making the practicebetter and to accommodate the desires and expectations of the advertisers to the extent that we continue to help  in the actualization of their visual communications objectives – there by further elevating their high level exposure in the market place. We are also committed to making our environment a great beneficiary of the beauty of outdoor advertising.

    There are within this gathering ladies and gentlemen that can attest to it that we are investing more than ever before in the business, and in the environment.

     

    Some of the challenges

     

    I am mindful of the fact that this opportunity you have given me may not allow me to present and discuss all the nagging issues in details, I crave your indulgence, however, to present and briefly discuss some of them here.

    Prominent among the industry’s headache arethe twin yokes of unrestricted government regulations and multiple taxations. Lack of appropriate and inadequate infrastructure (electricity) and influx of illegal operators are also issues that are of serious concern to us and a potential threat to the survival of the sector.

    There is also the issue of huge indebtedness, especially by the clients.Permit me distinguish ladies and gentlemen to briefly discuss some of this issues.

     

    Unrestricted govt regulation

     

    It is a common knowledge that a section of the laws of the land recognises the local government for the purposes of controlling and deriving revenue from Outdoor Advertising, by way of permit fees. Lately, however, a number of states have hijacked such powers from the local governments and have now warehoused, so to speak, the powers in a new creation (perhaps not known to the laws of the land) called Signage and Advertisement Agencies. In the Federal Capital Territory, it is known as the Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage, DOAS.

    And there is the issue of federal highwayshere both the respective states and the Department of Federal Highways have separate controls that the Outdoor operators have to cope with. There is so much Confusion; so much headache.

     

    Multiple Taxation

     

    Closely related to the issue of multi – level regulation is that of multiple taxation. Each level of government now arbitrarily fixes rates on the basis of which are largely – unknown. As it is, most states have identified Outdoor Advertising as a surer source of revenue after oil and gas.The effect of this on our business is that it has grossly discouraged our clients, who ultimately pick the bills from patronising us. Unfortunately they have other alternatives that they go to, to the detriment of our sector. The multipliers effect is the loss of business to us; the loss of employment to our staff; and the loss of lives in some cases.

     

    Lack of Appropriate

    infrastructure

     

    The dynamic nature of our media platform demands the availability of the relevant infrastructure, especially unhindered supply of power. It is a well-known fact even at this gathering that this has not been the experience in a long while now. Thus, it has become fashionable for operators to invest in alternative sources of energy.This has also added to the cost of doing the business.

     

    Influx of Illegal operators

     

    The relevant laws, especially the APCON Acts, forbid anyone who has not been approved and licensed by that body to practice advertising in any aspect for gain in the country. And for a firm to practice Outdoor Advertising, it must have been duly registered as a member of OAAN, or must have obtained the APCON’s license to practice without being a member of the Association. The experience however is that a number of individuals and firms are operating in the industry and they are neither legally registered by APCON to do so; nor are they registered with OAAN.

    This has been made possible by the Signage and Advertisement Agencies who allows anyone with the financial means to practice in their states, even when such violates the laws of the land.

     

    We need your help

     

    The list of our challenges is endless. But we, sincerely, believe the problems are not insurmountable. And that is why we are delighted at this opportunity to make this presentation. Our expectation is that you will help with the interpretation of the relevant laws and, beyond that, assist us in communicating it to the right places that the laws must be obeyed and respected and that illegal structures created by government (aka Signage Agencies ) should be dismantled anddouble taxation stopped forthwith. We do, honestly, think that the signage and advertisement agencies are an aberration, and unknown to the laws of the land. They are illegal structures that must be dismantled. But we need you to help us in this regards.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Moemeke, ex- Lintas MD is dead

    Moemeke, ex- Lintas MD is dead

    The First managing director of Nigeria’s first advertising agency, Lintas and founding member of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Chief Ifeanyi Moemke is dead.
    The immediate past chairman of Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi broke the news to The Nation Saturday morning.
    Akinwunmi said Moemeke died on Friday night in Lagos at the age of 82.
    The Registrar of APCON, Alhaji Garba Bello-Kankarofi also said the daughter of the diseased informed him of her father’s death.
    Bello- Kankarofi said Moemeke died at the time the council was planning to launch a book on his life and the role he played in building advertising in Nigeria.
    “He is a major industry pillar, one who produced generations of outstanding practitioners. Whatever the ad profession is today, he played a major role in shaping it,” said Akinwunmi.
    “He is the most charismatic advertising practitioner in Nigeria. He left the legacy of Lintas and started the revolution of bringing broadcaster who were like gods then into advertising.
    ” People like Biodun Sobanjo, Olu Falomo and many more came from broadcasting into advertising. Moemeke set the standard. He is the madiba of advertising. He developed personal and professional etiquette for advertising and most of us affected by his charm will miss him,” said Kankarofi.

  • Outdoor Advertising practitioners for top US varsity

    T0 give Outdoor Advertising  Marketing Communications, members of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) have mapped out for training, starting with a forthcoming Executive Education workshop in the United States.

    Focusing on the theme of “The Art and Science of Outdoor Advertising in the Age of Digital Media”, the five-day Training Event will hold from April 12 to 17, at the Department of Communication, North Dakota State University (NDSU), with Resource Persons drawn from other American Universities and the field of American Professional Outdoor Advertising Practitioners.

    North Dakota State University is ranked among the top two percent of American public and private universities.

    The curriculum for the training, which was drawn up by OAAN members and NDSU Advertising Professors, shows that participants will be exposed to topics that include business aspects and return on investments in outdoor advertising, managing the creative Process, working with governments and public institutions.

    Other include: Innovations in outdoor advertising practice, media relations for outdoor agencies, and leadership paradigms for outdoor agencies.

    The Professor/Chair of NDSU’s Department of Communication Dr. Mark Meister, said his team was excited about the opportunity to collaborate with OAAN in co-hosting this special training, which demonstrates the university’s commitment to serving its publics, locally and internationally.

    He added that since Communication Coursework started at NDSU in 1907, making it one of the pioneers in providing university-level education in communication, the emphasis has always been on leveraging Professional practices with high quality academic instruction.

    OAAN President Mr. Charles Chijide, expressed optimism that the forthcoming training would be  beneficial to its members and their clients in Marketing Communications.

    In recognition of the collaboration in the sector, Chijide has extended invitations to OAAN’s peer associations in advertising, marketing and media to encourage them the proposed training.

  • Car owners can now earn advertising revenue!

    Car owners can now earn advertising revenue!

    Transit advertising is growing at a fast rate, creating competition for traditional media. The new fad in advertising is evolving from being a communication  wrap-around on company cars, mass transits and commercial vehicles, among others. The trend is offering individual car owners an opportunity to earn some income by allowing their cars
    to be used  for advertising communications, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    Trend-spotters in advertising communication are not sleeping. Everyday, they are awake, devising a cost-effective platform for advertisers to enhance the impact of campaigns on brands and create return-on-advertising-investment. In the latest trend, Nigerian private car owners are offering a viable platform for advertisers and advertising agencies. This benefit has been enjoyed by owners of land, taxi cabs, public mass transit and a host of others for a long time. But, with the new window for private car owners to rake in advert revenue, car owners are now advert message and campaign drivers.

    Transit or driven media, is the practice of covering or wrapping any vehicle in vibrant, custom-designed vinyl sheets, turning a vehicle into a mobile billboard. The purpose of this is to provide advertising impressions. Unlike a stationed media such as billboards, transit advertising has an advantage of moving to any location after approval from outdoor regulatory authorities. The media, it is believed, has the power to further shrink the market share of traditional 46-sheets billboards and its modern form, Digital LED billboards which are stationed at specific locations, mostly traffic areas.

    Branding a private car for transit advertising is not common in Nigeria. Media planners for a long time had relied on public mass transit, taxi cab or buses designed for sales promo while most companies also wrap their official vehicles with their communication materials sometimes.

    The reason is that branded vehicles enjoy more audience than stationed hoardings. According to Outdoor Advertising Magazine, an international publication, wrapped vehicles have a 97 percent recall rate and 96 per cent of survey respondents thought transit advertising is more effective than traditional outdoor advertising. Another survey by a research firm, 3M, also noted that 91 per cent of the target noticed the text and graphics on these wrapped vehicles with 80 per cent recalling the specific advertisement.

    This perhaps explained why the platform is popular abroad. For example, in some advanced markets, where such discovery had been established, brand owners are increasing their spending towards this line. A media company in South Africa, Provantage,  reported that this medium is reaching an estimated 18.2 million commuter daily. “This advertising medium poses enormous benefits for both the car owner and advertiser. The car owner will be compensated for every month which they have the advertisers’ campaign on their vehicle – which enables them to make extra cash. Advertisers benefit from getting enormous exposure for their brands, reaching their target markets for a lower cost than they would have to spend on other traditional and non-traditional medium of advertising,” say brand experts.

    During the unveiling of the new trend in Nigeria on Monday, the managing director of brandmycar.com, Amaka Okolo said that advertisers are searching for cost-effective means of promoting their communication materials. She said the branding of private car though new in Nigerian marketing space, provides low cost mobile out of home advertising spaces on private cars and transit vehicles for effective brand messages and communication.

    “This will help connect people with brands, match car owners who want effective mobile exposure, giving them a source of living and take the brands into smaller localised places where regular outdoor advertising cannot,” she said.

    She said the goals of the platform is also to drive outdoor advertising, where it is most effective and visible, as car owners commute daily to schools, shops, churches, mosques and works. According to Okolo, “What makes this service unique is that it is the first of its kind in Nigeria and it is easily reached, very flexible, visible and recent.”

     

    How it works

    Okolo explained that all car owners are expected to cover a minimum of 200 miles per month, so as to be paid an agreed amount to them. She said before such money is paid to car owners, the advertisers will verify compliance of cars through vehicle tracking reports to prevent falsehood by car owners. When engaged by advertisers.

    She noted that the tracking report will show how many miles the car has covered within the agreed period of time the advert is supposed to run, this way, advertisers will know how far the advert has travelled.

    Okolo further said that advertisers can either pick the cars they want online or can allow the company pick for them and then do the vetting.

    She said that presently, there are about 700 branded private cars functioning in Nigeria. Under her company, brandmycar.com, but that this figure is low compared to what is obtainable in advanced countries. She believed it will grow as more advertisers buy into it.

     

    Demand for transit ad

    The Chief Executive Officer of Noisemakers Advertising  Limited, one of the agencies that specialises in transit media, Mr. Jubril Dixion, believes that the platform is one of the a most effective platforms because of its reach.

    According to him, “My experience convinced me that the platform is not only effective but important for brand building. It is the way through which one can take campaign to consumers, wherever they are,” he said.

     

    Regulatory issues that maystall the new trend

    Corporate brands political parties/politicians and even religious bodies have found vehicle branding and advertising as a very effective way of advertising their products and winning souls. It is not unusual in Lagos to see a BRT bus bearing the “Glo-Rule Your World’ advert, a taxi branded with the advert of a particular brand of condom or luxury bus with the lingo of ‘The Lord Chosen’. All these are pointer to the fact that the brands are reaping bountifully from transit media.

    Despite the level of awareness and increased use of this platform, the fact that not all the branded vehicle on Lagos roads have the government seal of approval has often become an issue of discourse in many forms. To ensure that car owners are not harassed, Mrs.Okolo said any car owners subscribing to have their cars branded will be screened and ensured that they have valid driving documents such as vehicle insurance, drivers licence, certificate of road worthiness among others. She said after that has been been verified, a LAASA permit will be secured for car owners.

     

     

  • ‘Advertising auditing will boost growth’

    An outdoor advertising industry driven by audience measurement will help media planners and buyers justify investments on media, an expert has said.

    Speaking against the backdrop of earth of credible data to justify  outdoor advertising agencies’ charges on billboards, the Managing Director of MediaReach OMD Mr. Tolu Ogunkoya said lack of dependable data was affecting the sector.

    He said: “First, at the core of the issue lies the lack of credible scientific research which would substantiate the reach and efficacy of the OOH medium. At a basic level, this implies at least a need for measurement that would let media planners and buyers establish a cost per 1000 people reached for various sites and, therefore, a rationale for the money to be invested on the media.”

    Ogunkoya, who is President of Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), said a credible monitoring was vital to the sector.

    He also said it would enhance a robust advertising expenditure auditing which in turn would let competitive spends be tracked over a period for clients to monitor and invest on competitive media investments.

    He said: “Apart from this, there is also the importance of the state in the marketing plans of different clients. Markets where distribution/sales  is an issue, tend to get lesser media support from most clients while those where distribution/ sales are doing well tend to attract more media investments.”

    He advised outdoor agencies to ensure a system whereby they can justify why advertisers should pay for a media exposure on the billboards adding that such system should be handled by third party to avoid manipulation of figures.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    “We all know that what gets measured gets sold in Media parlance hence the need for an independent 3rd Party Research Agency to monitor the Audience for the medium. To improve monitoring issues, compliance levels need to be improved for the industry as a whole. Lastly the use of technology would be the best way that the industry can overcome the barriers that they currently face,” said Ogunkoya.