The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Advertising

  • Setting agenda for political advertising

    As the 2015 elections draw near, stakeholders in marketing communication are joining hands with relevant electoral groups to ensure that communication experts are engaged to handle their political advertising campaigns to align with best global practices. ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI reports.

    It was a meeting of eggheads in the advertising and public relations industry. With the thrust of the forum centered around ensuring that the quality of political advertising campaign materials conform with certain codes of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and that of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), it was, therefore, not surprising that politicians also thronged the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua International Centre, Abuja, venue of the forum.

    The forum, an initiative of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), was aimed at enhancing a free and fair election in 2015.

    With the dirty practices that characterise  the nation’s politics, experts want communication professionals to handle electioneering campaigns’ project to build the right perception for the polity in line with best global practices.

    With self-regulation almost impossible among broadcasting and news organisations in the heat of electioneering campaigns, coupled with the desperation syndrome by parties, their candidates and political campaign communication managers, INEC, is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that a collaboration between AAAN, BON and NBC change the game.

    INEC said during the international seminar with the theme, Political advertising, perception building and voters education, that it has reviewed the regulations contained in its code of conduct governing political advertisements and campaigns  with a view to ensuring strict compliance by political parties and their candidates.

    The INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, said: “All expertise should be put to good use for the purposes of organising clean and positive campaigns that will help them win elections, rather than the kind of uncivil campaigns that take place in our country. It is important that we regulate and sanitise our campaigns.”

    He said the electoral body has revised the regulations governing campaigns and already shared a draft of those guidelines to political parties. We hope to finalise it and very soon, we will put it into effect so that political parties will know clearly where to draw the lines and the sanctions that would apply if they do not act according to the rules and regulations.

    He expressed satisfaction that the seminar has shown that we can learn good practice from other countries and factor it into your own preparations. “It is very important that we sanitise the electoral process and political campaigns. They should be research-based, well informed and expertise should be brought to bear in the preparation and conduct of political campaigns.”

    Also, the National Chairman, All Pro-gressives Grand Alliance, Chief Victor Umeh, said political advertising remained a very important aspect of electioneering process.

    “I urge advertising practitioners to go to INEC and collect the code of conduct already signed by political parties. The code of conduct is in a position to regulate what advertising practitioners will do. If you know that what somebody is telling you to project for him is offending the law and the rules, you will drop such materials and it is very critical that advert practitioners partner with INEC because they are very important stakeholders in this process,” he affirmed.

    While advertisements influence decisions of the electorate in deciding whom to buy into, he stated that the absence of mechanism to regulate what political parties and their candidates are permitted to showcase to the electorate often lead them into making wrong choice.

    “Political parties have a code of conduct they have signed with INEC and keeping strictly to it. Political parties should refrain from messages that are offensive and in conflict with normal acceptable norms in the society. It is very important that as we prepare for the 2015 general elections, what the political parties and their candidates should be taking to the electorate will be very critical in deciding who the people will choose ahead of others in a particular contest. So, it is very good that at this time, political parties are enjoined to keep by the rules. Mudslinging and propaganda politics should be avoided.

    “You can’t decide to disparage people because they are your opponents. It is good that we have this seminar so that people will be told what to do. It is also very important that advertising practitioners would also be aware of all these things so that when people approach them to project certain messages to the Nigerian public, they will be properly guided. Billboards are raised containing certain messages, Newspaper advertorials are placed. All stakeholders are enjoined to vet and edit the content of materials coming to them from politicians before they go to print”.

    Meanwhile, the Political Director of the 1996 Clinton-Gore campaign, Craig Smith, said to ensure best global practice, Nigerian politicians and their communication experts should ensure that in creating their campaign messages, they must start with research. He said research will reveal the popularity of the candidates, the need of the people, how to engage them, the best medium that will drive the campaign message to the right target so that electorate will make the right decision.

    Craig also said globally, political candidates and their parties use communication professionals in line with best global practice. He cited Clinton-Gore campaign as an example which followed principles of advertising campaigns process and delivered electoral victories and governance impact in the USA.

    However, Craig urged experts to desist from the use of attack communication strategy to attract voters’ sympathy; rather, politicians, he advised, should engage in activities such as community development projects that impact on the electorate, saying only this would attract their votes.

    Meanwhile, the outgoing President of AAAN, Mrs Bunmi Oke, said the association will ensure that government and politicians engage professionals in political advertising. She said the recognition of the association by the Federal Government is an icing on the cake. “The icing on the cake is that we got Federal Government recognition that we are invited to be a member of the national Confab. That tells me that in  this business we need to work as team with all stakeholders in the marketing communication.”

     

  • ‘Our plans for outdoor advertising in Cross River’

    ‘Our plans for outdoor advertising in Cross River’

    Many old billboards dot the streets of Calabar, the Cross River State capital. The government is determined to turn them into money spinners through tourism branding, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    The Cross River State Government is eyeing outdoor advertising and signage to boost its economy.

    It plans to adopt the Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA) model to attract stakeholders to partner with it in tourism branding.

    Officials of the Cross River State Signage and Advertisement Agency (CRSSA) have been to Lagos to rub minds with their LASAA counterparts in the matter.

    CRSSA Director-General Godwin Iyala said the agency has learnt few things from the Lagos experiment.

    He spoke in Lagos when he visited LASAA Managing Director Mr George Noah after an outdoor advertising conference organised by the agency.

    He said: “We have seen a lot of innovations here; we have seen collaborations; we have seen good ideas that we would like to bring into fruition in Cross River State. Above all, we are going to synergise with other stakeholders to ensure that we have a uniform landscape environment for outdoors and create an enabling environment for operators, investors and regulators to have a win-win situation.”

    He said he was banking on tourism branding to attract investors.

    Iyala said: “The face of outdoor advertising in Cross River is changing to synchronise with the tourism drive that we have. Don’t forget that Calabar, especially is noted for its cleanliness and we can’t but use outdoor to enhance the beauty of the environment, not just Calabar, but the entire state.

    “Don’t forget that we also have the biggest street party in Africa called the Carnival, which attracts over 800,000 visitors every year, and we have gradually transforming from a civil service state to an industrial and tourism hub.”

    With its many vacant billboards in Calabar, the state capital, Cross River which is regarded as “The Peoples Paradise”. It is also one of the fastest growing states in the country, with an improved investment climate and a rich historical and cultural heritage.

    Iyala pledged to change the face of outdoor by rallying the state’s tourism touch points to rub off on the “vacant billboard” markers and drive more brands to put their posters.

    “Since our arrival, we have put quite a lot of things in place. We are gradually eliminating the obsolete signage and billboards and we are gradually replacing them with LED displays; we are gradually replacing them with modern gantries; we are gradually replacing them with modern drapes and other forms of modern displays advertisement like portraits,” he said.

    According to him, the opportunity for small scale businesses, especially outdoor, is growing and the state is busy confronting the challenges. “The beauty of it all is that we arrive at the time the glut came in, and we are regulating from day one,” he said.

    Iyala said regulating the outdoor business is not all about generating revenue. “We regulate to add beauty to the environment, and then we regulate to generate revenue as well. Those are things you can’t do without generating revenue. Sometimes you generate revenue and use it to create environment to enable the outdoor to thrive,” he said.

    On CRSSA’s participation at the LASAA conference, Iyalla said: “We have heard from the regulators and operators on what needs to be done and what have been done rightly or wrongly, and how we need to improve on it. We have seen quite a lot of innovation here, and when we go back to our state, we are going to implement them to move the outdoor regulations and practice forward.”

    Noah said though the industry has potential, the challenge of empirical data has continued to make advertisers think low about the business unlike other platforms of advertisement, such as television.

    He, however, admitted that despite challenges, the sector has witnessed huge transformation in the last decade following regulatory intervention.

    Noah said the sector accounts for over N50 billion turnovers while the state with a population of 22 million accounts for 60 per cent of Nigeria’s total advertising market.

    This, he said, was insignificant when what accrues to other sectors is considered since the cost of doing business is almost shrinking.

    Noah said outdoor media buying agencies generate about N8.6 billion, fabricators, rake in N1.5 billion; installers, N382 billion; and large format printers, N8.27 billion. Also, outdoor specialist agencies generate N21.9 billion, outdoor protection services, N370 million; adverts, N1.25 billion and others, N8 billion.

  • A push for growth in outdoor advertising

    A push for growth in outdoor advertising

    With huge challenges confronting the growth of outdoor advertising business in Africa, the Lagos State outdoor advertising sector is pushing for growth through strategic partnership with countries in Africa to foster growth, write Adedeji Ademigbuji and Adeyinka Aderibigbe.

    The outdoor advertising business in Africa may overcome some of its challenges if the solutions proferred at the African Outdoor Advertising Conference and Exhibition are adhered to.

    The conference gave media buyers, creative agencies, outdoor advertising practitioners, the government, as well as foreign investors in Out-Of-the-Home (OOH) advertising business, the opportunity to reveal some of the challenges that confront the business and hamper growth of the industry.

    During the gathering in Lagos, which is home to about 60 per cent of Nigeria’s advertising business, the Managing Director, Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA), George Noah, said though the industry has a healthy potential for growth, the challenges hampering the industry, such as lack of empirical data, amongst others, have continued to make advertisers price the business low unlike other platforms of advertisement, such as TV.

    Noah, who said he is often worried about the untoward effect of this on the advert businesses, noted that in packaging the event, the agency aimed at deepening the sector’s capacity to respond to the global trends, meet the demands from clients in order to leverage on the network of information, tools and systems that such a forum could put at operators’ disposal.

    Although Noah admitted some of the prolonged challenges, the sector has witnessed huge transformation in the last decade as a result of the regulatory intervention from LAASA which he believe has enshrined sanity in the outdoor advertisements sector in Lagos in particular. He said one of the wars the agency had to fight was with those who deface the face of Lagos with posters.

    With no data on eyeball traffic hitting the advertisements, he said LAASA is checking indiscriminate pasting of so that advertisers will no longer cut down advert spend for outdoor business. As a result of that, he noted that the agency has carved out zones where posters could be pasted all year round.

    With determination to reposition for global competitiveness, Noah said the Lagos outdoor advertisement sector has recorded significant success in terms of revenue. According to him, despite the challenges, the sector accounts for over N50 billion turnovers while Lagos State with a population of 22 million accounts for 60 per cent of Nigeria’s total advertising market though he said this insignificant when what accrues to other sectoral growth within the sector is considered as cost of doing business is almost shrinking the OOH business.

    Noah said outdoor media buying agencies generate about N8.6 billion, fabricators, rake in N1.5 billion; installers, N382 billion; large format printers, N8.27 billion. Also, outdoor specialist agencies generate N21.9 billion, outdoor protection services, N370 million; adverts N1.25 billion, while other areas account for N8 billion. He pointed at the huge employment opportunities of the sector, which employs over 100,000 people in Lagos alone.

    With about 100,000 signs and 800 outdoor structures in Lagos, Noah also said the industry’s growth potential have been hindered by some of these challenges which also includes loss of market share to television, radio and social media marketing.

    Also, the Chairman, Outdoor Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (OAAN) Mr. Charles Chijide challenged the government to open the space for all stakeholders to operate. He said the changes in road architecture, lifestyles, business practices, policy directions and inadequacy of power are chief among the debilitating challenges facing operators.

    Chijide,who is also the President of the African body of Out-of-Home operators said the cost of fuelling two giant generators that often powers any display site is colossal, a situation which is not helped by the lack of access to capital or loans from the banking sector.

    He listed other challenges facing stakeholders to include multiple taxation, the menace of area boys and street urchins’, lack of data and lack of certificates of occupancy (Cs of O) on most of the sites being used for businesses.

    Speaking on the challenges and prospects of out of the home Advertisement in Africa, Chijide said though these challenges seems local to Nigeria, they exist in relative measures and are common to all members of the association in the continent.

    He said the platform which started in Nigeria in 1956, has evolved over the decades to digital, and his corporate members has moved from two when it began to 158. He said all stakeholders especially the government must give the necessary support to the sector realising that out of the home practitioners are changing life, changing the economy and changing the face of business in the country.

    He noted that one of the ways government could support the sector is to ensure the stability of power supply, and the issuance of temporary certificates of occupancy for members sites to enable them use this to procure facility from the bank.

    The Director of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Akeem Adeniji, who represented the Commissioner Mrs Olusola Oworu, tasked outdoor practitioners to key into the Lagos State Development Plan (LSDP) which has four parts: Economic development; infrastructural development, social and security development and sustainable environment.

    He challenged all operators having issues with the state government to make use of the right channel in making the government aware of the gray areas they wanted addressed. He recalled that the Babatunde Fashola administration last year began the Lagos Corporate Assembly, an assembly of all business operators in the state, where issues hindering their profitability in business could be addressed.

    However, Governor Mr Babatunde Fashola challenged the operators to think out of the box in repositioning the sector and make out of the home advertisement sector a vibrant platform.

    Fashola, who was represented by the Commissioner for the Environment Mr. Olatunji Bello, said issues such as the lack of empirical data to support media buying into the platform and even power could be mutually resolved if operators decided to look inward and reapply themselves to resolving the peculiar challenges to their businesses.

    “When there is no data to support advertisement buying,” he said, “the buyer is at sea and loss of market share to other viable options becomes the alternative.

    Also, the Managing Director, Insight Communications Mr. Jimi Awosika, likened a poor outdoor advertisement to an actor with a minor role (waka pass) in the thespian world said in a world of “democratised noise,” only an advert with a telling presence, creatively conceived and delivered would be remembered in the crowd.

    He canvassed more synergy between the advertisers, the advertising agency and the outdoor practitioners in such a way that the messages meant to be communicated had desired impact in the market.

    A resource person, Mr. Jerry Coasters of Out of Home Africa, while speaking on the challenges of OOH, re-affirmed that despite the challenges impeding the businesses, Nigeria remains an investment destination for investors.

    The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Leteef Ibirogba, challenged operators to rededicate themselves to professionalism, adding that the government’s desire to regulate the industry is borne out of the desire to ensure that marketing communication messages are better packaged and uniquely presented. “Government will always play the regulatory role because it is the way to go in sustaining business anywhere. If this business must continue and be profitable, it must be professionally packaged. If we all come together, we will get better for it,” Ibirogba said.

    The Director-General, Oyo State Signage and Advertisement Agency (OYSSAA), Mr. Yinka Adebodun, praised the Lagos State for blazing the trail in outdoor signage and advertisement industry.

    Over 200 exhibitors from Europe, Asia, America and Africa converged at the Eko Hotel expo hall to display their products as the Africa Signage and Outdoor Conference and Exhibition.

  • Regulating outdoor advertising in Kwara

    The Kwara State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KWASSA) is out to ensure the aesthetics and beauty of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. The agency is also determined to make money for the state government.

    The law establishing the agency which came into existence in 2010 was last year amended to align with the current global trends and standard practices.

    The law also prescribes that political parties, corporate bodies , individuals and religious organisations having outdoor structures to register with the agency.

    Accordingly, the agency has resolved to bare its fangs on all structures including billboards, banners and pasting of posters illegally mounted or pasted by political parties, body corporate and religious bodies in the state. In fact, all such structures are now to pay a certain fee.

    Also, the use of the Flyover bridge panels in the Post Office area of Ilorin, the state capital for pasting of banners will attract a sum of N6 million per annum.

    The state Attorney-General and Justice Commissioner, Kamaldeen Ajibade said KWASSA law regulates outdoor structures for the display of signage, hoarding and advertisement in the state.

    Ajibade said it is mandatory for any person or body corporate to register and obtain permit from the agency before erecting, constructing, enlarging or structurally modifying any outdoor structure.

    He urged all affected persons, groups, political parties; corporate entities and religious organisation in the state to remove all such structures with contravene this law.

    He said: “It has come to the attention of the state government that across the state there are many outdoor advertisement and signs without compliance with the provisions of the extant law on same, which is, KWASSA law.

    “Under the law, any corporate entity that owns outdoor structures must of necessity register same with the agency. The law empowers the agency to enter into any property or premises for the purposes of carrying out inspection necessary for the proper administration of the law.

    “Equally, owners and operators of existing outdoor structures are required to regularise their signage and advertisement structures with the agency and if not done within a period of one month after enactment of this law, the agency shall with or without notice as it deems fit, direct the removal of same at the expense of the owner.

    “It is important to stress here that any person who violates any of the provisions of the signage and advertisement law or does anything in order to stultify the application of the law or continue to be in breach of the law by displaying or permitting the display of unauthorised outdoor structures shall be guilty of an offence and liable to punishment (s) and sanctions provided under the law.

    “These include terms of imprisonment or fine or both. And of course, include demolition of the offensive structure (s) at the defaulter’s expenses.”

    The General Manager of KWASSA, Hammed Olufadi, remarked that: “A billboard for political party costs N1 million per year. Flying a banner costs N40,000 per week. The aim is to discourage unnecessary flying of banners. If you want to use ultra wave or you want to have your campaigns at the airport that is a specialised area, the amount payable is N2million for the purchase sheet. If you want maximum exposure you pay maximally also.

    “If you want to use our bridge panels you will need to pay N6million because we don’t want the panels to get dirty. If you want to even paste posters you are expected to come to us, we ask you the number of posters you intend to paste and we tell you where to paste them at a fee. Then you sign statement of responsibility with us irrespective of the political party. You pay before you expose your posters and then you deposit a penalty with us; 10 days after if the posters are not removed, we will do and the money deposited with us becomes that of the government.

    “So we have prices for normal zones and prices for specialised zones for different sizes of billboards and banners. If it is not properly regulated very soon people will start pasting posters on government house walls. Most of the posters are pasted at night. But we are making it clear now that we will not go after those pasting the posters, but those that own the posters.”

    Curiously, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state has picked holes in the law, noting that giving teeth to the law this time around is a ploy against it.

  • ‘Nigeria is a force in advertising’

    ‘Nigeria is a force in advertising’

    With its 160 million population, Nigeria is a fertile ground for advertising. The country, Mr Steve Babaeko, Chief Creativity Officer, X3M Ideas says has what it takes to hold its own against others in the trade. Many foreign advertising agencies, he tells Adedeji Ademigbuji, in this interview, are looking down on their Nigerian counterparts in ignorance.

     

    At the local and global levels, advertising business continues to dip. Yet agencies are multiplying. What are the issues shaping the industry?

    We will find that out in the next five years when mergers and acquisitions must have happened. Having hundreds of agencies when there are few accounts is like covering ourselves in borrowed robes. There must be business and accounts to work on for the industry to survive, that is why we must come together and reason. Let’s start with the recession. If you look at the multinationals and if you take your mind back to about 10 years ago, the multinationals were the big spenders, those were the people that were breaking the big campaigns. The recession was global and of course, affected them at the local level as well, even though it didn’t quite shake Nigeria as much as it hit Europe and America. This is because we are not a credit based economy. So, what you have seen is that the landscape has changed a bit, and it is true that the business has changed because budget has reduced, clients have become wiser.

    Therefore, clients are now asking agencies to do a rethink and it’s not about being able to spend big budget now, but with the little budget you have what can you do for us. I think agencies are a little bit finding it difficult to cope with this new trend.

    Now, agencies that used to do pretty good in the past because they had big budgets to manage, now find it difficult, because the client is demanding so much with little budget. You have to be more strategic and think outside the box. In fact, these days there are no boxes anywhere. Agencies that cannot adapt to the new reality of the day will definitely feel the negative impact of the new reality.

    X3M has earned credit for its works, what is your creative mindset?

    Again, I will give credit to 141 because that’s my alma mater. I was the pioneer Creative Director for seven years and I love that agency with all my heart. I also love Noah’s Ark ad agency too. Honestly, if there is any head of agency that has called today to congratulate us during our anniversary last year, it was Mr. Lanre Adisa of Noah’s Ark.

    I think advertising is going back to its roots because at some point in the history/evolution of this industry, this misconception came up that it is only the client service people that could run advertising business.

    They formed this stereotype that creative people are not good business managers and everybody bought the lies. So, they took control of running the business but if you look back in the history of advertising, David Ogilvy was a copy writer; the Ogilvy global advertising network is still thriving after the man’s transition. The Bill Bernbachs, Ogilvys of this world were creative people and they founded and ran successful agencies like DDB et al. The agencies have stood the test of time. I think something happened when all of a sudden, you want to do great work but the people running the business don’t quite understand the importance of creativity.

    I worked in different agencies for 18 years and nobody sent me to Cannes, there is no way you can develop yourself and keep yourself up-to-date in advertising if you don’t go to Cannes. Cannes is like a world cup for advertising. That is where all the big players of the advertising world gather every year. If you intend to be a big player, or you hope to make any impact in this business you have to be in Cannes. So, I worked for 18 years and never went to Cannes, nobody thought it right to send me to Cannes.

    The first Cannes I attended was in 2012 and I paid for myself. We started this business and in less than a year, our head of creativity just came back from Cannes. On his return, he told me “Steve, I now know what you have been telling us all this while. We have not started in this business”. You see if you benchmark yourself against the local agencies, you are going to fail because this is not where the competition is, if you know what is happening in Brazil; the revolution that is happening in Brazil today you will be amazed; what India has done in the past decade is mind-blowing. Those are the places we are looking at and we are saying how do we benefit/ help ourselves to up the game and up the ante in this market. It was that dream that propelled us to start this business in the first place, not for the fame or the money or the title. Most of the time I don’t even remember I am the CEO of this company to be honest with you because there is just so much work to do. In 2013 alone we have shot close to 20 commercials, I doubt if there is any agency in this country that has done anything close to that number. The clients know that there is a different kind of thinking that we will bring to the table and that is what they are buying into.

    Do you have any intention to have any global affiliation?

    We have been approached by close to three international agencies wanting some kind of affiliation. I have nothing against affiliation. However, you look back at the history, the agencies that went into affiliations 10-15 years ago, it was like the main thing for them. It was easy money because the people you have affiliated with will bring the business and dump it on your laps and it was good while it lasted. The bubble got burst and now it is accusations and counter-accusations by the parties to the affiliations – the local agencies are being accused of stabbing the global agency in the back while the global networks are being accused of wanting to swallow the local agency buy it out and chase it out of the business. Now everybody is running away from affiliations. I keep saying, personally I have nothing against it; the same thing I have told the three people who approached us is, “show me, put it on the table what are you going to do to make a difference to this company that we are not already doing, that will add value to my business, my stakeholders, my board members, my management team and staff. Show us and if you can’t show us anything different then leave us alone.

    Affiliation to me must bring good value and not just adding another name as was the fashion. It’s like you are married to a woman now who just had another name and carries this double barrel name, that is not what we want, we want value, it’s about value, what value are you bringing and don’t tell me you will train my people because we can do so. Our head of human resources (HR) just came back from Johannesburg on HR training. Who in advertising even send any HR person anywhere in this country? Few if any! We train our people and it’s all about training and retraining. Our position is that you are as good as your people. If we fail to train we will not be able to compete in the business and that is why we invest heavily, the margin is not much but out of the little we have, we invest a lot, we train our people. While we have nothing against affiliation, we will not go into affiliation for affiliation’s sake.

    Part of the things that drove us to start this business is that, we can be the one giving out the affiliation? Why must we even travel to Europe, America and South Africa to say we want to affiliate you? Why can’t I build X3M Ideas into an organization that agencies from Benin republic, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo would want to be affiliated with? Why must I be the one going out there looking for affiliation? Those are the part of nationalistic instincts that are driving us to believe we can build a solid local agency that knows the terrain of this market; that knows this business and can prove a point to the world that we can do it as well.

    What is your opinion on Nigerian agencies?

    All can see that the relationship between the international agencies that want to come in here and the local agencies is not really sincere at the moment. Some key players who have the affiliations are dumping them and some other people who are not just as good are taking them up. So, at that level, to be honest with you, this is my own opinion, I don’t even care for any of those big networks who look for affiliations in Nigeria but do not care about Nigeria, I stand to be corrected.

    I don’t think they care much about us; they are still looking more towards the Asia because there is that ignorance about Africa, they don’t think that any good can come out of Nazareth because they still think we are not there. I mean for a population of 160 million? Nobody can ignore this country; we have our challenges as a country but this country is still a giant on this continent and they ignore us out of ignorance because a company like X3M will continue to do what we set out to do and by God’s grace we will continue to grow in strength and then by the time they finally open their eyes they will see that the landscape has changed and a new crop of advertising entrepreneur has emerged.

    Talking about the level of creativity, why are we yet to make impact in international awards like Cannes?

    I think there is politics everywhere. It is not impossible that the politics of awards also exists in Cannes, but beyond that I don’t think the problem is with our creative output. I believe the problem is the packaging of that creative output for that award. There is a format for it; as I speak with you for this company (X3M), we are understudying agencies that have won and how they packaged their entries is a different thing. Packaging the entry is as big an issue as the ad itself you are entering; it is like if there is a wedding there is a dress code and if you refused to adhere to that dress code they probably won’t let you in, so you have already disqualified yourself because apart from having good material how you package will go a long way to help. We can’t keep screaming foul when India is winning, Brazil is winning, there has to be something we are doing wrong until we are able to crack that, I think we are still going to be disadvantaged a little bit. So, to that extent we are working hard to see that in the nearest future, in fact, before the next three years a Nigerian agency will win and I am so optimistic about that.

    What is the cost of entry?

    To be honest, if you are serious about this business it can be bearable. Again, it is still the mentality of the suit and creative people. If you go to Noah’s Ark, they won’t tell you that there is any expenses too much to enter an award because that agency is headed by a creative person. The same thing here. We will participate, but it’s just that for the whole generations that is ahead – advertising entrepreneurs because the reason for setting up the business is slightly different – subsistence business for me and my family let’s just eat and be happy. It takes a different dimension, we want to take this business seriously by participating in these awards, we see it as a major part of development. Our absence on the awards scene probably explains why the people we affiliate to don’t even take us seriously because we are not showing on the radar when it comes to the global mapping of people who have won awards and until we begin to win award we will not count much to them as an industry.

    How do you rate the AAAN LAIF advertising awards?

    They say half loaf is better than none. First and foremost, I think that engenders healthy competition where an agency will know that to be relevant in this local environment I have to enter my ad for LAIF and then be judged by an independent jury and they give us some kind of awards. You can begin to say which agencies in Nigeria are creative and which ones are not. It’s a good start but we need something better than that, we need to develop it to become even more competitive because I mean in the past few years it becomes a little too generous, we need to inject life into the award especially the organisation itself. The organisation needs to be pepped up. If you go to Cannes, you will understand what I am saying. So, there has to be improvements. Big shout outs to AAAN for starting LAIF in the first place but I think after about five or six years, we need to take it to that next level.

    What is X3M set out to do?

    From day one, if you go to our website, it’s clear because we are set out to redefine advertising in Nigeria and it’s not going to be business as usual. We set up this place when we had no money. We used the little money we had and some of the loans we were able to secure to set up this place. As small as this place is, you can envisage the direction we are going, it’s not going to be the usual, we are very future forward. Our aim is to redefine the whole business of marketing communications and the way the whole business structure works in Nigeria. That is our agenda, and to be able to establish the fact that we are creative people, we have ideas, we are entrepreneurs and we can move the gospel of this new message, this new way of thinking, and this new way of doing this business combining both traditional and new digital media platforms. Combine them effectively to build value for the brands that are in our custody. We want to send that same message, that new way of thinking across West Africa in the nearest future and that is our dream.

    You claim to be a digital agency, tell us some of the digital campaigns and their level of success in the last one year?

    Example of digital stuffs we have done for our clients, the two big ones I can really talk about would be Etisalat and Diamond Bank. We contribute a lot to the content that you see on Etisalat and Diamond Bank. If you look at the banking landscape before and how Diamond Bank was playing, you will see that it is a totally different ball game in the past three to five months. If you look at their Facebook fan page it’s bolder at least in our estimation with about 30-40 per cent and if you look at their views on YouTube. Before we started working with them there was none of their ads that has up to 100,000 views but today we are talking about 136,000 views the last time I checked and I haven’t even checked recently. So, that is how we have been able to run digital campaign. It’s strong because the media is fragmented. There are so many spaces fetching for attention, now the young people who don’t have time watching TV, they are either playing X-Box, playing games or they are on twitter or YouTube. Definitely they will have access to such contents. So, we have been able to meet them there and we have something that is called the “consumer footmark” which is our proprietary tool developed to help build our works – wherever the consumer goes we have to meet them and expose them to the messages of the clients. Those are the two clear examples I can give.

    Your projections, are there any spin-off shops?

    Right now, there are three businesses under this small building, we have X3M music, Zero degrees and we have X3M Ideas. X3M music caters to the music arm that we have always worked on as part of our youth development programme. There are so many young people in this country who are extremely talented but nobody to help them and we are going to pick one or two that we think we can help and don’t forget you will always need music in advertising and because of our in road into the music industry they respect us and if we come out, we can always get talents because they already know we have a pedigree. Zero degrees is into production, I have always said this you can legislate by fiat and say nobody should use commercials out of this country that is by fiat but what are we doing internally to make sure that the production element is up to scratch and I am thinking about the level of production. A client cannot give you money to shoot a TV commercial and you turn in a substandard stuff. That will be totally unacceptable to us. To be able to do the right thing, we set up Zero degrees. We are going to be bringing in best practices into this country, bringing the best directors, bringing the best technical hands to develop our people and we start shooting commercials locally. The third one is we are going to go into experiential marketing in the second quarter of next year by the grace of God. Maybe we will be calling you to say, look this is our experiential arm. We want to be a one stop shop when it comes to marketing communication solutions giving strategy and giving creativity solutions for the brands and clients that we serve and so it is a journey that has started and we intend to take it a lot further.

     

  • Delta set to regulate advertising practice

    Delta set to regulate advertising practice

    Stakeholders in the advertising industry recently gathered in Asaba, the Delta State capital, to streamline and regulate outdoor advertising in the state.

    The forum, organised by TAS and Associates, a licensed outdoor advertising regulator in the state and the Outdoor Advertising Agency of Nigeria (OAAN), drew participants from Delta State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture and the Outdoor Advertising Agency of Nigeria.

    Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, a former Minister of Information and Chief Executive Officer of TAS and Associates, said the forum became necessary as unlicensed outdoor advertisers had abused the process while local revenue collectors have also capitalised on the process and milked advertisers without remitting the proceeds to appropriate authorities.

    Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Kingsley Emu, said the state appointed TAS and Associates essentially to find lasting solution to the abuse of outdoor advertising.

    He urged outdoor advertisers to channel their outdoor adverts through licensed and authorised agencies to avoid the adverts being branded illegal and consequently removed.

    Governor Uduaghan observed that non-remittance of proceeds collected by local revenue collectors and indiscriminate erection of billboards and posters deprived the state of needed revenue.

    He said it was important to streamline revenue collections from outdoor advertising in a bid to enhance the revenue base of the state and sustain its taxation policy.

    He emphasised on the need to domicile the outdoor advertising plan with responsible agencies for effective regulation and added value with greater consideration on the environment.

    The governor frowned at the much-maligned method adopted by the local government councils in the collection of revenues accruing from outdoor advertising, adding that this informed the appointment of a credible agency backed by law.

    He suggested the need to step up efforts to drive the programme as needful item in the current effort to shore up the revenue base of the state.

    He added that it was important for proper collection and remittance of revenues to relevant agencies to avoid unhealthy competition and rivalry.

    Uduaghan said billboards were meant for information and direction and not to deface the environment.

    Prof. Oyovbaire told the participants that TAS and Associates was granted franchise of outdoor advertising by the state government in August 2009.

    He further said the franchise granted in 2009 with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed in September 2010 helped to strengthen the relationship between the government and the body.

    According to him, the two documents were meant to provide orderliness and beautification in outdoor advertising and generate statutory revenue to the state government.

    He said in carrying out these responsibilities, “TAS has been mindful of the need for co-operation and collaboration with primary stakeholders and statutory actors in the industry such as the local government and the Outdoor Advertising Agency of Nigeria (OAAN).”

    Oyovbaire said the delay in putting their plans to work was necessitated by the need to address certain critical components of advertising such as the role of local governments as well as building consensus with OAAN that would guarantee proper understanding of the state government’s intention by the major players in the advertising industry.

    His words: “Today, TAS is happy to inform the general public that our approach in handling these issues is gradually yielding results.”

    He explained that the aim of the stakeholders’ interaction was to find ways and means of achieving the goals of recreating the beauty of the environment and generate appropriate revenue for the state and local governments in a peaceful and orderly manner.

    South-South Zonal Chairman of OAAN, Solo Akugha said it was necessary for the advertising body to streamline the advertising business in Nigeria. He further explained that most billboards are owned by people who are not members of OAAN. This, he said, was against the practice of outdoor advertising in Nigeria.

    He called on authorised practitioners to clampdown on those who erect billboards indiscriminately and set standards for the practice in the country.

     

     

     

  • Advertising : The performance indicators (1)

    Advertising : The performance indicators (1)

    On a personal note, I expect a large number of advertising practitioners among our readers to be piqued by the title of this piece. In the first place, the phrase “performance indicators” is not ordinarily commonly related with the practice and/or business of advertising (by extension, brands management), in its latent connotation. Going by its manifest implication, also, it is way out of practitioners’ consideration. The more interesting thing is, “ADVERTISERS” are the most alienated of the group, not minding their direct financial commitment and responsibility.

    Customary to our tradition on this platform, let us be quick to cleanly leave out those who engage in offering advertising services as purely a business engagement, without care or concern for the professional aspect of the industry. To the extent where we should either evaluate ourselves on the basis of professional robustness and application of general knowledge in our professional engagements, it will be in-appropriate to not make that distinction.

    To a large extent, many of us professionals in brand management are quite guilty of in-appropriate internalization of the phrase in consideration. Primarily, narrowing our scope of concern to our immediate professional environment, place such otherwise important elements on the blind side of our consideration bracket.

    At last MC&A DIGEST -organized training session (Training Non-Professional Brand Managers), a participant asked the question “what are the performance indicators for advertising?” my initial reaction was that of askance; perhaps the participant was yet far from the basics of advertising as we tried to familiarize his class with. But again, the quick flip turned me on the side of the investigated … “do you really understand the question?” in that quick interval between when the question hit me and when I reacted, so many things rushed to mind; one, is PERFORMANCE INDICATOR captured in the entire creative process?

    Yes, PERFORMANCE INDICATION captures evaluation and success rate measurement…but where does it fit in the process of advertising? Or, still can we graft it into what we already know? And finally, what do we already know and permit…as a method of measuring the effectiveness of advertising, considering the benefit and value of advertising, from the client and the practitioner’s point of view? If we know that advertising spend is a form of investment, then the spend-channel must account for invested financial capital, for the benefit of cost-benefit consideration, if for nothing else.

    Suffice that the participant’s question jolted me and the entire class into trying to do two things: understand the question within the context of its consideration (advertising practice and service delivery), and in the face of its “strange-ness”, appreciate the propriety, for the benefit of us all.

    As it turned out, the seemingly simple (strange) question turned out a topical case-study for all. To appreciate the import and invaluable contribution of the question, one has to take it from its ordinary or surface meaning: is the value of advertising measureable? If it is, how is it measured? On the whole, therefore, is advertising accountable?

    Often times, advertising budgets are drawn up, based on the client’s resource capability. So what obtains is Agencies work based on the client’s brief. The other method of determining advertising budget is by appreciating the derived cost of driving proposed marketing or advertising solution – known problem. In other words, the client, often times the deep pocket ones, permit Agency’s budget proposal for consideration, in so far as the campaign proposal is considered good enough to help achieve set-objective. Either way, the driving force is expectation. It is either the campaign proposal is sold and approved wholly; including budget indication or the client manages to achieve a down-ward budget review, yet get the campaign executed as proposed, on the revised budget.

    So, the client’s brief determines the extent of agency presentation. And on client’s approval, the budget is spent on campaign execution…story ends. The question is “IS THE VALUE OF ADVERT MESSAGES MEASURED ON THE BASIS OF THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE ADVERTISERS’ GAINS IN RELATION TO THE AD-SPEND – in real or quantifiable terms?” In other words, how can the client determine the Return onhis/her advertising Investment (spend), to the extent of ‘justification and net-off’ on the balance sheet.

    So, the client briefs the agency for a sales promotion campaign, and at the end of executing the agency’s proposal, the brand managers seat-back to justify the advert spend. The question is whether thisis done, and by how much is the agency held accountable or credited for the plus or minuses captured at the end, if it really does happen.

    Within the context of conventional practice, it is not common practice for advert messages intervention to be held accountable in value terms. It is for the fact that has actually been one of the major problems facing advertising as an investment, ironically. It is because clients cannot expressly put value to the contribution of adverts in the gamut of marketing expenditures on the basis of cost-benefit analysis. In some big and properly structured marketing-driven corporate environment, the tradition is for advertising or brand support budget to be determined at a percentage of actual earnings based on historical records, for the projected engagement. That way, the head of marketing team pegs the ad-spend on the figure determined by such calculation. So it is the practice corporate players such asNigerian Breweries, Procter& Gamble andUnilever, to draw up advertising and marketing budgets, preparatory to yearly brand support activities.

    From the participant in reference’s perspective same process of drawing up advert budget should be structured to evaluate the contribution of advertising/marketing communication/brand support, post-engagement. To him, that will help put in perspective, the value and essence of advertising, in the scheme of marketing activities.

    This topic would have been very easily determined within the context of conventional advertising practice; a period when media platform was traditional, target audience psychographics were possibly run through standard format. Within that same context, target audience media habit never changed, in so far as the age bracket is same for any two assignments. For target consumer expectations, it was almost same, except that competition among brands threw up little variants of value offering within certain product categories, in which situation, particular attention is paid to possible target reaction to such stimulus.

    Within the conventional setting, evaluating contribution of advertising support to marketing was given to simple appropriation. The only social science figment in the system is that the extent of appropriation is directly equal to the extent of value proposition. So, the agency presentation convinces the client that a particular campaign is targeted to achieve ‘X’ value in (either) quantifiable or derived terms, the client does ahead to appropriate same measure of value as gains from advertising or brand support, in so far as the client’s team approved the agency’s presentation. It was that simple!

    In rare situations when the agency chose to impress a client towards deeper professional service delivery and peculiar competitive advantage, they introduce target response tracking or monitoring – through response coupon (press) and/or shelf off-take tracking (in a defined location). At the end of the day, clients are as good or satisfied, as the agency leads them.

    Looking back, this unscientific method of value measurement is responsible for the less than appropriate appreciation of the services of professional brand management, because in any way, who know the extent of advertising agency’s contribution (so, just anybody can do it!). Moving forward, therefore, it is important for clients, practitioners and students in brands management/advertising to be clearly certain on standard of value measurement of brand advertising support in marketing.

    MC&A DIGEST will drive this inquest to its conclusion next week; the task would be to identify that standard of value measurement of advertising in marketing. Until then, contribution from our readers will help.

  • Govt, outdoor advertising practitioners, meet

    Following a visit by Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola to its new office complex, the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), has hosted members of the outdoor advertising industry.

    The meeting, which was held under the leadership of the agency’s Managing Director, Mr. George Kayode Noah, was aimed at addressing some of the issues affecting the business in the state.

    Key on their agenda was the rate review for all outdoor advertisement structures. The billboards within military formations, discounts on vacant billboards, tightening the regulation on mobile advertisement as well as potential outdoor advertising opportunities within the new concession corridor, were also discussed.

    Noah said LASAA would explore all avenues to ensure that billboards within military formations are properly regulated, adding: “We have reduced our rates to the lowest at the moment. I believe writing letters to you is the only responsible way to ask you to pay all outstanding dues to the agency.”

    He also cleared the air on use of billboards, saying: “LASAA billboards are used as a vehicle for social communication to support and propagate the various programmes and projects of the state government.”

    On their part, stakeholders at the meeting sought continuous understanding from the agency regarding outstanding payments by defaulting members.

    The Managing Director of 21st Limited, Mr Femi Ogala, who sought more protection from LASAA, praised it and urged it to constantly organise such sessions to resolve some of the issues affecting the industry.

  • Saka’s porta-movement and functional advertising

    Saka’s porta-movement and functional advertising

    The one interesting thing about advertising is its flamboyance. With advertising, anything can go. Advertising enables what has come to be known as ‘free-styling’; full of entertainment, thrills, excitement and laughter. There is really no limit to which advertising can go, to create humor. It is in the neighborhood of advertising most of our “NOLLYWOOD” home-video play – ENTERTAINMENT!

    Advertising is entirely the creation of those commissioned to create them (to ‘tell a story’), not minding any grand rule. Advertising permits excessive freedom of self-expression. During my start-off years in brands management, the most frequent warning I received from my teachers was to be careful to distinguish between advertising and marketing communication: they are two different worlds of engagement: the one is functional, the other is void.

    With marketing communication, as in war, all the rules apply!

    So, ‘SAKA’ ported (moved from ETISALAT for MTN), and so what? One wonders the Client’s brief to the Agency for this tactical campaign on SAKA’s movement. Could it have been to create a campaign that will make fans of the character SAKA, as an actor, move to MTN by reason of his change of client (MTN is SAKA’s new client)? Or could it have been that the Client briefed the Agency for a campaign that will create the impression that SAKA moved over to MTN because it is a better network compared to Etisalat. Except for the simple reason of wanting to make money, the advert agency owed it a duty to the Client, to advise on the advertising objective for the said campaign and to help determine the marketing objective in quantifiable terms, compare same with the projected budget and take a decision based on the balanced cost-benefit analysis, in favor of profitability. The operative rule, for purposeful brands management is that every investment must add-up to some value appreciation at the bottom-line. The Agency behind this tactical campaign earn my appreciation on speed of execution and beautiful creative. Beyond that, I am afraid, not much is earned.

    Let us consider the Number Portability (NP) thing objectively; what has really changed? What is the NP thing bringing to bear, in real sense?

    As it is, Number Portability simply put, enables subscribers change network without losing their numbers. Essentially, therefore, I can decide to drop my GLO network and move over to MTN, for instance, but still retain my GLO numbers. That way, my contacts will not have to confuse my numbers; I do not need to re-connect with those on my contact list with my new numbers as a result of my having changed network, if the number portability were not to be. That is the benefit number portability offers. But truly, is that the issue facing subscribers in Nigeria today? I can clearly state that if that were to be the problems facing subscribers today, they would rather be celebrating, as it were, compared to the gross misconduct among the GSM operators presently. Let us consider the following:

    1. Quality of service. Which among the present GSM operators can proudly say it is delivering comparatively good telecommunication service, among the players? In case they do not know, they are all judged poor at various levels, by subscribers. The issues are poor voice clarity, call-drops, poor connectivity, frequency of call termination at destination, transparent billing system, ease of top-up or credit reload.

    2. Efficiency of Data Transfer – especially for internet service and BlackBerry and the social media users.

    3. Spread of distribution network – are subscribers in far-away Fugar in Edo state readily get a given network’s recharge card for top-up? Perhaps sales teams for GSM operators should be told this, the extent of reach and market penetration for recharge cards is, to a large extent, determined by the trade margin on offer. I have experienced trade apathy against a certain operator based on very low trade margin at the retail end.

    4. Image perception. At different degree and on perception of delivery at the various subscriber value touch-points, subscribers have different negative impression of every of the GSM operators. Some are considered deceptive, some other ‘thieves’, some others unpatriotic and snobbish, while others are considered ill equipped to perform. Depending on a given subscriber’s experience, each of the operators is perceived negatively at some point. For instance, my elder brother replaced one for another based on “better service delivery, subscriber-friendliness, relatively more affordable call rate and connectivity at remote locations. There are many others like him….

    Generally, subscribers complain of poor quality, insensitivity to subscribers’ needs, high call rate, and unfriendly cost profile (for instance, subscribers – including me – think text messages should be free). But for GLO, per-second billing would still have been a dream. That brand earned a fair size of its market share and earned substantial subscribe loyalty by that huge investment that positioned it as a sincere/ honest, subscriber-friendly and reliable brand. NCC did not do anything about the per-minute billing while the cry was on. In fact MTN made it look like per-second billing was not possible.

    Among data transfer category users, the choice of platform for internet-based services such as the BlackBerry service and the social media options is determined by level of technical infrastructure development and sophistication (not ‘SAKA).

    Putting it clearly, subscribers would rather that NCC live up to its responsibility of enabling improved telecommunications service in more concrete terms and protecting them from the not-too-transparent trade practices of some of these GSM operators, drive down call rates or costs and upping over-all quality standard, instead of trivialities such as NIMBER PORTABILITY. Number Portability is beautiful, but the issue is that it is only the ‘icing on the cake’ in this market challenged in the fundamentals of telecommunication service delivery. The basic and rudiments are suffering, therefore, attention and efforts should be invested in improving the service delivery at that level. Nobody is interested in number portability, at this point, because none of the operators is equipped enough or adequately positioned as a rescue option. In other words, every subscriber in Nigeria has more than one reason to complain of his or her present service provider, based on their failure to deliver at their critical value touch-points. My old mother will not leave her house in my village and travel to Auchi to request for number porting (and wait for 48 hours for process completion) JUST because of call-drop or poor voice quality when she has been living with them for over 8years now, and when the other operators are equally guilty of same issues. That is why number portability will remain unattractive to well over 90% of subscribers. What does number portability amount to, for a subscriber subscribed to all-four networks yet unsatisfied? The various customer-care centers are frustrating, to say the least. For whatever reason, customer service personnel treat complainants/subscribers with disdain. What does it all amounts to when it is still a nightmare to effect SIM card replacement or retrieval? NCC knows this number portability thing is a joke, at best, a cosmopolitan novelty. There are more worrisome issues requiring of NCC’s immediate and executive intervention.

    Subscribers are still the losers in all.

    ETISALAT has nothing to lose with ‘SAKA’s movement. MTN cannot justify its ad spend on this SAKA thing; the excitement the campaign generated did not last two weeks. Subscribers will not switch service provider in favor of MTN because SAKA switched ‘CLIENT’. The Ad Agency should have properly advised the Client on this matter (professionalism!): brands thrive on consistent delivery on promise, such that resonates with the target audience at the critical value touch-point, not minding whether such offers are on the platform of services or products, luxury or essentials: the expectation is the same. NCC should please live up to its responsibility to subscribers in Nigeria.

    ‘SAKA’ is the only WINNER in this instance.

     

  • Choosing your advertising agency

    Choosing your advertising agency

    It took some time to cast the topic for this piece, for the same reason we thought of working on it. The options were various as they were finely different in meaning and implication. Our choice was finally determined by the need to eliminate ambiguity, controversy and argument, just so that the import is not lost in us. We are also clear in our minds, the need to cut out any such distractions occasioned by semantics, flamboyance for reasons of modernity.

    To begin, therefore, advertising agencies will remain Advertising Agencies as we know it. We do not have any qualms with those who like to be seen and referred to as creative hot-shops, brand activators…and all such other identities which, at best, come across as desperate attempt at differentiation, it all comes down to ideas and creative work that sell. According to Drew Cannon in her article “How To Choose an Advertising Agency” posted on inc.com in August 11, 2011, unlike in the past when advert agencies were traditionally defined along certain structures, agencies now come in varying forms today, starting from 10-men experimental to enormous traditional firms with global reach, and everything in-between.

    We have come to accommodate these products of change, not minding how they present themselves, provided they keep the underlying essence of creative ideas and work that sell brands.

    The focus of this piece is draw attention to the importance of advertising agency engagement and the need for brands or brand owners to see the process as very crucial to the success of their brand(s) and entire marketing success, and as such, to strictly adhere to the process, for their own good. Brand management is systematic, procedural, creative and objective-driven. These characteristics explains why on value measurement, what you get is a direct consequence of what was invested (the computer’s GIGO – garbage in, garbage-out).

    Last week, we considered a set of variables in the process of developing brand communication or brand advertising messages, grouped as the imperatives of the creative process. In it we laid out those key elements that must be derived in the creative process. Every one of those listed elements is weighty and consequential upon the quality of creative product in form of advert or campaign. Characteristically, they can only be derived by working through every step of the creative process.

    Because of their importance, deriving these creative elements is the essence of the advertising agency engaged for the job or assignment of working through the creative process. Suffice, therefore, the agency’s quality, strength, capability has a direct relationship and consequence on the quality of the final creative output or product. In other words, an agency-driven brand support is only as good, effective, creative, impactful and successful, to the extent the engaged advertising agency is competent. Interestingly, the competence or strength of any creative team or advertising agency can be determined, just as the creative imperatives for good and effective creative process and products are derived. Therefore, just as it is the job of the creative team to derive the imperatives for top-end creative product(s), so it is the duty of the client and/or its representative to determine the right advertising agency or team to be engaged to manage their brand.

    There-in lays the justification for a systematic (and creative) agency selection process.

    As in every process, selecting or appointing an agency is indeed, only a process. It is open to individual determination along the gamut of adherence. The extent to which the process which we see as equally a creative process is adhered to is a function of the extent to which the selecting team considers it as important, understands its import and consequence, and its intellectual and creative capacity to judge the weighty issues. There must be the will and ability to work the process.

    There have been instances where Agency selection process stretches for very long through several stages. For some clients, consultants are engaged to guide them through the process. There have also been cases where the selection process results in a tie between two or more agencies, and the final choice becomes dependent on news and more critical factors. In a situation where it becomes too difficult to clearly agree on the winner-agency, a particular business or account is shared between two agencies because they are considered equally tied based on the agreed parameters set for the selection process.

    Selecting and engaging the advertising agency for a brand is serious and as important as developing the brand itself. That is why, in ideal situation, the process is devoid of emotion. In her article “HOW TO CHOOSE AN ADVERTISING AGENCY” (posted on in.com on August 11, 2011), Drew Cannon, among other submissions, break the process into four major steps: ASKING – about for the agencies that fall within the pre-determined consideration bracket, WRITING – a request for proposal (in other words, writing the brief), SEARCH thoroughly (carefully run through a guided selection procedure), and ENTER into selection meetings prepared (agency engagement). Cannon’s submission can be taken as a very brief summary of the ideal agency selection and engagement process, open to expansion and a more detailed and functional model. But the important thing here is that it captures the reason and operative guideline for a proper agency selection process: THE (MARKETING) OBJECTIVE!

    Marketing and its attendant consideration and actions are derived and determined at every point. The process starts with and ends with the client, but focused on the brand and the target market, which is the reason for being. It is the consequence of every such action on the bottom-line (which is the marketing objective for the brand and brand-owners, that makes it imperative for the right decision to be taken at every step of the way. In turn, that right step is as spelt out on the (client’s) brief.

    It all starts with THE BRIEF.

    The process starts with the client’s brief to the initially chosen agencies, inviting them to a pitch. It is upon the strength of the client’s brief, the agencies prepare for presentation at a pitch setting. In turn, invited agencies make a presentation of their proposal, which should essentially be their understanding and interpretation of the client’s brief. After the presentation, the client goes back to score the agencies based on the strength of their presentation, with the initiating brief as the reference point. Nothing is given to chance, whims and caprices; the brief takes pre-eminence over every other consideration. The very important consideration in the entire process is the brief. Therefore, the brief has to be professionally written, focused, strategically focused and robust in its consideration of immediate and future success of the brand at the market place.

    The flip side of this analysis is the compromise of the ideal agency selection and engagement process. Unlike in the ideal scenario, the compromised system does not respect the brief. It is all based on personal gains, unstructured method, unsystematic process based on the whims and judgment of individuals who operate outside any pattern. The compromised system does not take the brand into consideration. The decision maker’s choice is based determined by personal relationship, immediate financial gains and other selfish considerations. That is why, as at today, over 75% of big brand management businesses are in the hands of service providers who either outright non-professionals or those who engaged in distant related endeavors such as journalism and public relations, but now positions as brand management consultants BECAUSE THEY ARE CONNECTED TO THE MAN/WOMAN WHO DECIDES WHO MANAGES THE BRAND.

    In our market place, mediocrity has taken over professionalism as a consequence of corruption, greed and selfishness. Apart from the profession and professionals who suffer from this corrupt system, brands are failing, the consumer/market is suffering and investments are failing – except we go back to the ideal situation.