Presently, Lanre Adisa, the new president of Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, AAAN is managing multiple official roles.
In addition to his functions as the Group CEO of Noah’s Ark, a creative agency he founded in 2008, he is also the chairman of Heads of Advertising Sectoral Group, HASG, a body that comprises Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), Media Independent Practitioners of Nigeria (MIPAN), Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), and Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN).
Chairmanship of HASG rotates among these associations. The Group’s objectives include promoting investment in advertising services, fostering trust in the advertising sector, nurturing closer relationships among advertising sectoral associations, and engaging in discussions on regulations affecting advertising practices in Nigeria
The roles as head of these bodies for anybody, no doubt could be challenging as each of the functions demands significant attention, energy and focus. However, it is believed that Adisa, as an experienced creative entrepreneur, who in more than 30 years has held top creative roles in Rosabel, Franchise, Insight and TBWA can balance the multiple functions with effective organisation and prioritising tasks.
Resolving ADVAN issues with HASG
In HASG, Lanre has enormous tasks ahead of him. These include resolving the impasse between the ADVAN and HASG.
On July 1, 2024, ADVAN wrote a letter to HASG withdrawing from the group. It cited HASG’s departure from its objectives.
In its response, HASG under former chairman, Femi Adelusi , then president of MIPAN appealed to ADVAN to rescind its decision to withdraw from the group emphasizing need for collaboration in the multibillion Naira marketing communication industry.
This issue, which is deeper from its surface and now on Lanre table is yet to be resolved.
Since the introduction of Advertising Industry Standard of Practice (AISOP) in December, 2021 which was operational in January 2022, the advertising eco-system has erupted with ADVAN disagreeing with certain provisions of the law including the 45 days payment mandate for contracts.
ADVAN, among other things says that AISOP makes an unconstitutional attempt to infringe on the rights of private entities to determine their contractual terms but Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, ARCON insists that AISOP seeks to improve mutual respect, eradicate unfair advantage, unethical competition and inequitable engagement terms between stakeholders in the advertising and marketing communication sector of the economy.
OAAN chartered status
Another issue hanging on the neck of Lanre as HASG chairman is the current bill in the Senate sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe which seeks to guarantee Chartered status to OAAN. Some stakeholders fear that the bill when passed will give regulatory status to OAAN which may perhaps rival ARCON functions.
But speaking at 2024 OAAN annual meeting recently in Ibadan, OAAN President, Sola Akinsiku assured that “contrary to postulations in certain quarters, the bill will not in any way contradict or contend with the current powers of ARCON. It will indeed help to further enhance the relevance of ARCON, and promote sanity in the out of Home media sector “. The industry needs more clarity on the proposed bill.
Furthermore, HASG can begin to take positions on government policies and make suggestions to guide policies for the advertising sector and the economy. This stand will not only make HASG as a knowledgeable organisation whose members are concerned about the economic process but it will also give them a voice in the system.
HASG can also consider a physical or virtual library where data and necessary information about the Nigerian advertising sector can be retrieved for research purposes.
For Lanre’s primary constituency, the AAAN, he has to push the frontiers further from where Steve Babaeko, the immediate past president stopped. Lanre is the 22nd president of the body formed in 1973.
Babaeko executive advanced the AdCademy. The AdCademy concept started during the tenure of the Chairman of Troyka Group, Biodun Shobanjo as President of AAAN in 1995. It was earlier planned to be a brick and mortar college with physical classes.
After the conceptualisation of the idea of the academy by Shobanjo led government in AAAN in 1995-1997 period, it has followed with promises for its establishment. Subsequent AAAN presidents after Shobanjo were Steve Omojafor -1997-1999; Udeme Ufot -1999-2001; Bola Thomas- 2001-2003; Kolawale Ayawale 2003-2005; Enyi Odigbo -2005-2007; Lolu Akinwunmi -2007-2009; Funmi Onabolu- 2009-2011; Rufai Ladipo -2011-2012; Bunmi Oke 2012-2014; Kelechi Nwosu -2014-2016; Kayode Oluwasona – 2016-2018; Ikechi Odigbo -2018-2020 and Steve Babaeko -2020 –2024.
Babaeko led executive entered into partnership with Henley Business School, an initiative conceived to enhance professional development and strategic capabilities of members to ensure that the association continues to lead the line of innovation in the industry.
Presently the reputation and publicity for the AdCademy within the industry and externally need to be enhanced. The industry can place it at par with schools like LBS and ESUT as Lanre takes it further from where Babaeko stopped
AAAN is hugely involved in is the “Brand Nigeria Campaign”, which is hoped to spark the country’s rebranding journey proposed to begin in October this year. The industry is waiting and watching how Lanre –led association moves in this campaign to turn the poor perceived image of Nigeria around.
The industry also needs to strengthen its relationship with the government.
While the industry may be very proficient at producing and airing great adverts which help in the selling of their clients’ products and services, the industry can do well to market itself by selling the importance of the industry to the government and other key stakeholders, this was the view of Ronan Redmond, a communication expert.
Perhaps this is why the industry role in calculating value of the industry and its involvement in Brand Campaign Nigeria should be taken seriously. ‘’Calculating market size can help convince those potential investors and financial supporters that the advertising industry is a sector in which they can put their trust and finances into’’, Ronan told industry players at the 2020 advertising conference in Abuja.
Clients relationship with advert agencies in terms of pitch fees in line with ARCON mandates must be strengthened.
In a bid to ensure the healthiness of AAAN members which will culminate in the vibrancy of the industry, Lanre as President of AAAN and HASG can borrow from the advice Lolu Akinwunmi Group CEO, Prima Garnet Africa gave to OAAN.
As various businesses struggle to survive in Nigeria, Lolu Akinwunmi advised owners of out-of-home (OOH) advertising businesses on strategies to survive and even thrive during times of recession and economic downturns.
He offered some survival strategies which include diversification of clients’ base: He said relying on a diverse range of clients across different industries can help cushion the impact if certain sectors are hit harder than others. He told them to “Consider targeting essential services, government business, and sectors less affected by economic downturns”.
He told the OOH members to Operate Flexible Pricing Models such as discounts for long-term contracts, bundled deals, or pay-per-performance models. This, he said can attract budget-conscious clients while maintaining better cash flow.
Another clue was Maximisation of Efficiency: The marketing expert advised them to streamline operations to reduce costs without compromising service quality. This could involve renegotiating contracts with suppliers, optimizing maintenance schedules for billboards, and minimizing the number of staff and employing technology to automate certain processes.
Akinwunmi also advised the advertisers to Offer Value-Added Services by differentiating business by offering additional services such as campaign analytics, creative design, or integrated marketing solutions. “Providing these extras can make your OOH services more attractive to clients. Even if you don’t set up corollaries to do these, you can partner ad agencies that can do these for you and help increase your income stream”.
He also told them to Focus on Local and Community-Based Advertising. “Target smaller, local businesses that may be looking for cost-effective ways to reach their immediate audience. Everyone cannot have a telco or banking account, and yet there are smaller clients that require your kind of services. Community-focused advertising can also resonate better during economic hardships”.
If Lanre was sleeping with two eyes closed, he now needs to sleep with one eye closed as he has big tasks ahead of him as the industry expects him to succeed. Other African countries are looking upto Nigeria’s advertising industry. AAAN, HASG and ARCON must therefore work in tandem to push the frontiers.
