OAAN urges sectoral collaborations, tech investment to drive industry growth

By Clifford Amuzuo

The leadership of Out of Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) has called for positive collaboration amongst sectoral groups in Nigeria’s Integrated Marketing communications ecosystem to bring about collective contributions for growth of the industry.
The Association , similarly called on business operators in the industry to ensure continuous investments in technological infrastructure to remain competitive and futuristic in the emerging global communications sphere.
President of OAAN, Sola Akinsiku who made the call recently in an exclusive television media chat said, although Nigeria’s Marketing communications industry was growing , infrastructural challenges remained major stumbling block to growth of the industry and as such, he said, for the industry to remain competitive and match global trends, operators must do well to ensure investments in current emerging technologies , including the internet, data and Artificial intelligence .
The Association boss who emphasized current efforts to enshrine professionalism in Out of Home advertising practice also admonished the practitioners on the need to adhere strictly to statutory provisions as stipulated by industry regulator – Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON).
“I will say the Marketing industry is growing.. We are coping with the demands of advertisers, we are coping with the demands of even consumers, but again the challenges of infrastructure, the challenges of data, the challenges of internet are there”
“For us to be competitive we must invest in all of these, we must invest in Marketing communications technology, we must invest even in AI regardless of weather we see it as a challenge,or not. Its never a challenge rather it helps execution”
“My take is that the Marketing communications industry in Nigeria is growing but we still need to improve collaborations among the various sectors to make for individual sectorial growth , to make informed contribution into the pool of Marketing Communications, remember, advertising derives from marketing and not the other way round”

The Association boss described working relationships between OAAN and ARCON as mutual and cordial, noting that the Council’s role in putting standards to play in advertising practice in the industry is crucial and critical.
“On regulatory issues, it is important to be on the side of the Law at all times. Weather a Law is good or bad it is the Law until it is vacated. To practice advertising in whatever form, you must abide with, you must agree with, you must move with the regulations,. It’s not only in Out of Home, You can’t expose any advertisement that has been classified without having it approved. No you can’t do t. ARCON has to certify that this is good for human consumption “
So I want to request or advise that whoever’s must practice both in Out of Home, even media buying, those who create advertisements, there are things u can’t say in your advertisement”
“I am privileged to know that because I was Secretary to ASP. I was head of Vetting in APCON at a time and so I know there are things u must not leak and so you must abide with the rules and regulations.”