The Advertising Practitioners Council Of Nigeria (APCON), on Wednesday, January 19th, 2022, inducted 63 Fellows at the prestigious Radisson Blu in Lagos.
The event was well attended by the doyens of advertising across the country. This is coming after 10 years of not inducting new fellows for advertising practitioners in Nigeria. APCON registrar, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, said the 10-year wait was due to the absence of a governing council which was dissolved as well as a substantive Registrar
He restated the commitment of the council to providing conducive business and professional grounds to make sure that the practice and business of advertising in Nigeria is conducted in an ethical manner without compromising best practices.
He said: “It is also my pleasure to heartily congratulate the advertising practitioners that would today be inducted into the fellowship cadre of the advertising profession having satisfactorily met the required criteria stipulated by law and consequently attaining the highest and distinguished class in the profession.
“This is a delightful moment for APCON and the advertising industry particularly being that the last fellows’ induction was held over 10 years ago. In the course of my two-and-a-half decades in this industry, I have known each of the inductees personally and I have worked with virtually every one of them in different capacities, therefore, I can attest that none of the fellows inducted today lacked the professional aptitude to be designated as such.” Fadolapo added that the regulations of the council have been reformed.
“To further this idea, we have introduced some reforms to complement the prevailing regulations, proclamations, and other subsidiary instruments established and adopted as legal frameworks for the industry.
“Recently, the Advertising Industry Standard of Practice (AISOP) was established to provide a minimum standard for business engagement in the industry 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. The highlights of the AISOP are Media Rates Deregulation: No sector of the Industry should be allowed cap or determine what media houses should charge as media advert rates. However, media houses must give at least 30 days’ notice before the implementation of a new media rate. It is also provided that advertisers and agencies must accord Nigeria media houses the same mutual respect they accord foreign media operating in Nigeria and all stakeholders will have to align with best practices.
“ Credit Policy: In line with best practices, payment for media and other advertisement services would be done within 45 days. Any payment after 45 days will attract interest at the prevailing CBN interest rate. Advertisers and agencies would have to honour advertising and marketing communications invoices promptly and parties to a business transaction must be transparent in their dealings.
“Agency Engagement Process: Pitch procedure has become professionalized as parties in pitch process must respect Nigeria’s copyright law. Pitch fees would now be paid to agencies that participated in a pitch process in line with best practices while profile presentations, agency visits, meet-and-greets are made free. However, Strategy and/or Creative Presentation attracts pitch fees if the agency participates in a pitch. “Agency Disengagement Policy: Where advertisers decide to disengage an agency, an incoming agency, the outgoing agency and the advertiser must reconcile all financial obligations which have arisen during the existence of the business relationship. The outgoing agency must hand over the assets and liabilities of the account to the new agency to enable interested parties to track financial obligations and responsibilities
“Contract: All contracts of advertisement, advertising, and marketing communications mandatorily expected to be in writing and duly signed by parties involved in the contract. AAAN Chairman, and former Chairman, Zenith Bank, Sir Steve Omojafor, who was also present at the event congratulated the newly inducted fellows of APCON. He said:
“I congratulate and welcome the newly inaugurated fellows into the eminent fold of the highest category of membership recognised by APCON’s enabling Act.
“ On behalf of APCON, doyens, and fellows of the advertising profession and advertising community, I welcome you to the fellowship cadre of the profession. I wish you the very best in all your endeavours,” he said. The inductees expressed appreciation for the distinguished honour which represented a recognition of their professionalism and impact over the years.
Some of the practitioners who were honoured with the highest level memberships include Omoba Segun Adewale, Ikpe Kennedy Onyeali, Steve Babaeko, Alaba Fadero, Kelechi Nwosu, Yinka Adebayo, Okeke Christopher Emeka, Adelusi Olufemi, Benson Abayomi, Ajufo Emmanuel and a host of others.
The event was graced with the presence of Nigeria’s “Father of Advertising” and CEO Troyka Holdings Limited— Biodun Shobanjo; Chairman of STB McCann and former Chairman of Zenith Bank, Sir Steve Omojafor; Heads of Sectoral Groups including Femi Adelusi, Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN)
Others are Steve Babaeko, President, Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN); Tunji Adeyinka, Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN); Idorenyen Enang, President, National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN); and many other notable advertising professionals.
–Joseph Seun Emmanuel
+234-(806)648-1017
+234-(812)624-9522
READ ALSO: UK CELEB LADY ABIOLA OLOJEDE & SIBLINGS BURY DAD
Send Us News, Gist, more... to citypeopleng@gmail.com | Twitter: @CitypeopleMagz
