Advertisers Association of Nigeria pulls out of the Heads of Advertising Sectoral Group

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The decision of the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) to pull out of the Heads of Advertising Sectoral Group (HASG) has continued to dominate discussions in the nation’s integrated marketing communications space of late.

ADVAN, in the letter addressed to the chairman of the Group, Dr Femi Adelusi and signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Ediri Ose-Ediale, stated that it was taking the decision based on the current actions of HASG which were not in tune with the Group’s stated objectives.

“While our participation in HASG provided valuable opportunities to collaborate with dedicated industry professionals, we have come to the realisation that there is a misalignment between the current actions of HASG and its stated objectives,” the association had stated.

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Some of the objectives it stated 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 the advertising practice in Nigeria.

ADVAN claimed that in spite of its efforts at engaging constructively, its input had been largely ignored.

Interestingly, while some find the association’s recent decision puzzling, many stakeholders simply see the development as in tune with the new nomenclature of a ‘non-conformist’ the association has attracted to itself lately

These stakeholders argued that the decision would not be the first the association would be taking to disassociate itself from laudable industry efforts after it must have played a part at the initial stages of such projects.

This may not be farther from the truth. The list of such industry projects the association should have been at the forefront of but which it publicly declined has continued to grow.

First was the Advertising Industry Standards of Practice (AISOP). ADVAN was conspicuously missing at the launch of AISOP in 2021, claiming its inputs were not sought before the document was prepared.

Interestingly, it was part of the committee through its former President, Bunmi Adetiba, set up to midwife the process that gave birth to AISOP. And, despite being described by the HASG as ‘in the industry’s best interest,’ ADVAN was to later put up a disclaimer on the document.

The second was the Advertising Code. In a bid to upend the advertising ecosystem and rid it of certain practices it considered sharp and potentially injurious to the industry, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) decided to introduce a new set of laws guiding the practice.

However, while all the sectoral groups, including ADVAN, through Mrs Bridget Odusanmi, had their representatives on the committee that designed the code, the association was to later distance itself from anything that had to do with the document and push back on the code implementation.

Another was the Audience Measurement System (AMS). The AMS was meant to calculate the number of people in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership. It is also meant to take care of newspaper and magazine readership and web traffic.

All sectoral groups in the industry were involved. ADVAN was represented by its president, Mr Osamede Uwubanmwen, only for the association to later deny its involvement and refuse to be part of the launch.

Replying to ADVAN’s letter of decline then, the Secretary to the Ministerial Task Team on Industry Audience Measurement System and Other Related Reforms in the Advertising Sector in Nigeria, Joe Mutah, had expressed the team’s surprise at the association’s decision not to be part of the launch, “considering its active representation” in the team.

National Advertising Conference (NAC) was yet another. The conference, undoubtedly the largest gathering of stakeholders in the advertising industry, is organised by ARCON and held annually in Abuja. Despite being invited to be part of the huge industry event in December last year, the association declined.

On the Advertising Size and Contributions to GDP, ADVAN also refused to be part of the Multiplier Study Committee set up by ARCON and funded by various industry associations to determine the industry’s size and its contributions to the nation’s GDP.

Brand Nigeria Project. The Brand Nigeria Project stemmed from discussions at one of the national advertising conferences on the need for the sector to highlight the immense positives in the country and change the persistent negative narratives Nigeria continued to garner, especially from the foreign media.

It is a self-imposed task meant to be the industry’s contribution into the several efforts aimed at repositioning the country and attract the much-needed foreign direct investment. Laudable as this was, ADVAN also declined participation.

Implications for ADVAN

Not a few believe that the association’s decision not to be on the same page with the industry is not without its implications.

Speaking on the development, a practitioner, who would not want his name in print, stated that if the association continues on this path, it may signal its descent into oblivion since the industry is beginning to do without it.

“For instance, we all thought that its refusal to be part of the Multiplier Study Committee would hamper the works of the committee since data from members of the association were needed and crucial to whatever outcome the committee would present. But members voluntarily submitted the relevant information despite their association’s intransigence,” the practitioner stated.

The practitioner also cited the several successful industry activities that had been held in the past without any input from ADVAN.

“Look at the last National Advertising Conference, it was only ADVAN that refused to participate, yet, that did not take the shine off the event. Interestingly some of its members have continued to be part and parcel of the industry’s activities without having to wait for the nod from the association.

“I think ADVAN is fast becoming a non-conformist in the industry and the toga seems to be sitting pretty well on the association,” the practitioner stated.

Another practitioner, however, believes the recalcitrance of the leadership of the association might lead some undiscerning members astray.

“While I agree there may be one or two things to be sorted out, the direction the association is being driven can never be in the interest of the members. If it continues this way, how do members, especially the younger ones, benefit from the experiences networking with others outside your sector provides?

“Nobody benefits from being a member of a pariah group. It isolates you from a lot of things. Unfortunately, the world has become a global village where different societies and groups are intricately interwoven. It is therefore dangerous to operate in silos in such ‘global village’ as ADVAN is presently doing,” the source added.

Interestingly, the industry continues to watch whether the association will continue in this descent into oblivion.