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  • Pat Utomi, APCON Boss, Others To Speak At Brandcomfest 2021

    Pat Utomi, APCON Boss, Others To Speak At Brandcomfest 2021

     

    Popular political economist and Professor of Entrepreneurship, Prof Pat Utomi will be the Keynote Speaker at the 2021 Brandcomfest scheduled for Thursday, 18th November at the D’Podium Event Center, Ikeja, Lagos.

     

    In a statement made available to BUSINESS BELLS by the organisers, Utomi is billed to speak on “Dissecting the Prism of brand building in a volatile economy”, which is also the main theme of this year’s event.

     

    The event is free to attend, but interested participants are required to register at  https://www.brandcom.ng/brandcomfest/

     

    The erudite Professor is a fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of Nigeria and founding Senior Faculty of the Lagos Business School-Pan Atlantic University, and Chairman and Chief Executive of the Integrated Produce City (IPC). He is also the Executive Vice Chairman of SmartCity Lagos, a joint holding with Dubai Holdings by SmartCity Dubai.

     

    He has served on the Africa Board of a leading global professional service firm, Deloitte, and was Director of The Centre for Applied Economics at the Lagos Business School.

     

    Utomi has served in senior positions in government, as an Adviser to the President of Nigeria; the Private Sector, as Chief Operating Officer for Volkswagen of Nigeria, and in academia. He is the author of many business and public policy books including the award-winning “Managing Uncertainty: Competition and Strategy in Emerging Economies, 1998 and the 2006 book “Why Nations are Poor”, “The Art of Leading”, 2016, as well as “WHY NOT”, 2019.

     

    He is the Chairman of PAFTRAC the Pan African Private Sector Trade and Investment Committee sponsored by AU and Afrexim Bank. He is also the Founder and CEO of the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL). He was a candidate for President of Nigeria in 2007 and 2011.

     

    Other key speakers at the event include Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, Registrar/ CEO, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Emmanuel Agu, Group Marketing Director, Jotna Nig Ltd; Amaka Onyemelukwe, Director, Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability, The Coca Cola Company; Titilope Oguntuga, Head, Sustainable Development/ Corp. Brand, Lafarge Africa; Israel Opeyemi, Chief Strategist, Chain Reaction; Femi Adelusi, President MIPAN, and many others.

     

    Some will also be speaking on various sub-themes under the following segments; Fintech, Sustainability, Insurance Marketing, SME Brand Masterclass, FMCG, Industry Standard of Practice, PR among others.

     

    Brandcomfest is designed to be the largest gathering of stakeholders in the brand and marketing communications landscape. The annual event caters to the most contemporary and topical issues in the industry, as the foremost thought-leadership platform for stakeholders within the brands and marketing communications value chain.

     

    According to Joshua Ajayi, convener of Brandcomfest and publisher of Brand Communicator, “Last year, because of COVID we could not hold the event but this year we are back, to do bigger and better than what we did at our maiden edition in 2019 which was one of the biggest events of that year. Brandcomfest is more essential at this time which is the reason for the choice of our theme.

     

     “The essence of Brandcomfest remains the same post-COVID and it is to serve as our way of linking the future, in line with the vision which we have religiously kept faith with since we hit the newsstands over a decade ago”.

     

    Brand Communicator is Nigeria’s most consistent brand and marketing communications magazine. It is also the organiser of the Women in Marketing and Communications Conference/Awards (WIMCA), the largest gathering of female marketing and communications professionals in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. It is also a partner to the two biggest creative advertising shows on the continent, Loeries Africa Middle East and African Cristal Festival.

     

  • ADVAN Kicks Against APCON’s AISOP

    ADVAN Kicks Against APCON’s AISOP

     

    The Advertisers Association of Nigeria, ADVAN has rejected the implementation of the new Advertising Industry Standard of Practice, AISOP.

     

    ADVAN submitted that the AISOP makes an unconstitutional attempt to infringe on the rights of private entities to determine their contractual terms.

     

    However, while ADVAN said it is very supportive of the plan to create a Standard of Practice for the advertising industry, it noted that a key objective of the association is to facilitate and support progress in the advertising and marketing communications industry.

     

    Bunmi Adeniba,  Acting President, ADVAN, in the statement signed by him noted; “ADVAN is excited to be a part of any initiative towards the development of industry best practice which will facilitate business and economic growth.

     

    “The Supreme Court has in many decisions, pronounced that the rationale for freedom of contract is founded on public policy: i.e., parties of full age and competent understanding are deemed to have the utmost liberty of contracting, and that their contracts when entered freely and voluntarily must be held sacred and be enforced by courts of law.

     

    “Furthermore, as principal benefactors of Advertising services our role and input with regards to this AISOP has not been fully onboarded, the current AISOP is void of critical elements that protect the rights and interest of the ADVAN community.

     

    “It is the submission of ADVAN and all its members, that the current AISOP does not serve collective interest, but rather permits unfair authority of certain parties over others and   creates an unfriendly business framework. It portrays a clear indication of discriminatory standards where the AISOP document in section 5 sub section b (Discounts and Commissions) states that “No party will unilaterally dictate or impose rates on another party except as may be mutually agreed by upon by the parties” however in the summary submitted to the press there is a clause that states “Media rates may be increased at any time provided that at least 30 days’ notice is given prior to implementation”. Latter of which was not included on original documents, further portraying an inconsistency in expectation.

     

    ADVAN requests that in all instances, the condition of a mutually agreed terms by both parties be upheld and not only as it applies to expectations from Advertisers.

     

    Government has a specific and critical role in supporting industry development by providing fair and enabling legislation and guidelines for ethical business practices, this involvement however, should not overrule the constitutional rights of business entities to conduct legitimate business activities.

     

    The perception of a discriminatory regulatory system will be counterproductive to the collective objective of creating a conducive business environment.

     

    Consequently, in the interest of creating an inclusive free, fair, and transparent industry standard of practice, ADVAN has sent in a clear representation of expectation. ADVAN is on standby for the acknowledgment of this position and further engagement on a standard of practice framework that is in the mutual interest of all.

  • APCON Inducts 73 Newly Registered Members, Hunts for New Framework for Minimum Standard for Advertising Practitioners

    APCON Inducts 73 Newly Registered Members, Hunts for New Framework for Minimum Standard for Advertising Practitioners

     

    ….graduates 172

     

    The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) has inducted 73 new members into the professional advertising practice while conducting the graduation ceremony for 172 students from its professional diploma in advertising programme.

     

    The ceremony which held at the Radisson Blu hotel, Ikeja, Lagos State on 21st June, 2021 was graced by the presence of distinguished personalities, and industry players in the sectors. These include, APCON Registrar/Chief Executive, DR. Olalekan Fadolapo; Vice Chairman/Group Chief Executive Officer, Troyka Holdings Limited, MR. Jimi Awosika; Deputy Director, Registration, Career Matters and Corporate License Directorate, APCON, Mr Joe- Eugene Onuorah; and President, Media Independent Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), Femi Adelusi amongst others.

     

    In his special remarks, APCON Registrar, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo while addressing the graduands encouraged them to work assiduously to improve themselves and support the efforts of the approved governing council consciously, and in full knowledge that as a stakeholder, their contributions and support are valuable to the growth of the profession.

     

    His words: “I heartily congratulate the graduates and candidates for induction, as well as the associate registered practitioners who will be upgraded to full membership having satisfactorily fulfilled the requirements in accordance with the provisions of the Advertising Practitioners (Registration Etc.) Act, CAP A7, Laws of Federation of Nigerian 2004.”

     

    He further stated: “It is also important to note that APCON recognizes the importance of continuous training and constant engagement with young professionals in our industry. We encourage you to consider our training programmes a priority for your personal development and to participate in them regularly.”

     

    The guest speaker, Mr. Jimi Awosika commenting on the induction ceremony explained that periodic admission of professional practitioners is the mechanism on which the sustainability or decline of institutions hinge, “much like birth to families keep the human race going”.

     

    The Registrar extended his apologies to the old graduands whose graduation ceremonies have not been conducted.

     

     “The Council sincerely regrets the delay in holding the graduation ceremony earlier for some of the graduates here today. The transitory absence of a Governing Council led to those circumstances which elicited the intervention of the Honorable Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed to ensure your successful passage into our noble profession. That is why we are putting together all the graduands of the time past, to the most recent people that have graduated from our programme,” he said.

     

    APCON maintains a strong focus on its vision of promoting responsible and ethical advertising practice, acts as the conscience of society in matters of commercial communications and as a watchdog for consumers. It also manages the needs and interests of stakeholders in Nigeria’s advertising industry.

     

    To enroll for the APCON Professional Diploma in Advertising programme, candidates must possess a Degree or Higher National Diploma in any discipline.

     

    A candidate whose degree or HND is in advertising, mass communications, marketing or graphics arts will be exempted from courses they have passed on the presentation of original and valid academic transcripts from the awarding institution.

     

    Successful completion of this programme qualifies the candidate for the APCON Professional Diploma in Advertising, required for registration as an associate member of the advertising profession.

     

    Meanwhile, the advertising regulatory body has announced that it has re-jigged its efforts across a broad spectrum of the council’s influence to bring about operational framework efficiencies across the different sectoral groups.

     

    According to Registrar/CEO, the council has set up a committee made up of all sectoral groups in the industry to produce a suitable framework to define a minimum standard expected in any relationship by the parties playing the industry’s field of business.

     

    “The Standard of Practice Committee has since began work and the outcome of the exercise is expected to be adopted and given the operational force of law. With this, we hope to curb the incessant debt claims and counterclaims between advertisers, agencies, and media houses while making our model the subject of emulation globally,” he further disclosed.

     

    Referring to multiple approaches being deployed, Dr. Fadolapo disclosed, “recent activities which will potentially propel the industry to achieve better positioning and improved value delivery profitable to registered advertising practitioners, as well as advancement in the public interest, has taken place”.

     

    He also alluded to APCON’s participation in the Public Hearing on the Bill to repeal and re-enact an enabling Act for the Council.

     

     “Since the promulgation of Decree No. 55 of 1988 (over three decades) which establish the Council, this is the first major legislative action aimed to improve APCON’s mandates, functions, and powers over advertising and marketing communications in Nigeria”, he said.

     

    Similarly, APCON has also set up a Code Review Committee for the purpose of reviewing the 5th edition of the Nigerian Code of Advertising Practice, Sales Promotion, and other Rights and Restriction on Practice. The review, apart from bringing the Code up to date, will also upgrade it to be at par with what is obtainable in other countries, in line with international best practices.