COVID-19: Former APCON Chairman Counsels New Governing Council

…advocates digital regulation…

BrandiQ Report

As stakeholders in the advertising industry await formal reconstitution of the governing council of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria ( APCON), a former Chairman of the Council, Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi has called for the expansion of statutory functions for the much anticipated new council to now include regulation of specific aspects of digital technology.

Akinwunmi made the call when he appeared as a special guest and discussant during a one-day web seminar organized by APCON’s management recently.

According to the former Council boss who also is Group Managing Director / CEO, Prima Garnet Africa, the Civic- 19 global health pandemic has brought about a challenge in the area of the digital technology knowledge base, hence it becomes expedient that the incoming governing council should have its statutory functions expanded beyond the traditional role of vetting Radio, TV and Newspaper advertisements but rather reconsider the possibility of regulating the wider area of the digital technology.

Dwelling specifically on the conference theme: “Marketing Communications Business Sustainability in the COVID – 19 Era”, Akinwunmi reasoned that the much expected governing council when finally in place must be anticipatory in its approach to solving problems stressing that rather than been restricted to advert vetting, the new council must think towards massive investments in areas of the new digital technologies.

He added that the new council should be upgraded to meet with current demands in view of the Civic -19 pandemic and its operations be expanded to cover new areas of regulating the digital technology

The industry-wide virtual summit brought together in attendance huge participation of industry stakeholders cutting across the various segments of  IMC business practitioners including creative advertising agencies, experiential marketers, media specialists, Out-of-Home industry operators, traditional media organizations as well as representatives of client companies.  

Also speaking at the event, erudite marketing expert, Mr. George E.Thorpe observed that sustainability plans for the industry under the present circumstance must revolve around two key elements, a deep strategic insight that is coupled with outstanding leaders who are capable to think through current existential challenges and arrive at new ideas on how the industry should respond and reposition post the Civic-19 era.

He further reasoned that current challenges of the industry go beyond the COVID – 19 pandemic, to that extent, he said, the industry’s leaders must develop a strategic resolve to finding answers to questions bordering around what will the environment look like five years away from the present time.

On his part, another member of the faculty, Dr. OnyeKachi Onubogu, CEO, Frutta Juice Services challenged marketing communications operatives to identify what the critical demands are presently for industry’s survival in the face of the pandemic, noting that a major lesson to be learned by industry operators is the basic fact that things have changed and that no situation in life was unchallengeable.

 He on that note maintained that Marketing professionals needed to understand that situations of life could be challenged and upon that realization they must strive to re-evaluate their plans going forth over the next few months.

 “Marketing business and experiences will be challenged and marketing people will have to struggle, he noted, adding, “Things have changed, marketing people must re-align. Marketing places will change and everything we do must be a challenge. The next 6 to 12 months will be difficult because we need to survive and Survival must be our first instinct”.

Other discussants at the summit included, Emeka Okeke, Founder, and Group CEO, Media Fuse Dentsu Aegis Network, Mrs. Hannah Oyebanjo, Managing Director of Redwood Consulting Limited as well as Mrs. Ify Onukwuba, Managing Director / CEO, Nigeria Advertising Services Limited.

At least, no less than one hundred online participants were registered for participation in the one-day zoom business summit.