More than 30 advertising materials meant to celebrate this year’s Easter were disapproved for non-compliance to the nation’s advertising code, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has said.
Making the disclosure at the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP) stakeholders’ forum, held in Lagos, the Director-General of ARCON, Dr Lekan Fadolapo, stated that the timely disapproval of such materials went a long way in preventing controversy that would have erupted if those ads had been published.
The ARCON boss called on practitioners, especially those in the creative units of agencies, to always ensure that ad copies sent for vetting comply with the guiding principles of the Nigerian Code of Advertising Practice, reports Nigerian Tribune.
He also stressed the need for practitioners to always adhere to ethical standards and be responsible in their marketing promotions, so as to reduce the level of statutory interference in the industry to the barest minimum.
Fadolapo explained that the forum had become imperative to enable the regulator and the regulated to have conversations on various issues regarding self-regulation, government regulation and responsible advertising.
The ARCON boss identified the advent of online media as one of the factors responsible for the rising number of unethical advertisements being pushed out for public consumption in the country, a development, he stated, had put the agency on its toes.
“The level of compliance is higher in the traditional media than what we have on digital platform. That was why before now the Nigerian Code of Advertising exempted some classes of advert: goodwill messages, obituary and vacancies, from being vetted.
“But this has since changed. Few years ago, one of the banks decided to escalate that particular process by comparing the death of Christ with a loaf of Agege bread. We all saw the outcry that followed. The bank was asked to bring down the ad and do an apology. But what was the form of the apology? ‘He who has no sin should cast the first stone,’ he stated.
Fadolapo argued that if the material had been vetted, it would not have been exposed to the public.
“A year after, one of the FMCG brands played on the same Easter Message, comparing the death of Christ with a squeezed can of milk.
“This particular Easter, the one for 2024, materials declined for approval by ASP, were over 30. If this had not been done, their exposure would have caused another round of crises,” he stated.
Fadolapo noted that since advertising is strategic to communication and communication, in turn, strategic to national security, the apex regulatory agency would not sit and watch the rules and regulations guiding the practice flouted at will by practitioners.
He, however, allayed fears being raised in some quarters about the new reforms of the agency being out to stifle the growth of the industry, adding that the purpose of the reforms is never to strangulate but regulate the industry.
The Director, Regulations at ARCON, Martha Onyebuchi, stated that the forum had become necessary to enable the regulatory agency address some grey areas regarding the Nigerian Code of Advertising Practice.
According to her, 80 percent of the issues the ASP usually encounters with materials submitted for vetting are always in the area of non-compliance to guiding principles of Code of Advertising Practice.
Onyebuchi said, “While the guiding principle says that all ads must be legal, decent, honest and truthful, many ads sent to ASP for vetting are indecent, dishonest, untruthful and, often times, illegal. They are full of disinformation and misinformation, with many even finding it very difficult to substantiate claims they made in the material submitted for vetting.”
She, therefore, stressed the importance of adhering strictly to Nigerian Code of Advertising, arguing that this is needed to reduce the challenges ASP usually grapples with in the process of vetting materials sent to it and to enable the panel work at a faster pace.
Speaking on ‘Ethical Advertising Practice: Things To Avoid in Marketing Communications,’ the chairperson, ASP, Mrs Omowunmi Owodunni, called on practitioners to see ethics as a way of life since that would go a long way in ensuring their ads meet the required standards.
Owodunni stated that one of the things practitioners should avoid in marketing communication is to ensure their communication materials do not run foul of the law.
She also appealed to practitioners submitting their materials for vetting to always substantiate whatever claim made in the material.
“If you claim you are the number one in an industry, a sector, or category, be ready to substantiate such claim. We always have sleepless nights going through materials that are obviously false,” she added.
In his remarks, a legal practitioner, Barrister Charles, stressed the need for compliance to the rules guiding advertising practice by the media, advertisers and the agencies.
He noted that while advertisers and the media remain the greatest violators of the rule, they, at the same time, stand to be the greatest beneficiaries if such rules are complied with.
While stating that the rules may not be perfect, the legal luminary added that seeking legal aid by any stakeholder not comfortable with such rules is within the rights of such stakeholder.
“That is why we are not averse to the idea of anybody going to court to seek legal clarifications regarding areas of the code they are not comfortable with. The interpretations from the court would even go a long way in enhancing the code,” he stated.
Commending the organisers for coming up with the idea of the forum, President of the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), Osamede Uwubanmwen, stated that plans are underway by the association to train members, especially the younger ones, on Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a way of preparing them and the industry for the future.
