Advertising Regulation Debate: Pre-Vetting or Post-Accountability?

Should regulatory body vet advertisement before exposure in the media or should it allow the advert to run and hold those who mislead and misinform the public accountable and punish them accordingly?

This was one of the issues tackled at the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria AAAN meeting recently in Ibadan with the theme: Charting Bold Paths Forward.

Tayo Oyedeji, CEO of Publicis Groupe/Redefini Nigeria had at the meeting told the advertising community that there is no forward-thinking country where advertising is censored before its seen.

He said censorship could be a norm in authoritarian regimes like Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Iran but it cannot be ours.

Oyedeji, a business leader and who has corporate organization experience in Africa, Europe, and North America and had worked in 36 countries across the globe said. Nowhere else have I experienced this uniquely Nigerian model of government-mandated advertising vetting before exposure.

He said professionals deserve autonomy. Trust us to do what we do best and yes, hold accountable those who deceive the public. Thats how good parents raise responsible children: they trust, but verify.

Read also: ARCON poised to equip advertisers with strategies to stay ahead of the curve

Stating that even artificial intelligence the most revolutionary force in our industry is not regulated in advertising anywhere else in the world, he said we are bottling innovation before it breathes. No country has ever regulated its way into greatness. It is the spirit of entrepreneurship and freedom that creates greatness.

But after his speech, other practitioners who are familiar with advertising environment in Nigeria argued that there will be chaos without pre-vetting before advert exposure.

The professionals believed that without vetting, the grave damage some adverts with misleading information would cause in the society would be difficult to ameliorate and moderate.

For instance, Lekan Fadolapo, the Director General of Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, ARCON gave examples of some misleading advertisements in the social media relating to health drugs and ponzi schemes that have caused damages or capable of causing health issues or make people lose money respectively. These adverts which did not go through vetting were flagged.

Fadolapo argued for professional self-regulation as a sustainable pathway to reforming the advertising ecosystem. He said some regulatory challenges would not exist if practitioners committed to ethical advertising and internal control.

Fadolapo emphasized that regulation is not meant to stifle creativity but to safeguard standards. When you talk about regulation, its not to impede the growth of the industry. Its to sanitize it, he said.

Lanre Adisa, President Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, AAAN identified key steps necessary to be taken to achieve further growth of Nigerias �605.2 billion advertising industry.

Among the key steps are inauguration of a council for the industry, government engagement of professionals in the industry for execution of jobs and adoption of technology and embracing rapid changes by the industry operators.

He regretted that the industry has operated for over ten years without a Council. We have transitioned from APCON to ARCON, one administration to another. Yet, we dont have a Council, he lamented.

Lanre who is the Founder/Chief Creative Officer of Noahs Ark, an award winning agency also said the industry can only move forward when government engages professional bodies like ours on matters of marketing communications and brand building. He commended Lekan Fadolapo for championing reforms in the industry.

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