The Chief Executive Officer of E-Motion Advertising, Mr. Paul Onyia has urged the new APCON council under Mr Udeme Udeme to address issues of lingering debts and regulation of political advertising.  He spoke at a dinner in honour of new chairman of Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Mr. Uffot Udeme organized by E-Motion Advertising at Four Points by Sheraton Victoria Island Lagos.

He said, “I do believe that among other very important issues lingering debt issues in the industry which, in all sincerity, is getting worse by the day. Two is the issues of regulation of political advertising campaigns.” He urged APCON to address some of these issues raised for the industry to develop.

Mr Udeme, however, promised to work with critical stakeholders to drive the advertising reform which the previous council chaired by Mr. Lolu Akinwunmi got the federal government to gazette

Also speaking at the event, the special guest of honour Mr Aig-Imoukhuede  President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) while addressing the audience on the opportunities the NSE can offer advertising agency note that  Unlike one of the world biggest advertising conglomerate, WPP which started its operation as Wire and Plastic Product with $21 billion market capital, the President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), has identified scarcity of capital, strange business structure as some of the challenges militating against listing of Nigerian advertising business concerns on the floor of the capital market.

He said, “Scarcity of capital prevent agency from deploying powerful tool to change. The constraint is not lack of ability and ideas, but capital. That can change by coming to the capital market. I only know the industry some few years ago as a convivial group of people of like minds. It was later I discovered that APCON is an important organ of the government. As you do know our economy is facing challenges and it is tough for business. The principal source of our problem is a very strange structural relevance and foreign exchange. People will talk about import substitution and diversification as the solution to some of our economy challenges, but I think the strongest source of diversification is profession, Nigerian Professional, be it law or advertising.

“Why do we find it difficult to monetise our profession? You will tell me you need an advert. I know what advert has done to Access Bank and some of our business concern but how come you don’t find advertising agency listed on the NSE?,” he querried.”

He said one of the world biggest advertising conglomerate such as WPP started as a business before diversifying into advertising. He said while it will be strange to most people to know that WPP was formally known as Wire and Plastic Product company, it has grown to become one of world biggest agency with $21 billion market capital.

“The question for me is I see talent and ideas in Nigeria agency. I saw the impact of Udeme’s SO&U agency played in GTB with ‘Shouldn’t You Bank with U” advert and Access Bank Bullet Train advert. But I now understand why his agency and Udeme are not receiving Sorrel salary and earning or listed on NSE. There is scarcity of capital. Why do agency shoot advert in South Africa using Nigerian characters, storyline? It is because SA agencies have access to capital to build structure,” he said.

He advised practitioners to use the stock exchange to build their business and expand to compete with global agencies. He said NSE is means of mobilising capital to build their business. “Your industry should use the capital market to develop the industry, build structure, so that no Nigerian advert agency will shoot an advert in South Africa.

The fifth annual edition of Nigeria Brand Award took place in Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Ikeja, Lagos on August 6, 2015 has come and gone but the memory will continue to linger for long.

The Award was designed to honour professionalism, excellence and Innovation in the brand industry in Nigeria was well attended by all the major players in the brand industry. E-Motion Advertising was among top winners as the agency won the  ‘Most Innovative & Impactful Outdoor Company of the Year 2015’

According to Adesanya Abidemi, the project director, he said the fifth edition of the award was witnessed by the people that matters in the brand industry in Nigeria and promises that future editions of the program will involve more players and brand segments in the industry in Nigeria.

Since inception of the Brand Awards in 2011, Over 100 companies in the brand industry had won different categories of awards in different sectors of the Nigerian economy. Some of the companies include Goldlink Insurance Plc. All Seasons MediaCom, Verdant Zeal, Media Perspectve, X3M Ideas, Centrespread, CMC Connect, AFN Insurance Brokers, Sharemind, The Quadrant Company among several others. The program was put together by HSBS Global and International Brand Award Nominees.

Some of the other Award Winner for the 2015 brand year includes Oracle Experience, Starcom Media, Gems Communications, Brande Aristotole, E-Motion Advertising, NOI Polls, Media Stamp, New Crystal Communications, Market Trends Research International, BD Consult, Moore Advice and Benevolence Treasures.

IT wasn’t a surprise to many in the industry when E-Motion Advertising won the “2014 Outstanding Young Outdoor Advertising Agency for the Year” award at the National Marketing Stakeholders Summit and Brands and Advertising Excellence Award

The award which is organized by Marketing Edge, Nigeria’s leading brands and marketing publication, saw the event take place Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at the prestigious events place, Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The event is aimed to celebrate the dynamism of marketers and advertising agencies that are making giant strides in the Nigerian economy.

The Summit which was themed “A Roadmap to Marketing in the Age of Global Oil Glut and Nigerian Advertising in a Generational Shift”

Reckitt Benckiser Chairman Chief Olu Falomo, who chaired the event, praised Marketing Edge for quality work. Marketing Edge Publisher Mr John Ajayi said the awards were initiated to boost competition  and reward practitioners and wave making brands.

“Our criteria were not a result of quantitative research; rather, it was based on the content analysis and review of the industry, which spanned the last one decade. So, the rating of these agencies was credible and genuine,” Ajayi said.

Doyen of advertising and Chairman Troyka Group Mr Biodun Sobanjo, in a goodwill message, congratulated Ajayi for a job well done. Describing Ajayi as a brilliant journalist, who distinguished himself while working with Thisday Sobanjo; lauded him for his initiative.

Advertising guru and Chairman Stb-McCaNN Sir Steve Omojafor, recalled the many quarrels he had with Ajayi because of his reports.

“Back then, he always anticipated what would happen but will never happen. Just giving John a tip and he blew it out of proportion, leading everyone to problems.”

Other awards were: Outstanding Media Brand in Broadcasting- Channels TV; Outstanding Media Brand in Print-Punch; Outstanding Radio brand, Wazobia FM.

Outstanding Media Entrepreneur of the Decade, John Momoh; Outstanding Telecoms Brand, MTN; Outstanding Brand of the Year-Origin; Marketing Personality of the Year Country Director, L’Oreal Central West Africa Mr Idoroyen Enyang; Aare Fatai Odesile and Dr Joseph Bel-Molokwu; PostHumous Advertising Personality of the Decade -the  late Sesan Ogunro and the Late Sylvester Moemeke. Other categories were Outstanding Telecommunications Company of the Decade, Experiential Agencies of the Decade, Outdoor Agencies of the Decade, Outstanding Media Buying Agency of the Year, Marketing Personality of the Year, Outstanding Company of the Year, amongst other distinguished awards.

The grand award, Brand Personality of the Decade went to  Omojafor; Advertising Icon of the Decade -Falomo. Omojafor said despite his age, he still feels strong. He hoped his award would be a boost to the young so that they would be recognised too. Falomo said though he had been in the business for 56 years, he didn’t plan it so. His dream initially was to be an engineer.