Kelechi Nwosu is your quintessential adman. He is the Managing Director of TBWA and with over 2 decades in the practice of advertising you could say he has virtually seen it all. In July, 2014, he was voted overwhelmingly by his colleagues as President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN). BRANDPOWER closed in on him recently and made him give an account of his stewardship thus far. He also used the opportunity to reflect on the state of the advertising and brand management industry and made a strong case for marketing communications experts to assume more responsibility in governance at all levels for Nigeria to attain its full potential. Below are excerpts of the enriching discourse…
It’s about one year since you assumed office as the President of AAAN; can you share your experience so far?
The experience has been both interesting and sometimes tough. It has been interesting and exciting based on the immense support from AAAN members: the exco, the retreat committee, and senior, middle and junior practitioners. Even those that were of a different dispensation during the elections last year have all pulled through in their support. It is tough sometimes because we have gone through economic challenges which have dampened the financial support that willing members could have otherwise made.
What have been your major challenges in the association?
We have had funding challenges. The changes in the economy have adversely affected our members. AAAN needs to continue to build her reputation as a trade group that covers a key part of the Marketing Communications sector. We need to upscale our knowledge; continue to institutionalize training and human capital development for different cadres of talent. We need to seek ways to help members unlock value especially from governments and we need to stop Nigerian advertisers from working with unregistered, illegal advertising agencies (from Nigeria and abroad). An industry Data Bank is not available. We need to improve our overall creative ratings. We also need to also improve our compliance and self regulation especially as regards the pitching process.
What are the main challenges in the industry?
A major challenge is poor patronage of the AAAN members by MDAs at different levels of Government. Macroeconomic challenges; the economy needs to improve; get better buying power and productivity to allow us create demand. There is also no deliberate Government policy to support Nigerian advertising agencies and ensure that local content and affirmation prevails. It has been a tough environment for Agencies in the last few months especially at the height of the political electioneering campaign which crowded out many non-political advertisers.
The absence of a proper APCON council for over 18 months has meant that the critical APCON Reforms sorely needed to improve the industry did not take off. This absence has even led to additional unethical practices by the unlicensed Agencies. The crude political campaigns before the elections are proof of poor professional practice. The Industry also has the challenge of inadequate talent. There is a limited pool of skilled manpower to man the various positions in the Agencies.
What have you done so far to address these challenges?
We have been supporting the APCON reforms robustly. This is via our advocacy activities and support of the Heads of Associations and Sectorial Groups (HASG) team, the proper APCON council is now in place and the reforms will be better implemented now to regulate and radically improve the industry. Training programmes being organized by our AAAN subcommittee on knowledge and education have been revving on full steam. Three different courses have been held this year with two more planned. The Association is also on the last leg of commencing the Advertising Academy.
We have been stepping up our reputation using the public advocacy interventions. It started with Ebola and continued with the anti-violence campaign during the elections. We are now building a bigger Nigeria “project’ that should be ready for deployment soon. We are working with the HASG to improve our Data bank. Also, the AAAN Government committee has also been re-energized to continue to engage Government at all levels.
Has APCON’s intervention with the ACAPR been effective and beneficial for the industry, the agencies and registered practitioners?
Honestly, APCON’s intervention has had gaps because of the absence of the APCON council for over 18 months. Now that the council is in place the intervention is likely to be intense and far-reaching. The reform is strategic to the growth and development of the advertising industry.
What has the AAAN under your watch done to generate more relevance for brand management and the advertising industry in Nigeria?
Like I stressed earlier, we have engaged the Government more than before. We have developed and helped deploy public advocacy campaigns on how communication can be part of the conversations in the public space with the Ebola and anti-violence campaigns. Interventions in the media about bad and indecorous political electioneering and our latest release concerning the kind of brand oriented minister of Information that the country needs. The LAIF Awards has continued and we have additional collaboration with other sectors. We are now working with more stakeholders within and outside our industry.
The number of member agencies of AAAN has been shrinking over the years, what do you think is responsible for this?
The business environment has been poor and unfriendly due to policy changes and the inability of the past governments to really grow a productive economy. This adversely affected the manufacturers and other potential advertisers in the economy. Another adverse fact is that the APCON Reforms have not kicked in to protect and grow the industry. Advertisers sometimes, still hire unlicensed advertising Agencies without recourse to the law. Disintermediation of agencies by unregistered and quack companies/ brand managers and media people still continues. There is also the challenge of relevance: how does the advertising agency redefine itself as a modern 21st Century agency with a different economic model because of the changing dynamics in the market. Agencies need that reinvention or we face the risk of extinction. 
There is a dearth of trained entry-level human capital in the advertising industry. Practitioners have complained that the advertising content being taught in our higher institutions is grossly inadequate. With the increased significance of advertising and brand management in Nigeria and indeed the world, what is the AAAN under your leadership doing to increase advertising content in the curricular of respective institutions or indeed as a course of its own?
As, companies, we are individually engaging the universities in a town and gown interaction. We provide practical knowledge and the universities provide the theory. Also, APCON working with few members of AAAN under the aegis of the Education Committee of APCON is also looking at improving the curricular of the universities. We are working with professionals (academics and practitioners) to start the Advertising Academy and build it to be the model for training talent in the industry. The Academy can also do short training in the universities as part of its offer.
You have severally referred to some indecorous campaigns during the just concluded elections. What is your view about the advertising and communications campaigns of major politicians, political parties and the media during the period?
I have a mixed view, some good, some bad and some ugly. We all need to ensure that politicians work with professional and licensed Agencies who must code the work (in press) so that we know who is responsible. All adverts must pass through the APCON vetting to avoid some of the really distasteful ads that were published or aired during electioneering period. As a professional body, AAAN had issued press releases that urged politicians to comply with the relevant APCON vetting codes.
Erring media houses, who publish ads that are not vetted, must be penalized because these media houses must act as gatekeepers. AAAN needs to also engage early and consistently with politicians to ensure that the produce and publish only responsible messages. We had last year invited Craig Smith, a political strategist that works with Mrs. Hillary Clinton to be lead speaker at our AGM Seminar on Political advertising . Only a few politicians took advantage of that. We will continue those kinds of engagements.
You have also been the managing director of TBWA Nigeria for about 10 years. What has your advertising career been like and can you give us a sense of what it has been like steering the ship of one of Nigeria’s leading agencies?
For ten years it has been fun sometimes, tough at other times but altogether rewarding. Advertising is not for the lily livered; the ups and down including the adrenalin rush is not for everyone. Being in the saddle for ten years has taught me some lessons about tenacity, imagination, creativity and business sense.
My career has been a life’s journey and the fulfillment comes from seeing an effective campaign done by my team and I for the various brands : STANBIC, HARP, GLO, MTN, UAC, SFH and so on .
I believe honestly that we need more creative and advertising people to solve other life’s challenges because advertising equips the practitioner to be analytical, imaginative and apply critical thinking in providing solutions. So, a few admen, for instance, will be helpful in solving the Boko Haram challenge, if given the opportunity.
What are the most important things Nigeria needs to do to create an endearing and enduring nation-brand image?
Nigeria needs to create an enduring brand by inspiring Nigerians to believe and celebrate Nigeria, our diversity, our assets and who we are. Nigeria needs an internal campaign to rebuild and position the Nigerian nation brand.
This campaign should be run by a consortium of Nigerian Communications Agencies led by the Advertising Agencies, to uncover the insights and motivations that will help us create the nation brand that is enduring .
Nigerian leadership must have a vision of what the Nigerian brand means and live that vision. In this case, the ‘doing’ is just as important as the ‘saying’. Actions at all levels of governance must be in alignment with the brand vision.
We need to nurture and affirm our belief in Nigeria and establish the framework for unleashing innovation and creativity in our country. Suggestions have been made by Dr. Josef Bel- Molokwu (former APCON Registrar) for a National Ideation Centre. We can fast track our development by innovating and producing for our country and for export.
Generally, AAAN presidents serve out two terms of one year each, what is your agenda for your second term?
If given a second term, I wish to relentlessly pursue the APCON reforms because that will allow us gain value and grow as an industry. I would also pursue the Public Advocacy because we need to improve our image and prestige. I would want to start and maintain the Advertising Academy to consolidate training because that will make us a lot more professional to take advantage of and above outlined action points.
Lastly, we need to pursue the changes that we have started in the secretariat to a final conclusion so that the “engine room”, our secretariat, is equipped to drive the association forward in this challenging fast-paced era. Of course, the standing events: LAIF, Business Seminars will continue and be improved upon.
Your final words…
Nigeria needs an Adman or any other skilled marketing Communication expert as the Minister of Information. Strategic branding and brand communication and the professional tool kit that comes with it is needed in the ministry. The ministry requires a lot more than the current dissemination of information as it is currently done.
We will also suggest a Central Office of Information that will effectively coordinate all the communication needs of the federal government.
This is needed at the States and the LGAs as well .They will appoint Agencies and ensure that government gets best value and professional service for every Naira spent on communication.
