Within the marketing sector, stakeholders are expressing reservations regarding the controversial ‘All Eyes on The Judiciary’ ad campaign, questioning how such content was made public without proper regulatory endorsement.
In a related development, Intercontinental Marketing & Comm. Consortium Limited, the advertising agency reportedly responsible for launching the contentious ‘All Eyes on The Judiciary’ ad campaign, has formally extended an apology to the federal government through the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON).
In an official letter dated August 17, 2023, and addressed to the chairman of the Advertising Standard Panel (ASP), the agency’s managing director, Stephen Ogboko, acknowledges its violation of Article 24(a) of the Nigeria Advertising Practice Code. This specific article mandates that all advertising, marketing communications, and associated materials must undergo ARCON’s scrutiny and secure approval from the Standards Panel before being publicly disseminated.
‘We sincerely apologize for this and state that our action was not intentional,’ the agency wrote. Explaining its side of the story, the agency explained that it went ahead with the Ad after the board got verbal approval from a certain Mr. Markus Inji Lukman, who was said to be an ARCON liaison officer.
“We are deeply disappointed that this happened and are awfully sorry for any inconvenience it has caused.
“We would never knowingly do anything to violate the law or the regulations guiding advertising practice, jeopardize our practice license, or bring disaffection to our dear country’s judiciary.
“We have already taken steps to ensure that this does not repeat itself. We will be requiring all future advertisements to be vetted from the ARCON Lagos office through our staff in Lagos. Once again, we apologize and hope that you will consider our explanation. We are committed to working with you to ensure that this does not happen again.” the company added.
While the industry responds to this development, some experts, such as Obiechefu Emmanuel, a marketing professional with expertise in media buying, have raised concerns about the agency’s actions.
He said:“I have been buying media in this market for over a decade and I can tell you authoritatively that you do not deploy ad materials without an approval certificate from the ASP. How do you go ahead to deploy because someone somewhere in the ARCON office gave you verbal approval? Why the hurry in the first place? I don’t think even the director general can ask you to go ahead and deploy without an approval certificate.”
Olusegun Sasegbon, who also plays in the space, suspects there is something more: “As a professional and as an agency, we all know that verbal approval by anybody in an ARCON setting does not translate to an approval certificate. I think it is part of the law that an approval certificate must be obtained before the exposure of material. It is just like saying that you can go ahead and take a trip to the United States because someone in their embassy has given you assurances that your visa application has been granted and your passport will be sent to you after your trip. This could be a form of compromise between the agency and the ARCON staff. In this country, nothing is impossible,” he pointed out.
Likewise, another expert, Ibezim Okpala presents an alternative perspective, suggesting that the agency’s swift action may have been driven by an understanding that the campaign might not receive ARCON’s approval. He highlights the extensive social media traction garnered by the campaign, emphasizing the apparent success of its intended impact. “I am sure the agency is aware its ad material will not scale through the vetting process, hence, it quickly deployed, achieved what it intended, and waited for the consequence of its action.
“You only need to go on social media to see the millions of impressions images of the messages on boards and the buzz it generated to understand that the intent by those behind the message has been achieved. I believe the apology shared by the agency is just a mere formality,” he said.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel observed that the implications of this situation extend beyond mere unauthorized edits, transcending into questions of integrity, accountability, and adherence to established protocols, the very foundation of the approval process for such critical and influential communications rests upon a delicate balance of trust, transparency, and adherence to established guidelines.
Betty Eromosele, another expert in the industry wrote: “All Eyes Are Now on ARCON” to see how it will handle all the issues arising from the All Eyes on the Judiciary saga.”
