In a statement, the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) expressed worry about the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria’s (ARCON) recent proposals to create a Nigeria Stock Image Bank (NSIB).
In response to ARCON’s announcement of the plan and the subsequent creation of a committee to set the foundation for the NSIB’s establishment, the body’s executive council signed the statement available to BrandSpur national news stories.
ADVAN, which speaks for organizations that use marketing and advertising for advertising their goods and services, expresses several serious concerns in its statement about the planned image bank and how it would affect the advertising sector.
The apparent under-representation of advertisers on the ARCON-established committee for the NSIB setup is one of the main problems that ADVAN draws attention to.
It states: “ADVAN does not have a representative on the panel. If there is any advertiser on that panel, they are there in their organizational capacity and do not represent or speak on behalf of advertisers.”
The association emphasises the need for a more inclusive approach when creating such a comprehensive system, stating that all relevant regulatory agencies with constitutional oversight must be involved in the establishment of a platform meant for commercial interactions and housing proprietary works.
According to ADVAN, this inclusion: “Is essential to ensure that regulation for the system is appropriately managed by the constitutionally empowered agencies in charge of such matters.”
Continuing, they added that the strategy would: “Help to forestall new regimes of unwanted multi-level taxation in an already overregulated industry.”
The protection of advertisers’ constitutional rights is central to ADVAN’s agenda. The association makes it clear that the NSIB’s creation shouldn’t infringe upon marketers’ freedom to select the suppliers and contractors they want to work with while carrying out legitimate commercial operations.
ADVAN states that they would not accept any system that aims to curtail their constitutionally granted freedom to choose their contractual and partnership arrangements.
The declaration also discusses the fundamentals of the free market economy and promotes a system in which providers and customers are both “free to participate.” ADVAN advises against attempting to monopolise any economic activity, but instead of using any kind of unlawful “fiat” or other unconstitutional tactics to entice participation, the image bank system should express substantial value.
The group goes on to say that it wants the marketing and communication sector to expand and prosper. It does, however, express worry about what it sees as a dearth of adequate research and comprehensive stakeholder engagement in the formulation of policy.
The statement attacks what it terms a “façade of inclusion,” in which ADVAN’s existence is recognised but its contributions are purportedly disregarded.
Continuing, it partly reads: “Finally, it is ADVAN’s desire that the marketing and communication industry move forward and thrive. It is, however, disturbing that policy creation in the industry is not achieved by an all-inclusive stakeholder approach, but by the submissions of a selected few.”
In closing, ADVAN reiterates its role as a vital player in the marketing communications sector and promises to keep pushing for stakeholder-inclusive, thoroughly researched laws that advance the growth and sustainability of the sector.
It states: “ADVAN, as a critical stakeholder in the marketing communications industry, will always be at the forefront in supporting stakeholder-inclusive, well-researched regulations for the development and viability of our industry.”
