New Dawn For Outdoor Practitioners

As preparations heat up for the 2010 OAAN awards, Buki Oyedemi takes a look at strategies being put in place for the event, and expectations for the Nigerian Outdoors industry.

The curtains have been thrown open for the 2010 Outdoor Advertisers Association of Nigeria (OAAN) awards which will hold on the 20th of October. The association had faced some challenges in past years which stalled the annual ritual for two editions but Bankole Ademulegun, President of OAAN, describes this as a phase that has helped the association grow to new heights.
The two-year gap has helped to increase the excitement of stakeholders for the oncoming awards and many say that there could not have been a better time to honour and recognize creativity in advertising business in Nigeria than now.
From the awards payoff line which says ‘Out-of-Home … New Heights,’ to the logo which exhibits six rising stars each representing the number of years the awards has been in existence, and the globe symbol which represents the global stage, there is no doubt that the OAAN awards has taken a new shape beginning from the 2010 event.
The Awards
For the first time since inception, the OAAN awards will be accompanied by an exhibition that will showcase various creative outdoor advertisements, new outdoor practices in other parts of the world and adaptable technologies to improve outdoor business in Nigeria. In line with the objective of rewarding creativity, Terry Otuya, chairman business relations committee of the association, explains the introduction of a new category to the awards. He points out that “Overall, there are 14 categories, the newest of which is the Most Innovative Out-of Home Company.” Other categories are The Legends of Out-of-Home, Grand Poster, Foods & Beverages, Diary Products, Alcoholic Drinks, Non-Alcoholic Drinks, Financial Services, Communications/Courier Service, Electrical/Electronics/ Computer, Automobile/Accessories, Pharmaceuticals, Household Products and Most Community Service Relations Compliant Company.
M2 gathers that the association has invited entries from both institutional advert agencies and private participants – advertisers who may not be using ad agencies but have works to enter for the awards. This group will be charged N10, 000 per entry.
Ensuring Credibility of Awards
To ensure that the best entries win, Ademulegun says a panel of judges which will include Integrated Marketing Communication, veterans and a professor from the department ofMarketing Communications at the Pan African University will ensure that the entries are judged right. He emphasizes that being a sponsor is not a guarantee to win an award. “We once had a major sponsor that put in so much money and at the end of the day when decisions were being taken by the panel of judges, that brand gave an award to a competing brand in the overall category. People lost their temper but we had to let them know that if they want us to maintain standards, then this will not be the case of the highest bidder carries the day,” Ademulegun says.
Sponsorship considerations are available for all award categories. A N5million tag is placed on the sponsorship of any category. This can extend to the next three editions of the awards amounting to a total of N15million per category. Otuya points out that category sponsors will receive special benefits as “We thought it right to give special consideration to our sponsors which include the right for the award category to be named after the sponsoring organisation.
Going Beyond Borders
In order to boost the profile of the association as a mega brand, representatives of the world body for outdoor practitioners, the International Federation of Outdoor Advertising FEPE, are expected at this year’s exhibition/awards ceremony. Also, OOH advertising practitioners, suppliers and CEO’s from other African countries such as Ghana, Benin Republic, Togo and Morocco will grace the event.
Ademulegun haps on the need to grow the association. He says, “We should begin to make everyone understand that outdoor advertising is meant for professionals. The next level is to take outdoors beyond billboards to Out-of-Home, so every media opportunity that is used to relay messages will be considered – be it transit, trash can, and so on – and will be forwarded to the panel of judges to look at.” Otuya confirms this stance when he points out that advancement in technology has helped to boost sophistication in the industry. “A new face of the business is born and we call it the global standard ofstreet furniture. We no longer accommodate run-of-the-mill billboards but specially crafted pieces of modern day technology,” he says.
Obviously set to achieve the best, OAAN is not stooping to compromise standards. The successful hosting of the awards will be a test of its commitment to fostering creativity and professionalism. It is hoped that this would bring about new and applicable practices in the industry which will subsequently take outdoor advertising in Nigeria to new heights.