Onome Amuge
Lolu Akinwunmi, the former Chairman of Nigeria’s advertising regulatory body, APCON (now ARCON), has called for a fundamental re-evaluation of the industry’s identity, arguing that the term ‘advertising’ is now a misnomer.
Speaking on the podcast C-Suite Café, Akinwunmi stated that the practice has evolved into an all-encompassing field of “marketing communication,” with traditional functions like advertising and public relations (PR) now fully fused.
According to Akinwunmi, who is also the chairman of Pria Garnet Africa Group, the era of separate briefs for advertising and PR is over. Savvy clients now issue holistic briefs that integrate all marketing functions, including digital and experiential components. This convergence, he argued, is a more relevant way to reach target audiences and is driven by a single, overarching strategy.
Dismissing concerns that this fusion might dilute quality, Akinwunmi emphasised the primacy of strategy. “The strategy is the heartbeat, it is the engine of everything you want to do,” he said. He explained that all a campaign’s disciplines, be it advertising, PR, or digital, draw from this single strategic core. He noted that as long as this foundational strategy is sound, the different elements will work in concert to achieve the desired outcome.
Akinwunmi identified several key threats and drivers of change in the modern marketing landscape. He noted that the industry, which was largely manual when he began his career, has undergone a complete transformation. Agencies that fail to adapt to this digital shift, he warned, face an uncertain future. Globally, digital media now commands a substantial portion of advertising budgets, a trend Nigeria cannot afford to ignore.
He also highlighted growing consumer skepticism. As consumers become increasingly aware that advertising is a paid medium, their trust in it wanes, giving PR, which often appears more authentic, a distinct advantage. This shift in trust has been a global phenomenon. A final challenge, he added, is the pervasive issue of data privacy, as institutions collect and sell personal information, leading to a breakdown of consumer trust.
Akinwunmi reflected on his time at the helm of APCON, stating that the reforms he led, particularly the 5th Code of Advertising, were designed to protect the public and provide more holistic regulation. He foresaw the convergence of functions and moved to bring diverse businesses, including management consultants, accounting firms, and even modelling agencies, under the regulatory umbrella. He also envisioned a single platform to accommodate PR and marketing professionals, a move that would provide a unified framework for the entire marketing communication industry.
