Business

Stakeholders advocate professionalism as female advertising practitioners fight for more space

ANOTHER history was made, recently, in the nation’s advertising sector, as women in the out- of- home (OOH) advertising, launched the Women In Out- of- Home Advertising in Nigeria (WOHAN) and a new logo for the association, in a bid to create an inclusive environment that recognises and amplifies their talents, expertise and engenders a more equitable industry.

The new association is designed to fight for more space in the hugely-dominated male sector, encourage more women to seek elective offices in OAAN and promote the mental, physical and emotional well being of female practitioners.

Interestingly, a critical factor that made the birth of the new group so seamless is the support it is getting from a very unusual quarter. For instance, the incumbent leadership of OAAN is reportedly the brain behind the formation of the group, and it has vowed to go the whole hog with the new women OOH ad association.

For instance, at the inauguration of the group in Lagos recently, the incumbent President of OAAN, Chief Emma Ajufo believes the feminine gender in the association has what it takes to effectively form and run an association of its own.

The OAAN boss, in a solidarity speech delivered at the event, argued that out of home advertising has come of age in Nigeria, while insisting that women, within OAAN, have always demonstrated competence and leadership whenever called upon to serve.

“Women have come a long way in this line of business. While some were born into it, others have worked their way to the top echelon of our industry. Today, we have some female CEOs. At the association’s management level, we have had female council members. Presently, we have two female executive council members and two female BOT members.

“In all the positions where women have been in charge, I can state with all sense of duty that they have discharged themselves very creditably,” he added.

While looking forward to the first female president of OAAN, Ajufo charged members of WOHAN on the need to explore other areas of OOH advertising.

To further demonstrate the support of OAAN to the new group, a former president of the association and present member of the Board of Trustees, OAAN, Mr Charles Chijide, congratulated members of the new association on the feat, but advised them on the need to be very professional and not see the group as a pressure group.

Chijide also urged the new group to ensure that members comply with the general rules, guiding outdoor advertising practice in Nigeria, and not operate in silos.

“While I congratulate you on this well thought-out initiative, let me advise the leadership of this new association on the need to engage members professionally and get them involved in issues that will grow the industry. You should also see yourselves as part of the umbrella body of the main association, OAAN, and not as a pressure group; because seeing yourselves as a pressure group can be counterproductive,” he added.

Expressing her delight at the inauguration, the Coordinator, WOHAN, Mrs Adeola Odesanya, assured stakeholders of the group’s honest intention of fighting for more space for women in the industry. She, therefore, expressed the commitment of the association’s leadership to breaking all barriers and gender biases and ensuring women excel in every aspect of the industry.

“As we demonstrate this quest for gender balance, we intend to seek affiliations with other women groups and encourage more women to seek elective offices in OAAN. This will empower women in Out of Home advertising and consequently promote the well-being of our sector,” she added.

In her keynote address, tagged, ‘Women in OOH Media, Challenges and Prospects’, former President, Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) and Chief Executive Officer, Ladybird Advertising Limited, Mrs Bunmi Oke, commended the leadership of the new association for determination and resilience in seeing their plans through. She, however, charged them on the need to be competent, professional innovative to enable them survive the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) terrain that the nation’s business environment has become of late.

She also charged them on the need to upskill, technically and digitally, while also stressing the need for them to dump ‘dictatorship marketing’, and be more flexible in their operations.

Pledging her association’s support for the new group, the newly-sworn-in president of the Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN), Mrs Tolulope Medebem, described WOHAN as a clear indication that women have what it takes to showcase the OOH sector.

“While expressing my sincere gratitude to OAAN leadership for coming up with this idea, let me say here that what we, as women, are only asking for is equity, and I’m happy women in OOH are being provided a platform to realise that, with the launch of WOHAN,” she added.

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