Creative directors are to craft genuine outdoor advertisements rather than runs of the mill, says the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN).
OAAN President, Charles Chijide, made the call at the unveiling of the ninth OAAN Exhibition and Poster Awards in Lagos.
“This year’s theme is ‘Be Bold’ and it is our own way of challenging advertising agencies to come out and express themselves with OOH posters.
“Outdoor advertising requires fewer words but in some cases you see over 100 words on OOH posters, a transit consumer can’t wait to read that. So, we are urging creative directors to create advertisements meant for the industry,” Chijide added.
OOAN aims to stage a bigger and better award in 2015 on top of the outstanding of one in 2014.
The event comes up on June 25 at Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Awards Committee Chairman, Kole Ademulegun, said the activities will include visits to corporate allies and supporters, a stakeholders’ breakfast meeting/interactive forum, and exhibition of OOH suppliers and partners.
He expressed optimism that this edition will be highly competitive based on exciting creative prowess observed on billboards in cities across the nation.
He urged advertising/creative agencies to reap their rewards by making their entries by May 25.
The panel of judges will be drawn from OAAN, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Advertisers Association of Nigeria (AAN), Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), Brand Journalists’ Association of Nigeria (BJAN), Consumer Protection Council (CPC), and the academia.
The chairman of the panel of judges will be nominated by the panel members and “they are expected to bring more credence to the award,” Ademulegun said.
Brands that won last year included Loya Milk, Star Beer, LG Smart TV, Mouka Foam, Fanta, Swift 4G Lite, and Fidelity Bank.
More brands are expected to win this year.
The categories include diary food and beverages, alcohol drinks, non-alcohol drinks, financial services, public service/real estate, electronic/electricals, automobile/accessories, household products, pharmaceuticals/cosmetics, telecommunications, information, computer and technology, grand poster and legend of out of home.
“As is evident from the categories, we have tried to create opportunities for all the sectors of the economy. Our focus, however, is primarily on those sub-sectors that regularly engage our platforms to advertise their brands,” Chijide clarified.