According to a statement signed by ARCON’s Director-General,
the council noted with concern, the series of advertisements exposed during the
recent Easter celebration by advertisers, media owners (traditional and online)
and advertising agencies.
ARCON said the advertisements were not only provocative,
insensitive, offensive, incendiary but were also not submitted nor vetted by
the Advertising Standards Panel in accordance with the provisions of section
53(1] of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria Act No.23 of 2022.
According to the statement, a number of advertisements were
observed during the Easter Celebration by the Council to be unpleasant, and
demeaning to the Christian faith.
The Council said it would take necessary actions to ensure
that the rights, sensitivities and religious beliefs of any sect, or group of
people are not ridiculed, disparaged, or exploited for commercial gains or
otherwise.
“Advertisers, advertisement agencies and media owners are
strongly advised to desist from exposing any form of advertisement without
obtaining the prior approval of the Standards Panel. Violators will be
sanctioned in accordance with the law,” the statement partly read.
Commenting on the issue, a renowned marketing communications expert, Wale Bakare said that
the concept was brilliant, rendition was top notch, audience appreciation was very
poor and in his verdict, he said it’s a waste of client's money and goodwill.
He further point out that “a critical rule in communication
is knowing your audience. The Agency that came up with this ad failed to
observe that simple, and probably most important, rule. Nigerians mostly have a
linear appreciation of creativity. That is why some comedians and skit makers
have such large following while churning out the most pedestrian content. But
they make people happy.”
“Nigerians are very 'visually religious' and if they cannot
appreciate the subliminal message you are trying to send across, all they see
is that you are comparing their Lord and Saviour to a dented tin of Peak milk.
And they will resist that.”
The marketing communications expert advice creative agencies
to stop using peers for focal Groups, if they cannot test the idea widely, err
on the side of caution.
And also, urged the industries to learn lessons from past
misadventures and stop trying to be cute with religious ads. 'It doesn't worth
it'. Stick with the old and reliable: “We rejoice with our Christian brethren
on this auspicious occasion', stick on an image of the cross or a stone in
front of a cave, and everyone is happy”. Unless of course, you are of the school that
no publicity is bad publicity, -Bakare Concluded.
Last year, Sterling Bank had during the Easter celebration
shared an Easter message which compared the resurrection of Jesus Christ to
locally made bread in Nigeria called “Agege Bread”. The message said “Like
Agege Bread, He rose.” This was followed with a picture of bread divided into
two halves.
In some environment, the Advert could have been justified as
a marvel creative work, depending on the viewer’s perspective. Akonte Ekine, a
PR practitioner believed that the “association with Agege brand of bread was an
attempt to use the word of Jesus describing Himself as bread of Life.”
The tag of ‘Agege bread’ considered very low, cheap and
perhaps cancer genic because of the usage poor ingredients such as Potassium
Bromate, was perhaps the pain point. The Christian community finds it
offensive, obtuse and mundane to associate the sacred resurrection of Jesus
Christ to Agege bread at a time the Christian community worldwide is marking
the ceremony which is a time of spiritual reflection.
Immediately after the advert was published, Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, ARCON, whose responsibility it is to vet and ensure that advert messages conform with standards, reacted, describing it as provocative and insensitive.
The organisation said the advert was exposed without the
approval of the statutory panel responsible for vetting advertisement and that
it was against the ethical principles guiding advertising practice in the country.
According to Fadolapo,” The distasteful advertisement was
neither submitted nor approved for exposure by the Advertising Standards Panel
(ASP), the statutory Panel charged with the responsibility of ensuring that
advertisements conform with the prevailing laws of the Federation as well as
the code of ethics of Advertising in Nigeria”.