The Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration in Lagos State has declared it will give its weight of support to Out of Home advertising business operators in the state by providing necessary palliatives to enable them to overcome the negative impacts of the global Corona Virus pandemic on businesses.
The government have said it is presently considering possible areas of assistance to OOH practitioners and it would maintain a healthy partnership and collaboration with all stakeholders in the business to ensure that outdoor advertising investments in the state records positive growth and are well safeguarded.
Disclosing the government’s intentions was the Managing Director of Lagos State Signage and Advertisements Agency (LASAA), Mr Adedamola Docemo, while speaking during a one – day online business summit organized by Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) recently in Lagos.
Docemo who was among panelists discussants during the one day summit lauded efforts of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration at containing the spread of the COVID 19 pandemic in the state regretted however that Out of Home advertising business sector which had witnessed steady growth in the State was presently facing a decline owing to the negative social-economic impacts of the global pandemic.
According to the agency boss, the state government was committed to keeping a mutually beneficial relationship with stakeholders in the OOH business sector and this it hopes to achieve through maintaining a healthy working relationship with the leadership of OAAN and the present administration of LASAA in Lagos state.
He stated that the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration was committed to safeguarding all OOH advertising investments in the state pointing out that the state government was favourably disposed to granting a wholistic package of palliatives in a bid to help cushion the negative effects of the COVID 19 pandemic on operations of OOH business stakeholders in the state.
“We are committed to maintaining a win –win partnership between OAAN and LASAA. We need to think critically out of the box and we want to carry along all stakeholders in the industry. We are considering the possibility of working out necessary palliatives, and definitely they will come. It has to be wholistic, we are considering this and we will gladly take this to the Governor for his support”.
Speaking on the Summit theme “COVID – 19 : OOH Business and Emerging Realities “ the agency boss observed further that under the current state of decline in OOH investments arising from the global pandemic, operators in the sector needed to re-invent the wheel by investing in new technologies and modern inventions capable of improving upon quality of their trade with a view to attract more and more advertisers to their patronage.
He added that although digital advertising was increasingly challenging the industry, OOH operators should employ more of innovative technologies through investing on research developments that would enable them know more about what advertisers want and bring them back to patronage.
“Advertisements must be prepaid and provide sustainability and give room to planning. You need to look at measures for partnership and collaborations. Implement new ways of doing business. Partner together and innovate”.
He however gave an optimistic assurance that OOH business will flourish again after the pandemic.
Other discussants at the summit included the General Manager, Brand and Communications, MTN, Mr Richard Iweanoge, Matt Angus – Harnmond of Geopoll research company, the Managing Director, Meridian Concepts, Mr Lere Alimi and Mr Alaba Fadero, Exclusive Representative of Omnicom Media Group in West and Central Africa.
