The Executive Council of the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG) has paid a working visit to the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL).

The meeting which was to dialogue and deliberate on how to strengthen the partnership between the two bodies was also used to welcome the new managing director of GCGL, Mr Ato Afful who assumed office a little over a month ago.

Speaking at the meeting, the President of the AAG, Mr Torgbor Mensah, said the advertising industry had grown big and it had come to stay, hence the need to forge stronger collaboration with key stakeholders like the GCGL to work towards a common goal.

He revealed that the aim of the AAG was to make Accra the headquarters of advertising in Africa and called for support to push that agenda for the mutual benefit of the two groups. 

While eulogizing Mr Afful for his past managerial experiences in the adverts industry, Mr Mensah said he was hopeful that Mr Afful would bring his managerial skills and experiences to bear on running the GCGL to achieve excellence in the industry.

Welcoming the delegation, Mr Ato Afful said advertising was strategic to the business of the GCGL, adding that “you have been with us for years and the success of this company has been with your support over the decades”.

He, therefore, urged the AAG to support and make inputs into the company’s business concept and development agenda to enable the GCGL to build better and relevant content for its ever-growing audience.

Mr Afful also hinted that the GCGL is undergoing a digital transformation for it to remain relevant and help shape the transformational agenda of the national economy. He said although the traditional print publications of the company would continue to be stronger and better, the management was now focusing on the digital media to meet current demands. 

He said the GCGL was committed to delivering a business that would enable partners and clients to connect and engage easily, as well as deliver compelling messages and content to suit the audience.

For her part, a past President of the AAG, Mrs Norkor Duah, commended the GCGL for its successes over the years, saying: “The GCGL has come a long way and it has excelled. It is way ahead of the game and I encourage you to do more.”

She called for advocacy by the AAG and the GCGL to address issues regarding the regulation of some advertisements by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA). 

She also used the opportunity to announce the third Africa Leadership Conference, dubbed: “Africa Rising”, which will be organized by the International Advertising Association (IAA) in Accra in May this year.

While assuring advertisers of improved services this year, the Director of Marketing of the GCGL, Mr Franklin Sowa, urged the executive of the association to impress on their members to update their records with the company as it explored new avenues and systems to operate.

As part of its digital transformation agenda, he announced that the GCGL would soon roll out an online television outlet with impressive content that would enhance the lives of Ghanaians.

Mr Sowa, however, expressed concern over late cancellation of advert orders, saying it disrupted the company’s production and told the advertisers that future cancellation of advert orders at late hours would attract a surcharge of 25 per cent.

Minister designate for Information, KojoOppong-Nkrumah has made a firm commitment to liaise with the Ministry of Trade which is currently sponsoring the Advertising Bill, to ensure it goes through the necessary processes for passage into law.

Speaking at the 12^th Gong Gong Awards in Accra under the theme, ‘Technology, Brand Purpose and the Empowered Consumer’,KojoOppong-Nkrumah said, “It is our expectation that the bill, once passed, will outline the best practices in the advertising space and bind all individuals and organizations to apply the best standards.It is also our hope that the law will possibly address some of the challenges faced by the advertising community.”

The Minister designate for Information also urged the local industry to take advantage of the opportunities available through early adoption of new technologies to ensure its growth and sustainability.

Addressing his colleagues and guests, President of the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG), Torgbor Mensah said the AAG is working towards the establishment of an advertising school to train professionals and promote global standards.

AAG TO EXPAND SCOPE OF GONG GONG AWARDS

Hecongratulated all agencies that submitted entries for producing advertising works worthy of consideration for the prestigious Gong Gong Awards.

The AAG president announced that from 2019, the advertising industry’s flagship awards, Gong Gong Awards will be expanded in scope to reflect the changing industry landscape. Headded that the industry has grown beyond just creative companies, hence the need to embrace the change and expand the awards.

“The Executive Council has agreed that from next year, the Gong Gong Awards will be segmented under five main areas of the advertising business. This is to ensure that most of our members are not left out when we reward excellence in the industry”

He explained further that Creative, Media, Outdoor, Digital and Below the Line Marketing (BTL) will be the main segments under which entries will be nominated for future Gong Gong Awards.

A total of fifty awards were given out to agencies for works in various categories, produced between January and December, 2017.

Three agencies received Platinum Awards for entries in the Telecommunications category under various channels. They are Now Available Africa for Digital, Scanad Ghana for Social Media and Innova DDB Ghana for Television.

Gold Award recipients include Insel Communications, Exp Ghana, Publicis West Africa, Innova DDB Ghana and Mullen Lowe Accra.

Check out the list of Gong Gong Winners

Gong Gong Winners

Snr. Vice President of the International Advertising Association, Joel Nettey says the Advertising industry offers great opportunities for career success and a solution to graduate unemployment in the country and has advised students of tertiary institutions to look beyond traditional sectors for job opportunities. 

He was speaking on the platform of the Advertising Association of Ghana’s public engagement programme, AAG Connects at the UPSA Auditorium in Accra on Tuesday. 

Joel Nettey told the student that passion for excellence, hard work and a learning attitude are keys to success within the industry. 
“There is no substitute for putting yourself through the basics. Success will not come in a day. You need to look out for available opportunities and bring your ‘A’ game to the table“, he advised the students.

The programme which is part of activities to mark this year’s advertising week celebration, introduced the AAG’s academic membership and career opportunities within the Advertising industry to participants from selected tertiary institutions in the country.

Students and academic staff of UPSA, University of Ghana Business School and Radford University College had the opportunity to learn more about the advertising industry from a panel of industry leaders that included Chief Executive Officers such as Russel Eni of Insel Communications, Andrew Ackah of Dentsu Aegis Network Ghana, Gabriel Nti Appiah of BTL Africa, AkuaOwusu-Nartey of Ogilvy Africa Group and Abdul Aziz Amankwah of EXP Ghana.

Abdul Aziz Amankwah of Exp Ghana advised the students to avail themselves to various apprenticeship programmes within the industry.

The Chairperson of the AAG’s Education and Talent Development Committee, AkuaOwusu-Nartey encouraged paricipants to be entrepreneurial.

She advised the students to focus more on creatively using their knowledge to provide solutions to problems.

Head of Marketing Department of UPSA, Dr. Andrews Akolaa expressed appreciation to the AAG for creating an opportunity for students to engage with industry leaders.
He called for more of such programmes to bridge the gap between industry and academia.

AAG Connects is the association’s flagship public outreach programme that offers networking opportunities for individuals and organisations interested in the Advertising industry.

Immediate past president of the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG), Joel Nettey made history on Tuesday as he was elected Senior Vice President of the International Advertising Association (IAA), the first African to hold such a position.

Until his election at a meeting in Bucharest, Joel was the Vice President for External Communications for the IAA.

This ground-breaking feat also means Joel Nettey will automatically assume the role of Chairman and World President of the global advertising body, once new president, India’s Srinivasan Swamy’s tenure expires in two years.

Srinivasan Swamy takes over from Romania’s Felix Tataru to lead a team of 25 Executive Committee members from various countries including Ghana, USA, Malaysia, Netherlands, UAE, Poland, Australia, UK, Italy, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Austria, Kuwait, Iran, India and Nepal.

The International Advertising Association is an 80-year old institution and considered the most prestigious advertising body of its kind in the world. The IAA is acknowledged as the world’s most influential network of marketing and communication leaders, aimed at representing the common interests of all the disciplines across the full spectrum of marketing communications – from advertisers to media companies to agencies to direct marketing firms, as well as individual practitioners. Its activities involve professional development of marketing communication practitioners, protecting freedom of commercial speech, advertising self-regulation, protecting consumer interest, training and education. 

AAG past President and CEO of Mullen Lowe Accra is a recipient of the 2018 International Advertising Association’s (IAA) Inspire Champion Award, presented during the IAA Global Conference, Creativity4Better in Bucharest, Romania on Tuesday.

Announcing the Award, IAA Vice President and Chairman of the Inspire Award, Heather Leembruggen said the IAA Inspire Champion Award honors notable leaders for their lifetime achievements, vision, committed services to IAA, as well as their contributions to advancing the IAA and communications in the global marketing communications industry.

Norkor Duah who is the IAA’s Vice President for Africa Development is among five others from across the world honoured with the IAA Inspire Champion Award during the conference.

She is credited with bringing the world of advertising to Ghana twice for very successful Africa Rising Conferences in 2015 and 2018, and also nurturing and inaugurating the Nigeria Chapter of IAA.

Presenting the Award, Chairman and global President of the IAA, Felix Tataru said, “Norkor Duah has contributed her leadership, vision and professional expertise and inspired the marketing communications community locally, regionally and globally in the true spirit of the IAA as the global compass of marketing communications.  We are proud to recognize her accomplishments, commitment and services contributed to our industry.”

Norkor Duah described the award as a great honour and motivation to contribute more to the successes of IAA and the global advertising industry.