Brand is reasonably the most fundamental building block of every organization and Business. With the increasingly growing trend of software and technology, consumers are changing by the day. This trend prompted the Advertising Association of Ghana to re-echo the need for professionals and practitioners to  fill the gap of Branding introducing a capacity building course on Brand Building and Strategic Marketing Communications.

The Strategic Marketing Communications and Brand Building held on March 28^th schooled thirty-four advertising agencies. The two days’ workshop fulfilled its key aim to equip participants to effectively analyse brand situations in context and to subsequently formulate strategic, creative responses.

Trained by Regional Managing Director of Ogilvy Africa Group, Akua Owusu-Nartey, participants were given hands-on training on significant issues with the likes of Consumer Changing behavior, understanding trends and developing tailor-made brands to attracted target audiences. She said one must always remember to make a product deliver on its promise.

Akua Owusu-Nartey advised participants to strictly trace the evolution of consumer needs and stay true to the core of every brand. She said in brand building, always remember to always invest in the right assets.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Participants at AAG  workshop

She stressed “Brands opportunity steps up above the usual awareness and considerations. It deals more with loyalty and preference”, adding the need for organizations and advertiser to step up their game in brand consultancy.

The President of the Advertising Association of Ghana, Joel Nettey also charged practitioners and professionals to make their works artistic and step up above being just service providers into Relevant Consultants and management advisors. He explained that this will go a long way towards helping the industry to achieve its goals of flashing out unprofessionalism

He further disclosed AAG’s readiness to fight for the Advertising Council Bill this year, throwing a challenge to other agencies to join the campaign.

The Strategic Marketing Communications and Brand Building workshop was attended by 34 participants from member agencies and other institutions with the likes of Petra Trust, Touch point, Insel Communications, Telemedia Communications, Now Available Africa, Media Lynx, PG Advertising, Echo House, Insight Grey, MTech Communications, Saxton Ghana, Pacific Solutions,Multiple Concepts, NKACC, Unicredit and MMRS.

By Admin.

The Advertising Association of Ghana has renewed calls for regulation of advertising practice in Ghana to protect the interest of consumers and to ensure sanity in the industry.
Executive Director of the AAG, Francis Dadzie who made the call was speaking at a signing ceremony of a grant agreement between the association and the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund under the Business Sector Programme Support in Accra on Friday.

“The Advertising Bill is the panacea for most of the challenges plaguing the industry today such as the indiscriminate siting of out of home advertising structures and will also lead to licensing of practitioners, professionalism, consumer protection, and growth of the industry”, he said.
He added that the bill addresses issues such as consumer protection from deceptive advertising, gender stereotyping and exploitation of children in advertisements.

He disclosed that the association is currently engaging the Ministries of Trade and Industry, and Communications to ensure the draft bill is passed by parliament within the year.

With the support of BUSAC Fund, the association has since 2012 been advocating for an Advertising Bill which will establish a legislative framework leading to the set-up of an Advertising Council to regulate the industry.
The bill made it through parliament for a first reading in 2016 but could not be passed before the mandate of the fourth parliament of the fourth republic expired in December 2016. This means the whole process for passing the bill has to be restarted.

Fund Manager, Nicholas Jorgensen Gebara explained why the Business Sector Programme Support continues to partner the AAG in the advocacy for the advertising bill. “We have been encouraging AAG to push for a bill to uphold ethical standards for the advertising industry and we’re by this new agreement following up for the association to push for the bill to pass through parliament. The funds will be used to sensitize the parliamentary select committees on Communications and Trade, Industry and Tourism as well as other stakeholders on the need for the Advertising Bill.”

President of the Advertising Association of Ghana, Joel Nettey expressed appreciation for the Business Sector Programme Support funded by DANIDA, EU, USAID, and the BUSAC Fund which has made it possible for the AAG to continue its advocacy for regulation of the advertising industry in Ghana.