Written by Aniekpeno Ifeh
Development of OOH Advertising in Nigeria.
Out-of-Home Advertising otherwise called outdoor advertising in Nigeria can be dated back to colonial history. In 1928, West African Publicity Limited; a subsidiary of the United African Company (UAC) was set up to oversee marketing activities in both Nigeria and other West African countries.
In 1929, the company transitioned into a full-time advertising firm and was renamed Lintas with two other subsidiaries: Afromedia; the outdoor medium and Pearl/Dean; the cinema arm.
In the 1950s other advertising agencies emerged and in the 1960’s Mr Kelly of Afromedia Commission Media Research spearheaded the development of Outdoor Advertising Contractors of Nigeria which later evolved to Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria.
Research indicates most working-class Nigerians spend over 70% of their time away from home. Traditional roadside billboard remains the predominant form of Outdoor advertising in Nigeria. However, over the years there has been significant growth in digital outdoor advertising.
Digital Out-of-Home Advertising in Nigeria.
In the current digital age, the industry has evolved to interactive visuals and audio using LCD and LED which help in driving call-to-action. Lagos and Abuja advertising Markets are leading in the use of large LED display billboards.
The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) which was established in 2006, is the body responsible for regulating and managing outdoor advertising and signage displays in Lagos State.
Since the inception of LASAA, Lagos state has spearheaded the transition of the Outdoor advertising industry to Digital outdoor advertising. The government across the various states of the Federation are adopting the LASAA model to regulate outdoor advertising practices for a holistic transformation of the outdoor industry in Nigeria.
The Agency LASAA embarked on the implementation of a “Streetscape Optimization Process and System”(SOP) for all facets of the City’s streetscape. The streets light advertisement project for example ensures illumination on major roads all through the year. The Agency’s projects focus on direct community benefits and the provision of infrastructures that promote good advertisement.
Programmatic out-of-home
Programmatic OOH sprouts from the Digital OOH. It provides platforms where campaigns buyers can plan, execute and monitor campaigns across multiple platforms using a workflow. Marketers can specify their target audience characteristics and find the media vehicles to deliver that audience through programmatic platforms.
A young Nigerian agency, Alpha & Jams introduced “Candle”, an innovative smart platform that powers DOOH screens and can interpret data, convert it to meaningful results like OTS, GRT, number of impressions, unique reach, repeat visits, campaign conversion among others.
Challenges of OOH advertising
A study by the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria in collaboration with Geopoll, which assessed the effectiveness of outdoor advertising has shown that outdoor advertising is the most effective medium in Nigeria following radio. The study focused on Lagos, Abuja and Rivers state. However, it is not without challenges.
The industry is not consolidated, ownership in the industry is mainly sole proprietorship or family-owned. this has been because business owners fear losing control. Consolidation would bring about a better structure and best practices. the industry will grow and provide more value to clients.
Over-regulation is also a challenge in the industry. the industry needs to be properly regulated for maximized potentials. however, excessive regulation can stifle growth. there are so many regulatory bodies charging high tariffs and taxes on billboards and other OOH channels. Nigeria holds great potentials in this industry.
