ARCON underscores ethical obligation of stakeholders in upholding industry standard

The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has underscored the ethical obligation of stakeholders to uphold industry standards, particularly in light of recurring infractions related to the use of models in advertisements.

At a stakeholder forum convened by the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP), Director General of ARCON, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo acknowledged the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in advertising while cautioning against its indiscriminate use, citing its implications for employment creation and industry sustainability.

ARCON has established a dedicated committee to examine the broader implications of AI adoption in advertising and ensure alignment with national development objectives.

“Nobody can shy away from AI as AI has come to stay. In fact, you can generate an advert from copy to execution without having human interference. That is the power of AI. What we are saying is that we need to look at AI in its totality and see how this will improve on advertising.

“We have set up a small committee that is looking at this. What we are referring to are computer generated images not AI. Instead of using a model, you are using a computer-generated model. We now pitch this against the government policy of employment creation and if we don’t look at this very well, we may lose employment opportunities and opportunity to rejig the industry” he said.

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Furthermore, ARCON emphasized the imperative of self-regulation and adherence to copyright laws within the advertising ecosystem. The agency highlighted the role of the ASP in enforcing regulatory compliance and reiterated its commitment to fostering a conducive environment for ethical advertising practices.

Mrs. Omowunmi Owodunni, Chairman, Advertising Standard Panel (ASP), in her keynote lecture urged to refer to the Nigerian Code of Advertising for guidance and clarification, underscoring the importance of self-regulation in maintaining industry integrity.

While calling for concerted efforts to support local talent development and mitigate the adverse impact of non-compliance with regulatory guidelines, Mrs. Owodunni emphasized the importance of collaboration among industry stakeholders to promote ethical advertising standards and stimulate growth in the sector.

She also admonished those in the habit of exposing digital adverts without approval to desist from the act as the Council will not spare any organization found wanting in that regard.

Also in her address, ARCON’s Director of Regulations, Martha Ugbomma Onyebuchi lamented that a lot of Nigerian Ad materials are full of misinformation and can’t be substantiated.

She’s of the opinion that practitioners should be fined for such unethical behavior.

She gave an example that alcoholic related materials are not meant to be exposed in the morning so as to guard against corrupting the minds of children because of its dire consequences for society.