UGBS Engages the Advertising Sector.
The University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), in collaboration with the Centre for Sustainability and
Enterprise Development (CSED), has organized a round-table discussion on the premises of its Main
Campus to engage actors in Ghana’s advertising sector, one of eighteen sectors under review.
According to Prof. Robert Hinson, the lead author of the sector report, and Head of CSED, the report
seeks to describe economic and business activities in Ghana at a micro/firm level. The discussions,
therefore, sought to align research with development needs by ascertaining the accuracy and relevance
of research on the sector.
Mr. Joel Edmund Nettey, CEO, Innova DDB Ghana and President of the Advertisers Association of Ghana
(AAG), chaired the discussions which saw the participation of UGBS faculty and stalwarts in the
advertising sector such as Mr. Nee Odoi Tetteyfio, Lowe Lintas Ghana; Mr. McBen Asamoah, Telemedia;
Mr. Francis Dadzie, Executive Director of the Advertisers Association of Ghana (AAG), Mr. Eli Kpodo,
Brand & Advertising Manager, MTN, and Mr. Bright Ladzekpo, PHD Media among countless others.
Participants discussed the current state of the sector, identifying challenges and proffering solutions to
such challenges as managerial-level improvement as well as the future of advertising in Ghana.
The State of the Sector
On the state of the sector, Mr. Nettey (AAG), commented that advertising in Ghana is experiencing a
change in campaign strategies as a result of the prevalence of technology. The multiplicity of media and
social media platforms, he explained, has helped advertising expand to the doorstep of consumers and
made work easier for advertisers and ever-growing advertising agencies.
It was opined that the proliferation of agencies has birthed and fuels fierce competition amongst
agencies, compelling innovation in the strategy of advertising campaigns.
Participants also underscored the need for advertisers to retain their clients amidst competition against
the backdrop of bigger industries facing stiff competition from smaller ones.
Research
Mr. Asamoah of Telemedia identified research as playing a critical role in advertising. He, however,
bemoaned the staggering amount it cost advertisers in terms of the loss of clients who are unable to
foot the bill. In resolving this challenge, participants proposed a revision of cost structures so clients may
have value for money spent.
Academia was also urged to undertake advertising research, taking cues from experts in the field to give
room for local references rather than foreign references.
Multi-national Network
Mr. Nettey lauded the existence of multi-national networks as an actor in the sector. This, they said, has
enhanced the capacity of the local industry and moved it towards exponential growth. Technology was
also identified as another agent of growth-reducing laborious processes and the need for constructing
larger buildings- cutting down on the number of employees recruited in advertising firms.
Other Challenges
One of the major forces impacting the sector that participants discussed was quality human resource.
Mr. Dadzie lamented the Ghanaian educational system’s inability to provide enough avenues for the
training of quality human resource to feed the sector. Participants pointed out that there were either a
shortage of advertising and marketing schools, or advertising programmes were taught as semester
courses in marketing programmes.
While academia was urged to modify programme structures to feature advertising in a prominent role,
Dr. James Abugre, a Senior Lecturer with UGBS’s Organisation and Human Resource Management
Department, added that some advertising lectures are unable to market the courses to attract students
who could pursue it at a post-graduate level.
Other solutions proffered to mitigate the challenge of quality human resource included academiaindustry collaborations such as guest lectures by industry experts.
Regulation
Participants cited regulation as another challenge, with the AAG’s efforts at regulation hampered by the
stall in the passing of the Advertising Authority Bill.
This impediment, they stated, has stoked unprofessionalism and encouraged the proliferation of frauds.
The solution to this challenge was the passing of the bill which, discussants held, would ensure
practitioners toe approved lines.
Managerial-level Improvement
Participants from industry, who also included such personalities as Francis Nutugah, Lancaster
University, Ghana, Prof. Iddrisu Awudu, Quinnipiac University, Connecticut, Andrew Ackah, CEO, DAN
Ghana, and Kofi Akyea of MoneyGram, noted that managerial-level employees were the only ones who
got the opportunity for training.
Sector actors were urged to include all employees in training programmes and not only those in
management. However, graduate courses, it was proposed, could include training and practical aspects
to help build talents to feed the industry.
Advertising: The Future
Participants believed, 20 years from now, advertising agencies would be near extinction unless firms go
international. If not, they opined multi-national companies will take over since advertising has now
taken on a global hue. Importantly so, they foresaw a more-structured industry with competition.
These, they maintained, could only be attained with proper planning.
Other sectors in the round-table discussions include the Real Estate, Telecommunications, and
Pharmaceutical Business.