Guinness Faces Sanction Over Unapproved Advert!

The Face-off between Guinness Nigeria Plc and the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), a federal body responsible for the regulation and control of the practice of advertising in Nigeria, may not have abated as fresh trouble is knocking on the doors of Guinness Nigeria Plc over the recent front page advert placed in some newspapers.

It was learnt that the advert Guinness Colourful World of More, did not pass through the Advertising Standards Panel, ASP, the vetting arm of APCON. The hint of the fresh trouble for the brewer was dropped by Mr. Tunde Thani, ASP Advertising Best Practice Committee Chairman.

Responding to questions from journalists at a press briefing to herald the forthcoming ASP Advertising Best Practice Awards /Advertising Day celebration scheduled to hold in November 15, 2013, Mr. Tunde Thani, said "There is no way ASP could seat and allow any advertiser to plan such campaign that runs contrary to the advertising code.

He also wondered why any newspaper should expose such an advert to the public no matter the amount, without minding what it connotes to the public, particularly thehttp://allafrica.com/stories/201311110058.html under aged." He noted that APCON has a body, Advert Mangers Forum, of which all advert managers belong, saying, "They are part of the vetting process for adverts. There is no information you cannot get from them. We are not hiding anything from public consumption. I can assure you that there is nothing like that (vetting)."

While blaming some advert managers and journalists, he said: "From your end as well, you take finance above ethics. We have the rules, but, unfortunately, some companies are not playing by the rule. From next year, you will begin to see the trail of stamping out of such practices.

"Presently we are beginning to get calls from the public on why Guinness should expose such an advert in front pages of newspapers to the detriment of children, who are privy to newspaper copies", he said.

It will be recalled that to check these flagrant violations, APCON had in February this year banned all alcohol advertising from the stable of Guinness Nigeria Plc over what it termed deliberate breach of the code's Article 39.

The code states that "advertisements for alcohol beverages shall not be aired between 6.00am and 8.00pm on radio and between 6.00am and 10.00pm on television."