Dubai
A grouping set up by some of the biggest ad spenders in the Middle East has set its next target — get UAE based and regional publishers to come on board. And with a valid reason too.
“They’re key to our goal of self-regulation,” said Sanjiv Kakkar, who is Chairman of the Advertising Business Group (ABG), which was launched in Dubai exactly a year ago with the express purpose of ensuring certain standards are met in how ad messages are framed.
“What’s happening regarding the creation of fake news, the use of incorrect measurement tools and other means that are used to deceive need to be stamped out. One single issue which impacts consumer trust hurts us all, as it erodes their belief in what we do.”
- Sanjiv Kakkar | ABG chairman
ABG’s formation was led by the regional operations of Unilever and P&G, the consumer goods giants and the leading ad dollar spenders globally. It was felt at the time that only a new industry grouping will have the clout to address some of the issues that had been creeping up on the industry, especially in the digital ad space. It was felt — at least by advertisers — that there was some slippage in standards and that needed rectifying.
That advertisers and brand owners led the way in setting up the grouping is what sets ABG apart. There are other ad industry alliances in town, but principally built around ad agencies.
“Our remit is to monitor, maintain, promote and uphold fair, sound and ethical principles and practices of advertising,” said Kakkar, who is also Unilever’s Executive Vice-President — North Africa Middle East, Turkey, Russia Ukraine and Belarus. “We will tackle anything that falls foul of this, including brands that employ false advertising and third-parties who don’t disclaim that their content is sponsored.
“In relation to this we have commissioned local research related to social media and influencer transparency and its impact on consumer confidence.
“This year has been all about getting the basics in place. This has included the formation of the Complaints Committee, setting processes in place, on-boarding individuals from within the industry, media and civil society who will sit on this Committee, while also educating the industry both on our wider mission as well as on their essential role in terms of overseeing the complaint process.”
While stating explicitly what it wants, ABG is also simultaneously working on a meeting of the minds with the other interested parties in the advertising space, i.e., the agencies, media buyers and, now, the publishers.
ABG has got on board such powerhouses as GroupM, Starcom and Publicis. Membership has grown by a third over the past year, led by brand owners and agencies.
But will ABG go the next mile in tackling issues of abuse in the way certain ads are represented? Kakkar is quite clear on this point: “We are a voluntary organisation we don’t have any legal means at our disposal. We are driving a long-term proactive agenda that aims to rally the industry around delivering communication with transparency and purpose that will win consumers’ trust.
“Our objective is to achieve this via inclusion, rather than an exclusionary strategy that aims to deliver a “bite” … at this stage.
“With consumer trust in traditional advertising declining worldwide, we want to win this confidence back by promoting and upholding fair, sound and ethical principles and practices. I applaud those companies and brands who are using their voices to take a stand on an issue and be at the forefront of driving change.
“I’d like to see more brands being brave, delivering meaningful value and address issues that matter to us all.”
The top priorities for ABG in 2018
* Further building industry support: Build a long-term agenda of responsible advertising and marketing via self-regulation as against addressing short-term “cost to advertise” issues. “Our initial priorities therefore remain to get the maximum industry — client, agency and media — momentum behind this in building an industry that is viewed by consumers as trustworthy and worthy of their engagement,” said Sanjiv Kakkar of ABG.
* Promoting change from outside and within: This will be done by engaging with talent that is entering the industry.
* Developing regional research on advertising: Assist the ad industry in delivering “purposeful advertising that is relevant by driving local insights”. ABG has commissioned local research on social media and influencer transparency.
* Activate and run the Complaints Committee in line with the aim to promote fair and transparent advertising.
