MOVIE PRACTITIONERS URGED TO COMPETE FOR ADVERTS

Nigerian movie practitioners have resolved to lobby major stakeholders in media buying for a share of their budget in 2009. This resolution was reached at the Nollywood Townhouse Meeting held in Lagos on Thursday. They have also decided to invest in research to create greater awareness of the vast potential in Nollywood. Through a major presentation and the formation of a sub-committee, Nollywood practitioners intend to scramble for a portion of advertisement budgets, for example. The second annual meeting featured lectures from esteemed movie and advertising practitioners. The Chief Executive Officer of Next Media, Mr. Dada Ekai Ighile, advised that Nollywood should see itself as competing with other media forms for brand advertising and should, therefore, engage the use of research methods and statistical data to justify its clamour for patronage. The Corporate Manager, Unilever, Mr Ademola Adedoyin, said that although Nollywood was regarded as the third biggest movie industry in the world, it still does not command a world class commercial patronage unlike the music and comedy industry. Adedoyin urged practitioners to address the issues of what they are selling. “How are we clear on roles and priorities? Are we together? And how do we measure the impact of our investment?” he asked. He reaffirmed his belief that if these questions could be answered, then advertisers would not have a choice but take the industry seriously. Another major player, Mr. Fidelis Duker, declared that if advertising agencies could spend 10 per cent of the N50bn expended on television last year on good Nollywood movies as adverts placement, it would have set forth a revolution that would have made the industry and the country better, especially with the wide acceptance already being enjoyed by the industry.