FOLABI, YOU ARE RIGHT

My Dear Folabi, many thanks for your very thoughtful contributions on issues the new leadership of the AAAN needs to address. First, let me assure you that you are on course, and almost without exception, its the same feedback I have been getting from agency to agency: What do we gain from our AAAN membership?

Truth is the gains have been liberalised especially by our media friends, who simply treat all their customers on cash and carry basis, ignoring the fact that AAAN members ought to earn more than non members. This issue is very fundamental, and we should not play politics with it.

Lets ask ourselves, "why is this happening"?

Over the years, the liberalisation and intense competition in the business environment make it compelling for the media houses to deal with everyone on cash and carry basis, knowing many of the non AAAN patrons have a choice. So what do we do? We need to forge a new relationship with the media owners and restore the old relationship you and I knew 10, 15 years ago. Part of this is very fundamental: we must meet our obligations to them.

Truth is we have lost their respect and cooperation, and the erstwhile relationship has lost its trust value. And if you go from media house to media house, the refrain is that our members have abused the trust and owe incessantly, refusing to pay. Is this true? In some cases yes; in others, its simply mischief. The loss of the trust also means a loss of the privileges we used to enjoy over our non AAAN colleagues, who almost invariably deal on cash and carry basis and are therefore found more attractive by the media houses.

In the new dispensation, we will work afresh with the various representatives of the media houses, and agree a new regime of business relationship which will assure that their financial interests are protected, by ensuring that both parties keep strictly to the new terms of credit and its management. We have told them over and over again that credit shouldnt be extended to agencies which consistently abuse it; the time has come for us to enforce it to protect everyone.

If for example we all choose to go the way of prepayment as many of them now do, then we must convey this to the clients, who must also fall in line with the new reality. You must agree that even our members also suffer from clients who owe us incessantly and make us look very bad with the media houses. It will be a long and tortuous journey, but before we get to the end of it, we will succeed in restoring the relationship and now be in a position to ask for privileges again, afterall, to who much is given, much is expected.

On the issue of esprit de corp, we will all have to work on it. Having served on the membership committee for many years, I share your position, but know that we are all guilty. Unfortunately, most times, many of our members dont speak out. For instance, our agency has lost at least three key businesses in the last 12 months to so called smaller agencies through means we wouldnt describe as too professional, and but for your contribution, I wouldnt have mentioned it. Its happeneing to everyone.

The current exco is working hard on protecting everyone, and as the chairman of the ethics committee I am in the thick of this. Folabi, we all simply must begin to respect ourselves again and not allow overiding business interests alone to motivate us. I am aware of what the issues are with my brother Sola at UB40, and would wish that we were all properly insulated from things like this. Because of our desperation to get new businesses, we have often played into the hands of clients, who take advantage of us. New guidelines on account acquisition will go a long way in ensuring the interests of individual members are protected, and our members acting properly, professionally and responsibly. This is a promise from me. Moving on, I will ensure that even when people lose businesses, they at least get a sense that things have been properly done.

We all have a major role to play in these. We all must begin to see the values in integrity, honesty and fairplay. I have propagated these for years and either we like it on not, if we dont comply, we will continue to have problems within members.

Folabi, I thank you for your very encouraging contributions, and thank you especially for your declared support, and the very nice things you have said about me. I will be dpending on your support and your active participation when we call on you for higher service. Please keep on sharing this new spirit and message with your friends and our colleagues. Together we can all do great things for the association again. God bless you.