21 March 2007, by Nana Kofi Acquah in Accra. Future of Ghanaian advertising? Do ad agencies exist in Ghana? How come one never hears of Ghana at Cannes Lions, the Clios, Art Directors Club Awards, BAFTA, or any important Advertising Awards ceremony?
Well, before you get so pessimistic let me tell you there are over 100 registered advertising agencies in Ghana but just about five are really calling the shots... and there are a few serious guys who might be joining or beating the big shots soon; and for good reason too.
 
Colin Charles, the former Creative Director of Lowe Lintas Ghana, and currently Managing Director of Icon believes "Ghana will be the centre of excellence for West Africa in the next few years. His reasons? "Ghana has proven to be a haven for talent; and the ones who come in with ideas and energy are bound to make it." Of course, Colin Charles knows what he is talking about. He came to Ghana as a copywriter looking for a job. He got one as a Creative Director. A position he held for ten years, within which time he helped built some of Ghana's most formidable brands to date. Today, he owns and runs his own ad agency.
 
Ghana is West Africa's most stable and peaceful environment. I am not saying peace and stability are the best catalysts for creativity. Actually War and Pain inspire creativity more than peace does, in my opinion. The subject here is advertising. Advertising is business.
You need clients who have brands to build. Peace and Stability create a fertile environment for businesses. The businesses come in looking for great ad agencies; and that's where we come in. With the war in Ivory Coast, many businesses moved to Ghana. Graphic Color, a solid printing firm moved to Ghana. Nestle moved their West African headquarters from Ivory Coast to Ghana. Such conflict-based corporate migrations are a common story and that is sweet fuel for advertising. Nigeria's business world is literally spilling over into Ghana.
Almost all their big banks and telecommunications companies are now here.

 
Ghana is at the centre of the earth, but that's not the only reason why Advertisers are doing well. She also happens to be the place to develop solid pan-african advertising. If you want to understand the African market, experience the Ghana market first. Ghana is an open country. The people are diverse, speaking over 28 local languages, yet are very similar and singular in a lot of their ways. A campaign that succeeds in Ghana will most probably succeed in other African countries, and clients are beginning to learn this. The current trend however isn't that ads are always shot or produced locally. Actually, a lot of them are brought in from South Africa but the trend is gradually changing and businesses like Diageo and Unilever have
started producing some of their best ads locally with intent to broadcast in other markets.
 
From my personal experiences as a creative in Ghana, many businesses come into the country with either no idea of what advertising agencies have to offer or very negative perceptions on what they can offer. I remember working with this new American NGO that had won a contract to run a series of Malaria campaigns in Ghana. One hot afternoon, we were discussing the way forward and the client made some totally ridiculous statement about the attitude of Ghanaian fathers and husbands in the fight against Malaria. I pointed it out
to her nicely that she might be wrong but she refuted strongly and referred to some research document on her desk. I was quite shocked because apart me being the exact target she was referring to (ie, Ghanaian husband and father of a child under 5 years), I also had just come back from talking to different women's, health workers' and men's groups from all over Ghana. The lady obviously couldn't believe I had anything intelligent to offer her. Well, don't ask me how the campaign went. This is a common error I see everyday. I see
a boss who employs twenty people, and dictates each ones duty to them. Sometimes I feel like screaming at such leaders, especially if they are my clients, that: "Don't dictate their duties to them, dictate your expectations to them and they'll find their way there.'
How can you employ 21 heads and allow only one to think? But that's what arrogance does to people and their businesses.
 
I want to reiterate that these are good times for advertising in Ghana and the future is really bright because of another major trend today, Affilitations. Currently, I work as Executive Creative Director for TBWA Markcom. And if you'd be honest what impressed you
right now, is the TBWA and not the Markcom. Local agencies are getting a lot of weight because they are hopping onto some great equities. I mean we even are in a time when affiliated agencies unite to pitch for a particular job. Recently, TBWA Ghana, Nigeria and
Kenya pulled such a stunt off successfully ( I can't give you details here, I'm sorry). This was unheard of in the past but we are here now. I can sit in my Ghana office and request to be updated with information on what is happening to all TBWA brands globally or can just hook up to the internet or intranet and dig gold. This is the future.
 
Before you get excited and think it's all rosy here, let me remind you that of the over a hundred registered ad agencies only a handful know what they are about. A lot of them are just a bunch of guys who think they can design or use their camcorders to shoot an ad so they
set up an agency. I bet most of them have never even heard the word Adobe. I actually think even the Advertisers Association of Ghana is useless. Don't visit their website. It will make you think every good thing I've said so far is a joke.
This is the season of migration and the weak-winged among us are already crashing into trees.
 
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