Offensive Advert: ARCON Backs CAN, Sanctions Peak Milk 

Raheem Akingbolu

Exactly a year after the Easter day advert published by Sterling Bank Plc generated furore as a result of its assumed misrepresentation of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, another corporate body, FrieslandCampina Wamco, owners of the Peak Milk brand, has been marked out for sanction by the apex advertising regulatory body in the country, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) for releasing to the public a creative material that was not vetted by it.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) had on Monday condemned the makers of Peak Milk, over an offensive Easter advert that was said to have sparked outrage among Christians in the country.

In line with its regulatory mandate to ensure responsible advertising through strict adherence to the advertising Code of Practice, ARCON has announced that it would punish the diary company, as well as other unnamed offenders over what it considers “exposure of incendiary and provocative Easter advertisements.”

According to a statement signed by ARCON’s Director-General, and made available to THISDAY, the council noted with concern, the series of advertisements exposed during the recent Easter celebration by advertisers, media owners and advertising agencies.

ARCON said the advertisements were not only provocative, insensitive, offensive, incendiary but were also not submitted nor vetted by the Advertising Standards Panel in accordance with the provisions of section 53(1] of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria Act No.23 of 2022.

According to the statement, a number of advertisements were observed during the Easter Celebration by the Council to be unpleasant, and demeaning to the Christian faith.

The Council said it would take necessary actions to ensure that the rights, sensitivities and religious beliefs of any sect, or group of people are not ridiculed, disparaged, or exploited for commercial gains or otherwise.

“Advertisers, advertisement agencies and media owners are strongly advised to desist from exposing any form of advertisement without obtaining the prior approval of the Standards Panel. Violators will be sanctioned in accordance with the law,” the statement partly read.

In the controversial advert, the company used the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as a metaphor to promote their product on Good Friday, a move CAN described as “totally unacceptable” to the Christian population.

The General Secretary of CAN, Barrister Joseph Daramola, warned the company to retract the advert, tender an apology to Christians or face legal action and boycott of their products by Christians.

 “We find this advert to be insensitive, offensive, and totally unacceptable. Good Friday is a solemn day for Christians all over the world, a day we commemorate the death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who was crucified on the cross for our sins. It is not a day to be used for crass commercial purposes,” he said.

Barely 24 hours after CAN issued the statement; the management of the company tendered its apology and acknowledged the sensitivity of the social media post considering the sobriety of the season.

In an apology letter which was addressed to the CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, by Mr. Ore Famurewa, Executive Director (Corporate Affairs) of the company, the Easter post was not intended to cause any offense.

“We acknowledge the sensitivity of the social media post considering the sobriety of the season. It was neither intended to make light of the significance of the season nor to inordinately exploit the unmatched sacrifice of Jesus Christ” the statement reads.

But while stressing the need to align advertising and marketing communication messages to the cultural and religious nuances of the people, ARCON stated that the agency will act in accordance with the dictates of the law to serve as a deterrent to other brand owners.

Reacting to the apology tendered, the ARCON Boss said: “The apology is an afterthought. The first issue is that the advertisement was neither submitted nor approved for exposure by the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP), the statutory Panel charged with the responsibility of ensuring that advertisements conform with the prevailing laws of the Federation as well as the code of ethics of Advertising in Nigeria.

“Second issue is that even where materials are exempted from vetting, that material must comply with minimum standards of practice. So, the material crossed the path of religious sensitivity. The material was not vetted so we will definitely issue sanctions.”

Exactly this period last year, a similar controversial creative was posted by Sterling Bank on its social media platforms, which alluded that Jesus Christ arose like “Agege Bread.”

Experts believe that the furore generated by the two controversial creatives has brought to the fore the banana peel that often confronts the business of creatives anywhere in the world. In the said Sterling Bank’s copy, which was published in major dailies on Sunday April 17, 2022, the bank had likened the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ to ‘Agege Bread’, a popular brand of bread that is very common in Agege, a suburb of Lagos. 

As expected, many adherents of the Christian faith saw the copy as not just being offensive and insensitive; they also felt it was a denigration of the status of Jesus Christ, the symbol of the Christian faith all over the world.