Why we made 35% downward review for OOH during pandemic–LASAA

By allcitynews.ng
 

The Lagos State Advertising and Signage Agency (LASSA) said it gave a 35percent decrease in rates review for Light Emitting Diode (LED) advertising structures for the Out-of-home (OOH) industry in Lagos during the pandemic.

 The Managing Director of LASAA, Prince Adedamola  Docemo  said this in a chat with Vanguard that “with many vacant billboards across Lagos, the encouragement the agency gave to the OOH practitioners during the Covid-19 pandemic is a downward rate review–

 First, there was a 35 percent decrease in the rates for LED advertising structures then there was 30 percent reduction done on other third-party structures. We have also waived off three months   permit fees for practitioners to cushion the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

 “The Agency had a vacant board discount policy in the past which is under review for a win-win benefit for the Agency and practitioners. So, we believe all these will serve as motivations for outdoor practitioners to do more in meeting their statutory obligations.

The LASAA boss who said the agency had to cut down on its rate did that because companies were badly hit by the pandemic and as such, advertisers cut down on budgets drastically and especially because of the lockdown, and because people were not moving around so we had a lot of vacant boards but gradually, things are beginning to pick up and normalize again.

 People have resumed their businesses physically and the roads have become busy again which automatically means OOH advertising is getting more patronage than what was obtainable when the economy was newly hit by the pandemic.

 On the level of compliance in terms of registration and permit fee payment from clients during the pandemic, he stated: “the compliance is commendable and the agency appreciates practitioners.”

 According to him, “we are very considerate and empathetic people in LASAA. We understand what is happening globally, hence, we display same understanding to our clients when approached, but to our amazement, they have been very cooperating in terms of registering their  structures and making payment for permit fees.

 The response to compliance is even more than the previous years because, last year, LASAA was rated the 4th outstanding revenue generating Agency in Lagos which is a testament to the fact that our clients are cooperating regardless of the resultant effects of the pandemic.”

 On what the agency is doing for clients to ensure ease of doing business, he disclosed that, myself and my team members are seriously in tune with best practices obtainable in other contemporary organisations which includes ease of doing business. Our application processing time is short, such that when a client registers, within a very short time, we issue approval. Now, we have even gone online so as to have less paper work. Clients can now download our application form for any of our products from our website, view rates therein and even pay online without needing to come to our office.”
 
He stated further that, “LASAA is much open to the public. We are in twenty-five (25) local government offices across the State wherein our well trained staff members operate professionally by attending to Clients and ensuring that no business opens without registration.”