This page will provide you details of APCON. Go to www.fasteducation.org.uk/cimuk if you would prefer international certification on Advertising , Marketing or Communication.
APCON
Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria
National Theatre Annex, Iganmu,
P.O.Box 50648, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Established by Act No. 55 of 1988
To control and regulate
advertising practice in all its
aspects & ramifications
The
Professional
Examinations
Syllabus
Effective: November 2010
BACKGROUND - 2
Functions of APCON - 3
Membership - 4
Registration as an Ad Practitioner - 5
Enrolment for the Examination - 6
Examination Philosophy - 7
Syllabus Structure - 8
Registration as Associate - 9
Course Description - 10
Part One - 10
Part Two - 12
Part Three - 14
The adoption in January 1988 by the National Council of Minister of a broad National Mass Communication Policy was a significant milestone in the birth of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria. Various discussions which followed articulated the relevance and leadership role of advertising in the nation’s social, political and economic activities as well as the need for recognition and regulation.
The Advertising Practitioner Council of Nigeria (APCON), established by act 55 of 1988, was a logical outcome of the above and accords legislative recognition to advertising as a profession in Nigeria.
The APCON Processional Diploma in Advertising is a qualifying certificate for registration into the advertising profession. The basic qualification for enrolment into the programme is a bachelor’s degree or the Higher National Diploma in any Discipline.
Candidate who holds degree or HND in Marketing, Mass Communication and Graphic Arts would be exempted from some of the courses on individual/Merit.
The examinations are conducted twice a year: June and November.
Candidates may avail themselves of preparatory lectures offered at various approved study centres.
Section One Act 55 of 1988 which set up APCON states its functions as:
a. Determining who are advertising practitioners;
b. Determining what standards of knowledge and skill are to be attained by persons seeking to become registered as members of the advertising profession and reviewing those standards from time to time;
c. Securing in accordance, with the provisions of the Decree, the establishment and maintenance of a register of practitioners and the publication, from time to time, of list of those persons;
d. Regulating and controlling the practice of advertising in all its aspects and ramifications;
e. Conducting examinations in the profession and awarding certificates or diploma to successful candidates and when appropriate and for such purpose, the council shall prescribe fees to be paid in respect thereof;
f. Performing the other functions conferred on the council by the Act.
The Decree makes provision for four grades of membership:
1. Fellow
2. Full Member
3. Associate Member
4. Student Member
Associate Member
Anyone above the age of 21, who possesses any of the degrees or diplomas listed under the student category, and is employed in a recognized organization where he or she can acquire professional experience. He or she must be of good character and must not have been convicted in Nigeria or elsewhere of a criminal offence.
Full Member
Anyone who has met the requirements for associate membership and in addition has been in continuous advertising practice for a minimum of 5 years.
Fellow
To be a fellow, the applicant must have fulfilled the conditions for associate and full membership. In addition, he or she must have been in continuous active advertising practice in the 15 years preceding the date of his or her application, and must show evidence of significant contributions to the practice of advertising.
Student Member
Anyone who satisfied the Council that he or she is undergoing a course of studies recognized by the Council and leading to the award of:
- APCON Diploma/Professional Certificate
- CAM or BEEC Diploma in Advertising
- Degree/HND in Marketing,
Mass Communication,
Graphic Arts or Advertising
- NIJ PGD Advertising
Application for registration as a student must be made on the prescribed form which requires an undertaking on the part of the applicant to abide by the rules laid down by the Council from time to time. Every applicant will be required to produce satisfactory evidence of age, name, character and eligibility together with certified photocopies of educational certificates and four certified passport size photographs.
The examination is designed to test candidates’ knowledge both in the theory and practice of advertising. Emphasis is on professional knowledge and application of principles to practice.
The challenge from the contemporary advertising environment requires that present and future advertising practitioners demonstrate knowledge and ability in solving advertising and marketing communications related problems.
Thus, the syllabus is guided by the need to provide the students a perfect blend of professional and theoretical knowledge.
PART I
101 Introduction to Mass Communication
102 Principles of Marketing
103 Principles of Advertising
104 Principles of Public Relations
105 Advertising Law and Ethics
PART II
201 Consumer Behaviour
202 Advertising Copy, Layout and Production
Techniques
203 ICT
204 Research Methodology
205 Quantitative Analysis
PART III
301 Advertising Agency Management &
Organization
302 Campaign Planning & Execution
303 Media Management
304 Integrated Marketing Communication
305 Project
The successful completion of Part III will qualify a student for registration as an associate member of the profession provided the student has had at least 30 months of advertising practice and has been a student member for the same period. Anybody who has not fulfilled these conditions will only be entitled to a Professional Diploma in Advertising.
101 INTRODUCTION TO MASS
COMMUNICATION
Definition of Mass Communication
Characteristics of Mass Communication
Elements of the Communication Process
Communication Theories
Media Content and Message Patterns
Media Effects: Principles and Theories
Survey of Mass Media and their Adjuncts
Roles of Mass Communication in Society
102 PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING
Meaning and Evolution of Marketing
Nature and Significance of Marketing
Approaches to the Study of Marketing
The Marketing Environment
Marketing Process: product planning, consumer analysis,
Pricing, sales, distribution, promotion, etc.
Marketing Segmentation and Analysis
Social and Political Marketing
Social Responsibility and Ethics
Branding-Brand Identify Structure &
Brand Management
103 PRINCIPLES OF ADVERTISING
Definition of Advertising
Types and Functions of Advertising
History and Development of Advertising in Nigeria
Structure of Advertising Industry: agency client and media
Development of Advertising Agencies
Functions of the Advertising Manager
The Advertising Brief: writing and assessing advertising proposals
Advertising Process: how ads work
Roles of Advertising in Marketing
Career Development in Advertising
Advertising Training & Education
104 PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
Definition of Public Relations
Relationship and Differences between Public Relations and Advertising
Managing Customer Relations
Working with the Media
Understanding the Public Opinion
Crisis Communication
105 ADVERTISING LAW AND ETHICS
Structure of Advertising Regulation and Control: legal & voluntary mechanisms
Basic Law and ethics
Elements of Business Law
Law of Contract
Liability in Tort
Pertinent Torts in Advertising: defamation, copyright, passing-off, negligence, invasion of privacy, obscenity & indecency, etc.
Code of Ethical Conduct
Guidelines on Advertising of: tobacco products, alcohol beverages, food, drugs, cosmetics, financial institutions, political advertising, etc.
Role of Government Agencies
Regulatory Bodies: origin, structure and functions
Role of Professional Associations: AAAN, BON, MIPAN, OAAN, ADVAN, etc
Ethical problems: direct media buying, media brokerage, etc.
201 CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Basis of Human Behaviour
Nature and Determinants of Behaviour
Behavioural Development
Motivation: Psychological and Sociological Behaviour
Cognitive Process, dissonance, congruity, balance
Perception: nature and determinants
Learning Process
Personality Development and Socialization
Attitude Formation and Change
Family and Culture
Social Stratification
Consumer Behaviour in Practice
202 ADVERTISING COPY AND LAYOUT,
AND PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES
Nature of Advertising Writing
Copywriting Principles
Copy Strategy
Copy Format and Layout
Writing Copy for Newspapers
Writing Copy for Magazines
Writing Copy for Outdoor
Writing Copy for Radio and Television
Writing Copy for Web Advertising
Design Principles
Stages of Advertising Layout
Designing for Various Media
Introduction to Various Digital Layout
Programmes
Photography and Lithography
Printing Methods/Processes
Broadcast Production Principles/Processes
Production Technique for Print Media
Production Technique for Radio and Television
Role of Computer in Modern Advertising Production
203 INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES
Tools of ICT
Relevant terms in ICT and their definitions
Deployment of ICT in Advertising: copy, design & production
Convergence of Information Technologies; implication for advertising
204 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Nature of Science and Scientific Inquiry
Research Defined
Types of Research
Marketing Research Activities
Role of Research in Advertising
Functional Areas of Advertising Research:
Copy, media effectiveness, motivation, habits and consumer research
Research Approaches in Advertising Survey, experiment, focus group, content analysis etc.
Conducting Advertising Research
Assessing Research Proposals
Qualities of Good Research
Case Studies in Advertising Research
105 QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
Nature of Quantitative Analysis
Scope of Statistics
Overview of Data Collection Methods
Data Presentation: tables, graphs, frequency distribution, mean, median, mode, comparison of measures
Measures of Dispersion: range, standard deviation, variance, skewness, etc.
Inferential Statistics
- Statistical Testing
- Correlation and Regression
- Probability Theory
Uses of Computer in Qualitative Analysis
301 ADVERTISING AGENCY MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION
Management Principles
Scope of Advertising Management
Agency Management
Assessing Advertising Proposals & Briefs
Making Presentation: pitching for accounts
Agency-Client Relationship
Economics of Advertising: budget control measures
Measuring Effectiveness of Advertising
Management of Corporate Advertising
Handling Consumer Promotions
Managing Government Advertising
302 CAMPAIGN PLANNING AND EXECUTION
The Meaning of Campaign
Types and Structures of Campaign
Setting Campaign Objectives: DAGMAR and its limitations
Place of Research in Campaign Planning
Marketing Analysis and Campaign Planning
Behavioural Studies in Campaign
Management
Determining Advertising Budget: method and practical application
Creativity in Advertising: approaches, styles and appeals
Campaign Execution: coordination of activities (progress monitoring)
Planning Different Kinds of Campaign
Problems in Campaign Execution
303 MEDIA MANAGEMENT
The Media Department: structure and functions
Functions of Commercial Department in the Media House
Roles of Media Advertising:
Media types and characteristics
Setting media Objectives
Principles of Media Planning
Media Strategy: basic concepts and applications
Developing a Media Plan
Managing Media Budget: considerations in media selection and sales
Media Buying and Compliance
Media Analysis and Evaluation
Media Monitoring
304 INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
Perspectives of Integrated Communications
Elements of Promotional Strategy: publicity, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations
Promotional Strategy Plans: objectives, target audience message development, etc
Consumer Promotion: trends and tactics
Marketing Public Relations: fund raising, lobbying, promoting politicians, campaign management
Issues Marketing: information, education and communication (IEC) strategy
Marketing Politics: the integrative approach
Corporate Communications Strategy
Legal and Ethical Consideration in Marketing Communications
Note: Apart from testing basic principles in integrated marketing communications, the paper will examine indepth understanding of application of those principles to real or hypothetical cases.
305 PROJECT
To qualify for the award of the certificate, a candidate shall submit a research project which represents the student’s independent scholarly contribution to the advertising profession.
CONDITIONS
i. The candidates can only proceed to the project writing after passing all papers in the examination
ii. A project proposal shall be sent to APCON Secretariat for approval before commencement
iii. The project will be defended on completion
TEXTBOOKS
Council does not restrict candidates to specific text books but advises that only relevant texts should be used. Candidates are also advised to use more local books and journals, since advertising has a cultural component.
TUITION
Council advises that only recognized training centres be patronized for the purpose of tuition. Secretariat can provide advice in this respect.
If you would want international certification for a start and which you can do online because of distance and time challenge, visit www.fasteducation.org.uk/cimuk . APCON accepts the CIM (UK) profession Diploma for admission.