Advertising Standards Board chair wins continental award

Advertising Standards Board of Kenya chair Joe Otin. [Courtesy]

Advertising Standards Board of Kenya chair Joe Otin has won the Piet Smit Achiever of the Year award by the Pan-African Media Research Organization (Pamro) in recognition of his contribution to the growth of media research standards in Africa.

Mr Otin, chief executive of digital advertising agency The Collective and past president of Pamro, received the award at the just concluded annual All Africa Media Research Conference held in Casablanca, Morocco.

Pamro, whose mission is to create a uniform research infrastructure for African countries, draws its membership from industry organisations among them media research providers, media owners, marketers and advertising agencies on the African continent.

“Mr Otin has played a significant role in driving the use of media research across the continent to boost business confidence and profitability in the media and advertising sectors,” said Pamro Vice-President Oscar Tshifure while presenting the award.

He said Otin’s collaborative style has been a boon for Pamro and its members have benefited from his leadership and inspiration.

The award is named after the late Piet Smit, an audience research giant who hailed from South Africa and spent two decades helping companies in the continent to measure audiences scientifically and set up media trading currencies. His efforts paid off by attracting increased advertising expenditure from major global brands.

Roger Steadman was the first recipient of the award in 2009 when it was conceived and sponsored by Plus 94 Research, a South African agency.

Otin has served as chief judge for the gala awards for both the Public Relations Society of Kenya and the Marketing Society of Kenya (MSK) and is a recipient of the Marketing Warrior Award granted by MSK in 2010.

In 2019 he rose to the rank of District Governor of Rotary Clubs in Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and South Sudan.

He has three decades of experience in the advertising and research sectors.