The President of Beauty of Africa International Pageant, BAIP, Engr. Daniel Opuene, has slammed Nigerian brands for ignoring models for actors or comedians in the industry.
Opuene stated that although brands want immediate boost to their products hence the need for known figures in the industry, he still feels that models are well suited for the job.
He revealed the ridiculous fact of having the faces of comedians as ambassadors for creams and skincare products when they could have easily picked models for it.
He said, “In Nigeria, brands don’t place much value on models and queens.
“As an ardent traveller, I have been to many countries and when I see billboards and even watch some of the commercial adverts on television, I see models and crowned beauty queens behind almost all of them and I get intrigued.
“Africa and especially Nigeria needs a total reform on that area. Here, we give most of the jobs suited for models to actresses and even artistes based on the power of their social network presence.
“Imagine a comedian used as an ambassador for a cream or facial beauty brand and you wonder how does this connect?
“Are we being fair enough to people in that chosen career who have devoted much of their time building these exceptional qualities which by far and end gives a brand the much appreciable look from the outside?”
“I understand that most organisations are looking for immediate sales which can be easily generated by hiring notable entertainers to represent them.
“However, this should be carefully done while also making rooms for models too. I believe there are good models and Beauty Queens who have reputations that will effect any organisation positively. We need to encourage these set of people and be all-inclusive in our selections.”
