The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has announced June 27, 2024 for the second annual Advertising Industry Colloquium (AIC 2.0), at the Sheba Events Centre, Lagos by 8am.
The event with the theme: “Harnessing Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Advertising Education and Professional Excellence in Nigeria” will be declared open by Alhaji Mohammed Idris, Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation.
Speaking at a media briefing in Lagos, the Chairman of the organising committee, Professor Rotimi Olatunji said the aim of the programme was to offer unique opportunities for the fusion of town and gown to critically explore issues and strategies for harnessing emerging technologies for sustainable advertising education and professional excellence in Nigeria.
He added that the specific objectives of AIC 2.0 include to provide a platform for interaction between Town and Gown for the examination of emerging technologies for sustainable advertising education and professional excellence in Nigeria, sensitize academics and students of Communication and Media studies to key requirements for career success in different areas of marketing communication in the face of emerging global communication and media technologies.
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Others according to him are to discuss contemporary trends in creative advertising/marketing communication planning and execution; media campaigns and execution; digital marketing processes and advertising regulation; provide opportunity for students in the field of Communication and media to showcase their creative knowledge and skills in advertising/marketing communication campaign planning and execution and to sensitize participants to the required knowledge and skills for maximizing the potential of emerging technologies for the scholarship and professionalism in advertising and marketing.
Explaining more on the theme of the programme, Prof. Olatunji said since the first industrial revolution, scientific and technological innovations have been major drivers of human development and the 21st century is now experiencing the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), called Industry 4.0.
This era, according to him, is defined by disruptive digital technologies and computational power, including advanced analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), human-machine interactivity, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), the Internet of Things (IoT), and the increased use of robotics and AI in education, production processes and various forms of advanced engineering across all sectors.
“These emerging technologies are significantly impacting communication and media, particularly in advertising and marketing communication education and professional practices. This context informs the theme of the Second Advertising Industry Colloquium (AIC 2.0).
“The Colloquium presents unique opportunities for academics and students of Mass Communication, Advertising, and other integrated marketing communication (IMC) components to engage with professionals in advertising and IMC, media practitioners, policymakers, and regulatory agencies.
Together, they will critically explore strategies for leveraging emerging technologies to achieve sustainable advertising education and professional excellence in Nigeria,” he said.
Prof. Olatunji also disclosed that there will be Public Presentation of ARCON Journal of Advertising and Marketing Communications (AJAMC) at the event.
“Gentlemen of the Press, you will recall that during our pre-event press briefing in 2023, we pledged that the Committee will come out with the maiden edition of an advertising Journal, which is the second critical mandate of the Committee. I am glad to announce to you that the ARCON Journal of Advertising and Marketing Communications (AJAMC) is now birthed and will be unveiled during the AIC 2.0 event.
“ARCON Journal of Advertising and Marketing Communications (AJAMC) is both an academic and professional publication of the ARCON. The goal of AJAMC is to provide an avenue for the advancement of integrated marketing communications scholarship and profession in all ramifications.
“The main objective of the ARCON Journal is to provide a platform for the collaboration between academics and professionals for the advancement of education, research and applications in the areas of Advertising, Integrated Marketing Communication, Marketing, Consumer Studies, Public Relations, Digital Communications, Political Marketing, Semiotics, Creative industries, Social Media, and cognate disciplines.
“In this maiden edition, there are 13 articles published in the three sub-sections of the Journal as follows: Seven (7) articles are listed in the academic section; five (5) articles made it to the advertising industry section; and the last article appeared in the Book Review section. One of the articles in the academic section was of foreign origin.
“Needless to say that the Editorial Board and Editorial Advisory Board comprised distinguished scholars and professionals drawn from all the six geo-political zones of the country, including Nigerians in the Diaspora.
“The Journal thus promises to be the most authoritative advertising and marketing communications scholarship and industry journal on the African continent.”
On the Advertising Pitch Competition which also takes place at the Colloquium, the AIC chairman said unlike in the previous year where only five (5) tertiary institutions took part in the advertising Pitch competition, eight institutions of learning will compete for Prizes in the current edition.
“They include the Department of Mass Communication in the following institutions; University of Ilorin; Covenant University; Federal University of Kashere; Nile University, Abuja; Ebonyi State University; Rivers State University; Kano State Polytechnic and Lagos State University.
“It is very important to emphasize that these eight academic institutions emerged as winners after a rigorous Pre- Event Pitch Competition which was organised by the Committee.
Thus there is a representative from each of the six geo-political zones in Nigeria, along with Lagos State and Abuja, FCT that were accorded distinct status.
“The Panel of Judges for the Pitch Competition, who are drawn also from advertising sectorial groups, will be unveiled during the competition. Prizes will also be awarded to institutions with most creative pitches, along with consolation prizes.”
He listed other invited institutions to include Bingham University; Landmark University; Fountain University; Elizade University and Yaba College of Technology.
The AIC Chairman also listed dignitaries at the Colloquium to include: Chairman, ARC. Sonny S. T. Echono, Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Fund (TETFund); Guest of Honour, Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa, Chairman/CEO, Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA); Special Guest of Honour, Professor Tahir Mamman – Hon. Minister of Education, Chief Host, Alhaji Mohammed Idris – Hon. Minister of Information and National Orientation, while the host is Director-General ARCON, Dr. Lekan Fadolapo.
“The keynote speaker is Dr. Bayo Adekanmbi, Founder, Data Science Nigeria who will present the lead paper on: “Harnessing Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Advertising Education and Professional Excellence in Nigeria”.
In his remarks, Dr. Fadolapo said that the primary purpose of the engagement and conversation is to ensure that both the academics and the professionals are on the same pedestal.
“It is extremely important to us as an industry that is challenged with so many things to ensure that we bring everybody into the same space. What does it do for us? First, from time to time, we can interrogate the body of knowledge that we call advertising.
“The definition of advertising several years ago is not the same today. The length/lines of advertising and other courses continue to get broad day by day.
“Technology is also a major disruption in the ways and manners we do our things. Tools are being introduced into advertising that become critical aspect of our own profession. Now, we have a culture, we have religion, we have peculiarities; how do we manage these peculiarities with global trends and where do we situate our own advertising industry.”
Talking about the ARCON Journal, the DG explained that researches are done by academics year in, year out and sometimes these researches are not published.
“Sometimes, these literatures that are meant to contribute to the body of knowledge called advertising are not accessible by the people who are supposed to make maximum use of it.
“Consequently, the council is such that we need to be sure we’ve engaged all stakeholders that is why we are seeing the stakeholders here. We have also seen a Professor of Advertising who is leading the team. We will also be formally presenting the Advertising Industry Journal.
“The advertising industry journal is a collection of research studies in different areas of advertising that have been done. They have interpreted the body of knowledge, they have come up with their findings and they have come up with their contribution to knowledge,” he explained.
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