The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) is set to hold its maiden edition of the annual Advertising Industry Colloquium with a focus on relevant areas of marketing communication.
BrandSpur Nigeria reports that the Advertising Industry Colloquium is scheduled to be held on 30th March 2023 at the Lagos Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja.
Speaking at media briefing held on Wednesday, 22nd March, 2023, Professor Rotimi Olatunji, Chairman of the Planning Committee of the colloquium while elaborating on the event, mentioned that the schools were selected from ARCON’s database of accredited schools from each geo-political zone with mails sent to them, requesting if they were interested and only those who responded were selected.
The following universities made the list of academic institutions that were invited as participants: Adeleke University, Ede; Fountain University, Osogbo; Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos; Caleb University, Imota; Covenant University, Ota; Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo; Elizade University, Ilara Mokin, Fed Polytechnic, Nekede; University of Ibadan and Al-Hikman University, Ilorin.
He explained that in addition to the participating universities, the following universities have also been selected for the Creative Pitch Competition. These are: Rivers State University, Port Harcourt; Ebonyi State University; Babcock University, Ilisan’ Bingham University, Abuja; University of Ilorin and Lagos State University.
“This Colloquium is a one-day event organised by the marketing communication industry sectoral groups and powered by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON). The primary objective is to provide the forum for academics and students of Mass Communication, Advertising and other components of the integrated marketing communication (IMC) to interact with professionals in Advertising/other components of the IMC, media practitioners, policymakers and regulatory agencies. The theme of the Colloquium is “Changing Trends in Advertising Education and Practice in the Era of Globalisation: The Nigerian Perspective,” he explained.
The Chairman also noted that the Panel of Judges were drawn from advertising sectoral groups and would be unveiled during the competition while revealing that prizes will be awarded to institutions with the most creative pitches.
According to Prof. Olatunji, the colloquium is the brainchild of the able Director-General of ARCON, Dr. Lekan Fadolapo who, on assumption of office, constituted the Advertising Industry Colloquium and Journal Committee. This, he stated, includes to plan, organize and implement the first Annual Advertising Colloquium for academics and professionals in the marketing communications industry as well as to plan, edit and publish an annual academic journal for the advertising profession in Nigeria.
The distinguished academic elaborated some of the objectives of the Colloquium thus: “The main objective of the colloquium is to deepen knowledge and provide insights into required skill for success in advertising education and practice in the contemporary era of globalisation.
“The specific objectives are: to provide a platform for interaction between Town and Gown for the examination of current and topical issues in Marketing Communications 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 era of digitalization.
“Discuss contemporary trends in creative advertising planning and execution; media campaigns and execution; digital marketing processes; and advertising regulation.
“Provide opportunities for students in the field of Communication and media to showcase their creative knowledge and skills in advertising campaign planning.”
