The Chairman of ARCON’s Advertising Industry Colloquium (AIC), Prof Rotimi Olatunji has pointed out that the near absence of case studies and experiences of most advertising agencies is a dangerous trend that is massively destroying the practice of advertising in Nigeria.
In his words, “it is very disturbing that you will see case studies from many European and American agencies sharing their advertising experiences on accounts they have handled in the past but you can barely see a handful from Nigeria.”
“What are we hiding, or could it be just our secretive culture that is holding down the advertising industry?” Prof Olatunji asked rhetorically.
He subsequently explained that the ARCON-organized First Annual Advertising Industry Colloquium taking place this week Thursday, March 30 at Sheraton Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos would be one strong instrument that will help in tackling this lingering lacuna.
“It should not shock us that we have lecturers in today’s Nigeria that have taught advertising on campuses for decades yet they have never entered an advertising agency and they have very limited knowledge about the industry in Nigeria. The best they have about advertising experiences in Nigeria may have been produced in the 90s, and they have been using them in conjunction with foreign case- studies all those years.
“Now, who is to blame when we produce graduates that cannot fit into the system? Why can’t agencies simply share their experiences by putting up case studies on their websites or anywhere online?
Also commenting further on this, the Director-General of The Advertising Regulatory Council Of Nigeria (ARCON) Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo said that one major reason his council is starting this annual event is to tackle such challenges. “We want to bring the campus and the industry together, we want to interrogate the body of knowledge called advertising and how we can deepen it.
“We want to share knowledge using the Journal that is also anchoured by Prof Olatunji. So we would have a dedicated portal that will share local case studies and campaigns we run.
“ We have many Ph.D. theses too, well-researched that the industry can gain from so we hope to make them available as well.
“We are trying to see how some experienced practitioners can volunteer some hours or days of the month to handle aspects of some key courses even if they might not be chanced to do it for a semester. The plans are quite robust and they will take our industry to the next level.”
The First Annual Advertising Industry Colloquium, a one-day event will hold at 8.00 am this Thursday in Lagos.
The main objective was to provide a forum for academics and students of mass communication, advertising, and other components of integrated marketing communication (IMC) to interact with professionals in advertising/other components of 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”
About six experts will present papers at the event with Mr. Idorenyen Enang serving as the Colloquium Keynote speaker. He will speak on “Changing Trends in Advertising Education and Practice in the Era of Globalization: The Nigerian Perspective.”
The three-in-one event of the day will provide opportunities for a keynote address, panel discussions on diverse areas of marketing communication theory and practice, and a creative pitch competition among invited institutions.