The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) is set to host the third edition of its flagship knowledge-exchange forum, the Advertising Industry Colloquium (AIC).
Billed for July 8 at the Sheba Centre, Ikeja, Lagos. The event will commence by 8:00 a.m. and is expected to convene a cross-section of thought leaders from the advertising industry, academia, and the larger marketing communication ecosystem.
According to a statement signed by Winifred Akpan, ARCON’s Head of Corporate Affairs, the 2025 edition, themed “From Dialogue to Data: Merging Storytelling, Human Engagement & Techs in Marketing Communication,” will offer participants a platform for robust conversations around the fast-evolving dynamics of the industry. This year’s colloquium is designed to drive insights, inspire innovation, and foster collaboration between scholars and practitioners in marketing communication.
The colloquium will feature a keynote address by Olufemi Odugbemi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Zuri24 Media, whose career spans decades of creative storytelling across film, television, and branded content. Alongside him, a lineup of accomplished voices from industry and academia will share their perspectives on current trends, the implications of emerging technologies, and the growing need to align creative storytelling with data-led engagement strategies. Discussions are expected to touch on key themes including consumer behaviour, regulatory reforms, and the intersection of technology and human emotion in brand building.
As part of ARCON’s continuous efforts to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry practice, the colloquium will include a national advertising pitch competition featuring students from seven tertiary institutions drawn from across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. The participating institutions—winners from a series of pre-event qualifying rounds—will present creative campaign ideas before a panel of experts at the main event. The competition is aimed at encouraging innovation among young talents and exposing students to real-world advertising practice.
The Advertising Industry Colloquium and Academic Journal Committee was set up by ARCON’s Director-General, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, as a platform for sustained engagement between the academic community and advertising professionals. Under the leadership of Professor Olatunji, who is also a professor of Advertising and Public Relations at Lagos State University, the committee has successfully organised two previous editions of the colloquium in 2023 and 2024. The 2024 edition notably saw the launch of the ARCON Journal of Advertising and Marketing Communication, a pioneering scholarly publication focused on advancing research and thought leadership in the field.