The Director General, Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Dr. Lekan Fadolapo has explained that the agency’s decision to introduce the ARCON Journal of Advertising and Marketing Communications (AJAMC), at this year’s Advertising Industry Colloquium (AIC), stemmed from the need to  bridge the existing gap between the academia and professionals in the nation’s marketing space.

 

 

Giving this explanation at a media briefing on the Second Annual Advertising Industry Colloquium (AIC 2.0) held in Lagos,  over the weekend, Fadolapo stated that paucity of advertising materials in the sector has continued to affect the study of Advertising in the nation’s tertiary institutions, and, in consequence, hold down the growth of the marketing communication industry in the country.

 

 

He explained that the decision to organise the annual colloquium, now in its second edition, is to bridge the yawning gap between the town and the gown, and provide resource materials for students of Advertising.

 

 

While commending the Chairman and members of the Advertising Industry Colloquium and Academic Journal Committee of ARCON, for their contributions towards fostering the relationship between the Industry’s town and the gown, the ARCON boss expressed the belief that the forthcoming event would provide stakeholders the opportunity to interrogate advertising, and come up with ideas, aimed at making the industry meet the 21st Century needs of stakeholders.

 

 

“Any industry that doesn’t bridge the gap between the town and the gown,  will run into crisis. The purpose of this conversation, therefore, is to ensure that both the academics and professionals are on the same page.

 

 

“This is extremely important to us as an industry that is challenged with so many things. This makes us interrogate the body of knowledge, called Advertising; since  definition of advertising, several years ago, is not the same today.

 

 

“Researches are done by our academics, year in, year out, and sometimes, these are not published. The literature that is meant to contribute to the body of knowledge is not accessible to the people, who are supposed to make maximum use of it; hence the  Council’s resolve at engaging all stakeholders, and that is why we are seeing a Professor of Advertising, leading the team,” he stated.

 

 

Commending the apex regulatory body for coming up with the idea of a colloquium, the Chairman, Advertising Industry Colloquium and Academic Journal Committee, Professor Rotimi Olatunji, stated that the 2024 Edition of the Colloquium offers greater promise and deliverables than those of the previous year.

The Professor of Advertising noted that this year’s edition, tagged:“Harnessing Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Advertising Education and Professional Excellence in Nigeria”, and expected to hold on the 27th June 2024, in Lagos, will feature  Keynote Address, creative advertising pitch competition, involving eight tertiary institutions from the six geo-political zones of the country, and a Job Fair.

 

 

Besides, Professor Olatunji added that the event will also feature panel discussion, where participants will touch on diverse areas of impact of emerging technologies on  advertising and marketing communications  professions and scholarship.

 

 

He added that one of the highlights of this year’s edition  will be  the Public presentation of the maiden Edition of  ARCON Journal of Advertising and Marketing Communications (AJAMC).