The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has announced the 2026 edition of its Advertising Industry Colloquium, a major stakeholder forum aimed at strengthening collaboration between industry professionals and academia while discussing emerging issues shaping Nigeria’s advertising and marketing communications industry.
The colloquium, themed “The Future of Advertising: Roles of Platforms, People and Regulations,” will hold on August 6, 2026. It is expected to bring together regulators, policymakers, academics, advertisers, advertising agencies, media organisations, digital platforms, technology companies, legal experts, brand owners, content creators and other key players in the industry.
According to ARCON, this year’s event comes at a time when technological innovation, artificial intelligence (AI), digital platforms and changing consumer behaviour are transforming the way advertising content is created, distributed and consumed. While these changes are creating new opportunities for innovation and business growth, they are also raising important issues around ethics, consumer protection, transparency, accountability and effective regulation.
The council said the colloquium will provide a platform for meaningful discussions on these issues through keynote presentations, panel sessions and interactive engagements led by experts from government, regulatory agencies, academia, professional bodies and the private sector.
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Among the confirmed speakers are Olu Akanmu, Academic Director of Lagos Business School’s Tech-Leap Initiative; Dozie Mbanefo, Managing Director of New Crystal Communication Limited; Prof. Adepoju Tejumaiye of the University of Lagos’ Department of Advertising and Public Relations; Dotun Babatunde, Head of Digital Marketing at Olam Agri; and Omowunmi Owodunni, former Chairman of the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP), alongside other industry experts.
One of the major highlights of the event will be the Students’ Advertising Pitch Competition, where finalists from six tertiary institutions representing Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones will compete after emerging from a pre-event selection process.
The participating institutions are the University of Ilorin, Kwara State University, Kaduna State University, Ebonyi State University, Rivers State University and Lagos State University.
ARCON said the competition is designed to encourage creativity, innovation and practical problem-solving among students while strengthening the relationship between the advertising industry and academic institutions.
As the statutory regulator of advertising practice in Nigeria, ARCON reaffirmed its commitment to promoting an advertising industry built on professionalism, creativity, fairness, consumer protection and global best practices.
The council also called on stakeholders across the advertising and marketing communications industry to participate in the 2026 Advertising Industry Colloquium and contribute to building a future-ready industry that is innovative, inclusive, ethical and accountable.
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