The Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) has called for collective industry action to build a more resilient and accountable media landscape as artificial intelligence transforms advertising and marketing communications.

Renewed Call to Action

Speaking at the association’s Annual General Meeting held at Providence Hotel, Ikeja GRA, Lagos, with the theme “Navigating The Future: AI, Data and The Quest for Value in a Challenging Media Landscape,” MIPAN President Dozie Okafor delivered a renewed call to action to members. “The truth is that no executive, no committee, no small group can achieve this alone,” Okafor declared.

“The growth we envisage requires all of us our ideas, our energy, our commitment, and our collective will.”

Vision for Global Competition

Okafor outlined an ambitious vision for the Nigerian media industry, challenging members to imagine elevated standards of practice.

“Imagine an industry where global standards are our baseline.

Imagine creativity so strong that Nigerian campaigns compete effortlessly on the world stage.

Imagine a data-driven media landscape powered by cutting-edge technology,” he stated.

He celebrated progress made in enhancing education and innovation while acknowledging the journey ahead.

“Have we completed everything yet? No. But have we moved forward with purpose and resilience? Absolutely, yes,” he declared.

ARCON Recognizes MIPAN’s Strategic Role

Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), lauded MIPAN as a “very, very important member” of the advertising ecosystem.

The DG described  the association as “strategic to the survival of advertising and marketing” in Nigeria.

He specifically praised MIPAN’s contribution to talent development through the Alphabet Media Academy (AMA), which he noted has become a vital “recruiting tool for the industry.”

AI Applications Across Nigerian Markets

Industry experts highlighted how artificial intelligence is transforming business operations across Nigerian markets.

Temileyin Oyedeji from Aleph explained the current applications: “From a media standpoint, we’re beginning to see that businesses, brands, and agencies are now leveraging AI for targeting and media buying.

Global platforms like Google, Meta, X, and TikTok have integrated AI at the core of what they do.”

He emphasized the efficiency gains in content creation: “Businesses are able to tell better stories and cut down on manual resources around time to ensure that they have messaging content tailored to different markets without having to spend so much time, and they can do that at scale.”

Oyedeji noted that the strategic use of AI is delivering measurable results: “The result of what businesses in Nigeria leveraging AI are getting is better return on investment.

Their data helps them predict the future, helps them think ahead of their consumers or users, and sell solutions that matter to them, even before those consumers know they need it.”

Professional Ethics and AI Integration

Sandra Amachree, Head of Communications & Marketing at Nigerian Breweries, stressed the importance of transparency in AI usage.

“In today’s market, AI has come to stay as a complementary tool for experts in various fields but professional ethics and the rules guiding plagiarism dictate the need for referencing,” she stated.

She highlighted international standards emerging around AI usage: “In fact, in some international awards, it will be spelt out that AI could be applied.

This is so because, AI is a powerful tool that can help creatives streamline their workflow and generate new ideas to achieve desired creative and marketing goals.”

Varied Adoption Across Agencies

George Onukwu, Chief Operating Officer at TWBA/Concept, revealed the industry’s mixed approach to AI adoption.

“AI growth has been layered in different stages depending on the agency you engage with.

While some agencies are advanced and have made significant progress.

He added that, “There are agencies that are still stuck or in the very early stages of adopting AI as part of their work.”

He identified two distinct mindsets: “There’s a camp of fear and anxiety – people wondering if we are overestimating AI’s impact.

Then you have the other camp, which sees AI as an opportunity, as a tool for augmentation and to improve efficiency and optimization.

I belong firmly in the second camp.” Onukwu emphasized AI’s role as a creative collaborator: “We’ve realized that especially as a creative agency, AI helps us a lot with our thinking and overcoming mental blocks.

It allows us to have a brainstorming partner, and it’s a very good collaborator to help drive creativity significantly.”

Addressing the Skills Gap Crisis

Uwem Afanide, Managing Director, highlighted a critical industry challenge regarding talent development.

“Talent is a big issue in this industry.

When you interview some people, you ask yourself: ‘Where is this person coming from?’

They’re asking for substantial money, but the skill sets are not there.”

He stressed generational responsibility in skills development: “We are now responsible for the next generation because the skill sets we used from our time to now are not the skill sets they require for the future.

We owe it to them to push them toward new skill sets through upskilling and reskilling.” Afanide called for internal leadership:

“First, let’s start by leading ourselves internally.

We need to, as agencies, begin to retrain our people for the right skills in the modern world.”

Continued Growth of MIPAN

The AGM also witnessed the induction of five new members into MIPAN’s fold, reflecting the association’s continued growth amid industry transformation

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