Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman of Access Holdings Plc and Founder/Chairman of Coronation Group, has told Nigeria’s marketing communications professionals that failure to master emerging technologies will leave them irrelevant in a fast changing economy.

Aig-Imoukhuede spoke as keynote guest at the main Fireside Chat of the 6th National Advertising Conference (NAC 2026), held at the Abuja Continental Hotel.

The session, titled “Are We Ready for the Next Frontier?”, was part of the conference themed “Repositioning the Marketing Communications Industry for the Next Frontier.” It drew industry leaders, regulators and brand custodians.

Taking his cue from the theme, he said a frontier tends to unsettle people, but that the discomfort can be put to use.

“The theme for this year is about frontiers, and the reality of frontier times is that they make people nervous,” he said. “When you stand at a frontier, there will always be those who lead and those who follow. If you view a frontier as where the current map ends, it simply means you must be ready to redraw the map yourself.”

On technology, he said the arrival of the internet shook traditional media, but artificial intelligence and quantum computing mark a deeper change for those in the business of advertising.

“What we are witnessing is the evolution from the industrial era to the fourth industrial revolution,” he explained. “Artificial intelligence has not just disrupted advertising the way the internet did, it is rapidly turning basic service offerings into commodities.

Today, the combined power of quantum computing, AI, and modern technological tools can allow a visionary entrepreneur to build the best, most competitive advertising firm in Nigeria with just a handful of staff.”

For agencies, he said, size and spending power will count for less in the next frontier than the value they create for clients. “The most valuable agency is not the one that asks for the largest budget; it is the one that genuinely adds undeniable value to the client,” he said.

“Disruption brings a critical realization to clients. The core focus of advertising practitioners today must be on deeply understanding client mindsets and human behavior.”

The Access Holdings chairman also pointed to a coming rise in demand for advertising services, driven by individuals promoting themselves.

“The demand for advertising is going to increase exponentially as individuals begin to advertise themselves. Self-advertising will be a major global trend. The question for agencies is: how do you strategically position your business to capture a massive share of this expanding market?”

He cited developments elsewhere on the continent as a pointer to what is possible. “In South Africa, industry leaders have already agreed to cover and scale across the African advertising space by deploying AI,” he noted.

“If Nigerian practitioners can master and deploy these emerging technologies within their craft, you will not only transform your agencies, you will transform Nigeria.”

He ended with a message to delegates on how to treat the uncertainty.

Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman of Access Holdings Plc and Founder/Chairman of Coronation Group,

“If you do not master your environment, you are going to become irrelevant. My message to you is simple: master your environment, and let nervousness motivate you to conquer your fears.”