New techs improve advertising practice, promote professionalism – ARCON
By Kola Bola
Leveraging the invaluable importance of new technologies has been considered to have tremendous influence on advertising education with an equal power to improve professional excellence in Nigeria.
New technologies including the Internet, social media, digital, phones, laptops and, most recently, Artificial Intelligent (AI) were adjudged to have a strong positive influence on sustainable advertising education and practice while exacting professional finesse.
The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) during the second edition of its annual colloquium unanimously agreed that emerging technologies rather than being a threat to the advertising profession would offer ad professionals the ability to deliver better, faster and sharper job.
The colloquium that congregated the town and the gown under one roof, with the conviction that classroom should ahead of newsroom, brought Mass Communication students and their lecturers together, not just to mingle with established practitioners but also to figure how new technologies can aid better advertising practice rather than stunting it.
Executive Secretary, TETFund, Arch. Sonny S. T. Echono, chairman of the occasion represented by Professor Umar Pate, spoke about the efforts made to unbundling Mass Communication to eight different courses which includes Advertising, Public Relations, Marketing Communication among others chiefly for the purpose of improving the quality of advertising in Nigeria.
Prof Pate said all the courses have been approved by the Nigeria University Commission (NUC) as he urged ARCON to pay direct visitation to schools to expose the students and lecturers to fresh ideas that govern the profession.
Director General, ARCON, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, in his welcome address expressed gladness at “witnessing another intellectual boost in the industry that would add tremendous and invaluable information our knowledge and giving credible reference from first hand insight and experienced speakers and panelists.”
Dr Fadolapo noted that the contributions of the academia and stakeholders in the industry displayed the passion that in no small way helped in the effort realize the fundamental goals of keeping the profession and business of advertising and marketing communication healthy.
The event which afforded students of Mass Communication in tertiary institutions to participate in a pitch competition that was fairly judged by industry experts, the colloquium aggregated “uncommon challenges and elations in the industry are harnessed and put to mutual benefits. There are always additional ideas and trends to learn and to share in our industry. We will always appreciate the contributions of the academia to body of knowledge, the sharpening of the skills set that makes up the body are also interrogated from time to time to meet or exceed societal demands in line with best global practices,” Fadolapo said.
Director, Kennis Music International, Mr. Kenny Ogungbe, who represented Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), in his brief remarks stated that “if TV broadcasting actually started in Nigeria in 1959, are we right to say the country is still maintaining the lead in broadcasting on the continent? No,” adding that to get the best in the industry training and retraining is pivotal.
The pitching competition had unspecified numbers of competitors from five different universities across the country on the ultra-sensitive topic of “Drug Abuse among Youths in Nigeria”. The schools are University of Ilorin, Covenant University, Ebonyi State University, Rivers State University, Lagos State University and Federal University Kashere Gombe State. At the end of the keenly contested pitching competition which was an uncommon display of talent mixed with intellect had Covenant University emerging the overall winner with 444 points, while University of Ilorin was the first runner-up with 427 points and Lagos State University was the second runner-up with 385 points.
The competition that made winners out of all the participating schools had Covenant University going home N1million richer, University of Ilorin N750,000 cash prize and Lagos State University grossed N500,000, while the trio of Federal University Kashere, Rivers State University and Ebonyi State University got N250,000 each.
The five-man pitch competition jury headed by Yetunde Adesina, Chief Executive Officer, Prima Garnet Africa, was acknowledged for their free and fair sense of judgmement. Other members of the jury were Emmanuel Agu, Faculty Lecturer, Rome Business School; Omo Kingsley Abunene, Managing Director, Beam Media Limited; Brenda Nwagwu, Chief Executive Officer, OVT Media Limited and Owolabi Mustapha, Managing Director, Maxxconnection Limited.
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