As stakeholders in the marketing communication ecosystem gather for the 2025 edition of the annual Advertising Industry Colloquium tagged AIC 3.0, internationally acclaimed and one of Africa’s leading documentary producer and storyteller, Femi Odugbemi has been scheduled to present the keynote address at the event. Odugbemi, who is the CEO of Zuri24 Media and an AAAN Hall of Famer, would be speaking on the theme of the event - “From Dialogue to Data: Merging Storytelling, Human Engagement & Tech in Marketing Communication.”

Organized by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) and scheduled for Tuesday, July 8, 2025 at Sheba Center, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja, Lagos, the Colloquium has other ecosystem bigwigs who will share their experiences and perspectives on most pressing issues. They are Idy Enang, immediate past Chairman of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) and Steve Babaeko, the Group CEO of X3M Ideas Group.

Others include Nana Milagrosa Utomi Biyang, Founder and Chief Experience Curator, MPXM; Stephen Onaivi, Managing Director of MediaReach OMD; and Professor Kolade Ajilore of Department of Mass Communication, Babcock University, Ilisan.

The event will also feature a creative advertising pitch competition involving seven tertiary institutions that emerged from a pre-pitch competition carried out across institutions in Nigeria. These institutions are University of Ilorin, Covenant University, River State University, Kaduna Polytechnic, Federal University, Kashure, Gombe State; Ebonyi State University and Pan-Atlantic University.

There will also be a panel discussion, networking opportunities and mentoring sessions for students.

Speaking on the pitch competition, Prof. Rotimi Olatunji, Chairman of the Colloquium, said: The Advertising Pitch during the 2025 AIC promises to be the most exciting as it brings together students of marketing communication from the six geo-political zones of Nigeria to showcase their knowledge and skills in the creative component of advertising practice. Successful academic institutions will go back home with range of outstanding awards and prizes.”

The Advertising Industry Colloquium is instituted by ARCON to create an atmosphere for scholars and practitioners of advertising and marketing communication to brainstorm strategies for continuous process improvement in advertising education and profession. In its third year, the Colloquium is headed by Prof. Rotimi Olatunji, rpa, of Lagos State University. The 2024 edition had the launch of the maiden edition of ARCON Journal of Advertising and Marketing Communication.