After 3 days of brainstorming, dialogues and discussions on transforming the Nigeria’s marketing communications ecosystem amid economic uncertainty, evolving talent dynamics, technological disruptions and changing consumer behaviour, stakeholders at the 2025 National Advertising Conference, are resolved, more than ever, to create a better ecosystem.

Held from 12th to 14th of November, 2025 at Abuja Continental Hotel, the conference, an annual event, brought together ecosystem leaders, policy makers, academics, and practitioners who explored how creativity, technology, regulation and collaboration can unlock growth for Nigeria’s advertising ecosystem.

In a 7-point communique sighed by the Director General of ARCON, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo; Chairman of the Conference Organizing Committee, Mr. Tunji Adeyinka; and Chairman of the Communique Committee, Prof. Emmanuel Ajike, participants are of the consensus that constitution and inauguration of the ARCON Council is a priority. It was noted that the issue is getting the attention of the Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation as the supervising minister.

It was also agreed that the industry must proactively encourage deeper cooperation between the academia and the industry. The engagement must go beyond the superficial level as this is important for the sustainability of the industry.

Another point in the communique is that the ecosystem must build sustainable talent pipelines and formal mentorship platforms to create a handshake between the different generations.

Other points in the communique are:

“The industry must embrace innovation, technology, data-driven marketing and artificial intelligence. It is better to proactively embrace the future than to be caught unprepared.

“As agreed from the last conference, it is now even more crucial to work with the HASG and ARCON to advise ARCON on readiness for an AI regulatory framework, a more forward-looking regulatory framework for digital marketing, and the likely impact of the AFCTA on the industry.

“The industry is missing out on the culture and creative economy conversation. According to UNCTAD definition of the creative economy, advertising and marketing are part of the components of the creative economy. Practitioners need to evolve new business models to work with sub-nationals to create marketing assts around state-branding and cultural assets.

“Brands must continue to invest in a critical balance between brand building and short-term benefits, and agencies must understand the language of value.”

Key subsets of the conference include fireside chat, ministerial session, economic outlook, CMO forum, agency business transformation, talent development at industry level and tourism and state branding.

Others are brand loyalty data, technology, tax reforms and governance, innovation, public sector and town hall.