Follow Us on Google
The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has said the 2026 National Advertising Conference (NAC) will move beyond discussions to develop practical action plans for addressing emerging challenges in digital advertising, artificial intelligence (AI), data protection and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The sixth edition of the conference, scheduled for November 11 to 13 at the Abuja Continental Hotel, is themed, “Repositioning the Marketing Communications Industry for the Next Frontier.”
Chairman of the NAC 2026 Planning Committee, Tunji Adeyinka, disclosed this at a media briefing ahead of the conference, saying the annual gathering had evolved from a networking platform into an advocacy and policy forum capable of influencing industry standards and regulations.
He said the 2026 edition would focus on identifying and addressing issues limiting the growth, competitiveness and sustainability of Nigeria’s marketing communications industry.
“This year, as we’ve said, we are repositioning the marketing communications industry for the next frontier.
“These are some of the issues which are changing very fast and continue to change. But this year, we want to tackle some of the challenges standing in the way of making critical progress,” Adeyinka said.
According to him, the conference would examine the impact of technology, AI, changing consumer behaviour, data management, regulation, culture, talent development and evolving business models on the industry.
Adeyinka disclosed that a cross-functional committee constituted by the Advertising Standards Council of Nigeria (ASCON) had been working on recommendations for regulating digital marketing and artificial intelligence.
He said the recommendations would be completed ahead of the conference and subjected to consultations with ARCON and other industry stakeholders before being presented at NAC.
“The outcome would be finished long before the conference, and it will be discussed extensively with the regulator and also with the key stakeholders, so that what is finally presented at the NAC will be an amended model for regulating digital and also artificial intelligence,” he said.
He described digital marketing and AI regulation as some of the most contentious issues in the industry over the past two years.
“One of the loudest discussions that we have had in our industry in the last two years is the regulation of digital marketing and artificial intelligence, and that has been an issue debated over and over,” Adeyinka said.
He said another committee was examining the implications of AfCFTA for the advertising and marketing communications industry, with a mandate to develop an actionable framework for practitioners.
Data protection is also expected to feature prominently, given the industry’s growing dependence on consumer data.
Adeyinka described the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) as a critical regulator for the industry and urged practitioners to understand their obligations under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and relevant regulations.
“Because all of us either use consumer data, and from the session yesterday, it’s very clear that we all should be registered with the NDPC.
“We can look at it and say we have a lot of regulators, but the truth is that one of the biggest issues all over the world today is data privacy and data protection,” he said.
He added: “It is important for us to understand the basics of that law so that we are not violating.”
Adeyinka said the conference would also assess Nigeria’s economic outlook from the perspective of businesses operating within the marketing communications sector.
Unlike previous broad conversations on the economy, he said the session would focus on how current economic conditions were affecting industry operators and what businesses should expect in 2027.
Other News
He described it as “a real talk about the economy and how the economy is affecting our business and how that will continue into 2027.”
The session is expected to feature Nairametrics Chief Executive Officer, Ugochukwu Obi-Chukwu, Olu Akamu and another industry chief executive.
A Chief Marketing Officers Forum will also bring together leading marketing executives, including Tolaram Group’s Group CMO, Manpreet Singh; Head of Marketing, Mastercard West Africa, Idemudia Dima Okojie; and Chief Marketing Officer, PZ Wilmar, Chioma Mbanugo.
Media measurement will also be examined, particularly following the recent rollout of people meters for television advertising measurement.
The CEO of FMEIL, Patrick Gomez, is expected to present early trends and insights from the deployment, which is currently taking place in homes across Lagos.
The conference will also explore the relationship between marketing communications, culture and Nigeria’s creative economy, with the Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy expected to participate.
Adeyinka said the conference would examine cultural identity and regional representation, including concerns about language distortion and cultural misrepresentation in advertising targeted at audiences in Northern Nigeria.
“The world is not a little bit of us. So, but it’s a National Advertising Conference. So these topics are critical,” he said.
Another major session, “The Future is Female,” will focus on women’s leadership and the future of the industry amid cultural, technological and business-model changes.
The session will feature three women who made history as the first female presidents of their respective professional associations — the first female president of MIPAN, Mrs Brenda; the first female president of EXMAN, Mrs Tolúlope Medede; and the first female president of NIMN, Dr Bolajoko Bayo Ajayi.
The conference will open on November 11 with a fireside chat featuring the Chairman of Access Holdings Plc, Aigboje Imokhuede.
Adeyinka said Imokhuede’s experience in managing disruption and navigating headwinds in Nigeria’s banking and financial services sector would provide valuable lessons for marketing communications businesses.
“Mr. Imokhuede has been in the forefront of industry disruption, especially in banking and the financial institutions in Nigeria, and he has been able to manage, of course with his teams, different industry headwinds and take advantage of tailwinds as well,” he said.
The second day will feature thought-leadership sessions and plenaries, while the final day will have breakout sessions across three stages, culminating in a carnival dinner.
The programme will also feature “Some Things Will Never Change,” a session bringing industry veterans together to examine enduring principles of marketing communications despite rapid technological and societal changes.
On his part, Director-General of ARCON, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, said organisers were targeting at least 700 participants at this year’s conference, up from about 500 recorded last year.
“Every year, this conference gets better and better. This year, by the grace of God, it will not only be better; it will be greater than the previous year.
“Last year, we had about 500 participants. This year, we are hoping to get 700 or more. That is why we need you as media partners to assist us in growing it and letting people get to know about the conference,” Fadolapo said.
He said the theme of the conference reflected the need for repositioning and transformation across Nigeria’s economic sectors.
“You will agree that there is need for repositioning in all our sectors in order for us to move forward,” he said.
Fadolapo added that the sessions had been structured to deliver practical insights and distinguish the 2026 edition from previous conferences.
The briefing was attended by presidents and representatives of key sectoral groups and industry bodies, including the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN), Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), OMD, Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) and Event Managers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (EMCOAN).
