Leading voices in Nigeria’s marketing communications industry have called for a fundamental rethinking of marketing education and practice to reflect the fast-evolving landscape shaped by technology, storytelling, data, and human-centered engagement.
The call was made during the third edition of the Advertising Industry Colloquium (AIC 3.0), orgainsed by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), held at the Sheba Centre in Lagos on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
Themed “From Dialogue to Data: Merging Storytelling, Human Engagement & Tech in Marketing Communication,” the event convened a high-powered panel of six distinguished experts who engaged in a thought-provoking discussion moderated by Hannah Oyebanjo, Managing Director of Redwood Consulting.
Lanre Odufuwa, Head of Marketing at OmniRetail, emphasized the urgency of preparing the next generation of marketers to thrive in a digitally disrupted marketplace.
She underscored the rising significance of prompt engineering and understanding artificial intelligence as key tools for effective communication.
She stressed that authenticity and relevance are vital in this new era of marketing.
Odufuwa also recommended that educational institutions revamp curricula to include not only technical skills but also essential soft skills like agility, creativity, and empathy.
Idorenyen Enang, Immediate Past President of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), focused on the importance of cultural authenticity in tech-enabled marketing.
“Storytelling is the soul of marketing,” Enang declared, arguing that effective marketing must emotionally connect with audiences by embracing local identities and languages.
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He criticized marketers for often failing to listen to consumers and producing content that lacks authenticity. Using Coca-Cola’s classic “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” campaign as an example, Enang advocated for insights-driven storytelling and emotional engagement over data for data’s sake.
Stephen Onaivi, a media expert, highlighted three major challenges confronting media planning in the digital age.
First, he called for a centralized and unified data management system to serve as a “single source of truth.” Second, he urged the industry to explore how artificial intelligence can generate meaningful insights from vast data volumes, tailored to local realities.
Lastly, he stressed the urgent need to establish regulatory frameworks for AI usage in advertising and proposed forming a panel of experts to guide that process.
Onaivi also called on the younger generation to rise to the challenge of solving Africa’s unique marketing problems, noting that innovation must be locally driven.
Prof. Kolade Ajilore of Babcock University criticized the disconnect between academic research and real-world marketing challenges.
He called for greater collaboration, including involving lecturers in industry internships and building a localized curriculum that addresses current market realities.
Ajilore highlighted initiatives already underway, such as industry-academic partnerships and mentorship programs aimed at encouraging students to become innovators and entrepreneurs rather than job seekers.
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Brand engagement expert Nana Milagrosa, Founder of MPXM Agency, used live audience polling during her session to identify what makes consumers emotionally connect with brands.
She revealed that humor and emotional storytelling drive the most shares in the Nigerian digital space. “Consumers are moved by stories that make them feel seen,” Milagrosa noted, advocating for emotionally resonant, culturally grounded campaigns powered by data insights.
Delivering the keynote address, media icon and Zuri24 Media CEO, Olufemi Odugbemi, lamented the lack of documentation by Nigerian marketing professionals.
He urged industry leaders to share their career journeys and create case study literature that can inform and inspire younger professionals.
“Many retire without leaving behind the lessons they’ve learned,” Odugbemi said.
He emphasized that documenting real-life marketing experiences would enrich educational resources and strengthen industry-academic synergy. He also called for increased internship opportunities, highlighting that “character building is as important as knowledge acquisition.”
AIC 3.0 underscored the urgent need for alignment between marketing theory and practice in Nigeria.
From digital fluency and emotional storytelling to data-driven personalization and ethical AI use, the colloquium highlighted a shared commitment to evolving marketing education and strategies for a future defined by disruption and connection.