ARCON-NAC 6.0: Nigeria Moves to Reset Marketing Communication Industry for AI, Digital Era
Nigeria’s marketing communication industry is heading for a major regulatory and strategic conversation as the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) prepares to use the sixth edition of the National Advertising Conference (NAC 6.0) to tackle the disruptive forces reshaping advertising, particularly artificial intelligence, digital media, data and emerging technologies.
The three-day conference, scheduled for November 11–13, 2026, at the Continental Hotel, Abuja, will be held under the theme, “Repositioning the Marketing Communication Industry for the Next Frontier.”
The theme took on added significance at a press conference held on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, ahead of the conference, where ARCON revealed that stakeholders would be presented with proposals for a new regulatory framework capable of responding to the rapid evolution of digital advertising and artificial intelligence.
Chairman of the NAC 6.0 Planning Committee, Tunji Adeyinka, said the conference would move beyond discussions to develop practical recommendations for the industry’s next phase.
According to him, his committee had spent months examining the challenges created by digital advertising and AI, with the objective of developing a regulatory model that is relevant to the changing industry landscape.
He disclosed that the recommendations would first be subjected to consultation with ARCON and key industry stakeholders before being formally presented at the conference.
Beyond AI: A wider industry reset
While artificial intelligence and digital advertising are expected to dominate conversations, NAC 6.0 is shaping up as a broader examination of the future of Nigeria’s marketing communication ecosystem.
One of the committees working ahead of the conference is examining the implications of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) for the marketing communications industry and the opportunities and challenges it could create for Nigerian businesses and practitioners.
Adeyinka also stressed that NAC had evolved into an advocacy platform designed to drive tangible changes in the industry, rather than becoming another gathering where industry concerns are discussed without implementation.
“We want the conference to produce outcomes that can move the industry forward,” the committee’s approach suggests, with the emphasis firmly placed on practical recommendations and implementation.
Another major focus will be audience measurement, with the planned rollout of the DeepMove Meter for television advertising measurement expected to feature prominently.
The conference will also examine early data and insights emerging from the new audience measurement system and what the information could mean for advertisers, agencies, media owners and other stakeholders.
Data protection takes centre stage
As businesses increasingly depend on consumer data to understand audiences and drive marketing decisions, data protection will also receive significant attention at NAC 6.0.
The conference is expected to examine the obligations of businesses that collect and process consumer information within Nigeria’s evolving regulatory environment.
This places data governance alongside AI and digital advertising as some of the critical issues confronting the industry as marketing becomes increasingly technology-driven.
ARCON targets 700 participants
Representing ARCON Director-General, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, at the briefing, the Council’s Head of Regulations, Emme Akande, said the conference had grown into a crucial platform for the marketing communications industry.
She disclosed that NAC 6.0 is expected to attract at least 700 participants, an increase from approximately 500 participants at the previous edition.
The anticipated increase reflects the growing importance of the conference as the industry confronts rapid technological, economic and regulatory changes.
Industry Leaders Seek Greater Collaboration
The call for greater collaboration among stakeholders also emerged as a key issue at the briefing, with leaders across different segments of the marketing communications industry stressing the need for a more united response to the rapid changes sweeping the sector.
Chairman of the Heads of Advertising Sectoral Groups (HASG) and President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Lanre Adisa; President of the Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN), Tolulope Medebem; and President of the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN), Brenda Nwagwu, emphasised the importance of closer cooperation among industry stakeholders as digital, experiential, media and other marketing disciplines continue to converge.
Their position reflects the growing recognition that the pace of change in the industry requires stakeholders to move beyond operating within traditional sectoral boundaries and work together to address emerging challenges and opportunities.
For the President of the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), Dr Sola Akinsiku, however, the industry's challenges extend beyond technology.
Akinsiku drew attention to what he described as excessive government-imposed charges for outdoor political advertising in some states, calling for media investigation into the issue.
He warned that the high charges could make political advertising increasingly difficult for candidates, particularly during election periods.
Akinsiku, however, acknowledged the significance of NAC 6.0’s focus on the future of the industry, noting that the speed of technological advancement means that technologies considered cutting-edge today could become obsolete within just a few years.
From the economy to the future of the profession
The conference programme is expected to open with a fireside chat featuring Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman of Access Holdings Plc.
Other sessions will examine the Nigerian economy and its implications for the marketing communications sector, while chief marketing officers are expected to offer perspectives on the future direction of the industry.
The agenda will also cover media measurement, the informal market, data protection, broadcast digitisation and the relationship between marketing communications and Nigeria’s creative economy.
Other issues on the table include language distortion and cultural representation in advertising targeted at Northern Nigerian audiences, gender, industry fundamentals and the future of the marketing communication profession.
With the industry increasingly caught between traditional regulatory structures and rapidly evolving technologies, NAC 6.0 could become an important test of whether Nigeria’s marketing communication sector can build a regulatory framework that protects consumers and industry standards without stifling innovation.
For ARCON, the objective appears clear: to ensure that Nigeria’s marketing communication industry is not merely reacting to the next frontier but is prepared to shape it.
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