Between Academia and Marketing Professionals in Advertising

Raheem Akingbolu takes a look at how synergy between the academia and marketing professionals can refocus the practice of communication and advertising in the country

The relationship between the ‘Town’ and the ‘Gown’ has been considered as a factor that can contribute to the growth of the society positively through their knowledge and attendant contributions. The ‘Town’ and the ‘Gown’ relationship can be positive and mutually beneficial with the university contributing to the economic and cultural life of the town, and the town providing support and resources to the university.

Interestingly, this was why the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) in conjunction with the marketing communication industry sectoral groups, recently organised the maiden edition of Advertising Industry Colloquium in Lagos to bridge the gap between academics and marketing practitioners. 

Advertising Colloquium

The colloquium according to the Registrar and Director General of Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, was organised after realising the wide gap between the ‘Town’ and the Gown’ which made it extremely imperative to bridge the knowledge gap and reset advertising profession on a strong footing to accommodate young professionals coming from the nation’s tertiary institutions across the country.  According to Fadolapo, the knowledge gap between the theory and the practical is wide and as the regulator of the industry in terms of business and practice there is an urgent need for us to bridge the gap. 

He said: “Consequently, ARCON set up a committee with specific assignments. Firstly, in terms of knowledge depth in the industry, how do we integrate the professionals and the academic in such a way that we will break the knowledge gap. We are also looking at the situation where we have academic journals on advertising education in collaboration with the professionals to see how we can develop the practice of advertising,”

The chairman of the Advertising Industry Colloquium and Academic Journal Committee of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, Rotimi Olatunji, a Professor of Public Relations and Advertising, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, LASU said, the colloquium was organised to provide the forum for academics and students of Mass Communication, Advertising and other components of integrated marketing communication (IMC) to interact with professionals in advertising/other components of IMC; media practitioners, policy makers and regulatory agencies.  

According to him, “the main objective of the colloquium is to deepen knowledge and provide insights into required skill for success in advertising education and practice in contemporary era of globalisation through interaction between the Town and the Gown for the examination of current and topical issues in Marketing Communications in Nigeria.”

The Minister for Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who was represented by the Director of Public Communication in the ministry, Sanni Baba, said the importance of integrated marketing communication professionals and the academia cannot be underestimated by any economy that genuinely seeks to develop. The minister said he is particularly delighted by the progress the Council (ARCON) is making to ensure that the business of advertising is professionally practiced.

The minister added that the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture would be pleased to work with the council and other stakeholders in advancing the course of the industry and will be delighted to receive innovative ideas, suggestions and constructive criticism based on the wealth of experience to move the industry forward.

Experts’ Opinions

President, National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, (NIMN), Mr. Idorenyen Enanq, while delivering his paper on the theme of the Colloquium; “Changing Trends in Advertising Education and Practice in the Era of Globalisation: The Nigerian Perspective,” said the ‘Town’ and the ‘Gown’ have a duty of fashioning out a process of returning the practice of marketing communication to the basis which is marketing, pointing out that marketing is the basis of brand building.

“Marketing is business and business is marketing and the industry needs to refocus,” he stated.

Idorenyen called on stakeholders to make marketing as the foundation of integrated communications, while some speakers argued that for the industry to move forward, there must be understanding among the stakeholders. 

President of Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) and Chief Creative Officer of X3M Ideas Group, Steve Babaeko said: “For the industry to survive, we need collaboration and cooperation by bringing the Town and the Gown together.”

Vice President of Media Independent Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) and managing director and chief executive officer of PHD Nigeria, Dozie Okafor, said what is required of anybody who desires positive change in integrated Marketing Communication is to invest in oneself for further learning in the era of digitalisation. 

Also speaking, Vice-Chancellor, Federal University, Kashere, Professor Umaru Pate, who looked at the ‘Critical Review of Contemporary Integrated Marketing Communication Education in Nigeria: An Insiders Perspective’, said that the Association of Communication Scholars Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN), remained eager to welcome any reforms that would improve communication and advertising.

Appraisal

There was a broad consensus at the colloquium to improve and refocus the teaching and practice of the communication and advertising industry in the country especially now that global digitalization is disrupting the industry.

Overall, the ‘Town’ and ‘Gown’ relationship is a complex and evolving one, shaped by a range of social, economic, and cultural factors. It requires ongoing communication and negotiation between both parties to ensure a positive and productive relationship that will bring meaningful development to the industry.

For Idorenyen, the guest speaker at the event, “organisers should focus on the success in the next few years and for the industry to make the colloquium work we must look at the fundamentals and make sure that the school curriculum reflects what we want to achieve.”

Marketing Director of Jotna Group, manufacturers of LaCasera, Emmanuel Agu, said: “It is a changing landscape in today’s world, as it is evident that digital has revolutionalised advertising.”

He added: “Interestingly, advertising agencies have to work deeper and continue to employ other strategies to make them perform optimally to the present-day request.

Stakeholders believe there should be synergy between the academia who operate on a longer timeline, with research and publication often taking months or even years and the advertising professionals that work on shorter timelines to meet immediate business needs.

Experts admitted that to bridge this gap, it is important for both groups to communicate and collaborate more effectively.

The experts believe that advertising professionals can benefit from learning more about the research and theories behind advertising, while academics can benefit from gaining a better understanding of the practical challenges and constraints faced by advertising professionals.

These, they say, will create more opportunities for both groups to work together on research projects and share insights and best practices.

Experts are also of the opinion that it is important to create more opportunities for communication and collaboration.

“This could include establishing industry-academia partnerships to enable professionals to share knowledge, organizing joint workshops or seminars to foster dialogue between academics and industry professionals, and creating opportunities for professionals to participate in academic research projects. Additionally, Nigerian universities and academic institutions could prioritize funding and resources for research and training related to advertising to help close the knowledge gap between academia and the industry in this aspect, “the experts stated.