President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Lanre Adisa, has raised the need for government to urgently push for mandatory Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy.

Speaking at a recent media briefing to herald this year’s edition of the National Advertising Conference (NAC) in Lagos, Adisa observed every country is looking for its own way of managing AI, so, it behoves on the country’s leaders to do the needful.

Adisa, who is also the Chairman of Heads of Advertising Sectoral Group(HASG), noted advertising is always about looking for the next frontier.

To him, “there was the time of radio, then came television, then Internet. Now it is digital advertising, who knows what is coming next.”

Saying the value of the industry should also be reviewed, he added, “we have always been at the forefront of those changes. But let’s face the reality, the platforms have taken over. There are lots of changes happening around us. But should we fold our arms or do something around it?”

Earlier in his address, the Chairman, Planning Committee on NAC, Tunji Adeyinka, disclosed this year’s theme is, Repositioning the marketing communication industry for the next frontier.

He added there would be conversations around impact of AI, changing consumer behaviour, data management, culture, talent attraction, changing business models and regulation.

In his speech, Director-General of Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Olalekan Fadolapo, who was represented by Emme Akande, noted the sixth edition is expected to attract at least 700 participants and urged the media to create awareness of the event.

On his part, President of the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), Sola Akinsiku, expressed concerns over excessive government-imposed rates for outdoor political advertising in some states.

On their part, Presidents of Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN) and Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) Tolulope Medebem and Brenda Nwagwu respectfully called for collaboration among all stakeholders to build an industry that is innovative, competitive and ethical.