NAC 2026: Aig-Imoukhuede urges professionals to embrace the discomfort of technological transition
By Amechi Obiakpu
As the world grapples with the disruption resulting from technological changes, the Chairman of Access Holdings Plc and Founder/Chairman of Coronation Group, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede has urged marketing communications professionals to embrace the discomfort of technological transition.
He said such discomfort is necessary to enable them master their environment or risk irrelevance.
According to him, disruption rarely destroys an entire industry. And as it relates to the entire advertising industry he believes that it will change who creates value, who captures value, and who gets left behind.
“The big question practitioners must answer is who is going to be the one left behind? And “if you choose not to be left behind, then it’s going to force you to confront some big issues” he noted.
Speaking during his keynote presentation at the Fireside Chat of the 6th National Advertising Conference (NAC 2026), Aig-Imoukhuede challenged marcom practitioners to master emerging technologies or risk total irrelevance in a rapidly shifting economic landscape.
Addressing an audience of industry leaders, regulators, and brand custodians at the Abuja Continental Hotel under the conference theme, “Repositioning the Marketing Communications Industry for the Next Frontier,” he noted that the concept of a “frontier” inherently generates anxiety, but that industry players must harness that tension to lead rather than follow.
”The theme for this year is about frontiers, and the reality of frontier times is that they make people nervous,” Aig-Imoukhuede stated during the session, titled “Are We Ready for the Next Frontier?”
“When you stand at a frontier, there will always be those who lead and those who follow. If you view a frontier as where the current map ends, it simply means you must be ready to redraw the map yourself.”
Reflecting on structural tech realignments, the former Chief Executive of Access bank observed that while the initial internet revolution radically disrupted traditional media channels, artificial intelligence and quantum computing represent a far more profound, structural shift for advertising professionals.
”What we are witnessing is the evolution from the industrial era to the fourth industrial revolution,” he explained.
“Artificial intelligence has not just disrupted advertising the way the internet did, it is rapidly turning basic service offerings into commodities.
Today, the combined power of quantum computing, AI, and modern technological tools can allow a visionary entrepreneur to build the best, most competitive advertising firm in Nigeria with just a handful of staff.”
Aig-Imoukhuede stressed that the defining metric of success in the next frontier will hinge on institutional value creation rather than agency scale or spending volumes.
“The most valuable agency is not the one that asks for the largest budget; it is the one that genuinely adds undeniable value to the client,” he emphasized.
“Disruption brings a critical realization to clients. The core focus of advertising practitioners today must be on deeply understanding client mindsets and human behavior.”
He further projected an exponential surge in market demand driven by personal branding and self-promotional platforms: “The demand for advertising is going to increase exponentially as individuals begin to advertise themselves. Self-advertising will be a major global trend. The question for agencies is: how do you strategically position your business to capture a massive share of this expanding market?”
Drawing a comparison to emerging continental developments, Aig-Imoukhuede pointed to trends across Africa where forward-thinking agencies are leveraging digital tools to expand their footprint. “In South Africa, industry leaders have already agreed to cover and scale across the African advertising space by deploying AI,” he noted.
“If Nigerian practitioners can master and deploy these emerging technologies within their craft, you will not only transform your agencies, you will transform Nigeria.”
The evening which was the first day of NAC 2026 was filled with so much anticipation as stakeholders looked towards a successful event.
Speaking earlier in his remark, the Director General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo. Dr. Fadolapo who welcomed dignitaries, including past council chairmen, highlighting that the annual conference has evolved to address cross-cutting issues in leadership, management, and economic strategy across the marketing communications ecosystem. He believed that this year’s was going to be even better.
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