AS part of efforts aimed at addressing the issue of dwindling creative talents in the nation’s advertising industry, the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) has announced the take-off of its advertising academy, ‘Adcademy.’
Unveiling the academy virtually to the media, recently, the association’s president, Mr Steve Babaeko, explained that the decision to bring into fruition the idea of the advertising institution was informed by the need to expand the pipeline that brings talents into the industry.
He expressed delight that the advertising academy was finally making its debut, after a very long wait, noting that its eventual take-off would go a long way in positioning practitioners and the practice for modern-day opportunities and challenges.
To demonstrate the resolve of the present leadership of the association to put the academy on a strong footing, Babaeko stated that besides having its first set of courses, few months ago, the academy is also being run in partnership with an international business school, with the aim of exposing practitioners, especially the younger ones, to the business side of advertising.
“The Advertising Academy has always been an albatross. It’s been used as campaign promises for almost 20 years ago. But, not only have we started, because we’ve had the first training some months ago, but we are also doing a follow-up training. So it’s not one of those ‘push and start’ program.
“We believe advertising is a business for young people, and unless we continue to expand the pipeline that brings talents into our industry, we’ll always have a situation where Agency A will continue to poach the staff of Agency B, because there is a shortage of talents in the industry; since we are all fishing in the same pot.
“So ‘Adcademy’ helps us to expand the pipeline. It’s a way of making sure there are so many talents to pick from; a way of making our bench as robust as the standing eleven, just like in football, because we all want to win in the industry,” he stated.
The Acting Director of the academy, Mr Olasunkanmi Atolagbe, expressed the belief that the new initiative would go a long way in changing the face of advertising in the country.
He argued that the training, which would be virtual for the time being, would be made available to practitioners and non-practitioners, desirous of honing their creative and business skills.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents
In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state…
Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train
The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…
and then