The Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN) successfully held its 2025 Annual Brands & Marketing Conference today in Lagos, convening a cross-section of industry leaders, policymakers, marketing professionals, and students.
With the timely and pertinent theme, “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Future of Marketing Workflow: Disruption or Opportunity,” the conference served as a crucial platform for informed dialogue on the seismic shifts AI is introducing to the marketing and communications landscape.
In his welcoming address, the Chairman of BJAN, Daniel Obi, highlighted the profound shift currently underway, stating that AI is transforming how the industry “create[s], communicate[s], plan, measure, and engage.” He stressed the dual nature of AI as both an “excitement” and a “responsibility,” urging professionals to understand the technology deeply enough to use it ethically and strategically.
“AI is not a distant future, it is our present reality,” Mr. Obi remarked. “Our task today is to understand how best to integrate AI responsibly into marketing workflows, ensuring that creativity, trust, and human values remain at the centre of communication.”
The conference was tasked with addressing increasingly vital questions, including ethical boundaries, the regulation of AI-generated content, and the future skills needed by Nigerian marketing professionals to compete globally.
The Chairman of the Conference, Udeme Ufot, Group Managing Director of SO&U, congratulated BJAN for sustaining the conference as a vital platform for dialogue. Drawing from his personal journey and the evolution of the advertising industry, he asserted that the industry must accept AI not as a threat, but as an “enabler.”
He acknowledged the crucial role brand journalists have played in elevating the industry’s respect, noting that AI is undeniably shaping creativity and consumer engagement.
In a goodwill message, the Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Dr. Lekan Fadolapo, represented by Suzzy Abbor, emphasized the timeliness of the topic from a regulatory standpoint.
He pointed out the need for skill upscaling and the inherent complexities of regulating content in a diverse market like Nigeria, revealing that ARCON has gone ahead to develop a ‘stock image bank’ to help guide content creators and mitigate the risk of anarchy from unregulated AI use.
Mastering the Human Element
The keynote address, delivered by Bethel Obioma, Head of Corporate Communications at Sahara Group, provided a compelling perspective on the indispensable role of human judgment.
Titled, “AI and Future of Marketing Workflow: Disruption or Opportunity,” the session warned against blindly trusting AI output, emphasizing that the human touch is crucial.
Mr. Obioma introduced the concept of ‘Mastery’ over AI. He stressed that while AI can provide a head start, such as generating 50 headline ideas in minutes and saving marketers from manual tasks, it “can never give you the emotional nuance.”
“If you don’t question the parameters, there is no way you are going to get it right,” he noted.
He strongly cautioned against the ethical dilemma of plagiarism, reminding attendees that slapping a byline on an AI-generated story without adding one’s own touch is unethical. “AI is not coming for your job, you are the master of AI,” he concluded, urging professionals to ensure their voice, and not merely the AI’s mimicry, is the final word.
Represented by Tomi Ogulensi, Divisional Head, Brands and Communications, the second keynote speaker, Dr. Cherry Eromosele, Group Executive Vice President of Interswitch Group, provided a historical context on the evolution of marketing communications, asserting that technology, including AI, has revolutionized the landscape.
Citing the BBC’s “Newslabs” case study, she illustrated how AI serves as an “investigative partner” rather than a replacement. The BBC’s AI system analyzed 2 million documents for the Paradise Papers investigation, allowing human journalists to uncover stories faster by offloading heavy, manual data lifting to the machine.
She echoed the consensus that while AI will not replace journalists or marketers, those who are open-minded, upskill, and embrace AI are better positioned to succeed. “Trust, ethics, and deep insights only grow more valuable in [an] age where AI irreversibly changes everything.”
The conference concluded with a call to action for the industry to move forward with discipline, caution, and collaboration, ensuring that the integration of AI enhances, rather than diminishes, the quality and integrity of marketing communications.
