The Advertising Regulatory Council Of Nigeria (ARCON), formerly, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) was established by the Advertising Practitioners Registration Act No. 55 of 1988, as amended by Act No. 93 of 1992 and Act No. 116 of 1993 (now Advertising Practitioners Registration Act Cap A7 of 2004).
The adoption of a broad national mass communication policy by the National Council of Ministers in January 1988 was a milestone in the establishment of the Advertising Regulatory Council Of Nigeria (ARCON). The various discussions that followed the adoption of the national mass communication policy articulated the relevance and the leadership role of advertising to the nation's social, political and economic development as well as the need for official recognition and regulation of the practice.
The Advertising Regulatory Council Of Nigeria (ARCON) was subsequently established by the Act number 55 of 1988 as a logical outcome of these discussions. The Act accorded deserved state legislative recognition of advertising as a profession in Nigeria and vested APCON with powers to regulate and control the practice of advertising in Nigeria, in all its aspects and ramifications.
ARCON maintains a strong focus on its vision of promoting responsible and ethical advertising practice, acts as the conscience of society in matters of commercial communications and as a watchdog for consumers. It also manages the needs and interests of stakeholders in Nigeria's advertising industry.
ARCON cooperates with these Sectorial associations in regulating the conduct of their member organizations to ensure a socially responsible practice. By insisting on pre-exposure clearance of all advertisements, ARCON strives to check all forms of abuses such as misleading statements, spurious testimonials, visual and verbal exaggerations, misleading offers, suggestion or pictures offensive to public decency, etc.
The Vision:
To promote responsible and ethical advertising practice, acting as the conscience of the society and watchdog for the consumers, while managing the needs and interests of the stakeholders in Nigeria's advertising industry.
The Mission:
Advertising Self-Regulation: Encouraging responsible practice and acceptance of Advertising self-regulation.
Professional Development: Refocusing professional development through World-class education and training for the marketing Communications industry of tomorrow.
Industry Forum: Providing a forum to debate emerging professional Practice/social issues and their consequences in a fast-changing environment.
Advocacy: Speaking for and advancing the freedom of commercial Speech and consumer choice.
Value of Advertising: Promoting the critical roles and benefits of advertising as the vital force behind all healthy economies and foundation of a diverse, independent, affordable media in an open so ciety.
