Students of the University of Lagos pitched campaign ideas for a chance to win N450,000 in the fifth edition of PRADwave, a public relations and advertising competition organised to bridge the gap between classroom learning and industry practice.
The competition, sponsored by marketing communications agency Plus Acuity Limited in partnership with the UNILAG PRAD Club, the Communication and Media Studies Students’ Association and the Mass Communication Students’ Association, was held at the university’s Madhouse on Friday.
The event, themed “Gen Z and Marketing: Understanding Gen Z as Consumers and the Next Generation of Marketing Professionals,” featured students presenting strategic communication ideas for brands.
Three teams which made it to the final of the competition shared from the prize pool of N450,000.
The President of the UNILAG PRAD Club, Daniel Nnam, said PRADwave was created to expose students to the practical aspects of public relations and advertising.
Nnam said, “PRADwave 5.0 is a competition for students interested in public relations and advertising. It’s an opportunity for them to pitch campaign ideas for a brand, and the top three teams will win cash prizes. We have a prize pool of N450,000 to be shared among the top three teams,” Nnam said.
He explained that 40 teams, comprising 120 students, initially registered for the competition, but only five teams advanced to the final stage.
According to him, each team comprised a strategist, an art director and a copywriter, while industry experts were invited to mentor participants and share insights on the evolving marketing landscape.
“This edition is also quite interesting because we decided to bring in industry experts to speak to students. It’s not just a competition where participants come to pitch ideas; they also get to learn from professionals who will educate them about the world of marketing and communications,” he said.
Nnam added that the fifth edition was expanded beyond the Department of Mass Communication to accommodate students across the university with an interest in public relations and advertising.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of Plus Acuity Limited, Victor Oyarero, said the firm was providing free industry training and internship opportunities for UNILAG students studying public relations and advertising to address the skills gap among fresh graduates.
He said the initiative was aimed at equipping students with practical skills before graduation and reducing the gap between academic training and workplace demands.
“Most times, when we try to employ young graduates, there’s a lot of training that has to happen because of the gap in their knowledge base from school and what we do.
“We saw what PRAD was doing and felt it was an opportunity for us to engage and provide internship opportunities for some of the students at UNILAG so that we can reduce the gap between what they are learning in school and what is happening in the real world,” Oyarero said.
He described the programme as a pilot initiative that would begin at UNILAG before being extended to other tertiary institutions.
“This, for Plus Acuity, is like a pilot initiative, starting with UNILAG. As we go on, we’ll engage with other schools where we can make presentations and also provide training within the academy so that we can bridge that gap,” he said.
Oyarero urged students to remain committed to continuous learning, saying success in the marketing and communication industry requires adaptability and constant acquisition of new skills.
He also pledged the company’s continued support for the PRAD Club through mentorship programmes and training opportunities.
