LAIF 2018: DDB Lagos Emerges Nigeria’s Most Creative Agency

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…As Insight, X3M Ideas, SO&U, Culture Impress

laif

By Jeremiah Agada

The 2018 edition of Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival, LAIF may have come and gone but the memories of the showcase will remain for a long while. Quite unlike other editions of the awards, this will be perhaps the most competitive and not-so-easily-predictable’ LAIF of all the 13 editions. This is perhaps because the Michael Zylstra-led jury had so many top creative works to judge.

For the first time in a while, older agencies have taken the fight to younger ones as DDB Lagos led the pack of winners by clinching the prestigious Grand Prix award and amassing six gold, four silver and nine gold medals to emerge Nigeria’s most creative agency for this year. Its first gold came from the Outdoor/Poster category under the Corporate Image segment, for the MTN #ManInThe commercial for the MTN brand. The same creative won another gold for the agency before eventually winning the Grand Prix of the evening.

The multiple awarded winning MTN’s Man-in-The-Box creative was a campaign restating the telecom operator’s commitment to helping Nigerian businesses operate optimally and achieve growth. It signified the formal relaunch of MTN’s Enterprise Business Solutions arm, otherwise known as MTN Business. Through the campaign, MTN is raising public awareness about its ability to cater to the communication, collaboration and connectivity needs of all businesses–start-ups, small medium and large-scale enterprises, and public sector organisations.

Reacting to the win, Managing Director of DDB Lagos, Ikechi Odigbo had these words to say: “Not doubt, DDB has done well. For me, it’s more important that we have had so many young agencies doing well as well as older agencies performing well too. It shows that there is a higher level of competitiveness and quality that is beginning to amplify the work that we do.”

Other works from the stables of the agency that stood out include the Independence Day ad for the Dano brand, MTN Artist Boy, MTN Comedy Plus Falz, among others.

Following closely behind DDB Lagos in the second position is Insight Publicis Nigeria. Gathering an impressive 24 medals for the evening, the agency is easily the most awarded agency at LAIF for this year. It carted away five gold, ten silver and nine bronze medals to comfortably sit at the second position, highlighting an impressive comeback to the awards arena after some years of hiatus.

Top among its brands in its portfolio that carted away impressive awards for the evening are creative works it executed for the global beer brand, Heineken. Winning its first gold in the Outdoor/Poster category for alcoholic beverages segment with its ‘Heineken Ibiza’ ad, the agency went on to have a rain of awards.

LAIF Table

Behind the agency, the Steve Babaeko-led X3M Ideas came third in line of Nigeria’s most creative agency at LAIF. For years, the agency has consistently maintained its position among the country’s top five most creative agency, and this year is no different. Winning an equal number of five gold medals with Insight Publicis, it added seven silver and eight bronze medals to its collections.

Emerging the second most awarded agency for the night, the Udeme Ufot-led SO&U creative powerhouse joined the top five creative agencies in Nigeria by clinching the fourth place position on the LAIF awards table. The agency sits comfortably there with four gold, eleven silver and eight bronze medals, capping a total of 23 medals. The agency’s mother’s day ads-Brain Resetter, Head Straightener, Mumu Duster and Alignment Tool- were works that stood out at the awards.

Topping off the list at the fifth spot is Culture Communications. An impressive run of creative works for the Trophy brand featured at the awards among others, gathered three gold and two bronze medals for the agency, giving the Yomi Benson-led agency a total of five medals.

Sitting at the sixth position on the LAIF table is Noah’s Ark Communications with a total of 20 medals. Emerging the third most awarded agency, it clinched one god, eight silver and eleven bronze medals.

At the seventh position is Up In The Sky with ten medals. The young agency has maintained its top ten position at LAIF by clinching ten medals-one gold, five silver and four bronze medals.

Etu Odi and BBDO are eighth and ninth on the table respectively with five medals apiece and they are joined by TBWA on the top ten table with seven medals. Other agencies that registered their presence on the table include Leo Burnett, Dijo Communications, LTC, IMS, Caritas and Stream Media.

LAIF is the brainchild of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria. The awards came on stream in 2006. LAIF seeks to recognize creative excellence, help to improve the quality of creative craft and to promote the spirit of healthy competition, applying global best practices.

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