Brandcom - Linking the future

Global entertainment icon, Oprah Winfrey, has emphasised the importance of purpose and authenticity in communication, saying that lasting influence is built through intention rather than scale. Speaking at the2026 Cannes Lions festival after receiving the LionHeart Award, the organisation’s highest honour for individuals who use their platforms to create positive social impact, Winfrey shared insights from her journey of becoming one of the world’s most respected media personalities. During a conversation with…

A new chapter has begun for Lafarge Africa Plc as the company officially unveiled its new corporate identity and name — HBM Nigeria Plc. The transition marks a significant milestone in the company’s transformation journey and strategic alignment with its new shareholder structure. The change to HBM Nigeria Plc reflects the company’s continued evolution as one of Nigeria’s leading building solutions providers, combining strong local roots with enhanced global industrial collaboration. The company…

The 73rd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced its first set of winners, with AB InBev taking home the inaugural Creative Brand Lion Grand Prix as part of its recognition as Creative Marketer of the Year 2026. The awards were presented during the festival's opening ceremony on June 23, with top honours handed out across nine categories: Audio & Radio Lions, Outdoor Lions, Print & Publishing Lions, Health & Wellness Lions, Pharma Lions, Creative B2B Lions, Creative Data Lions,…

Following an expanded partnership between CANAL+ and Samsung Electronics, the DStv Stream app will now be pre-installed on new Samsung Smart TVs sold in Nigeria and 17 other African countries. The agreement covers English and Portuguese-speaking African markets, including Nigeria, Kenya, Angola, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. It marks the first pre-installation rollout of a MultiChoice Group streaming application on Samsung Smart TVs. The development comes after the completion of the…

Nigeria's advertising and marketing communications ecosystem is set to converge for the 2026 National Advertising Conference (NAC), the industry's flagship annual gathering, under the theme: “Repositioning the Marketing Communications Industry for the Next Frontier.” The conference will bring together leading professionals across the marketing communications value chain - including advertisers, agencies, media owners, regulators, technology innovators, and business leaders - to examine the trends, disruptions,…

Meta has officially launched paid subscription plans for WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram globally, marking the social media giant's boldest move yet into consumer subscriptions, and Nigerian users are already seeing the plans live on their devices. Announced recently, the new "Plus" plans give power users access to exclusive features across Meta's most popular apps for a few dollars a month. WhatsApp Plus comes in at $2.99 per month internationally, while Facebook Plus and Instagram Plus are each priced at…

The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) have entered into a partnership to promote Made-in-Nigeria products and services locally and internationally, as part of efforts to boost economic growth. The partnership was announced by the President of NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku, during a visit by the institute’s delegation to the NEPC headquarters in Abuja. Neliaku said the collaboration was important because both organisations play key roles in shaping Nigeria’s…

AdForum has announced the launch of AskMaud, a new AI-powered research assistant that transforms the company’s extensive advertising archive into a conversational intelligence platform for agencies, brands, consultants and strategists. Built on AdForum’s database of more than 250,000 campaigns, 50,000 agencies and 25 years of curated industry data, AskMaud allows users to explore advertising trends, benchmark competitors, identify creative strategies and uncover campaign precedents using natural language queries. …