It was a night of glitz and glamour as well as a night for the celebration of excellence as various brands, individuals and organisations were recognized and awarded in various contested categories of awards at the 10th annual Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) Awards for Marketing Excellence (West Africa), held recently at the prestigious Shell Hall of the MUSON Centre, Lagos, recently.
The award process was supervised by a judging panel comprising Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika, Professor and Chevening Scholar from the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos; Tolulope Medebem, Vice President of EXMAN and CEO, Aster Marketing; Dolapo Ogunbambo, Strategy & Innovation Director, Media Perspectives, Victor Jolaoso, Marketing Research Manager, Nigerite; Dr. Michael Okolo, Dean, School of Media & Communications (SMC), Pan-Atlantic University and Angela Ukara-Makinwa, Client Engagement Director, EXP Nigeria.
Among the biggest winners for the night is Hypo which was declared the Brand of the Year, beating Haier Thermocool and MTN to second and third place respectively. By virtue of the brand’s win, its Brand Manager, Chidera Anele emerged 2021 ADVAN Brand Manager of the year.
In the Campaign of the Year Category, MTN-We Move was declared the winner while Coke and Colgate got the second and third positions.
Haier Thermocool won the Innovation Campaign of the Year Category while Star Live won the Experiential Campaign of the Year. Bigi was crowned winner in the Indigenous Brand Category as Nirvana Water won the Public Relations Campaign of the Year.
The duo of Jeremiah Agada, Deputy Editor and Azeez Disu, Senior Correspondent both of Brand Communicator-Nigeria’s most awarded and most consistent brands, marketing and sustainability-focused publication who were shortlisted for the awards, dominated their category to clinch the ultimate win. Goddie Ofose, Editor-in-Chief of The Industry and past winner, cliched the third position while Azeez Disu who had won the award in 2019 came in second position. Jeremiah Agada was announced winner in the category.
The ADVAN Awards also saw leaders in the marketing communication industry awarded the Icon of Marketing Award. Those awarded are Mr. Niyi Babatunde, Aare Fatai Odusile, Kola Oyeyemi, Idonrenyen Enang, David Okeme and Folake Ani-Mumuney.
In her welcome address, the President, ADVAN, Mrs. Bunmi Adeniba said the Awards for Marketing Excellence which is in its 10th year is to collectively promote brands and individuals who are contributing to the growth of the Nigerian marketing industry and to redefine the baseline.
Also speaking, Adia Sowho, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN, said technology has redefined how brands do business and relate with the consumers because consumers now have direct interaction with brand and businesses, bypassing channels through technology and there is a need for business to tap into technology as communication is no longer centralized but decentralized. ‘’Technology is here to work for us, not against us. Decision-making is no longer centralized but decentralized. Your brand now belongs to users, they talk about your brand than you. It is no longer the sole property of the organisation alone.’’
She added that brands need to be data-driven and evidence-led so as to stay relevant in business.
Also speaking at the awards, the Lagos State Government urged advertisers and marketers to join the campaign on diversification from a mono-economic culture to embrace the opportunities available in the abundance of agriculture potential in the country.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu who spoke through the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello noted that agriculture and natural resources served as economic mainstay before the discovery of crude oil in commercial quantities that changed the narrative of the national economic vision and focus.
He added that it is also the duty of the advertisers and marketers to promote the image of Nigeria with the potential available in the diversity in order to encourage foreign and direct investments which will impact positively on the growth of the economy.
He said since the inception of ADVAN Awards a decade ago, it had provided a credible platform to promote professionalism, brand awareness, loyalty and consumer retention in a competitive market.
He added that the efforts of ADVAN, as the major trade association representing the interests of advertisers and marketers in Nigeria, have not gone unnoticed at the global stage.
He said the nomination of ADVAN to the Executive Council of the World Federation of Advertisers is commendable, stressing that it equally connotes that the association needs to upscale its activities and ensure that quality control becomes a byword in the industry.
Sanwo-Olu said everyone must work together to project a positive global perception of the country in place of the negative narrative that is being promoted with ignominy.
“Let us leverage on the gains recorded by our dynamic entertainment sector which has firmly placed its foot on the global stage, especially with the global focus on Nigeria when one of our own Burna Boy was nominated and eventually won the Grammy Award as a musical artiste,” he said.
According to him, “I celebrate all the nominees for the privilege availed them in a pool of incredibly talented personnel and organisations in an era that is rapidly being transformed by artificial intelligence and technology. He said the nomination of the awardees is reflective of their contributions to the growth of the advertising and marketing sector for the growth of their economy.
He added that the award nominations should motivate everyone to raise the bar of performance in the industry among their peers and younger professionals in the industry.
Pictures of other big winners of the night below:
