Raheem Akingbolu, who was present at the 2016 edition of the Lagos Advertising & Ideas Festival (LAIF) held recently in Lagos, writes that it was another opportunity for agencies to show their creative strengths
Every year, practitioners look forward to participate in the Lagos Advertising & Ideas Festival (LAIF). In the last 11 years, LAIF has become the major creative platform, through which the industry separates the wheat from the chaff. No wonder, many industry analysts refer to it as ‘Nigeria version of Cannes Advertising Festival’.
At the 2016 edition held recently, four leading agencies; Insight Publicis, Noah’s Ark, DDB and Leo Burnett Lagos, dominated the night and won in various categories. Other agencies that recorded great height in the night were; SO&U and X3M Ideas.
Though the biggest haul of gold medals were won by DDB Lagos, Insight Publicis and Noah’s Ark, all of whom won four gold medals apiece, DDB Lagos topped the table as it accumulated more medal wins than rival agencies.
The Ikechi Odigbo-led agency won a total of 23 medals, including 11 silver medals and eight bronze medals. Insight Publicis came second with four gold medals, eight silver and 10 bronzes. Noah’s Ark had six silver medals and four bronze medals to seals the third position on the medals table.
Steve Babaeko’s X3M Ideas completed the top five slots with five medals, three of which were gold.
DDB Lagos was rewarded for its outstanding creativity on various MTN campaigns, especially the very successful MTN Pulse which won rave reviews from experts. The campaign was adjudged the best entry in the best use of production design and art direction category. The agency also got the ultimate prize for its innovative campaigns for Wakanow.
Noah’s Ark won gold medal for its works on Hypo- for whites only, Boko Halal: Bring Back Our Girls, as well as its impressive campaign for Three Crown, which won gold in the best use of photo manipulation and illustration category. The Lanre Adisa-led agency went home with a total of 18 awards translating into four Gold, eight Silver and six Bronze medals, once again being in the league of the top three.
The Lanre Adisa-led agency went home with a total of 18 awards translating into four Gold, eight Silver and six Bronze medals, once again being in the league of the top three. Though Insight did not occupy the first or second position, it occupied the third position with 20 medals: four Gold, seven Silver and nine Bronze medals.
Again, beyond the local competition, three of the agencies –DDB, Noah’s Ark and Insight Publicis have also displayed their creative prowess award abroad and excelled. For instance, Noah’s Ark has won international awards like the Loeries and Cristal.
Like drama, the performance of 2-year-old Leo Burnett Lagos was the most unusual thing this year. Not many people saw the agency coming, but after the award, the two-year old agency showed that it has the capacity to do great works and it is ready to compete with the frontrunners in Nigeria’s advertising industry.
Leo Burnett wowed everyone at the award as it won three gold medals, against all odds, placing it in a fourth position behind heavy weights like DDB Lagos, Insight Publicis and Noah’s Ark on the medals table. The agency also took home five silver and five bronze medals to round off an impressive night for the young agency.
“When we started, we said to ourselves that as quickly as possible we must be the best in the craft of marketing communications in Nigeria. We are less than two years in the business and we have come out with this kind of success,” Leo Burnett’s Chief Operating Officer Sam Osunsoko said.
One remarkable outcome of the 2016 LAIF is that winners are more widespread. Competition is not just limited to DDB Lagos, Insight and a handful of other older agencies. But newer agencies demonstrated an unusual creative clout that gave even the big operators a cause for concern.
One of such agencies Up in The Sky which was one of the gold winners. Another young agency that had an impressive outcome was 7even Interactive, with three silver and five bronze medals. Majority of 7even Interactive medals came courtesy of a commercial it conceptualised for Fidelity Bank.
According to the Founder of O2 Academy, Ozone Mbanefo, who was also recognised for his contribution to the growth of the advertising industry, the outstanding performances of the newer agencies, is a function of the reinvention taking place in the industry. “The industry is expanding its tentacles. The beautiful thing about it is that competition is healthy. These guys believe that there are better ways that things can be done,” Mbanefo said.
