Raheem Akingbolu
As part of activities to celebrate 30 years of outstanding creative solutions, one of Nigeria’s most decorated creative groups, Casers is taking bold steps to identify and nurture young creative talents that will shape the future of the country’s creative industry with the launch of its Creative Youth Challenge.
The Creative Youth Challenge (CYC), a social responsibility initiative was preceded by a Creative Contest. The online contest which was thrown open in November, 2017 invited participants to creatively express Influence as the subject theme using Audio, Visual Arts, Creative Writing and Others Art Forms. A total cash prize of $12,000 will be won.
Twelve winners, three for each category, selected carefully by the contest’s judges- Babatunde Sule, Kelechi Amadi-Obi, Michael Epacka and Osa Okunkpolor will be unveiled and presented with cash prizes at the group’s 30th anniversary dinner and grand exhibition on December 13th, 2017 in Lagos.
30 youth finalists selected from the Influence Contest will participate in a Creative Boot camp to hold early next year during which there would be a selection process for recipients of the scholarship awards under the Creative Youth Challenge Scheme.
Chairman, Casers Group, Enyi Odigbo is optimistic about the efficacy of the youth-driven creative platforms which will help nurture talent and address the dearth of creative minds in Nigeria’s creative industry.
Speaking at the press conference to kick-start the group’s 30th anniversary celebration, Odigbo said, ‘’The Casers Group is committed to using creativity to drive and ignite influence. This gave birth to our Influence Contest and the Creative Youth Challenge platforms to discover, nurture and reward young creative minds. With these empowering initiatives, we’re setting a new agenda for the next 30 years as a group and by extension, Nigeria’s creative industry’’.
Narrating the Casers Group success story to journalists at the conference, Vice Chairman, Ikechi Odigbo identified perseverance, commitment and high premium on telling compelling brand stories as key components of the brand’s philosophy.
‘’Through the years, the quest to always do things better has enabled the premium positioning of Casers Group as a thought leader, change agent and builder of enduring client relationships. Our successes as a group is tied to commitment, dedication, and collective genius brought to the fore by a co-creative relationship with clients starting with our first set of clients-First Aluminium, African Continental Bank, Mililo Rough Rider Condoms, Carnco and Globe Motors to a current array of enviable client partners that include MTN, Google, Visa, SC Johnson, Axa Mansard, Interswitch, Unilever Sterling Bank, Kate Industries, Dano, BAT, Wrigleys, Kellogs, Mac, Guinness, Diageo, Huawei, Lumos, Novartis among others.
’At the turn of the millennium, Casers became affiliated to DDB, one of the biggest advertising networks in the world/global advertising networks. Hence, their affiliation with another Global network was ended because DDB offered better competitive advantage and the opportunity to develop people. Our Child Education Scheme has eased the burden of payment of school fees for our staff’’.
The Vice-Chairman added that the group’s decision to extend to countries in West and Central Africa has made the group the leading force in the region.
The group’s core advantages include a recruitment philosophy of engaging the services of brand managers whose vista goes beyond client servicing to providing business solutions and thought leadership. The philosophy is still very much alive.
According to Enyi Odigbo, chairman of the group, ‘’Casers is well-equipped for the future. In the coming years, we’ll expand our business interests with beneficial partnerships and relationships.
‘’In bolstering the future, we’re focusing on harnessing and exploiting aspects of our business that we are currently outsourcing and therefore shifting attention to commercial opportunities beyond client businesses (campaigns). We’re well positioned for the future and the next 30 years of adding value to brands and businesses with creative solutions.
