Sustaining Creative Ingenuity in Marketing Communications Industry

Raheem Akingbolu writes on how various competitive platforms initiated by sectoral bodies in the nation’s marketing communications industry have deepened creativity and prepared Nigerian firms for global recognition

Until about 15 years ago, when the leadership of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, introduced the Lagos Advertising & Ideas Festival (LAIF), to challenge and spur local creative agencies to look out of the box, it was an annual ritual for stakeholders in the industry to play the role of spectators at various global advertising festivals and awards, especially the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

After several efforts by Nigerian agencies to clinch trophies on the international stage, industry leaders thus returned to the drawing board and applied ‘the charity begins at home’ dictum to groom local agencies for international competition.

Over the years, they haven’t only achieved that but have been able to compel agencies in various fields; experiential, out-of-home, public relations and creatives to further impact on brands and businesses through their works. To this end, many agencies have raised the bar and performed creditably well on the foreign stage, including winning and making Nigeria proud at the African Cristal Festival in Marrakech, Morocco and other places.

Speaking on how competition has strengthened the marketing communication industry in recent time, the Group Managing Director of Brandlife Limited, one of Africa’s leading experiential agencies, Mr. Julius Agenmonmen, said the crave to come out with a marketing solution that would compete within and outside Nigeria has also helped the agency owners to further service their clients.

“Beyond the laurels that normally go with awards, I think the determination to win has also spurred players in the marketing communication industry to come out with problem solving ideas that are fast changing fortunes of businesses in Nigeria,”he said.

Agenmonmen, who spoke to THISDAY after his agency – BrandLife Limited achieved remarkable feats by winning a total of four awards in various categories at the 2021 Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN) Awards, held recently in Lagos, noted that the innovations being deplored by Nigerian agencies in recent time, have shown that Nigerian agencies could perfectly compete amongst other international awards globally.

Speaking on the performance of his company at the award ceremony, Aganmomen described it as a significant feat that would spur the experiential agency to do more for their clients and other future brands they work on.

He said: “These awards are testimony to the agency’s commitment to working with its clients to always deliver value with winning strategies and excellent executions.

We are grateful to our clients for trusting us over the years. We dedicate these awards to them. We thank the almighty God for taking us this far”

At the event, Brandlife won Gold for ‘Best Trade Activation’ with the flawless and exciting execution of the Gulder Red Night Parties under the Nigerian Breweries beer brand. It also won three other silver awards for ‘Best Event – B2B’ featuring the seamless execution of the HP Elite Dragonfly Launch Event; ‘Best use of Digital in an Event’ for the HP Elite Dragonfly Launch Event; and ‘Best Use of Digital in an Activation’ for the HP Be Free to Create Campaign accompanied the Gold win.

The event was organized by the sectoral trade body for forward-looking experiential marketing communications agencies in Nigeria to promote, encourage and foster unity and growth among key players in the marketing industry.

The EXMAN awards for excellence seeks to reward, honor and celebrate outstanding member agencies and marketing communications professionals who have raised the bar in terms of creativity, strategies and project executions to provide consumers meaningful experiences and impact positively on clients’ businesses.

Speaking on how Nigerian agencies can win more laurels on the global stage, Agenmonmen called for consistency, originality and global best practice.

“To win more global awards, we must be original, focused and professional. Much as it is important for us to compete with global campaigns and ideas, we shouldn’t discard our local nuances because each market comes with its culture. So far, we can be sure we are heading there with what is coming out of our market in recent times,” he added.