X3M Ideas Secures Agency of the Year at LAIF 20thAnniversary Celebrations

Raheem Akingbolu

X3M Ideas has once again secured the prestigious Agency of the Year title at the 20th anniversary of the Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival (LAIF) Awards, themed “20 Years of Crazy”, following an impressive haul of awards.

The award ceremony, held recently at the Marriott Hotel, GRA Ikeja, saw the Steve Babaeko-led agency top the medal tally with 12 Gold, 20 Silver, and 24 Bronze awards, totaling 336 points. The second and third-placed agencies scored 153 and 141 points, respectively.

In 2023, X3M Ideas achieved a similar feat at LAIF and also emerged African Agency of the Year at the 2023 and 2024 editions of the African Cristal Awards. During this period, Babaeko was named African Personality of the Year, reaffirming the agency’s position as a leader in the African advertising industry.

The 2025 edition of LAIF was also a double celebration for X3M Ideas, as Babaeko, alongside other industry leaders, received special recognitions and commemorative plaques for their invaluable contributions to establishing LAIF as West Africa’s premier creative showcase.

Speaking about the agency’s success, Steve Babaeko, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of X3M Ideas, said:
“We are extremely excited to win again at LAIF. This achievement demonstrates how we have continuously evolved, innovated, and remained creative, going ‘crazy’, in line with the theme of the award, by turning every brief into campaigns that resonate across all ages.

This win also signifies that, together whether as individuals, agencies, or brands, we can shape the future of advertising, push boundaries, and redefine excellence.”

Recall, X3M Ideas broke a 70-year jinx to become the first Nigerian and West African agency to win at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The agency continues to put Nigeria on the global map, winning notable awards at the 2024 Lisbon International Advertising Festivals Group. Additionally, X3M Ideas was recognised as one of Africa’s fastest-growing companies for 2025 by the Financial Times, ranked 31st among 130 companies across the continent. Its campaign, “Blood Sacrifice,” also won at the 2025 Cannes Lions Festival, earning top honours at the prestigious ACT Responsible exhibition.

LAIF was established through the bold vision of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) to celebrate and elevate creativity within Nigeria’s marketing communications industry.

The LAIF Awards Ceremony on Sunday, 30th November, marked the conclusion of a two-day festival that commenced with the LAIF Creative Conference. The event recognised excellence across Nigeria’s advertising and marketing communications industry. Celebrating two decades of creative achievement, the awards remain Nigeria’s most esteemed benchmark for innovative work, honouring agencies, directors, writers, designers, strategists, and brand teams pushing the boundaries of industry creativity.