The 2018 Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival (2018 LAIF) awards has returned DDB Lagos as biggest winner and most creative agency in the country having clinched the coveted Grand Prix award at the awards which held late into Sunday night at the prestigious Landmark Event Centre in Lagos.
The 2018 LAIF which incidentally was the 13th edition had as its theme: “Future Forward”. It is an annual reward platform for innovation and creative excellence in the industry organized by the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN).
The 2018 LIAF featured entries across eight categories. These include Outdoor/Poster, Press, Digital and Mobile and Radio. Others are Television, LAIF Campaign, Special Category and LAIF Grand Prix.
DDB Lagos, a member of the Caser group top the chart with six gold, four silver and nine bronze medals. DBB’s outstanding “Man in the box” campaign for MTN Nigeria got the Ikechi Odigbo led agency to highly prized LAIF Grand Prix to earn the Number one slot.
Insight Publicis followed in the second place with 24 medals, made up of five gold,10 silver and nine bronze medals. It is noteworthy that these two frontline players are gone past their 30th years in the industry!
This sticks out X3M Ideas the younger and perhaps the “intruder” in the top three band of the most creative agencies in the country. 7 years old X3M Ideas is placed 3rd on the chart with same number of Gold as Insight Publicis. The Steve Babaeko led agency won five Gold, seven silver and eight bronze medals into its kitty courtesy 2018 LAIF.
Udeme Ufot’s SO&U another agency of about three decades of operation also roared, taking home four gold, 11 silver and eight bronze medals.
Culture, followed powerfully with three gold and two bronze medals while Noah’s Ark who won the Grand Prix last year came 6th with one gold, eight silver and 11 bronze medals;
Perhaps, the most interesting development to note this year is that from the 7th position down to the 18th on the list showed new generation agencies coming up strongly. The only exception in this band is LTC in 15th position with one silver and one bronze medal.
The category of young but coming up powerfully, is led by “Up In The Sky” in the 7th position with one gold, five silver and four bronze medals; Etu Odi is placed 8th on the list with one gold, two silver and two bronze medals; while BBDO, another Casers group agency, won one gold, one silver and three bronze medals to make the “Golden Agency league”
Other winners include TBWA – four silver and three bronze medals; 7even Interactive won three silver and four bronze medals; 141 Worldwide garnered two silver and three bronze medals; Leo Burnett had silver and one bronze medal; while DIJO like LTC took home one Silver and One bronze. Dan Esiekpe’s IMS won one silver while Caritas and Stream Media who won one bronze each.
Ikechi Odigbo, AAAN President, described the LAIF Awards an important event in the advertising industry because it promotes professionalism. “LAIF is committed to promoting professionalism and creative excellence within the brand industry. It reflects one of the ways we reward the great work we do all through the year. LAIF gives us an opportunity to give ourselves a pat on the back.”
Michael Zylstra, the chief juror in his pre award comment explained that some of the works assessed were of topmost quality and reflected the Nigerian environment. “If I have to explain the works that caught our attention and would be awarded tonight was the work that really resonated from a Nigerian perspective and had local insight. It was executed in a way that couldn’t be done in any other country,” he said.
Zylstra, who is the Chief Strategy Officer of South Africa’s Dentsu Aegis Network, said “creative Nigerian works will soon gain recognition at international advertising awards if the current level of quality is sustained”.
In his post event comment, Steve Babaeko, CEO, X3M Ideas and Chairman, LAIF Management Board said it is most gratifying despites all odds the 2018 LAIF held and saw better participation with the scale going up.
“I am most fascinated by better participation and improved showing on the medal table on the part of our younger agencies. If one compares the scale, the younger agencies are coming up very strongly. The apathy of yester-years is fast giving way to stronger credibility for the LAIF brand”, he said.
