2016 LAIF Awards: Nigeria’s Top Ten Most Creative Agencies

By Tunji Faleye
Although, the celebration to mark the 11^h edition of Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival (LAIF) Award has come and gone, the excellence and excitement that it engendered will linger in the memory of advertising professionals for many years to come. LAIF Awards is an annual event organized by the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) to celebrate ideas and reward creative excellence by Nigeria’s most creative minds.
This edition tagged: New Frontiers kicked off on Thursday, December 1 with seminar and exhibition, while the awards and dinner was held on Saturday, December 3.
The well decorated event hall at the Civic Centre was full of excitements with advertising practitioners, managing directors, chief executive officers including agency owners, creative directors and other industry stakeholders seated, waiting to see how the event of the day will unfold.
As the night wore on, it became evident that the trios of DDB Lagos, Noak’s Ark and Insight –Publicis were dominating the awards. Two new entrants into the awards, Leo Burnett and Up-In-The-Sky sprung surprises, by carting away many awards and occupied fourth and eighth positions respectively. X3M Ideas, occupied the fifth position, while SO&U made top ten with sixth position. Also Etu Odi was number seven, 7even interative nine, while Fuel Communications completed the top ten ad agencies in 2016 LAIF awards.
However, by the time the awards ended it became clear that the battle for supremacy was only left for DDB Lagos, Noah’s Ark and Insight-Publicis.
Although, DDB Lagos, Insight Publicis Nigeria, representing the older agencies had a good run by occupying first and third positions respectively, Noah’s Ark, was the only new generation agency among the top three occupying the second position.
At the 2016 LAIF Awards, agencies won 21 Gold, 46 Silver and 46 Bronze amounting to a total of 113 medals.
How They Stand



 DDB Lagos
No doubt, leading the pack of agencies that won awards at this year’s LAIF award is DDB Lagos.
The Ikechi Odigbo-led agency went home with a total of 22 medals. The breakdown shows that DDB got 4 Gold, 10 Silver and 8 Bronze medals.
According to Managing Director, DDB Lagos, Ikechi Odigbo, “I will attribute our success to our people. No matter the goals you set for yourself and the strategy and plans, it’s the people that will ultimately deliver it. The quality of our people, their commitment and their dynamism are some of the things that have helped us to achieve our goals whether it is our creative goals at LAIF or our business goals. It has always been our people. We want to be able to say, we are a good place to work for the best hands in the industry. That is our goal.”

Coming second after DDB Lagos at 2016 LAIF Awards is the fastest growing agency in Nigeria today, 



Noah’s Ark Communications Limited.
The Lanre Adisa-led agency went home with a total of 18 awards translating into 4 Gold, 8 Silver and 6 Bronze medals, once again being in the league of the top three.
Prior to LAIF Awards, Noah’s Ark Communications was confirmed as the No. 9 in a list of 15 agencies, and the first Nigerian and sub-Saharan agency to be listed in the Loeries official ranking table following an outstanding performance at the 6th Loeries Awards in Durban, South Africa.
The confirmation came courtesy of the 2016 Loeries’ rating, “Ranking by agency 2016 – Region excluding South Africa” released by Loeries, a South Africa-based Africa and the Middle East’s premiere initiative that recognises, rewards, inspires and fosters creative excellence in the brand communication industry recognized as the highest accolade for creativity and innovation across the region.



Insight Publicis Nigeria
Occupying the third position on the medal table is Insight Publicis Nigeria which demonstrated its long-standing leadership in the advertising industry in Nigeria with another strong showing at the 2016 Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival (LAIF) Awards.
Though the agency did not occupy the first or second position, it occupied the third position winning 20 medals: 4 Gold, 7 Silver and 9 Bronze medals. In 2015 edition of LAIF awards Insight won 5 Gold, 10 Silver and 10 Bronze medals – 25 medals overall.
It will be recalled that Insight Publicis became the only Nigerian agency to make a presentation at the Cannes Lions Awards in France when it presented “Let My Enemy Live Long.” How African Consume From Diverse Experience.


 
 Leo Burnett
Lea Burnet changed the atmosphere at this year’s LAIF Awards by becoming fourth on the medal table. The agency won 13 medals in overall. Leo Burnett won 3 Gold, 5 Silver and 5 Bronze medals.
With this performance, the agency has announced its arrival to anyone who cares to listen that it is here for business and has the wherewithal to play in the nation’s highly competitive advertising industry.



X3M Ideas
X3M Ideas also demonstrated its competitiveness in 2016 LAIF awards by coming fifth on the medals table.
The result shows that the agency carted home 3 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze medal, making a total of 5 medals.
Not long ago, X3M Ideas, Nigeria’s fastest growing advertising agency recently won a bronze medal in the media category under the “Best use of social Media” sub-category at the African Cristal Festival, Marrakesh, Morocco.









SO&U
SO&U occupied the sixth position in this year’s LAIF Awards with a total of 11 medals. The breakdown shows that the agency won 1 Gold, 4 Silver and 6 Bronze medals.
It will be recalled that the agency occupied the fifth position on the medal table at 2015 LAIF award as the agency won 2 gold, 6 silver and 2 bronze medals, giving a total of 10 medals overall. The agency’s showing at the 2016 LAIF Awards confirmed what was predicted by Brand Communicator in issue 20 (in 2015) before the award that SO&U is poised to win big and do more than it has done in the other editions of the awards due to its successes and the quality of work it churns out on a regular basis.




Etu Odi
Etu Odi is also an agency to reckon with in the nation’s advertising business. The agency’s 3 medals: 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze at this year’s LAIF Awards showed the level of expertise the agency has committed into the business of advertising over the year,
It is not out of place to say that Etu Odi communications has the knacks to solve client problems. That is why it created hub where it looks at challenges within the industry and use communication to solve them. The agency sets its own briefs, find solutions, and take it down to organizations and people to get them implemented.




 Up In The Sky Wins 

To everybody present at the 2016 LAIF Awards, Up In The Sky Limited, a startup creative company with competence in concept development, graphic design and strategy announced it arrival at the advertising scene with two medals.
The agency won 1 Gold and 1 Bronze. It will also be recalled that the agency recently won Platinum Award for the Best of Category in the 2016 Summit Marketing Effectiveness Award (Summit MEA) competition for its work with Royal Diamond Orphanage.
The ‘Special Day’ campaign was adjudged one of the very best out of 1,100 entries received and won in the Integrated + Mixed Media category.



7EVEN Interactive
When Taiwo Agboola, managing director and chief executive officer of 7EVEN Interactive said earlier this year at a press conference with selected brand journalists that the agency is committed to more innovative ideas that will position its client well in the marketing space, many did not take this seriously, but, the agency’s feat at this year’s LAIF Awards has signaled its arrival in the integrated marketing communication industry.
7EVEN Interactive on December 3, at Civic Centre venue of the event registered it name on the medal stable of the 2016 LAIF Awards.
The agency won a total of eight medals. It carted away 2 Silver and 6 Bronze medals.




Fuel Communications

Fuel Communications also registered it name on the 2016 LAIF Awards medal table with 2 Silver medals and 1 Bronze. The Tunji Abioye-led agency is a growth-minded, deeply creative marketing agency. The agency is in the vanguard of redefining the business of advertising through its dedication and professionalism. The agency has also demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that it is an agency with creative ideas, focusing on bridging the gap of dearth in creativity in the industry.
The six-year old agency which celebrated its fifth anniversary amid pomp and circumstances last year has consistently raised its game by introducing series of innovative ideas into the industry.

 Source: Brandom