Renewed Passion for Global Reckoning in Advertising

Raheem Akingbolu writes on the growth trajectory of the advertising industry since Nigeria’s independence and how a few creative firms have brought Nigeria into global reckoning 

Advertising in Nigeria has evolved so have professionals. From the first-generation advertising agencies to the present-day generation, the industry has witnessed remarkable progress that has put it on the global map as one of the creative destinations in the world.

Before and after Nigeria’s independence in 1960, a few Nigerians who by design or accident ventured into the business of advertising struggled hard for recognition but their voice was not heard. Of course, the challenges had since been attributed to various factors, including the nebulous origin of the profession, foreign dominance and nonchalant attitude of the government.

But in 1973, the Major-General Yakubu Gowon administration’s indigenisation Policy became the opportunity the few practitioners were waiting for to put their feet on the ground and assert authority. Thus, the decree encouraged those in the business of advertising to form a body then called Association of Advertising Practitioners of Nigeria (AAPN), which has since changed its name to Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN).

Looking back into the last 50 years, Nigeria’s advertising business has witnessed tremendous growth especially in recent times. Seen from the view point of agency billings, proliferation of advertising agencies and contribution to brand building, the industry is indeed experiencing the best of times. Obviously, there is no brand in Nigeria that is worth its salt, either local or international brand, that has not worked with at least one member of this association. Such was its importance and relevance to the business and practice of advertising and the whole gamut of brand building and nurturing. No doubt, the industry significantly contributes to the economic growth of the country and continues to flourish in terms of revenue, creativity, local and international recognition, and talent.

 An independent survey revealed that graduates of mass communications, marketing, and others always prefer to work in the advertising industry than any other arm of marketing communications. But if there were dreams practitioners in Nigeria had in the 80s and 90s, it was the opportunity to play with the bigwigs on the international scene. Unfortunately, this opportunity kept on eluding them until recently, when a few agencies, especially the trio of X3M Ideas, DDB and Noah’s Ark started clinching trophies at international awards competitions. Today, Nigeria’s agencies and their founders have featured prominently at the Cannes Lions International Festival, Loeries Creative Week, Luerzers Archive and African Cristal Advertising Festival.

But one amazing thing is that when young graduates think of advertising in Nigeria today, professionals in and outside the country the name of the President of the Nigeria chapter of International Association of Advertising (IAA) Steve Babaeko, looms large. A renowned creative advertising and marketing communications expert, Babaeko, the immediate past President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), has not only re-positioned the industry, he has contributed so well in engraving Nigeria’s name in the world record.

Babaeko is an adman who has not only helped brands sell their products and services through creatively crafted award-winning marketing communication campaigns but has also creatively sold himself and his agency to the world. 

He runs a new generation advertising agency in Nigeria, X3M Ideas has, within a short period, expanded to other Africa and the Middle East markets like South Africa, Congo, Zambia, Dubai, and Kenya.

 In an anniversary interview granted a national newspaper in 2022, to mark the 10th year anniversary of X3M Ideas, Steve Babaeko didn’t leave anybody in doubt about his determination to make a global impact in the creative industry.

While speaking about the changes and achievements his creative firm had witnessed within a decade of operation, Babaeko made reference to the effort being made by X3M Ideas and a few agencies to put the Nigerian flag all over the continent and even across the world. In particular, he pointed out that his mission for X3M Ideas from the beginning was to be able to make a mark not just in Nigeria, but in other places in Africa. 

One year after the interview, precisely in  2023, the agency broke a 70-year jinx to become the first-ever Nigerian and  West African agency to win at the Cannes Lions International Festival for Creativity. The same year, at the 8th African Cristal Awards, the agency won again; this time as African Agency of the Year’. The two feats were not seen as victories for the agency but remarkable achievements for an industry that had long carved for global relevance and by extension Nigeria and the entire African continent.

Last week, at the 9th edition of the same African Cristal Awards in Morocco, X3M Ideas again clinched 6 trophies in various categories, thereby consolidating its continental and global relevance. With the remarkable feat, the Babaeko-led agency was also pronounced ‘African Agency of the Year’. 

At the event, X3M Ideas didn’t only reaffirm its position as a leader in the African advertising industry but also proved its mettle as a leading agency in digital application, storytelling technique, and creativity. The agency’s campaigns that won in various categories are Digital Craft Outstanding Illustration Mortein, Digital Online Display Advertising Mortein, Digital Online Video ADS Lyrics of Innocence, and Brand Storytelling Campaign Entry DSTV. Others are;  Social & Influencer Social Campaign DSTV and Healthcare Public Awareness Tobacco Advocacy. 

The African Cristal Awards, now in its 9th edition, has continued to celebrate the innovation and creativity driving Africa’s communication and media sectors. Since its inception, the Awards has been dedicated to honouring the best talents across the African continent in communication and media. This year’s edition saw over 527 entries from 22 African countries, with 70 campaigns ultimately recognized for their excellence in creativity and strategic innovation. 

In his reaction, the CEO of X3M Ideas, Steve Babaeko, who won ‘the African Personality of the Year’ during the 2023 edition, said the beauty of it all is the fact that the agency consolidated on the victory recorded at the 2023 edition. He described it as another wake-up call to his team to continue giving their best to any brief that comes their way.

 “For me, the excitement is the fact that our team has continuously fixed their eyes on the ball. We won at the 8th edition and here we are at the 9th edition with the same victory song.  Having said this, let me add that the creative industry is a living discipline that requires total commitment. At X3M Ideas, we approach every brief like the only brief with all it requires to make it impact the bottom line of our client’s business as well as position us as the best. 

“Our achievements at the African Cristal Awards and others before it, both locally and on the global stage, are testimonials of our resilience and dedication. While thanking, we continued to trust our creative judgment. Succinctly speaking, this is humbling, to say the least,” Babaeko said.

Under the leadership of Nimo Awil, a highly awarded creative leader at D&AD and Cannes Lions, the jury of the 9th  African Cristal Awards comprised more than 20 jurors from 18 African nations, including Nigerian creative agencies Lanre Adisa of Noah’s Ark and Esosa Osagiede from Insight Publicis. Their role was to identify and reward the most innovative campaigns that pushed the boundaries of storytelling, creativity, and impactful advertising.

Meanwhile, the 2023 edition of the competition was a double celebration for X3M Ideas as Babaeko was named African Personality of the Year while  X3M Ideas emerged as the African Agency of the Year.

Also, it emerged as the 2023 Agency of the Year at the Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival (LAIF) Awards, where it led the medal table with 15 Gold, 20 Silver, and 7 Bronze.

Every year, X3M keeps proving that it’s one of the strongest agencies in the country and on the continent with all the quality campaigns it keeps bringing forth.

Recall that the nation’s integrated marketing communication ecosystem shone brightest early this year at the 2024 ACT Good Report, where the same creative firm, earned another global recognition which further affirmed Nigeria’s creative industry.

In the ACT Good Report ranking released in April, “Motherhood Sentence” a campaign from the stable of Steve Babaeko-led X3M Ideas secured the 38th place in the best 40 ranked campaigns selected from over 1,250 campaigns reviewed by the editorial team of the ranking institution.

The report also indicated that X3M Ideas achieved the 12th place among the best 25 agencies in the world. The ACT Good Report also reviewed and ranked the 20 most successful networks, and the 10 most successful brands promoting Sustainability in the world.

The ACT Good Report is a unique ranking showcasing the world’s most impactful use of creative communications to promote sustainability and social responsibility and raise awareness of significant social and environmental issues. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the report.

With the fresh continental victory, X3M Ideas, and by extension the industry it represents, have thus recorded another feat in the global space, which confirms Nigeria’s agencies recent victories at local and international creative awards.