‘I don port’ hit campaign by DDB earns international award

DDB Lagos, a foremost agency in Nigeria’s marketing communications field and a creative powerhouse for Casers Group, has once again won a Loeries Silver Award in recognition of the very publicised and applauded MTN Saka Campaign in the Integrated Campaigns Category.

According to a statement, this award is the second most important award to be given at the Loeries and carries prestige recognisable across the continent.

The campaign for MTN Nigeria, ‘I don port,’ which featured leading actor and comedian, Hafiz Oyetoro, a.k.a. Saka, was awarded both Best Telecom Advertising Agency of the Year and The Best Telecom Advert of the Year at the annual Nigerian Telecom Awards last year. The campaign has now received international acclaim.

When MTN’s Mobile Number Portability advertising campaign broke across various media channels in 2013, many could not believe that Saka, who earned his popularity by featuring in various advertising campaigns for a rival network, ported to MTN. Immediately, newspapers and the social media were alive with stories and speculations about how the campaign was conceived and executed. It was ingenious, and had all the elements DDB Lagos is famous for when it comes to creative communication solutions – simplicity, surprise and a smile.

Commenting on the historic win in a statement, Tunde Sule, creative director of DDB, credited the achievement to the great collaborative spirit and synergies forged over the years between the agency and its valued client, MTN.

With over 100,000 hits on YouTube after just one week of its release, it was clear to everyone that MTN’s advertising agency and long standing creative partner, DDB Lagos, had created what is arguably Nigeria’s most sensational advertising campaign.

The well-deserved award is the agency’s second consecutive win at the Loeries. DDB Lagos won the Loeries Silver award in the Print Communication category for the landmark ‘Speechless’ Advert for Girl hub/Nike Foundation. This is no small accomplishment as the Loeries Award has become recognised as one of the most prestigious awards in the global advertising field since 1978, and has since expanded its coverage to encompass all areas of brand communication.

The Loeries Award is a year-round focus on creative inspiration – helping marketers, agencies and consumers appreciate the value of ideas and fresh thinking – and building creative business leaders for the future. Its main aim is to serve the best interests of the creative community with all funding going back into the industry.

Other award categories covered by the Loeries include television, radio and print, communication design, direct marketing, PR communication, live events, sponsorship, digital communication and integrated campaigns.

This second Loeries trophy will join DDB Lagos’ growing list of international awards, which also include consecutive wins at the Epica International awards as well as the African Cristal Awards. DDB’s consecutive wins at the Loeries and other renowned international awards further proves that one of Nigeria’s foremost advertising agency for the last 26 years continues to demonstrate its drive to push creative excellence to the next level, both locally and internationally.

DDB Lagos is a full-service marketing communications firm managing a rich array of local and global brands spanning all major industries. The firm is the West Africa hub of DDB Worldwide and part of the Omnicom Group. It has remained a consistent winner at the LAIF Awards initiated by the AAAN since 2006, to promote creative standards within the Nigerian advertising landscape.

Following in the enviable tradition of its visionary founder, Enyi Odigbo, chairman of Casers Group, its current managing director, Ikechi Odigbo, has, in the past few years, tenaciously built on the agency’s legacy of great feats, with the lofty mandate of transforming DDB Lagos into the best and biggest builder of brands in Africa.