• Cannes Lions will appreciate us better if we tell our stories, says entrepreneur
Managing Director, Chini Africa and chief organiser of Creativity Week, Nnamdi Ndu, has urged the marketing communication industry to produce ideas that would bring desired changes and development to the society. Ndu told The Guardian that rather than rely on government to provide basic infrastructure, which may never be achieved considering the current political issues in the country, the private sector could join forces to make a better society for all.
While speaking during Creativity Week held in Lagos last week, he stressed the need to bring together marketing communications experts to promote the industry, as a way of establishing the industry to produce advertorial materials that could compete with materials produced in other parts of the world.
According to him, “Creativity is not about producing arts that seek to sell products; the consumer of today wants the brands to identify with them, the issues they are dealing with, and speak their language. They need to connect with the heart of the consumer.
“If all the companies are able to take just one issue to address, say one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which they can use as template, even if they decide to adopt one and pursue it, our society will grow.”Ndu said Cooperate Social Responsibility (CSR) is not enough effort as a lot of people had done it in the past, adding, “CSRs are afterthoughts meant for the cameras. We want things that are from the core of the brand.”
On the standard of creativity in Nigeria, Ndu said creativity is rated by the way people are able to accept a particular idea, noting, “I think creativity is stronger outside those being projected by brands, but we want these creative ideas to be imbibed by the brands.”
This year, the week featured the first edition of ‘See It Be It’ programme, which is an extension of Cannes Lions’ initiative to correct the gender imbalance in creative leadership.“We thank Leo Burnett Lagos, for partnering with us on this programme,” Ndu said. “We are also grateful to all the leading women creatives.”
Similarly, Media and Lifestyle entrepreneur, Familusi Akin Babajide, has stressed the need for Nigerian creatives to focus more on telling the Nigerian story through their campaigns if they hope to get more recognition from the organisers of the annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.
Babajide’s comment came against the backdrop of the continued failure of Nigerian agencies to get honours at Cannes. He lamented that in the over 60 years of the Cannes Lion award show, no Nigerian agency has been able to win a Lion, despite consistent entries, especially in the last two decades.He said, “The more we tell our stories, the more they will appreciate the context of our work and maybe then they will take note and we may begin to win the coveted Cannes Lions Awards.”
Babajide, who first featured on the Cannes Lions stage in 2016, played a prominent role at the 2018 Cannes Lions, following his appointment as the first and only African Festival MC at the iconic festival and award show. During the event, he was tasked with running the second biggest stage at the festival – the Debussy Theatre, where he hosted a total of 30 sessions over five days.
He runs the FAB Group, comprising media, fashion and hospitality interests and has often been described as a premium host having hosted FAB Radio, a syndicated lifestyle radio show for over five years and for three years has hosted ‘Under 40 CEOs,’ a television series which has featured young African business leaders from across the continent. He has also hosted numerous high-profile events across the country and globally.
His performance at the 2018 Cannes Lions drew commendation from top executives of Cannes Lions that subsequently opened the doors for other Africans to play major roles at the 2019 Cannes.
In this year’s Cannes Lion Festival, Babajide as the appointed curator of African content to the festival will be leading a delegation of Nigerians to the event. The delegation includes CEO, X3M Ideas, Mr. Steve Babaeko, who will make his first presentation at the global event. Others are Tiwa Savage, Femi Kuti and eLDee the Don, Anant Singh of the Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom fame and Omotola Jalade-Ekehinde.
Babajide is expected to play a dual role of MC and Cannes Lions TV host at the glamorous event, while the other Nigerians have been called upon to speak on various topics intended to inject the African flavour into the event.The 2019 Cannes Lions will evidently be the biggest thus far for Africa, because besides having African celebs and creatives speak at the renowned event, Babajide, in conjunction with the organisers, will also inject the first of what has been called the AfriCannes Party into the event. The party is intended to give the world a taste of Africa.
