President of the Association o f Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Lanre Adisa, has urged practitioners to continue igniting the flame of creativity while upholding standards that make their works exceptional.

Speaking at the 2024 Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival (LAIF) Award, he stated, “let us continue to push boundaries, to innovate, to collaborate. Let us ensure that LAIF remains not just a festival but a movement—a movement that champions creativity, celebrates excellence, and inspires generations.”

Expressing gratitude to the board for incredible work, Adisa added that the award has grown to become a symbol of excellence and a platform that showcases the ingenuity and resilience of the advertising industry.

In his welcome remarks, the Chairman, LAIF Management Board, Jay Chukwuemeka, congratulated the participating agencies for the exceptional work of creativity done in the last year despite challenging times.

He described this year’s edition of the award as keenly competitive, stating that it broke the record for the highest number of entries in the award’s 19-year history.

He added, “entries are made on the LAIF portal with the jury committee selecting and scrutinising the jury panel. Each category has members of the jury. This year, we had eight jury members for seven different categories. Each of these jury members and their categories are onboarded on the portal, and they get to judge the first and second rounds of the entries. Shortlists from the first round are celebrated at the nomination party, while finalists from the second round get medals at the LAIF awards ceremony,”

Speaking further, he listed disclosed the board has a achievements of the Board, some of which include, Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) Partnerships, the onboarding of agencies in West Africa, and the introduction of global best practices in the jury selection process.

While congratulating participants in the Young LAIFER competition, he noted that the LAIF board remains a platform to foster growth and networking among the next generation of advertising professionals.

Insight Publicis emerged victorious on the medals table with 327 points, winning seven gold, 26 silver, and 36 bronze mrdals, which resulted in the agency being crowned 2024 Agency of the Year.

X3M Marketing Ideas Limited came second on the medals log, taking home 10 gold, 10 silver, and eight bronze medals, while Noah’s Ark Communications Limited emerged third, winning three gold, 10 Silver, and 15 bronze medals.

The awards also witnessed impressive performances from new and upcoming agencies. This year’s edition also witnessed surprises, as Spice 360 and Ideas Origin Media made strong showings, winning four gold medals, each.