Nigerian integrated marketing communications group Insight Redefini and its partner agencies have won a Gold Lion at the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for The Real Nigerian Prince campaign created for Vaseline.
The campaign won in the Creator Collaboration category in partnership with Leo Burnett Singapore, MSL Singapore, Persuasion Communications London and AMA Palmist Visual, earning one of the advertising industry’s highest global honours.
The award-winning campaign addressed the growing problem of counterfeit skincare products in Nigeria by reimagining the globally recognised “Nigerian Prince” internet scam as a consumer education tool. Rather than relying on conventional advertising, the campaign encouraged consumers to verify the authenticity of Vaseline products through a QR-powered verification system at the point of purchase.
According to Insight Redefini, the campaign generated more than 2.8 million organic views within its first 10 days and recorded 5,472 product verification interactions. Data from the campaign showed that seven out of every 10 products consumers checked were counterfeit, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing the skincare market.
The campaign also achieved a five-fold increase in engagement, recorded 94 per cent positive consumer sentiment and delivered a 13-times return on investment, the company said.
Chief Executive Officer of Insight Redefini, Babatunde Olaifa, described the Cannes Gold as a significant milestone for the organisation and for African creativity.
“Today marks a defining moment for Insight Redefini. A Gold Lion is one of the highest honours in our industry, awarded only to ideas brave enough to be different and executed with undeniable craft. ‘The Real Nigerian Prince’ flipped a persistent stereotype into a powerful human narrative. This global recognition validates that world-class creative work is being made right here by our team,” he said.
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is widely regarded as the advertising and communications industry’s premier global awards platform, recognising outstanding creativity and innovation.
Insight Redefini said the recognition reflects the growing ability of Nigerian agencies to develop campaigns that compete internationally while addressing local consumer challenges. It also highlighted the contributions of its agencies, Quadrant MSL and All Seasons Zenith, whose teams collaborated on the project.
The company added that the achievement reinforces Nigeria’s growing reputation as a source of globally competitive creative talent and aligns with its ambition to build African agencies capable of delivering world-class ideas on the international stage.
