How agencies celebrated creativity at Pitcher Awards 2024
By Ralph Tathagata
Advertising and marketing are dynamic industries. They require constant evolution to remain effective at moving brands and consumers emotionally, behaviourally and economically.
To create business growth and creative effectiveness that resonate in the marketing communications ecosystem, the need to have creative awards that give critical insight into what will be effective in future cannot be overstated. Also, to be meaningfully different, creative agencies need to project their clients’ brands meaningfully differently. That is, show that they’re thinking and doing things differently to their competitors, which also requires originality. This is why clients hire creative agencies.
At this year’s Pitcher Festival, the premier Pan-African celebration of creativity and excellence, agencies were awarded for the best and newest advertising thinking that exposed the best creative experiments to the industry.
According to the organisers, this year’s submissions showcased remarkable talent, innovation, and cultural insights, making it truly memorable.
Among the outstanding winners of the Pitcher Awards 2024, Dentsu Creative Nigeria won Advertising Agency of the Year, while Carat and Dentsu won the Africa Media Network of the Year and the Africa Advertising Agency Network of the Year respectively. PHD Nigeria won Media Agency of the Year and 4 Grand Prix, 25 Gold Pitchers Awarded in Special Awards. Also, Uganda, Zambia and United Kingdom won First Pitcher Awards.
What’s more, Dentsu Creative Nigeria secured two Grand Prix awards on Use of Media for their groundbreaking campaign “Reclaim your DNA” for AB InBev/Trophy Extra Special Stout.
Use of Cultural Insights for the same campaign, highlighting the power of cultural storytelling.
Dentsu Kenya also claimed two Grand Prix awards on Digital Mobile Craft for their captivating work on “Give A Generous Voice to Storytime” for Cadbury’s Social Craft and Websites Microsites Web Services for the same campaign, demonstrating excellence in digital creativity.
A total of 25 Gold Awards were bestowed upon 11 agencies, recognizing their exceptional contributions to the industry. The winning agencies include: BrandEye Media Nigeria ; Carat South Africa; Carat Nigeria;
Dentsu South Africa; Dentsu Creative Nigeria;
Dentsu Kenya; EABL Digitribe – Ogilvy Africa; McCann Dakar; PHD Nigeria; Shape History UK and X3M Marketing Ideas Nigeria
On Special Awards, Media Agency of the Year went to PHD Nigeria, Advertising Agency of the Year went Dentsu Creative Nigeria, Africa Media Agency Network of the Year went to Carat, and Africa Advertising Agency Network of the Year went to Dentsu.
The esteemed jury members were drawn from across Africa and beyond, and through dedication and discernment, they ensured that only the most outstanding campaigns received recognition.
The primary value of creative agencies is not in producing advertising, it’s in discovering fresh creative ideas and approaches that have the ability to engage a jaded consumer who is bombarded daily by advertising and blocks almost all of it out.
As the African advertising industry moves forward and upward towards effective campaigns of the future, it is expected that other agencies and practitioners will take learnings from the winners of this year’s Pitcher Awards and include those new styles of thinking in their next big marketing effort.
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