West and Central Africa shines, mediaReach OMD makes shortlist for the second time in Cannes
The representatives of mediaReach OMD, Nigeria, Abolaji Ayodeji Quadri, and Ngozi Uwafili have made one of the best six media shortlists in the 2024 Cannes Lions Competition, held in France from June 17th to 21st, marking the second time the agency made shortlist representing the region.
Cannes Lions is a prestigious global advertising and communications event featuring insights from thought leaders, innovative ideas, and inspiration. The Young Lions competition within the festival highlights and celebrates emerging creative talents and leaders in advertising and marketing.
Quadri and Ngozi described their journey to represent West Africa as intense. They began with an internal mock competition where young talents within their company pitched solutions to various global challenges. This was followed by the national leg, where they competed with contemporaries in their local markets and emerged as winners. Representing the region at the global level, they were shortlisted among the top six best works from 30 competing countries.
The duo of Ngozi & Quadri who are part of OMD Nigeria’s media planning & strategy team, attributed their success to the company’s culture of human capital development. mediaReach emphasizes staff learning and development, kicking off the year with programs like the OMD Academy and Digital Marketing Bootcamps.
The duo added that they were also guided by mentors during the national competition, who were former Young Lions Champions. Notably, OMD has represented Nigeria 11 times at the Cannes Young Lions Media since 2008 and was the first African agency to make the Top 6 in 2022.
The judges were impressed by the Africanness of Quadri and Ngozi’s story. “Being a global competition shouldn’t rob us of our originality,” said Ngozi. This feedback highlighted the importance of authenticity, even on a global stage.
Quadri emphasized the value of being original and not intimidated by counterparts from developed countries with advanced technology and media opportunities. “We told our African story despite being on a global stage. Being in the Top 6 is just the beginning, and we hope it inspires us and our colleagues to aim for gold next time,” he said.
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