MTN Nigeria emerged the overall winner at the 2023 edition of the ADVAN Africa Awards for Marketing Excellence. The telco giant carted away the Brand of the Year award while its chief marketing officer, Adia Sowho, emerged as the Personality of the Year. The company also went home with the Innovation of the Year top prize while Colgate and Peak Pap clinched the second and third positions respectively.

MTN won the awards at the 12th edition of ADVAN African Awards for Marketing Excellence held on Sunday, 26th of November 2023, at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Other winners at the event were Hypo that emerged winner of the New Brand/ Brand Extension /Brand Revitalisation category while Terra Seasoning and Add Me clinched the second and third positions respectively.

Indomie took home the second position in that category and Premier Cool Black emerged third.

Maltina-Show Happiness won the experiential category while Indomie Flavour Fest and Morning Fresh took the second and third positions.

Indomie Gloden Magnet Promo emerged winner of the Consumer Promotion category, while Devon Kings -Mega Millionaire Promo clinched the second position.

Again, Indomie emerged winner of the Digital Campaign Of The Year category while Terra Seasoning and Hypo Bleach clinched the second and third positions.

Power Oil won the Public Relations category while Peak Milk emerged as the winner of the Legacy Brand of The Year with Gino Tomato and Haeir Thermacool carting home the second and third positions respectively. Also, Peak Yogurt clinched the Indigenous Brand of the Year and the second and third positions went to Haeir Thermocool and Terra Cubes.

And Opeyemi Abe of Promasidor won the Future Leader of Marketing award in the junior manager category.

Speaking on the awards, the President of the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), Osamede Uwubanmwen, said ADVAN African Awards for Marketing Excellence remains the most credible platform rewarding brands and individuals for marketing excellence.

He explained: “This year we have been able to increase our award categories, adding something for the junior managers in our team. We have also segmented the customer choice awards to reflect the various industries our brand operates. “

In the same vein, the Chairperson ADVAN Awards Jury, Prof. Dixon-Ogbechi, Bolajoko N., Head, Department of Business Administration, University of Lagos said all the categories were competitive with a lot of entries and only the best emerged winners.

The ADVAN African Awards for Marketing Excellence are bestowed upon entities and marketing professionals who have achieved remarkable success through innovative and efficacious marketing methodologies.

Earlier, in a keynote address titled “Navigating Challenges and Seizing Opportunities. The Challenge of Regulation in Marketing”, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Digital and New Media, O’tega Ogra, said overregulation could hinder the growth of the marketing industry including the quality of innovation, creativity, and could create barriers to entry for marketers.

He stated that regulations are necessary to ensure that marketing activities are conducted in a manner that respects the rights and interests of all stakeholders; including consumers, businesses, and society; however, overregulation could negatively affect the growth of the industry.

In his words, “Regulation can impose costs, restrict creativity, and create barriers to entry for marketers, especially for small and medium enterprises, start-ups, and entrepreneurs. Regulation can also be overdone, underdone, or inconsistent, resulting in negative consequences for the industry and society. For example, over-regulation can stifle innovation, reduce competitiveness, and create bureaucracy. Under-regulation can lead to consumer exploitation, market distortion, and social harm. Inconsistent regulation can cause confusion, uncertainty, and conflict.”

He therefore called for regulations that are balanced, effective, and efficient, “Regulation needs to be balanced, effective, and efficient. Regulation needs to consider the benefits and costs, the risks and opportunities, and the needs and expectations of all stakeholders. Regulation also needs to be adaptable, responsive, and transparent to keep up with the changing realities and demands of the market and society.”

Corroborating what Ogra said, Uwubanmwen asserted: “We would like to state clearly that the industry reform is welcomed by ADVAN as long as it’s constitutional and in line with the original intention of the founding fathers of the advertising regulation body .”

ADVAN is a strong voice of 100 of the biggest organizations in Nigeria representing over 300 brands that control 90% of annual marketing and advertising spend in Nigeria. It is also a member and on the Executive Council of the World Federation of Advertisers, a body of global brands and marketing associations in over 60 countries of the world. It is the only trade association in Nigeria that represents the collective interests of advertisers - multinational and local organizations that engage the services of advertising and media agencies to promote their products and services.