X3M Ideas Becomes First Nigerian Agency to Win at Cannes Lions
Steve Babaeko, Managing Director and Chief Creative Officer, X3M Ideas X3M Ideas Group
X3M Ideas, a creative agency, broke a seven decade jinx to emerge the first Nigerian agency to win at Cannes Lions International Festival for Creativity.
It won in the health category for the public health advocacy called “Scoot Life Expectancy” which was done to tackle the menace of soot in Portharcourt, Nigeria.
The Managing Director and Chief Creative Officer of X3M Ideas Group, Steve Babaeko who is excited about the win said “It feels great to finally break the 70 years jinx for Nigeria at the . I feel the win is not just for X3M Ideas alone, it is for AAAN and most importantly, it is for our beloved country Nigeria.”
He also wrote on his Instagram page, “This one is for #TeamX3M for our beloved country #Nigeria. Like they say in Nollywood movies. To God be the glory.”
Over the years, Nigerian practitioners have clamoured and worked towards being featured in the competition but have only succeeded in serving as jurors, panelists and speaker. A situation which annually forces the practitioners to go back to the drawing board.
Recall Babaeko wrote on his Facebook when he announced the shortlist of his agency in the award said; “this year is different, my friend! X3M Ideas has finally done it! They’ve made Nigeria’s very first #canneslions shortlist. How cool is that? Big shout out to #TeamX3M for always pushing boundaries and putting Nigeria on the global stage. Now, wish us luck, because we’re determined to bring home Nigeria’s first lion. We can practically hear the roar of over 200 million Nigerians cheering us on. It’s high time we claim this lion!”
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a global event for those working in creative communications, advertising, and related fields. It is considered the largest gathering of the advertising and creative communications industry.
The five-day festival, incorporating the awarding of the Lions awards, is held yearly at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France.
During the last week of June, around 15,000 registered delegates from 90 countries visit the Festival to celebrate the best of creativity in brand communication, discuss industry issues, and network with one another. The week’s activities include multiple award ceremonies as well as an opening and closing gala.
