X3M Ideas Consolidates Global Relevance, Wins ‘African Agency of the Year’ for Second Time

Raheem Akingbolu

One year after X3M Ideas was named the African Agency of the Year at the 8th African Cristal Awards at the African Cristal Awards held in Casablanca, Morocco, the Advertising powerhouse, has consolidated the feat at the 9th edition of the continental creative award, where it won at least six prestigious awards and again emerged the continent’s agency of the year.

At the event, X3M Ideas not only reaffirmed its position as a leader in the African advertising industry but also proved its mettle as a leading agency in digital application, storytelling technique, and creativity. The agency’s campaigns that won in various categories are Digital Craft Outstanding Illustration Mortein, Digital Online Display Advertising Mortein, Digital Online Video ADS Lyrics of Innocence, and Brand Storytelling Campaign Entry DSTV. Others are; Social & Influencer Social Campaign DSTV and Healthcare Public Awareness Tobacco Advocacy.

The African Cristal Awards, now in its 9th edition, has continued to celebrate the innovation and creativity driving Africa’s communication and media sectors. Since its inception, the Awards has been dedicated to honouring the best talents across the African continent in communication and media. This year’s edition saw over 527 entries from 22 African countries, with 70 campaigns ultimately recognized for their excellence in creativity and strategic innovation.

In his reaction, the CEO of X3M Ideas, Steve Babaeko, who won ‘the African Personality of the Year’ during the 2023 edition, said the beauty of it all is the fact that the agency consolidated on the victory recorded at the 2023 edition. He described it as another wake-up call to his team to continue giving their best to any brief that comes their way.

“For me, the excitement is the fact that members of our team have continuously fixed their eyes on the ball. We won at the 8th edition and here we are at the 9th edition with the same victory song. Having said this, let me add that the creative industry is a living discipline that requires total commitment. At X3M Ideas, we approach every brief like the only brief with all it requires to make it impact the bottom line of our client’s business as well as position us as the best. Our achievements at the African Cristal Awards and others before it, both locally and on the global stage, are testimonials of our resilience and dedication. While thanking our clients for believing in our creative judgment, I appreciate the entire members of the X3M Ideas team for their consistency and penchant for excellence. Succinctly speaking, this is humbling, to say the least,” Babaeko said.

Under the leadership of Nimo Awil, a highly awarded creative leader at D&AD and Cannes Lions, the jury of the 9th African Cristal Awards comprised more than 20 jurors from 18 African nations, including Nigerian creative agencies Lanre Adisa of Noah’s Ark and Esosa Osagiede from Insight Publicis. Their role was to identify and reward the most innovative campaigns that pushed the boundaries of storytelling, creativity, and impactful advertising.

Meanwhile, the 2023 edition of the competition was a double celebration for X3M Ideas as Babaeko was named African Personality of the Year while X3M Ideas emerged as the African Agency of the Year.

Also, last year, the agency broke a 70-year jinx to become the first-ever Nigerian and West African agency to win at the Cannes Lions International Festival for Creativity.

Towards the end of the year, it emerged as the 2023 Agency of the Year at the Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival (LAIF) Awards, where it led the medal table with 15 Gold, 20 Silver, and 7 Bronze.