Pan-African creative advertising powerhouse, X3M Ideas has named Abiola Waltz Tosin, a Nigerian digital strategist, winner in the maiden edition of its Ideas’ Hackathon,’ a novel creative contest, as part of activities to celebrate its 10th anniversary, added to a grand rollout that featured a lineup of activities including a new logo and website.
The contest which was open to the public aged 18 to 40, the company said, was aimed at providing solutions to real-life problems in the marketing communications industry, with Abiola, the Digital Strategy Lead at a creative agency in Lagos, pitching a solution to issues plaguing influencer marketing.
Over 60 contestants, according to a statement, entered the hackathon and 12 were shortlisted to pitch ideas that are scalable solutions to key issues in the marketing communications industry, for a chance to win the N1 million grand prize.
Speaking on the win, Abiola expressed excitement at joining “other professionals to proffer solutions to some of the biggest problems plaguing our industry. I have to say a big thank you to X3M Ideas for the platform. I truly can’t wait to see us build the industry we all deserve.”
On why X3M Ideas hosted the Idea Hackathon, the founder and CEO, Steve Bakaeko noted the management’s appreciation “to see how the first edition of Idea Hackathon turned out and we are grateful to all who participated and judged the process. It’s heartwarming to see a new generation of thinkers who are passionate about solving the industry’s biggest issues.
“I can’t wait to see Idea Hackathon grow as we continue to build our industry and help interested individuals find their X-factor and launch their careers.” he added.
X3M Ideas’ new look, the statement added, throws a spotlight on its proposition, ‘Finding X’, which unlocks the blueprint for advertising in Africa as it provides unique solutions to the constantly changing consumer demands and habits for existing and future clients.
‘Finding X,’ it added, is X3M Ideas’ distinctive pathway to maximise Africa’s fast-growing consumer market, with consumer expenditure on the continent projected to reach $2.1tr by 2025 and $2.5tr by 2030. The unusual framework, by design, it is believed, will drive a competitive edge and advance global advertising practice.
Babaeko, who is also the President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), stressed that “if it isn’t already clear by now, advertising has become more complex than ever before. And developing transformative strategies to satisfy consumers and advance the industry is becoming a more challenging task with each passing year.
“We are excited to rev up our strategy in meeting client and consumer demands and providing the creative advertising industry with the necessary framework for achieving business goals.”
The unveiling of the agency’s new logo and the website was followed by a launch of a unique content platform for fashion, sports, games/comedy, and talk shows, XStream as well as some curated NFTs for sale, with earnings from the sale diverted to support Mental Health causes.
Executive Creative Director, X3M Ideas, Mike Miller, also explained that “these activities are reflective of the thought and creativity that goes into our approach to providing unique solutions for the brands we work for. We wanted our celebration of this milestone to be a memorable one and an all-inclusive lineup of activities is the perfect way to do that.”
The two-month-long celebration of the anniversary also featured a Hackathon, X-NFT release, and X-Stream launch, alongside renovations to the agency’s offices and a climax with the X Party in the final week.
The grand event was attended by various clients of X3M Ideas and industry experts, while the staff of the agency received awards for their outstanding performances and performed songs from an unreleased music album featuring the talented staff of X3M Ideas.
Founded in 2012, X3M Ideas has adopted a through-the-line marketing approach backed by sound strategy and unique thinking. In its 10 years of operations, the agency’s unmatched innovative ideas and business practice have attracted multiple prestigious honours, including ‘Best Agency in Sustainability’ at 2020 Brandcom Awards, ‘2020 Outstanding Creative Agency of the Year’ by Marketing Edge, ‘Nigeria’s Number 1 Creative Agency’ at 2021 LAIF Awards, and a 2021 New York Festival Shortlist.
As it celebrates a decade of excellence with a unique transformational framework, the agency operating out of Nigeria, Dubai, Congo, Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia is committed to becoming a top 10 global creative solution provider by 2025.
