Following the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic – health, social and economic implications on all and sundry, the Advertisers Association of Nigeria, (ADVAN) has altered the mode of its 2020 Marketing Excellence Awards edition choosing to recognize deserving brands in private affairs starting 17th December.
According to information made available by the ADVAN secretariat, the 2020 edition of its annual awards will recognize and reward only one special category known as “ADVAN Community Heroes” for jobs well done in the supporting the fight against COVID-19.
“The focus for this year’s awards is in response to the prevalent COVID-19 situation in the nation and globally, hence Advertisers at the frontline of the COVID-19 relief will be the focal point of the 2020 edition of the awards”, confirmed Ediri Ose-Ediale, Executive Secretary, ADVAN.
According the Mrs. Ose-Ediale, instead of the usual awards event with its attending plump and pageantry, the mechanics for 2020 entails inviting the recipients to our office individually for recognition and to hand over their plaques to them without the usually associated events. “No event really, awardees will just pick up their plaques and take pictures”, declared Ediri.
The association is going this route in view of the fact that “2020 has been an extremely difficult year for our nation and the world as a whole, due to the incursion of the Corona virus and its attended social and economic hardships, hence the decision to highlight and honour the role of advertisers who provided support to government and communities during the pandemic.
“Indeed it was with an immense sense of pride that we watched our beloved advertisers respond to the needs of society during one of the most difficult times in our nation’s history, they were at the front-line of the various efforts in providing relief and support to communities and individuals.
“The positive impact of advertisers via support activities, ranging from monetary and product donations, to education and enlighten programs, was one of the most welcome and celebrated initiatives during the heart of the pandemic onslaught.
The ‘ADVAN Community Heroes’ awards will be presented to brands that were and still are at the front line of various Covid-19 relief initiatives”, a statement from the association re-emphasized.
To drive home the association’s intent, ADVAN will air a special documentary tagged ‘Nigerian Advertisers at the Front line of Covid -19 relief’ to celebrate the laudable efforts of organizations at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19. The documentary will be aired on a number local and international media channels starting 17th December 2020.
It will be recalled that the ADVAN Awards for Marketing Excellence was established over 11 years ago to essentially communicate and celebrate the importance of marketing to business and national growth. The platform has dutifully awarded brands in categories such as Brand Innovation of the Year, CSR, Consumer Promotions, and Experiential Marketing to mention just a few of the categories ADVAN had awarded to deserving organizations in past editions.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated that the award is streamlined in 2020 to “celebrate organizations that have made significant and lasting contributions to individuals, families and communities’ well being in the pandemic times”.
