The Advertisers Association of Nigeria, ADVAN has recognized 20 leading members as “Community Heroes” in a most astonishing way of holding the 2020 ADVAN marketing excellence awards.
The ADVAN marketing excellence awards which holds annually with all plumps and pageantry was modified this year in consonance with the COVID-19 control regulations which discourages large gathering to curtail further spread of the dreaded pandemic.
The modification saw the mega event turned a private concern with honourees turning up at different times of the day to pick their recognition plaques without the associated funfare, glamour and crowd, as the current situation globally calls for sober reflection.
Speaking on the private event which held Friday, December 18th 2020, at the ADVAN secretariat in Lagos, the Executive Secretary of the Association, Ediri Ose-Ediale confirmed, “For the first time in eleven years the ADVAN Awards for Marketing Excellence did not hold in its usual manner”.
According to her, ADVAN was reflective of the times and chose to quietly honnour those supporting communities at this very challenging period in time.
“Indeed we understand that our lives as a people have changed, but that should not necessarily be a bad thing, we must look for the good and come out of this stronger and better”, she asserted while adding, “This is why we took time to honnour and celebrate our Community Heroes”
Among the companies honoured for their roles in supporting the people, governments and its agencies with a view to providing a way out of the pandemic and its economic and social lockdown effects, include Access Bank Plc, International Breweries Plc, Coscharis Group, CAP Plc and FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc.
Others include Redstar Express, Guinness Nigeria Plc , Intercontinental Distillers Ltd, AIRTEL Nigeria , Nestle Nigeria Plc, Nigeria Breweries Plc, Hayat Kimya Nigeria Ltd and Stanbic IBTC Bank.
Others on the “ADVAN community Heroes” list are, Seven Up Bottling Company, Sona Group of Companies, Toyota Nigeria Ltd, Unilever Nigeria Plc, UAC Restaurants, WEMA Bank Plc and Tolaram Group.
While it would be recalled that the ADVAN Awards for Marketing Excellence established over 11 years ago 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, the 2020 “ADVAN community Heroes” edition was focused on honouring companies and organization that have in one way or the other helped in ameliorating or preventing the debilitating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Nigerians and frontline workers.