FD Communications cements its position as leading advertising & PR company as it wins 5th advertising agency award

Director of Client & Media Services, Chifundo Scott

* With its designer Kennedy ‘Spyral’ Mwenya scooping IMM’s Creative Artist of the Year beating a field of 12 other nominees

* FDH Bank wins four accolades — Best PR Personality of the Year (Lorraine Chikhula); Best CSR Award; Commercial of the Year (TV) and Marketing Team of the Year

By Duncan Mlanjira

Malawi’s leading advertising and public relations company, FD Communications Ltd has scooped the 2023 Advertising Agency of Year award, cementing its position as the country’s most awarded advertising firm under the Institute of Marketers Malawi (IMM) prestigious Marketing Excellence Awards.

FD Communications Ltd emerged top of five other advertising agencies in the running for the award and in addition, its Lilongwe-based Graphic Designer Kennedy ‘Spyral’ Mwenya scooped the IMM’s Creative Artist of Year award — beating a field of 12 other designers.

This is FD Communications’ 5th IMM advertising agency award having attained the category in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020.

The company offers fully-fledged communication and media solutions ranging from advertising, public relations, media placements, digital marketing, experiential marketing, audio & television and media production.

Other winners included FDH Bank, which scooped four accolades — Best PR Personality of the Year (through its public relations manager, Lorraine Chikhula); Best corporate social responsibility (CSR) Award; Commercial of the Year (TV) and Marketing Team of the Year.

NBS Bank received three; Best Customer Service Award; Brand SME Initiative of the Year and Commercial of the Year (print)

Malawi’s Scorchers, who mesmerized the country by winning the 2023 COSAFA Women’s Chanpionship after after past two silver medals it attained consecutively, were voted as the People’s Brand of the Year while Limbani Cliff Matola — marketing & commercial director for the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) attained the Best Sales Personality of the Year.

Others were TNM Plc (Commercial of the Year-Outdoor for Mahape campaign); MultiChoice Malawi (Brand Malawi Initiative and Internationally Adapted Campaign); Illovo Sugar Malawi (Commercial of the Year (radio); Standard Bank (Local Marketing Campaign of the Year); Sunbird (Local Marketing Campaign-Product); Castel (Internal Engagement) and Airtel Malawi’s Think Sande (Marketer of the Year)

IMM’s Presidential Award went to three — Amaryllis Hotel; Minister of Tourism Vera Kamtukule and master entrepreneur Napoleon Dzombe, who recently opened doors to the magnificent Kalipano Hotel by Sunbird — a country resort in Dowa District.

At the official opening of the hotel last month, President Lazarus Chakwera lavished praise on Napoleon Dzombe, saying the feat he has accomplished as a developer in the tourism sector “deserves special attention as the crown jewel of his illustrious career as an investor”.

The country resort is being managed by Sunbird Tourism Plc, Malawi’s leading hospitality service provider in management agreement between Mtalimanja Holdings, whose founder and chairperson is Napoleon Dzombe.

This year’s Marketing Excellence Awards were held under the theme: ‘Breaking Barriers-Marketing as a Catalyst for Economic Growth’ and receiving the award at the 2023 IMM Lakeshore Conference in Mangochi on Saturday, Director of Client & Media Services, Chifundo Scott attributed the company’s achievements to the support and collaboration from the agency’s Tier 1 clients.

“We are greatly indebted to our clients, notably Standard Bank Plc, TNM Plc, JTI, Castel Malawi and Illovo Plc — for giving us the opportunity and space to demonstrate our creative and media strategies, he said.

The year 2023 is an especially difficult year for the economy, and while this is negatively impacting on our operating budgets, we continue to work well under pressure to manage client expectations and deliver excellence.

Interesting all clients that FD Communications is in business partnership with won awards in respective categories — Standard Bank Plc, TNM Plc, Illovo and Castel while FD also received nominations in the categories of Marketer of Year and Innovative Idea of Year.

On her part, IMM president Isabel Masi-Kachinjika said: “These awards recognize those who have broken through barriers, propelling their businesses and our economy forward.

“I commend the dedication of marketers who made submissions this year  and I am confident that their efforts will continue to fuel economic growth in Malawi.”

Just this month, FDH Bank’s Chikhula was also awarded with ‘PR Practitioner of the Year’ in the way she and FDH’s marketing & communication team, led by Levie Nkunika, are constantly engaging the media on the bank’s various corporate activities.

The award was present by Public Relations Society of Malawi (PRSM) during its annual conference in Mangochi from Minister of Tourism where Tourism Minister Kamtukule was also honoured as PRSM Honorary Fellow.