* The honours affirm Simply Black’s focus on delivering effective campaigns that elevate client brands
* And align with the agency’s commitment to industry growth and community empowerment
By Duncan Mlanjira
Airtel Malawi Plc has been awarded Best Commercial of the Year-Outdoor of the Year for its innovation for the Airtel Top 8 football championship.
The commercial worked with Simply Black Media Malawi, also saw the advertising agency, a specialist pan-African media strategy and creative agency based in Lilongwe, been awarded ‘Advertising Agency of the Year’ for their work with Airtel Malawi Plc.
The Airtel Top 8 2024 reaches its climax on Saturday at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe between two of the country’s top flight football clubs, defending champions Nyasa Big Bullets and Silver Strikers.
The awards were presented at the Institute of Marketing Management (IMM) annual conference held last week in Mangochi where different marketing awards were presented to various corporate companies.
Airtel Malawi, Head Brand & PR Strategy, Norah Chavula Chirwa said: “For us at Airtel, innovation and agility drive all our executions.
“Having Simply Black as our agency has been key to achieving extensive brand reach and amplification and connecting the brand to our customers.
“We are thrilled to celebrate their well-deserved win as Marketing Agency of the Year award, which acknowledges the agency’s dedication to quality service, creativity, and collaboration,” she said.
On its part, Simply Black says the honours affirm their focus on delivering effective campaigns that elevate client brands and align with the agency’s commitment to industry growth and community empowerment.
In its statement, Simply Black says the Best OOH (out of home) Campaign of the Year award, recognising their work with Airtel Malawi, “highlights the team’s expertise in creating impactful advertising that resonates with audiences across Malawi”.
“This accolade underscores Simply Black’s strategic creativity and deep understanding of the Malawian market, developed through years of dedicated work in the region.
“This recognition reflects Simply Black’s strength in building robust client relationships and creating solutions that resonate with local audiences.
“Airtel Malawi Plc joined Simply Black on stage, underscoring the partnership and shared vision that have become central to Simply Black’s approach.”
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Allessandra Mwase-Mafuta, Country Lead for Simply Black Media Malawi, is quoted in the statement as saying: “This recognition is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our team.
“These awards not only celebrate our work but affirm our long-term ambition to empower the Malawian community and industry. We are deeply grateful to our clients, whose trust allows us to continually push the boundaries of what we can achieve together.”
Simply Black takes note that the accolades strengthen the agency’s position “as a leader in Malawi’s advertising sector” and pledges to . “continue to prioritise innovative, high-impact campaigns that empower clients, with an emphasis on delivering measurable results and shaping the future of advertising in Malawi and beyond”.
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According to its website, Simply Black Media is an expert African agency network, delivering innovative media solutions and strategies that resonate with local audiences, are on trend and drive measurable return on investment for clients.
With an independently-owned media network and creative and digital agencies in more than 37 African countries, Simply Black has a deep understanding of local market context and in-market experience.
Simply Black started operations in 2010 and now has a pan-Africa footprint, working with some of the biggest brands across Africa and through a culture of thought-leadership, creativity and innovation, the advertising agency has grown us from a challenger media agency to a fully-fledged through-the-line agency.
Full list of the awards presented were:
* Advertising Agency of the Year: Simply Black
* Commercial of the Year-Outdoor: Airtel Malawi Plc (Top 8)
* Marketer of the Year: Levie Nkunika — FDH Bank
* Marketing Team of the Year: FDH Bank
* Commercial of the Year-Print: FDH Bank (Salama Banking Solution)
* CSR initiative of the Year: FDH Bank (FDH Cares)
* Best Sales Personality of the Year: Masiye Mazaza (Universal Industries Limited)
* Local Marketing Campaign of the Year-Brand: Castel (It’s a Lifestyle – Pomme Breeze)
* Local Marketing Campaign of the Year-Product: Standard Bank (Private Banking: Only the Best Will Do)
* Internationally Adapted Campaign of the Year: Standard Bank (We Believe in Malawi)
* Internal Engagement Initiative of the Year: Standard Bank (Pakwathu)
* Commercial of the Year-Radio: Illovo (Tseketseke Mphavu: Generation to Generation)
* Commercial of the Year-TV: NICO General (Yafewa)
* Innovative Idea of the Year: TNM (Agulu)
* Social Media Campaign of the Year: Castel (#YourSider)
* PR Personality of the Year: Lavern Chitakata (Castel Malawi Limited)
* Outstanding SME initiative of the Year: First Capital Bank (FCB Tap)
* Brand Malawi Initiative of the Year: Oasis Brands (Malawi Pavilion)
* Creative Graphic Artist of the Year: Alfred Machado (Corporate Graphics)
* Best Customer Service Organisation of the Year: Sunbird Hotels & Resorts
* People’s Brand of the Year: Sunbird Hotels & Resorts
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