X3M Ideas has taken the Agency of the Year title at the 20th Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival (LAIF), marking another strong moment for the company at a major industry event. The festival, themed “20 Years of Crazy”, held at the Marriott Hotel, GRA Ikeja, brought together agencies, creators and brand leaders from across the country.
X3M Ideas finished with 12 Gold, 20 Silver and 24 Bronze awards, giving the agency a total of 336 points. The next two agencies on the table recorded 153 and 141 points. The result places X3M Ideas at the top of the festival for another year, following its win in 2023.
The agency has also held a strong position on the continental stage. In 2023, it won the African Agency of the Year award at the African Cristal Awards, a feat it repeated in 2024. During the same period, CEO and Chief Creative Officer, Steve Babaeko, received the African Personality of the Year award, a recognition that further underlined the reach of his work.
The 2025 LAIF edition also included a moment of recognition for Babaeko and other leaders who have played roles in building LAIF into a central platform in West Africa. Each of them received commemorative plaques for their efforts.
Speaking after the win, Babaeko said the award showed the value of constant evolution.
“We are extremely excited to win again at LAIF. This achievement demonstrates how we have continuously evolved, innovated, and remained creative, going ‘crazy’, in line with the theme of the award, by turning every brief into campaigns that resonate across all ages.
This win also signifies that, together whether as individuals, agencies, or brands, we can shape the future of advertising, push boundaries, and redefine excellence.”
X3M Ideas has also recorded progress on the global stage. The agency became the first from Nigeria and West Africa to win at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, ending a 70-year wait for the region. In 2024, it also earned honours at the Lisbon International Advertising Festivals Group.
The Financial Times listed X3M Ideas among Africa’s fastest-growing companies for 2025, placing it 31st out of 130 companies. Its “Blood Sacrifice” campaign also won at the 2025 Cannes Lions Festival and was shown at the ACT Responsible exhibition.
LAIF was established by the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) to support creativity in the marketing communications sector. The 2025 ceremony on 30 November closed a two-day festival that opened with the LAIF Creative Conference. The event recognised work across agencies, production teams and brand teams while marking two decades of creative growth in Nigeria.
