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Gong Gong is Ghana’s Advertising equivalent of the Oscar’s. It’s the flagship event for recognizing and celebrating innovation, effectiveness and creativity in the industry. For me, it’s also a key indicator of the state of our industry against a global backdrop.

I led my agency to win a Platinum in Digital -an industry first-, 3 Golds and 4 Silvers. I should be basking in the glory of it all, but I’m not…in fact I cringe a little. It’s not to say the awards mean nothing; they do. Awards are important, but not if they make you oblivious to the elephants in the room.

Beyond the accolades and statues, an advertising awards ceremony gives a glimpse into the dynamics of client-agency relationships, level of investment into creative talent, client and agency opinion of consumers, the level of creative sophistication and pedigree and even the country’s appreciation for the role of advertising in the nation’s economic development.

Honestly, the works that won over the weekend weren’t exceptional. Very few were insight-driven and there wasn’t enough craftsmanship displayed. Some of the works weren’t even original, clearly lifted from international works. Most of the things seemed gimmicky, designed to tickle but not founded on any powerful truth. It seemed like more attention was paid to aesthetics than content or concept.

There were fewer golds and more silvers this year than last and several categories with single short-listed entries didn’t make gold. Clearly the judges themselves must have been unimpressed. Everyone clapped and cheered but it couldn’t have been all genuine.

All-in-all there is great room for improvement. At the Cannes award ceremony in June, I gasped at the ingenuity of several campaigns, but there was nothing gasp-worthy at the Gong Gong…not even my winning works. I don’t believe we should lower the standards to evaluate our works. We talk about being in a global village and realize how quickly the local/international line blurs for consumers making brand choices, so we should hold ourselves to the highest industry standards. Yes, we will feel miserable in the beginning, but just like chess and all other sport you get better when you play with the best.

Key Takeouts

1. This year’s Gong Gong betrays the unwillingness of Ghanaian clients to be adventurous or a failure by agencies to position ourselves as partners worthy of shaping client preferences. We need to command the respect and trust necessary to be more influential with our clients.
2. It shows a low level of investment into talent. There are too many silos. Not enough deliberate effort is going into ensuring that the creative acumen of the average creative is of international standard. The worrying level of mediocrity in the industry is even evident in the Tweets from the official association account which were riddled with typos.
3. Also it’s not a good sign that only 9 agencies got shortlisted, with many agencies not even submitting entries. This is either because of (i) low confidence in the award-worthiness of work or (ii) Award entry costs. Either ways, most of the smaller agencies didn’t enter. The barrier to entry of great work should be reduced by lowering entry costs. If costs are high because they are a major source of funding for the event, then we need to be more innovative about funding because at the stage of the creative journey we are at, we need to do more to draw in as much talent and creativity as possible. The flow and nature of the event itself could use some more energy and jazzing up.

The goal should be to make the awards more PRESTIGIOUS and yet still more INCLUSIVE.

1. Yes, the Minister of Information made promises about progress with the Advertising Bill, but it’s clear that advertising’s potential to contribute massively to the ‘Ghana beyond Aid’ agenda is underrated!
2. Also the nature of majority of the shortlisted works give the impression that we really do not hold the Ghanaian consumer in high esteem. Quoting Frank Tamakloe, my Snr Art Director friend from Leo Burnet Chicago “The fact that a consumer doesn’t speak English doesn’t mean he’s unintelligent.” We need to stop approaching ads with the thinking that the average Ghanaian will only appreciate it if it’s gimmicky or funny at all cost.
3. Most sadly, this Gong Gong shows the woeful attention we are devoting to the future of our industry. Cannes has Young Lions and Loeries is designed to showcase, inspire and seduce creatives who will join the industry after graduation. Whole categories are dedicated to awarding young creatives, they get highly subsidized or free tickets, all to ensure that the supply pipeline for the industry is being actively lubricated.

As an industry, I think we need to drink deep or taste not. We should be constructive in our brutal frankness, we should show commitment in getting better and be collaborative about it. Work and international conferences like Cannes have given me the opportunity to interact and forge relationships with top creatives from all over the world and trust me when I tell you there is no real advantage they have in thinking or ideation capacity. It’s just the limits, barriers and inspiration we feed ourselves with. We have what it takes!

Advertising is so powerful in changing both the economic and social narrative of a country, the Palau Pledge is a great example of this. I earnestly and optimistically look forward to when we prove that point beyond all reasonable doubt here.