You organized the first ADICOMWATCH on Thursday, March 31, at the Majestic Cinema Prima in Abidjan. Did it go as you hoped?
Absolutely! We are very satisfied with how the event went: all the seats were sold out in a few days, many agencies came with their entire teams, and a total of 200 people attended this unique movie screening. The mix of seasoned professionals and young up-and-comers created a very festive atmosphere.
We wanted to organize an event that would bring together professionals and enthusiasts of creativity in marketing and communication, allowing them to get to know each other and exchange ideas, but we also wanted to present our favorite advertising creations so that they could find sources of inspiration… all in a festive atmosphere.
How was the presentation structured?
We had prepared seven sections: OLD SCHOOL, TELECOM AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES, SPORTS, TRAVEL, CSR, FAST-MOVING CONSUMER GOODS, and we added a special TIKTOK section consisting of humorous clips for fun. For the next edition, we hope to show brands that TIKTOK can also be used for interesting communication campaigns.
We wanted to tell a story around these inspiring creations, which is why the different sections were linked by an audio thread that we scripted as if it were a fictional agency brainstorming. We wanted viewers to identify with the characters and for the audience to enjoy themselves and interact.
Does this success encourage you to repeat the operation next year?
Yes, without a doubt. Not only are we going to do it again next year, but we are also planning to set up the same operation in PARIS and DAKAR in the coming weeks or months.
How did you go about finding the videos you presented
? It wasn't easy, and it's a real issue.
We had to be creative to find the best ads and the best brand content: searching the internet via advertising agency websites, via celebrities who we know are often sought after by brands, or by visiting the websites of major brands themselves.
Paradoxically, while it is difficult to find TV commercials on the internet, it is even more difficult to find brand content creations. Many brands produce brand content, but often they don't make enough effort to promote their creations beyond their own websites and Facebook pages.
While everyone finds it normal to pay for the broadcast of a TV commercial, this is not yet the norm in the digital world, with everyone assuming that broadcasting on owned media is sufficient. This is part of the education process that needs to continue with advertisers. We hope that thanks to ADICOMWATCH, agencies and advertisers will realize that it's a good idea to work on the visibility of what they produce.
What criteria did you use to make the final selection?
We didn't take a scientific approach. We selected creations that caught our attention because of their creativity, humor, or production quality.
Overall, 80% of the works we showed were African, with the remaining 20% being international films that were particularly interesting and inspiring for a professional audience. There were, of course, many Ivorian films, but also commercials from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal, and about 25% of the commercials were in English. That said, this was our first selection: I still feel that in the future we will be able to find gems in other French-speaking African countries.
Did you consider organizing an awards ceremony?
We did consider it, but for award ceremonies, you need to put together a credible jury and establish clear, if not objective, judging criteria, as the reputation of the agencies is at stake.
For now, we prefer to stick to entertainment and networking, offering inspiring content… but of course, it remains a possibility for the future.
ADICOM WATCH is one of your major events. How far along are you in organizing your other highlights for 2022?
ADICOM ACADEMY will take place in July, as it did last year, and we are preparing ADICOMDAYS for November, which will be held in person in Abidjan.
For this event, which will be celebrating its 6th edition, we are going to return to the idea of honoring a different country each year, and this year it will be Nigeria. As you know, each edition is organized around a theme: this year it will be "COMMITMENT."