On GCI’s Ranking of Nigeria’s IMPR as Most Creative PR Agency in the World
Mohammed Dahiru Lawal
It was indeed a most thrilling moment for me when I became privy to the news that Nigeria’s Image Merchants Promotions (IMPR) Limited, publisher of both PRNigeria and Economic Confidential titles clinched the highest ranking in a rating of the most creative Public Relations Agencies in the 2020 Global Creativity Index (GCI) by PRovoke, in its ninth edition of their landmark survey into creative excellence in the PR industry worldwide.
Incidentally, around the time the ranking came, I was privileged to have been on a call with the ever-dynamic award-winning Crisis Communicator and IMPR’s founder, Yushau A. Shuaib, whose vision, rarity, and exceptional dynamics serves as pivotal instrument to the firm’s many trailblazing wins.
Alhaji had placed me on suspense when he started reeling out the ranking from bottom top. At the time he mentioned that UK’s Tin Man came 14th, I made up my mind that IMPR must have clinched the 13th position but that was not to be as it was another UK firm Manifest that clinched it. As my mind hovered around the possible place of IMPR in the ranking, Alhaji kept reeling out the firms which are Orange 360 (Peru) in 13th position, Trigger (Norway) in 12th position, IN.FOM (Singapore) in 11th, Seesame (Slovakia) in 10th position, AKA Asia (Singapore) 9th position, and The Romans (UK) in 8th position. As my adrenaline rushed with wide expectations and marathon anxiety, I thought IMPR must have been 7th position but no, it was Tribeca, a South African PR firm. By the time the roll call got to the top two and IMPR still was not second, I knew instantly that the multiple award winning IMPR has again done the only it knows how to do best, winning!
It is noteworthy that while other countries like the UK, USA and Singapore had at least two winning firms on the ranking, Nigeria had only one and that was IMPR.
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The renowned multiple-award winning IMPR which was weighted on staff size along other competing global PR firms, scored a whooping 1400 points when the runner up, Finland’s Kurio who scored 933, trailed behind the very wide 467 margin given by IMPR, whereas there was not much margin in between subsequent winners as the third position, United States’ Joy Collective who scored 727 was given a 206-point margin by Kurio.
This is not only outstanding, but remarkably fascinating and an event of national pride.
The point that a small African, nay Nigerian PR firm could submerge gigantic PR Corporations in Europe, America, and across the world in terms of dynamics and solutions driven creative possibilities, should catch the awe and fancy of any progressive mind, a feat which in itself is a representation of the very idea that patronage of foreign products and services is more and more becoming a wild goose chase, especially when we have firms that can exceed expectations and satisfy needs.
In particular, our commercial businesses and politicians should see clearly from this that they do not need to launder stashes of hard currencies into foreign lands just to pay lobbyists exorbitant charges for an image make-up when home-based firms could deliver double on the bargain.
The IMPR ranking did not come as a surprise, it has won several local and global awards from revered institutions back-to-back and the uniqueness of its campaigns are just magnificently awesome especially the referenced “NAF’s Women of War” and “CBN on Fire; WhatsApp to the Rescue” Campaigns.
This is among other overt and covert campaigns it has championed for national interest none of which has ever failed.
Founded by award-winning Crisis Communicator, Yushau A. Shuaib, Image Merchants provides PR advisories to financial sector and critical institutions including military, security, intelligence and response agencies in Nigeria and it is indeed a remarkably outstanding PR firm from the past, in the present and for the future!
Long live IMPR!
God bless Nigeria!!
Mohammad Dahiru Lawal is Campus Journalist of the year 2020 and Convener/Managing Editor, Arewa Agenda for sustainable development.
