Vaseline wins Gold Cannes Lion for ingenious anti-counterfeit campaign in Nigeria
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is widely regarded as the premier global platform for recognising innovation and excellence in advertising and communications.
NIGERIA – Insight Redefini, a Nigerian integrated marketing communications group, and its partner agencies earned a Gold Lion at the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for “The Real Nigerian Prince,” a campaign developed for Vaseline.
The entry took the Creator Collaboration award in partnership with Leo Burnett Singapore, MSL Singapore, Persuasion Communications London and AMA Palmist Visual, earning one of the advertising world’s most prestigious honours.
The campaign tackled the escalating problem of counterfeit skincare products in Nigeria by turning the infamous “Nigerian Prince” internet scam on its head and using it as a vehicle for consumer education.
Instead of traditional advertising, the team built a QR-powered verification system that let shoppers check Vaseline product authenticity at the point of purchase, marrying cultural insight with practical, on-the-ground protection.
Babatunde Olaifa, CEO of Insight Redefini, called the Cannes Gold a landmark for both Insight Redefini and African creativity, saying the award recognises ideas that take creative risks and are executed with excellence.
He added that “The Real Nigerian Prince” transformed a long-standing stereotype into a resonant human story and proved that their team is producing world-class creative work.
Insight Redefini reported that the work reached more than 2.8 million organic views in its first 10 days and registered 5,472 product-verification interactions, with data revealing that seven in ten items checked were fake, a stark indicator of the market’s counterfeit burden.
The campaign also achieved a fivefold uplift in engagement, delivered 94% positive consumer sentiment and produced a 13-times return on investment, the company said.
Insight Redefini said the accolade underscores Nigerian agencies’ growing capacity to create work that competes on the world stage while solving local consumer problems, and the company highlighted the roles of Quadrant MSL and All Seasons Zenith in the collaborative effort.
The Gold Cannes Lion is a prestigious award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, presented to campaigns that demonstrate exceptional innovation, storytelling, and measurable impact across categories such as Film, PR, Media, and Health.
Positioned just below the Grand Prix in status, a Gold Lion signifies that a piece of work has set a global benchmark in creativity, resonated culturally, and delivered tangible results, making it one of the most coveted honours in the advertising and creative industries.
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