XLR8, headed by Calixthus Okoruwa, has won Guinness Nigeria’s public relations account after the recent loss of MTN.
XLR8 takes over from Bolaji Okusaga’s The Quadrant Company (TQC), which said it retired from the account early this year because Guinness failed to reveiw the contract upward.
However, a source in Guinness disclosed that TQC was advised not to participate in the pitch owing to unsatisfactory performance.
Guinness corporate is not as lucrative as product briefs but it provides cushion for an agency that has just lost the PR account of MTN, one of the juiciest in the country.
The engagement of XLR8 followed an extensive selection process that included an open pitch for credential presentation and panel discussion.
Guinness Corporate Relations Director, Sesan Sobowale, narrated that “throughout the selection process, we were impressed by XLR8’s industry and market knowledge and we feel confident that the organisation possesses the wherewithal to add value and provide support as we partner to achieve our business objectives.”
Okoruwa said XLR8 is both delighted and honoured to have Guinness Nigeria join its impressive roster of blue chip brands.
“Any organisation that has been able to build a brand and sustain its iconic status for more than 250 years deserves all the respect and adulation it gets,” he stressed.
“We are indeed humbled by this opportunity to be of service to this formidable organisation and will continue to seek to justify the confidence which it has reposed in XLR8.”
Guinness Nigeria has operated in Nigeria since 1960 and is a member of Diageo Plc, the world’s premium alcoholic drinks company.
Its portfolio of products comprises alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, among them Guinness, Foreign Extra Stout, Harp, Malta Guinness, and Orijin.
XLR8 has since its founding in 2004 consulted for some of the world’s best known and most respected brands across different industry sectors that include technology, banking and financial services, broadcast and entertainment, and fast moving consumer goods.
“Guinness Nigeria is the latest addition to the very distinguished clientele for which we are eminently proud to be of service, and as always, we shall strive to ensure that our work speaks for us in the value that we deliver,” Okoruwa said.
