O&L BrandX, the marketing agency of the Ohlthaver & List (O&L) Group, was crowned Agency of the Year at the inaugural MTC Branding & Marketing Excellence Awards on Friday evening, capping a three-day MTC Branding and Marketing Indaba with the most coveted accolade of the night.
The O&L Group delivered a commanding double victory when Namibia Dairies’ MoreToLove campaign for the beloved Oshikandela brand was named Advertising Campaign of the Year, reinforcing a standout evening for the group at the Windhoek Country Club Resort gala dinner.
Patricia Hoeksema, Managing Director of O&L BrandX, said the recognition affirms the agency’s commitment to building brands people love through work rooted in authenticity, care and genuine passion – the core characteristics of the O&L Group’s persona and a philosophy that echoes this year’s Indaba theme, Marketing from the heart. As a proudly Namibian-owned agency, O&L BrandX carries a responsibility to grow Namibian brands to their fullest potential and to demonstrate that world-class work can be created right here at home.
“This is a deeply proud moment for the entire BrandX team. Agency of the Year is not built on a single campaign, it is earned through a year of relentless innovation, exceptional delivery and genuine investment in the people, platforms and partnerships that make great work possible,” said Hoeksema.
Dalinka Alberto, Marketing Manager at Namibia Dairies, said the MoreToLove campaign win reflects the deep emotional connection that Oshikandela holds with Namibian consumers. “Oshikandela is not only a product. It is part of Namibia’s daily life and culture.”
The Excellence Awards were introduced for the first time this year as part of the second edition of the MTC Branding and Marketing Indaba. The event drew more than 400 delegates from across Namibia and the African continent. An independent panel of six judges evaluated 109 entries across 15 categories, with 44 submissions advancing to the nomination stage. Each category winner received N$20 000 and a coveted Excellence Award trophy.
The judging panel noted that the advertising entries which rose above the rest shared what they termed the ‘H-factor’ – work that did not merely communicate but connected on a human level. Judges said the strongest campaigns were unapologetically Namibian in character, resisting borrowed aesthetics in favour of authentic local storytelling and assessed entries against criteria of strategy, craft, originality and measurable results.
Meanwhile, O&L Group congratulated all winners and nominees recognised at the awards and commended MTC for establishing a platform that uplifts the standard of branding, marketing, communications and advertising in Namibia and across the continent.