18th Gong Gong Awards: A Night Where Human Craft Met AI and Ghana’s Advertising Industry Came Together

The 2026 Gong Gong Awards was more than a celebration of Ghana’s best advertising work. It was a reunion of an industry, a showcase of creativity and technology, and an evening that captured the warmth, energy and competitive spirit of the people who spend the better part of every year building some of the country’s biggest brands.

Held under the theme “The Creative Convergence: Human Craft and AI in Advertising,” the 18th Gong Gong Awards brought together advertising agencies, brands, marketers, creatives, media professionals, production partners and other stakeholders for an unforgettable night of recognition, entertainment and industry camaraderie.

Long before the first award was presented, the experience had already begun.

Guests arriving for the evening turned the specially designed LED walkway into one of the most photographed spaces of the night. Individuals, agency teams, friends and couples stopped to capture their Gong Gong moments before making their way into the foyer of the Omanye Hall, where the red carpet became another centre of attraction.

Dressed for advertising’s biggest night, guests posed for photographs, exchanged greetings and soaked in the atmosphere as cameras captured the personalities behind some of Ghana’s most visible brands and campaigns.

The foyer itself soon developed into one of the most important spaces of the evening. For an industry whose professionals spend much of the year moving from briefs to pitches, campaigns, shoots, strategy sessions and client meetings, the Gong Gong Awards offered something increasingly rare: time to reconnect.

Executives and creatives from competing agencies exchanged warm greetings. Former colleagues reunited. Clients interacted with agency teams, while old friends who had not met in months caught up over conversations and photographs.

In many ways, the Gong Gong became an annual homecoming for Ghana’s advertising industry — a gathering of people who may compete fiercely for business and awards but remain members of one creative community.

The evening also carried the distinctive presence of the event’s sponsors.

Eskimi, one of the main sponsors of the 18th Gong Gong Awards, brought its trademark purple identity to life through a sophisticated cocktail experience. Guests were treated to beautifully presented purple cocktails, with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options available throughout the evening.

Nutrifoods, another major sponsor, also made its presence impossible to miss. Across the more than 40 tables inside the venue, guests were welcomed by colourful assortments of Nutrifoods’ branded biscuits, adding another playful brand experience to the evening.

The activations reflected what the Gong Gong has always celebrated — brands going beyond visibility to create memorable experiences.

At 8:00 p.m., the focus shifted from the foyer to the main stage as the 18th Gong Gong Awards went live on TV3 and its social media platforms.

But the opening immediately signalled that this would not be an ordinary awards ceremony.

Master of Ceremonies Kafui Dey emerged with a co-host the audience had not expected — Aura, an AI-generated holographic personality.

The interaction between the human MC and his virtual co-host brought the theme of the awards to life before a single trophy had been presented. Kafui and Aura's unexpected opening drew excitement from the audience as human performance, humour and spontaneity met artificial intelligence on the Gong Gong stage.

It was a fitting introduction to an awards night dedicated to interrogating and celebrating the relationship between technology and human creativity.

The President of the Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG), Andrew Ackah gave his short but heart-warming message that was more like a farewell message because his four-year tenure of office ends this coming November when a new President and Council would be voted to office. Mr. Ackah highlighted the numerous projects his administration has undertaken including the rebranding of the AAG and the re-introduction of the Gong Gong awards.

Then came the reason everyone was there: the work.

One after another, agency teams rose from their tables, some composed and others visibly ecstatic, before making their way to the podium to receive the coveted Gong Gong metals.

Importantly, the jury did not automatically award Gold in every category. Where the standard for Gold had not been met, Silver — and in some cases Bronze — became the highest award presented, reinforcing the Gong Gong's emphasis on creative standards rather than simply filling award positions.

In Craft, Publicis West Africa took Gold for Best Film with Maggi Taste of Christmas. Insel Communications Limited emerged as the highest winner in Best Print, taking Silver for Ecobank International Women’s Day, before going one better with Gold in Best Radio for Looks Can Be Deceiving. Carat took Gold for Best OOH with Club Beer Kwahu Mountain Top, while Pulse Ghana topped Design Craft with Silver for Drink IQ.

The Brand Experience & Content category produced another set of memorable winners. EchoHouse took Gold for Branded Experience & Activation with Tidal Rave Festival 2025. Its Share A Coke campaign earned the highest metal, Silver, in Branded Content & Entertainment, while Publicis West Africa won Gold in the Influencer & Creator Economy category with Nescafé Ramadan.

In Digital & Technology, the night's theme found some of its strongest expression. Publicis West Africa won Gold for Best Use of AI & Creative Tech with Maggi Mami. Dentsu Ghana emerged as the highest winner in Best Use of Innovation, receiving Silver for its DDP Intelligence Portal, while Publicis West Africa returned to the podium for another Gold in Best Use of Social Media with Tales of Ramadan Season 2.

The Media category was particularly notable because the jury withheld both Gold and Silver across its four sections. Publicis West Africa therefore swept the highest awards available, taking Bronze for Absa SME Loans Campaign in Use of Media to Drive Business Results, MAGGI Taste of Christmas in Excellence in Media Strategy, Acquisition Campaign 2025 — Get More with Absa in Excellence in Media Planning, and NESCAFE RAMADAN in Best Media Idea/Innovation.

In Integrated Campaign, Rezultz Advertising claimed Gold for Best Integrated Campaign with MoMo Enfa Nfa hↄ, while Carat won Gold for Campaign Effectiveness with GTP ecomerce.

The Purpose & Impact honours saw Publicis West Africa take Gold in Gong Gong for Good with Milo under 13. In Culture & Impact, where no Gold was awarded, Primetime took the ultimate honour with Silver for the National Science & Maths Quiz.

Each announcement brought a different reaction: cheers from agency tables, embraces between team members, triumphant walks to the stage and the inevitable Gong Gong photographs as winners proudly held up their metals.

When all the results were considered according to the Gong Gong ranking system — where the number of Gold awards takes precedence, followed by Silver and then Bronze — one agency stood above the rest.

Publicis accumulated an impressive 12 metals: five Gold, two Silver and five Bronze.

Its five Gold awards came from Maggi Taste of Christmas for Best Film; Maggi Mami for Best Use of AI & Creative Tech; Tales of Ramadan Season 2 for Best Use of Social Media; Milo under 13 for Gong Gong for Good; and Nescafé Ramadan for Influencer & Creator Economy.

The agency's two Silver awards came from Maggi Esther and Tara in Best Integrated Campaign and Nescafé Ramadan in Branded Experience & Activation.

Its five Bronze medals were earned by Absa SME Loans Campaign, MAGGI Taste of Christmas, Acquisition Campaign 2025 — Get More with Absa and NESCAFE RAMADAN across the four Media categories, together with another Bronze for Maggi Taste of Christmas in Culture & Impact.

The scale and breadth of that performance — across Craft, Digital & Technology, Purpose & Impact, Brand Experience & Content, Integrated Campaign and Media — ultimately secured Publicis West Africa the industry's biggest agency honour.

Carat finished second in the Agency of the Year ranking with a perfect haul of two Gold medals from two wins: GTP ecomerce for Campaign Effectiveness and Club Beer Kwahu Mountain Top for Best OOH. The two Golds placed Carat ahead of agencies that collected a greater overall number of metals but fewer Gold awards.

Rezultz Advertising followed with an impressive eight metals — one Gold, four Silver and three Bronze. Its Gold came from MoMo Enfa Nfa hↄ. Its Silver-winning work included MoMo Still Mensaka, All the Fun Dey House, MTN Mancomm Event and 16X16X16, while Bronze awards went to MoMo Still Mensaka, Responsible Lending and MTN Mancomm.

EchoHouse recorded five metals — one Gold, two Silver and two Bronze. Its Gold-winning Tidal Rave Festival 2025 led the haul, while Share A Coke collected two Silver awards across Best Use of Digital and Branded Content & Entertainment. Tidal Rave Wildcard and Tecno Campus Creators Challenge completed the agency's performance with Bronze medals.

Insel Communications Limited completed the leading group with two metals — one Gold and one Silver. Looks Can Be Deceiving won Gold for Best Radio, while Ecobank International Women’s Day took Silver in Best Print.

The climax was not reserved for agencies alone.

Maggi by Nestlé was crowned the 2026 Gong Gong Brand of the Year, following a strong performance that saw the brand collect five metals — two Gold, one Silver and two Bronze.

Its winning work included Maggi Taste of Christmas, Maggi Esther and Tara and Maggi Mami, demonstrating the brand's presence across different areas of creative communication.

There was a fitting moment on stage when representatives of Nestlé came forward to proudly receive the Brand of the Year honour alongside Publicis West Africa, the advertising agency behind the winning work.

It was a powerful representation of one of the central truths of great advertising: the strongest creative work is often the product of a strong partnership between an ambitious client and an inspired agency.

Before the ultimate awards of the evening were announced, the ceremony took another exhilarating turn.

Sensational Ghanaian musician EL hit the stage and instantly changed the energy in the room, taking guests through a performance of some of his vintage hits.

What began as an awards-night performance quickly became one of the entertainment highlights of the evening.

Then came another surprise.

D-Black joined EL on stage, creating a memorable performance encounter that had guests singing along, recording videos and reliving songs that have become part of Ghana's contemporary music story.

For a few minutes, the Gong Gong Awards became a concert.

And then it returned to the business of crowning the very best of Ghanaian advertising.

Eventually, the final awards had been presented, the television broadcast had ended and another chapter in Gong Gong history had been written.

But many guests were not ready to leave.

Long after the official ceremony had closed, scores of participants remained around the Omanye Hall and its foyer. Agency teams gathered for group photographs. Winners posed with their metals. Friends returned to conversations interrupted by the awards ceremony, while others simply stayed to savour the atmosphere.

It was perhaps the perfect ending to the 18th Gong Gong Awards.

For one night, the people who spend an entire year creating ideas, building brands, meeting deadlines, competing for accounts and shaping the messages Ghana sees and hears every day had the opportunity to celebrate themselves — and one another.

The 2026 Gong Gong Awards showed that while technology is rapidly changing the possibilities of advertising, the industry's greatest strength remains its people: their ideas, imagination, relationships, craft and ability to create meaning.

Human Craft met AI at the 18th Gong Gong Awards. But when the lights finally came down, it was human connection that lingered longest.