The Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG) on Monday, October 12, 2020 launched the 2019 CIMG Annual National Marketing Performance Awards. The launch, which was for the first time, held virtually via Microsoft Teams, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, attracted participation from the media, marketing research community, academia and membership of the CIMG.
In his welcome address, the National President of the CIMG, Dr. Daniel Kasser Tee, said the Institute has been organising the awards for the past 30 years annually without a break during which period corporate organisations and individuals have been recognized and decorated for outstanding performance.
He opined that the awards have over the period contributed in diverse ways in reshaping the marketing focus of individual and corporate participants. Just by participating, such individuals and businesses become aware of the key metrics for marketing performance and they are usually guided by these in their planning and implementation processes. As a result, many industry leaders tend to refocus their organisations into becoming more marketing-oriented, as they continue to learn new things from the awards questionnaire and processes; he added.
According to Dr Kasser Tee, the “CIMG continues to invest time and other resources into ways that ensure continuous improvements in the various categories, the processes, the systems, the approach, the selection methods, etc. with the overall aim of ensuring relevance and making participation very friendly to our individual and corporate customers. To do this effectively, the Governing Council usually concerns itself with issues of strategic nature, while the awards planning committee works with our research partners to oversee the operational and tactical matters, including quality”.
Dr Kasser Tee also used the occasion to advise political parties, to refrain from using foul, offensive and abusive language against their political opponents, as we enter the political campaign season. “Politicians need to be reminded once again that businesses thrive in a peaceful and friendly environment. COVID-19 has caused enough damage to the business environment, leading to most organisations missing out on their annual projections. The least politicians can do, is to stop inflaming passions and building unnecessary tensions in the country, as businesses require peace to strategize and streamline their operations for effective performance. It is in this regard that the CIMG renews its call for all political parties to exercise restraint in their communications messages and pronouncements. We need sanity to conduct peaceful and respected elections”. He concluded by reminding political parties of the need to embrace Political Marketing to help promote their cause by engaging the services of Political Marketing Strategists and Political Marketing Communications Experts.
On her part, the CIMG Awards Planning and Selection Committee Chairman and Vice President of the Institute, Mrs Agnes Essah, touted the unparalleled landmark achievements the CIMG awards scheme has achieved over the past 30 years of its existence.
She said that there is no doubt that the scheme has tremendously grown into what can aptly be described as the benchmark awards scheme in Ghana as a result of the successes achieved. The Institute has, therefore, resolved to keep the stakes as high and as relevant as possible so that the standards by which the CIMG assesses individual and corporate performances are not compromised. It is this level of commitment that has guided the Institute, as a responsive institution, to constantly introduce new and progressive ideas, all aimed at adding value to our processes as well as new award categories.
According to her, the CIMG constantly reviews the awards selection processes in order to make them relevant at all times. Most of the business (corporate) awards categories have accordingly been renamed to reflect the customer-centeredness of those organisations.
Under media and Marketing Communications, Integrated Marketing Communications category has been renamed; Above-the-Line (Mass media channels such as Radio, TV, Outdoor, etc.), Below-the-Line (Sales promotions, Brand activations, etc.) and New Media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.).
According to Mrs. Essah, the selection goes through a rigorous process, which involves research partners and various umbrella professional organisations as well as a panel of independent assessors.
The awards, she said, cover 6 major competitive areas:
- Hall of Fame,
- Personalities,
- Media/Marketing Communications Organisations,
- Business organizations,
- Products, and
- Not-for-Profit organizations
The non-competitive category is the CIMG President’s Special awards which are given to a noticeable female and male achiever in any endeavour of life that contributes to national development.
Mrs. Essah indicated that the judges and assessors for this year’s event will invest time and effort to ensure these awards represent Ghana’s best and finest. The criteria for selecting the winners and benchmarking their performance will include;
- Marketing Metrics
- Marketing Innovation
- Technological Innovation
- Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (STP)
- Social Impact
- Contribution to National Development
- Public Image
- Market place success
- Market Share position
- Customer Orientation
- Ecological and Ethical Issues
- Competitor Benchmarking
In her concluding statement, Mrs. Essah noted some happenings in the awards space in the recent past that is of so much concern. It is for this reason that the CIMG will continue to call for sanity in the awards space. To her, “As awards organizers, our patrons require of us to show them some professionalism, independence, credibility, sound judgment, and we cannot afford to disappoint them. CIMG would like to assure all stakeholders that we shall continue to explore ways of improving standards for the much celebrated CIMG awards in the years ahead”.
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