The winning marketers who are best in their field will be announced at a ceremony to be held at Sun City in February 2018. House of Innovation incorporates Kirkpatrick and Associates, a marketing company whose history is steeped in awards and promotions marketing.
Anne Kirkpatrick says, “We felt that there was a gap, something missing in the market place. With the intention of filling that hole, we decided to introduce an award that recognises excellence in the field of marketing.”
“Years of experience and knowledge in the industry will be shared, as we acknowledge an industry that has changed significantly over the last decade. We want to award those who have made strides in improving marketing standards in this country.”
It has taken two years to bring the awards programme to fruition. Key players in the industry were asked for their input into what criteria would be used for selecting South Africa’s best marketers, as there has been no marketing award since 2008.
Geoff White, a past winner of marketing excellence at Cadburys who is now CEO of Nando’s, gave a large sponsorship and an underwriting commitment. A council was convened, with marketing doyenne, Yvonne Johnston, former CEO of Brand South Africa, as the council chairperson.
Now a business and consciousness coach, creative thinker, strategist, facilitator and speaker, Johnston has extensive experience in the world of advertising and marketing. In 2005, she was a finalist in the Business Woman of the Year award and is widely respected as a leading communications strategist. “Marketing as a discipline is very different today. How do you tell consumers you want about your product when consumers access media differently? These days, marketing has moved from demographics to interest groups. The aim is to reach specific groups: fly fishermen or stamp collectors...” explains Johnston.
“We hope these awards will highlight the need for marketing to regain credibility and importance. We want to look at the strategy behind the thinking of our entrants: what is their innovation; their thinking. What strategy are they using to find their consumers to sell their product?
“The judges of the MAA are not looking for creative ads. We’re looking for creative strategic thinking. The conveners of the Award want short, easy to prepare entries. We want it to be easy for marketers to submit their entries. We want the judging to be easy and credible.”
“We have gathered an excellent group of judges with valuable industry experience and our hope is that the achievement award will bring gravitas and credibility to marketing as a discipline.”
Anne Kirkpatrick agrees, “We handpicked the best of the industry to come on board – those who had both marketing expertise as well as business acumen. There is a need for realignment in the industry. We want to find the golden thread that is the strategy behind marketing and get marketing back into the boardroom, as it used to be in the past.”
The judges are:
There are 14 award categories, which recognise innovation and measurable success across multiple pillars.
Entries must have been live in market within 18 months of date of entry and entries must be received by 3 November 2017. For more information, click here.
