IMM Marketing Excellence Awards

This year, three new categories have been added, in the fields of product/service launch, marketing communications, and digital and electronic marketing. The Awards are sponsored by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

Top of the list of Awards will again be the highly prestigious IMM Marketer of the Year, presented annually to an individual who has made a strong contribution to his or her organisation through strategic and operational marketing excellence.

Previous recipients of this particular Award have included Mark Lamberti of Massmart Holdings Limited, Sean Summers of Pick n Pay, and Brand Pretorius of McCarthy Holdings.

Companies that are judged to have a high level of marketing orientation may be nominated for the IMM’s Marketing Roll of Honour. A maximum of 12 organisations can be selected to receive this Award in which both the organisation and the individual driving the marketing effort are recognised.

A third category is that of Chartered Marketer of the Year, which recognises an individual who has gone beyond the call of professional duty in giving of his or her time and marketing expertise to mentor other disadvantaged marketers, or support a community-oriented venture. In so doing, he or she has made an invaluable contribution to marketing excellence in South Africa. Last year, Nike South Africa received this particular Award.

The new category of Product/Service Launch of the Year will recognise the ability of a product or service to "stand out" in a cluttered environment when first introduced to the market.

The Most Outstanding Marketing Communications Campaign of the Year will evaluate the way in which marketers have achieved excellence in the planned and systematic application of marketing communication skills over a range of time (at least six months).

The third new category, that of Digital and Electronic Marketing Campaign of the Year, calls for entries that have used electronic production, delivery mechanisms and/or wireless applications to market their products and services to target audiences. Entries using electronic newsletters, annual reports, internet and intranet sites, interactive programmes for both external and internal audiences, and cellphone or wireless technology will be considered for this award.

Nomination for the IMM Marketing Awards should be received by the IMM by 12 noon on Friday 12 July 2002. Those accepted for nomination will be informed of the entry submission requirements.

Nomination forms are available from Tamara Chetty at the IMM on (011) 482-1419, or by e-mail at .